A beautiful yet frail little girl was holding a brush and drawing on paper.
Her big eyes, pointed little face, delicate as if carved out of jade, were pale.
She was Suo Lun’s daughter, Fu Qinqin.
The little girl Anan, who Ashi Liren had rescued, was lying beside her, watching her draw.
"Qinqin, did your mother hit you again last night?" Anan asked indignantly, her gaze falling on a bruise on Qin Qin’s arm.
Qin Qin didn’t speak, she just pulled down her sleeve a bit and continued drawing.
"Your mom is a bad woman," Anan said. "I’m going to tell my mom about this."
Qin Qin stopped drawing, looked up, and just stared at Anan. Without saying a word, her eyes conveyed everything she wanted to say.
"Alright, I won’t tell," Anan said. "But I’m going to find your mother; she can’t hit you anymore."
Qin Qin shook her head and continued to draw.
"What are you drawing?" Anan asked.
Qin Qin didn’t reply and just kept on drawing.
Soon enough, a griffin beast sprang vividly to life on the paper.
"Wow, Qinqin, you’re so talented," Anan said, looking at Fu Qinqin with immense admiration.
Then, Anan said with a secretive air, "Qinqin, I’ve seen your father, really..."
Fu Qinqin was taken aback and looked up at Anan.
"You look a lot like your dad, but he must be a bad man," Anan said. "I knew it the moment I saw him. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have abandoned you and your mom."
Qinqin’s eyes reddened, and she lowered her head to continue drawing, but now her strokes were shaky.
After a while, she could no longer hold back her tears, and they fell one by one, dropping onto the paper.
Just then, a series of hurried footsteps resounded from outside, followed by a brocade-clad boy rushing in.
"You two are the little girls my mother brought here; not bad looking. From now on, you’ll be my maids," said the handsome, strong-headed little boy with a riding crop in his hand, his face full of arrogance. He lifted his chin, looked at the two girls, and said, "Now, extend your hands. Ten whips each as a welcome gift from me."
But just then, the air outside turned cold, and a fragrance wafted in. Ashi Liren had arrived.
The little boy’s arrogant expression changed instantly. He took out two jade toys from inside his clothes and said with a sly grin, "Sisters, these are gifts from your brother, as a welcome gift."
What a little chameleon he was.
This little rascal was lawless in Rou Ran City, having already driven away dozens of tutors.
Now, nobody dared to teach him.
Anan stared at the gift in the boy’s hand and turned away with a cold snort, ignoring him.
Then, she suddenly collapsed to the ground, her face pale, her body trembling, and she began foaming at the mouth.
Ashi Liren rushed in quickly and picked up Anan.
This was Ashi Luo’s doing; Anan was stricken twice a day, each episode fraught with peril.
Within Tianshui City.
Suo Lun had prepared everything, planning to go to Rou Ran City the next day.
He was going to disguise himself as an unremarkable middle-aged scholar, bearing some resemblance to Ashi Liren’s husband, Yan Ping.
He lay quietly in bed, imagining his mute daughter, and a surge of immense affection rose in his heart.
Even though he was not the real Suo Lun, that girl was now his daughter.
Being an orphan himself, his heart was filled with even more love and longing for children.
Note: The first update is here, begging for support, thank you,