Chapter 1646

Hearing Samuel's words, Xiao Qingqing felt even more guilty. After all... her reputation wasn't exactly stellar. Being linked to him like this would only drag him down. "Uncle, what should we do? Should we have the news taken down immediately?" Samuel shook his head. "Taking it down isn’t the issue. But this has already caused an uproar online. Pulling it now would be like protesting too much—it’d only make things worse." Xiao Qingqing sighed. He had a point. Last time, when they were photographed together at the hotel, Samuel had used his influence to pressure the media into suppressing the story. But this time, the news had already broken before they even knew about it. Cleaning it up... wouldn’t be easy. "Uncle, what are we going to do?" Samuel reached out and gently ruffled her hair, his voice warm. "Don’t worry. Even if the sky falls, I’ll be the one holding it up for you." Xiao Qingqing froze, staring at his face. This was the first time a man had ever told her that—that he’d shield her from the world. Words like that... they belonged between lovers. But he was her uncle... She bit her lip lightly. "Uncle, thank you. But... I’m not a child anymore. If something happens, I’ll face it with you." Samuel nodded. "I’ll make some calls first and get to the bottom of this." "Alright," Xiao Qingqing had originally planned to wait here for the results, but seeing that Samuel wasn't even dressed, her gaze involuntarily swept over his figure. This guy... his physique was seriously out of the ordinary. The thought made her cheeks flush instantly, and she stammered, "Then... I'll wait outside." She turned to leave, but Samuel suddenly grabbed her wrist. The abrupt tug threw her off balance, and she stumbled backward, her back colliding with his chest. As she wobbled, her hands instinctively reached out for support—only to accidentally yank the towel tied around his waist clean off. She spun around in shock, and when her eyes landed on *that* sight, her mind exploded like a bomber had just flown overhead. Her face burned crimson, her ears so hot they might as well have been dripping. Samuel, still holding her shoulders, blinked in surprise before chuckling. "Kid, what are you—" "Uncle! Uncle! It's not what you think!" She frantically crouched down to grab the towel, intending to wrap it back around him. But now, from her crouched position, when she looked up again, her line of sight was *just* at the wrong height... If she weren't so afraid of pain, she might have seriously considered gouging her own eyes out. Squeezing her eyes shut, she flailed the towel in front of him, stammering, "I—I-I-I didn't mean to!" Samuel laughed softly, casually retying the towel before crouching down to her level. Gently prying her hands away from her face, he tilted her chin up with a tender smile. "How come I never noticed before that our Qingqing has such a stutter?" "That's not it! I just... I just wanted to say I didn’t do it on purpose! You were the one who suddenly pulled me, and I—I lost my balance!" "I saw how red your face was and thought you might have a fever," he explained, his eyes warm as he ruffled her hair. "What just happened was an accident. No need to be so nervous." Was she nervous? More like afraid of seeing something she shouldn't and getting an eyeful. Xiao Qingqing's fair, jade-like complexion flushed pink, making Samuel's Adam's apple bob involuntarily. But he quickly composed himself and chuckled, "Besides, it's not like you haven't seen me before. Your uncle here is used to it—doesn’t bother me at all. So don’t overthink it, alright?" At his words, Xiao Qingqing instinctively raised her hand and clamped it over his mouth in a fluster. "Oh my god, Uncle, that’s ancient history! Can we just drop it already?" Samuel couldn’t help but laugh softly. "Still such a kid. Go on, I’ll come find you once I’m done here." Xiao Qingqing abruptly pulled her hand away, her palm still tingling from the warmth of his breath when he’d spoken. Too embarrassed to meet his gaze, she turned and hurried out of the room. Samuel exhaled a quiet laugh. Having this little one around made life feel downright delightful. He unlocked his phone and skimmed the day’s headlines. Perfect. The buzz was strong. Without another move, he stepped into the walk-in closet, changed into a sleek smoke-gray suit, gave himself a quick once-over, and headed out. Upstairs in the lounge, Xiao Qingqing was scrolling through news comments on her phone. Some claimed she, a fallen socialite, had clawed her way up using her looks to seduce the higher-ups at Yehuang Group. Others insisted Samuel was inherently violent and cold—if she ever married into that kind of wealth, she’d be in for misery. Under one such comment, a rebuttal read: *If Samuel’s with Xiao Qingqing but won’t go public, he’s clearly not serious—just in it for the fun. Mark my words, it won’t last. I’ll bet ten packs of spicy strips on it.* The consensus? Most believed Xiao Qingqing’s status was nowhere near worthy of Samuel. Although Xiao Qingqing had to admit the truth of the matter, she had never once considered being paired up with Lu Samuel! Hearing movement in front of her, Xiao Qingqing looked up to see Samuel approaching with a grave expression. She instinctively set down her phone, concern lacing her voice as she asked, "Third Uncle... is this situation really that serious?" "Extremely serious," he replied. "The sudden scandal has affected stock prices. Reporters are swarming the residential compound and branch office entrances. The board is demanding I address the situation publicly." Xiao Qingqing's heart sank with guilt. "Then... what should we do?" "Qingqing," Samuel said slowly, stepping closer until he stood before her. He reached out, resting his hands firmly on her shoulders. "We... need to get married." A heavy silence fell between them. Countless solutions had already raced through Xiao Qingqing's mind—ways to extinguish this fire. She'd even considered the nuclear option: facing the media alone to claim full responsibility, admitting she'd shamelessly pursued her elder while he'd merely treated her as family. Anything to prevent dragging Third Uncle down with her. Yet now, he was proposing... marriage? Xiao Qingqing's breathtaking features clouded with profound solemnity. Samuel continued, voice steady, "At this point, the nail's already been hammered in. If we don't marry, we'll keep being slandered—accused of immoral conduct, letting others smear us without recourse. Your reputation would be ruined, I'd face board impeachment, and then..."