Chapter 47 The woman who left him with severe psychological trauma was actually...
Xiao Qidi's face stiffened.
Ning Jinli was also dumbfounded and hurriedly said, "This is too fast!"
"Soon?" Aunt Su said with a smile. "Back in our day, we were having babies in our early twenties."
Ning Jinli complained, "You said it yourself, it's your era. If it were a thousand or two thousand years ago, people would be getting married and having children at the age of thirteen, fourteen, or fifteen."
At this point, she glanced at Xiao Qidi.
According to historical records, during the period when the seven major vassal states in the Central Plains were vying for supremacy, the average age for men and women to get married was around fifteen.
Xiao Qidi apparently got married after he turned twenty.
Wasn't that considered late marriage and late childbirth at that time?
Even more unusual is that there are no detailed records of his marriage in historical materials.
Later generations had no idea who the spouse of this first emperor of China was...
That's really strange!
“I know times have changed,” Aunt Su said again. “I’m not telling you to get married right away, I’m just asking if you’re planning to. It’s good to prepare in advance. If you can get married and have children sooner, I can help you take care of them…”
Aunt Su smiled, but felt a little sad and worried. She was afraid that she wouldn't live to see that day, so she couldn't help but urge her.
"Aunt Su... I'm only twenty-two, and he's only... eighteen." Ning Jinli was on the verge of tears. If she didn't stop this topic soon, Xiao Qidi would probably explode.
Aunt Su looked on with surprise.
Eighteen years old?
She's younger than she thought...
She turned around and silently looked out the car window.
I was thinking of asking him more questions, but it was our first meeting and he was so young. It wouldn't be appropriate to rush into asking him all sorts of questions.
Soon, the group arrived at an old residential area.
Aunt Su bought a lot of vegetables at the vegetable stall at the entrance of the community, happily preparing to cook a sumptuous lunch to entertain Ning Jinli's boyfriend.
Upon arriving at the cramped and dilapidated rented room, Aunt Su looked somewhat embarrassed and said to Xiao Qidi, "Xiao, the place is a bit simple, please don't mind."
Although she always kept the house in good order, it was still a small, old, and run-down apartment that cost only a few hundred yuan a month to rent.
She was always a little worried about being disliked.
Xiao Qidi looked around and said, "This is already a very good place to stay."
Seeing that he didn't show any surprise and even praised her, Aunt Su breathed a sigh of relief and told Ning Jinli that her boyfriend really knew how to talk.
Little did she know that even a house that seems terrible to modern people would have been a dream home for ordinary people more than two thousand years ago, especially in poor and remote areas.
"Please have a seat, I'll get busy." Aunt Su happily carried the groceries she had just bought into the kitchen.
Ning Jinli wanted to help, but Aunt Su pushed her out of the kitchen, telling her to stay with Xiao Xiao.
Taking advantage of their time alone together, Xiao Qidi asked in a low voice, "Who is Aunt Su to you?"
While brewing tea, Ning Jinli said, "She is the closest person to me in this world right now, without exception. Although I call her Aunt Su, I regard her as my mother."
Xiao Qidi's eyes darkened. "Then why did you lie to her?"
"Lie to her?" Ning Jinli was slightly taken aback, then realized, "Oh...you mean, the thing about me asking you to pretend to be my boyfriend?"
Ning Jinli didn't know how to explain it to Xiao Qidi for a while.
In this situation, most modern people could understand.
Unfortunately, Xiao Qidi was an ancient person.
Ning Jinli thought that Xiao Qidi probably minded being used as a shield.
Especially when it comes to matters like marriage and relationships.
People in ancient times would probably have taken this very seriously.
Not to mention he is the ruler of a country; asking him to impersonate a boyfriend would be a taboo.
Ning Jinli was distracted while thinking and accidentally scalded her finger with boiling water.
"Ah!" she exclaimed.
Aunt Su rushed out of the kitchen, saying with concern, "You, who says you're an adult, are still so careless. Quickly rinse it with cold water!"
Ning Jinli chuckled, "Even adults have moments when they're not careful."
"Go quickly!" Aunt Su urged.
Ning Jinli stuck out her tongue and turned to go to the kitchen.
Aunt Su picked up a rag and wiped the coffee table while saying, "Xiao Xiao, Xiao Li has always been a carefree and impulsive child. Please be more tolerant of her in the future."
Xiao Qidi's eyes were deep and he seemed to be thinking about something.
Aunt Su sighed, "Alas... if she hadn't been so absent-minded, she probably wouldn't have made it through all these years."
"Xiao Xiao, Auntie thinks that although you are young, you are very composed. Your mental age is much more mature than Xiao Li's, which is complementary to her."
"Don't think Auntie is being long-winded. Auntie watched Xiaoli grow up. She's a very simple, kind, and innocent person, which is very precious in today's society, but..."
"But I'm also afraid that she'll suffer because of her personality."
"Auntie hopes that no matter whether you and she get married and start a family in the future, you will treat her well and protect her well... When I'm gone, she will really have no one by her side..."
As Aunt Su spoke, her nose started to sting with tears. Afraid that she wouldn't be able to hold back her emotions, she quickly left the living room. After calming herself down, she made tea for Xiao Qidi again and then went into the kitchen.
"Put it down, put it down. You just burned your hand, why are you chopping vegetables?" Aunt Su's voice came from the kitchen.
Ning Jinli said, "You just had surgery and were discharged from the hospital, and you still insist on cooking."
Aunt Su sighed and gently poked her forehead.
She chuckled as she dodged, saying, "Take a look and see if my knife skills have improved."
"Hmm, not bad, not bad, you've got three-tenths of my skill."
"Only three points? I think it should be at least five points!"
"Hmph, your Aunt Su used to be a chef in a restaurant when I was young..."
"I know, you've said it a million times. Anyway, you're letting me chop the vegetables today, Chef Su!"
"You child..."
The two's laughter and chatter came from the kitchen.
Xiao Qidi looked towards the kitchen door and saw the warm and affectionate scene between the two people inside.
But the gloom in his eyes became more and more obvious. His thin lips were tight, and he muttered to himself in a cold voice, "If it is someone you are closest to, you should not lie to them. You should not lie to them about anything."
A look of pain surfaced in Xiao Qidi's gloomy eyes, because the image of that woman had once again uncontrollably surfaced in his mind.
In his childhood memories, the way that woman cared for him, how she didn't respect herself in front of men, how she was difficult to communicate with and understand on certain matters, and how she deceived her closest relatives... Ning Jinli actually had some similarities to him.
This is why Ning Jinli always inadvertently reminds him of the woman who is now the Empress Dowager of Xuan Kingdom—his biological mother!
The woman who gave her life.
The only woman he had ever trusted, relied on, and respected since he could remember.
The woman he had secretly vowed countless times when he was very young to take good care of and protect when he grew up...
But she was also... the woman who deceived him the most!
The shadows of his childhood, like knives, rose from the depths of Xiao Qidi's heart, cutting open his heart again and again, a heart that had never healed.
His face grew paler and paler, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. He struggled to get up from the sofa, gritted his teeth, and left.
He didn't want to bring up the important decision he had originally planned to discuss with Ning Jinli today.
...
In the kitchen, Ning Jinli and Aunt Su chatted and cooked, completely unaware that Xiao Qidi had already left.
It wasn't until I came out of the kitchen after working for more than two hours that I realized the person was gone.
The rental apartment is quite small, with a living room, two small bedrooms, a kitchen, and a toilet.
Ning Jinli searched around but couldn't find him, and he wasn't even outside the door, so she made a phone call.
The phone call resulted in a voice message indicating that the service area was unavailable.
Just then, she saw the bodyguard drive up to the building and went over to ask him.
The bodyguard said, "Mr. Xiao asked me to take him to the factory. I just came back from dropping him off."
"Huh?" Ning Jinli scratched her head. "Did he say anything to you?"
The bodyguard shook his head. "What's wrong, Miss Ning?"
Ning Jinli waved her hand, "It's alright... just send it over."
It seems that Xiao Qidi has already returned to Linxian Village.
I just don't understand why he suddenly left without saying goodbye.
"Xiao Li, have we found Xiao Xiao yet?" Aunt Su asked, sticking her head out from the balcony.
Ning Jinli had no choice but to run back upstairs and smooth things over by saying that the person had suddenly had an emergency and had to leave.
Aunt Su asked mysteriously, "Is he from the military?"
Ning Jinli was somewhat stunned.
Aunt Su added, "Judging from his posture, demeanor, and the camouflage tactical uniform he's wearing, I guessed he must be in the military. If something suddenly comes up in the military and he needs to go back, there's nothing we can do. You mustn't go back and throw a tantrum at him, understand?"
"Ah... this..." Ning Jinli hadn't expected Aunt Su to come up with such a bunch of reasons, and nodded awkwardly, "I know, I won't be angry."
After finishing her meal with Aunt Su, Ning Jinli hurried back to the factory.
She wanted to ask Xiao Qidi what exactly happened.
Although the two may not even be considered friends, it's not like they would leave without saying goodbye.
However, as soon as Ning Jinli arrived at the factory, she discovered that the inverted light curtain that the spacetime tunnel had formed above the warehouse had disappeared.
Her heart skipped a beat, and she quickly ran to the back door of the small warehouse.
Then, the vortex in the spacetime tunnel disappeared.
Several power lines that ran from the warehouse also snapped at the back door of the warehouse.
Just like the last time the water pipe broke!
"The time-space portal has closed again? Why?" Ning Jinli was completely baffled.
With a try-it-out mentality, she picked up the walkie-talkie that was kept in the small storage room.
She knew that the signals between walkie-talkies had to be transmitted through a time-space channel in order to communicate with each other, but... what if?
She pressed the call button and shouted, "Hello? Can you hear me?"
However, this time, unlike before, the guards in the other cave did not respond immediately whenever she spoke.
It seems... there's no "what if".
Ning Jinli took a few deep breaths, trying to calm the inexplicable panic surging in her heart, and comforted herself, "It's okay, it's okay. It suddenly shut down last time, but it reopened not long after."
"Maybe that guy will come out in a bit?"
That's what she thought, but she still couldn't be completely at ease.
After all, this situation is a bit different; Xiao Qidi returned suddenly this time.
There's nothing I can do but wait here.
Ning Jinli moved a chair to face the back door of the small warehouse, sat down, and looked outside.
Blue sky, white clouds, and bright sunshine.
The weeds growing outside the door swayed gently in the breeze from time to time, which also helped to dispel the stuffiness inside the small warehouse.
Amidst the rustling sounds, there were also bursts of cicada chirping from nearby.
As Ning Jinli sat there, drowsiness crept in, and her eyelids began to droop.
In a daze, she seemed to see Xiao Qidi appear at the door, striding towards her...
Buzz—
Her phone vibrated, waking her up.
She quickly opened her eyes and stared at the back door of the warehouse.
Xiao Qidi did not appear; it turned out he had just had a hazy dream.
She was somewhat upset.
She had never felt this anxious when she was dating Zhao Bin before, even when he suddenly disappeared.
Buzzing—
The phone is still vibrating.
She answered the phone casually and said "hello" weakly.
"Hello, Ms. Ning Jinli, this is Xinghan Police Station." A serious voice came from the phone.
Ning Jinli immediately became fully awake.
Was that a call from the police station?
Could it be that Xiao Qidi didn't go back to his place at all, but instead got into some trouble here and was arrested by the police?
What other reason could the police be calling besides this?
sky!
With his temper...
Ning Jinli didn't even dare to imagine what kind of trouble this would cause!
"Excuse me, Ms. Ning, are you available right now?" the officer asked.
"Yes, yes, yes!" Ning Jinli held her phone tightly.
"Then please come over here."
"Okay, I'll be right there!"
Ning Jinli readily agreed, rushed out of the warehouse in three strides, and drove straight to the police station!
When she arrived at the police station, officers were waiting for her at the entrance.
"Hello, could you please take me to see him?" Ning Jinli said as soon as she opened her mouth.
She was very worried that Xiao Qidi would cause something out of control, and only by seeing him as soon as possible could she find a way to control the situation.
Without wasting any words, the police officer immediately led her to the right place.
She was soon led to the door of the interrogation room.
She took a few deep breaths, obtained the officer's permission, and slowly pushed open the door.
"Xiao—"
"Huh? How...how is it you?"
Ning Jinli was stunned when she saw the disheveled and listless man in front of her.
This doesn't look like Xiao Qidi at all!
Isn't that He Kai?
She turned sharply to the officer and asked, "Why are we seeing him?"
The officer looked puzzled. "Otherwise what..."
The police officer then told her that the interrogation of He Kai regarding the theft of the Canglan Jade had been almost completed by now.
He Kai said he wanted to see her and had something to say to her alone.
After discussion, the police made that call to her.
Ning Jinli sighed, realizing that's what had happened. She had almost worried herself to death.
She really didn't want to bother with a scumbag like He Kai.
But since we're already here, let's see what he has to say. After we're done talking, we can also ask the police how long they sentenced him to.
Oh, by the way, I also need to find out why Ninghai wasn't punished.
This is quite strange.
Ning Jinli walked into the interrogation room, sat down across a table, and sized up the man opposite her.
The last time I saw He Kai, he was dressed in a suit and tie and looked very energetic. When he was snatching the Canglan Jade, he ran like the wind.
Now, just over ten days later, he's like a completely different person.
He hung his head listlessly, his eye sockets and cheeks were sunken, his face was sallow and his expression was dull.
"He Kai, He Kai?"
Ning Jinli called out twice.
He Kai slowly raised his head, stared blankly for several seconds, and only then did a glimmer of life gradually appear in his empty eyes.
“Ning Jinli…please…” He Kai suddenly burst into tears, “Please…save me!”
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