Chapter 1663

"Uncle said... he would love her?" Xiao Qingqing paused, staring blankly into Samuel's earnest eyes as they held her gaze. Within them... lay a warmth she had never known in the desolation of her life. Her fingers, hanging limply at her sides, curled slightly without her realizing it. She knew Samuel had never been her sun. Yet at this moment, sunlight truly bathed her. Though the pain hadn’t lessened in the slightest, the frozen depths of her heart seemed to... thaw with warmth. Samuel leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. "From now on, by my side, cry when you need to, laugh when you want to. If you're unhappy, vent all you like. And when you're happy, share that joy with me." In the past, such intimacy from Samuel would have made Xiao Qingqing blush. But now, she only smiled faintly. She believed this was simply... an elder comforting a younger one. Yet even if it was just comfort, she was grateful—so very, very grateful. Her lips pressed together slightly, the bitt