Chapter 41 mentions Qin Ren, and Liu Qingyue's eyes...

When Qin Ren was mentioned, Liu Qingyue's eyes flickered.

Liu Qingyue smiled and asked, "Brother, you should already know, why do you need to ask me again?"

Liu Yu looked at him and said, "What do you think? What they say is always different from your own experience. Also... they only found you later. After taking you to Yuyang Prefecture, they were specially transferred away by Father. They don't know much about your situation."

Liu Yu already knew that Minister Liu had transferred the two guards he had assigned in order to force Liu Qingyue to marry that merchant.

The thought that... his younger brother almost got into an accident must have terrified him when he was all alone.

It's his fault, really. He thought that even tigers don't eat their cubs, and no matter what, Yue'er was his child, so he wouldn't do anything to betray her.

Unexpectedly, their father was truly ruthless, both to him and to Yue'er; in crucial moments, he was more heartless than anyone else.

Despite having learned from past mistakes, he still believed his father would treat Yue'er well; otherwise, so many things wouldn't have happened.

Liu Qingyue replied vaguely, "I've told them everything I need to. After I got separated from my maid, Brother Qin rescued me from the bandits. I'm just a young man, I don't know how to fight, and I don't have any money, so I kept pestering Brother Qin to escort me south. Brother Qin is a very kind person, and he didn't mind that I was spoiled. He protected me very well along the way, and that's when I met your guards."

"He didn't bully you?"

"No, he's a foreigner. He still... doesn't know I'm a boy."

"Really? And then what happened? Did he help you escape your wedding?"

After Liu Qingyue returned to the Liu family, they not only refused to provide him with servants, but also kept him locked up at home.

Later, when she was forced into marriage, even the two guards that Liu Yuze had arranged were transferred away.

Liu Qingyue is a boy, how did he manage to escape from under the noses of so many people all by himself?

Liu Qingyue wanted to say that he escaped on his own, but he knew that his brother would definitely not believe him.

In his older brother's eyes, he was a pitiful little guy, so weak that he couldn't even beat a rabbit.

In reality, he was not weak at all. He often fought with Liu Qingyan since childhood, and he was not as weak as his brother imagined.

To avoid arousing her brother's suspicions, Liu Qingyue hesitated for a moment before speaking, "He did help me, but he meant well. If it weren't for his help, I don't know what would have happened to me."

After all, that merchant is not only ugly, but also mentally unstable, and might abuse him.

He's arrogant and can't stand hardship; he probably won't last long until his brother comes to rescue him.

“Brother, you can’t blame him just because I’m a boy, for the sake of my reputation.”

Liu Yu tightened her grip on her sleeve, but her face remained expressionless.

"Of course not. He has been incredibly kind to Yue'er, so he is my benefactor too. Don't worry, Yue'er, your brother won't blame him and will thank him properly. However... it's probably not convenient to contact him now, because we are going back to the capital as criminals, and it wouldn't be good for him to contact us now."

Liu Qingyue also knew that the Liu family's current situation was very special, and no one would benefit from getting involved.

However... Qin Ren is different from others. They can avoid meeting openly, but they can still meet in private.

Of course, he couldn't tell his brother these things, so he could only nod and say, "Okay, then... I'll not contact him for now. Once our matter is resolved, we must thank him properly."

Seeing that he had agreed, Liu Yuze gave him a faint smile.

It wasn't until evening that Liu Qingyue finally found a chance to be alone.

He carefully observed the outside, making sure no one was watching him, before cautiously opening the passage.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he opened the passage on his side, he saw Qin Ren standing at the entrance.

Qin Ren had been waiting for him to open the passage, so he had been waiting since the afternoon.

Since he didn't know when Liu Qingyue would open the passage, Qin Ren had been playing games while sitting on the box at the entrance of the passage.

There is no signal in the passage, so he can only play single-player games.

Liu Qingyue was startled when she saw him. He wanted to go into the passage with Qin Ren to Qin Ren's house.

Then he realized that he had just reunited with his mother and brother, and if he left now, it would cause a lot of trouble.

Liu Qingyue: "You, what are you doing here?"

They hadn't seen each other for a long time, and when they suddenly saw Qin Ren... he... he really missed Qin Ren.

Qin Ren was also quite worried about Liu Qingyue. He suddenly returned to the modern world just to check on Liu Qingyue's situation.

Qin Ren returned to the modern world yesterday. He knew that Liu Qingyue would definitely use the door, so he would use the door that Liu Qingyue opened to get to her side.

These past few days, he noticed something was amiss outside the city, a sign that a storm was brewing, and he became very worried about Liu Qingyue's situation.

"I finally got to see you today," Qin Ren asked in a low voice as he came out of the passage. "How have you been lately?"

Liu Qingyue's room was a bit small. He hadn't noticed anything wrong with it since he lived alone, but he realized how small the room really was when Qin Ren came in.

Liu Qingyue took two steps back. He and Qin Ren had been in the same room before, and he had been able to remain calm then.

But... today, his mother and brother are both in the same courtyard.

For an unmarried young man like him to meet a stranger alone like this was actually quite frightening and nerve-wracking...

Qin Ren, however, did not notice his nervousness. Seeing that he was not speaking, he thought that he had not heard clearly, so he repeated what he had just said.

Upon hearing this, Liu Qingyue wanted to say something inappropriate, but thinking of his grandmother who had mistreated him and Liu Qingyan and the others who had bullied him, he figured they were probably all arrested by the guards now. He couldn't say anything bad about them now, so he didn't know what to say for a moment.

Seeing Liu Qingyue's somewhat aggrieved expression, Qin Ren handed her the things he had brought while continuing to ask, "What's the situation with the Liu family now? It seems like you're not in the Liu family's place?"

As Qin Ren spoke, he peeked out through the crack in the door.

Liu Qingyue's eyes reddened slightly. He sniffed and then answered softly, "We're outside the city now. The Liu family has been... their property has been confiscated."

"Your home was raided? That means the Fourth Prince has failed. Do you even know who's on the throne now?"

"I know, my brother said it's His Highness the Crown Prince, he's the new emperor now. Also, the old emperor isn't dead yet, he's holding on to his last breath, helping the new emperor clean up the court."

Qin Ren quickly grasped the key point: "Your brother is here too? He's the one who picked you and your mother up?"

"Yes, it's pretty much what you guessed before. My brother wasn't kidnapped by bad guys; he... wanted to take this opportunity to sever ties with the Liu family."

As Liu Qingyue spoke, she reached out and opened the things Qin Ren had brought for her.

Qin Ren brought him a small bag containing two chocolates, a milk candy, a handful of pistachios, and a children's watch.

Liu Qingyue hadn't eaten these snacks in a long time. He unwrapped the milk candy and put it in his mouth, and couldn't help but smile sweetly.

Seeing this, Qin Ren smiled and asked Liu Qingyue to extend her hand before putting the children's watch on her wrist.

Qin Ren: "Take this with you. It can tell the time, act as a lamp, and take pictures."

Liu Qingyue could recognize modern watches, and upon hearing this, she subconsciously nodded.

Liu Qingyue: "We're going back to the capital. My brother said that nothing serious should happen to me, Mother, and my brother. But even if nothing serious happens, we still need to be respectful enough, otherwise we might displease the new emperor."

At this point, he looked at Qin Ren and asked, "Brother Qin, what about you? Are you planning to stay in Yu Yang Prefecture, or... or come with me?"

Qin Ren wanted to say, "Your brother seems pretty capable. With him around, you should be fine."

But when Qin Ren looked down and met Liu Qingyue's wet eyes, he just couldn't bring himself to say that they should part ways.

He was genuinely worried about the child, who had suffered so much and might even be a "woman."

Qin Ren thought for a moment, "You want me to come with you?"

Liu Qingyue shook her head. "On the surface... you can't come with us. You're a foreigner with a special status. It won't do you any good to be associated with us now."

"So... what do you want?"

Liu Qingyue hesitated for a moment, "Brother Qin, could you... could you stay in the modern world for now, and then come to see me occasionally?"

Qin Ren couldn't help but laugh after hearing this, "So you're planning to spend the day with your family and then have me come over to keep you company at night?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Qingyue blushed. He knew that as a man, it was inappropriate for him to have a male stranger come to keep him company at night.

But... he was used to having Qin Ren with him, and he felt uneasy without Qin Ren.

Moreover, their relationship is not ordinary.

Liu Qingyue asked, both shy and annoyed, "Are you willing or not?"

Qin Ren: "Then what benefits will you give me? I can't work for free, can I?"

"I'll give you the money. I'll ask my mother for it tomorrow. I promise I won't treat you unfairly."

"Alright, put the silver in the passage tomorrow, and I'll bring you some good food then."

Liu Qingyue was probably taken aback when she realized that Qin Ren would agree so easily.

"You...you really agreed?"

"Yes, you were almost crying, and you still said you would give me money. I'm a very greedy person."

"But...don't you own a shop in the prefectural city?"

It's said that the shop was quite profitable, but now... is he going to give it up because of his situation?

"The shop has been handed over to Shen Wanying, and there's not much stock left there. Let him have the shop; it's not worth much anyway. Besides, there are many wealthy families in the capital. Judging from your brother's abilities, he'll definitely amount to something in the future. As for me, following you won't be a loss; I might even benefit from it in the future."

If it were before, Liu Qingyue would definitely have believed his nonsense.

Now that he's familiar with Qin Ren, he's gradually been able to distinguish which of Qin Ren's words are true and which are false.

He knew that whether it was asking him for money or the words he had just said, they were all just Qin Ren's attempts to put him at ease.

Qin Ren was worried about him, didn't trust him, and for his sake... he gave up a peaceful life and the shops in Yuyang Mansion.

Thinking of this, Liu Qingyue's eyes reddened even more, and before he could hold back, he stepped forward and reached out to hug Qin Ren's waist.

Qin Ren froze for a moment, then reached out and patted his head with a hint of helplessness.

"Okay, don't be afraid, I'll stay with you."