Chapter 18: Punishing Mrs. Chen

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That bastard doesn’t come home for dinner; he’s out there luring children, isn’t he?

Meng Qinian clicked his tongue and held Nan Yuanman tightly. “What do you mean by luring? Such an adorable child—couldn’t she be mine?”

Meng Lei sneered, “You think you could have such a cute kid?”

The moment father and son met, the air between them instantly thickened with tension.

Nan Yuanman blinked her round, moist eyes politely and reached out her hand to Meng Lei in a childish voice, “Uncle, can you please give me back my little coffin?”

“Little coffin?” Meng Lei was momentarily stunned. Only when he saw Nan Yuanman’s gaze fixed on the red little coffin in his hand did he come to his senses, looking at her suspiciously. “Is this yours?”

It was the first time Meng Lei spoke so gently to such a tiny girl without realizing it.

Meng Qinian’s skin crawled; he disdainfully said, “Old man, just speak normally. Why do you have to sound like that? Isn’t it disgusting?”

Meng Lei’s face darkened, grinding his teeth. That brat!

“It’s mine,” Nan Yuanman nodded.

Meng Lei recalled the strange white mist that had dissipated when the little coffin was thrown, the piercing scream in his ears, and the car door opening for no apparent reason...

His gaze on Nan Yuanman grew cautious and appraising as he asked Meng Qinian, “What just happened?”

“That uncle was temporarily blinded by a ghost,” Nan Yuanman lifted her chubby little hand and grabbed behind Meng Lei.

A trembling black little ghost clung to his back, caught in her hand.

Meng Lei felt a sudden lightness behind him; his body, weary and heavy from days of exhaustion, suddenly felt much lighter. He widened his eyes, staring in disbelief at Nan Yuanman’s empty hand. “What… blinded by a ghost?”

Meng Qinian looked bewildered. “Are there really ghosts in this world?”

“There are. Do you want to see?” Nan Yuanman made a hand gesture and dimmed the fiery glow above Meng Qinian’s head.

Meng Qinian’s vision blurred for a moment, and then he saw, in Nan Yuanman’s hand, a black, coal-like creature.

It seemed to realize Meng Qinian could see it and snarled at him, its coal-black features tearing apart in a terrifying grimace.

“Holy—!” Meng Qinian shuddered with fright, nearly tossing Nan Yuanman aside. His complexion drained instantly, and his legs turned weak.

So ghosts really do exist in this world!!

Nan Yuanman shook the little ghost in her hand; though it looked fierce, in her grip it trembled like a lamb, too scared to move.

Meng Qinian was deeply impressed and utterly convinced that Nan Yuanman was indeed a Taoist master.

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She glanced at the pale Meng Qinian, put the little ghost back into the coffin, and said to Meng Lei, “Someone is raising this little ghost and commanding it to harm you.”

“If uncle needs me to help pacify this little ghost, I can give you a 9.99% discount for big brother’s sake.”

Meng Qinian twitched the corner of his mouth. What a big ego he has.

Meng Lei hesitated, then asked, “You’re a Taoist master? Little girl, you’re not some trick this brat cooked up to fool me, are you?”

It wasn’t hard to understand why he thought that; this was far too supernatural.

Moreover, Meng Qinian was unreliable. Since his mother passed away, he hadn’t done a single thing that was straightforward.

Besides, how old is this kid? Not even six, barely able to read properly—how could she be a Taoist master?

Just as Meng Qinian was regaining composure, Meng Lei’s words made his expression darken instantly. “Believe it or not, I don’t care—go to hell!”

“Forget it, Yuanman, let’s go. I’ll take you home. Let him deal with his own problems.”

Meng Qinian angrily hugged Nan Yuanman and left. Nan Yuanman rested her little chin on his shoulder, looked at Meng Lei, and said, “Uncle, if you want to find others, you’d better hurry. I don’t know if she only raised this little ghost. If this time fails, there will be a next time.”

She stared at the darkening space between Meng Lei’s eyebrows. “Next time, uncle won’t be so lucky to escape.”

Though Meng Lei remained half-doubting, Nan Yuanman’s words stirred a ripple in his heart. So when the assistant came to handle the earlier incident, he asked him to get a copy of the nearby surveillance footage.

The assistant was quick; within ten minutes, the footage was sent to Meng Lei’s phone.

Meng Lei didn’t go home but sat in his car and played the video.

When he saw himself, as if under some spell, opening the car door and stepping onto the side road, a chill ran down his spine and limbs went numb.

When he saw the little coffin flying from the left hit him back into the car, the chill in his limbs eased slightly.

Only then did he realize he had broken out in a cold sweat.

At the same time, he understood Nan Yuanman’s words were true. If she hadn’t arrived in time, he would have already...

Thinking this, Meng Lei didn’t dare waste a moment. He quickly took out his phone and called Meng Qinian.

The other side rang twice before the call was abruptly cut off.

Meng Lei: “...” That brat!!

—

Meng Qinian grumbled angrily at Meng Lei the whole way, while Nan Yuanman half-heartedly responded, her eyelids growing heavy.

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They had gotten up too early this morning. Now that night had fallen, it was exactly Nan Yuanman’s bedtime.

Meng Qinian spoke, then felt a weight on his shoulder. Turning his head, he saw Nan Yuanman’s chubby cheek pressed against his shoulder, her big eyes closed in peaceful sleep.

The little girl’s face was soft, her baby fat delightfully tender to the touch.

Meng Qinian’s voice unconsciously lowered. He felt warmed by how easily Nan Yuanman trusted him but couldn’t help saying, “You really aren’t afraid I’d sell you out, are you?”

He lifted Nan Yuanman a little to make her more comfortable, and for a moment, he wanted to take her back to the Meng family.

After all, she wasn’t loved in the Jiang family. If he adopted her as his sister, he would surely spend his life doting on and protecting her.

But thinking of the current mess the Meng family was in, Meng Qinian clicked his tongue and carried her toward the Jiang family villa from his memory.

He decided to deal with the Meng family’s matters first...

As Meng Qinian and Nan Yuanman approached the villa, Chen Ma, who was waiting outside, immediately noticed them.

Chen Ma froze briefly upon seeing Meng Qinian, then her eyes darted around before she shouted loudly inside, “Butler Li! I’ve found Miss Nan!”

Her loud voice startled both Nan Yuanman and Meng Qinian.

Meng Qinian frowned and shot Chen Ma a cold glare.

Chen Ma was startled by his look and lowered her voice but still complained, “Miss Nan, how could you run off like this? Don’t you know how worried the young master and madam are?”

“Having to trouble others to bring you back—this is so irresponsible! Hurry inside and apologize properly to the young master and madam!”

Meng Qinian’s face darkened, about to scold the old woman severely when the awakened Nan Yuanman frowned and took out the little coffin, slapping it hard on Chen Ma’s head.

“You’re really too noisy.”

“I don’t want to hear you talk. When I’m here, you shouldn’t speak either. Oh right, you like punishing people by making them stand. Then you can stand here tonight. You wait outside until Miss Xin Xin comes back, then you go in.”

Chen Ma instinctively raised her hand to block, but she was no match for Nan Yuanman’s speed.

She felt a coldness on her forehead and a chill run down her spine. She tried to curse but couldn’t make a sound.

Not only could she not speak, but she couldn’t move either.

She stood frozen at the doorway, only her eyes able to move.

Chen Ma: “!!!”