"Wah, wah, wah..."
Even though her mouth wasn't open, Lin Qingge emitted a shriek capable of piercing eardrums.
"There, there, baby, don't cry, Daddy's here!"
However, the actual situation was:
Sharp blades, steep cliffs, the incessant sound of waves, and a hostage-taker on the verge of a breakdown!
Seeing the man subtly closing the distance, the kidnapper hastily shouted,
"Boss Lin, I'm warning you!
If you take another step forward, I'll jump off this cliff with your daughter!"
Fortunately, there were no cliché cliff-jumping scenes.
In the nick of time, righteous police officers arrived, surrounding the kidnapper.
As both sides confronted each other, reaching a stalemate.
The woman who had been holding Lin Qingge rushed in from outside the encirclement.
Accompanied by a gunshot and the kidnapper's pained grunt, the woman delivered a graceful spinning kick, sending the kidnapper flying.
The next moment, Lin Qingge was back in a warm embrace.
But before she could see the kidnapper's fate, her vision was covered by a hand suddenly reaching out.
"Little Ge'er, don't look.
Girls should be delicate and fragile. Never be like your mom, she's a complete violent maniac.
Forget handsome men; even Li Kui would shake his head. Only Dad treasures her.
But men like your dad, blind and head-over-heels in love, are rarer than pandas these days.
So, Little Ge'er, let your brother take you on a ride, enjoy the six-pack abs...
Ouch!
Mom, why are you hitting me again?"
"You little brat, teaching your sister bad habits at such a young age!
I'll beat your butt until it's blooming today!"
"Dad, your wife is going crazy again, save me!"
"Hmph, you little brat, how dare you talk about your mom like that, are your itchy for a spanking?
And your mom's craziest act in this life was giving birth to an annoying brat like you!"
"Dad, you'll lose me, your heir, by talking like that!"
"Dad has Little Ge'er, you go cool off wherever you want!"
"Dad, you don't understand.
Only by inheriting your family business can I make Little Ge'er a carefree princess for life!"
"Makes sense.
But before that, let your mom have her fun."
...
With that, there was another round of chaotic commotion.
But this warm scene didn't last long. Suddenly, a drizzling rain began to fall.
To be precise, she was standing in the rain.
"Little Ge'er, I'm sorry.
Your parents couldn't escape in the end. Those bastards killed us, and the Lin Group was also divided among them.
But I, Lin Jingxing, swear!
Whether it's five years, ten years, or twenty years, fifty years!
As long as I, Lin Jingxing, am alive in this world, I will surely make them pay blood for blood and tenfold or a hundredfold for today's revenge! Kuaishu Ge.
So, Little Ge'er, I have to break my promise.
I can't protect you now, so I can only separate from you temporarily. I hope you won't hate me..."
Despite the umbrella shielding her, scalding drops of water kept falling onto Lin Qingge's face, making her heart ache with every drop.
Until she was placed at the entrance of an orphanage, the silhouette of the person holding her finally became clear.
Although it was only a back view, to Lin Qingge's surprise, the figure was much younger than the words suggested, only about seven or eight years old.
Watching the small yet straight figure recede, Lin Qingge subconsciously cried out,
"Don't go—"
"My lord, please wake up~
Please wake up~
If you don't wake up, this student will have to get rough~"
When Lin Qingge opened her eyes again, she met a pair of eyes brimming with a light that was difficult to decipher.
???
As Lin Qingge stared blankly, Hua Jinrong, holding the torch, returned to normal.
"My lord, you've finally woken up~"
Looking around dazedly, the firelight cast their shadows on the wall, confirming for Lin Qingge that she was indeed in a cold, damp cave.
"Are you not affected at all?"
To be honest, she thought Yan Tinghao, who was less cunning and had lived a carefree life since childhood, would be the first to break free from the dream.
After all, the person before her was quite cunning, having gone through a path that, if not bloody, was certainly drenched in it.
As if sensing Lin Qingge's confusion, Hua Jinrong chuckled lightly:
"My lord, do I look like someone who would indulge in dreams~"
Lin Qingge, too lazy to deal with him, turned her head away.
At this moment, Murong Bai's voice drifted over faintly:
"Tsk tsk, I didn't expect you two to be unaffected by the Enchanting Flower."
"Enchanting Flower?"
"The 'Enchanting Flower' is a shade-loving, moisture-loving plant. Its fragrance can induce hallucinations.
It causes the inhaled person to become lost by infinitely amplifying their latent desires, or it destroys their mind by recreating their most painful memories, making the inhaled person delirious.
However, this thing has no effect on those with a strong will.
Also, if the inhaled person is struck by an external force, they will also wake up."
Murong Bai sighed with a hint of regret, then took the torch from Hua Jinrong and shone it on the branches and leaves covering the walls.
"Actually, the method to eradicate this Enchanting Flower is very simple; just burn it."
With that, Murong Bai moved the torch down, but Hua Jinrong grabbed his hand.
"Hey, Bai Er, aren't you usually very smart?
The main guests haven't even come to enjoy this heavenly feeling, and you're going to burn the Enchanting Flower first. Isn't that overshadowing them~"
Lin Qingge, meanwhile, seized the key point in Murong Bai's words and asked incredulously,
"Coroner Murong, are you saying that the fragments in the illusion actually happened?"
"Of course."
Murong Bai answered very decisively, but Lin Qingge was completely bewildered.
Because she had no memory of anything similar ever happening.
But come to think of it, even if something had happened, an infant who couldn't even speak wouldn't remember it at all.
However, she did grow up in an orphanage in her previous life.
According to the director, when they found her at the orphanage entrance, it was a rainy day.
Could that really have been her...
On the other side, Lu Mingxuan and others also began to wake up from their illusions.
"My lord, you're so beautiful.
My lord, you're finally willing to bathe with your subordinate!
My lord, the bath is finished, the night is long, let's rest quickly!"
...
Feeling offended, Lin Qingge used her full strength and kicked the傻狍子 (silly deer, a playful insult) with a stream of unknown liquid flowing from its lips.
"Ouch!"
The immense pain shattered the sweet dream, and Yan Tinghao woke up unwillingly with a groan.
Lin Qingge, who had delivered a fierce kick, walked to Leng Ningyue, who had her eyes tightly shut.
Unexpectedly, Leng Ningyue was the last person among everyone to emerge from the dream.