Chapter 148 (First Release)...

Because the night was still peaceful, Ning Wanwan slept quite well.

It was a little regrettable that, perhaps because the night was too short, or perhaps because the other two in the family intentionally separated Ning Wanwan from Zhou Yanyao and Qi Lin for an extended period of time, Ning Wanwan did not gain any other memories during her brief contact with them that day.

Perhaps it will happen later... or perhaps that feeling of familiarity with Zhou Yanyao and Qi Lin is just an illusion.

Thinking about this, perhaps because she was preoccupied with this matter, Ning Wanwan seemed to have a dream in her sleep. Many things flashed through her dream, yet it seemed like nothing at all.

But subconsciously, a voice seemed to be telling her to hurry up and remember, or it would be too late.

Ning Wanwan suddenly woke up, opened her eyes, slowly sat up, stared blankly for a while, and then touched her chest with a slightly bewildered expression.

I feel like I've forgotten so many things...

And it's a very important matter.

But when I try to recall the dream, I can't remember anything. I just feel like the dream... wasn't the same world.

Unable to recall anything, Ning Wanwan struggled for a while before deciding to give up. She sighed softly, feeling a little thirsty.

I guess it's because dinner was a bit too salty.

Ning Wanwan got out of bed to get some water.

However, as soon as her body left the warm bed, she couldn't help but shiver twice and gasp for breath.

"It's so cold..."

It snows here every day, so it's normal for the weather to be cold, but compared to before, it seems... even colder.

Ning Wanwan wanted to peek over the bed, but it was too dark outside and she couldn't see anything.

Ning Wanwan was too cold to stand for long. After hesitating for a moment, her thirst overcame her reason, and she thought she should go out and get a glass of water as soon as possible.

Not wanting to wake anyone in the dead of night, she tried to jog out as fast as possible while keeping her footsteps as light as possible.

I remember there should still be some hot water on the stove in the kitchen; it's better to have something hot to drink on such a cold night.

But as soon as Ning Wanwan reached the kitchen door, she saw a figure and immediately stopped, slowly trying to move away.

Nothing special, I just suddenly realized that the remaining cold water on the living room table is drinkable...

"Stop." As if he had eyes in the back of his head, the man called out to her before she could slip away.

Ning Wanwan: "..."

Ning Wanwan could only whisper, "Lord Qi Lin, are you here for a drink of water too...?"

As soon as the words left her mouth, Ning Wanwan almost bit her tongue. What a boring and awkward conversation this was!

Qi Lin didn't speak. Ning Wanwan's mind went blank for a moment, then she subconsciously added, "It's so late, what a coincidence..."

That's it, now it's even more awkward.

Ning Wanwan wished she could become invisible so she could slip away immediately and avoid being exposed to Qi Lin's gaze.

You're afraid of me.

Qi Lin was silent for a moment, then asked in a low voice as if he felt something was strange.

It's strange, really. There were no lights in the room, it was so dark, you shouldn't be able to see anything clearly, at least not Ning Wanwan could see Qi Lin's expression at that moment.

But Ning Wanwan always felt that the other person was staring at her.

It was as if they wanted to thoroughly understand every single change in her expression.

Ning Wanwan couldn't help but shrink back slightly.

It's okay during the day; there are many people around, so my discomfort isn't as noticeable.

At this moment, in the dead of night, alone with Lord Qi Lin, Ning Wanwan's sense of rejection and discomfort became quite pronounced.

For some reason, Ning Wanwan just didn't really want to be around Qi Lin.

Although she felt a strange sense of familiarity with both Zhou Yanyao and Qi Lin, this familiarity varied in degree.

For example, she felt more familiar and closer to Zhou Yanyao, while her familiarity with Qi Lin was only superficial. However, she subconsciously felt that Qi Lin was a very important person, so she didn't ignore him.

However, this wasn't the only reason she didn't want to be alone with Qi Lin.

She always felt that the other person would say something unpleasant.

Could it be because, in her forgotten memories, Qi Lin had indeed been harsh with her to her face?

Thinking about this, Ning Wanwan found it somewhat amusing and shook her head inwardly, wondering what she was thinking. She and Qi Lin might not have even known each other before.

"What are you thinking about?" Qi Lin had taken a few steps closer, leaned down slightly, and stared intently at her with his dark eyes.

Ning Wanwan instinctively looked up and met Qi Lin's gaze.

I have this feeling like I'm about to be eaten...

Why do all these people like to stare at her with such strange looks?

"I wasn't thinking about anything..." Ning Wanwan said softly.

“Lying,” Qi Lin said calmly, then took another step toward the girl.

In such a dark environment, the tall man, whose expression was obscured, approached her step by step, creating a truly oppressive atmosphere.

Not to mention he even reached out his hand to her...

Ning Wanwan was startled and instinctively took a step back, but accidentally bumped into the sharp corner of the storage cabinet above.

"Ugh!" Ning Wanwan let out a cry of pain, clutching her forehead and squatting down involuntarily.

At the same time, due to the collision, the cups on the table and cabinet shook twice and rolled down. From an angle that Ning Wanwan couldn't see, they were about to hit her on the head!

Qi Lin reacted extremely quickly, reaching out to catch the water glass and preventing it from hitting Ning Wanwan.

Ning Wanwan's heart skipped a beat. Seeing what Qi Lin had caught, she stammered softly, "Thank you..."

She tilted her head back, covered her head, and said thank you in a somewhat bewildered manner, looking particularly dazed.

But for some reason, Qi Lin's irritation caused by the girl's fear of him seemed to have been soothed considerably.

Qi Lin was silent for a moment, then reached out his hand again. This time, the girl subconsciously turned her head to stare at his hand. She hesitated for a moment, but did not pull away this time.

Qi Lin's hand finally landed on Ning Wanwan's wrist, his fingers tightening around her, and then he pulled her up from the ground with a slight effort.

Ning Wanwan was still a little dazed, probably because her head had been hit hard. She subconsciously used his strength to stand up.

"You... never mind, just be careful." Qi Lin originally wanted to teach her to pay attention to her surroundings when she was walking, but after a pause, he met the girl's watery eyes, which were slightly brimming with tears from the pain, and in the end, he only said this.

"Hmm..." Ning Wanwan pursed her lips and nodded gently.

The tears in her eyes hadn't faded yet, as if she felt a little embarrassed for causing trouble for others.

After regaining her footing, it took Ning Wanwan a few seconds to come to her senses and realize that Qi Lin had not let go.

The other person's fingertips were slightly rough, and the temperature of his palm was too hot, which was completely different from his calm and composed appearance. At this moment, his whole palm encircled her wrist, and his thumb pressed on the skin of her wrist for a long time, showing a strong presence.

Ning Wanwan was confused and thought something had happened.

She looked up at Qi Lin, only to see him with his eyes downcast, deep in thought, seemingly unaware that he was still holding her hand.

Ning Wanwan: "..."

A few more seconds passed, and the other person still showed no intention of letting go. Ning Wanwan finally couldn't hold back any longer and pulled her hand back.

Qi Lin looked up again and slowly released his hand, appearing unhurried.

His fingertips gently caressed her wrist, as if savoring the brief moment of contact when he held the girl's slender wrist.

In fact, Qi Lin didn't know why he didn't want to give up; it was just instinct. So he played a little trick.

"Sorry, I forgot for a moment." Qi Lin didn't try to deny it and said directly in a deep voice.

He simply embellished his purpose slightly in his words.

Ning Wanwan: "...It's okay, don't worry about it."

Ning Wanwan didn't really think it was a big deal; it was just a wrist shake, not even a hand-holding.

What's more, he did that to help her up, and he even shielded her from a cup that almost hit her.

No matter how timid and cautious Ning Wanwan was, she couldn't possibly think that Qi Lin was taking advantage of her by shaking her wrist a little longer.

She couldn't help but pull her hand away, partly because she felt awkward and uncomfortable holding hands for so long, and partly because the other person's palm was...too hot.

Ning Wanwan's voice was very soft and gentle, with a faint sob lingering from the pain at the end.

She didn't do it on purpose, and the feeling was very subtle; most people would only hear that her voice sounded a little soft at the end.

But Qi Lin somehow managed to catch it.

Qi Lin's sharp eyes lingered for a moment on the slightly reddened corners of Ning Wanwan's eyes.

—No matter how you look at it, she is a fragile ordinary person who would cry from pain even if she were just bumped on the forehead.

It's really ordinary, very ordinary.

Whether it's Qi Lin himself or Zhou Yanyao, any one of their battle injuries would be a thousand times more serious than this.

Without even thinking, Qi Lin knew that if Zhou Yanyao were here, he would examine the small area Ning Wanwan had bumped into with a level of care that was more meticulous than ever before when he was injured, and would offer all sorts of comforting words.

He would act like a large dog with ulterior motives, frantically circling around the girl while constantly trying to impress her and win her favor.

Qi Lin didn't offer any warm greetings like Zhou Yanyao did; given his personality, he wouldn't do such a thing.

He observed for a while, and after confirming that Ning Wanwan's forehead was only red and swollen, he calmly looked away.

Then, he turned around, walked to the kitchen, got some ice, and wrapped it in a clean cloth.

Actually, Qi Lin initially reached out to Ning Wanwan because he noticed she was too close to the storage cabinet above and wanted to pull her closer. However, he didn't expect Ning Wanwan to bump into it instead.

Qi Lin is a very pragmatic person. For example, he will save the weak as long as he can ensure his own safety, but he doesn't care much about what the weak think.

This wasn't out of contempt, but rather because he didn't want to waste time associating with people who weren't on the same path.

However, the person in front of me is an exception.

He desperately wanted to know what this girl named Ning Wanwan was thinking; he had a strong desire to explore and protect her.

Even though it was a "waste of time" and wouldn't bring any benefits, he didn't mind spending time with her.

-----------------------

Author's Note: Late-night men and women...

Sorry for the lack of updates lately. I'd like to explain that May was a busy month with work and exams. I was finally going to have a break during the May Day holiday and was planning to update, but one thing after another happened at home, leading to a major conflict. I'm exhausted and it's hard to explain. I've also been feeling very emotional lately...

Sigh, I won't spread any negative energy here.

I need to adjust my schedule a bit, but I won't be taking this long break anymore. I'll probably be updating every other day or every three days. I'm trying my best to get back on track...

Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 17:30:50 on April 24, 2024 and 16:13:45 on May 8, 2024!

Thank you to the little angels who threw the landmines: Zhang San and Li Si (1 landmine each);

Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: 48177 (26 bottles); Ellipsis (5 bottles); and Taiben (1 bottle).

Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!