Qin Ningyi turned his head and met Huo Rou's somewhat unfamiliar and hesitant gaze.
"A Rou?" He felt something was wrong and went to take her hand. "What's wrong?"
Could she really be scared?
Qin Ningyi frowned, looking at Huo Rou's cold hand in his. "A Rou, are you in pain again?"
Huo Rou's condition had been well under control. As long as she took her medicine on time, there was not the slightest abnormality or problem. He had even had doctors check her, and the toxicity in her body was showing signs of decreasing.
Why was she so cold now? He was anxious, worried that Huo Rou was enduring it again without telling him, and frantically searched his pockets for medicine.
Huo Rou felt the warmth of Qin Ningyi's palm, unable to break free from her memories. The mole on the knuckle of Old Master Qin's index finger stabbed her heart like a knife, leaving her breathless, unable to feel the warmth and vitality of the outside world.
She pulled her hand out of his and took two steps forward, her eyes never leaving Qin Han's face.
Perhaps... it was just a coincidence?
Huo Rou thought this, somewhat self-deceptively. She had finally met Qin Ningyi, because of him she had become like this, and finally...
"You..." she stared blankly at Qin Han, "Did you serve in Yizhou more than ten years ago?"
Her voice was very soft, so soft that it was almost inaudible.
Her gaze swept over the mole on Qin Han's index finger again. Both its position and shape were exactly as she remembered.
Could such a coincidence really exist in the world? Two people with the same mole, a similar voice?
She found it hard to convince herself.
Could the sincere and pure Qin Ningyi, the Qin Ningyi who was like a light, who had redeemed her from darkness, truly be that person's grandson?
That person had clearly aided and abetted evil!
Huo Rou's lips trembled, her hands clenched so tightly that her fingernails dug into her flesh without her noticing.
Her eyes reddened further. "Was it you?"
Everyone said that Captain Huo had an excellent memory, an eidetic memory. How she wished she had remembered it wrong...
"Yes." Qin Han frowned, unsure why Huo Rou had this question. He had only served in Yizhou for a short time, and even Qin Ningyi didn't know about it. How did she know?
"Why do you ask?"
Huo Rou recited the words from her memory verbatim, "Demoted two ranks, transferred to Yizhou..."
Her voice was soft and weak, as if all her strength had been drained away in an instant. "Was it you?"
Old Master Qin's expression changed. This sentence was known only to those who were present that year.
Even though he had been transferred to Yizhou, the matter of being demoted two ranks was a secret document, not publicly announced.
"Who are you?!" He had asked Huo Rou a similar question at first.
He looked at Huo Rou's features. He had never seen such a delicate and exquisite girl.
"How do you know these things?"
Huo Rou's eyelashes trembled slightly, as if holding back teardrops.
Qin Ningyi sensed something was wrong. He stood beside Huo Rou but didn't know what to say or do. He didn't even know what was wrong with Huo Rou.
Could it be because of the Jiang family?
Huo Rou had always had a good relationship with the Jiang family. It was understandable that she could have a relationship with his grandfather because of the Jiang family...
The devil in Qin Ningyi's heart was roaring. He once again felt a deep sense of powerlessness. Huo Rou's mystery fascinated him but also made him constantly feel out of his depth.
It was the same with that old man picking up trash outside the Yizhou military district before, and it was the same now with his grandfather. And he, like a bystander...
He could feel the sorrow and despair emanating from Huo Rou.
For some reason, although Huo Rou was standing beside him, he felt as if she were gradually drifting away from him.
This premonition made him abruptly reach out and grab her sleeve. "A Rou..."
His intuition was rarely wrong.
Qin Ningyi's fingers trembled.