A rotten, carefully guarded secret buried deep within my heart for over a decade was finally dragged out into the harsh light of day.

When Song Ting arrived at the hospital, Song Qingchen was still unconscious. The doctor explained that prolonged anxiety, coupled with severe blood loss and extreme emotional shock, had brought him down. In layman’s terms: he had practically passed out from overwhelming ecstasy following my grand confession.

Even in his sleep, his fingers remained clamped around my hand in a vice-like grip, terrified I’d vanish the moment he let go. Unable to stand, I could only sit there helplessly, watching Song Ting casually stroll toward the hospital bed.

She looked down at the man lying there with a chilly, detached gaze.

“What a shame,” she murmured. “Just a little more, and the Song empire would have changed hands.”

“Song Ting, he’s your biological uncle. According to the original storyline, weren’t the two of you supposed to be deeply bonded?” The question that had bothered me for so long finally spilled out.

Song Ting raised an eyebrow, looking at me as if I were a exotic specimen.

“A piece of trash said the exact same thing to me once. It called itself a ‘System’ and claimed I was the real female lead of this world.”

“Huh? And then what?” I blinked, utterly bewildered.

“It told me you were a villainous supporting character destined to die a miserable death with nowhere to be buried. It said Song Qingchen would spoil me to the heavens, turning me into the cherished princess of the Song family. In the future, I was supposed to marry some impoverished, hardworking student, become a gentle, dutiful wife, and live a humble, happy life.”

Song Ting scoffed, her voice dripping with pure disdain.

“Well, sorry to disappoint, but I couldn’t care less! The Song family commands boundless power and trillions in assets—who in their right mind would settle for being a delicate greenhouse flower, letting some brainless system script their life? I don’t need Song Qingchen’s pity, and I certainly don’t need ‘true love.’ What I want is his power, his wealth, and his throne!”

Ambition sparkled dangerously in her eyes.

“That stupid system and its trashy script couldn’t chain me, and it sure as hell didn’t have what it takes to chain Song Qingchen. The only problem was that the old fox was far too sharp. From the very first moment we met, he saw right through my ambition and immediately quarantined you from me.”

So that was it. The day Song Ting first stepped into the villa, Song Qingchen hadn’t yanked me behind him out of disgust for her—he was protecting me from the crosshairs of a predator.

The long eyelashes of the man on the bed fluttered slightly; he was waking up.

Song Ting let out a soft sigh, her eyes fixing on me.

“Chen Shuyan—that’s your name now, right? Truth be told, I actually kind of like you. Want to know why?”

“Why?” I eyed her guardedly.

“I grew up in an orphanage—a place where people ripped each other apart just to survive. Later, when my parents and grandfather treated me well, it was only ever as a pawn to keep Song Qingchen in check. From childhood until now, the only genuine warmth I ever received was that glass of warm water you handed me when I first arrived.”

“For the sake of that single glass of water, I’ll leave you with a warning: everyone in the Song family is a thousand-year-old fox. The idea that a baby was ‘accidentally swapped’ twenty years ago… is practically impossible.”

I froze. What was she implying? Before I could press her, Song Ting turned on her heel and walked away. The sharp click of her high heels echoed down the cold corridor, leaving me with a mountain of unanswered questions.

“Shuyan… kiss me.”

The very second Song Qingchen opened his eyes, those were the first words out of his mouth, nearly making me choke on my own saliva. His gaze burned with unadulterated, possessive hunger.

The nurse checking his vitals immediately covered her mouth to smother a giggle, practically sprinting out of the room and thoughtfully pulling the door shut behind her.

I stared at him. “…You just woke up! Can you dial it back for five seconds?!”

Ignoring my protest, he yanked me onto the hospital bed, wrapping a heavy arm around my waist. The terrifying corporate titan who breathed fire in the boardroom was now pouting, his eyes glistening with aggrieved tears.

“Kiss me.”

Good grief. Was Song Qingchen actually acting cute right now?! It was infuriatingly adorable.

Helpless, I closed my eyes, leaning down to plant a quick, fleeting peck on his lips. But the old fox was hardly going to settle for breadcrumbs. Just as his hand moved to cup the back of my neck to pull me deeper, a knock sounded at the door.

The nurse from earlier stepped back in awkwardly, handing him a thick manila folder.

“Miss Song Ting left this behind and instructed me to hand it to you personally. The hallway outside has been cleared, so… please, carry on.” With that, she vanished like smoke.

Song Qingchen flipped the folder open. For a split second, I felt a wave of terrifying, murderous aura erupt from him. It was the face he wore when he was out for blood.

Curious, I leaned over to catch a glimpse, but before I could read more than a corner, he snapped the folder shut.

“What’s inside?”

“Just a resignation letter,” he replied smoothly. He offered me a soft, doting smile, as if that terrifying aura from a second ago had been nothing more than a figment of my imagination. “The game is over. The loser pays the price.”

“What are you going to do to them?” I almost let the words “young uncle” slip out by habit, but caught myself just in time. “Song Qingchen.”

“Oops… force of habit.” I stuck out my tongue playfully.

“If you’re used to it, don’t change it. I like hearing you call me that.” He pulled me tight against his chest, his voice low and clingy. “Shuyan, tell me… if you liked me all along, why did you leave me so heartlessly three years ago?”

I stayed silent for a few seconds before deciding to lay out the raw truth.

“Because I wanted to stay alive. Back then, a strange force—a System—kept hammering into my head that if I didn’t leave, I’d die a horrific death. Do you believe me?” Even as I said it, I knew it sounded like bad sci-fi.

“I believe you. I’ll believe anything you say.” He buried his face in my neck, his soft black hair brushing against my skin and tickling my nerves. “Shuyan, you suffered so much over the past three years.”

“So… can I call you my ‘baby’ from now on? How’s that sound?” I turned around, teasing him mischievously.

“I’d love it,” he murmured, his voice deep and raspy enough to melt my entire nervous system.

“Alright, baby, haven’t you hugged me long enough? You’re burning up like a furnace.” I genuinely couldn’t believe that the man who held absolute power over high society turned into such a clingy, desperate puppy in bed.

“Don’t move… just let me hold you a little longer.”

Even through his slouched posture, I could distinctly feel a rock-hard shape pressing against my thigh. Mischief taking over, I reached out and gave his abdomen a gentle poke.

A stifled groan escaped his throat. His eyes flushed a deep, feverish red as he looked at me with a mix of raw desire and pathetic pleading. “Shuyan… it hurts.”

“Hey! This is a hospital! Have some self-respect, old man!”

“I own this hospital. I own the whole street outside, too.” He rolled over smoothly, pinning me beneath him on the narrow hospital bed.

My face flushed crimson, my heart hammering against my ribs, but my mouth refused to back down. “What are you doing? Bragging about your wealth to me?”

The next second, every word I had prepared was swallowed whole. I was the one who lit the fuse, but in the end, I was the one consumed by his fiery devotion.

In the end, Song Qingchen showed no mercy to the rest of the Song family.

My parents were completely stripped of their authority and kicked off the board of directors, forever barred from meddling in the conglomerate’s affairs. My aging grandfather was “filially” escorted to a top-tier, high-security nursing home, guarded round-the-clock by private security.

As for Song Ting, her exit was easily the most lucrative. Though her shares were reclaimed, she managed to use the contents of that mysterious folder to carve out a massive piece of the Song estate before bowing out, leaving the battlefield filthy rich.

Song Qingchen remained entirely indifferent to it all, as if every single piece had fallen exactly where he had planned.

“I get the feeling Song Ting had something big on you, didn’t she?” I asked one afternoon, lounging on the villa’s sunlit balcony and nudging the man intently typing away on his laptop. “Why didn’t you just ship her off to the middle of nowhere and be done with it?”

“A girl that pretty? Sending her away would be dangerous,” Song Qingchen said, curling his lip in indifference.

“Oh? So you think she’s pretty?” I turned my face away, crossing my arms.

“Not as pretty as you.” Song Qingchen slammed his laptop shut instantly, his eyes locking onto me like superglue.

I sat up straight and glared at him. “Speaking of which, I still haven’t interrogated you properly. How did you know I was at that lounge the other night? My bestie said the moment you walked through the front door, you charged straight into our VIP room like a jealous husband and dragged me out.”

Song Qingchen answered smoothly, “Pure coincidence. I had a business meeting at the lounge that night. On my way back from the restroom, I walked into the wrong room.”

It took everything in me not to roll my eyes to the ceiling. I leaned forward and pinched his cheeks gently. “Honesty is a virtue, baby. I’m giving you one more chance to rephrase that.”

He let out a helpless sigh, throwing up his hands. “…Fine. My stoic act at the office was fake. And when I wished you happiness that day, I was lying through my teeth. The second you walked out of the building, I tailed you. I originally planned to just watch you from a distance, but then I saw some bastard trying to spike your drink… so I lost my mind and stormed in.”

I knew it. That drink really had been tampered with.

“I’ve confessed everything… Is my little princess satisfied now?” Song Qingchen wrapped his arms around me from behind, and we tumbled together onto the plush outdoor beanbag. I snuggled deep into his warm chest, taking a lazy sip of wine and soaking in the cool evening breeze.

Eventually, a sneaky paparazzi caught a photo of Song Qingchen and me on a date and dumped it online.

By early the next morning, the internet completely exploded. Half the web was losing its mind in shock, while the other half was screaming about the “toxic, top-tier uncle-niece romance.” A few web novel authors even started using us as real-life inspiration for trending romance stories.

By afternoon, every single negative comment directed at me had been scrubbed clean from the internet without a trace. All that remained online were floods of insults directed solely at him—calling him a “cradle robber” and a “twisted predator.”

Truth be told, I wasn’t fragile enough to get depressed over internet commentary anyway. I wasn’t an idiot.

“Shuyan… do you like kids?” he asked out of nowhere, pulling me close.

“Nope. I don’t want to give birth,” I replied, shaking my head violently.

“Good. I wouldn’t want you going through that kind of pain anyway.”

“Uncle, carry me! Your princess is sleepy.” I let out a long yawn, stretching my arms out like a spoiled child.

Understanding instantly, the man lifted me up in a bridal carry, stepping steadily toward the bedroom. My fingers gently traced the faded, terrifying scars running along his arm.

Without me, Song Qingchen really would have died. From the very beginning, I had gambled everything on his obsessive love. And clearly, I had won.

I never told Song Qingchen that I had a pretty good idea of what was inside Song Ting’s confidential file. I might have been slow to react, but I wasn’t stupid. Song Ting was right—the people in the Song family were all thousand-year-old foxes.

As for that foolish “System”… it picked the absolute worst targets when it crossed paths with two unhinged foxes like me and Song Qingchen. With the story derailed into this glorious mess, the System was probably hiding in some dark corner of the universe right now, sobbing uncontrollably over how to file its mission report. Who knows—maybe it was even forced to send us its blessings?

Then again… none of that mattered anymore.

Ahead of us stretched a path bathed in brilliant light.

Roses bloom without rules, and our love is immortal.

—————THE END———