Chapter 10

Everything Ning Song had experienced in the past had taught her never to place her hopes in others too easily.
The people closest to anyone in this world were their parents. Yet after Ning Song’s parents divorced, her mother resolutely chose to leave with her older brother without showing the slightest reluctance to part with Ning Song.
She was left with her father, whose temper became increasingly erratic after the divorce. All he left Ning Song with were ever-worsening injuries and verbal abuse.

Even the parents who should have been closest to her had been unable to give Ning Song the response she hoped for.
Let alone anyone else.

But perhaps Pei Hanying meant something different to her. When Ning Song asked those questions earlier, she still couldn’t prevent herself from harboring some hope.
She yearned for Pei Hanying’s approval.

So when she heard Pei Hanying’s answer, Ning Song’s lashes trembled and lowered over most of her deep-green pupils, concealing the moisture gathering within her catlike eyes.
Looking somewhat wretched, she released the corner of Pei Hanying’s coat and lowered her gaze to the trail of footprints stamped into the snow.
The little girl struggled to steady her voice and whispered, “I’m sorry.”

It was as though a basin of cold water had been poured over Ning Song’s slightly racing heart, leaving it drenched and fallen inside her chest, with only the faintest movement remaining.
She had known she shouldn’t expect anything.
But her heart seemed to have fallen ill. Icy snowflakes had drifted inside her body and were about to freeze it solid.

Watching her wilt like a tiny seedling, Pei Hanying began wondering whether what she had said was too harsh.
After several seconds, she hesitantly asked, “Ning Song, are you all right?”

Hearing her name, Ning Song reacted a beat late. She raised her head to look at Pei Hanying and forced out a smile.
She replied, “I’m fine, Miss. Shall we go back now?”

Pei Hanying frowned slightly at the somewhat artificial smile on the little girl’s face.
Although Ning Song was beautiful and even her false smile looked soft and adorable, Pei Hanying found it rather ugly.
She was already so adept at concealing her emotions at such a young age. As expected of the little villain.
And she had even changed how she addressed her. So much for being fine.

After meeting Ning Song’s gaze, Pei Hanying watched the little girl lower her head again.
She wondered thoughtfully whether Ning Song was upset because of what she had just said.

An explanation rose to her lips, but remembering her ultimate objective, Pei Hanying swallowed it again.
Her goal was to put some distance stolen contentbetween herself and Ning Song so the child would stop constantly moving closer to her.
This reaction should have been exactly what she wanted.

After reaching that conclusion, Pei Hanying pretended not to notice her dejection and went along with what Ning Song had said:
“Mm. Let’s go back.”

Pei Hanying’s tactic was indeed effective. Throughout the afternoon, she wandered around the Pei family’s enormous living room, but no matter how much noise she made, Ning Song never appeared beside her again.
She asked Xia Ting and learned that Ning Song had remained in her room the entire time.
As long as they maintained this distance, Pei Hanying could send Ning Song back to the Ning residence after her injuries healed, sever their connection, and ensure there would be no further entanglement between them.

Pei Hanying ignored the strange trace of emotion that had arisen within her, unwilling to explore where it had come from.
She quickly diverted her attention and focused on other matters.

When evening arrived, they also kept to themselves during dinner.
Whenever Pei Hanying encountered a dish she disliked, she frowned and forced herself to swallow it.
Ning Song never spoke at all, making the dining table exceptionally quiet.

Pei Yuan also sensed that something was wrong. After glancing at Pei Hanying, she placed food into each little girl’s bowl.
Looking at Ning Song’s thin wrist, she instructed, “Eat a little more, Xiao Song. You’re too thin.”
Ning Song nodded obediently.

After dinner and a brief rest, Pei Hanying was taken upstairs for her bath.
Thinking about the atmosphere at dinner, Pei Yuan walked to the guest room where Ning Song was staying and knocked. Only after hearing Ning Song’s voice from inside did she open the door and enter.

The little girl was standing not far behind the door. When she saw Pei Yuan enter, she raised her head and smiled.
“Auntie Pei.”

Pei Yuan’s lips curved into a smile.
She bent down and lifted the little girl into her arms.
The child was almost weightless in her embrace, light as a feather.

Carrying the little girl to the bedside, she sat down and settled Ning Song on her lap before gently touching the injuries on her face.
The family doctor had provided the best medicine available. The injuries on Ning Song’s face and body were gradually fading, and as the gloom surrounding the child receded, some of her natural sweetness emerged.

Pei Yuan only truly adored her own child, but even she felt sorry for a well-behaved and pitiful child [stolen content]like Ning Song.
She stroked the little girl’s hair and asked gently, “Did you and Yingbao have a disagreement today, Xiao Song?”

Sitting on Pei Yuan’s lap and feeling the softness of her body, Ning Song’s cheeks flushed.
Auntie Pei was so soft and warm.
She also smelled wonderful, like… the scent of a mother.

At the thought, Ning Song pursed her lips and ultimately shook her head. “No.”
There was no relationship between her and Pei Hanying in the first place, so how could they have had a disagreement?

Pei Yuan didn’t believe her.
She knew the daughter she had given birth to, and something had clearly seemed wrong between the two girls at the dinner table today.

She didn’t want to make things difficult for the little girl, so she didn’t continue pressing her. Instead, she gently smoothed Ning Song’s hair and asked her several questions.
“Are you comfortable staying at Auntie’s house?”

Ning Song nodded, then raised her head and smiled at her. Her catlike eyes curved into crescents, making her appear somewhat brighter.
Only now did she finally resemble a child her age.

Pei Yuan asked a few more simple questions before finally saying:
“Yingbao has a bad temper. If she says anything unpleasant, don’t take it to heart. Just ignore her.”
“Xiao Song, stay here with Auntie for now and focus on recovering. You should be happy every day and not overthink things, understand?”

Ning Song replied softly, “I understand, Auntie. There’s nothing bad about Miss.”
“Thank you, Auntie.” She spoke those words with utmost sincerity.

Hearing how Ning Song addressed Pei Hanying, Pei Yuan rubbed her temple.
She set the child down beside her, bent over, and kissed her forehead.

“Go to bed early tonight, then, Xiao Song. Auntie won’t disturb your rest any longer.”
With that, Pei Yuan left the room.

The door closed gently. Ning Song touched her forehead, where warmth still lingered.
The corners of her lips lifted slightly, but an uncontrollable ache spread through her nose. The sharpness of it seemed to Read on BaiLianTales seep through her entire body, and she hastily wiped away the tears spilling from the corners of her eyes.

Auntie Pei was so kind. She had even less reason to sulk at Pei Hanying.
She should be like everyone else in the Pei household and cherish Pei Hanying like the treasure she was.

She sniffled softly, carried a stool into the bathroom, and washed her face before finally going to sleep.
Early the following morning, only a few servants cleaning and preparing breakfast could be seen around the Pei residence.

Wrapped in thick clothes, Ning Song waited until no one was looking before going into the backyard. She placed the piece of sturdy cardboard she was carrying on the ground, then grabbed handfuls of snow with her little hands and slowly packed them together.
She was tiny, making her difficult to spot while crouching behind the flower bed. Moreover, it was only a little past six and the sky remained dim and gray, so no one noticed her presence at all.

Her small hands turned bright red from the snow. Ning Song breathed warm air into her palms and resumed shaping the snowman once they had warmed slightly.
More than half an hour later, the little girl’s exposed ears, cheeks, and palms were all bright red, but her eyes shone brightly.

She blinked, shaking the cold snowflakes from her lashes, and carefully lifted the exquisite little snowman standing on the cardboard.
The snowman was endearingly plump and innocent. Its small size only made it appear even more adorable.

Breathing out a cloud of white mist, she carried the little snowman indoors, took the elevator upstairs, and stopped outside Pei Hanying’s room.
She still felt somewhat nervous standing at the door. Only when she noticed the little snowman beginning to melt in the warmth did she grow anxious and knock softly.

Pei Hanying heard the knock through her sleep. She rolled over beneath the covers, reluctant to get up.
It was so warm under the covers, she marveled inwardly.

But after the knocking sounded outside, no one entered.
Who was it?
Pei Hanying hesitated for a while before finally sitting up, putting on a jacket, and running over to pull open the door.

Once the door opened, the little girl’s face appeared before her, accompanied by a trace of icy frost and snow.
Looking at Ning Song’s bright-red cheeks and equally red hands, Pei Hanying’s drowsiness vanished instantly.

Ning Song looked at her and swallowed nervously before holding the little snowman out toward her.
She said softly, “Miss, read the original at bailiantales.com I made this snowman myself. Do you like it?”

Pei Hanying glanced at the charmingly adorable snowman. Compared with the one she had built with Pei Yuan, this one was much cuter.
But her gaze still didn’t linger on it for long. Looking at Ning Song, Pei Hanying suddenly felt the urge to sigh.

Seeing Pei Hanying’s unmoved expression, Ning Song’s previous joy immediately plummeted.
She pressed her lips together, and her hands holding up the snowman slowly lowered.

Even though she had made it herself, Pei Hanying still didn’t like it?
That made sense. What wonderful things hadn’t the Pei family’s young miss already seen?

She suppressed the urge to cry, but her grip on the cardboard faltered. The snowman slid downward, nearly falling to the floor, where it would instantly smash to pieces.
Just like Ning Song—broken and battered, destined never to be liked.

But a hand ultimately caught the snowman before it struck the floor.
Following that hand upward, Ning Song saw Pei Hanying frowning.

Pei Hanying hurriedly caught the falling snowman, shuddering when its chill struck her palm. Feeling its icy temperature, she stood, extended her other warm hand, and cupped one of Ning Song’s ears, slowly driving the cold from her earlobe.

She hadn’t expected Ning Song to run outside in the bitter cold and personally make her a snowman merely because of what she had said. Thoroughly exasperated, she demanded, “Ning Song, are you an idiot?”