Lu Nkian ran into the house, she had caught a chill outside and was coughing all the way, bringing in a cold air when she entered.

Her cheeks were flushed, which scared Zhang Qiuping into bringing soup and medicine.

The two nurses helped her breathe easily, and together they sent her back to her room upstairs.

“Miss, you can’t run around outside in this kind of weather in the future,” Zhang Qiuping said. “Master will be so worried when he sees you.”

Lu Nian thought to herself that Master probably wouldn’t be worried at all, because by the time Lu Zhihong came home and saw her, she would have already recovered.

She would probably be onto the next illness by then.

“Dr. Zhao is coming soon,” Zhang Qiuping answered a phone call.

Lu Nian nodded.

She held a cup of hot tea and sat obediently in her soft, warm chair, filled with cushions.

Her clear eyes looked at Zhang Qiuping. “Aunt Zhang, where does Qin Si live in our house? I haven’t seen him around lately.”

Zhang Qiuping didn’t know why Lu Nian was suddenly so interested in Qin Si.

But Lu Nian had a capricious temperament, and children were unpredictable. She probably found some new amusement with him.

As long as Lu Nian was happy, Zhang Qiuping didn’t care how she toyed with Qin Si. So she answered, “He usually stays with Master Xu in the attic.”

She hesitated and changed “attic” to “top floor.”

Xu Ruhai was the steward of the Lu family and had been with the Lu family for many years.

He handled all the affairs of the Lu family, so for convenience, he lived in the estate as well.

Lu Nian looked out the window and could see the small building where the Xu’s lived, hidden in the dim light of the winter dusk, looking even more shadowy and lonely, extending its dark shadow into the winter twilight.

The building was not large, only two stories.

The first floor was temporary accommodation for Lu’s staff when they came to the estate, and the second floor was Xu Ruhai’s room.

Originally, the room next to it was arranged for Qin Si.

Xu Ruhai had a son about the same age as Qin Si.

He used to live with his wife in the city, but after Xu Hui came to the estate once with his wife and cried and begged to stay in the villa, Xu Ruhai had no choice but to find a way to move Qin Si out, give the room to Xu Hui, and then tidy up a living space for him in the attic on the top floor.

Lu Zhihong was often not at home and didn’t bother with these details at all.

So Qin Si had lost his room and had been living in the attic ever since.

Zhang Qiuping had only been to the attic once to clean up some odds and ends a long time ago.

She was a bit plump, and squeezing into the attic to take out the carpet made her cough all the way back because of the dust.

But for just a little boy, the attic was spacious enough. Zhang Qiuping thought Xu Ruhai should have cleaned up the attic. It should be clean enough to live in.

Lu Nian nodded thoughtfully and stared at the small building hidden in the twilight. She sat up straight in her chair. “Aunt Zhang, do you know why Dad adopted Qin Si back then?”

Lu Nian had always been very resistant to Qin Si, let alone inquire about his origins in person.

Zhang Qiuping looked at her unexpectedly but since she had asked, she recounted everything she knew.

“That child was picked from the leftovers of the orphanage. After several adoptions, he was sent back. By the time he was eight, the orphanage director thought he was hopeless. He never went to school, and no one was willing to take him in. It looked like he was going to be abandoned…”

Actually, Zhang Qiuping didn’t understand why Lu Zhihong had picked Qin Si.

His age and personality were clearly not suitable for adoption.

The Lu family sent him to the best school in Ancheng, provided for him, and Zhang Qiuping thought they had done quite well for him.

Zhang Qiuping carefully observed Lu Nian’s expression. “Actually, the main reason for bringing him back was to give you some company. After all, the young master used to…”

Zhang Qiuping was speaking casually, but when these three words slipped out of her mouth, she suddenly stopped, covered her mouth, and looked at Lu Nian with a pale face.

Lu Nian was lying on the bed, staring blankly, not noticing her words. “But…,” she hesitated for a moment, then turned her head, “he doesn’t seem to like me very much.”

Clearly, she was still thinking about Qin Si.

Zhang Qiuping calmed down. “That child is like that with everyone, never smiling. We’ve raised him in the Lu family for two or three years, and he’s still the same.”

She shrugged. “If you’re bored, you can call Qingqing over from my house to keep you company. Besides, Miss, you’ll be back at school soon when you’re better. You won’t be short of friends.”

He’s just hard to get along with.

The implication was to ignore Qin Si.

Lu Nian didn’t speak, her eyelashes drooping as she contemplated.

No, that won’t do.

Whether she cared about being the Lu family’s young lady or not didn’t matter. Lu Zhihong’s final outcome could only be attributed to his own actions, and she didn’t have the power to interfere in his decisions now.

However, with her current poor health and lack of education or skills, what would happen to her in the future when Lu Zhihong fell? If the Lu family were to be inherited by Qin Si, would she be kicked out and left to die?

Moreover, considering Qin Si, even if he later became incredibly powerful and wealthy, living a life of luxury, he would not be happy.

Until his death at the age of twenty-nine, in his short life, he was heartless and unfaithful, having nothing to do with love, friendship, or family.

The original female lead was a gentle and delicate beauty, still carrying the halo of the female lead.

Even so, she never managed to get close to Qin Si’s heart.

There was a discussion among readers about how the female lead could possibly capture Qin Si, and after eight pages of discussion, they came to an impossible conclusion.

“This person is probably born emotionally immune, a sociopath.”

“I’m telling you, why do you all insist on capturing Qin Si? The book doesn’t even describe what he looks like. Judging by his ruthless actions and lack of mercy, he must be a psychological pervert, ugly and fierce. Am I, Lu Yang, not sunny enough, or is Zhao Tingyuan not handsome enough, that you all are still thinking about him?”

Lu Nian vaguely remembered scrolling through the comments section, where there was a lot of heated debate.

Now she could responsibly say that Qin Si is very good-looking.

Judging from his features and contours, he will definitely not be inferior when he grows up.

She hadn’t seen the male lead yet, but she felt he definitely wouldn’t be worse than Qin Si.

As for his personality…

These were definitely related to his experiences in the Lu family during his youth.

The Lu family was his first stepping stone and the beginning of his path to revenge.

While he was still not fully grown, Lu Nian wanted to do everything she could to improve his situation, to make him feel warmth, hoping to pull him back a little from the wrong path.

However, when it came to Qin Si, she decided to do things based on her conscience and not to overdo it.

After all, as an adult, Qin Si was ruthless and unpredictable. Due to his experiences in his youth, he was extremely suspicious and mature beyond his years.

Throughout the book, those who deliberately flattered and had ulterior motives towards him all ended up in a miserable state.

Lu Nian didn’t want to become the first one to be sacrificed.

She just wanted to live an ordinary life, not to be affected by Qin Si’s revenge against the Lu family, to be ordinary and just be swept out the door by him.

She would start studying hard from now on, cooperate with treatment to heal her body, and preferably learn a skill so that when Qin Si kicked her out in the future, she could still survive on her own.

Lu Nian stared at the ceiling in a daze, the small girl wrapped in a large quilt, her lips slightly pursed, a puzzled and thoughtful look on her face, looking particularly cute.

When Dr. Zhao arrived, this was the scene he saw.

He smiled, opened the medicine box gently, and said softly, “Come, little girl, give me your hand. It’s time to change the bandages.”

Lu Nian cooperated very well, obediently extending her right hand to him.

After the routine check-up, Zhao Ming changed her bandages, gave some instructions, and prepared to pack up the medicine box and leave.

The little girl called out to him, her voice soft, “Doctor, can you stay a little longer?”

Zhao Ming was a bit surprised.

He was the fourth family doctor hired by the Lu family, and his main patient was this troublesome young miss.

The previous three had all been worn out and refused to continue despite the high price offered by the Lu family.

Zhao Ming had just started to deal with this legendary young miss, and he felt that the little girl was pitiful and cute, with a bit of a bad temper being normal.

Zhao Ming bent down slightly, smiling, “Of course, I am the doctor specially hired by your family. You can tell Uncle if you need anything.”

“Doctor, can you help me treat someone?” Lu Nian said, pointing to her cheek. “He bumped into a classmate the day before yesterday, accidentally fell and injured his hands and feet. I saw him bleeding yesterday.”

Zhao Ming was somewhat surprised but quickly responded, “Of course.”

Lu Nian got off the chair, her eyes shining. “I’ll take you there.”

The sky had already darkened.

When Xu Ruohai saw the two figures in front of the house and opened the door to see them, he was surprised, “Nian Nian?”

Standing next to the tall young man in white was Lu Nian, with the same pale face as usual, but her eyes were shining brightly, and she looked very good.

Lu Nian usually never came here and was always cold to Xu Ruohai and the others.

This time she actually ran over on her own, surprising Xu Ruohai, who was exceptionally warm and kind.

He quickly closed the door and led the two inside, bending down to her and saying, “Nian Nian, is there anything you need, or is there something you want?”

Xu Hui’s ears were sharp.

Hearing this, he quickly ran down from upstairs.

He was two years older than Lu Nian and used to often see Lu Nian coming and going from the estate from afar.

However, he could only catch a glimpse of her getting on and off the car. Lu Nian never spoke to him.

The little girl’s hair was loose, and her small dress was clean and exquisite.

She was wrapped in a thick cashmere cloak.

With her dark hair and fair skin, her red lips, she really looked like a glass doll, transparent and exquisite, just a little pale due to her illness.

He didn’t dare to get too close, his excited face a bit red as he asked softly, “Nian Nian, are you here to see my dad?”

Lu Nian shook her head, looked around, and asked Xu Ruohai in a low voice, “Uncle Xu, where’s Qin Si? Aunt Zhang said he lives here.”

Qin Si?

If Lu Nian was cold to them, she was openly disdainful of Qin Si. Lu Nian never even called his name.

Occasionally, if she had to call him, it would be a cold and contemptuous “hey.”

Would she specially come to find Qin Si on such a cold day, at such a late hour?

Xu Ruohai could only say, “He’s not here. That kid is always wild outside. If Nian Nian wants to find him, I’ll go get him back right away.”

Without waiting for Lu Nian to answer, the door opened, and a cold gust of wind blew in.

The little boy walked in from outside, still carrying a strong, unthawed chill from the snow.

Seeing so many people inside, he didn’t speak, pursed his lips, and walked straight upstairs.

“Qin Si.” Lu Nian was afraid he would leave, so she ran over.

Qin Si didn’t say a word and continued upstairs. Lu Nian, with her short legs, couldn’t keep up with his pace.

Seeing that Qin Si didn’t even turn his head and was uncooperative, in her anxiety, Lu Nian reached out and grabbed his right hand.

She had given him her gloves earlier, so now her hands were bare.

The little girl had just come out from the warm room, her hands warmed by the heat, soft like a feather in his hand.

Light, soft, and clean.

Xu Hui stood by, stunned, looking at Qin Si with resentment.

How dare that dirty boy touch Nian Nian?

As if his hand had been scorched by fire, after a moment’s hesitation, he quickly shook her hand off.

“Don’t touch me,” he gritted his teeth, each word pronounced distinctly.

Lu Nian, “…”

She remembered the wound on Qin Si’s hand and tried to console herself.

Oh, she shouldn’t have pulled him like that; she might have hurt him.

However, the little boy’s eyes were so fierce, as if he wanted to bite her.

It hurts so much? Lu Nian thought awkwardly.

Xu Hui couldn’t help but ask, “Why are you talking to Nian Nian like that?”

He met Qin Si’s cold eyes, hesitated, and his voice involuntarily softened a bit.

“Uncle Xu, is Qin Si’s room on the second floor?” Lu Nian asked Xu Hui, seeing that he couldn’t stop her and had already gone upstairs.

Xu Hui, after all, was an adult.

From the brief interaction of the three children just now, he could already see some things.

When Lu Nian asked, he broke out in a cold sweat and could only force a smile, “It’s not tidied up upstairs, it’s dirty and messy, there’s nothing fun, does Nian Nian want to go?”

“Do you want me to go up with you?” Zhao Ming asked Lu Nian.

As a doctor, he had already noticed a few things wrong with the little boy during the few minutes just now.

Seeing how much she cared about this little boy, he thought it would be better to go up and see if he could help Qin Si clean up, so he asked her.

After thinking about it, Lu Nian shook her head.

Qin Si obviously didn’t like her.

She thought that if she went up with Zhao Ming, it would only backfire.

She was afraid that Qin Si would ignore Zhao Ming again, so she carefully told Zhao Ming everything she knew about Qin Si and Zhao Ming assured her that it would be okay.

Then he picked up his medical kit and went upstairs.

Xu Hui finally breathed a sigh of relief.

It was extremely cold on this deep winter night. Qin Si sat quietly on the floor, a low table in front of him, holding a pen and quickly writing numbers under the flickering light.

He wrote his homework quickly.

The knowledge he was learning now was very simple for him, but the attic light was not good, and it was hard to see at night.

He basically finished his homework during the day at school, but these days his fingers were not convenient, which affected his speed.

There was still half a cup of hot water, which had now cooled down.

He touched it with the back of his hand, silently returned to his original position.