Chapter 832: Love Starting from a Breakup 21

After asking this question, Qiao Xu fell silent again, lowering his head in thought.

Still, he couldn't wait for this answer.

After a few seconds, Jin Chen sighed, ultimately unwilling to press him further; if he didn't want to say, then let it be.

"Forget it…"

"Because…"

Their voices sounded almost simultaneously.

Qiao Xu lifted his gaze to Jin Chen, shook his head, and held tight to his uninjured arm, saying, "Don't forget it, I'll tell you."

"Because, my mother."

"When I was fifteen, she was shot to death."

Jin Chen froze, while the young master's voice continued, as if tearing open a wound that had lain dormant for so many years.

He thought he would feel great pain, would return to the anguish of that day.

Ten years of avoidance brought Qiao Xu not only inner fear, but also memories that grew sharper with time, even as they faded.

But perhaps because the one listening to this secret was Jin Chen, the pain eased somewhat.

"Mother, when we went out to eat, she was shot and killed; even the title of Madam Qiao couldn't save her."

"She still wanted to protect me, but so much blood flowed onto me."

"Father arrived and killed those people too, but Mother couldn't come back; even after being taken to the hospital, she died there."

Qiao Xu spoke somewhat incoherently, but Jin Chen could still understand.

After speaking, Qiao Xu took a deep breath, holding back the urge to cry.

That's why he fears blood and hospitals so much.

That's why, during college when he was with Jin Chen, he discovered Jin Chen's identity was actually tied to the underworld, and had been dealing with it for generations, which made him resist so much.

"I'm sorry."

Jin Chen pulled him into his embrace, his voice low and gentle, his heart aching. "I shouldn't keep pressing you like this."

Qiao Xu rubbed against him in the embrace, still stubbornly wanting to fix his bandage, his trembling hand also trying to wrap it.

While wrapping, his words didn't stop.

"I didn't tell you before because Father said no one could speak of Mother's killing; only the Qiao Family and I would be safe, so Mother's sacrifice wouldn't be in vain—but I know Father is also in pain."

"People outside say Father just widowed at the start of the year and remarried by year's end, so he must not care about my mother—but that's not true; Father and Aunt Gu merely entered a contractual marriage to stabilize the Qiao Family, otherwise Mother's efforts would be wasted."

He rambled on, saying many things that had been bottled up in his heart for years.

No one knew, no one dared to tell.

Finally having wrapped Jin Chen's bandage, Qiao Xu sniffled, then lunged back into his embrace, tightly clutching his neck.

"But I'm bad, I don't think of you, and I keep running off to play when you're hurt, right?"

In the embrace where Jin Chen couldn't see, the young master secretly wet his eyes, his long lashes catching tears.

But he forgot, tears can be hidden, but the fragile sob spoken aloud cannot be concealed.

He truly heard it in Jin Chen's ears, felt it in his heart, and suddenly felt a tight, suffocating pain.

It left Jin Chen barely able to breathe.

He held the fragile young master in his embrace, gently stroking his back, "Don't cry, you're not bad."

It's just that the two lack communication; when a sensitive point is touched, they explode—he was like that before, and so was Qiao Xu.

Only through the deliberate meddling of those with ill intent did they grow more estranged, even forgetting that the other was their most intimate lover.

"You drank a lot tonight; get a good sleep."

Qiao Xu hummed in agreement, his tight embrace not loosening, as he leaned into Jin Chen's arms, his tone soft and obedient.

"Will you stay with me… okay?"

"I haven't slept well in a long time."

He didn't say those words aloud, but the sense of grievance didn't lessen at all; his heated cheeks rubbed lightly against the shoulder as he cried.

"Brother, please."

"Okay, I'll stay with you, go to sleep."

Hearing the familiar address, Jin Chen's eyes grew softer.

He placed the young master on the bed, gently covering him with a blanket.

As if nothing had ever changed.

I don't know if it's because he got drunk tonight, but in a daze, Qiao Xu felt as if he had returned to the past.

Still at Nan Yuan, in their home.

He is prone to insomnia; if anything before bed differs from usual, he finds it hard to sleep.

So Jin Chen often, like today, gently coaxes him to sleep; he never knows how long Jin Chen has been soothing him.

【Detected Villain Heartthrob Value 5, accumulated 58】

Even half-asleep, he didn't forget to clutch Jin Chen's sleeve cuff, murmuring something softly.

Jin Chen leaned in to listen, only catching one sentence.

"Brother… please sleep with me."

Perhaps sensing the familiar scent drawing near, Qiao Xu wrapped his arms around, curling into Jin Chen's embrace in an uncomfortable posture, burying his head and refusing to move.

Jin Chen gave a low chuckle, the earlier heartache turning into helpless indulgence.

He adjusted his posture, lying down to avoid pressing on the young master's slightly long hair, one arm wrapping around him.

Finally he had some free time to deal with that certain system constantly jangling in his brain.

【What are you shouting about.】

【Sniffle sniffle sniffle sniffle when will you guys make up again ah ah sniffle sniffle sniffle！！】

0731 cried with genuine feeling, 【Too terrible, dating without a long mouth is too terrible！】

【Shut up, go to sleep.】

Jin Chen got a headache from the shouting, rubbed his temples, and without a word muted the still-protesting certain system.

【By the way, also check the cause of Mrs. Qiao's death to see who killed her.】

【Mmm mmm mmm！】

The next day, when Qiao Xu woke up from bed, Jin Chen's figure was already gone from the suite.

Last night's memories flooded back, and Qiao Xu sat up and shouted.

Receiving no response, Jin Chen had already left early.

Perhaps he went to work, or perhaps he went busy with underground matters.

The young master sat dazedly on the bed, feeling lost for a while, then picked up his phone to check messages.

Just after unlocking, he saw Jin Chen's message.

Jin Chen: "I'm going to the office to work, I've already ordered breakfast for you, and fresh clothes are prepared in the bathroom."

It was sent two hours ago.

Qiao Xu's just-low mood was instantly healed.

He pressed his lips, fingertips tapping back and forth on the screen.

Good morning, brother.

Then he turned off the phone and sat on the bed in a daze for a while.

But this time it's because he needs to formulate a plan.

He decided to chase Jin Chen back!

But he previously had no relevant experience; it was always Jin Chen chasing him.

How should one chase someone…

Qiao Xu rummaged through the friend list for a long time, eventually pulling everyone he considered a good friend into a group.

He deliberately ignored Gu He and Qi Zhan.

The group was named 'Operation to Capture Jin Chen Implementation Team'.

Mo Lin:??? Who pulled the group? Qiao Xu?

Jin Chengtian: Besides him, I can't think of anyone else (confident).

Hu Die Lan: I swear, Qiao Xu, have you finally changed your mind! Heaven knows, the words you said at that banquet scared the hell out of me!