Chapter 1637

Realizing how inappropriate her current position was, Xiao Qingqing swallowed hard, squeezed her eyes shut in embarrassment, and bit her lip as she silently prayed that Samuel hadn't woken up yet. With cautious movements, she lifted her neck and looked up. When she saw that not only was Samuel awake, but his eyes were clear and focused directly on her, Xiao Qingqing's body trembled slightly as if startled. The corners of Samuel's lips curled upward as if nothing had happened the previous night. He asked gently, "Morning. Sleep well?" Flustered, Xiao Qingqing sat up quickly and smoothed her hair. "Uncle, don't misunderstand—I only came in last night because you weren't feeling well. I meant to leave once you were better, but... I must've fallen asleep somehow!" Samuel slowly sat up and casually tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "Did I scare you?" "No," Xiao Qingqing shook her head, then hesitated before asking with concern, "Uncle, last night you kept saying—" Samuel smiled lightly. "Just nightmares. I'm sorry you had to see me like that. If it happens again, don't worry about me—just focus on resting." Sensing his reluctance to discuss the matter further, Xiao Qingqing didn't press. But remembering her mother's words from the previous night, she straightened and asked seriously, "Uncle, did you use the Dimensional Rift to deal with the Su Corporation?" Samuel arched a brow. "After how they treated you? They deserved to be crushed. But how did you find out?" Xiao Qingqing looked at him with gratitude, her voice tinged with bitterness. "The Su family thinks we're... involved. They had my mother call me, hoping to use me to convince you to hand them the Lu Corporation's bid project to save their company." "How shameless," Samuel remarked, studying her downcast expression. "Did you agree?" "Of course not," Xiao Qingqing shook her head firmly. "I'm not an idiot. I know you're helping me—why would I push their filth onto you?" Samuel chuckled softly and ruffled her hair. "Seems our little Qingqing has truly grown up." Xiao Qingqing found herself momentarily dazed by his gentle smile. If those women who secretly coveted him could see Samuel looking this tender, they'd probably be drooling buckets. When their eyes met, Xiao Qingqing quickly snapped out of her wandering thoughts. Flustered, she turned her head away, evading his hand as she muttered awkwardly, "Uncle, I'm not a three-year-old kid anymore. Stop patting my head—it'll make me dumb." She tugged at the hem of her T-shirt, hopped off the bed, and shuffled out in her slippers, calling over her shoulder, "I'm heading back to wash up." "Go ahead." Silence settled back into the room. Samuel pinched the bridge of his nose before picking up his phone, his expression turning cool and detached as he dialed a number. "It's me. Book an appointment with the psychiatrist. I'll be there shortly." After breakfast, Xiao Qingqing bid Samuel a quick goodbye and left the house. She had made plans with Mu Nuan to hang out and shop for some "special" items to "renovate" Samuel’s bedroom. The two met at the mall entrance, where Mu Nuan handed her a freshly bought coffee. Xiao Qingqing took it and clicked her fingers appreciatively, grinning. "Now that’s what I call a bestie—always got my back!" "Obviously. So, your uncle didn’t tag along, right?" "Nope. But seriously, why are you so nervous? If anyone should be worried, it’s me." Xiao Qingqing looped her arm through Mu Nuan’s as they walked. "Come on, he’s still an elder to me. Shopping with him would just feel weirdly formal." Xiao Qingqing chuckled. An elder... Yeah, that’s exactly what he was. She used to be pretty intimidated by him too—until last night. She suddenly thought of something and asked, "Uncle San... does he have some kind of hidden illness?" "No, why do you ask?" Nuan Nuan didn’t know? Given Samuel’s condition last night, it definitely wasn’t the first time—otherwise, he wouldn’t have immediately asked her this morning if she was frightened. Could it be that Samuel had deliberately kept his condition from his family? Xiao Qingqing didn’t elaborate in front of Mu Nuan. Instead, she asked, "Then... has he ever gone through anything traumatic or terrifying before?" Mu Nuan’s expression turned serious. "Actually, there was one incident..." Seeing her curiosity, Mu Nuan didn’t hold back. "This isn’t widely known, but those close to the family are aware. A few years ago, Uncle San was kidnapped once. I only found out later when I overheard my parents talking about it. He nearly lost his life that time—when he escaped, his body was covered in injuries, and he ran a high fever for days. Even after waking up and being discharged, he kept rambling incoherently. Later, he went abroad and stayed at the rehabilitation center my dad runs for years before finally coming back. But... why are you asking about this?" Xiao Qingqing thought of Samuel’s state last night, and an inexplicable heaviness settled in her chest. Noticing the sorrow in her eyes, Mu Nuan nudged her with her shoulder. "Hey, what’s with that look? Don’t tell me you’re feeling sorry for Uncle San?" Xiao Qingqing snapped out of it and rolled her eyes. "Don’t be ridiculous!" "You’re the one acting weird! Since when do you care about other people’s business? Even that scumbag Su, who chased you for years—I never saw you pay this much attention to him! Qingqing, we’ve been best friends forever. Be honest with me—when exactly did you start having a thing for my uncle?" "Ugh," Xiao Qingqing groaned in exasperation. "It’s not like that! I just... hearing you talk about Uncle San made me think about how I haven’t had an easy life either, so I got a little down, okay? And don’t ever mention Ding You in front of me again." "Why not? That scumbag deserves to be called out! When he was chasing you, he acted like he couldn’t live without you—even I thought he was serious. But then he turned around and climbed into Yang Yun’s bed. Talk about trash matching with trash..." Xiao Qingqing laughed, and the two of them playfully bickered as they walked toward the home furnishings plaza... Samuel arrived at the private club and entered his usual VIP room, where a man in a tailored suit had already been waiting for him. Upon seeing Samuel, the man rose to his feet and gave a respectful nod. "Third Master." Samuel acknowledged him with a slight tilt of his head. Once they were seated, the man spoke cautiously, "You haven’t had an episode in over four months. Was there anything unusual last night?" The man before him was his long-time confidential psychiatrist, so Samuel saw no reason to hold back. "I... brought her home."