Turning Antagonist to Protagonist: He is Both Soft and Fierce-Chapter 387 - 378: The Villain Is Bent

The next day, after Lin Qiao sent Lin Ling to his studies, she went to see Xu Dagui, naturally accompanied by the antagonist.

At the entrance of the medical shop, she stopped, "You stay here, I won’t run away." With that, she went inside.

Song Tingfan retracted his lifted foot and stood quietly at the door. The sunlight shone on his face without him showing any sign of avoiding it.

Inside, Lin Qiao asked about Xu Dagui’s condition and entered the room. Xu Dagui was being fed by someone and, upon seeing her, was instantly delighted, his eyes reddening, "Cuihua, are you alright? Is Xiao Ling alright?"

The sincerity in his eyes moved Lin Qiao, and with a hint of apology in her eyes, she said, "Da Gui, I’m so sorry this matter got you involved."

Xu Dagui waved his hand quickly, feeling deeply guilty, "It’s my fault for being useless, letting you both get caught."

He paused for a moment, "Is he Ling’er’s father?" As he said this, he grasped the blanket.

Even if she hadn’t said it, he already knew, as Ling’er bore a nine-tenth resemblance to that man.

He thought that after a few more years, after saving enough Silver Coin, he would marry her and settle down.

"Yes."

Lin Qiao didn’t know what he was thinking. She took out a money bag from her arms and handed it to him, saying, "Da Gui, thank you for these past few years. The courtyard in Luochuan I’ll leave to you, and take the remaining Silver Coin to find a wife. You’re not young anymore; don’t give up on life because of past events."

"If they’re watching from the heavens, they’d surely want you to be happy."

Xu Dagui’s family faced hardship; his parents died, and the fiancée he had was dissatisfied with his poverty and left him for someone else.

Xu Dagui didn’t take the money. He bit his lip, "Cuihua, if... if I marry you, would you accept?"

Lin Qiao had always seen him as a brother, and having learned from the antagonist’s past, she deliberately kept her distance.

Hearing this, she was stunned for a moment but quickly shook her head, "Da Gui, I only see you as an older brother."

Xu Dagui’s eyes reddened completely, and in a hoarse voice, he asked, "Then where would you go with him?"

Lin Qiao didn’t know where she would go or what she would do afterward. She felt inexplicably desolate, unwilling to continue this entanglement with the antagonist.

"I’ll stay in the Capital. When I have time, Lin’er and I will visit you."

Seeing that he refused to accept it, she placed it directly on the bed, "Da Gui, take good care of yourself."

Having said that, she didn’t wait for him to respond and left the room. Before she even exited, she caught sight of the antagonist standing at the door, enveloped entirely in sunlight.

Though the late March sun wasn’t harsh, standing under it for a while could make one break into a light sweat.

With Lin Qiao’s sharp eyes, she clearly saw the sweat on his forehead. For once, he was obedient, standing at the doorway as instructed.

Such foolishness was the hallmark of the old Song Tingfan.

At this moment, Song Tingfan saw her and was about to speak but noticed her walking ahead, freezing momentarily before quickly following behind her.

Thinking of the scarcity of supplies at home, Lin Qiao headed to the market. The market was crowded, and finding herself stuck amidst the throng of people, unable to advance or retreat, she felt she had left her brain at home.

Despite it being market day, she had unwisely ventured into the crowd.

In the Capital, during market day, you’d be jostling for more than an hour before things would settle down.

At this point, someone bumped into her, causing her to stagger backward, but she was quickly caught by someone. She turned her head to look but hadn’t time to speak before the uncle who bumped her started jostling again.

Her anger flared, "Why are you pushing? There’s space over there."

"You dead woman, so fierce..."

Before the uncle could finish his sentence, he was pushed by a man. Realizing who stood before him, he promptly shut his mouth and slunk away sheepishly.

Lin Qiao couldn’t help but roll her eyes, thinking, "Coward!"

Suddenly, lifted off her feet, she let out an "ah" and found herself on the antagonist’s back.

Stunned for a moment, she struggled to get down, "Put me down."

Song Tingfan acted as though he hadn’t heard, carrying her forward, "What do you want to buy?"

"Buy this whole street," Lin Qiao retorted snappily, rolling her eyes at him.

This antagonist must be crazy, scolding her one minute and carrying her the next.

Song Tingfan paused momentarily, "Alright."

Whatever she wanted, he would give her.

His tone didn’t suggest he was joking, leaving Lin Qiao speechless. She placed her head heavily on his shoulder defiantly.

Exiting the market with only a catfish, Lin Qiao dismounted from Song Tingfan’s back, scanning the surroundings before finally landing her gaze on a tea stall.

She walked over and ordered two bowls of tea.

Sitting furthest inside, the pair wasn’t particularly noticeable.

At the neighboring table, a few men drank tea and shelled peanuts, chattering away.

"Did you hear? General Song is a cut sleeve."

"Who told you that?"

"My uncle’s brother-in-law’s cousin said so, claiming that General Song avoids women entirely, not even glancing at them when they’re sent to his bed."

"That’s not possible. Doesn’t General Song have a wife? She’s as beautiful as a fairy."

"You don’t know, do you? General Song’s wife is his sister-in-law. He married her for his brother’s sake."

"The child we saw the other day is General Song’s brother’s child."

Lin Qiao had restrained herself initially, but she couldn’t hold back any longer; Song Tingfan’s elder brother had been dead for many years.

Was she supposed to have slept with a ghost?

This was too ridiculous!

Also, was the antagonist a cut sleeve? Then what did he do last night?

These people were talking nonsense without a script.

Before she could respond, the man opposite said coldly, "Leave."

Instantly, the whole tea stall turned to look. Seeing who it was, the group earlier began to feel nervous and quickly fled.

One of the men ran so fast he fell face-first. Lin Qiao twitched a smile as she sipped a few mouthfuls of tea.

She didn’t know if it was Song Tingfan’s reputation or someone deliberately spreading rumors, but she heard many people gossiping as they walked.

They even said things like she seduced her brother-in-law.

She was long used to such nasty comments, so Lin Qiao didn’t care. As for whether the antagonist cared, she didn’t know; she only knew his face now matched an outhouse’s.

Stinky.

This antagonist wasn’t hostile enough; just a few harsh words bothered him. How had he endured before?

She glanced at him and entered the kitchen, closely followed by Song Tingfan, who pursed his lips, "Tomorrow you won’t hear these words." His tone carried a hidden concern.

"I’m used to it," Lin Qiao replied nonchalantly, indicating she didn’t mind. If she cared, she would’ve followed in her previous self’s footsteps ages ago.

Song Tingfan pursed his lips again, thinking she wasn’t indifferent; she just didn’t care about him.

He sat by the stove, tending to the fire, "I’ll take good care of you both." Having said this, he tightened his grip on the fire tongs, revealing his current anxiety.

He feared her answer would be no...

Lin Qiao was no naive child and didn’t take his "offhand" remarks to heart, simply responding with an "Oh" and not saying much more.

Watching her for a long time, the veins on Song Tingfan’s arms bulged, though he didn’t notice the flames licking his hands.

Still, he said nothing more.