After everyone was reborn, I was strictly disciplined.

Liu Xuan rubbed his temples, suppressing the anxiety in his heart, and forced a smile as he called out to the small figure:

"Ranran, stop making a fuss. Let's go home with Grandpa. Your Grandpa Lin has important matters to attend to, so don't bother him any longer."

Xie Xingran stiffened, gripping Lin Feng's sleeve tightly with her other hand. Her small face was full of stubbornness, her eyes slightly red, and her voice was firm and resolute, without the slightest hesitation: "No!"

He looked up at Liu Xuan, his clear eyes surging with stubborn anger.

"I said it before, if he goes back to the Holy Land, I won't! In the Holy Land, it's either him or me, and I mean it!"

The smile on Liu Xuan's face vanished instantly, replaced by a barely perceptible anger mixed with helplessness in his voice: "Ranran, stop talking nonsense! He's your father, we're blood relatives. How can there be a situation where you have to live with him? Listen to me, let's deal with this slowly once we get back to our lodgings, okay?"

As he spoke, he reached out to take Xie Xingran's hand, but the child abruptly dodged him.

"I don't have a father!"

Xie Xingran suddenly took a step back, pressing herself tightly against Lin Feng's leg. Her annoyance was undisguised, and her once pure eyes were now filled with estrangement and resentment when she looked at Xie Jinghan standing not far away.

"He listened to Lu Chengyuan's instigation and raised his hand to beat me without even asking me a question! If it weren't for the Holy Flame protecting me, I would have been beaten to death by him. Does someone like that deserve to be my father?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Xuan sighed heavily, his expression growing increasingly helpless.

He turned to look at Xie Jinghan, his eyes full of reproach.

How come my son-in-law is getting less and less perceptive as he gets older? He used to be so understanding, but now he can't even soothe a child and has made our relationship so strained.

He frowned slightly, his tone urging, "What are you still standing there for? Hurry up and come over to comfort Ranran. You're the one who caused this mess. Do you expect your grandfather to clean it up for you?"

After Liu Xuan finished speaking, the courtyard fell into a brief silence.

Xie Jinghan's hands, hanging by his sides, clenched slightly. Hearing his father-in-law's urging, he slowly raised his eyes and looked at the small figure who was sulking and refusing to look at him.

The restlessness in his heart surged up like a tide, wave after wave, almost drowning him.

Reborn into this world, he thought he could see through all the conspiracies and make up for all the regrets of his previous life. But only now does he realize that he seems to have a completely different understanding of this son.

I used to think of him as an innocent child, and that his stubbornness was no problem. But now, where is the childlike innocence he once had?

It was clearly a stubbornness concealing a degree of calculation, and a rebelliousness wrapped in a touch of cunning.

Xie Xingran clearly knew that Liu Xuan disliked Lin Feng and was extremely unwilling to let him associate with Lin Feng.

Xie Xingran, however, did the opposite. She clung to Lin Feng, using his influence and her youth to press him relentlessly, all in an attempt to force Liu Xuan to compromise and leave the Holy Land.

Such a young age, yet such a profound mind.

A chill ran through Xie Jinghan's heart as memories of his previous life surged back like a tidal wave.

At that time, Xie Xingran's disguise was flawless; he was gentle, refined, obedient, and sensible, deceiving everyone in the Cangxuan Continent, deceiving him, deceiving Qingwan, and deceiving everyone else.

Only when the world was destroyed and countless lives were lost did they realize with horror that the child they had cherished was actually the devil who had caused all this tragedy.

Thinking of this, Xie Jinghan slowly closed his eyes. When he opened them again, the irritation in his eyes had faded, leaving only a chilling coldness and indifference, as if the child throwing a tantrum in front of him had nothing to do with him.

He looked up at Liu Xuan, his tone flat and emotionless, and said truthfully, "I have nothing to say. At first, I did want to hit him."

"You...you're absolutely unreasonable!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Xuan was immediately enraged.

"father!"

Liu Qingwan stood beside him, her expression calm, but a hint of weariness and bitterness was hidden in her eyes.

"father,"

Liu Qingwan gently shook her head, her voice calm, "Leave this matter to me. Don't get angry and hurt yourself."

Looking at the determination in his daughter's eyes, Liu Xuan swallowed the rebuke that was on the tip of his tongue. He could only let out a heavy snort, turn his face away, and say no more.

Liu Qingwan slowly turned around, her gaze falling on Xie Jinghan. Her expression remained calm, without anger or accusation, but beneath that calmness lay a bottomless, icy pool.

She spoke softly, her voice gentle and soothing, "Jinghan, when Lu Chengyuan complained to you, did you ever think about investigating and verifying the truth of the matter?"

Xie Jinghan froze, as if he had been doused with a bucket of cold water, instantly snapping out of his previous indifference.

He frowned slightly, his face showing difficulty. His Adam's apple bobbed a few times, but he finally shook his head slowly, his tone carrying a hint of barely perceptible guilt and hesitation: "No."

At that moment, when he learned from Lu Chengyuan about what Xie Xingran had done, the painful memories of his previous life, the scenes of betrayal and destruction, all rushed into his mind and overwhelmed him.

This led him to subconsciously assume that Xie Xingran had indeed done those things, without the slightest doubt, so he immediately summoned him and questioned him without any explanation.

Liu Qingwan didn't interrupt, but just stared at him quietly, her expression growing increasingly deep.

She continued, "Then, did you actually lay a hand on Ranran before? Even if it was just a thought, even if you didn't actually hurt him."

Xie Jinghan fell silent. He looked up at Liu Qingwan, his guilt growing stronger. He didn't try to explain, but simply nodded truthfully, his voice hoarse: "Yes, I did want to hurt him."

Xie Xingran's resistance at that time, those words filled with resentment and defiance, were like sparks falling on a powder keg, causing him to instantly lose all his reason.

He raised his hand to strike, but if the Holy Flame hadn't suddenly appeared and protected Xie Xingran, he probably would have hurt his child.

"I see."

Liu Qingwan lowered her eyes gently, her long eyelashes casting a faint shadow beneath her eyelids, concealing the turbulent thoughts in her eyes. No one knew whether, at that moment, she felt disappointment, heartache, or despair.

She was silent for a moment, then looked up again:

"Since this incident, have you thought about how to raise Ranran, how to mend the rift between you, and how to be a good father?"

These words struck Xie Jinghan's heart like a heavy hammer.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found himself speechless and could only fall into a long silence.

After a long silence, he slowly lowered his head, his shoulders slightly tense, his tone tinged with confusion and guilt, and gently shook his head: "I never thought of that..."

"I see."

Liu Qingwan slowly closed her eyes, took a deep breath as if she had used up all her strength, and when she opened them again, all the emotions in her eyes had faded, leaving only a resolute look.

She looked at Xie Jinghan, her tone calm yet distant: "You should go back to Qianji Pavilion first. You can help your parents with some matters. There's no need to stay here for now."

"Qingwan..."

Xie Jinghan suddenly looked up, staring intently at Liu Qingwan, and saw the unfamiliar calmness and determination on her face.

A surge of intense panic welled up inside him. He instinctively took a step forward, wanting to grab her hand, his voice filled with urgency and disbelief, "Are you... trying to get rid of me?"

Two lifetimes have passed. From their first meeting to their lifelong companionship, Liu Qingwan has always been gentle, considerate, and understanding. She has never spoken to him in such a tone, nor has she ever shown such a distant expression.

At that moment, he truly realized that he might have really made a mistake, a huge mistake.

Liu Qingwan turned slightly to the side, avoiding his touch:

"I'm not kicking you out, I just want you and your son to calm down. Let's talk about the rest after you've thought it through."

After saying that, she stopped looking at Xie Jinghan, turned around and slowly walked to Xie Xingran's side, gently squatting down.

She raised her hand and gently brushed the stray hairs from Xie Xingran's cheek, her eyes filled with tenderness and heartache: "Ranran, how about coming home with Mother?"

Xie Xingran's body stiffened slightly, and the stubbornness in his eyes softened a bit. He raised his little finger and pointed to Xie Jinghan, who looked dejected and flustered, not far away.

Her tone still carried a hint of lingering grievance and hesitation: "What about him? Will he still stay in the Holy Land? Will he still bother me?"

A gentle smile curved Liu Qingwan's lips as she reached out and gently ruffled Xie Xingran's hair.

"Mother has sent him back to Qianji Pavilion. He won't stay here anymore, and he won't bother Ranran anymore. Mother will stay with you, okay?"

Looking into Liu Qingwan's eyes, Xie Xingran's tense face finally relaxed slightly. He hesitated for a moment, then finally reached out and hugged Liu Qingwan's neck tightly, burying his face in her shoulder, his voice trembling with a sob:

"Okay, I'll go home with Mom."

Liu Qingwan gently hugged the child in her arms, a hint of bitterness flashing across her eyes, but she still patted his back tenderly.

This time, she finally chose her own child.