Perhaps it was a result of thinking about him during the day.
She dreamed of him.
In the dream, she returned to that compound, and before her stood a group of children, with a little her in the middle of them.
The children in the compound possessed a strange sense of unity. They were always curious about newcomers, especially a new arrival who was a soft, cute, and delicate little girl.
They surrounded her, chattering and asking questions. Some of the more roguish ones even came up to her, wanting to touch her face and tug at her skirt.
At that time, she hadn't learned to disguise herself. Faced with their teasing, she frowned and dodged, only managing to suppress the disgust and annoyance in her eyes beneath her lowered gaze. Back then, she said, "Move aside, move aside!"
Due to the softness of her voice, everyone assumed she was being shy and coquettish. Thus, they teased her even more fiercely.
The children in the compound had been trained since childhood. Those who could form small groups were even better in terms of physical fitness. In the scuffle, she was pinned to the ground by several of them. Someone saw the disgust in her eyes and egged them on to wrestle with her.
Back then, she didn't know how to fight at all.
Huo Rou watched all this unfold in her dream, her eyes as placid as ever, but her feet moved. The little chubby boy closest to her was scooped up by her and held in mid-air.
"Auntie, who are you? Let me down quickly!" The little chubby boy was clearly displeased with being lifted like this, struggling for her to release him.
So, in the dream, she wasn't just an observer, but could actively participate.
In the dream.
Huo Rou watched as her younger self reached into the hidden pocket of her skirt.
There was a knife in the bag.
If Uncle Chen hadn't come to pick her up that day, she might have taken this knife to Yizhou. Unable to wait for justice, she decided to find it herself.
Little Huo Rou's hand gripped the hilt of the knife in her pocket, and she glared fiercely at the people in front of her, "Move aside."
Although her voice was still soft, her eyes were like those of a messenger from hell, stunning all the children. Then, the teasing and play escalated further.
She wanted to step in and pick up little Huo Rou, but then she stopped, as if remembering something.
Just as little Huo Rou was about to draw the knife, a stern-faced little boy ran over from a distance and coldly stopped them.
"This is our new doll!" The children in the compound clearly had some apprehension towards the young Qin Ningyi, they shouted with their necks stiffened.
Qin Ningyi in his youth already towered over the others. He stood opposite the group, so proud and independent, so mature for his age.
Hearing the group's response, young Qin Ningyi beat them all soundly. Amidst the cries of pain, he grabbed her hand and left the compound without looking back.
"Ouch, ah! Qin Ningyi! I'm going to tell Grandpa Qin! You just wait! Wuwuwu, it hurts so much..."
The defeated children whimpered, but young Qin Ningyi paid them no mind. He simply reached out and patted little Huo Rou's head, "Don't be afraid of them, I will protect you."
The two walked away.
"Qin Ningyi..." Huo Rou forgot that she was a dreamer. Watching the backs of the two children, she whispered his name softly.
Tears fell unexpectedly.
Even if she could have prevented it, she still wanted to meet him.
The dream began to blur.
Taichuan City.
"Arou!" Qin Ningyi moaned and woke up from his dream.
He dreamed of the night he first met Huo Rou, when Huo Rou, with a cold face, had stabbed a dagger into her own arm, looking at him with those bone-chilling, wary eyes...
"Are you alright?" Shen Wuyou turned to look at him upon hearing the movement.
He deliberately ignored the name Qin Ningyi had murmured in his dream.
Qin Ningyi rubbed his temples. "Alright."
He got up and went to Grandpa Qin's bedside. "How is my grandfather?"
"Still the same," Shen Wuyou said, looking at the test results in his hand.
Since he and Qin Ningyi returned to Taichuan City and took over from his brother, Grandpa Qin's condition had stabilized, but recovery still required time and medication.
Qin Ningyi glanced at his phone.
There was a text message on it that he had already read several times. Gu Yan's people had investigated and found that the Little Medicine King's whereabouts were hard to determine, and all attempts to contact him had yielded no response. Besides Shen Wuyou, the Little Medicine King also had an unusual relationship with Grandma Medicine.
Now, Gu Yan's people had set out to find Grandma Medicine, hoping to get news of the Little Medicine King through her, or...
Perhaps Grandma Medicine also had that medicinal ingredient?
Shen Wuyou looked at Qin Ningyi's bloodshot eyes and sighed. "You should go back. This is fine."
The situation had stabilized, and Shen Ruoli had already left. There was no point in him staying here other than waiting for Huo Rou's reply.
The door was pushed open, and Su Nianzhu and Qin Xingzhou walked in.
Qin Xingzhou glanced at Grandpa Qin's condition and sat beside Qin Ningyi, speaking calmly, "You should go back to the company. The situation is stable, and I won't be going out for a while. Your mother and I are here; you young people have your own things to attend to."
He had already sent away Qin Feiwuan and Qin Jiejian, and even his frail sister-in-law had been taken by Qin Nishui. It wasn't a critical moment, so it wasn't necessary for everyone to stay here.
It was just that this son of his, who had admired Grandpa Qin since childhood, insisted on staying for a few more days.
Qin Ningyi faced Qin Xingzhou, his attitude respectful yet hesitant. He nodded calmly, "Yes, I'll leave tomorrow morning."
Qin Xingzhou did not want Qin Ningyi to be overly affectionate towards him. Hearing Qin Ningyi's agreement, he was relieved.
"That..." Qin Xingzhou paused. "I've seen the orchids, and that girl is truly worthy of being a master."
Speaking of orchids, Qin Xingzhou's face clearly broke into a smile. "There must be a misunderstanding between her and Grandpa. I've heard some of what happened, and Grandpa certainly had his reasons for intervening."
He liked orchids, and he had rarely seen someone who could cultivate them so well.
Such a person was bound to have a connection with him!
Qin Ningyi, hearing the tone of his father's voice, could clearly sense his fondness and protection towards Huo Rou.
"Regarding that matter, how much more do you know?" Qin Ningyi tapped the glass bottle he was holding in his hand nonchalantly with his index finger.
Qin Xingzhou shook his head. He didn't know much, as he had been solely focused on the company at the time.
"I only know that many people from Fenghuo seemed to have died that time, and the person Grandpa protected was someone who was almost certainly identified as a traitor at the time."
He shook his head as he said this. "It seemed to be an issue with the chain of evidence, but Grandpa paid a great price for it."
"Chain of evidence?" Qin Ningyi repeated the words slowly.
"Yes," Qin Xingzhou nodded, looking at Qin Ningyi. "However, we'll only know the specifics when Grandpa wakes up."
"He's really not going to wake up?" A hearty laugh came from outside the door. Judging by the sound, the speaker seemed surprised and curious.