After Letting My Guard Down, I Got Trapped by a Yandere CEO - Chapter 16:

Chapter 16: I Am Your Family

Late at night, Jiangnan International Hotel.

The grand hall, which should have been bustling with excitement, had fallen into a terrifying silence. You could hear a pin drop.

Everyone’s eyes were fixed on one spot, stunned, as if they couldn’t believe their ears.

What did the CEO of Royal City Group just call that useless Jiang Zhao?

Brother?!

Even Qin Lingxue was shocked. Her cherry lips slightly parted as she turned to the equally dumbfounded Jiang Zhao and asked with confusion, “Since when did you have an older brother?”

“I don’t know either…”

As he spoke, Jiang Zhao suddenly felt a vicious pinch on his face. He winced in pain and looked toward the cold woman beside him, displeased, “What are you doing!”

Qin Lingxue’s expression didn’t change as she withdrew her hand and said calmly, “Just checking if you’re still asleep.”

Hearing that, Jiang Zhao was furious. “Then pinch yourself! Why pinch me?”

“…Because it hurts.”

“…”

Watching the two bicker, a gentle light flashed in Ye Qianyun’s eyes. He smiled warmly and said, “I didn’t explain clearly. Sorry if I startled you.”

“To be precise, Jiang Zhao, you’re my cousin. I came to River City this time specifically to find you.”

Jiang Zhao frowned upon hearing this, thoughts surfacing about his background. A bold guess began to form in his heart.

Originally, he had thought his birth mother was just a regular woman. So many years had passed that he never even considered investigating further—who knew if she was even still alive?

But judging by this, it seemed his mother wasn’t from an ordinary background. So why had she become Jiang Chennan’s mistress?

Noticing the doubt in Jiang Zhao’s eyes, Ye Qianyun, quick-witted as he was, immediately understood and said softly, “Looks like you still don’t know anything. That’s fine. I’ll tell you everything about your mother later.”

“This isn’t the right place to talk. I’ll come find you tomorrow.”

With that said, Ye Qianyun turned and headed toward the center of the hall with a smile, followed by a crowd of people hurrying to catch up.

Many others cast their burning gazes on Jiang Zhao and Qin Lingxue. They had clearly heard the conversation just now.

If Jiang Zhao really was Ye Qianyun’s cousin, didn’t that mean… he was also part of the Ye family?

Sensing the attention from around them, Jiang Zhao grabbed Qin Lingxue’s slender, fair hand and headed toward the hotel entrance. Amidst the crowd’s curious stares, he left with doubts lingering in his mind.

Following beside him, Qin Lingxue glanced at their intertwined hands, a faint blush appearing on her face.

It was the first time this guy had held her hand on his own without her asking.

After leaving the hotel, Jiang Zhao didn’t drive. Instead, he simply walked along the street with Qin Lingxue, letting the evening breeze brush past as they admired the city’s nightscape.

Only after a long while did he finally speak in a low, complicated tone, “Until I was seven, I grew up in an orphanage. Later, I was taken into the Jiang family. They told me I had been abducted by traffickers. I believed them.”

“After I returned to the Jiang family, they didn’t mistreat me, but they clearly showed favoritism and even stopped me from finishing college…”

As he spoke, a sense of relief surfaced on Jiang Zhao’s face. Walking slowly by the roadside, he smiled faintly and said, “Honestly, when I found out I wasn’t part of the Jiang family, I was actually relieved.”

Then his expression returned to calm.

“But now another Ye family pops up claiming to be my real family. I can’t help but feel afraid. I just hope they’re not like the Jiang family.”

Hearing these heartfelt words, Qin Lingxue wrapped her arm around his and gently rested her head on his shoulder, her eyes filled with tenderness as she said softly, “It’s okay. I’ve always been your family, and I won’t leave you.”

Everyone knew that Jiang Zhao had built the massive Tianyang Group from scratch with sheer ability and emotional detachment. But Qin Lingxue understood that in this city filled with despair, the person who most longed for care was Jiang Zhao.

Having her, Qin Lingxue, was enough. The so-called Ye family was unnecessary.

As they walked, they arrived at a plaza filled with vibrant, colorful lights. The square was lively—dancing grannies, children running and laughing, and small vendors selling their wares.

Jiang Zhao spotted a balloon shooting game nearby and glanced down at her. “Come to think of it, I’ve never seen any plush toys or dolls in your room. You don’t like them?”

Qin Lingxue shook her head and replied calmly, “I wouldn’t say I dislike them. I’m just always so busy with work, there’s no time to decorate my room. I’m not some fresh college graduate. That kind of stuff doesn’t really suit me.”

Hearing this, an image popped into Jiang Zhao’s mind—expressionless Qin Lingxue sitting on her bed, hugging two pink plushies… the contrast was oddly charming.

With a smile tugging at his lips, he led her toward the booth.

The game was simple—shoot balloons with a toy gun. Pop enough and you win a prize, typically plush toys or keychains.

The booth owner was a woman in her fifties with graying hair tied up in a bun. She was eating her meal at the time. Clearly, she didn’t come from a well-off background.

Jiang Zhao stepped forward and asked with a smile, “Aunt, how much per round?”

Surprised by the arrival of customers, the woman glanced at the striking Qin Lingxue behind him before pointing to the balloons on the target board and explaining with a smile, “One round is 50 yuan. You get 30 shots. Hit 27 balloons and you get a keychain, 28 gets you a small plushie, and 29 means you win a big one.”

“You want to give it a try, young man?”

The price was a little steep, but Jiang Zhao handed over 100 yuan without hesitation. The owner gave each of them a toy gun and stood nearby, ready to count.

Qin Lingxue curiously examined the toy gun in her hands. She had never played anything like this before, but seeing Jiang Zhao holding his gun with a proper stance, she tried copying him and aimed at a purple balloon.

“Bang—”

The balloon didn’t pop.

“Bang—”

Jiang Zhao fired immediately after, and his plastic pellet precisely popped an inflated balloon that fell to the ground.

Not giving up, Qin Lingxue fired two more shots. One missed, and the other hit but didn’t pop. A sense of frustration welled up in her chest.

Meanwhile, Jiang Zhao used up all thirty bullets—only one missed. He hit 29.

Qin Lingxue? She fired fifteen rounds and… hit zero.

Watching her grit her teeth at the balloons, Jiang Zhao couldn’t help but smile. Who would’ve thought the cold CEO had such an adorable side?

Just as Qin Lingxue prepared to keep shooting, a pair of arms suddenly wrapped around her waist, and something warm pressed against her back. Jiang Zhao’s calm voice sounded next to her ear, “This takes technique. Don’t move. I’ll teach you.”

Feeling the warmth behind her, Qin Lingxue’s heart beat faster, but she didn’t push him away.

“Bang!”

This time, the balloon finally burst.

As he taught her hand-in-hand, Jiang Zhao explained, “With games like this, the sights on the toy guns are often inaccurate. So don’t aim directly at the balloon, especially not the ones on the edges—they might have something smeared on them, or not be fully inflated. They won’t pop easily.”

Under Jiang Zhao’s careful guidance, Qin Lingxue quickly grasped the technique. Shot after shot hit the mark.

The bullets were soon all used up.

With the 100 yuan spent, Jiang Zhao chose a chibi-style giant teddy bear for Qin Lingxue. She happily took it in both arms and hugged it tightly.

The soft plush toy contrasted sharply with her usual cold expression—adorably charming.

Jiang Zhao couldn’t help but rub her head and said with a light laugh, “Let’s go. Let’s go home.”

“…Mm, let’s go home.”