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

Just as Lin Ye was about to get into the car with Xiao Douzi, the sky suddenly flashed and then disappeared without warning.

The night sky returned to its original darkness, with only a cold moon hanging in the sky, occasionally twinkling with a few faintly bright stars.

Great Flame Kingdom.

The people looked up at the empty night sky, and their voices rose like a tide.

"What happened?"

"That sorcerer's evil magic must have been broken!"

"I knew it! That must be sorcery!" A butcher with a face full of scars rolled up his sleeves and shouted in a voice that could be heard all over the street.

"What kind of worm doesn't bite? What kind of long-necked monster? What kind of metal box can run by itself—if such things really existed, I'd twist my head off and use it as a chamber pot!"

The old man selling vegetables nearby nodded in agreement: "Exactly! I've lived most of my life, and I've never seen such a monster before!"

"It must be the work of a sorcerer!" The butcher waved his hand, his tone impassioned, as if he were a county magistrate holding court.

"Didn't you see how that iron box started running at the end? No horses, no one pushing it, how did it move? What is this if not sorcery?"

"But that's something the tiger can't break..."

"It's just an illusion! It looks real, but it's all fake!" The butcher glared and raised his voice eight octaves.

"That illusion only lasts for a short while; when the time comes, the true nature will be revealed! Heaven has eyes and will not allow evil people to harm the world!"

He spoke with great enthusiasm, his eyes gleaming, as if he had personally witnessed a sorcerer performing magic.

This statement seemed to make a lot of sense, and many people around agreed with it.

"Yes! That makes sense!"

"That sorcerer is definitely trying to scare us!"

"Let's wait until the authorities send someone to rescue that little girl, and see what other tricks he can pull!"

The crowd grew more and more excited as they talked, as if they could see the demon being killed in the next instant.

Outside the Chang Le Hall, the court officials knelt on the ground.

"Your Majesty!" said Cheng Yan, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, bowing deeply. "I believe that tonight's celestial phenomena are the work of a demon!"

"I second that!" Minister of Rites Zhou Yan immediately followed up. "That sorcerer appeared out of nowhere, abducted the First Princess, and then used illusions to bewitch people—his intentions are despicable!"

"A smokescreen?"

Shu Jingwei's voice came from above, revealing neither joy nor anger.

"You mean, what I just saw was all fake?"

Zhou Yan hesitated for a moment, then forced a smile and said, "Your Majesty, I believe... that's most likely the case. How could there be a giant insect that doesn't bite? How could there be a beast with a neck that reaches the sky? And how could there be a monster as big as a small mountain?"

"And there's the iron box containing stars that can run on its own without being pulled by horses, which is illogical."

He paused, wiped the sweat from his brow, and continued, "I dare to guess that it must be an illusion cast by a sorcerer, intended to make us wary and prevent us from easily launching an attack, thus hindering our rescue of the Crown Princess!"

Shu Jingwei remained silent for a moment, then slowly nodded, her slender, fair hand gently stroking the cuffs of her dragon robe.

"That makes sense."

Zhou Yan felt a sense of relief and kowtowed, saying, "Your Majesty is wise!"

"That sorcerer made such a show simply to frighten me, to make me think he has extraordinary abilities, and to make me afraid to save my daughter."

Her voice wasn't loud, but it cut like a knife through everyone's ears.

"But he miscalculated!"

Shu Jingwei's voice suddenly rose, startling the kneeling ministers, who quickly knelt down again.

"Zhang Chong!"

"Your subject is here." A figure flashed out from below.

"I order you to immediately assemble men and search the city!" Shu Jingwei spoke each word with chilling precision. "You must find them for me!"

"My lord! I obey the order!"

Zhang Chong accepted the order, stood up, and strode away.

The officials also kowtowed and took their leave.

Shu Jingwei stood there, gazing at the empty night sky, her brow furrowing without her noticing.

Sleight of hand.

Illusion.

These words swirled in her mind, but she couldn't quite put them down.

Are those really fake?

After a long while, she turned around and walked into the hall.

At the zoo entrance, Lin Ye had no idea that he and Xiao Douzi had been surrounded by people from the entire Great Flame Kingdom for quite some time.

The luxury car arrived quickly.

Little Douzi watched in shock as a large black box ran up to them and stopped, then suddenly opened with a "snap".

"Godfather... Godfather..." Her voice trembled again.

"What...what kind of monster is this? How...how did it open by itself? And there are stars inside!"

"This is the car my godfather ordered, a sedan." Lin Ye carried her inside and put her down, then got in himself. "License plate ending in 9888."

Xiao Douzi froze in her seat, too afraid to move.

The seats are so soft.

It was so soft that she sank into it.

It was softer than the bed she had lain on long, long ago, in her memory.

Back then, her mother would hold her, kiss her little face, and call her "Little Pocket".

She secretly pressed the seat; it was soft, and when she released it, it bounced back.

I secretly touched it again; it was smooth and cool, like the finest silk, but much stronger, with a textured surface.

"Godfather," she said timidly, on the verge of tears, "this...this car must be very expensive, right? What if Little Pocket...Little Pocket gets damaged sitting in it..."

Lin Ye was checking the route on his phone when he heard this and looked down at her.

The little girl's eyes were filled with timidity, as if she was afraid of breaking something terrible.

His heart ached, and he reached out to ruffle her messy hair with a little force, causing her little head to sway from side to side.

"Little Pocket!"

Lin Ye's voice suddenly became a little louder.

Little Douzi was startled and looked up at him.

Lin Ye leaned down, looking directly into her eyes, and said, word by word, "Listen carefully, godfather—this isn't expensive at all! Godfather has plenty of money! Little Douzi can sit however she wants! Touch however she wants! Do you hear me?"

Xiao Douzi's eyes lit up for a moment, then quickly dimmed again.

She lowered her head, clutching the hem of her clothes with her small hands, her voice even softer: "But...but the nannies said that Xiaodouzi is an unwanted bastard, a freeloader, a little slut who should have starved to death long ago...Xiaodouzi uses her godfather's money, won't her godfather...won't he also think that Xiaodouzi is...?"

Before she could finish speaking, Lin Ye pulled her into a tight embrace.

"fart!"

Lin Ye cursed angrily, "Those damned old hags!"

She quickly realized she was still in front of the child, suppressed the urge to continue scolding, and softened her voice to continue speaking.

"Don't believe a single word those people say, understand?" Lin Ye cupped her small face, making her look at him.

"Little one, remember what your godfather said—you're not unwanted, your godfather wants you! You're not a freeloader, your godfather is willing to give you the best! You're not a jinx, you're your godfather's little lucky star! Do you understand?"

Xiao Douzi's eyes reddened, and she nodded vigorously.

But I still feel a little uneasy.

Lin Ye sighed and said nothing more; all that was left to time. He simply pulled her closer and pointed out the window: "Little Douzi, look outside."