“Unforgivable! Absolutely unforgivable!”

“That little witch, Song Wanyue, is scheming to get close to Brother Chenchuan just for the riches and luxury in the future! Get lost, you little brat!”

“I didn’t escape from that hellhole of a labor camp, risking my life against the flood, just to let that little witch take all the fortune!”

Standing nearby, Qin Rongrong saw the scene of the young girl being embraced by the young man and she instantly turned red with rage, like an angry tomato ready to burst.

Gritting her teeth, Qin Rongrong, with claws ready, lunged forward, eager to scratch Song Wanyue’s face.

The King Koi in the fish tank felt a sudden chill down its spine. It spun around and was met with a flaming, tomato-like face.

*Oh no! What is that thing?*

The King Koi nearly jumped out of the tank in fright. Could it be an enemy koi sent to assassinate me? A disaster lasting a thousand year. No, no, a majestic koi like me, destined to live for millennia, must sense danger. Narrowing its small fish eyes and flicking its tail, the King Koi made a large pit appear beneath Qin Rongrong.

“You little brat, just die already! Ahhh!”

Qin Rongrong, burning with anger, let out a scream as she fell into the pit, her eyes rolling back as she lost consciousness at the bottom.

At that exact moment, a loud clap of thunder rang out. The young girl, still held by the young man, was startled for a moment, then smiled sweetly with dimples showing. Mimicking her grandmother’s loving smile, she patted the boy’s shoulder gently,

“Don’t be scared, don’t be scared. It’s just thunder. Brother Chenchuan has nothing to fear.”

The young man, who had been misunderstood as being scared of thunder by the little girl, was left speechless…

*Great, now she thinks I’m a coward who’s afraid of thunder.*

The young man, Ye Chenchuan, released her and stared at her with his usual cold, expressionless eyes.

The little girl, ever the innocent, looked up at him with a bright smile and asked cheerfully,

“Brother Chenchuan, are you not afraid of the thunder anymore?”

Ye Chenchuan’s handsome brow twitched slightly as he replied in a low voice,

“Mm. Not afraid anymore.”

The last few words seemed to be forced out through gritted teeth.

The little girl shivered a bit, then quickly pulled out a piece of osmanthus candy from her pocket and gently placed it in Ye Chenchuan’s mouth.

“Brother Chenchuan, have some candy. After you finish, let’s take Grandpa Ye back together.”

With the sweet taste of osmanthus candy melting on his tongue, the young man’s stern expression softened slightly. Just then, the rain, which had briefly let up, started pouring down harder again.

Although Song Wanyue and Ye Chenchuan had managed to pull Grandpa Ye out from the rubble earlier and they had used their raincoats to shield him from the cold, as well as fed him a ginseng pill given by the King Koi, Grandpa Ye’s face had become rosy, yet he still hadn’t regained consciousness.

Ye Chenchuan looked down at his grandfather, his eyes growing darker.

“Grandpa still hasn’t woken up. He must be injured. I’ll carry him and we’ll head to the threshing ground together.”

Song Wanyue quickly nodded and helped lift Grandpa Ye onto Ye Chenchuan’s back. The King Koi flicked its tail in the fish tank, its little fish eyes narrowing smugly.

You fools, go be pack mules!

The King Koi jumped around happily in the tank, then dove back into the water to relax.

Meanwhile, Song Xiangdong, Song Jiandang and the other strong men from the village, who had been standing dazed in the rain, suddenly snapped back to awareness. Song Jiandang shook the rain off his face and spoke, confused:

“That’s strange! Why is there so much water on my face?”

“Exactly! My clothes are soaked through. Wow, this rain is really coming down.”

The villagers began to take off their shirts and wring out the water. Song Xiangdong, standing nearby, quietly joined in, wringing out his clothes before putting them back on. As he looked up, he noticed three figures slowly approaching in the rain.

One of the figures looked very familiar and as he recognized the small silhouette, he grew anxious.

“Daughter! Are you alright?”

Song Xiangdong hurriedly checked his daughter over for injuries. When he saw a small scratch on her fair face and a few red cuts on her little hands, he was heartbroken. He held her small hands tightly, unable to let go.

Seeing her father’s stern face, Song Wanyue quickly tried to calm him down, rubbing her little face against his big hand.

Although Song Xiangdong had been filled with anger, his heart softened immediately when his daughter started acting cute.

Even so, he put on a serious face and said,

“Alright, I won’t say anything this time. But there can’t be a next time.”

Yes, yes! There definitely won’t be a next time!

The little girl, seeing her father wasn’t angry anymore, giggled happily and clung to his big hand like a playful kitten.

Her father, seeing his precious daughter’s adorable and innocent expression, felt his heart melt. His daughter was the cutest in the world!

Just look! Which girl in the village could compare to his daughter in beauty?

Little did the “cutest girl in the world,” Song Wanyue, know that her father was practically beaming with pride behind her. She urged him on.

“Daddy, hurry and help Brother Chenchuan. Grandpa Ye fainted and still hasn’t woken up.”

What? The Ye family’s grandfather and grandson weren’t crushed under the rubble?

The villagers were shocked, their eyes wide.

Song Xiangdong glanced at his daughter, who suddenly looked very guilty, avoiding his gaze and staying silent.

“The house collapsed while Grandpa and I were outside in the yard,” Ye Chenchuan explained in his usual cold tone, his dark eyes now filled with a strange light as he looked at the little girl.

Oh, I see now!

Song Jiandang nodded, his big grin showing his teeth.

“That’s great! I’m glad everyone’s okay. Now, you young ones, don’t just stand there! Help out with Grandpa Ye!”

A few strong young men from the village rushed over to assist.

Song Xiangdong, however, felt uneasy. Why did it seem like Ye Chenchuan had looked at his daughter differently just now?

What was that word… affection? No, that couldn’t be right. How could Ye Chenchuan have looked at his daughter with affection?

As he squinted and studied the young man, he realized that Ye Chenchuan’s eyes were cold and distant, just like before.

Maybe I was mistaken? Song Xiangdong wondered, rubbing his chin.

Just then, one of the young men at the front, holding a kerosene lamp, suddenly jumped and shouted,

“Oh my gosh! What’s that?!”

“Da Liuzi! What are you yelling about now?”

Song Jiandang, who had been feeling quite relieved after rescuing the Ye family, nearly had a heart attack from the scare. He angrily stomped over to the front.

When he reached the spot, Da Liuzi, shaking, raised the lamp and pointed,

“C-Chief! Look at that pit! Is that… is that a dead body?”

A dead body?

In the middle of the night, in pitch darkness, with wind and rain howling, the sight of a dead body was enough to make anyone’s blood run cold. Even Song Jiandang, a tough man, felt a chill in his heart.

But they had no choice. Song Xiangdong, holding the kerosene lamp and shielding his daughter behind him, frowned and leaned closer to inspect the pit.

“Isn’t that Old Qin’s granddaughter?”

What? Qin Dahai’s daughter Qin Rongrong?

Song Jiandang and the young men crowded around, exclaiming,

“Wow, it really is Qin Rongrong!”

“Wait, wasn’t she in the labor camp? How did she get out?”

“Who cares? It’s late and the flood is coming. Da Liuzi, check if she’s still breathing. If she is, we’ll take her with us.”

Song Jiandang, rubbing his aching head, finally made a decision.

Da Liuzi jumped into the pit and checked Qin Rongrong’s breathing.

“Chief, she’s still alive!”

Ugh, how unlucky! If she’s breathing, pull her up!

With a grunt, Da Liuzi hoisted Qin Rongrong out of the pit.

Qin Rongrong?

Song Wanyue, still being protected by her father, peeked out and looked at the dirty, pale and lifeless Qin Rongrong, her emotions mixed.

She had lived two lives. In her previous life, she had grown up in a wealthy family, but because she was from a branch of the family and after her parents passed away, she had lived a sheltered life in the manor under the protection of the old family butler until she passed away at thirteen. She had never seen the darker sides of human nature.

In this life, she had been fortunate to have a family who truly loved and cared for her, so she had never encountered someone as malicious as Qin Rongrong.

Now, seeing Qin Rongrong, who had once tried to take her life, Song Wanyue couldn’t help but shiver.

“Don’t be afraid.”

A cold voice suddenly sounded in her ear. The little girl looked up and saw Ye Chenchuan gently holding her small, white hand. The two of them were so close that she could even smell the clean, soapy scent on him.

Her almond-shaped eyes widened and her little face flushed a rosy pink.

What are you doing?! What are you doing?!

Song Wanyue’s father, glancing back, saw this and immediately lost his cool!

Damn it, I knew it! That brat from the Ye family is after my daughter!

—