Facing Tantai Yue's expectant gaze, Qin Xuan slowly said,
"You know the Four Great Families of the capital, right?"
Tantai Yue didn't know why Qin Xuan was mentioning this, but she still nodded.
Who didn't know the Four Great Families of the capital?
Chu, Mo, Chen, Yun.
The Four Great Clans of the Dragon Country.
"Then do you know that three years ago, there were Five Great Families in the capital?" Qin Xuan continued.
"Five Great Families?" Tantai Yue blinked her beautiful eyes and rubbed her chin,
"I seem to have a vague impression. I remember the surname was Qin, and it seemed to be because of some great fire..."
A trace of unusual emotion flickered in Qin Xuan's eyes, as if the tragedy of three years ago flashed before him again. After a moment, he looked at Tantai Yue and said,
"I am the eldest son of the Qin family, one of the Five Great Families back then."
Qin Xuan's words were like a thunderclap, stunning Tantai Yue. After a long while, she came back to her senses and looked at Qin Xuan incredulously, saying,
"Qin... Qin Xuan, you said you are from the Qin family, one of the Five Great Families back then!"
Qin Xuan nodded and continued,
"Back then..."
The destruction of the Qin family was inseparable from two other major clans at the time.
Therefore, most of the information about the Qin family was concealed.
The Qin family seemed to have vanished into thin air, without attracting much attention from the outside world.
At that time, a great fire reduced the entire Qin family to ashes.
Only Qin Xuan and Qin Lin managed to escape.
The patriarch of the Chu family, Chu Yunshan, was greatly involved in this fire. This was also revealed to Qin Xuan by the dying steward among the few names he managed to learn.
Qin Xuan knew that the fire was just a cover-up, and there must be some earth-shattering secret hidden behind it.
Of course, Qin Xuan did not tell Tantai Yue these subsequent details.
After hearing this, Tantai Yue's face was streaked with tears.
She hadn't expected Qin Xuan to have such a tragic past. If he were truly just an ordinary person from a scrap yard, it would only mean he was poor. She could support him anyway.
But upon learning that Qin Xuan was from the Qin family in the capital, and that dozens of his family members had died in the fire, Tantai Yue felt a deep pang of sorrow.
Dozens of family members, with only two survivors in the end.
If it were her, she would probably have given up long ago. How had Qin Xuan persevered all these years?
Looking at Qin Xuan's face, Tantai Yue felt an unbearable ache in her heart. Tears streamed down, and for the first time, she cried like a child.
"Qin... Qin Xuan, I'm sorry. I... shouldn't have asked, and shouldn't have made you recall your tragic past again."
Seeing this, Qin Xuan smiled and wiped away Tantai Yue's tears.
"Alright, this isn't like my Tantai. Crying so profusely for the first time. If you keep crying, you won't be pretty anymore. Besides, you, Linlin, and I have gained a new family member now. Having you is the fortune of my Qin Xuan's life."
Qin Xuan's words, however, made Tantai Yue cry even harder. She threw her arms around Qin Xuan, burying her head in his chest and sobbing.
*Gulp...* Qin Xuan swallowed, gave a bitter smile, and then gently patted Tantai Yue's back.
"Alright, alright, Tantai, don't cry, don't cry..."
After crying for nearly half an hour, Tantai Yue finally calmed down, perhaps because her tears had run dry.
Qin Xuan thought she had fallen asleep and gently laid her on the bed, preparing to cover her with a blanket.
The next second, Tantai Yue pulled Qin Xuan down, and they ended up lying on the same pillow, facing each other with their heads turned.
"Tantai..." Qin Xuan was about to speak when Tantai Yue placed a jade finger on his lips, silencing him.
Tantai Yue gazed at Qin Xuan with deep affection, her words caught in her throat. Her face blushed so deeply it could draw blood, and it was so hot it could probably cook an egg.
After a long moment of eye contact, Tantai Yue mustered her courage and shyly said,
"Qin Xuan, have me."