Director Luo had come over because he had been unable to find a suitable spiritual master to help him.
Or rather, the master he had managed to contact would not be able to arrive until late that night and even that had only been arranged after Director Luo had paid extra and used all his connections to persuade the man to travel through the night.
But the master had also warned him that there was still a risk of danger before midnight, so it would be best if he could find somewhere safe to stay until help arrived. He had also asked if Director Luo had used any special methods to ward off misfortune earlier, advising him to try and find more protective measures if possible.
And that was exactly why Director Luo had come looking for them.
He knew full well that relying on a little girl of three or four years old was hardly proper or honorable, but his life was at stake, and that mattered more than anything else. He asked Shan Shan first, “If I stay here, will it put you in any danger or hurt you?”
“No way!” Shan Shan shook her head vigorously, lifting her small chin high with complete confidence. “That ghost uncle is super weak he can’t beat me at all!”
No sooner had the words left her mouth than she remembered the promise she had made to Yin Kairui. A look of guilt washed over her face. She glanced secretly at Yin Kairui, then shuffled closer on her small feet and said softly, “Uncle Luo… I was just talking nonsense just now. You… you’d better talk to my brother about this.”
Director Luo turned to Yin Kairui and rubbed his nose awkwardly, looking embarrassed. “Xiao Yin, I really have no other choice right now. I know it’s not right, and I also understand that having me here might bring risks to you all. I just wanted to ask if Shan Shan could possibly draw another one of those protective charms for me. I’m willing to pay properly for it I’ll transfer the money to you right away.”
He didn’t even need her to fight the ghost for him, and he could still get paid?
Shan Shan’s eyes lit up instantly. She trotted quickly over to Yin Kairui and tugged gently at the hem of his shirt. “Brother! Money… for food… to take care of my brother!”
If she could earn money, then even if her brother ever ran into difficulties in the future, she would be able to look after him and support him!
It had only been seven days since she first took human form, and just two days since she had found her brother, yet this little creature already understood that in the human world, “money” was something very important.
Even her brother had to work hard to earn it!
Seeing the hopeful, eager look in Shan Shan’s eyes, Yin Kairui fell silent for a long moment. Then, to the surprise of both people in the room, he said, “Director Luo… you can stay here if you need to.”
It wasn’t that he was willing to let Shan Shan put herself at risk on the contrary, he had suddenly thought of something. Earlier that day, the moment Shan Shan had raised her hand as if to strike the ghost, the spirit had fled immediately.
Didn’t that prove that the ghost was genuinely afraid of her?
And the master Director Luo had contacted had only asked him to find something for protection, which suggested that the danger he faced before the master arrived would not be too severe.
Otherwise, what would be the point of the man coming at all?
To come here just to examine a body after it was too late?
Seeing that Yin Kairui had finally agreed, Director Luo actually began to feel guilty. “All I really need is the charm. I can just wait safely in my own room, it’s no trouble.”
“Director Luo, I’ll be honest with you,” Yin Kairui said sincerely. “As you know, I don’t understand anything about these matters myself, but it seems Shan Shan knows quite a bit. I’d really like to meet and talk with that master you’ve contacted, just to learn more and understand things better.”
Director Luo thought for a moment and replied, “The master I found this time is still quite young, but people say he has a very good temper and is easy to work with. When he arrives, I can certainly ask him to take a look at Shan Shan and see if he can tell us anything about her background or abilities.”
“That would be wonderful, thank you,” Yin Kairui said, feeling relieved.
Director Luo waved his hand. “But I’ll head back to my room for now. I’ll call you as soon as the master arrives later. I expect you’re getting ready to help Shan Shan wash up and get to bed anyway. Small children get tired early, so you’d better get her sorted out first it’s still early enough that she’ll be able to get a good long rest.”
Before he left, Shan Shan drew another protective charm on Director Luo’s other hand as well. With two layers of protection now, he walked away looking thoroughly pleased and reassured.
And so, back in the hotel room, it was just Yin Kairui and Shan Shan again, looking at each other with nothing else to do.
Shan Shan glanced up at the tall bathroom sink, and seeing that Yin Kairui still made no move to help her, she spoke up, “Brother… you need to bring a chair over for me, please.”
“…Such a hassle,” Yin Kairui grumbled under his breath, but he still went and fetched a small stool for her.
Then, he reached down, grabbed her gently by her arms and upper body, and lifted her up as easily as if he were moving a small piece of furniture, setting her carefully on top of the stool.
With the extra height, the tiny three-foot-tall child was finally able to reach the sink and brush her teeth properly.
She remembered what Wen Yiting had taught her that very morning: brush to the left, brush to the right, open your mouth wide, and make sure you clean every single tooth carefully.
Yin Kairui stood beside her, mainly just to make sure she didn’t lose her balance and fall. To his surprise, she was standing perfectly steady and doing everything quite well.
After brushing for two full minutes, white foam still dotted the corners of her mouth. She stretched out her small hand toward him. “Brother… the towel please!”
Yin Kairui took the towel from the rack and placed it in her hand.
Holding the dry cloth, Shan Shan stared at it blankly for a moment, then simply began rubbing it all over her face.
Yin Kairui looked on in confusion.
He was too slow to stop her, and by the time he reached out to take the towel away, she had already wiped her entire face with the completely dry fabric. Seeing him reach for the cloth, she held it out to him proudly and said, “There… all clean now!”
“Is that really how you wash your face?” Yin Kairui asked, utterly stunned.
Shan Shan thought back to what had happened that morning. She had also been given a towel then, she had wiped her face, and then she had handed it back there had been nothing wrong with that at all!
She nodded her head firmly and confidently.
Yin Kairui’s eye twitched uncontrollably, and for a moment he couldn’t decide whether Shan Shan was doing this on purpose or if she really had no idea what she was doing.
Well, he decided, knowing her as he did, she was almost certainly just being innocent and didn’t know any better.
His expression turned stern and serious. He ran the towel under warm water, wrung it out thoroughly, and then pressed it gently over her face, wiping it clean with a few quick strokes.
He was a tall, strong man, and even though he felt he was using very little strength, by the time he pulled the towel away, Shan Shan’s cheeks had turned bright red from the rubbing.
Yin Kairui froze immediately, his whole body going stiff with alarm. But when he saw that Shan Shan simply rubbed her own face gently with her hands, showing no sign of pain or tears, he felt a wave of guilt wash over him. He quickly turned his eyes away, rinsed out the towel, and hung it back on the rack.
Feeling embarrassed and awkward, he cleared his throat softly and asked, “Can you take a bath all by yourself?”
Even though she was only three or four years old, there was still a difference between boys and girls, and he felt it would be inappropriate for him to help her bathe.
Shan Shan nodded enthusiastically. “There’s a bathtub, so yes I can! I learned how to do it from Auntie yesterday!”
Yin Kairui couldn’t help but feel a little guilty himself. Even though this small child had attached herself to him out of nowhere, he had to admit that she really was very easy to take care of.
Well… apart from the fact that she seemed to eat quite a lot.
Since there was a bathtub, all Yin Kairui had to do was fill it with warm water not too hot, and not too deep enough so that when Shan Shan sat down, the water would only reach just below her shoulders.
Once she had taken off her clothes, Yin Kairui closed his eyes tightly, lifted her up gently, and placed her into the water, then sat down nearby to keep watch and make sure she was safe.
Shan Shan still had many wounds and injuries all over her body, so he had added a few drops of antiseptic and antibacterial solution to the bath water. All she had to do was wash herself gently and wipe away the sweat and dirt from her skin. When Shan Shan told him she was finished, Yin Kairui instructed her from a safe distance on how to pull the plug and drain the water. Once the tub was empty, he told her to stand up. Keeping his eyes fixed on where she was standing so he wouldn’t accidentally look where he shouldn’t, he picked up a large bath towel, closed his eyes again, and wrapped it carefully around her small body.
He rubbed her gently with the towel until she was completely dry, then found her small pajamas and underwear. Still keeping his eyes averted, he reached out and fumbled around carefully until he managed to pull her underwear onto her properly.
He had to admit, this little creature really had an incredibly steady and calm temperament. Even when being handled so clumsily and awkwardly, she didn’t make a sound or shed a single tear.
Once her underwear was safely on, Yin Kairui finally began to relax a little.
Shan Shan’s hair was now completely messy and tangled, having been rubbed this way and that accidentally while he was drying her off.
“I’m going to apply medicine to your wounds now,” Yin Kairui said, speaking to her seriously. “And apart from special situations like this, you must never let anyone of the opposite sex touch your body casually, do you understand me?”
“I understand! I’ll listen to everything you say, Brother,” Shan Shan nodded obediently.
Only then did Yin Kairui remove the towel wrapped around her body.
And in that instant, he saw the countless wounds and scars of all shapes and sizes covering every inch of Shan Shan’s skin.
There was no exaggerating it at that moment, it felt as though a bolt of lightning had struck right inside Yin Kairui’s mind.