Lin Fan stared at him. Qin Feng gently tapped Lin Fan's head. "What are you looking at? Eat."

"I'm afraid he'll take my soul away."

Qin Feng was silent for a moment, then stared at Lin Fan and said word by word, "Do you think I'm dead?"

Lin Fan stared blankly at him for a few seconds, then instantly felt embarrassed and quickly lowered her head. She hurriedly stuffed a bun into her mouth, took a hasty bite, and looked away. She almost choked herself, and Qin Feng pushed the soy milk towards her, "Eat slowly."

Lin Fan swallowed the bun, unsure where to look. She was a bit afraid of the look Qin Feng had just given her. Qin Feng was too unrestrained; she was afraid he might kiss her.

"Leave everything to me."

Qin Feng had never thought he would date a kid. Lin Fan was too soft. Qin Feng couldn't be too straightforward, afraid of scaring her, but not saying anything made him worry she wouldn't understand.

After they finished eating, Qin Feng cleaned up the dishes and told Lin Fan to change clothes. Her clothes were thin, exposing her slender neck. She looked very cold, so she went back to put on a coat, and then they left together.

Lin Fan's clothes looked like a sack. Qin Feng hadn't noticed before, but now they seemed really ill-fitting. After getting in the car, Qin Feng's gaze moved away from her. "Who do you usually buy clothes with?"

"With no one." Lin Fan didn't understand why he brought this up. "What's wrong?"

"Are big clothes comfortable to wear?"

As Qin Feng drove off, Lin Fan looked down at her tracksuit. It was indeed very big. There were advantages to big clothes. When she wore tighter clothes at school, boys in the class would stare at her and even tease her. Lin Fan didn't know what others thought, but she personally found her chest bulging out ugly.

"It's alright."

Little stubborn blockhead.

Qin Feng raised his eyebrows, turned onto the road, and said, "As long as you like it."

They left home at ten and drove for four hours. Lin Fan, half-asleep, woke up when Qin Feng stopped the car. He nudged Lin Fan's face. "Wake up."

Lin Fan, still drowsy, looked around blankly. Qin Feng unscrewed a water bottle and handed it to her, "Have some water."

Lin Fan drank half the bottle, looked around while holding it, and asked, "Why are we on a mountain?"

"Yes, we're on a mountain." Qin Feng took the bottle, finished the remaining water, and put it back. "Let's get out."

Lin Fan got out of the car, shivering from the cold, and quickly zipped up her coat. Qin Feng closed the car door, walked over in big strides, and pointed to some steps not far away. "It's up there."

He walked ahead with strong steps. After half an hour of climbing, they were only halfway up. Lin Fan was tired, but Qin Feng continued walking without a reaction. Lin Fan stopped to catch her breath, and Qin Feng turned back, "Tired?"

The forest was dense, and unknown birds occasionally chirped. Lin Fan wiped off her sweat and nodded like a pecking chick. "Hungry."

Qin Feng walked back, took a chocolate bar out of his pocket, and handed it to her. "We'll eat after we go down. Here, take this."

Lin Fan unwrapped the chocolate, broke it in half, and offered the remaining piece to Qin Feng.

Qin Feng raised an eyebrow, looking at her hand. Her delicate fingers held the chocolate. "I don't like this."

Lin Fan climbed three more steps to be at eye level with Qin Feng and offered the chocolate to his mouth. She didn't say anything, just looked at him. Whenever her grandmother hesitated to eat something good at home, Lin Fan would do this, persistently, until her grandmother took a bite. She felt Qin Feng was the same; the chocolate was limited, and he was reluctant to eat it.

Qin Feng stared into Lin Fan's eyes, his gaze darkening, and bit off the chocolate. His lips brushed against Lin Fan's fingers, making her quickly withdraw her hand and smile with squinted eyes.

Qin Feng chewed the sweet chocolate, something he indeed didn't like. He had grabbed a piece for Lin Fan to eat if she got bored during the ride, but she had slept the whole way.

Climbing another step, still watching Lin Fan, she looked away and pointed up, "Shall we go?"

Qin Feng walked to her side in two or three steps and took her hand. "Can you keep going?"

Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

Lin Fan nodded.

"If not, I'll carry you."

Lin Fan was so startled she almost dropped Qin Feng's hand. What was that!

"Brother Qin."

"Yes?"

"Why don't you want me to apply to the police academy?" His palm was warm and rough. Lin Fan held his fingers. "Am I too incompetent? Can't I become a good police officer?"

"No." Qin Feng stopped, turned back to look at Lin Fan, his dark eyes heavy. "You're very good, but this path is difficult." He lifted his hand to brush Lin Fan's sweat-dampened hair behind her ear, his voice lowering, "I'm afraid something will happen to you."

Was Liu Juan's death because she was a criminal police officer, or simply because she was Liu Juan? This job was very dangerous, and one could lose their life at any moment. Lin Fan was just Lin Fan before, but now Qin Feng had concerns. Yesterday, a blade was only a few millimeters from her face, making Qin Feng's heart race.

It was too thrilling.

Lin Fan laughed, looking up, "I thought you found me incompetent."

"What are you thinking?" Qin Feng ruffled her hair. "I don't. Let's go."

Lin Fan watched Qin Feng's back, her mind racing. Not incompetent?

Finally, they reached the destination, seeing a red-walled temple in the distance. It wasn't big, but the wind carried the sound of a copper bell, ethereal and pleasant. Lin Fan felt an indescribable suffocation, strange and uncomfortable. Qin Feng led her through the gate, where a young monk feeding a cat saw them and walked over.

"Greetings, benefactor."

Qin Feng returned the greeting, "My surname is Qin..."

Lin Fan's attention was drawn to the copper bell under the eaves. She followed the sound towards it. Suddenly, her arm tightened, and she turned back to see Qin Feng's face. He frowned, "Lin Fan?"

Lin Fan came to her senses; she was already at the main hall's entrance. She blinked, somewhat confused. "Brother Qin."

Qin Feng looked around, "What's wrong?"

"I don't know."

Qin Feng's expression turned serious. "Come with me first."

They walked through a long corridor, past flowers and plants, to a small building. From the outside, the temple seemed unremarkable, but inside it had winding corridors and meticulous details.

"The master is waiting inside."

"Thank you."

Qin Feng led Lin Fan upstairs. The building was wooden, creaking underfoot.

Pushing open a door, they saw a man lift his head. He was around forty, very clean, wearing faded clothes, with very short hair but not bald. He wasn't a monk, and Lin Fan looked around.

"Please have a seat, guests."

The room was somewhat dim, with incense burning, the scent light. Lin Fan felt dizzy and rubbed her temples. Qin Feng led her to sit at the tea table. The man poured tea without looking at the cups.

He's blind? Lin Fan suddenly realized this, her head hurting lightly.

"I can't see." The man seemed to guess Lin Fan's thought and said, "Please drink the tea."

"Thank you."

The tea was fragrant, without bitterness.

Qin Feng spoke, "Sir—"

He raised his hand to signal, "May I speak with your friend alone?"

Qin Feng immediately frowned, holding Lin Fan's hand. "Can't I listen?"

"No."

He spoke bluntly, and Qin Feng's gaze fell on Lin Fan, his expression sour. He wanted to take Lin Fan away. Forget about it, to hell with it! As long as she's with him, he'll cherish her day by day.

"I won't do anything to your friend, you can rest assured."

After a brief silence, Qin Feng stood up and whispered to Lin Fan, "Call me if you need anything."

Lin Fan nodded, pressing her lips together, feeling both nervous and uneasy.

Qin Feng patted her hair and walked out. Outside, he lit a cigarette, listening intently to the sounds inside. This man was an old friend of his father's, so he shouldn't harm Lin Fan.

Qin Feng took a hard drag on the cigarette, his handsome brows furrowed tightly, still uneasy.

Inside the room.

"You're not human, yet you are human."

After Qin Feng left, she felt much more at ease. At this point, she had nothing to fear; a barefoot person isn't afraid of wearing shoes.

"Just say what you need to say."

The man smiled, his appearance kind and gentle. "Who gave you your life?"

"I don't know."

"Can you give me your birth date and time?"

Lin Fan nodded. "Sure."

The man took her birth details and was silent for a long time. "Do you have any questions?"

Lin Fan thought for a moment. "How long can I live?"

"What is your relation to the Meng family?" The man dropped his smile and stared at Lin Fan.

Although she knew he couldn't see, she still found his gaze intimidating. "My grandmother's surname is Meng."

Another long silence. He then spoke, "You can go now."

Lin Fan bit her lip, persistently asking the question the man hadn't answered earlier. "How long can I live?"

"Your fate was altered eighteen years ago, the variables are too great for me to calculate."

"Is there a life extension technique in this world?"

He stared at Lin Fan, fiddling with the Buddhist beads in his hand.

Qin Feng, waiting outside, was anxious, wanting to rush in and pull Lin Fan out, take her home. Lin Fan came out, emerging from the shadows, her face pale, but her eyes clear. Qin Feng extinguished his cigarette and walked quickly to her, pulling her over to check her. "Are you okay?"

Lin Fan shook her head. "He might have something to tell you."

The sun was shining brightly today. Qin Feng said, "Go to the corridor and get some sun, but don't go too far."

Lin Fan nodded. "Okay."

Qin Feng patted her head. "Go on."

He entered the room, and the man frowned, looking displeased. "Her life won't be long."

"How long can she live?"

"Recently, someone extended her lifespan. She can live until twenty."

"Who?" Qin Feng had been with Lin Fan all this time, how could he not know if someone extended her lifespan? Ouyang Yu? No way! Ouyang Yu wouldn't extend Lin Fan's lifespan, nor had the opportunity.

"Her good karma," the man said.

"Is she... human?"

"Yes."

Qin Feng breathed a sigh of relief. "Do you know about life extension techniques?"

"Defying heaven to change fate does not end well," the man said. "She didn't extend her life, she changed her fate. A descendant of the Meng family gave her their lifespan. Changing fate is not without cost—an entire life of loneliness, with no kin or friends."

Qin Feng frowned, his expression heavy. "She's my girlfriend, and we're together now. Is that good for her?"

"You are pure yang, she is pure yin; it could balance out. However, it might shorten your lifespan. As your father's friend, I don't recommend you being with her."

Qin Feng looked up. "Shortening my life doesn't matter; I've lived quite a few years. Even if shorter, it's still longer than hers. I'm worried it might affect her fate."

The man's seemingly all-seeing eyes fixed on Qin Feng. Qin Feng's fingers tapped rhythmically on his knee. He spoke, "What can I do now?"

"If that's the case, become husband and wife," the man said. "Everything in this world has cause and effect. Perhaps this is your destiny."