The sky above Imperial turns into a red-orange hue as the sun starts to set in the distance.
Along the way home, Yue Ling explained the situation regarding Liu Ye and his siblings. She made sure not to leave even the tiniest detail out.
Lu Tian stops the car in front of their house and waits for the dark metal gates to open. He drives inside the car into their driveway before parking the car.
He contemplated on his wife's words, and his expression turned dark.
He is known as a cold-blooded man, but he still has a heart. Never will he blame others on his misfortune, especially a child.
If it had been him, he would have ended Liu Peng's life. A man like that does not deserve anyone's sympathy and doesn't deserve to live.
"Tian, should we go inside? They're waiting for us."
Yue Ling invaded his train of thoughts when she noticed he hadn't moved from his sear. She held the passenger door partially opened and smiled at him.
"Don't think too much about it. They're safe now."
Lu Tian turns his head to look at her. He decides to do as she said and push the way he thought aside.
After all, his wife wasn't like him. She is able to end a person's life at any given moment, but she never kills just to kill.
He steps out of the car, and together with his wife, the couple walks towards their home.
Inside the luxurious home, Xu Long sat on one of the two couches in the living room. He sounds a sniffle and wipes away the tears in his eyes.
"This is too much…"
He looks at Liu Ye with sad eyes then at Liu Jingyi. His lips trembled, and he looked at Jianan.
The moment he made eye contact with the little boy, his heart shattered with grief as Jianan smiled at him.
He clutches his heart and chokes a sob with tears.
"Oh, God… How can you let these children suffer for this long?"
His head lifts, and he stares at the ceiling like he was staring into the sky.
"Why?"
He hits his chest, and his face scrunched as he sobs again.
"Why must they suffer for their father's sins? Why?"
As he continued to speak to God, Lin Hui sat beside him with extremely heavy eyes. When he and Xu Long arrived, they encountered Liu Shan, Ju Suo, and the three siblings outside.
They then learned about Jianan and Liu Jingyi's life after Liu Ye left for Red Moon.
He admits that it was difficult to listen. The more he heard, the more he wanted to kill Liu Peng even more.
However, unlike him, Xu Long experienced another feeling.
He stares at Xu Long for another second, then shakes his head. He looks at Liu Ye, Liu Jingyi, and Jianan.
"I do apologize for his behavior. He…"
He glances back at Xu Long. Seeing that the man was still talking to himself, he smiled awkwardly at the three siblings.
"He's not in his right mind at the moment."
Liu Ye and Liu Jingyi nod their head in understanding. Deep inside, the two siblings were trying not to laugh at Xu long's behavior.
They knew their past was what made him react like that. However, unlike the older siblings, Jianan was quite confused.
He tilts his head and stares at Xu Long then at Lin Hui.
"Mr. Lin, if he's not in his right mind, shouldn't we take him to the hospital?"
"…"
Xu Long's jaw drops to the floor with a dumbfounded face, and he looks at Jianan. At the same time, Lin Hui, Liu Shan, and Ju Suo could only try to contain their laugh, let alone smile.
"Jianan!"
Liu Ye and Liu Jingyi exclaimed together. One covers his mouth while the other pushes his head forward in a bowing posture.
"I'm sorry. Please forgive Jianan. He spoke out of line."
Liu Jingyi also bowed with her younger brother. She was genuinely sorry and hoped that these people would not hurt them.
"Pfft…"
From the side sounds a woman's voice like she was trying to hold in her laugh but failed.
Everyone, excluding Liu Jing Yi and Jian an, turned to see who it was that laughed.
What they saw was a woman and a man entering the living room.
"Boss."
Lin Hui, Liu Shan, and Ju Suo simultaneously spoke when they saw Yue Ling.
Xu Long made eye contact with Lu Tian. However, his shoulders raised, and his neck shrunk back like a turtle.
He wanted to cry but now lacked the tears to shed. He was sure his boss had heard what Jianan had said about taking him (Xu Long) to the hospital.
Yue Ling nodded her head in a greeting gesture at her subordinates. She looks at Liu Ye and smiles at him before looking at Liu Jingyi and Jianan.
Jianan raised his head a little to sneak a peek at who had arrived.
When he saw that it was Yue Ling, his eyes lit up, and he jumped down from the couch.
"Miss Angel!"
He runs towards Yue Ling, and without any care about the others, he hugs her waist with a huge grin on his face.
"You came back!"
His head tilts back to look up at her, and he points at his sister.
"Mr. Liu said you would save Jie too, and you did."
Yue Ling's entire being softens at the little boy's smile. She raises her hand and pats his head.
"I'm glad you can smile freely now."
She looks away from Jianan and stares at Liu Jingyi. Her heart ached for the girl as she could guess the hardship she (Liu Jingyi) had gone through.
When she saw that the girl had no intentions of looking up, she decided to go to her.
Jianan was quick to understand and ran to his sister. He kneels at her side while shaking her shoulders.
"Jie, look. Miss Angel is here."
Liu Jingyi didn't dare to lift her head but stared at the floor. She heard the way Lin Hui, Liu Shan, and Ju Suo addressed the person who arrived. If her assumptions are correct, neither she nor her siblings can offend this person.
Her hands clenched tightly at her side. What if this person suddenly has a change of heart and separates them?
What if…
Before her 'what ifs' could trail too deep, a shadow towers over her, blocking the light around her.
This made her stiffen, but confusion quickly washes inside her. She sees the owner of the shadow slowly squat in front of her.
"Hi, Jingyi. I'm Han Yue Ling. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Yue Ling's angelic voice enters her ears, and she subconsciously lifts her head. She stares into a pair of bluish-green eyes, and all the doubt inside her disperses into thin air.
"I…"
She wanted to return the greeting but was only able to say one word.
She didn't know why but it was as if she was being drawn into a bright light full of warmth.
Yue Ling smiles with a faint sigh. She raises her hand and gently strokes Liu Jingyi on the head.
"It must have been hard for you all this time, but you don't have to worry anymore. I promise you and your brothers will only find happiness now."
She meant every word from the bottom of her heart. She will protect these children and wash away the pain their father inflicted on them with happiness.
Liu Jingyi slightly flinched when she felt this unfamiliar person stroke her head. She didn't know why but this person's hand was gentle and warm that tears unknowingly welled in her eyes.
It was the same kind of warmth her mother had when she was alive.
She subconsciously lifts her head, and her gaze fixates on the person.
Yue Ling wasn't surprised by Liu Jingyi's response. She sighs behind her smile at the girl and softly strokes her head again.
"You were so brave and looked after your little brother well."
Liu Jingyi's eyes shook at her words. She didn't know why but seeing Yue Ling made her feel a sense of comfort.
She wasn't familiar with Yue Ling, but when she felt her warm words and smile, all the negative feelings inside her faded away with the harsh reality.
Each word she hears is like the words she has long to hear from someone.
The air around her became hard to breathe. However, in a split second, she was like a lost child reuniting with her mother again.
"Why…"
A single teardrop rolled down her cheek before another one, then another.
Her silent sob turns into a wail, and she jumps into Yue Ling's arms.
"Why are you only here now? What took you so long?"
She had given up on hope. She told herself never to trust another adult.
However, her heart told her this person was different from anyone else.
The wall she had built over the abuse crumbles, and she pours her heart out in the arms of a person she just met.
Yue Ling almost stumbled back at Liu Jingyi's sudden embrace but was quick to steady herself. She puts her arms around the girl and gently pats her back.
She could feel the pain of Liu Jingyi's heart aching through her hug and the sadness from her crying voice.
Her eyes gradually close, and she leans her head against the girl like a mother soothing her child's pain away.
"You have done well, Jingyi."
