I raised stunning young ladies, but they all wanted to possess me.

Fu Wanqing remained silent for several seconds, her amber eyes fixed on him.

It was as if he was confirming whether every word he said was sincere.

A morning breeze blew through the corridor, causing her ponytail to sway gently.

Then she smiled, a fainter, more subtle smile than when she was eating the lollipop.

But the light in his eyes shone even brighter.

"Okay, I'll tell them."

"But this time, don't sneak off to the basement in the middle of the night again."

"If you get scared by a mouse again, I won't take responsibility for you."

She put the lollipop back in her mouth and turned to walk out of the yard.

Her ponytail swayed back and forth behind her.

Seeing her serious expression, Gu Yan moved the strawberry-flavored lollipop in her mouth to the other side.

He reached out and gently patted the back of her head, with very light force, like patting a kitten.

"Understood, my bodyguard. But don't be too nervous, there are patrol teams everywhere in Shanghai now, nothing serious will happen."

Fu Wanqing's seriousness was somewhat diminished by his pat, and the corners of her mouth turned up again.

They soon took a taxi to that familiar neighborhood.

The six-story building remained as quiet as before, with a few more tiles falling off the walls.

Several dusty electric bikes were parked at the entrance of the building.

Gu Yan took a deep breath and followed Fu Wanqing inside.

The adoptive father was sitting on the old sofa in the living room reading a newspaper when he heard the door open and looked up.

He was stunned for a moment when he saw Gu Yan, then a smile bloomed on his face.

"Mr. Gu is here. Please come in and have a seat. Why didn't you tell me beforehand?"

The foster mother was sitting at a small table by the window arranging flowers, holding a pair of scissors in her hand and trimming the branches and leaves.

Seeing that Gu Yan had also stood up, wiped her hands on her apron, and smiled so much that her eyes narrowed into slits.

"Wanqing didn't even give us a heads-up beforehand; we didn't prepare any food at home."

Gu Yan quickly said that there was no need to be polite, she was just passing by and came to take a look.

The foster mother had already turned and walked towards the kitchen, muttering as she went that there were still fresh pork ribs in the refrigerator that she had bought yesterday.

Fu Wanqing told her adoptive parents that she would take Gu Yan back to her room for a while.

Gu Yan followed her through the familiar corridor, already figuring out the location of the diary in her mind.

Last time he put the diary back in the outermost drawer of the bedside table, and it should still be there if Fu Wanqing didn't take it away.

After entering the room, Fu Wanqing said she was going to the kitchen to help her adoptive mother wash vegetables, and told Gu Yan to rest in the room first.

As she turned to leave, her ponytail swayed against the doorframe, and her footsteps gradually faded into the distance at the end of the corridor.

Gu Yan stood in the center of the room without making a move immediately; he first carefully looked around.

The outermost drawer of the bedside table was tightly closed. He placed his hand on the drawer handle and took a deep breath.

Then gently pull it apart.

The pink-covered diary lay quietly inside.

It was placed in the exact same spot as when he left last time, but the little flowers on it had faded a bit.

He opened the diary and went straight to the entry for March 2, 94 AD.

After the middle-aged woman came to borrow the house and was refused, he didn't have time to read the rest of the diary last time.

His fingers turned the page, and the writing on the next page was noticeably firmer than the previous ones.

"March 3, 94 AD, cloudy."

"My parents disagreed with lending the house, so my aunt stood at the door and cursed for the whole afternoon."

"She used very offensive language, saying things like 'may you be childless,' 'you deserve to be crippled,' and 'outsiders should get out.'"

"The sound was so loud that the whole building could hear it, and the neighbors next door were afraid to go out."

"I sat in the room covering my ears tightly, but she kept cursing."

"March 4th, 94th year of the epoch, light rain."

"When I opened the door this morning, there was trash everywhere."

"Rotten vegetable leaves, rotten eggshells, and used toilet paper filled an entire bag."

"The carpet by the door was soaked with dirty water, and it was sticky and smelly to walk on."

"I had just left for school when a bucket of cold water was poured down from upstairs."

"The older woman was standing at the top of the stairs looking at me, holding an empty bowl in her hand, her face full of smiles."

She said, "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't see you."

"Hearing the commotion, her foster mother rushed out and scolded her back."

"But she was smiling when she left, saying that her son would return the house to us after he got married, and that we would agree to it sooner or later."

"March 5, 94 AD, cloudy."

"When I got home from school today, I found that there was a pile of garbage at the door again, even more than yesterday."

"Four large characters were written on the security door in red paint: 'Debts must be repaid for the house.'"

"My adoptive father stood at the door for a long time, leaning on his cane, without saying a word. He just carried the garbage downstairs bag by bag."

"When I helped him carry it, I noticed that the veins on the back of his hand were bulging."

"But he kept telling me it was okay, and that Wanqing should go back to her room and do her homework."

"March 6, 94 AD, cloudy."

"I'm really upset. I don't understand why we're the ones suffering when it's clearly her fault."

"My parents looked a little different than usual during dinner."

"Mom kept putting food into my bowl, saying that Wanqing should eat more because she had been wronged these past few days."

"Dad's lips were also turned up, but he didn't say anything."

"I asked them what happened, and my mother just patted my head and said that bad people will pay the price they deserve."

"March 7, 94 AD, early morning."

"My mom asked me to go to the basement tonight to help out, saying someone is injured and needs my medical attention."

"I followed her down the steps. The steps were dark and the smell of blood was strong."

"There was a person tied up in the corner, with a cloth stuffed in their mouth, and their face covered in bruises and bloodstains."

"I only saw the face clearly when I got closer, and it looked like that old lady."

"My hands were shaking, and I asked my mother what was wrong."

"She didn't answer me, she just handed me the tools and asked me to use my powers to stop the bleeding."

"I dare not say no, I'm afraid my mother will be disappointed."

"I was trembling while receiving treatment. The old lady was staring at me with her eyes open, but her mouth was stuffed with a strip of cloth so she couldn't make a sound."

"I don't understand, I'm really scared."

When Gu Yan saw this, her fingers trembled slightly, and cold sweat trickled down her spine.

A twelve-year-old girl is called to the basement by her adoptive mother to treat a living person who is tied up.

How terrified she must have been.

Just as his mind was in turmoil, Fu Wanqing's clear voice suddenly came from the direction of the living room.

"Gu Yan, the water is boiled. Would you like a cup of tea first?"

Gu Yan suddenly snapped out of her daze, quickly closed the diary, and put it back in the drawer.

His movements were quick but steady, and the little flowers on the cover were turned back to the exact same angle as before.

He stood up, took two deep breaths to calm his heartbeat, and his face returned to its usual calm expression.

Almost at the same moment the drawer handle was put back in place, the door to the room was pushed open.

Fu Wanqing walked in carrying a cup of hot tea.

Her ponytail swayed at the doorway, her smile remained sweet, and her amber eyes curved into crescents.