Xia Qiange picked up her cup and took a small sip.
"Xiao Fan and I first met when someone attacked me. One of my fans had assaulted me, and every time, Xiao Fan had shown up to help catch them."
"I didn't know why he always happened to be there. I figured he'd probably arranged it on purpose."
"Back then, just like Miss Gu said, my thoughts and actions were at odds. I invited him to dinner a few times."
"After that, he'd show up in front of me from time to time, asking me out to eat, chat, or attend parties. He was showing me off, in a way. Back then, I was just a silly, sweet fool who followed him to those parties and such."
"As for Lin Ao, he'd invite me to every annual gathering he hosted. I saw him a few times at those gatherings, and the day after each one, Lin Ao would mysteriously die."
"If a certain timeline didn't have an annual gathering, I wouldn't see Lin Ao. Then, the next day, I'd see news reports about all sorts of ways he'd died, and I'd start over again."
"Oh, right. I figure Xiao Fan originally wanted to use me to gain the Xia Family's support. After all, our family has some sway in the military. If you look into my background a little, you should all be able to find out."
Xia Qiange's family was the Xia Family of the capital. Their standing in the military was far greater than simply having "some sway," as she'd put it. The capital's families all followed an unspoken rule: you could offend anyone but the Xia Family—or the Li Family, Lin Ao's maternal grandfather's family.
"Okay~ I'm done. Oh, and Xiao Fan also stopped showing up after