The man before her stood tall as a jade tree, his features those of a banished immortal, his bearing extraordinary—every strand of hair to the heel of his foot radiated the word "perfection."
Yet to Chu Xinrao, this breathtakingly divine being was nothing short of a debt-collecting demon king!
Heaven knows how much she wished she could dig a hole right then and there and bury herself alive…
"Master…"
"Your Highness…"
Caier, along with Yang Xing and Li Hui, noticed something was off between the two and rushed toward them.
But before they could draw near, Li Yingfeng shot them a bone-chilling glare, cutting off Yang Xing and Li Hui's address to him mid-syllable.
"All of you, withdraw!"
Yang Xing and Li Hui managed well enough—though brimming with confusion and utterly unable to fathom the situation between him and Chu Xinrao, they could tell their prince was furious in that moment. So they stopped advancing, lowered their heads, and retreated to the main door.
Caier's eyes were full of fear toward Li Yingfeng, yet she still couldn't help wanting to rush forward to save Chu Xinrao.
Chu Xinrao glanced back at her, then steeled herself and forced a calm demeanor. "Don't worry, this is an old friend of mine. Go to the kitchen and brew a pot of fragrant tea, then purchase some ingredients—make today's midday meal a bit more lavish."
Old friend?
Caier looked at Li Yingfeng in disbelief, then suddenly her eyes flew wide open!
Only then did she realize he bore a striking resemblance to her young master…
No!
Not just similar!
The young master and this man looked as if they'd been replicated by that machine in their workshop!
Except one was mature and steady, the other young and tender!
And looking at her mistress's attitude toward this man—full of guilt and unease, a world apart from how she treated others—it was obvious their relationship was anything but simple.
With it all so clear and evident, even a fool would know what relation this man bore to her mistress and the young master…
"Master… th-then this servant will go brew the tea." Caier lowered her head and stammered in reply, then headed not toward the kitchen but ran in the direction of the storeroom.
She had to tell the young master that a man resembling him had come knocking at the door!
Once they had all dispersed, Chu Xinrao quietly drew a breath, then shed her guilty expression and forced a smile as she greeted the man, "Sir, shall we discuss matters inside the room?"
Li Yingfeng's icy gaze and the cold aura enveloping him could pierce one to the bone.
But no matter his hatred, he still had his pride.
Before long, the two entered a room.
The moment the door shut, Chu Xinrao dropped to her knees with a thud, clutching one of the man's long legs as she wailed and begged for mercy, "Sir, spare my life! I truly didn't mean to violate you back then—I was harmed by others and left with no choice, which is why I committed such base, shameless, beastly acts against you…"
Li Yingfeng had been gnashing his teeth with hatred toward her, but he never expected her to be such a coward—he hadn't even begun to settle scores with her, and she was already scared into tears like this!
"Why did you flee?" He didn't kick her away either, only standing with his hands clasped behind his back, looking down at her as the interrogation began.
"Sir, I'm truly wronged! I didn't flee—those people searching for me are all villains. They're the ones who harmed me and cost me my innocence. If I were caught by them again, the consequences would truly be unimaginable!" Chu Xinrao looked up at him, desperately trying to argue her case…
Pah!
Trying to explain why she'd pulled up her pants and run!
"Is that so?" The man's cold eyes narrowed slightly, clearly skeptical of her words.
"I swear on heaven and earth, if I speak a single lie, may I be struck by lightning!" Chu Xinrao raised her hand in oath, then wiped her tears and began sobbing again. "After I jumped into the river, I thought I'd hide until their pursuit died down before coming out. Who knew that one night of reckless passion had drained all my strength, and I fainted in the water. When I woke up, I'd already been swept out of the city by the current. I didn't dare return to the capital rashly, and I didn't know your name or who you were, so I could only flee to a distant land… Poor me, a weak woman with not a single coin to my name, wandering far from home—truly, utterly miserable!"
Having said that, she wiped the tears from her eyes, then wiped her nose with the same hand, and proceeded to wipe her hand on her clothes.
Li Yingfeng's handsome face darkened, and he took two awkward steps back.
Just then, a childish voice came from outside the door. "Mother! Are you in there?"
Chu Xinrao's brow furrowed instantly.
This man was here to collect a debt, and if he saw his son, wouldn't he just snatch the boy away outright?
But before she could open her mouth to send her son off, Li Yingfeng had already opened the door.
A tall figure and a small one faced each other across the threshold, four eyes locking, both stunned into silence.
"Cough…" Chu Xinrao was so embarrassed she could have dug out an entire mansion with her toes.
Hearing her cough, Chu Qilin snapped back to his senses and hurriedly squeezed into the room, helping Chu Xinrao, who was still kneeling on the ground, to her feet. "Mother, what are you doing?"
"Well… that is…" Chu Xinrao had no idea how to explain.
Her son had once asked her why he had no father.
But she'd never answered directly, always finding some way to change the subject.
Gradually, her son had realized she didn't want to talk about it, and being the sensible child he was, he'd stopped asking.
But the situation before her was completely out of her control. Her son not asking didn't mean her son's father wouldn't press the matter—
"Ah!" Chu Qilin's collar was suddenly yanked.
Li Yingfeng hoisted him up over his shoulder, glaring coldly at Chu Xinrao, and demanded, "Who is he?"
Chu Xinrao's face was covered in black lines.
Chu Qilin, dangling in midair, rolled his eyes in exasperation.
Who was this man? Had he left his eyes at home, or forgotten his brain entirely, to ask such a stupid question!
Not to mention this was his father…
He didn't want to be called the offspring of a fool!
"Sir, if I told you he's the son of Old Wang next door, would you believe me?"
"The son of Old Wang next door?" Li Yingfeng's free hand suddenly seized her chin, demanding furiously, "Do you think it's easy to look like me? How dare you claim he's not my seed?"
This time it was Chu Xinrao's turn to roll her eyes.
If he already knew the boy was his son, why bother asking such nonsense?
Still, seeing her son dangling like a little chick in his grip looked rather pitiful, so she forcefully slapped away the big hand gripping her chin and snatched her son into her own arms.
Then, putting on a pitiful expression again, she said, "Sir, it's not that I hid it from you, but given the circumstances back then, even if I knew I was carrying your child, there was no way to let you know. If you have any resentment, direct it all at me. Linlin is still young—don't frighten him."
Li Yingfeng's cold aura didn't diminish, but he didn't make another move either. He simply fixed his gaze on the little one in her arms and asked, "What's your name?"
Chu Qilin's little face was taut with tension.
His attitude toward the mother and son wasn't just unenthusiastic—it was practically like they were mortal enemies. Was there any point in acknowledging a father like this?
His small fist was suddenly enveloped by Chu Xinrao's soft hand.
At that moment, he accepted the subtle hint from his mother's eyes.
When he looked at Li Yingfeng again, his small face was filled with innocence. Grinning up at Li Yingfeng, he said, "My name is Linlin. Daddy, are you my daddy?"
That single cry of "Daddy" was innocent and childish, soft and pleasing to the ear, causing the coldness in Li Yingfeng's brow to dissipate by more than half in an instant.
Chu Qilin stretched out his little arms. "Daddy, hug!"