"Yes, Xiao Yun, could you please go in and tidy up a bit?" Liu Bowen said kindly.
The girl called Xiao Yun nodded obediently and then went inside. Upon seeing Leng Xuan, she seemed somewhat surprised, as other than Uncle Liu, no other men usually appeared in the young lady’s villa. Noticing Leng Xuan looking at her, her cheeks suddenly flushed, she seemed quite shy, then smiled awkwardly, nodded at Leng Xuan as a greeting, and her round little face revealed two shallow, rosy dimples.
Leng Xuan paid particular attention to Xiao Yun’s eyes and noticed that her sparkling eyes hinted at a feeling of inferiority and self-mockery, which made him feel an involuntary surge of sympathy.
Without saying anything more, Xiao Yun quickly tidied up and then, carrying the tableware, hurried out the door, as if she was quite afraid of seeing strangers.
Seeing Leng Xuan’s gaze following Xiao Yun as she left, Uncle Liu, unaware of the situation, thought Leng Xuan was taken with her. Liu Bowen chuckled oddly and came over, saying, "That’s right, Mr. Leng, the girl just now was the Xiao Yun I mentioned. She’s specifically in charge of the young lady’s meals. She used to live here for a few weeks, but the young lady prefers quiet, so Xiao Yun moved elsewhere. Aside from breakfast, the young lady’s lunch and dinner are all delivered by her."
Leng Xuan had always been quite tolerant of Ling Xuejiu, but when Uncle Liu said, "The young lady prefers quiet, so Xiao Yun moved elsewhere," he inexplicably began to feel a distaste for Ling Xuejiu. Although he had only been in contact with Ling Xuejiu for a few hours, he had already come to understand a bit of her personality. Therefore, he believed that it must have been Ling Xuejiu who drove Xiao Yun away.
As for why he felt this way, why he felt such sympathy for Xiao Yun, he couldn’t really explain it even to himself. He just felt that this delicate and exquisite girl must have some secrets unknown to others, and that these secrets were certainly made of pain; otherwise, her large watery eyes wouldn’t exude such a sense of inferiority and self-mockery.
With a silent sigh, Leng Xuan turned to Uncle Liu and said, "She looks to be only about sixteen or seventeen years old. Is she still in school?"
"Yes," Uncle Liu said. "She goes to the same school as the young lady, but is a grade lower. Sigh, to tell you the truth, this poor girl has indeed had a hard life."
"Oh?" Leng Xuan felt a stir in his heart, silently thinking ’I guessed it,’ but outwardly he asked, "Uncle Liu, you said Xiao Yun is very pitiable. May I know why you say that?"
Uncle Liu fell silent for a moment, then sighed, "I only know the general story. It’s said that when Xiao Yun was young, her father, due to drug abuse, would beat her and her mother every few days, and not only that, he squandered all their money. In the end, he forced her mother into prostitution, threatening to kill Xiao Yun if she refused. Out of pity for her young daughter and with no other choice, her mother swallowed her pride and went... Until Xiao Yun turned fifteen, her mother could no longer bear the physical and mental trauma and finally drowned herself in the river."
A definite chill appeared in Leng Xuan’s eyes. He said, "How could there be such a father in this world?"
Uncle Liu shook his head helplessly and continued, "After Xiao Yun’s mother died, her father, seeing that Xiao Yun had grown up, forced her into that kind of place to earn money for his drugs..."