99: Chapter 99 This is how the marriage contract came about.

Qi Yin really couldn't figure it out; Xiyin Base had existed in her previous life.

She remembered that in her previous life, she had never met Xiao Sinian at all.

So she really couldn't understand why he would name the base after his own name.

Xiao Sinian sighed, pulled a mint-flavored cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and blew a beautiful smoke ring into the air.

His gaze drifted further away, as if he had fallen into memories from a long time ago.

"Maybe... when we were very little. Your grandmother brought you to my house to play with my grandmother. Back then, you were only a little over a year old, just a tiny tot, like a little glutinous rice ball, all white and soft, babbling as you called me Brother Si Nian."

Xiao Sinian paused, his voice softening further, "Our engagement... was actually something I begged my grandmother for first, asking her to propose the marriage to your grandmother."

Qi Yin was completely stunned. So that was how their engagement came to be?

She had thought it was Qi Mingyuan and the others who, for the sake of profit, threw her to a cripple, and that Xiao Sinian had only agreed because he didn't have long to live and had given up on everything.

So... it was actually Xiao Sinian who had asked for it himself?

A little over a year old? Xiao Sinian must have been only about four years old at the time. To have set his sights on her so early!

He's really something else!

"Later..."

Xiao Sinian's voice lowered: "Later, I was ambushed by people sent by my grandfather and got injured. My condition was terrible, and I didn't want you to see me like that. As it happened, you also... seemed to be avoiding me all the time."

He gave a bitter smile, "So I dared not get any closer. One thing led to another, you forgot our childhood bond, and the distance between us grew ever wider."

Qi Yin opened her mouth, but didn't know what to say; her heart was in a chaotic mess.

"It wasn't until a few months ago, when you went to Yan Xiu for help, that I thought, perhaps you didn't intend to avoid me anymore, so I decided to meet you," Xiao Sinian said with a self-deprecating smile.

Qi Yin was stunned: "So those things you said to me, were they things you genuinely wanted to say?"

She had assumed that terms like 'little sister' or 'Little Fiancée' were just him teasing her.

Xiao Sinian was almost amused to the point of laughter, helplessly patting the top of her head.

"A part of it was, but more than that, it was a way for me to say the words I didn't dare to speak. Fortunately, your divine water gave me the courage to stand before you once again."

Xiao Sinian was lucky indeed to have met a girl who appeared cold but had such a soft heart.

This was the first time Qi Yin had heard him speak such a long paragraph. Having never seriously dated in her previous life, she was a total novice at romance, and his bluntness made her blush.

Xiao Sinian didn't force her to respond right away; there was plenty of time.

"You still haven't said what your plans are for the future. How about you bring them with you and come back to Xiyin Base with me?"

Qi Yin hadn't expected him to change the subject so quickly; it was truly hard to keep up with his train of thought.

After a long silence, she took a deep breath.

"I... I haven't decided yet."

Xiao Sinian's eyes dimmed slightly, but he didn't say anything more; he respected any decision Qi Yin made.

At worst, once he finished handling the matters at hand, he could just dump his responsibilities and come back to keep her company.

Feeling that the atmosphere had become a bit awkward, Qi Yin quickly changed the subject, which was also something she had genuinely been concerned about.

"By the way, besides your Xiyin Base, there seems to be a fairly large Shanhe Base. I wonder if you know about it?"

In her memory, this base had many Ability Users who killed, burned, and looted, specializing in profiting from national disasters; there was nothing they wouldn't do.

Upon hearing the name "Shanhe Base," Xiao Sinian's face instantly darkened to the point of dripping water, and he clenched his fists tightly.

His words were squeezed out from between his teeth.

"The person behind... Shanhe Base is Yanqi Mountain."

He turned around abruptly, his chest heaving, clearly filled with anger.

"Yanqi Mountain was originally one of the deputy directors of the national Security Bureau. When we launched the emergency plan, he used his authority to embezzle nearly half of the critical supplies, then immediately announced his departure from the Security Bureau to set up his own shop. He is an absolute beast."

So that was it. Qi Yin's heart sank.

It turned out that Shanhe Base's rapid development in the early stages was due to it sucking the blood of national resources.

"And now that he's involved with the zombie virus, I'm afraid there's an even bigger conspiracy brewing behind this. You must be careful," Qi Yin warned out of the blue.

Xiao Sinian looked at her slightly furrowed brows and shifting eyes, and understood seven or eight tenths of what she was feeling.

This girl was actually still worried about him.

He didn't rush her, thought for a moment, and switched to an earnest tone.

"Little Fiancée, I know this request might be a bit presumptuous."

Qi Yin crossed her arms over her chest: "Stop right there. If you know it's presumptuous, then don't say it."

She knew it; every time Xiao Sinian called her Little Fiancée, he was up to no good.

Xiao Sinian smiled, pulled her hands down, and squeezed them.

"Listen to me. When we were building Xiyin Base, many critical materials were stolen by Yanqi Mountain. You know the current situation; it's very difficult to find replacements in a short time, and the batch of materials you've been keeping for me happens to contain them."

He took half a step forward, the distance closing instantly, his voice low but very sincere.

"Without these things, many of the base's defensive facilities cannot be completed."

The warmth of his body radiated onto her forearm, and the face before her was her favorite kind of sculpted face; Qi Yin felt like she was about to drown in it.

Xiao Sinian's gaze burned: "So, I would like to ask you... to help me escort this batch of materials back to the base. Just do it for me, can you?"

To be honest, this sentence of his did carry a hint of emotional blackmail.

But Qi Yin didn't care about the common people; she only cared about the friends around her.

He was gambling, gambling on whether he had a place in Qi Yin's heart.

The next moment, Qi Yin raised her eyes, meeting his extremely serious gaze, but somehow, a little thought popped into her mind.

This guy... could it be that he couldn't find any other reason and was deliberately using this excuse to trick her into going with him?

But what he said wasn't unreasonable. In the current situation, most materials had been washed away by the floods, and even if they could be found, the quality would certainly not be enough to support the construction of the base.

This "honey trap" tactic seemed a bit foul, huh.

Qi Yin glared at him, not even noticing that her tone carried a hint of coquettishness.

"You talk so sanctimoniously, isn't it just that you want me to be your free transport team? And by the way... bring you a few more bodyguards?"

Xiao Sinian was taken aback by her glare, then a smile flashed in his eyes, but he quickly suppressed it, still maintaining a serious expression on his face.

"The security of the materials is of paramount importance, and only our beautiful and powerful Miss Qi can shoulder such an important task. Only by handing it to you can I be at ease."

Watching him explain with such a straight face, the suspicion in her heart actually deepened, but strangely, the feeling of resistance lessened.

She turned her face away and snorted coldly: "I'll consider it. As for whether I'll actually go with you, I'll still have to see what Uncle Chen and the others think."