Chapter 73: True Love?

Return Chapter: My Hell and Heaven
Chapter 73: True Love?

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Qin Lou really does protect his head.

Anyone in the industry who has met him, even if just once, remembers his distinctive purple “Shamate” hair. His longtime employees at the Qin Group, along with Luan Qiaoqing, know best how protective he is of his hair.

Luan Qiaoqing knows something more than others: Qin Lou’s purple hair started after a severe illness ten years ago that nearly took his life.

It was right after he had just gotten out of bed. The first thing Qin Lou did after regaining consciousness was to have someone bring the family stylist to his side. He had his once-black hair completely bleached white, and then dyed purple.

At the time, no one in the family dared to ask why, and Luan Qiaoqing didn’t ask either. But it wasn’t out of fear of triggering Qin Lou’s temper or causing any mistakes in the fragile recovery of his life. Luan Qiaoqing didn’t ask because she knew—she had seen the paintings hidden in the small cubicle on the third floor, each one with its own madman and doll story, which she had asked Song Shu to tell her many times.

Luan Qiaoqing had been standing by, watching when Qin Lou dyed his hair.

The young man in the mirror, after his long and severe illness, was thin to the point of gauntness, with cheekbones sharp enough to cut, and his eyes—once as sharp as blades—were now dull, with no focus to be seen.

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But now he would protect Luan Qiaoqing, sleep early, wake up early, eat three regular meals a day, and undergo regular physical exams—no, his exams were far more frequent than scheduled.

Luan Qiaoqing had overheard the house servants privately discussing how their “mad young master” had become more careful with his life after that illness.

He had indeed become more careful, but not because of that illness—it was because of the note Song Shu had left behind.

During the first year of regular physical exams, when the private medical team at home found it a bit amusing, Luan Qiaoqing overheard one of the doctors curiously asking Qin Lou why he was having exams so often, wondering if something was particularly wrong with him.

Luan Qiaoqing remembers that day when Qin Lou laughed, wild and carefree. He said, “I’m not uncomfortable, I’m just afraid of dying, afraid of dying before I turn 88. I can’t die that early.”

The other doctors laughed along, but Luan Qiaoqing, who was hiding outside the door, suddenly felt her eyes redden.

So later, when many people questioned or secretly mocked Qin Lou’s purple hair, Luan Qiaoqing could never laugh. She knew better than anyone what that purple hair meant to Qin Lou—he was forcing himself to live.

Even if every day when he woke up, the first thing he saw was despair, the sight of the purple hair in the mirror reminded him of that year when he was close to death, and the promise he had made on a piece of paper while lying in his hospital bed.

And then there was Song Shu.

Song Shu knew even better than Luan Qiaoqing what that purple hair meant to Qin Lou, to herself, and to both of them.

So she had never mentioned it.

She wanted to wait for Qin Lou to let it go, to wait for the day when his sense of security returned. On that day, he would probably bring it up himself and say, “Little clam, will you help me dye my hair back?”

Song Shu waited, and waited…

It had been a year since their relationship had been confirmed, and Qin Lou had never mentioned it. Whenever the purple faded, he’d dye it back, and when it faded again, he’d do the same. One day, when she went to the General Manager’s office to deliver coffee, she noticed that the top of his head, where his purple hair used to be, had grown in with some black strands. Within three days, it would probably disappear again.

So she waited for the case of Bai Song’s wrongful conviction to be revealed, for everything to be settled. She waited for the New Year’s Eve, the end of the year, when she and Qin Lou were in the Vio Capital office on the 23rd floor, picking out clothes for the upcoming company dinner.

As the outfits were swapped out, Song Shu’s gaze ultimately landed on Qin Lou’s hair.

They faced each other for a few seconds.

They had an unspoken understanding.

Qin Lou spoke first, “I don’t want to.”

Song Shu stared blankly, “No, you can’t not do it.”

Qin Lou froze for two seconds, his eyes and expression adjusting to a pitiful look—over the past year, his acting had become remarkably skilled.

“Playing the victim won’t work.” — Unfortunately, before he could reach the peak of his acting, Song Shu doused the struggling flame with a bucket of cold water.

Realizing resistance was futile, Song Shu personally contacted the Human Resources Minister, Luan Qiaoqing, asking her to arrange for the department’s logistics staff to find the most professional styling team to urgently deal with Qin Lou’s purple hair.

Though Luan Qiaoqing felt some emotional complexity, after all the torment she’d gone through with Qin Lou since Song Shu returned, her feelings at this moment were mostly of delight—she took a schadenfreude approach and quickly sent the styling team to the 23rd floor.

The entire 23rd floor was Qin Lou’s private domain, and aside from the initial renovations, this was the first time so many strangers had been brought up in such a grand manner.

Next to the walk-in closet was the long-unused makeup room. The professional styling team immediately set up the area and, with the same dedication they would use to style top-tier celebrities, braved Qin Lou’s cold, deathly glare to bleach his purple hair back to white.

At some point, Qin Lou seemed to realize that resistance was futile, so he did nothing else but have someone call Song Shu to stand beside him. He reached out and held Song Shu’s hand, looking at her with a pitiful gaze—like a preschooler about to get an injection, trying to fight a losing battle.

The young woman responsible for bleaching his hair was probably no stranger to difficult clients, but this was likely her first time seeing an adult so protective of his hair, to the point of treating it as if it were his life.

When Qin Lou was being fierce, with Song Shu standing nearby like a “protective talisman,” they felt less constrained. But when his pitiable gaze remained fixed on Song Shu, the young woman hesitated and found it hard to proceed.

She raised her hand to start, but then lowered it again several times, glancing nervously at Song Shu standing next to her.

“Qin… Miss Qin, are you really sure you want to wash it out?” she asked.

As soon as Qin Lou heard this, it seemed his tactics of both soft and hard persuasion were working. He immediately switched from his pitiful look to a more menacing one, glaring at the young woman who was about to bleach his hair, ready to “strike back.”

Unfortunately, he didn’t have time to carry out his plan.

Song Shu simply let him hold her hand and calmly walked over to the young woman. “I’ll wash it for him, you teach me.”

Qin Lou froze, and the young woman was also taken aback.

She instinctively turned to look at Qin Lou—she actually wanted to speak up for him. Some people were born with beautiful bone structure, handsome and symmetrical features, a fair complexion, and eyes full of emotions that gave them an aura of elegance. With such looks, any hair color would seem beautiful.

But when her gaze landed on him, she noticed that Qin Lou seemed to have surrendered.

She didn’t know when, but he had closed his eyes and was quietly lying back in the shampoo chair. He had no expression, but there was something about him that made the young woman feel as though he had completely submitted, ready to be at the mercy of whoever was in charge.

From being full of prickly resistance to now showing no signs of defiance, the young woman didn’t know these two people well, but something inside her stirred—a feeling she couldn’t quite place.

It wasn’t that she envied either of them; it was the connection they shared that seemed enviable.

After that, the young woman guided Song Shu step by step, and Song Shu, wearing gloves, gently washed the purple out of Qin Lou’s hair.

By the time the last basin of water was clear, Qin Lou’s hair had faded into a near silver-gray color, much closer to a soft grandmother’s gray. Song Shu removed her gloves and extended her hand to the young woman who had brought a new towel.

She smiled lightly, “I’ll do it.”

The young woman, sensing a sudden warmth in Song Shu’s smile, which had previously lacked much emotion, felt as if the weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

Though the young woman didn’t fully understand, she still handed the towel to Song Shu.

The corner of the room was quiet.

The other members of the styling team stood by, waiting for the progress. Under their watchful eyes, Song Shu continued to wipe Qin Lou’s hair gently, at a steady pace.

As she was about to finish drying his hair, she smiled softly and asked, “Are you reluctant?”

Qin Lou, who had been lying with his eyes closed as though about to fall asleep, trembled slightly. After a few seconds, he spoke in a hoarse voice: “It’s for you, you washed it away… I guess it’s ‘death’ that came to its rightful place. I’m reluctant, but I can accept it.”

“……”

Song Shu paused for a moment, her fingertips stopping as she wiped his hair.

“I don’t think it looks bad,” Qin Lou said quietly.

“I know.”

“You don’t know. If you did, you wouldn’t have kept it this way.”

“…” Qin Lou fell silent.

“…” Song Shu also quieted down.

When the last bit of moisture had faded from her fingertips, Song Shu removed the towel. She leaned slightly forward and lowered her head—both of their faces turned away from each other—and gently kissed the damp, now white, strands of Qin Lou’s hair, then kissed his forehead.

Song Shu softly whispered, “I really came back, little madman.”

The figure lying in the shampoo chair froze.

A few seconds later, a faint redness appeared around Qin Lou’s eyes, his cold and pale face softened.

“Really?”

“Really.”

“Will you leave me again?”

“No. Never again.”

“…”

By the time Qin Lou and Song Shu arrived at the venue for the gathering organized by Chu Xiangbin’s group, it was already nearing evening. According to the constantly updated location that Luan Qiaoqing had notified them of, this was already their third venue change.

The venue was in a well-known, high-end KTV in Q City. Many people had managed to make it to this one, and they had booked a VIP room with its own dance floor to accommodate everyone.

Following the room information Luan Qiaoqing had sent to Song Shu, they arrived at the outside of the private room, guided by the reception staff. The receptionist opened the door for them, and Song Shu entered first.

The lighting inside the room was dim, with only two small LED lights above. As Song Shu walked in, the people inside noticed the movement and turned to look.

As soon as they recognized that it was “Qin Qing,” the assistant from the secretarial group, the staff, who had been smiling moments earlier, suddenly tensed. The ones holding microphones, who had been singing loudly, immediately stopped one by one, their eyes instinctively shifting toward Song Shu, looking behind her.

There were a few steps at the entrance, and since Song Shu was one step ahead of Qin Lou, she unintentionally blocked the view of his appearance and figure.

Someone’s microphone must not have been turned off, and a few drunken murmurs quietly came through the speakers.

“Is that… Assistant Qin?”

“I think so… maybe?”

“Who’s that behind her?”

“I can’t see clearly, but it’s someone with black hair. Definitely not President Qin.”

“Not President Qin? Heh, as long as it’s not him…”

The discussion quickly died down after someone, likely a more sober colleague, reminded them. The crowd, now looking for the source of the mishap, suddenly heard another voice from the microphone: “What the hell!”

Everyone jumped.

But that wasn’t all. A second shout followed.

“President Qin!!”

This time, it wasn’t just a surprise. Some of the staff were so shocked that their legs almost buckled.

They stared at the door, their eyes passing over Song Shu and the person behind her, the one they had confirmed was supposed to have purple hair—only to see… nothing.

Just as someone was about to scold the person who had startled them, thinking it was a prank, they saw Song Shu and the man, casually with his hands in his pants pockets, walking toward them.

As they got closer, the light revealed the man standing next to Song Shu. He was tall, dressed in a casual outfit—no formal suit, just a shirt and pants with a mid-length coat over them. Underneath his black, messy hair, there was a strikingly handsome face, cold white skin, sharp features—a familiar face that made everyone freeze in shock.

“Qin… President Qin…?”

Except for Chu Xiangbin and Luan Qiaoqing, who had been prepared for this, everyone else was stunned, their mouths hanging open as if they could fit an egg in there.

When Qin Lou heard someone call out to him, he lazily responded, “Sing your songs. I’m just here to accompany Little Clam… accompany her to take a look.”

It was clear who “she” referred to.

And then, under the nervous gaze of the crowd, Qin Lou calmly walked over with Song Shu, chatted briefly with Chu Xiangbin and the three department heads, and then went to the corner of the room to sit on the couch. Song Shu sat down, and Qin Lou sat beside her.

Although Qin Lou had said, “Sing your songs,” the staff visibly toned down after he arrived. Most of them quietly stayed in their seats, with only a few people who had already chosen songs forced to go up next.

Those sitting closer whispered, while those farther away dared to speak a little louder.

“What’s going on? Am I so drunk that I’ve turned colorblind? President Qin’s hair…”

“Shh, keep it down. Are you out of your mind? No one’s allowed to talk about President Qin’s hair color in the company.”

“But I heard it has something to do with his first love,” someone whispered. “What’s going on now? Not only has his style changed to this casual look that I almost didn’t recognize him in, but he even dyed his hair back to black? When I saw him just now, I thought President Qin had a twin brother!”

“He came here with Qin Qing, right? Could it be that he dyed his hair for her…?”

“What the hell, is he falling for his replacement?”

“Oh my god, that would be so sad for President Qin’s first love—completely replaced by an imposter?”

“Stop overthinking it! I don’t think it has anything to do with Qin Qing. Maybe it’s just that with the Bai Song case finally solved, President Qin decided to let go of the past and embrace a new life.”

“If that were the case, then Qin Qing should have lost her favor, right? But look at her now, she’s not being neglected at all—she’s still by his side. Even if the hair wasn’t for her, President Qin himself said he came to accompany her today. How many times have you seen him attend company events like this before, especially in the last few years?”

“Yeah, you’re right…”

The discussion continued, but fewer people were interested in singing.

Chu Xiangbin thought for a moment, ready to end the evening and let the gossiping staff go home, but Luan Qiaoqing noticed his intention and stopped him.

“What’s up? I’m not done yet.”

“…You’re not done? Or you just haven’t had enough of the show?” Chu Xiangbin called her out.

Luan Qiaoqing paused, pouting, “You’re not the boss here, I’m not done, so it’s not ending.”

“Nobody’s singing anymore. Why don’t you go up and take the stage?”

“I don’t want to sing. Let’s move on to the next place.” Luan Qiaoqing, with a mischievous glint in her eye, winked at Chu Xiangbin. “I’ve been eating dog food for years, and I’m not the only one who should suffer. They like to question how Qin Lou feels about my sister, so let them have enough dog food tonight.”

“…”

Chu Xiangbin fell silent for a moment before finally conceding.

Luan Qiaoqing had a lot of influence in the company, especially under Chu Xiangbin’s department, and when she stood up and made a suggestion, most people agreed, even those who might have hesitated because of Qin Lou and Song Shu’s presence.

However, the group struggled to decide where to go next.

In the end, Chu Xiangbin glanced over at the two “hands-off” figures in the corner of the room, stood up, and walked over to the indecisive Luan Qiaoqing, saying, “It’s getting close to dinner time. After all the afternoon’s events, we’ve probably digested lunch by now. I’ve made a reservation at a popular and distinctive food stall. Let’s go there for dinner—it’ll be livelier.”

Chu Xiangbin spoke, and everyone responded.

Qin Lou was probably the only one with objections, but before he could voice them, Song Shu noticed and glanced at him.

“You don’t want to go?” she asked softly.

Qin Lou hesitated for two seconds. “I do.”

Song Shu knew he didn’t like socializing and had little patience for crowds, but she also knew that continuing this way would only harm him. So, seeing that he hadn’t hit his breaking point yet, she patiently held back his temper.

She smiled reassuringly, “Then we’ll go together.”

“…”

Hearing the words “we’ll go together,” Qin Lou’s mood, which had been dark, finally lightened a little.

Half an hour later, Qin Lou regretted it.

The food stall that Chu Xiangbin had reserved was indeed famous and popular, with a unique character. The only downside was that it was so sought after. They had barely managed to secure a large table before they arrived.

The owner even called to explain: “On New Year’s Eve, there are a lot of company gatherings, so we had to share rooms with other groups, but we’ve set up soundproof screens to ensure we don’t disturb each other.”

Chu Xiangbin agreed, then turned to explain to everyone.

Everyone understood, since it was New Year’s Eve and the more people, the livelier it was. With this in mind, they packed up in more than ten cars before finally arriving at the destination.

Unfortunately, when the server led everyone to the combined room, they ran into the other group they were sharing the room with—

At the head was the law firm Junsheng, led by Yu Qisheng.

As soon as they recognized each other, the chatter stopped abruptly.

The next moment, everyone instinctively turned toward the back—

Qin Lou and Song Shu appeared.

It was unclear who among the group, probably someone a little tipsy from the previous gathering, muttered loudly:

“Hey? Isn’t that Qin Qing’s ex-fiancé across from us?”

Qin Lou: “…”

Song Shu: “…”

Yu Qisheng: “…”

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