kvmb Chapter 224 Who would you choose?
Chapter 224 Who would you choose?
What a tragic fate, Xie Qingxin thought.
Although he had some suspicions before, none of them could compare to the irrefutable evidence presented in this photograph.
Before Tao Tao could react, Xie Qing had already reached past him, picked up the photo frame, and lightly ran her fingertips across the surface of the photograph. Her tone was casual, yet carried a subtle hint of probing, "Tao Tao, is this your boyfriend?"
Faced with Xie Qing's sudden question, Tao Tao nodded after a moment's hesitation.
Xie smiled and put the photo frame back in its place, casually mentioning, "I invited you and your boyfriend before, but he had something come up and couldn't make it. I happen to be free these two days, and I was wondering if he would have time to meet up?"
The scarf covered most of Tao Tao's face, also concealing his expression.
"Brother Qing...actually...actually we've already broken up."
His voice lowered, "We broke up a while ago... I didn't tell you because I was afraid you'd worry."
"Why did you break up?"
Tao Tao was taken aback, seemingly not expecting Xie Qing to ask further questions.
Xie Qing always maintained a high level of propriety in her interactions with others and never pried into other people's private lives.
To put it simply, he's not the type to pry into things until he gets to the bottom of it; if someone isn't willing to talk about it, he won't deliberately ask.
But even though he could clearly see the difficulty on Tao Tao's face, he still asked the question.
Seeing that the other person didn't speak, Xie Qing's smile gradually faded, and her tone became serious, "Tao Tao, why did you break up?"
Based on their six years of close interaction, Tao Tao realized that Xie Qing must know something. Her body trembled slightly, but she still tried to make a last-ditch effort, "It's just... we're not compatible, our relationship has broken down..."
"Tao Tao..."
Seemingly helpless, Xie sighed softly, "Are you still planning to keep it from me?"
"I do not have."
Tao Tao's round almond-shaped eyes glistened with tears, and her entire face was almost buried in her scarf.
"Your boyfriend, Yi Chen, is that Xiao Chen, right?"
Xie Qing's tone was unwavering, more like a calm statement: "He lied to you."
Tao Tao looked up in shock, tears still glistening in the corners of her eyes, "Brother Qing, what happened to you..."
Xie Qing sighed silently and wiped her face. "I guessed."
—A vicious cannon fodder with a wicked personality and a prominent family background, who suddenly suffers a car accident and undergoes a drastic personality change and loses all his memories, is actually a completely different person inside.
The orphan protagonist, whom his family sponsored and adopted from a young age, suffered all kinds of bullying from vicious cannon fodder since childhood. After hearing that the other party had lost his memory, he took the opportunity to get close to him and take revenge.
Subsequently, a series of melodramatic and emotionally torturous events unfolded between the two, ultimately leading to a happy ending.
He had read countless novels with this kind of setting and plot.
Xie Qingxin thought that his accurate prediction was probably due to his extensive reading.
The secret he had been hiding was ruthlessly exposed, and Tao Tao finally confessed.
Tears welled up like a burst dam. He sniffed, his nose stinging, and looked up at Xie Qing with wet eyes. His voice was filled with grievance and self-blame. "Brother Qing, am I stupid... I can't even fall in love without being completely fooled."
"You all warned me..."
Both Xie Qing and his older sister had warned him to stay away from Xiao Chen.
Unfortunately, the man she loved and wanted to spend her life with was the very person she was looking forward to.
The other party had been deceiving him from beginning to end under a different identity. What was even more frustrating was that when he learned what the original owner of this body had done to Xiao Chen, he didn't even have the right to blame the other party.
"It's pretty stupid."
Tao Tao pouted, then listened to Xie Qing continue speaking.
"To be bullied by others and not tell on them, but instead remain silent—that's incredibly stupid."
Xie bent slightly and wiped Tao Tao's wet cheeks. "If you don't want to tell your family, you can tell me. Why keep it all bottled up inside?"
He paused for a moment, then said, "To you, I'm still just an outsider, and I have no right to interfere in your affairs."
Tao Tao immediately shook her head vigorously, her tone filled with panic, "No, no... Brother Qing, you know perfectly well that you are the person I know best here."
She gripped Xie Qing's sleeve, paused for a moment, and then whispered, "I just... feel like I'm relying on you too much, and I feel like I can handle things on my own. I don't want to cause you any more trouble..."
Tao Tao was Xie Qing's assistant who stayed by his side before he became famous, and watched him go from being unknown to becoming a household name.
During the most difficult year or two, Xie Qing not only had to fend off both open and covert attacks within the industry and gossip from the outside world, but also firmly protected Tao Tao under his still-developing wings, helping him solve a host of troubles.
Even then, he himself was mired in trouble, having offended investors and being sidelined by the company with no acting opportunities.
Xie Qing had helped him so much. Before, Tao Tao could at least take care of him in every way as his assistant, but now... he really didn't want to bother Xie Qing again for such a small thing as being deceived.
Tao Tao blinked blankly as her slightly chubby cheeks were suddenly pinched.
“If you could really handle it yourself, you wouldn’t have made yourself look like that during those two weeks in Anping County.”
Xie Qing released her hand, then flicked his forehead with her finger, her voice tinged with a helpless exasperation. "Besides, when have I ever found you troublesome?"
Tao Tao's tears instantly vanished, and she threw herself into Xie Qing's arms, her voice muffled, "I know Brother Qing has always treated me like a younger brother... I've always known that."
She secretly wiped away the tears from the corner of her eye and continued, "The past is the past. I've let it go now, really."
"..."
Xie Qing twitched the corner of her mouth, pointed to the photo frame, and said, "Have you let it go now?"
The air was silent for two seconds. A hint of embarrassment flashed across Tao Tao's face as she realized she had been exposed. She reached out and slammed the photo frame down on the table. "I just... forgot to clean it up for a moment."
Xie Qing looked at the person twisting their fingers in front of her, and didn't press the matter further. Instead, she asked, "So, are you just going to let it go like this, since you were scammed?"
"Brother Qing, this is already the best outcome."
Tao Tao looked up and forced a faint smile. "The original owner of this body... did many things to hurt him. Now that he has lied to me, let's call it even."
Xie Qing was about to speak when he heard Tao Tao continue, her voice soft, "I know what Brother Qing wants to say, but... I have become 'Tao Tao,' enjoying the other's privileged life, and I also need to bear the consequences of his mistakes."
Even if he didn't do it, he still has to do his best to make amends.
"If this is a decision you've made after careful consideration," Xie gently patted Tao Tao's head, "I respect you."
After a long silence, Xie Qing looked into Tao Tao's eyes and asked a sharp and cruel question:
"Tao Tao, if one day the Tao family and Xiao Chen become enemies, locked in a life-or-death struggle, who would you choose?"