Chapter 168 Unconditional Love

Yes, she is no longer the Li Jiner of the past, so many things have become completely different from before. Even if there really is such an unforgettable love between Li Jiner and Qin Ke, it is in vain.

Zhong Min really wanted to tell him the truth, to tell him that she was not the real Li Jiner, but there were some things she could not say after all, or even if she did, no one would believe it.

All she could say, all she could explain was that she was no longer the Li Jin'er she once was. Her thoughts, actions, and behavior were no longer the same, and the same was true of her feelings. She didn't want this infatuated man to misunderstand her anymore, and she didn't want him to pay any unworthy price for someone who was not the person he had in mind. So today, no matter what, she had to explain everything clearly to Qin Ke.

"Qin Ke, you have to know that I no longer remember anything from the past. No matter what happened between you and me, it has all become a thing of the past as my memory fades. Although it may be a bit cruel for me to say this, I don't mean to lie to you. To me, you are really just a complete stranger. Of course, I will never forget your life-saving grace, but that is just a kind of gratitude, and it can't be any other emotion. Do you understand?"

Zhong Min glanced at Qin Ke, whose face was pale, but still hid the reluctance in her heart and continued, "The past is the past. I don't know, and I don't want to know anymore. Even if I know, what's the use? After all, everything can't go back to the way it was before. You asked me if I fell in love with Xiao Mingzheng. I can tell you with certainty that I did fall in love with him. I also want to tell you that I am no longer the Li Jin'er of the past, so you don't have to be the Qin Ke of the past. You have done so much for me, even at the cost of your arm and your future. I am very grateful for all this, but I still can only say sorry. I really am no longer the Li Jin'er of the past. It is really not worth you giving so much. That would only make me feel more guilty. Qin Ke, forget Jin'er. You are a good person. You will definitely meet someone who is truly worthy of your love in the future."

Zhong Min's blunt words left Qin Ke feeling as if his heart had been ripped out by a knife. He felt a sudden, indescribable emptiness. In that moment, he finally understood the profound sorrow of a broken heart. Each sound, each sentence, completely shattered the last shred of hope he had left in his heart. In that moment, he had to admit that his Jin'er was no longer his.

All her beliefs crumbled in an instant. She no longer loved him, nor did she feel even the slightest bit of reluctance to let him go. In her eyes, he was just a stranger she had only met twice. And all this was caused by him!

If he had stopped Jin'er from intervening in this operation, she wouldn't have lost her memory, let alone completely forgotten him, and even fell in love with another man. He had brought this upon himself, so who could he blame now?

He couldn't describe the feeling of suffocation and despair at this moment. What was the meaning of living without her?

"Qin Ke, are you...are you okay?" Looking at the frighteningly speechless Qin Ke for a long time, Zhong Min felt more and more guilty. She knew that it would be worse to just tell him directly that Li Jin'er was no longer alive. But she was selfish after all, and she couldn't tell him this shocking secret. She could only say sorry silently over and over in her heart, to Qin Ke and to Li Jin'er.

Zhong Min's voice finally pulled Qin Ke out of his despair. He woodenly raised his head and looked at Zhong Min, staring at her for a long time. His eyes flashed with countless emotions, so complex that no one could tell what they meant.

Zhong Min couldn't say anything, so she just avoided the gaze that made her very uneasy and waited quietly.

After a long moment, Qin Ke finally withdrew his gaze. All the complexities within him vanished in the blink of an eye, as if blown away by the wind, returning to a state of calm. His expression was no longer frighteningly pale, and even a faint smile appeared at the corner of his lips.

"You're right, everything is different now." He pulled out a small box from his pocket and handed it to Zhong Min. "I'm sorry for putting you in such a difficult position. I won't do this again. This is for you!"

Zhong Min's nose tightened, and she almost felt like crying. How could there be such a man in this world? He was so deeply hurt, yet he still took all the blame on himself. She didn't know what was going on in the heart of this man who pretended to be calm on the surface, but she did understand one thing: the deeper the love, the deeper the pain.

"What is this?" She took a deep breath, controlled her emotions, and changed the subject. This was naturally the best way. Qin Ke was a sensible man after all. Although he had been a little cruel to him today, a short pain was better than a long one. For him, it was still good in the end.

"This is a pill made from Fire Spirit Fruit. Take one pill a day. In half a month at most, your old injuries will be completely healed, and you will never feel any discomfort again." Qin Ke said calmly, "After finding this medicine, I went to Muzhou to find you. I wanted to give it to you, but I didn't expect you to have been away for several days. King Mu told me about your general situation, so I followed you all the way to the capital. Luckily, I ran into you as soon as I arrived."

Hearing this, Zhong Min couldn't describe her feelings. She had long known that she still had internal injuries, and that she needed the extremely rare Fire Spirit Fruit to fully heal them. Xiao Mingzheng had sent people everywhere to search for it, but the fruit was extremely rare and grew in extremely dangerous places, so there had been no news. She had never expected that Qin Ke had actually been searching for it specifically for her since he left.

Although he did not mention anything about the process of finding the fruit, she was not a fool and naturally understood that the process must be very difficult.

She knew that he did this all for the real Li Jiner, so she felt more and more guilty. She occupied someone else's body, and although she did not actively deceive him, she was actually doing the deceiving thing again and again. Although it was not her subjective will, it still could not change this fact.

She owed him too much and had no ability to repay him. She was not a person who was too kind, but in front of Qin Ke, she really felt that she was so hateful.

"No, I can't have this." Zhong Min shook his head guiltily, not reaching out to take the box. "Qin Ke, I know how precious this thing is, but I'm really not worth your money. My internal injuries aren't a big deal, and I don't know any martial arts now anyway, so it won't have any impact. You should keep it for yourself."

"Why should I keep it? Do you want me to suffer serious internal injuries and then use it?" Qin Ke actually laughed, and his expression seemed like a different person.

"No, no, no, that's not what I meant!" Zhong Min quickly denied it, but then, seeing Qin Ke's expression, she whispered, "I, I just don't want to owe you anymore. I can't pay you back for what I owed you before."

"Jin'er, you don't owe me anything." Qin Ke paused and continued, "Perhaps, from now on, I should call you Zhong Min. Remember, don't feel uneasy anymore. You don't owe me anything. If there is anything you owe, it's me who owes you."

He was wrong from the beginning. How could he let such a simple and kind girl follow the same path as himself? But she never blamed him, never.

He reached out and took her hand, forcing the box into her hand, and then sighed softly: "Don't feel any burden, just do what you really want in your heart. From now on, I will not mention anything in the past, nor will I say anything to embarrass you. As long as you are happy, as long as everything is fine with you, that's enough. I just hope that you don't deliberately avoid me because of those things, even if..."

His voice choked up, and after a moment he continued, "Even if you no longer have me in your heart...please don't treat me as a complete stranger, or a savior, and don't reject my occasional concern for you. Even if you just treat me as the most ordinary friend, I will be satisfied. Okay?"

Speaking of this, Qin Ke felt indescribably heartbroken. He didn't know how much determination he had made to say these words, but even if she really didn't love him anymore, he couldn't help but love her.

Well, he was no match for her in his current state. From now on, he had no other desires but to stay quietly by her side and protect her silently. He would hide this love deep in his heart, and just being able to see her occasionally would be enough.

She no longer loved him, and his heart was broken. However, if he could never see her again in his life, he would be worse than death. So, since she no longer loved him, he should just love her silently in his heart. Although it was painful, it at least proved that he was still alive.

Zhong Min's heart was weighed down, as if a huge rock were piled upon her. How could she bear to refuse this man's final request? Trying to force a smile, she finally nodded with some effort.

Seeing Zhong Min nod, Qin Ke breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at her and said again: "Okay, let's not talk about this anymore. I almost forgot to tell you something serious. When I left Muzhou, King Mu asked me to tell you something."

His smile was peaceful and warm, no longer giving people any sense of urgency. This was fine. From now on, let him silently guard her!