“Your name sounds quite nice! From now on, I’ll call you Xiao Hao, alright? Don’t worry, just stay here and recover first. Once you’re better, you can decide whether to stay or leave.”

“I won’t force you to do anything. If you choose to stay, you’ll be my little brother, and I’ll take care of you. If you want to leave, I’ll give you some silver, and you can go on your own.”

Lin Yuxin pulled a stool over and sat beside the bed, speaking to him gently.

“Thank you!”

After a long silence, Qiu Tinghao’s small voice finally responded.

“It’s nothing. I just happened to come across you—I couldn’t just leave you there, could I? Oh, by the way, this is my bed. You’ll have to make do for tonight, but tomorrow, you can move to the guest room next door.”

Halfway through speaking, Lin Yuxin suddenly realized something and awkwardly added,

“I secretly brought you back last night so as not to alarm the servants. That’s why you ended up in my bed. I hope you don’t mind!”

Qiu Tinghao gently shook his head.

Looking at the older girl in front of him, he didn’t feel the same aversion he usually felt toward others. Listening to her talk, he didn’t find her annoying.

Just watching her speak brought an unexpected sense of peace to his heart.

[Phew, this kid… At least he hasn’t gone completely astray. There’s still hope. Little one, since I helped you this time, you better grow up properly!]

Suddenly, Qiu Tinghao’s eyes widened.

What was that voice?!

[Xiao Hao is way too skinny. I’ll dig up two ginseng roots for him later to nourish him a bit. How could anyone bring themselves to hurt such a young child? No wonder he grew up to be ruthless. First, I need to get rid of Yan Hong Lou. That wretched place that devours people should’ve been destroyed long ago.]

Qiu Tinghao abruptly turned to look at Lin Yuxin.

Was that voice coming from her? But… she didn’t even move her lips!

[Huh? Why is Xiao Hao staring at me? Is he hungry?]

“Xiao Hao, are you hungry? I’ll ask Xiaodie to bring some food for you, but you can only have porridge for now. You’ve been starving for too long, so you can’t eat anything too greasy at the moment, alright?”

Lin Yuxin gently asked him.

Qiu Tinghao instinctively nodded, pretending to agree that he was hungry. It was her! That voice earlier—was it her inner thoughts?

Why can I hear her thoughts? Am I a monster?

For the first time in his life, five-year-old Qiu Tinghao felt fear.

He suddenly curled up and hugged himself, trembling all over.

Seeing this, Lin Yuxin hurried forward, concern evident in her voice.

“Xiao Hao? What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?”

But he didn’t respond.

He just held himself tightly, looking utterly terrified.

Lin Yuxin sighed helplessly and reached out, pulling him into a hug.

She gently patted his back and whispered softly,

“Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid. I’m here, I’m here.”

After a long while, Qiu Tinghao finally calmed down.

Lin Yuxin didn’t let go of him immediately—she continued holding him, patting his back until he drifted off to sleep.

Lin Yuxin sighed again. Why does it feel like I’m raising a child ahead of schedule?

Once she was sure he was asleep, she gently laid him back down, tucked him in with a blanket, and quietly left the room.

[Sigh, this kid has a serious psychological trauma. How should I help him? I guess I’ll have to check some books and do some research.]

Thinking of Xiao Hao’s condition, Lin Yuxin felt a little worried.

She immediately went to the next room, entered her personal space, and began searching for relevant information.

She ended up studying until dawn. The conclusion she reached was that psychological wounds needed time and patience to heal.

The best way was to use warmth and kindness to help him recover.

Lin Yuxin scratched her head. If worst comes to worst, I’ll just raise him as my own son!

Yes, that could work!

So, she dug up two ginseng roots and left her space.

Checking on Xiao Hao in the next room, she saw that he was already awake, which eased her worries.

“You’re awake? How are you feeling today?”

Lin Yuxin walked over and asked softly.

Qiu Tinghao slowly sat up, wanting to get out of bed, but Lin Yuxin stopped him.

“Your body is still weak. It’s okay to rest a little longer.”

“I’ll go to the other room.”

Qiu Tinghao spoke in a small voice.

He hadn’t forgotten that this was his big sister’s room. He couldn’t keep occupying it, especially since he was a boy.

“Then at least have breakfast first, okay? Xiaodie, prepare breakfast and bring it here.”

Lin Yuxin held his hand and led him to the round table in the room, instructing the maid to fetch some food.

“Sit down and let me check your pulse.”

Qiu Tinghao obediently stretched out his hand.

Seeing how well-behaved he was, Lin Yuxin smiled and reached into her sleeve—actually, she retrieved a candy from her personal space—and handed it to him.

“Since you’re being so good, this is for you!”

Qiu Tinghao stared blankly at the candy in her palm for a long moment before finally taking it.

Lin Yuxin smiled as he accepted it, then focused on checking his pulse.

[Hmm, much better than yesterday, but his body is still too weak. He needs proper nourishment!]

After finishing the diagnosis, Lin Yuxin ruffled his hair and spoke gently.

“You’re fine now, just too frail. Eat well from now on, so you can grow up strong, okay?”

Qiu Tinghao looked at her, a subtle sense of reliance forming within him—something even he hadn’t noticed.

He nodded slightly.

“Good boy.”

At that moment, Xiaodie brought in breakfast.

Lin Yuxin and Qiu Tinghao ate together before she took him to rest in the guest room.

After all, he was a boy. Even though he was only five, this was ancient times, where men and women were expected to be separate.

Once he fully recovered, she planned to arrange for him to stay in her elder brother’s courtyard.

After settling Qiu Tinghao in, Lin Yuxin finally had some free time. She sat in the courtyard, thinking over recent events.

[A lot has happened these past few days. I broke off my eldest brother’s attachment to his ‘white moonlight,’ saved the future emperor, and now, Mother is bringing up divorce. It should go through soon.]

[But the matter with the embroidered pouch still hasn’t unfolded. Did I misjudge? If they weren’t planning to frame me, then what were they trying to do?]

Lin Yuxin tapped the stone table thoughtfully, then withdrew her hand. No use overthinking. As long as Mother successfully divorces him, what do I care what they’re up to? If they dare to provoke me, I’ll just deal with them all at once.

Then, the very next day, something happened—exactly as Lin Yuxin had anticipated.

“Miss, bad news!”

Lin Yuxin had just finished breakfast with Xiao Hao when Xiaodie rushed in, looking flustered.

“What’s wrong?”

Lin Yuxin asked, frowning at her anxious expression.

“Miss, the mansion is surrounded by people! A man came holding an embroidered pouch, claiming that you and he had secretly pledged to marry, demanding to see you!”

Xiaodie blurted out the news in a panic.

“Oh? I thought they weren’t going to make a move. So, they were just waiting for this moment?”

Lin Yuxin narrowed her eyes, a sharp glint flashing through them.

“Miss, what should we do? This concerns your reputation—if we don’t handle this well, your name will be ruined!”

Xiaodie was frantic.