Ah Da forced herself to calm down, but she couldn't speak and didn't know what to say.
The man carried her out of the bathroom into a small side living room and placed her on the coffee table.
As soon as Qin Yu sat down, he saw that a little figure had already hidden behind the tissue box, with its small hands clutching the tissues, covering most of its body as if to increase its sense of safety. Only a pair of big eyes showed, filled with wariness and timidity, the appearance of hiding yet not daring to hide made Qin Yu inexplicably find it amusing.
"Tell me, why are you in my room?"
Ah Da bit her lips, her voice soft and tender as she began to explain the cause and effect, starting from when she lived in the incense burner and was auctioned off, and not forgetting to defend herself at the end:
"I didn't mean to be here... I'm not a bad person..."
"So what kind of person are you?" Qin Yu raised an eyebrow, his eyes cold, following the topic to begin his interrogation, his voice as clear and cold as Jade stones colliding, especially captivating.
No matter how pleasant the voice was, Ah Da had no mood to appreciate it, as her entire mind was confused, struggling between hiding the truth and confessing honestly.
After hemming and hawing for a long time, Ah Da blurted out, "I... I don't know..."
Qin Yu: "…"
Ah Da wasn't lying, she didn't really know what she was herself. Her memory always had her living in a region within the incense burner, the incense burner encompassed her entire world, and memories from further back had long been forgotten.
Where she came from, where she was meant to go, these concepts had always been a void in her mind.
"I'm not a demon."
Ah Da looked at him earnestly, assuring him, "I won't harm you. Do you remember those pearls? They were all from me, and I still have many more."
If he still wanted them, Ah Da would cry more if needed, hoping only that he wouldn't harm her. She was now low on Spiritual Power, a lamb waiting to be slaughtered with no ability to resist.
The young girl blurted out a bunch of words then ended up feeling so wronged herself that her eyes turned red, with shimmering tears lingering at the bottom of her eyes, as if they were about to fall the next second.
Seeing her like this, Qin Yu inexplicably felt a bit agitated, furrowed his brows slightly, and scolded, "Don't cry."
Ah Da was immediately frightened, desperately holding back her tears, but her small body kept shivering, looking utterly miserable.
Internally, she cursed that this person was really ferocious. Once she recovered, she definitely needed to stay away from him.
Qin Yu pulled out a piece of tissue and handed it over, but when he saw the huge size difference compared to her stature, he took it back, tore it in half, and handed it over again, "Hold this, wipe your tears."
His voice was still an unquestionable commanding tone. Ah Da took it in a daze and under his piercing gaze, she clumsily wiped her hair and clothes. Although she was doing as told, the man's expression became increasingly impatient, making Ah Da want to cry again.
Qin Yu couldn't stand it, reached out, snatched the tissue, pressed two fingers on the little girl's head, and wiped from head to tail. Ah Da's neck was pressed by his thumb, her delicate little face squished and deformed.
"Mm... Mm..."
Ah Da didn't dare to resist at all, straightened her slender waist, bit her lip and endured his "manhandling," fearful that the man would strangle her with a single squeeze.
Incredible softness and vulnerability, at this moment Qin Yu truly felt that this little being was a real life, a novel experience stirring the frozen depths of his heart. Maybe this world wasn't so dull after all.
Seeing her obediently not daring to move, a few strands of faint interest emerged in the man's cool gaze.
Perhaps... keeping such a little creature wouldn't be so bad. Her scent could help him sleep, and given her size, the cost of keeping her was almost negligible.
A businessman's occupational hazard, Qin Yu thought this was a surefire, no-loss deal.
After the man released her, Ah Da still maintained her original posture, not daring to move a muscle. Noticing this, Qin Yu couldn't help but poke her forehead. Although he controlled his strength, the little girl was still pushed over and fell onto the desk with a thud.
A tingling pain spread from her bottom, and Ah Da instinctively turned to the side, taking sharp breaths, her face crumpling up in discomfort. Suddenly, a low chuckle echoed by her ear, vibrating her eardrum, and Ah Da's skin, as pristine as the first snow, instantly flushed the color of a crab.
This was too malicious, bullying and laughing at her.
How could there be such bad people in this world?
Ah Da felt utterly hopeless. It seemed she had made a foolish mistake. As the demon discovered by humans, the Bronze Sword had told her that being discovered by humans could have serious consequences, and now she finally understood how severe they could be.
Thinking of the injustice she just suffered, Ah Da, with eyes brimming with anger, looked over and saw the man lounging broadly on the sofa, casually wiping his hands with a tissue, unhurried, his long, powerful fingers like a piece of fine art.
Hmph, even a handsome appearance can't offset his despicable nature!
Angered, Ah Da turned her head away, her back facing him, refusing to look at him.
Qin Yu wiped the dampness from his hands, ignoring the petty mood of a certain little thing, and directly grasped the collar on the back of her neck, lifting her into the air, forcing her to face him.
"Do you want to stay here?" Qin Yu started with his usual bait before negotiating.
Ah Da clenched her fists in fear, her legs dangling without any sense of security. Honestly, this man was too dangerous, and she didn't want to stay, but her incense burner was still here, and she didn't have much Spiritual Power. If no one offered her some incense, she might soon fall back into a deep sleep.
She wasn't sure, but Ah Da had a premonition.
In fact, when she had never left the incense burner space before, her Spiritual Power had been abundantly full. Since this man had lit the incense and broken the ban, everything had changed.
Perhaps this was the price.
"The incense burner is mine," Qin Yu said ruthlessly, as if he could see right through Ah Da's thoughts.
Then he added with a light smile, "If you want it, you can pay to buy it."
Ah Da's eyes lit up with hope, "How… How much? Can I exchange it for pearls?"
The corner of Qin Yu's mouth slightly curled up, and those who knew him understood that when he showed this expression, it spelled trouble for his adversary, usually leaving them picked clean to the bone.
"I don't need pearls," he stated.
Ah Da's heart sank. Even if naïve, she knew she had no leverage to bargain with this man at this moment, let alone the fact that her very survival, the incense burner, was in his grip. Like this, it seemed she had no choice.
If she were away from the incense burner for too long, she would be like a fish out of water, bound to dry up and die eventually.
After sorting out the pros and cons, Ah Da immediately changed her attitude, holding his fingers carefully, her large eyes pleading, "I want to stay, please? I won't cause any trouble, I always sleep inside."
Ah Da pointed at the incense burner, indicating she took up no space, caused no trouble, and could be completely overlooked.
"You may stay," Qin Yu conceded.
"Ah?" Ah Da's mouth hung open slightly, completely unexpected the man would agree so readily.
"But I have one condition," Qin Yu paced strategically.
Innocent and naive, how could Ah Da possibly resist? She foolishly questioned, "What condition?"
Seeing the fish bite the hook, Qin Yu's lazy, cold eyes flickered subtly; he leaned back, his smile faint.