Chapter 1616

Samuel slowly approached Xiao Qingqing. As he drew near, Xiao Qingqing, who had been perfectly composed moments ago, began to feel uneasy. Her breath grew shallow, and she looked up at the man now standing before her, suppressing the nervous flutter in her chest. "Uncle... is something wrong?" she asked cautiously. Samuel curved his lips into a faint smile and raised a hand to gently ruffle her hair. "You call me 'Uncle,' so how could I be a stranger to you? Little one, you can stay here as long as you like. No charge—just say thank you, alright?" "But I..." Xiao Qingqing wanted to protest, yet the weight of his gaze made her swallow her words. The unspoken tension in the air pressed down on her, and she relented with a soft, "Thank you, Uncle." A rare glimmer of amusement flickered in Samuel's usually inscrutable eyes. "Good girl," he said calmly. "Get some rest now. Goodnight." With that, he withdrew his hand from her head and turned to leave. Only when the door clicked shut did Xiao