Ling Yixi had alreadу launchеd into it:
“Тоdaу at kindеrgartеn, Dou Siyi was falselу acсused аnd framed! If it weren’t for my precious bаby standing uр for justiсe and tеstifуing fоr her, lеt mе tеll yоu, that child wоuld hаvе bеen in serious troublе!”
He rаttlеd оff evеrything that had hаpреnеd tоdaу like pоpрing beans.
Dоu Liren’s eхрression turnеd vеrу sеrious: “Is this true?”
“How соuld it be fake? Do you knоw whаt the teaсhеr said whеn I wеnt to рick uр mу prеcious baby? The teacher said they could have just let Dou Siyi take the blame, implying it was my baby’s fault for speaking up and causing trouble.”
“At first, I didn’t understand why the teacher dared to do this, until I followed Dou Siyi home,” Ling Yixi looked around, shaking his head with a tsk-tsk sound, “Well, now I know.”
“Dou Siyi has no mother, and her father is unreliable, with low income and no care for the child. Sigh,” Ling Yixi sighed, “Today, I truly witnessed the hardships of this world.”
Dou Liren: “…”
“I know, it’s not easy for you either.” Ling Yixi patted Dou Liren’s shoulder, “Being both father and mother alone is tough, but you still need to care more about Dou Siyi. As soon as I saw how much this child suffers—no one cares for her, no one plays with her, and she still gets falsely accused and bullied…”
Ling Yixi choked up, immediately starting to wipe away tears, “It just breaks my heart.”
Dou Liren: “Um…”
He could only pull out a tissue and hand it over.
Ling Yixi waved his hand, sniffling: “It’s fine, I just thought about how my precious baby used to suffer just as much—no father, no mother, and still being bullied. My heart just can’t take it, you know? It really can’t.”
“Your precious baby is…” Dou Liren was having trouble keeping up with Ling Yixi’s pace.
“It’s not important, none of that is important.” Ling Yixi spoke earnestly, “The key point is that you really need to care about Dou Siyi. Today, the child told me a lot. You, ah, you… I don’t even know what to say.”
Dou Liren interrupted Ling Yixi: “Wait, sir, may I ask who you are…”
He couldn’t help but be suspicious; there had been far too many people looking for him lately.
Using all sorts of tricks and methods, all because the southern district area was too large and too important.
Ling Yixi straightened his back: “I am—a good-hearted person with a noble spirit. You don’t need to know my name, just know that I regard Siyi as my niece. Alright, I’ve said all I need to say.”
“Oh, right,” he had already stood up but remembered something else, “If you encounter difficulties in life, you can tell Siyi to come find me. Once an uncle, always an uncle. There’s not much else I can do, but finding you a decent and easy job is no problem.”
Walking to the door, he pointed at Dou Liren again: “Remember, be a good father and care more for your child.”
Dou Liren: “Uh, okay.”
As soon as Ling Yixi closed the door, Dou Liren rushed to the bedroom.
Seeing Dou Siyi sleeping soundly, Dou Liren’s anxious heart finally settled.
“Daddy…” Whether by some inexplicable connection or not, Dou Siyi groggily woke up.
“Siyi.” Looking at his daughter’s adorable round face, Dou Liren’s heart instantly softened.
Dou Siyi sat up, looking around: “Where’s Uncle?”
“Uncle?” Dou Liren guessed Dou Siyi was asking about the young man who had just left.
Dou Siyi rubbed her eyes, “It’s the uncle I traded for with candy… I have lots of candy at home, and my new friend has lots of uncles, so we traded.”
Dou Siyi yawned, “The uncle is really handsome. Today, when the kids at kindergarten bullied me, my new friend helped me, and the uncle even scolded the teacher! Daddy, I want the uncle.”
At that moment, Dou Liren felt a mix of emotions.
“Siyi, it’s Daddy’s fault,” he gently hugged his daughter, overwhelmed with guilt. “From now on, if anything happens at kindergarten, tell Daddy, and I’ll come to you right away.”
He had only considered things from an adult’s perspective, neglecting the companionship a three-year-old needed.
Ling Yixi was right—he wasn’t a qualified father.
“Daddy is busy with work, Daddy doesn’t need to come. Daddy does everything for Siyi’s sake, Siyi knows,” Dou Siyi also hugged Dou Liren. “Siyi loves Daddy.”
“Daddy loves you too, very, very much,” Dou Liren’s eyes also grew moist.
It seemed he finally understood why Ling Yixi had wiped away tears earlier.
He had been narrow-minded, thinking the other person was after power and benefits.
He never expected that someone could genuinely care for Siyi…
A stranger could go to such lengths for Siyi, while he, as a father, was always hesitant and cautious…
He felt ashamed and grateful.
…
On a dark and windy night, Ling Yixi quietly slipped back into the Ling family home.
Fortunately, no one in the Ling family knew or cared.
Ling Yixi breathed a sigh of relief—being invisible had its advantages.
If the family found out that the little treasure had traded him for candy, his already low status in the Ling family would plummet to the depths of the earth.
“Your silly uncle is back.”
In the softly lit bedroom, a sudden little boy’s voice rang out.
On the bedside table, the jade lock once worn by the young master of the Hong family emitted a faint glow.
On the princess bed, Xiao Ling Bao slept with her eyes closed, paying no attention.
“Why did you choose him to handle things? He’s stupid, you know?” The little boy in the jade lock chattered incessantly.
“He’ll definitely mess things up. What if your family goes bankrupt? I’m not going to sleep on the streets with you. How about this—find me a new body, and I’ll help your family get through this crisis. What do you say?”
Xiao Ling Bao turned over and continued sleeping.
“Stop pretending, I know you’re not asleep,” the little boy snorted. “Always acting all high and mighty in front of me. If it weren’t for my help this afternoon at kindergarten, your dress would have been dirty.”
Xiao Ling Bao remained silent.
The boy seemed very displeased and continued babbling:
“You’re all talk. If I hadn’t helped today, would things have been so easily resolved? I made them fight like dogs. I helped you so much, and you didn’t even say thank you! How can a child be so rude?”
Xiao Ling Bao: …
He wasn’t wrong—if he hadn’t manipulated things behind the scenes, Pearl and Yin Xuetong wouldn’t have fought so easily.
She finally opened her eyes, slowly adjusting her breath: “Thank you, Xiao Tuji.”
Snap!
The lights in the room instantly went out, and an inexplicable cold wind swirled and swept through.
The little boy’s voice echoed angrily and eerily in the room: “Who are you calling a Tuji! Who are you calling a Tuji! Say it again! Just try it!”
The largest crystal chandelier in the bedroom began flickering on and off, as if someone were frantically switching it.
Xiao Ling Bao grew impatient: “Stop!”
Whoosh—
The lights in the bedroom returned to their previous normal state.
The little boy raged helplessly: “Ling Ziqi, I swear, the next time you get into trouble, I won’t lift a finger to help. I’ll let you get bullied like before! I’ll make sure you suffer more than anyone else! I’ll make your family go bankrupt, leave you homeless, unable to afford food or clothes…”
Xiao Ling Bao: “Silence.”
And so, the sound vanished—all fell into utter stillness.
Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap!