The first to notice Yu Jianguo’s return was Bai Li. At the time, she was sitting in the living room, clutching her hair, nestled in Yu Lixia’s arms, squirming restlessly as she pestered to go out.
Her hair tie had been snapped by Wei Linlang, and her hair now covered her eyes, making her extremely uncomfortable.
“Mom, let’s go to the supply and marketing cooperative. Li Li wants a pretty hair tie to tie her hair.”
“And pretty clothes!”
Before Yu Lixia could respond, Bai Li, who had been staring outside the living room door, saw Yu Jianguo appear at the entrance with a man and a woman, along with the little boy they had rescued the day before.
At the sight of the little boy, Bai Li’s heart first skipped a beat, then her anger flared up instantly.
“Taotie?!”
When enemies meet, their eyes blaze with fury. Bai Li shot up from Yu Lixia’s arms like an arrow from a bow, instantly rushing to the little boy, knocking him down, clenching her small fists, and delivering a solid beating to his face and body.
Hmph! It was you, you beast, who kicked Little Pi Xiu into this spiritless world. Just wait—Little Pi Xiu is going to beat you to death!
“Thud! Thud! Thud!”
Though Bai Li’s hands were small, they were strong, landing on the boy’s body with dull, heavy thuds.
“Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!” The little boy covered his head with both hands, shouting, “Li Li, stop hitting me! It hurts!”
With the first punch, Bai Li realized something was off. Why was this Taotie as weak as an ordinary human?
When divine beasts possess humans, the human’s physique is naturally enhanced. It shouldn’t be so fragile, unable to withstand even half of her strength.
“Li Li, stop! How can you hit someone for no reason?”
Yu Lixia, seeing her daughter suddenly charge at their guests’ child and beat him up, could hardly believe her eyes. Li Li had always been well-behaved—why had she suddenly erupted into violence?
Hearing Yu Lixia’s words, Bai Li finally snapped back to reality. She had been too excited upon seeing Taotie and had forgotten she was no longer in the Beast Realm, where she couldn’t just start a fight without a word.
In the Beast Realm, there were no such rules. If you didn’t like someone, you just fought. The winner was the boss.
“Hehe,” Bai Li forced a dry laugh, quickly climbing off the little boy, patting the dust off her clothes with her chubby hands, and then scampering back to Yu Lixia’s side. She hopped onto the sofa, assuming a well-behaved posture as if the one who had just beaten the little boy wasn’t her.
Then, she looked up at Yu Jianguo and called out sweetly, “Grandpa.” Next, she turned to the man and woman standing dumbfounded at the door, flashing a bright smile and chirping in a childish voice, “Hello, Uncle and Auntie!”
Yu Jianguo, Guo Jiayan, and Murong Lin stared at the little girl who had switched expressions in an instant. If it weren’t for the swollen bruise on Guo Jingbo’s left cheek, they would have doubted their own eyes, wondering if they had just hallucinated.
“Ahem, Researcher Guo, Researcher Murong, I’m truly sorry. My granddaughter was kidnapped by traffickers yesterday and might not have fully recovered yet. Seeing Jingbo might have reminded her of yesterday’s ordeal, causing an overreaction.”
Yu Jianguo offered an awkward, apologetic smile, thinking quickly to come up with a plausible excuse.
At that moment, Yu Lixia also stood up with Bai Li, about to apologize to Guo Jiayan and the other two brought in by Yu Jianguo, when she heard Yu Qingqiu’s voice from behind.
“That’s right, Li Li, hitting people without reason is very ill-mannered behavior. Hurry up and apologize to Researcher Guo and Researcher Murong!”
Upon hearing Yu Qingqiu’s voice, Bai Li’s brows instinctively furrowed. Her aunt really had a way of showing up everywhere—she had seen this too, and now she could gloat and take the opportunity to slander her.
As Yu Qingqiu spoke, she took Wei Linlang’s hand and walked over to the group.
Feeling Yu Qingqiu’s slightly tightened grip, Wei Linlang flashed a sweet smile at Yu Jianguo and the others, greeting them obediently, “Hello, Grandpa! Hello, Uncle Guo! Hello, Aunt Murong!”
She was much more well-behaved than Bai Li—they were sure to like her more.
Wei Linlang had inherited her parents’ best features and was also a fair and delicate-looking child. The adorable girl, soft and cute, melted the hearts of Yu Jianguo and the others, who all smiled and responded to her.
Seeing her grandpa and the elderly couple smiling at her, Wei Linlang smugly turned her face to the side and snorted at Bai Li, “Bai Li, you hit people—you’re a bad child. Grandpa, Uncle Guo, and Aunt Murong won’t like you!”
Bai Li knew that hitting someone without saying a word was considered rude in this world, but that didn’t mean she was willing to be mocked by Wei Linlang. Just as she was about to retort, she heard Guo Jingbo (Taotie) speak up against Wei Linlang, “Who are you? I made Li Li angry, and Li Li hit me. I’m happy to be hit by Li Li—what’s it to you?”
Beast God, please forgive Taotie’s lie. Taotie doesn’t like being hit, but if he angers Little Pi Xiu again, his bottom will bloom with bruises once more.
Recalling the beating he had received a few days ago, Taotie shuddered and rubbed his bottom, muttering to himself.
Yu Jianguo: …
Yu Lixia: … Li Li and this little boy don’t know each other. Why is he speaking up for Li Li?
Seeing Guo Jingbo siding with Bai Li, Wei Linlang’s eyes instantly filled with tears. She threw herself into Yu Qingqiu’s arms, crying pitifully, “Mom, everyone is siding with Bai Li. No one likes Linlang anymore, wuwuwu!”
Yu Qingqiu held her daughter tightly, heart aching, but she knew it wasn’t the right time to say anything more. Suppressing her resentment toward Bai Li, she gently comforted her daughter.
Guo Jiayan hadn’t expected his son to say such a thing and couldn’t help but ask in surprise, “Jingbo, when did you make Li Li angry?”
Guo Jingbo answered without hesitation, “Dad, when we first came in, I made a funny face at Li Li. Maybe my face was too ugly, and it made her angry.”
Bai Li’s big, round eyes darted toward Guo Jingbo. Seeing the earnest expression on his slightly puffed-up face, she chuckled inwardly. With a loud “hmph” audible to everyone present, she turned her back to Guo Jingbo.
You know how to talk, you Taotie.
This time, it was Guo Jiayan’s turn to awkwardly smile and smooth things over. “Commander Yu, I’m truly sorry. I originally brought Jingbo here to thank Comrade Bai Li.”
“If it weren’t for Comrade Bai Li, we might not have been able to see Jingbo again. But I never expected this kid to be so troublesome—he angered Comrade Bai Li as soon as he walked in.”
“He deserved that beating!”
Without any hesitation, Guo Jiayan pinned the blame squarely on his son’s head. After all, it was his silly son who had admitted to angering Comrade Bai Li.
Yu Jianguo did not overlook the subtle exchanges between Bai Li and Guo Jingbo, and he said with a smile, “Researcher Guo, you’re too polite. Li Li just happened to encounter the trafficker who took Jingbo away. It was merely a coincidence.”
Guo Jiayan nodded repeatedly, “Yes, yes, yes! The two children are fated to meet. They’ll surely get along well in the future!”
Listening to Yu Jianguo and Guo Jiayan’s words, Bai Li felt there was more to their words than met the ear. She couldn’t help but cast a suspicious glance back and forth between the two of them.