Xia Yu grabbed Hu Lianglu’s arm. He took out the medicine given by the doctor, removed the bandage, and re-bandaged the girl’s wound.
His hands were steady, showing no signs of anxiety or panic.
After tying the bandage securely, Xia Yu looked at Hu Lianglu and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Hu Lianglu replied.
“Be careful with that hand,” Xia Yu said, patting the girl’s head before heading toward the door.
Upon opening the door, he sensed a drop in Hu Lianglu’s goodwill.
He immediately stopped and turned around to look at her.
Her goodwill returned.
He turned back toward the door again, and her goodwill dropped once more.
Got it—she clearly didn’t want him to leave.
Xia Yu weighed his options: should he agree to stay with Hu Lianglu and leave Xu Youxiang hanging, or abandon Hu Lianglu and go back to chat with Xu Youxiang online?
First, he considered Hu Lianglu’s unusual behavior today.
“How did you cut your hand?” Xia Yu asked.
“Accidentally, while playing with a knife,” Hu Lianglu replied in a low voice, as if forced to speak.
Xia Yu didn’t believe her. If it was truly an accident, how could such a large wound have been caused? Was it a knife that could slice through iron?
Feeling something strange, he thought it best to stay and observe. Especially considering how drastically her goodwill had decreased.
He thought further and realized this might be a great opportunity—a chance to bring Hu Lianglu over to An Siyao.
He bent down and picked up Hu Lianglu.
“What are you doing!” Hu Lianglu exclaimed, her expression turning fierce.
He tapped her forehead but didn’t answer her question: “Behave yourself.”
Carrying Hu Lianglu downstairs, the driver, who had been chatting with his girlfriend on his phone, quickly said goodbye and opened the car door for Xia Yu.
As she was placed into the car, Hu Lianglu tried to resist but quieted down after Xia Yu pinched her cheek.
Once both were inside, the driver closed the door and returned to the driver’s seat.
“Back to the villa,” Xia Yu said.
“Understood,” the driver replied, starting the engine.
As they drove onto the main road, the driver glanced at Hu Lianglu through the rearview mirror. She was looking out the window with an unwilling expression.
Meanwhile, his employer, Miss An, looked happy.
It was natural for her to be happy—after all, she had just brought a beautiful girl home.
The driver still remembered the previous girl brought to the villa, Xu Youxiang. She had stayed for less than a year before finally escaping after proving her worth in the field of internet technology, which earned her protection from the master of the house.
How long would this girl last? Would she be as fortunate as Xu Youxiang, possessing a useful talent?
The driver thought it unlikely. This girl was probably facing permanent confinement.
Come to think of it, the last girl Miss brought home had been disabled in both legs, and he had assumed Miss had some unusual preferences. But this one seemed perfectly normal.
Just then, the driver noticed Hu Lianglu’s bandaged arm.
He inhaled sharply and decided not to indulge in further thoughts.
He reminded himself that he was merely a driver.
Without showing any expression, he drove the car to the villa’s entrance and opened the door for An Siyao.
Carrying Hu Lianglu, Xia Yu entered the villa.
The female servants were greatly surprised to see their mistress return with a young girl in her arms.
Yu Ningmeng, who had been handling paperwork in her room, was called out.
“What’s this?” Yu Ningmeng looked at Hu Lianglu.
After putting Hu Lianglu down and holding her hand, feeling the girl’s slightly tense palm, Xia Yu realized that Hu Lianglu was somewhat uncomfortable in this unfamiliar environment. At the same time, she had already begun to rely on him.
“A friend, named Hu Lianglu,” Xia Yu introduced her. “Please prepare a room for her.”
Yu Ningmeng had already recognized Hu Lianglu, as Xia Yu had previously asked her to investigate. She had originally assumed Xia Yu had some intentions toward the girl, but now it seemed like Miss An Yao was making a move first—perhaps preemptively, to prevent Xia Yu from having any opportunity.
Putting aside her curiosity, Yu Ningmeng asked Hu Lianglu to follow her, but Hu Lianglu ignored her completely.
Only when Xia Yu started walking did Hu Lianglu follow.
After showing Hu Lianglu her room, Xia Yu knew that his plan to bring her here had basically succeeded.
Thanks to this incident, Hu Lianglu, for some unknown reason, now seemed reluctant to separate from him, making it easy to bring her to the villa. If it had been the previous Hu Lianglu, she definitely wouldn’t have gone home with anyone, and if she had, she would have sneaked away soon.
“You can rest on the bed. I’ll be in the room at the end of the corridor,” Xia Yu tried to return to his room to chat with Xu Youxiang. Although a video call was impossible, a regular chat was still doable.
However, Hu Lianglu’s goodwill began to drop again.
With no choice, Xia Yu could only sit by the bed, and Hu Lianglu obediently lay down.
Watching Hu Lianglu’s affection for Miss Anyao, Yu Ningmeng contemplated the circumstances.
What had Miss Yao done to bring about this change?
Xu Youxiang hadn’t acted like this before.
She left the bedroom, still puzzled.
Inside the bedroom, Xia Yu took out An Siyao’s phone, logged into his QQ account, and tried to send a message to Xu Youxiang.
But Xu Youxiang had deleted him, so the message couldn’t be sent.
“…”
Frustrated, Xia Yu threw the phone aside and decided to try again later.
He looked at Hu Lianglu on the bed, who was also looking at him.
They locked eyes for five seconds before Hu Lianglu reached out, took his hand, and slowly closed her eyes.
Five minutes later, as Xia Yu observed Hu Lianglu sleeping but still unwilling to let go of his hand, he used his other hand to stroke his chin.
Was Hu Lianglu clinging to him because of her injury, or had she injured herself just to be close to him?
Considering the unnatural nature of the wound, Xia Yu leaned toward the latter.
He lightly frowned.
As a “guard dog” meant for An Siyao, being fierce and temperamental was acceptable, but becoming possessive and obsessive was strictly prohibited.
What if she tried to stab him one day upon seeing him being affectionate with An Siyao?
He needed to continue observing and correcting her behavior for a while.
He picked up his phone and started watching videos out of boredom.
At noon, he woke Hu Lianglu up for lunch. Afterward, they sat together in a pavilion in the backyard.
He grabbed Hu Lianglu’s arm and began his questioning: “You deliberately cut your hand.”
His tone was calm, not a question but a statement.
Hu Lianglu turned her head away, instinctively avoiding the topic.
“No, I didn’t,” she lied.
“I know you did.” Xia Yu moved closer to Hu Lianglu, pulled her into his arms, and stroked her hair. “You don’t need to do things like this. If you want to be affectionate, just be affectionate normally.”
Xia Yu felt Hu Lianglu’s body stiffen for a moment before relaxing. She wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face in his chest.
At the same time, her goodwill increased, surpassing even the Feng sisters’ level.
Satisfied, Xia Yu gently rubbed Hu Lianglu’s back, thinking that once he corrected a few of her small issues, he could hand her over to An Siyao.
After her goodwill increased, Hu Lianglu became even more attached to Xia Yu, following him everywhere, hand in hand, and even sleeping together at night.
Yu Ningmeng suspected that Hu Lianglu might be a pervert secretly coveting Miss Yao’s body. She trailed them for some time, but after verifying that Hu Lianglu’s attachment was pure and not driven by lust, she finally eased her mind.
The next morning, Xia Yu woke up first and mentally greeted An Siyao before getting out of bed.
The movement woke Hu Lianglu, who immediately opened her eyes.
“I’m going to wash up. You can keep sleeping,” Xia Yu said.
Hu Lianglu got out of bed and grabbed Xia Yu’s hand. “I’m going too.”
Xia Yu had no choice but to take her with him to the bathroom.
After washing up and having breakfast, Xia Yu handed Hu Lianglu a laptop, hoping she would watch some shows and stop clinging to him. But she still followed him around.
This made Xia Yu somewhat troubled.
This level of attachment couldn’t continue. He needed to find a solution.
But not right now—he had promised to meet Wen Ziying in the afternoon.
Unlike Xu Youxiang, who could be appeased with some coaxing, Wen Ziying had actively invited him. This might involve important developments.
Xia Yu still wanted to complete the task of guiding Wen Ziying’s life for the reward of star fragments.
He spent the morning with Hu Lianglu and then sent a message to Yu Ningmeng when Hu Lianglu wasn’t looking.
“Ningyi, can you stay by my side this afternoon until 9 PM?”
After sending the message, he took a photo of An Siyao saying “Please help me” and sent it too.
Only after sending it did he realize he had unconsciously used the “cute appeal” skill again.
Well, it was An Siyao’s body—what did An Siyao’s cuteness have to do with Xia Yu?
Yu Ningmeng, captivated by An Siyao’s picture, quickly cleared her schedule and came to An Siyao’s bedroom.
Xia Yu was preparing to go to Wen Ziying’s place but was reluctant to leave An Siyao alone with Hu Lianglu, so he called for Yu Ningmeng.
“Don’t leave,” Xia Yu said with An Siyao’s face.
Seeing An Siyao’s sweet voice and glistening eyes, Yu Ningmeng nodded with a pounding heart.
She wondered, what was Miss Yao up to? Was she suddenly feeling sentimental?
She imagined something beautiful, but reality was always cruel.
Yu Ningmeng saw Miss Yao sitting on the bed, pulling Hu Lianglu to lie down with her head resting on Yao’s lap. Yao began humming a lullaby.
Hu Lianglu slowly fell asleep, and the room became quiet.
Five minutes later, Yu Ningmeng clenched her fists.
So you called me here just to watch you two show affection?!
I never imagined you’d turn out to be this kind of Yao!
Damn it, I want a lap pillow too!
Yu Ningmeng wanted to leave but remembered her promise and could only continue standing there.
Meanwhile, Xia Yu, having successfully used a calming skill on Hu Lianglu, had already arrived at Wen Ziying’s place.
After a moment of darkness, he found himself facing a familiar desk.
On the desk was a handwritten manuscript.
Wen Ziying’s handwriting was elegant, just like her appearance.
It was a novel manuscript, and Xia Yu took it and started reading without hesitation.
“A new work?” he asked while reading.
“Yes,” Wen Ziying confirmed.
By now, Xia Yu had already skimmed the beginning.
It was a fictional story about a prison guard and a captured foreign princess.
Wen Ziying had only written the beginning, introducing the protagonist prison guard. The guard had originally been a hooligan who used deception to obtain the position of prison guard. His goal was to seduce the noblewoman warden and enter high society.
The story ended there when the prison guard met the imprisoned princess. Below were many plot outlines, indicating Wen Ziying had hit a block.
It was a very clear story. Xia Yu didn’t need to think hard to know that the noblewoman warden was just a supporting character. The prison guard would fall into a tragic love affair with the imprisoned princess, possibly involving national conflicts, factional struggles, and revealing some aspect of human nature. Xia Yu guessed Wen Ziying was stuck on what to add next.
“How do you plan to continue?” Xia Yu asked Wen Ziying.
“I’m not going to write it anymore. I’ve lost the feeling,” Wen Ziying replied.
Xia Yu didn’t press further. It was normal to start something and then lose interest.
“What are we doing today?” he asked, getting to the point.
“Cemetery,” Wen Ziying answered.
Cemetery?
Xia Yu stood up and went downstairs, taking a taxi to the city’s cemetery.
The cemetery was large, located on the edge of the city, well-planned by the government.
After buying flowers and a small bottle of wine from a nearby shop and following Wen Ziying’s guidance, Xia Yu arrived at a gravestone—it was Wen Ziying’s father’s grave.
“It’s his anniversary today,” Wen Ziying said.
Xia Yu first placed the flowers, then poured the wine in front of the grave.
He joined his hands in prayer and mourned Wen’s father for a moment.
Afterward, he felt something was off.
What did the anniversary of Wen Ziying’s father’s death have to do with him? Why should he come to pay his respects?
“Let’s go,” Wen Ziying said.
Placing the empty bottle neatly for the staff to collect, Xia Yu walked out of the cemetery.
On the way back, Wen Ziying began to mutter in Xia Yu’s mind, seemingly talking to herself: “I’m actually afraid to come here.”
Xia Yu didn’t respond. He knew Wen Ziying would continue speaking. This was a confession, not a conversation.
“But I have no choice. I have to come once a year. It’s the same with my hometown,” Wen Ziying deliberately used “hometown” to refer to Bian Guping.
Then she fell silent.
Seeing that Wen Ziying had been quiet for a while, Xia Yu knew it was time for him to prompt her.
“Why?” he asked.
Wen Ziying continued: “When I was little, she always told me that she reunited with Dad through writing. Even after she stopped writing, she often read those magazines, reading the good parts to me…”
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