Xunxun—being the first girl to descend upon the Lu Family in decades, and having inherited the beautiful looks of her mother—was prized and cherished by everyone. She grew up sickly, and Lu Yi often had to drive her to the hospital in the dead of the night. Everyone was relieved to see her health improving with time, and everything had been going so well…until now. If something happened to her, Ye Shuyun would be the first to break.
That being said, it was highly unlikely that someone would hide Xunxun just to get a laugh out of it.
And if she wasn’t here—where could she have gone? Was it kidnap? The more the nanny thought about it, the more scared she became. Cold sweat beaded and rolled off her forehead, and her clothes were nearly drenched in the cool weather.
Unknown to her, a suspicious man with a large bulge in his coat was tossing furtive glances around. From a look, one could tell that he wasn’t up to any good.
The man hastened up, trying but failing to hide the odd smile on his face.
What a great catch! She would have gotten away had he not been so quick. This was the prettiest child he had abducted in years, and he was certain she would fetch a good price.
He gripped the child in his chest and walked faster in his unalloyed excitement. He wasn’t going to count his chickens before they hatch, though; he had to find a buyer first, and fast.
He slowed down when a woman wearing a face-mask emerged from the corner of a wall. She was a scrawny thing, like some sort of living skeleton, and her sudden appearance gave him a shock.
“Put the child down,” said the woman in a tone as flat as still water. Her eyes were so cold it seemed as though there was a film of frost covering them.
“Put the child down,” she repeated softly, with a fresh tinge of impatience.
“What’s your deal?” sneered the man, his ratty features twisted hideously. “You trying to snatch my goods? Rob me in daylight?” He gave the skinny woman an once-over.
“A skinny thing like you trying to rob me? Get out of my face, or you are gonna be in a world of hurt.”
“Put the child down,” repeated the woman, her voice as cold as her eyes. Her face was calm—no one knew how tense she actually was, or how tight she was clenching her fingers.
“You’ll be wasting your own efforts if you damage the good,” she said, raising her chin, her eyes narrow with danger and murderous intent.
The man contemplated her words. She had a point—a bruised child would certainly lower its value. He figured he should make quick work of his skinny competitor before dealing with the good.
And so he took off his coat and placed the swathed child on the floor. The child scanned her surroundings with wide eyes, in curiosity and fear. Even so, she didn’t make so much as a sound.
The man had initially been worried that the child would kick up a ruckus, but now he realized his worries were unneeded. The child was quiet and well-behaved. That saved him the trouble of putting the child to sleep.
He turned around, ready to finish off the woman with a swift kick, but he lurched back with a pain in his face before he knew what happened.
Bam! A sharp pain greeted his head next, followed by a red stream that trickled down his head. The red mist obstructed his vision. He touched his face and contemplated the red wetness in his hand.
“Blood…”
He was bleeding…
His eyes rolled back, and he went out like a light.
The woman put down the rod in her hand and dashed to the child.
“Xunxun,” called the woman as she touched the child’s tender face with tremulous hands.
The little girl blinked and broke into a smile, her dimples sinking into her cheeks. She looked adorable.
“You are all grown up,” said the woman hoarsely. “You look so much like me.”
The little girl cupped the woman’s face with her hands and tilted her head. She didn’t understand why the aunty was covering her face.
The woman untied her mask, revealing a thin face that was still recognizable. There was a hideous scar on the right side of her face, which made her look a little scary, but she was extremely beautiful when she smiled. It was a pity that such a pretty face was ruined by a scar.
How good would it be if the scar wasn’t there? How beautiful would she be then? No one knows.
The little girl stroked the woman’s face and pondered.
She beamed.
“Mama…” she said. Her voice was silvery with the softness of a toddler, but a little stiff from disuse.
Xunxun knows how to speak! The woman cupped the child’s face with her hands. Such a small face, such a small child… And to think she would have been abducted if she was a step too late!
What would have happened to her? It’s all my fault, thought Yan Huan. I wasn’t even aware of her existence when she was born, when she had not even been 2 pounds, when she needed her Mommy the most.
She forgot how to talk after she left, and that was her fault too.
“It’s alright, baby, it’s alright. Mommy will bring you home,” she lifted Xunxun up and wrapped her in her own coat. All she wore was a thin sweater, and that made her look even skinnier. She made a pitiable sight with her skin and bones.
Soon, they arrived at an old house. The paint on the walls was peeling off. It must have been built at least 20 years old.
This was the place she lived in.
Her house and shelter and safe space.
She unlocked the door. The weather was warmer these days, so it wasn’t very cold inside the house. The furniture was old, but immaculate from repeated dusting.
