“I was far less interested in men than I was in money.” Ye Qian chuckled.

“I even thought that I didn’t like men and liked women because I liked you more.” She looked at me teasingly.

I raised my hands in surrender and smiled without saying a word. I knew that she was just joking.

“Until one day, I was attacked in the square.” Ye Qian’s voice was very calm, but her expression was a little agitated.

I was shocked. “Attacked? Who attacked you?”

Ye Qian smiled wryly. “I managed to escape unscathed from both the Gu and Jing families. Think about it, how many people wanted me to die? First, there’d be Jing Ning’s mother and sister. You know how Jing Yan is like.”

“So was it Jing Yan?” I really didn’t expect it, but I wasn’t surprised.

Ye Qian nodded slightly. “The Gu family wouldn’t go so far as to kill me. After all, I’ve always protected their interests, but the Jing family is different. Jing Ning was sent to prison, so the hope on him as the heir was lost. All the previous preparations they made were in vain. They needed to find someone to vent their anger on.”

I suddenly understood. “So, if I hadn’t gone missing, they would have come to vent their anger on me?”

Ye Qian shook her head slightly. “That’s impossible. Jing Tian wouldn’t allow them to harm you. Even if Jing Tian had lost his memory, they wouldn’t dare to offend the Ardent Flame Alliance. Besides, Master Si and Master Liu would protect you. So, it’s much harder to target you than me. I concealed my identity and kept a low profile, but they still found me.”

“Then, what does that have to do with cousin Mo? Oh! A hero saving a damsel in distress, isn’t it? Such an old plot!” I teased her with a smile.

Ye Qian did not laugh. “Those heartless people executed indiscriminately on the square that day.”

I was shocked. “Indiscriminately?”

Ye Qian nodded. “Many innocent people lost their lives without even knowing why. When Master San reacted, he immediately shielded me in his arms and hid behind the bench. Master San wouldn’t be walking around without protection, so those assassins were unlucky. They met someone more professional than them and suffered a backlash. Master San’s arm was slightly injured, but I was completely unharmed.”

Ye Qian paused for a moment. “Nanxing, can you understand my shock from being saved by a complete strange? At the time, we didn’t even know each other’s names, but he risked his life to save me. No one has ever treated me like this before.”

I was speechless.

“When a person who was walking in the desert and was about to die of thirst encountered a cup of liquid, be it water or poison, he would pick it up and drink it in one gulp. I was the one who was thirsty, and Master San was that cup of liquid.”

“Then, was my cousin water or poison?” I couldn’t help but ask.

Ye Qian smiled faintly. “Of course he was water. I was moved by his action. I was willing to use my life to repay him. I had never owed anyone a favor, not even Jing Ning. I didn’t lead him to his ending. That was his own doing. Nanxing, do you understand?”

I nodded. This was the truth. Even though I had a different stance from Ye Qian back then, I had never thought that Jing Ning’s crime was instigated by Ye Qian.

Ye Qian continued, “I wanted to stay and take care of Master San, but he refused. So I waited at the entrance of his residence. Even when it rained, I didn’t leave. He was a soft-hearted person, so he let me in. From then on, I stayed by his side.”

Ye Qian’s smile was shy and sweet.