Chapter 12

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

“Where is Xu Zhaomu?” Shen Chi asked a maid who was standing at the side of the table.

“Upstairs.”

“Call her down to eat. please.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

When the maid went upstairs to knock on her door, Xu Zhaomu was still reading enthusiastically. When she heard the knock, she shoved the manga underneath the bed with a conditioned reflex.

“Miss Xu, the Young Master wants you to come downstairs and eat.”

“Coming! Coming!” Xu Zhaomu stored her manga properly before opening the door and heading downstairs.

Xu Zhaomu skipped down the stairs. She stood behind Shen Chi’s chair and gave him a back hug. “Were you worried that I would go hungry?”

“Get your claws off me!” Shen Chi frowned.

“Was that it? Was it? Quickly admit it!” Xu Zhaomu refused to give up.

She seemed to have completely forgotten that Shen Chi had berated her earlier in the afternoon. Hey, it wasn’t her fault that she had such a terrible memory.

“I’ve told you before. The maid in charge of feeding Big White is on leave. Once you finish eating, go and feed the dog,” Shen Chi replied nonchalantly.

“Men are truly hypocritical creatures.”

Xu Zhaomu had learned this phrase from a manga she’d read that day. She immediately applied her knowledge.

“Who taught you that?” Shen Chi’s eyes were piercing as he asked her in a cold voice. He frowned.

“I saw it on television.” Xu Zhaomu could sense that trouble was brewing. She hastily grinned and glossed over it.

“Is that so?” Shen Chi harrumphed coldly. With a bang, he slammed his chopsticks down onto the table. Fires of fury seemed to burn in his eyes.

Gulp, Xu Zhaomu was so frightened that a shiver ran down her spine.

Shen Chi stood up and went upstairs. Xu Zhaomu hastily started to follow behind him.

“Hey, where are you going, you’re not going to eat? Eat together…”

Xu Zhaomu tottered behind Shen Chi. Shen Chi turned toward a maid. “Don’t let her follow me!”

The maid hurriedly held Xu Zhaomu back. Xu Zhaomu put up a fight, but to no avail. She was just like a tiny ant trying to shake a big tree.

“Hey, don’t stop me. Let me go…”

Shen Chi stormed toward Xu Zhaomu’s room. He had his suspicions that she was hiding more manga books.

Just as he’d expected, he discovered a huge pile under her bed. He sneered.

After gathering all the manga books, he tossed the entire heap downstairs.

With an enormous crash, the books fell onto the ground. The huge racket caused Xu Zhaomu to shut her eyes in shock.

A moment later, Shen Chi walked down the stairs. He said to the maid, “Take everything away and burn them.”

“Yes, Young Master.” The maid released Xu Zhaomu. After picking up the books from the ground, the maid walked out of the living room.

Only Xu Zhaomu and Shen Chi were left in the large living room. The entire room was plunged into silence, and not a sound could be heard.

“Don’t play such tricks in the future.” Shen Chi rebuked her angrily.

Xu Zhaomu pouted. After being caught red-handed, she could only confront him head-on. “Why do you care about what I read? You’re not even one of my elders. It’s not like I’m committing murder or arson, I’m just reading manga. Why are you being so fierce?”

Shen Chi snickered coldly. “Talking back now? Okay then, what did I tell you this afternoon? If I caught you one more time, you’d have to get out of the Shen family…”

Shen Chi spoke quite loudly. Xu Zhaomu was frightened by him.

She couldn’t compare with his height, nor could she compare with his strength. However, she definitely wouldn’t lose to him when it came to an unyielding spirit.

“If I need to leave, then I’ll leave. Who even wants to stay in your house, do you think you’re very amazing just because you have a lot of money? Does having money mean that you can pick quarrels whenever you wish? What gives you the right to burn my manga book? They weren’t even bought with your family’s money! I’ve had enough of you, don’t annoy me anymore.”

Xu Zhaomu walked off in a huff.

She had never been at the receiving end of such treatment. Although her family was poor, her mother had never scolded her. She was always the first on her mother’s mind when her mother came across something good.

When she thought of this, Xu Zhaomu wiped away some real tears.

She didn’t cry when she bickered with Shen Chi. However, the moment she thought of her mother, she felt miserable again.

When her mother had still been around, she would never have allowed her to suffer any unfair treatment at the hands of others. She would never have allowed others to scold her…

She only realized how cold it was outside once she ran out of the living room.

The interior of the house was heated. She was only wearing a thin coat, and, when she stepped outside, her entire body immediately started to shiver.

As she walked, she started to shed tears. In the end, she was still a child. As she trod on, she slowly grew tired, however, she had yet to find the exit of the Shen residence. She sat at the corner of the wall and buried her head into her chest as she shouted, Mommy.

The cold wintry breeze blew onto her body, causing her to shiver. She couldn’t help but tighten her arms around her body.

“Mommy…why did you leave me behind alone… Mommy…”

As time went by, she sobbed even harder. Her voice reverberated in the wind like a strand of silk, touching all the hearts around.

The sky was already pitch-black. Occasionally, a bird would fly off a tree and flap its wings, scaring Xu Zhaomu to the point that she didn’t dare to raise her head up.

“Boohoo… Boohoo…” She sobbed sporadically. She felt very miserable.

What right did Shen Chi have to scold her? What right did he have to burn her books and to bully her. How could he be such a bully…?

“Little kid, which family do you come from? It’s late, why are you crying here?”

Suddenly, a youthful, gentle voice echoed from above her head. Xu Zhaomu thought that she had heard wrongly. However, the youth lowered his head once more and said, “Don’t sit on the ground. We’re in the middle of winter.”

When the youth stretched out his hand, Xu Zhaomu finally looked up.

Under the glow of the lanterns, Xu Zhaomu saw a handsome youth smiling at her.

Xu Zhaomu blinked her eyes. “Are you talking to me?”

“Is there anyone else here?” the youth grinned, flashing two rows of pearly white teeth.

“Oh, I don’t belong to any family. I was kidnapped,” Xu Zhaomu said unhappily.

“Kidnapped?” The youth laughed. “Who kidnapped you?”

“It’s too cold here. If you take me back, I’ll tell you.” Xu Zhaomu pouted.

“Come on, stand up! I’ll take you to my house.” The youth extended a hand and pulled Xu Zhaomu up.

He dusted the dirt off her body. With a basketball in his hands, they walked back side by side.

“What’s your name?” Xu Zhaomu asked.

“Li Beiting.”

“Oh, my name is Xu Zhaomu.”

To be honest, she wanted to say Xu as in promise, and Zhaomu as in dusk to dawn. However, she changed her mind. This was something that Shen Chi had taught her, she definitely wasn’t going to say it.

“You still haven’t told me, who kidnapped you?” When Li Beiting heard her name, he immediately came to a realization. Wasn’t this the little girl that the Shen family had just brought home?

Xu Zhaomu almost said, Auntie Zhou. However, she thought about it and decided that it wouldn’t be kind of her to say that. Hence, she spat out angrily, “Shen Chi!”

Li Beiting couldn’t hold back his laughter. This little girl was way too adorable. She was simply a clown!

He had grown up together with Shen Chi. As it turned out, Shen Chi had started a trade in human trafficking. This was something new to him.

“What are you laughing for?” Xu Zhaomu was very serious, and she had plastered a solemn expression on her face.

“No…nothing.” Li Beiting tried to control his laughter.

They reached the entrance of the Li family home. Li Beiting brought her into his house.

“Your house is also massive…” Xu Zhaomu couldn’t help but wonder. Apart from her family, was everyone else in the world rich like this?

“It’s much smaller in comparison to Shen Chi’s house.” Li Beiting smiled as he said, “Oh, right, why were you crying all alone out there?”

“A victim of kidnapping wouldn’t cry?” Xu Zhaomu glanced at Li Beiting with a look of utter disdain.

Li Beiting choked. It seemed…that this was rather logical thought.

No wait, this was dogsh*t logic. The Shen family was involved in human trafficking? This girl had obviously been brought here from an orphanage.

“Then…does Shen Chi know that you ran away?”

“How would I know whether he knows or not.” Xu Zhaomu grumbled.

Ahem… Li Beiting choked once more. Shen Chi had truly picked up a clown.

“I saw you crying very sorrowfully. Did Shen Chi scold you?” Li Beiting teased her.

Li Beiting knew all too well that Shen Chi was a naturally bad-tempered person. He was 80 percent sure that Xu Zhaomu had annoyed Shen Chi. With that nasty temper of his, no one who provoked him would meet a good end.

What’s more, he’d heard that the Shen family was currently going through an unforeseen event. Shen Chi was probably in a terrible mood.