Chapter 14: Smack Your Forehead!

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As she spoke, Xin Xin’s legs suddenly gave way, and her whole body began to collapse.

Yue Yao cried out in alarm, “Xin Xin! What’s wrong? Don’t scare Mommy!”

Pei Yao’s face flushed with panic; she immediately let go of Yuan Man and rushed over to Xin Xin’s side. “Xin Xin, darling, what’s wrong? Are you feeling—”

Before she could finish, Yuan Man interrupted, “What? She’s sick? I can help! I’m good at curing illnesses!”

With that, everyone present saw Yuan Man suddenly appear in front of Xin Xin, pulling out a small red, square object and forcefully tapping it against Xin Xin’s forehead.

“Smack!”

The girl, who had been pretending to be unwell, was caught off guard by Yuan Man’s sudden action, freezing in surprise and staring blankly at her.

Pei Yao instantly became furious, shoving Yuan Man away with force. “What are you doing?!”

Yuan Man, a small and slight figure, stumbled back a few steps from the push, confused. “Helping her get better. Isn’t she feeling unwell?”

Holding her burning red forehead, Xin Xin burst into tears. “Waaah, Mommy, Grandma, it hurts so much!”

Yue Yao trembled with anger, struggling to restrain the urge to lash out, her eyes brimming with tears as she looked toward Li Xuan and Heng Zhi. “Second Brother, Little Brother, I...”

Heng Zhi, who had been on the phone moments before, suddenly darkened his expression, casting a cold glance at Yuan Man before striding forward to scoop up Xin Xin. “To the hospital.”

Li Xuan, equally furious, glared at Yuan Man. “I’m coming too.”

Whether intentional or not, none of the three adults stayed behind. They left Yuan Man standing alone at the door and all got into the car, taking Xin Xin to the hospital.

Once the car started moving, Xin Xin nestled in Heng Zhi’s arms, tears still tracing her cheeks as she anxiously glanced out the window. Her heart fluttered with unease. “Uncle, I’m okay. Sister just came back; maybe she didn’t mean it. Can we not just leave Sister behind like this?”

“She's not your sister! What kind of sister hits her sibling the first time they meet?” Pei Yao’s face was dark with anger. “I don’t know how Bai Wenyin raised her kids—no manners at all! After Xin Xin’s checkup, I’m going to make sure she’s properly punished!”

Li Xuan looked out the window and saw the small, lonely figure standing at the door. Only then did he realize something was wrong.

Yuan Man had just returned; the eldest brother, third brother, fourth brother, and even their father hadn’t come home from the company yet, leaving her alone at the house felt inappropriate.

After hesitating, Li Xuan was about to speak when Yue Yao suddenly sobbed, “Little Brother, did she do it on purpose? Did Sister tell her about what happened in the Jiang family before? Is she trying to get revenge for her mother, so she hurt Xin Xin?”

Yue Yao’s tears instantly refocused Li Xuan’s attention.

He spoke with concern, “No way. Yuan Man is only five years old. She wouldn’t have such malicious intent.”

Recalling Yuan Man’s mysterious abilities back in Batang Village, he hesitated before defending her, “Maybe she really was just trying to help Xin Xin get better?”

“But you said it yourself—she’s only five! What does she know about healing? I think she did it on purpose. Just like Bai Wenyin!” Pei Yao snapped angrily.

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Pei Yao gently stroked Xin Xin’s hand, soothing her. “Don’t cry anymore, Xin Xin. When we get back from the hospital, Grandma will make her apologize to you.”

Xin Xin lowered her gaze anxiously, mumbling a hesitant “Okay,” then buried her face in Heng Zhi’s embrace, too scared to say more.

She... she didn’t mean to.

It was just that when Sister hit her earlier, it really hurt, so she couldn’t hold back...

Sister was older; she should... understand her, right?

—

Yuan Man didn’t feel bad about being left behind by the Jiang family.

After all, she had no real family ties with them.

To her, the Jiang family was simply a temporary shelter.

She didn’t stand dumbly at the door waiting either. Swiftly, she stuffed the small coffin into a cloth bag. Just as she turned to enter the villa, the iron gate slammed shut behind her with a bang.

Frowning, Yuan Man looked up at the person who had closed the gate.

It was a woman around fifty years old, staring at her with disdain. “Ever since Bai Wenyin came back, she bullied Miss Yao Yao. As her daughter, your nature is equally vicious! You even hit Miss Xin Xin! This is outrageous!”

“You’ll just stand outside and be punished! You can only come in when Miss Xin Xin returns!”

Yuan Man blinked in confusion.

She asked seriously, “Are you speaking on behalf of the Jiang family?”

The woman, Chen Ma—the nanny who had cared for Yue Yao for nearly ten years—sneered. “Of course!”

As Miss Yao Yao’s personal nanny, Chen Ma wielded some authority in the Jiang household. This little brat dared to bully young Miss Xin Xin; she had to teach her a lesson!

Chen Ma wasn’t worried Yuan Man would leave in anger. After all, the Jiang family was the richest in S City, with wealth this little brat could never possess in her lifetime. She didn’t believe Yuan Man would give up such an opportunity and leave.

“I understand.”

Yuan Man nodded, her dark eyes fixed intently on Chen Ma.

Under the gaze of those starkly clear eyes, Chen Ma’s heart sank uneasily. She snarled, “Keep staring and I’ll gouge your eyes out!”

“Auntie, I see your cheekbones are high and bony, your chin is sharp and critical. You must have done many bad things before.”

Yuan Man’s voice was low and ghostly. “Now your children’s stars are dim and hollow, a sign of losing a child. What you’ve done has come back on your son.”

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Without giving Chen Ma a chance to respond, Yuan Man turned and ran off with quick footsteps.

She wasn’t foolish enough to stand outside the villa all day.

She planned to find a restaurant to eat first. As for the Jiang family’s reaction when they returned and didn’t find her—well, she’d deal with that then.

Chen Ma was momentarily stunned. When she realized what Yuan Man had said, fury exploded inside her. She flung open the villa door and shouted after her, “You little brat! What nonsense are you spouting?!”

But she hadn’t expected Yuan Man’s pace to be so fast—within the blink of an eye, the girl had vanished from sight.

A cold wind suddenly swept by, chilling Chen Ma’s chest and filling her with unease.

Hearing the commotion, the butler hurried out. “Chen Hua, why are you shouting? Where is the new young mistress?”

He had been preparing the room and dinner for the new young mistress inside, and had just received a call from Li Xuan informing him that the new young mistress had been left at the door. He rushed out immediately to fetch her.

Chen Ma panicked and lied, “The young mistress just said she hit Miss Xin Xin and felt very guilty, so she ran after the car.”

The butler was incredulous, eyes wide. “You just let a child run after a moving car? Didn’t you try to stop her?”

Chen Ma felt guilty. “I did, but she wouldn’t listen.”

The butler stomped his foot anxiously. “Oh dear, you really...”

The young master had said the young mistress was only five years old and it was her first time in S City. What if she got lost?

The butler’s face darkened as he pointed at Chen Ma. “When the young masters return, I will report this truthfully. You can explain yourself to them then.”

With that, he quickly gathered the villa’s servants to search for Yuan Man.

Meanwhile, Yuan Man had left the Jiang family villa’s premises and... spectacularly gotten lost.

Standing at a crossroads, she looked left and right with a puzzled little face. “Eh, where was the exit again?”

She stuck out her chubby little finger, counting off as if choosing someone. “One, two, three—whoever I point to is the one.”

She picked a path and stepped forward. “Okay, you it is.”

Suddenly, a hoarse male voice came from the bushes nearby: “Is what you said true? My mother’s soul is still waiting for me in the underworld? If I die, I can reunite with her... right?”