Chapter Fourteen: "Hey! You Brat!"
After waiting for a while, there was no movement.
Yet Anan still clung tightly to her clothes, feeling a little scared inside.
The day before yesterday at noon, when Yin Yuanxun was still around, he had told Anan a ghost story. That night, Anan was so frightened she didn’t dare sleep. It was only because Lu Jinqiao held her and comforted her that she finally managed to fall asleep. The next day, they distracted her with other things, and she eventually forgot about the ghost story.
But now, looking at the silent forest, Anan couldn’t help but recall the ghost story Yin Yuanxun had told her that noon.
“The forest was very quiet, the fallen leaves made no sound, and soon…”
“From deep within the woods, a thick fog began to rise… At first, he didn’t notice, but when he realized it, he was already engulfed, unable to see anything around him.”
…
“The next moment! Suddenly, a loud explosion echoed through the forest, boom—”
“Bang.”
Accompanied by a sudden noise coming from an unknown source, Anan was frightened to tears.
“Waaah! Daddy, save Anan! Boohoo, I’m scared!”
The system could only fret helplessly. In the space, a small white glowing orb imitated human movements, pacing back and forth on the ground.
“Anan, little one? Don’t cry, uncle is here.”
“Don’t be afraid, little one, it’s nothing—no ghosts. Uncle will protect you. Stop crying, okay? Don’t cry or your throat will hurt. Be good, little one.”
“Uncle will teach you how to get out, alright? Stop crying, good little one. It’s okay, uncle is here, we’re not afraid.”
The system’s repeated reassurances gradually quieted Anan’s sobs, though she still hiccupped occasionally, not quite recovered yet.
Her eyes, just washed by tears, were clear and bright, looking pitiful.
“System: Good little one, listen to uncle. Just keep walking straight, okay? Uncle will tell you when to turn.”
Anan nodded, wiped her tears with both hands, then pushed herself up from the ground, brushing off the leaves stuck to her clothes where she had been sitting.
She then followed the system’s instructions.
After winding through twists and turns, Anan finally made it out.
Right outside, she ran into Uncle Lin, who had been frantic searching for her.
“Oh my dear little lady, what happened to you?”
Uncle Lin immediately noticed Anan’s unusually red eyes and nose. “Why do you look so bedraggled?”
Anan’s clothes were still stuck with leaves, her once neat hair was now disheveled. She looked both pitiful and bedraggled.
---
Seeing a familiar face, Anan’s pent-up grievances welled up but she didn’t cry. Instead, she reached out her arms to be picked up by Uncle Lin.
Once in his arms, Anan rested her head on his shoulder, sniffling.
“Grandpa, Anan wants to sleep.”
After all that turmoil, Anan was indeed sleepy.
Uncle Lin carried her home, where Cheng Han bathed her, changed her into clean clothes, and laid her on the bed.
Anan’s head touched the pillow, and before long, she was fast asleep.
Uncle Lin immediately messaged Lu Jinqiao about what had happened.
After reading the message in the reception room, Lu Jinqiao called back right away. Upon hearing that Anan was safe and already asleep, he simply said, “Wait for me,” then hung up.
He thought maybe he should get Anan a pet—so even when he wasn’t home, she’d have something to play with and wouldn’t be bored. With an animal companion, she wouldn’t be so scared if left alone.
---
The Lu Family’s Old Estate.
The old estate was a sprawling manor left from the last century, mysterious and quaint.
Master Lu and his wife had been childhood sweethearts who married smoothly and deeply loved each other. Later, Mrs. Lu bore him a son, but a few years after, she passed away suddenly from an illness, leaving only Master Lu and their son.
That son married and had a child, Lu Jinqiao.
However, the Lu family’s fate seemed ill-starred; both Lu’s parents passed away, leaving Lu Jinqiao orphaned at just five years old. Master Lu single-handedly raised him.
After Lu Jinqiao took over the Lu Corporation, Master Lu retired from the public eye and moved back to the old estate from the city.
The weather was fine today, and Master Lu was fishing in the little pond on the property.
Wearing a small straw hat, his fishing rod fixed in place, he leaned back in his chair, scrolling on his phone.
He then saw some chatter in the company group chat about a “little princess” or something.
Master Lu: “? Hmm?”
He glanced a few times but didn’t understand. Instead, he grew more confused and finally exited the app to browse his social circle.
There, he saw this morning, his old friend Master Yin had posted a screenshot of a baby girl.
The little girl was so adorable—fair-skinned with a round, chubby face that clearly promised a blessed life.
Her big eyes sparkled, almost as if she could speak, making Master Lu feel fond even through the screen.
Reading Master Yin’s caption, Master Lu snorted heavily.
---
Who doesn’t wish for a great-granddaughter?
Master Lu immediately called Lu Jinqiao during the company’s break.
Once the call connected:
Master Lu: “Jinqiao, have a baby for grandpa to play with. Grandpa’s demands aren’t high—just a little girl, fair-skinned and tender, so cute you’d want to eat her up, with big, slightly round eyes that bring joy.”
Lu Jinqiao: “? Grandpa, what’s gotten into you?”
Master Lu: “How dare you talk like that, you little brat! I don’t care, just get me a little girl! I want a granddaughter!”
“You…”
“Beep beep beep…”
Lu Jinqiao immediately hung up. Seconds later, a message popped up at the top of his phone screen.
[.: Grandpa, it’s not even dark yet, why are you already dreaming so sweetly?]
Master Lu: “Hey, you little brat.”
Leisurely, Master Lu blocked Lu Jinqiao.
“Hmph, I still can’t get the better of you.”
“Right, call Uncle Lin. I’m going to stay over for a couple of days.”
Saying this, Master Lu told Uncle Chen to start arranging his move.
At that moment, his fishing rod twitched.
Master Lu reeled in a bunch of small fish.
After unhooking one, he tossed it back into the water.
The breeze stirred the shimmering surface as Master Lu slowly drifted off to sleep, waiting patiently.
---
Meanwhile, in the space, the system was jumping up and down.
“What’s going on? Why has it suddenly surged like this…?”
It had been watching over Anan peacefully when suddenly a sharp warning blared inside the space, flashing red light incessantly.