My brother entrusted his child to me, and I livestreamed raising the baby, making the Empress cry wi

The exquisite nine-linked rings fell to the ground, and one of the jade rings shattered on the spot.

She was stunned, staring at the shards on the ground, then at her older sister.

The elder sister showed a hint of panic on her face, but that panic quickly turned into anger and grievance, as if the villain had accused her first.

She screamed, "Why did you push me! You broke the nine-linked rings that Father Emperor gave me! You have to pay me back!"

"I didn't! You bumped into me!" she cried out hastily.

"It's you! It's you! You rascal! I'm going to tell Father!" The elder sister cried and ran away.

She stood there, looking at the shattered jade ring, feeling anxious and afraid. Her first instinct was to pick up the pieces and see if she could put them back together.

The broken white jade had sharp edges. As soon as her finger touched it, it was cut open with a long gash, and blood gushed out instantly. It hurt a lot.

But she couldn't care less about the pain, because her father had already rushed over upon hearing the news.

The elder sister, held in her father's arms, wept bitterly, pointing at her and crying, "Father, it was her! She was jealous of the nine-linked jade rings you bestowed upon me, and deliberately pushed me, breaking the rings!"

She was speechless and her father, the emperor, had no patience to listen to her explanation and flew into a rage.

"Incorrigible! Jealous by nature! How dare you damage a gift bestowed upon you by the Emperor! It seems I have been too lenient with you in the past!"

Then came the cold rebuke, the merciless slap, and the punishment of being confined to the house for three months.

No one cared about her bleeding finger, no one asked her if it hurt, and no one believed her.

She knelt on the cold ground, watching her elder sister hide behind their father, giving her a smug and malicious smile.

That smile, along with the faint scar on her finger, was etched deep into her memory.

That was her own sister, from the same mother; logically, she should have been a natural ally...

Shu Jingwei pulled herself out of the cold memories, her fingertips unconsciously curling up as if she could still feel the sharpness of those glass shards and the stinging pain in her palm.

Looking again at Xiaodouzi on the sky, who was being treated gently and quickly regained her smile, a mix of intense jealousy and deeper pain gripped her heart like a poisonous vine.

Why... why...

Is there really such a place in this world, full of love and care? Are there really such people?

No! Absolutely impossible!

Shu Jingwei abruptly shook her head, her eyes turning cold and ruthless once again.

It's all fake! It's all fake!

It's an illusion created by Lin Ye! It's a bewitching magic that seduces people!

He deliberately displayed this illusory beauty to sway people's hearts and disrupt the foundation of her Great Yan Kingdom! His intentions are despicable!

She absolutely does not believe that there is any care without cost, or warmth that transcends self-interest in this world!

That daughter, separated from her, will sooner or later be abandoned and hurt just like she was back then! She'll wait and see!

……

Yao Jingyuan, who was in the lower position, couldn't help but stiffen for a moment as he held the teacup.

His usual gentle demeanor was almost crumbling, and for the first time, clear cracks appeared on his face.

What happened on the sky had completely overturned his understanding of human nature and challenged the beliefs upon which he relied for survival and the acquisition of power.

He knew from a young age that no one in this world would be kind to you for no reason.

His father, wanting to provide for his stepmother's dowry, threw him, an illegitimate child, into the most remote courtyard of the mansion, where he was rarely seen throughout the year.

His stepmother appeared to be kind to him, but secretly she wouldn't even let him eat his fill.

His brothers called him brother in front of their father, but behind his back they framed him, ostracized him, and wished him dead.

He learned a lesson: only by becoming strong can one survive; only by stepping on others can one avoid being stepped on.

He climbed to his current position by following this principle.

truth?

That's the cheapest and most ridiculous thing!

Only power and interests are eternal!

But what appeared on the sky was a kind of purity that he could not understand at all, almost "stupid".

That girl named Duoduo, for the sake of a friend she had only known for a few days, instead of taking the opportunity to complain and gain attention and affection, rushed off to get some kind of "band-aid"?

That teacher didn't seem to care at all about breaking the valuable crystal ornament?

How absurd!

Absolutely impossible!

Yao Jingyuan sneered inwardly, his eyes turning deep and cold once more.

This must be Lin Ye's sorcery! It's a bewitching illusion!

The world is bustling, all for profit; the world is bustling, all for gain.

This is the eternal truth!

True friends and selfless care are nothing but foolish delusions!

He lowered his eyes slightly, concealing all the emotion in them, picked up the teacup again, and took a small sip of the now-cold tea.

But then he suddenly realized that the tea tasted strangely... when it got cold.

It was bland and hard to eat.

……

The comments in the lower right corner of the screen continued to scroll as Shu Jingwei and Yao Jingyuan's emotions churned.

[Aunt Li, a local resident: Oh dear, it's alright, it's alright! Duoduo was just getting a medicated patch! And that teacher was so kind, she didn't scold or hit her, she even checked if the child was hurt first... If this happened here, tsk tsk, I can't even imagine...]

[Hanlin Academy Academician Yang Feng: I think this matter, though small, reveals a lot. In that school, the teachers treated the children like a gentle spring breeze, and the students helped and loved each other. This kind of education is the true way to cultivate people. In contrast, most schools in my Great Flame... sigh, let's not even mention it...]

[Du Xiu, Academician of the Hanlin Academy: ...A doting mother often spoils her child, and so does a doting father. If this continues, it will likely not bring good fortune.]

[Commoner Wang Jialu: Did you all see that? Breaking such a precious thing, and nothing happened! If this were in our Great Yan, her legs would be broken! It's so much better to go to the academy of immortals; the First Princess is truly lucky!]

[Commoner Ermazi: Pshaw, he just got lucky! Having a good sugar daddy makes all the difference! If I had that kind of luck...]

……

Lin Ye's previous ruthless methods clearly still had an impact, causing those who harbored malice or were habitually critical to only dare to utter a few sarcastic remarks.

They dared not curse like those people in the South China Sea before.

However, many people felt a secret longing and bittersweet feeling after witnessing the warm atmosphere of that idyllic academy.

If only their great flames could be like that...

Soon, the day at the kindergarten came to an end, and the children were picked up by their parents one by one.

Duoduo was also picked up by Mu Chenfeng's nanny. As she left, she turned back and waved to Xiaodouzi, saying, "See you tomorrow, Ling'er!"

Little Douzi waved her hand, her eyes crinkling into crescent moons with laughter.

Lin Ye walked out of the reception room with a folder in his hand—the admission procedures had been completed.

He walked over to Xiaodouzi, squatted down, and looked at the pink band-aid with a little bear on her finger, his brows furrowing slightly.

"What happened to your hand?"

"Little Douzi accidentally broke a swan and cut his hand." Little Douzi held his hand up to Lin Ye, his tone a little cautious.

"This was put on by Sister Duoduo for Xiaodouzi, Godfather, Xiaodouzi didn't do it on purpose."

Lin Ye looked at the band-aid, then at Xiao Douzi's still somewhat uneasy eyes, and sighed inwardly.

He knelt down and wrapped her little scarf around her neck, then reached out and ruffled her hair: "Godfather knows, our little one is so well-behaved, she definitely wouldn't have done it on purpose!"

"But you still need to be more careful in the future. If things break, they break, but the most important thing is not to hurt yourself, you know?"

"Little Douzi understands!" Little Douzi nodded vigorously, and his tuft of hair swayed slightly.

"Godfather! Sister Duoduo said she wants to play with Xiaodouzi again tomorrow!"

Lin Ye smiled and led her out of the kindergarten. "Okay, then tomorrow Godfather will bring Xiaodouzi to play with Duoduo again!"

As the sun sets, golden sunlight spills onto the snow-white castle, turning its spires orange-red.

"System, shut down the live stream."

[Ding—Live stream has ended! Settlement in progress...]

Lin Ye waited quietly, not revealing anything this time, so the level of shock probably wouldn't be high.

However, the numbers that the system immediately displayed surprised him.