The Unexpected Bond

“Blade, are you sure we should kidnap them?”

“What the hell kind of question is that?” the scarred man snapped. “We’ve both got blood on our hands. If we get caught, we’ll rot in prison. And now the cops have the whole city locked down. We can’t get out without hostages.”

“I don’t know how that kid spotted us. In all my years in this business, this is the unluckiest we’ve ever been.”

“Enough, Bald. Stop complaining. Once this job is done, that guy will give us another hundred thousand. Plus the jewelry we grabbed—we’ll be set for a long time. By the time we’ve spent it all, the heat will have died down.”

“Hehe—just two bitches? That’s easy.” Bald licked the pistol in his hand and grinned. “Too bad we can’t touch that woman. I saw their photos—they’re pretty hot. Never had a woman like that before.”

“Bald, as long as we have money, we’ll never run out of pretty women. You can play all day and night—I’m just worried your body won’t hold up.”

Bald let out a lewd laugh, his mind filled with images of bikini-clad girls on the beach. The future looked bright!

Qin An’s lunch was milk and bread, which tasted average. Either Miss Huang’s curse had taken effect, or some unscrupulous manufacturer had tampered with the expiration dates.

After squatting in the bushes for half an hour—whether by coincidence or because Qin An had a knack for stumbling into such situations—he was forced to witness a show.

The male lead was Director Yin, and the female lead seemed to be Teacher Lin Chunlan from Class 6-1. Director Yin seemed to be navigating some rather heavy terrain; surprisingly, he was handling the situation with practiced ease. Truly astonishing.

Lin Chunlan, though well-endowed, had a face like a bitter gourd—hard on the eyes. Qin An could only politely express his thoughts: She’s lacking in the looks department.

“So boring. No skill, no looks.”

Qin An seemed to forget that he wasn’t even old enough to be worrying about that sort of thing.

Finally, he closed his eyes and covered his ears.

“Qin An, what’s wrong?” Huang Jiajun asked with concern, seeing his pale face as he washed his hands by the stream.

“Nothing, just an upset stomach.”

Huang Jiajun’s dark, bright eyes widened. “What? Upset stomach?”

“Is there a problem?”

“No, of course not. Hehe—”

She seemed to think of something funny, bent over laughing, and almost choked.

“Crazy woman.” Qin An shook his head and planned to go back to daydreaming.

But as soon as he turned, his vision went dark. He felt something soft in front of him and caught a faint, pleasant scent. He quickly stepped back and found himself face-to-face with a smiling beauty more radiant than an angel. Wasn’t this Tong Tong?

Qin An’s face reddened slightly. The woman’s impressive curves loomed before him, and her fragrance, more intoxicating than vanilla, assaulted his nostrils.

“Hello again, Young Pioneer.”

“Auntie, have we met?” Qin An instinctively wanted to avoid getting involved with her.

“Brat, don’t call me auntie just because you saved me. I’m only twenty-six.”

Tong Tong rubbed his temple firmly. “Brave Young Pioneer, still don’t remember who I am?”

“Fine, I remember now.” Qin An really didn’t understand what she wanted. He had only saved her once.

“Auntie Tong, you know Qin An?”

“Jiajun, come here and let me see. It’s been a year—you’ve grown up to my chest.”

Tong Tong affectionately patted Huang Jiajun’s head, and Huang Jiajun smiled warmly, revealing two shallow dimples.

“Hmph, you’re still an auntie!”

“Tong Tong, you should have told me you were coming!” A middle-aged man walked over slowly. This was Huang Jiajun’s father, Huang Quantian, one of the more successful businessmen in Nan’an. He was recently planning to enter politics, and with strong financial backing, he was making smooth progress in the system.

As soon as Huang Quantian arrived, Qin An slipped away.

“Brother Tian, I just brought Tongtong out for some fresh air. Didn’t want to trouble you.”

“Haha—I’m an old man to you now. Fresh air is good. Ending things with that scumbag is for the best. After all, you still have Tongtong. Old Master Tong always said he was no good. Want to go chat with your colleagues?” Huang Quantian pointed to a corner where the city officials were gathered.

“No, I’d rather play with the kids. It’s better for Tongtong.”

“Alright, I’ll go then. Jiajun, keep your aunt company.”

“Okay, Daddy.”

Qin An had emptied his stomach after that lunch and was famished. Fortunately, the travel agency had prepared well—they had instant noodles for those who couldn’t cook, and they were free. That was commendable.

Qin An grabbed two cups of noodles and sat quietly on a small rock by the lake.

Halfway through eating, he felt someone staring at him. He looked up and sure enough, a little girl about eight or nine years old stood not far away, staring blankly at him.

Her face was milky white, her eyes big and round. She wore a high-quality cashmere dress, looking like a finely crafted doll.

The little girl wasn’t shy; she walked closer to Qin An.

Amused, Qin An pointed at the unopened instant noodle cup on the rock, asking if she wanted some.

She shook her head. When she reached him, she finally spoke.

“You… who?” Her voice was stiff, as if she hadn’t spoken in a long time.

“Didn’t your parents teach you that before asking someone’s name, you should tell them yours first?” Qin An said with a smile.

She shook her head. “I… don’t know. Daddy and Mommy always argue. They don’t have time for me. And lately, Daddy’s gone.” Her expression was serious.

“I’m sorry.” Qin An gently patted her head.

She seemed to like that, closing her eyes softly like a kitten.

“My name is Qin An. Qin as in the Qin dynasty, An as in peace.”

“Qin… An,” she murmured, then stared at him without blinking.

“I’ve told you my name, so now you should tell me yours.” Seeing the little girl practically leaning into his arms, Qin An found it amusing—she really wasn’t afraid of strangers.

“Tong… everyone calls me Tongtong.”

“Tongtong, where’s your mom?”

She didn’t answer, just looked at him with a puzzled expression.

“Want some?” Qin An didn’t press further, pointing at the noodle cup again.

“Mm.” This time she didn’t refuse.

So Qin An sipped his green tea while watching the little girl eat the noodles with clumsy, adorable movements.

“Tongtong, what are you doing here? You’re… Young Pioneer!” As the girl ate, a female voice rang out from nearby.

Qin An turned to see a very beautiful woman glaring at him aggressively.

“You again.”

Qin An suddenly realized that “Tong Tong” and “Tongtong” sounded identical. The relationship was obvious.

“What are you trying to do?” Tong Tong immediately pulled her daughter to her side and looked at him with hostility. Her maternal instinct made her forget that this boy had once saved her. Especially since Tongtong was her only reason to live. Without her daughter, she might have ended things long ago. She had made too many mistakes—turned against her family for that bastard, cut ties with childhood friends, and borne him a daughter. Only to find out in the end that he was just using her. When he saw he couldn’t leverage the Tong family’s power, he tried to climb higher, and even threatened her with Tongtong. That was unforgivable.

“As you can see, I just bought this kid some noodles.”

Qin An hated dealing with neurotic women like her. If she really cared about Tongtong, she wouldn’t have let her wander off in the first place.

“Tongtong, are you okay? Did he do anything to you?” Ignoring Qin An, the woman crouched down and examined the little girl carefully.

Qin An smiled bitterly. She was treating him like a creep, even though he had literally saved her life the night before. What an ingrate! But he didn’t want to argue, so he stood up to leave.

He hadn’t taken two steps when he felt a heavy weight on his leg.

Looking down, it was Tongtong. She was clinging to his thigh like a koala, refusing to let him go.

“An, don’t… go… don’t go…” Her eyes begged.

“Tongtong, let go!” Tong Tong was shocked and angry.

Tongtong ignored her mother and held on tighter.

Looking at the quiet little girl, Qin An felt a warmth in his heart. He crouched down and patted her head. “Hey, kid, that’s not being good.”

“An… don’t go.” She looked at him pitifully.

Tong Tong watched in amazement. She had never seen Tongtong cling to anyone like this. Because of her and that bastard, Tongtong had developed severe autism. Apart from her mother and grandparents, she didn’t get close to anyone—not even her father. She never approached strangers. Even with her mother, she rarely spoke more than a few words. Tong Tong’s father had been worried and hired many famous psychologists, but perhaps the trauma from when she was little was too great, and there had been no progress. Tong Tong deeply regretted it.

But now, Tongtong was so dependent on a boy she had just met. Tong Tong took another look at Qin An, remembering his protective figure from last night and his flushed face earlier.

Taking a deep breath, she said sincerely, “I’m sorry.”