Jiang City suddenly launched a massive and thorough anti-crime campaign, with Wang Yaojin and his forces being the first targets. All places like bars, beauty salons, and so on were shut down.

Moreover, it wasn’t just random arrests. It’s said that the new mayor presented evidence of more than ten crimes committed by Wang Yaojin, including the trafficking of women and children, extortion, and more. With a single blow, he eliminated this malignant tumor that had plagued Jiang City for nearly twenty years.

Some say this was the new mayor’s way of making his mark, while others speculate that this was something the higher-ups had wanted to do for a while, seizing the opportunity now. Various speculations abound, but regardless, for the vast majority of people in Jiang City, this was a great thing!

Therefore, many people have an initial good impression of the new mayor.

They heard he has a military background. No wonder he’s so swift and decisive in his actions. Thumbs up to the new mayor!

Perhaps only Father Liu and them vaguely guessed how this sudden action came about.

No one would have thought that the cause was a fight between children, right?

Of course, these political matters have nothing to do with Xu Youyou and the other children for the time being.

Only Xu Wenyin was astonished to see the progress bar suddenly jumped 5%!

Clearly, just a few months ago, when she checked, it was increasing slowly, probably only by 1% over the course of several months.

At that time, Xu Wenyin comforted herself, thinking that it was because the main storyline hadn’t arrived yet, and the timeline was still early.

When Xu Youyou grew up, she would definitely avoid those calamities, and the task’s progress would surely increase rapidly.

After all, the novel only briefly outlined Xu Youyou’s life after arriving at the Zhou family’s home, mentioning things like not having enough to eat or warm clothes, being treated like a servant, and so on.

The plot officially begins on the eve of Xu Youyou’s college entrance examination, with her past mainly being occasionally mentioned in passing with a few interspersed memories.

But in real life, these ten-plus years have to be lived through gradually, growing up little by little. It’s not possible to just skip ahead with a simple ‘ten years later’ and it actually is ten years later.

And so, when Xu Wenyin successfully adopted Xu Youyou and took her away from the Zhou family, that pit of fire, the task’s progress bar surged.

This made Xu Wenyin feel that only by avoiding plot points could the task’s progress bar increase rapidly. Otherwise, it would probably just be time passing by.

But have any major events occurred in Xu Youyou’s life recently?

No, there haven’t been any!

Xu Wenyin had flipped through the story countless times, so if there were any major events, it was impossible for her not to know about them.

The only prominent event recently was probably the capture of Wang Yaojin, the local bully. Xu Wenyin secretly used some means to break into certain computers and devices, collecting quite a bit of evidence.

Does this have any relation to Xu Youyou?

Hold on!

Xu Wenyin paused, startled.

There was no connection now, but during Xu Youyou’s ‘toxic romance’ with Lu Haoyu, there was a scene where she was imprisoned by the enraged Lu Haoyu, and then Xu Youyou desperately tried to escape.

The escaping Xu Youyou still carried the bad luck typical of a tragic female protagonist and was abducted by someone.

The abductors, seeing her beauty, intended to assault her first. However, Xu Youyou, in a fierce struggle, was hit on the head and suffered from a severe lack of oxygen. She was on the verge of dying.

Those people couldn’t possibly take a dead person with them, so they waited until late at night when it was quiet and simply threw Xu Youyou out of the car before driving off without looking back.

As Xu Youyou lay abandoned by the roadside, her protagonist’s halo finally worked and a kind-hearted aunt rescued her and took her to the hospital. Thankfully, she was saved, but she had lost her memory.

After that, it was another round of extreme struggles. Xu Wenyin felt angry just thinking about it.

She’s now speculating whether the people who abducted Xu Youyou were somehow connected to Wang Yaojin’s group.

Because Wang Yaojin and his henchmen were all in custody, it’s unlikely that Xu Youyou would be abducted. Moreover, she wouldn’t suffer severe injuries leading to amnesia. So, this tragic plot point would naturally disappear, right?

The more she thought about it, the more Xu Wenyin felt that her speculation made sense.

Upon further reflection, Xu Wenyin’s perspective broadened.

So, it’s not necessarily the case that the task progress would only change significantly when the plot begins. If she could eliminate Xu Youyou’s tragic plot points at the root, there would still be a change!

With this in mind, the slowly increasing progress bar wasn’t just ‘time passing’, but rather reflects Xu Youyou’s fate gradually changing.

Alas……

Xu Wenyin couldn’t help but sigh.

She had a super effective way to complete the task quickly, but unfortunately, she couldn’t do it.

She wanted to eliminate Lu Haoyu!

If Lu Haoyu died, this tragic story definitely wouldn’t come to fruition.

Wouldn’t Youyou be completely liberated then?

Xu Wenyin had never been afraid to kill, and her previous tasks also included people dying. But the key issue was that she couldn’t kill Lu Haoyu.

As the male protagonist, Xu Wenyin can guarantee that if she were to act, the rules of this world would detect her immediately and expel her.

It’s really such a pity!

However, the recent incident involving Wang Yaojin has also opened up a new path for Xu Wenyin. She quickly flipped through the novel again, identifying which tragic plot points can be directly avoided from now on.

The system certainly doesn’t procrastinate. Some things were indeed better handled sooner rather than later.

Meanwhile, Xu Youyou’s life in kindergarten had also undergone some changes.

Because of the fight, the five children suddenly became the leaders of the kindergarten!

They looked so cool when they were fighting~

Just like the heroes who fight villains in TV shows, they were super awesome!

In this kindergarten, nobody likes Wang Hou, and everyone has had things taken from them by him to some extent.

Parents who were paying attention have transferred their children to other schools, but some timid children were afraid to mention it when they go home, so they just quietly harbor resentment in their hearts.

Finally, great heroes showed up~

What’s even better was that the big villain, Wang Hou, never came back to the kindergarten again~

He must have been scared off by the heroes and slunk away in embarrassment.

After this incident, Xu Youyou’s five-member group not only became famous in their class but also throughout the entire kindergarten.

Some children even brought their favorite snacks from home to thank them.

At first, the admiring looks and words made a few children feel a bit embarrassed, but before long…… everyone got used to it.

Moreover, because of this incident, more children who wanted to play with Xu Youyou and the others actively sought them out.

When playing games, everyone clamored to be in the same group as them.

They’re so popular that it’s a bit troublesome~

With her head held high, Liu Miaomiao walked out of the kindergarten alongside Mother Liu. She even waved to the other children like a big star, her proud expression instantly bringing a smile to Mother Liu’s face.

However, she also worried that Miaomiao might think fighting was a glorious thing and thus embark on a ‘violent’ path. Just as she was thinking about how to educate her child, a scream suddenly rang out.

“Die! Die! All of you die!”

An old man who appeared to be in his sixties or seventies was holding a kitchen knife. It wasn’t clear where he came from, but he was charging straight towards the area where most of the children were gathered.

Judging by his demeanor, he seemed completely intent on killing one person at least; if he managed to get two, it would be a bonus for him!

“Juanjuan! Run!”

Xu Youyou was walking on the left side of Lu Chenjun, and the assailant was also charging from the left.

The little girl could see the sharp blade and the sudden gleam in the assailant’s eyes when he spotted their side.

With almost no hesitation, the two children rushed towards where the driver was, wasting not a moment.

The two children had already been briefed by Qin Yiren on their first day at the kindergarten. The driver from the Qin family had once been a formidable bodyguard.

He was also among the top. However, during a mission, he injured his lungs, rendering him unable to engage in strenuous activities for long periods. As a result, he came to work as a driver for the Qin family but also took on occasional bodyguard duties.

Now, he was tasked by Qin Yiren with picking up and dropping off Lu Chenjun and Xu Youyou from school.

Sure enough, the driver’s reaction was fast. He had just gotten out of the car, ready to take the children from the teacher and help with their backpacks. But when he saw what was happening, he ran straight over, picking up one child in each arm and stuffing them into the car. Then, he confronted the assailant with the weapon head-on.

“Thud, thud, thud—”

In just a few moves, the old man was subdued on the ground, and the knife in his hand fell to the side.

“Corrupt officials, die! All of you, just die!”

Even so, the old man continued to curse vehemently.

Soon, the police and ambulance arrived.

Thanks to the Qin family driver’s quick actions and everyone running away fast, no one was injured. However, one grandmother who had come to pick up her grandchild was frightened by the scene and suffered a heart attack. The ambulance quickly rushed her to the hospital.

Qin Yiren and Xu Wenyin were among the first parents to arrive, even faster than the police car.

The two mothers were now comforting their respective children in the car, especially Xu Wenyin.

She never expected that something like this could happen when everything seemed fine at the kindergarten.

That’s right. Just because Xu Youyou wouldn’t die doesn’t mean she wouldn’t get hurt or feel pain!

If she had been stabbed by that knife……

Xu Wenyin gritted her teeth. “Youyou’s fine. Mom’s here.”

Even though she’s itching with anger inside, the top priority right now is to comfort the child.

Outside the car, Liu Miaomiao was already crying in her mother’s arms, clearly scared by what happened.

Mother Qian was also holding two children in her arms, trying hard to distract them.

This incident was both sudden and terrifying. Not only the children but also the parents and nannies who came to pick them up were frightened.

Qin Yiren regretted not coming to pick up Juanjuan and Youyou today. Otherwise, she would have been able to comfort them right away. She wondered how the two children were feeling during those fifteen minutes or so.

“Mom, I’m fine.”

Lu Chenjun came out from Qin Yiren’s embrace and gently patted her trembling body with his small hand. “Don’t be afraid.”

This was probably the first time he’d ever comforted Qin Yiren like this.

In the past, Lu Chenjun spent most of his time immersed in his own world.

Apart from occasionally responding to Qin Yiren, he rarely initiated any interaction.

Even though he’s improved a bit over the past year, most of the time it’s still Qin Yiren asking questions and Lu Chenjun answering.

This was the first time……

Qin Yiren froze. She hadn’t intended to cry, but why couldn’t she control the tears welling up in her eyes?

Lu Chenjun didn’t expect that his attempt to comfort his mother would only make her more saddened. Feeling at a loss, he didn’t know what to do next.

The next moment, Lu Chenjun found himself wrapped in a warm embrace once again.

“Mom’s fine, Mom’s glad.” Qin Yiren’s eyes were red, but there was a smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

For this complex emotion, Lu Chenjun clearly only grasped part of it. However, this time, he didn’t struggle to break free from the embrace. Instead, he remained still, sensing that his mother needed him at this moment.

On the other side, Xu Youyou wriggled out of Xu Wenyin’s arms and then sat in her safety seat. “Mom, let’s go home now. Youyou is okay.”

She remembered Xu Wenyin’s concern about time; they couldn’t delay there for too long.

Although she was indeed quite scared just now. Her mind went blank for a moment, and she only remembered holding Juanjuan’s hand tightly.

Her brain was now blurring that memory, leaving only a trace of fear.

But the moment Xu Youyou saw Xu Wenyin, all fear disappeared completely!

“Okay, let’s go home.” Xu Wenyin lifted Xu Youyou into her arms. “Mom will take Youyou home!”

———pr

Translated by Pocketrobbin

With such a dreadful incident happening at the entrance of the kindergarten, and considering it was Thursday, the children would have a temporary break from school the next day to recuperate.

That evening, Qin Yiren and the others quickly learned about the general details of the incident from the hastily arrived Lu Weizheng.

As expected, it was indeed related to Wang Yaojin.

The old man was a farmer from a small village about a hundred kilometers away from Jiang City.

The village was very isolated due to its geographical location.

Most of the young people had left, leaving behind only some elderly residents and a few penniless bachelors who were too lazy to leave.

The man nicknamed Laizi had hardly ever left the village in his entire life. Even at the age of fifty, he had never married. Somehow, he heard that he could buy a wife from somewhere.

He spent all his savings to buy a woman who had been abducted and was around forty years old from a middleman.

He actually wanted to buy a younger woman, but he didn’t have enough money.

However, shortly after acquiring a wife, Wang Yaojin was arrested.

The police swiftly launched a rescue operation based on the clues obtained and the confessions of Wang Yaojin’s henchmen.

The woman bought by Laizi was among the first group of people to be rescued.

It’s said that when the police went to his house to take him away, he was unwilling and even seemed ready to fight the police. However, when he heard the police say that buyers of trafficked women like him were also committing a crime and would go to jail, he took advantage of the police officers’ inattention and ran away!

The village had complex terrain, and the police were not familiar with the area like Laizi was. Moreover, they had a hungry woman with them who had not eaten for two days. So, they had no choice but to temporarily bring the person back and plan to return with more personnel to apprehend the criminal.

Who would have thought that Laizi somehow made his way to Jiang City and even found this kindergarten?

“Now that man is being stubborn and refusing to say anything. There must be someone behind him giving instructions.” Lu Weizheng said sternly, his demeanor intimidating. “I will continue to have people investigate until we catch who it is!”

After saying that, Lu Weizheng looked at Xu Youyou and Lu Chenjun on the side. Originally, he wanted the two children to go to rest early, but they both refused, insisting on knowing the truth of the matter!

After some consideration, both Xu Wenyin and Qin Yiren agreed as well.

Children aren’t delicate flowers in a greenhouse; they have the right to know about things that concern them.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t protect you well.”

Lu Weizheng crouched down, his gaze level with the two children, with a hint of fear still lingering in his eyes.

Due to his sudden actions, which effectively captured Wang Yaojin and his henchmen, combined with the fact that hardly anyone knew which kindergarten his son attended, Lu Weizheng had indeed been careless.

Knowing full well that his actions this time would anger many people, Lu Weizheng also realized that, unlike previous missions where his identity was strictly confidential, this time, no one could protect Qin Yiren and Lu Chenjun from any potential retaliation.

Now, his identity was public knowledge, transparent for all to see. If someone were determined enough to investigate, they could undoubtedly uncover it.

Lu Weizheng’s outwardly calm expression belied the self-reproach churning within him; internally, he was already giving himself a good thrashing.

Thankfully, both children were unharmed this time. Otherwise, he knew he would never forgive himself.

This incident served as a wake-up call for Lu Weizheng. His identity had changed; now he not only had Qin Yiren and Lu Chenjun behind him but also relatives, friends, and so on.

Indeed, before undertaking any action, one must thoroughly consider and plan ahead.

“It’s okay, it has nothing to do with Uncle Lu.” Xu Youyou smiled. “The bad guy is just too bad~”

Xu Wenyin had long told Xu Youyou that there were many bad people in the world. They would find all sorts of reasons to hurt others. At such times, one must never blame oneself because of the bad people. The best course of action was to either catch the bad people or stay away from them!

Just like Liu Miaomiao’s grandmother back then.

“Mm.”

In contrast to Xu Youyou’s warmth, Lu Chenjun only responded briefly.

But Lu Weizheng knew that this was his son’s unique way of telling him it was okay.

Lu Weizheng couldn’t help but open his arms and hug the two children. His deep voice resonated, “I swear, such things will never happen again in the future. I won’t let the bad guys have another chance to harm you.”

The last few words were spoken with a softer tone, but the determination within them couldn’t be ignored.

Due to the angle, nobody could see Lu Weizheng’s expression when he said those words. If his comrades who were familiar with him saw it, they would surely sigh inwardly, ‘Someone inviting death has provoked the boss again and will suffer~’.

Lu Weizheng had killed people, and not just one.

The softest part of Lu Weizheng’s heart was reserved only for his wife and son, and perhaps now for Xu Youyou as well. As for other relatives and friends, while Lu Weizheng does care about them, it’s still to a lesser extent.

Clearly, the person behind this was very ‘lucky’, as they immediately touched on Lu Weizheng’s inverted scale^[1]personal grievance; trigger; pet peeve; taboo topic, especially that of a powerful person. He was determined to spare no effort in making these scheming individuals pay the price!

———pr

Please only read this translation at S h a n g h a i f a n t a s y . c o m to support the translator

At night, Xu Wenyin stayed by Xu Youyou’s bedside, keeping her company until her body’s time was up.

Even then she didn’t rest; instead, she processed streams of information within Xu Youyou’s consciousness.

In case Xu Youyou had a nightmare or woke up in the middle of the night, Xu Wenyin would be able to sense it.

Although it seemed like Xu Youyou wasn’t affected this time, just in case, Xu Wenyin still wanted to investigate further, hoping to uncover any overlooked details.

Actually……

Xu Wenyin ‘glanced’ at the sleeping Xu Youyou.

If they were to follow the system’s approach, the optimal solution for Xu Youyou after experiencing this incident would be to move.

To distance herself from Lu Chenjun and all the messy affairs of the Lu family.

Who knows if there will be a second or third time in the future?

What if Youyou isn’t as lucky next time and gets hurt?

In Xu Wenyin’s eyes, Lu Weizheng’s assurance fell short.

After all, in the novel, he failed to protect his own son, leading to his untimely death, a loss so profound that even Qin Yiren couldn’t accept it and divorced Lu Weizheng.

Moreover, from a realistic perspective, with Xu Wenyin’s current assets, the two of them could live comfortably anywhere.

That was clearly the best way to handle the task.

However, thinking about Xu Youyou, as well as Qin Yiren and Lu Chenjun, Xu Wenyin ultimately gave up on this option.

One couldn’t just distance oneself from friends because there’s danger.

She didn’t want to raise Youyou to be completely selfish and ruthless.

Such people might not be easily hurt, but…… can they truly be happy?

“Mom, Mom.” Xu Youyou murmured softly in her sleep.

〖I’m here, Mom’s here.〗 Xu Wenyin responded in a soft voice as well.

As if hearing Xu Wenyin’s response, Xu Youyou quickly turned over and continued to sleep soundly.

With her little face slightly flushed, buried in the pillow, she emitted steady breathing. No matter how one looked at her, she was adorable!

After watching over Xu Youyou for three minutes, Xu Wenyin continued to work happily.

Protecting children from harm is the responsibility of adults; children just need to play happily every day.

———pr

The aftermath of the incident didn’t unfold quickly. Seeing Lu Weizheng so busy that he even slept in his office, Father Liu and the others were too embarrassed to come to inquire.

However, when the children returned to kindergarten, not only did the kindergarten strengthen various security measures, but there were also many security personnel in the vicinity.

They were scattered around the entire perimeter of the kindergarten, continuously monitoring for any suspicious individuals.

These were all people hired by the parents at their own expense.

If spending a little money could bring some peace of mind and provide extra protection for their children, no parent would refuse.

It seemed that these children, who faced the situation firsthand, quickly returned to normalcy after the initial panic. Because there was no bloodshed this time, in the children’s minds, it was probably similar to what they saw on TV.

Their attention was quickly drawn to the upcoming Halloween festivities.

Xu Youyou still remembered how last year her mom simply put a pumpkin hat on her, and then, upon seeing Liu Miaomiao’s little witch and Qian Xin’s No-Face^[2]a character from the Japanese animated fantasy film 《Spirited Away》 costumes, she looked disappointed and expressed defeat. This year, she wanted to make up for it.

She wondered what outfit her mom would prepare.

Miaomiao said she would dress up as Elsa^[3]a character from the animated fantasy film 《Frozen》  this year. It’s sure to be very beautiful!

Amid Xu Youyou’s various speculations, Xu Wenyin and Qin Yiren certainly didn’t forget about this event either.

Dealing with the evildoers was indeed necessary, but it shouldn’t affect one’s normal life.

Qin Yiren felt regretful that Lu Chenjun refused to wear the handsome bat costume last year, but this year, under the skill of pretending to be pitiful that she had learned from Xu Wenyin, the little guy finally relented!

Xu Wenyin asked, “These costumes are so cute! Did you make them, Yiyi?”

The two adults were currently in Qin Yiren’s studio, where Qin Yiren was showing Xu Wenyin her previous designs. There weren’t only costumes for Halloween but also everyday wear.

Upon hearing Xu Wenyin’s praise, Qin Yiren immediately flashed a happy smile. “Aren’t they adorable? I think Youyou will look great in it!”

“Take a look at these two sets. What do you think about letting the two children wear them for Halloween?” Qin Yiren then lifted up the two sets of clothes she had already made.

The craftsmanship was exquisite, with perfect details, not to mention the styles.

They were completely different from the ones available online.

Xu Wenyin glanced at them and then gave Qin Yiren a thumbs-up. She then reached for the one on the right. “I think they’re great. Youyou will definitely……”

As Xu Wenyin was halfway through her sentence, Qin Yiren shifted to the side, retracting her right hand and instead presenting the clothes in her left hand to Xu Wenyin. Under Xu Wenyin’s puzzled gaze, she gave a mischievous wink.

“This is the one for Youyou~”

Xu Wenyin: “……”

She glanced at the costume on the right, which Qin Yiren had retracted. It was a style that any little girl would like at first sight.

But if it were for Lu Chenjun……

Truly a mother, not hesitating to tease her son!