A Villainous Childhood Sweetheart At Four And A Half - Chapter 3

In the evening, Pei Yuan and Chao Qing still had not come home even when it was time for dinner.

Pei Hanying guessed that they would probably have to work overtime at the company again today. That thought had only appeared in her mind for a few minutes when, sure enough, the phone watch on her wrist began to vibrate.

After answering the call and listening to Pei Yuan’s slightly apologetic voice on the other end saying that she had to work overtime, Pei Hanying said generously,

“It’s okay, Mommy. I can stay home with Aunt Feng and the others by myself. Mommy, remember to eat on time. Yingying will miss you!”

On the other end, Pei Yuan listened to her daughter’s clear, crisp voice, and the weariness between her brows faded a little.

She gave Pei Hanying a few more reminders, telling her to eat and sleep properly, before finally hanging up.

Once the phone watch screen went dark, Pei Hanying climbed onto her own seat with both hands and feet. Drawing out her voice, she spoke to Aunt Feng in an old-fashioned, precocious tone.

“Aunt Feng, today it’s the two of us eating together again.”

The dishes on the table were all light, easy-to-digest foods suitable for children. Pei Hanying ate until she was about eighty percent full, then set down her chopsticks. After Xia Ting fed her some fruit and she played a few puzzle games, she prepared to wash up and go to sleep.

She had started bathing by herself at the age of three. Although her short arms and short legs made the process rather difficult, Pei Hanying’s small body carried the soul of an adult, so she was really too embarrassed to let someone else help.

Only occasionally would she let Pei Yuan wash her once.

After taking a steaming hot bath, Pei Hanying wrapped herself in a fluffy pajama jacket and sat on a stool, swinging her legs while Xia Ting helped dry her hair.

The hair dryer blew with a whooshing sound. The noise was not loud, and listening to it was actually a little hypnotic.

At Pei Hanying’s age, she used up a lot of energy during the day and also needed plenty of sleep. Before nine o’clock, she was already drowsy.

Several times, she nearly fell asleep, only to sway her head and open her eyes again in a dazed blur.

After her hair was finally dried, Xia Ting said gently by her ear, “Miss, go sleep in bed.”

Pei Hanying answered softly, then jumped down from the stool.

The moment her feet landed firmly on the floor, the little girl became much more awake.

She climbed into bed, yawned, and her eyes were full of mist.

After taking off her jacket, her body sank into the soft, light blanket. The air conditioner ran quietly, and she was almost about to fall into a warm dream.

Watching Xia Ting bend down to tuck in her blanket, Pei Hanying suddenly remembered something. She opened her eyes and said to Xia Ting,

“Sister Tingting, today I saw a little girl outside the wall. Can you have someone check if she’s still staying in the corner?”

Hearing this, Xia Ting froze.

But seeing Pei Hanying’s serious expression, she did not ask anything else. After leaving the room, she took out her phone and made a call.

A few minutes later, Xia Ting returned to the room and said to Pei Hanying with a smile, “Miss, they went around the outside of the villa and didn’t find anyone. Don’t worry. It’s such a cold day, and it’s already so late. How could there still be a child staying outside?”

Hearing this, Pei Hanying let out a breath of relief.

The worry in her heart disappeared, and the girl hugged her pillow. Very soon, she fell asleep.

Close to midnight, Pei Yuan and Chao Qing drove home together.

After the two returned home, showered, and changed clothes, they went to Pei Hanying’s room together to check on her. Seeing that their daughter was sleeping sweetly, Pei Yuan kissed her forehead, then went downstairs and listened as Xia Ting reported Pei Hanying’s activities for the day.

After listening, Pei Yuan asked Aunt Feng, “Has someone moved into that little house outside the backyard?”

Aunt Feng nodded, and there was no lack of contempt in her eyes.

“I heard he’s a gambler. I don’t know how he got in here. I heard he even brought a girl with him. Ah, that poor child.”

Pei Yuan furrowed her brows. After thinking for a moment, she said, “The weather has been cold these past few days. Let Yingbao go outside the courtyard less.”

Aunt Feng nodded in understanding. Pei Yuan had spoken tactfully, but she did understand. Children were easily influenced by their environment. For a family like that to suddenly come to Jinhe Garden, and so close to the Pei family at that—if Pei Hanying really ran into them and heard or saw something, it would be hard to avoid being led astray.

Pei Hanying slept peacefully and sweetly in her dream, naturally unaware of what Pei Yuan and Aunt Feng had said.

Children’s constitutions were weak. After being frozen like that yesterday, she began to have a runny nose when she woke up the next day.

Fortunately, Pei Hanying usually ran and jumped around, and her physical condition had always been quite good. It was only a mild cold.

But because her nose kept running in front of her parents, she was discovered and made to drink another cup of cold medicine.

After drinking the cold medicine, Pei Hanying leaned against the sofa, raised her head, and stared weakly at the ceiling with both eyes. At such a young age, she already gave off a thick salted-fish aura.

Even after drinking an entire cup of warm water, the strange taste of the cold medicine still had not completely disappeared from her mouth.

The little girl puffed out her cheeks. Her soft cheeks bulged up, making her look like an angry pufferfish.

Pei Hanying thought resentfully in her heart that if she had known she would catch a cold just from taking off her down jacket for a little while, she would not have given that child her clothes.

And that jacket was even her favorite among the latest batch of new clothes Pei Hanying had received!

The salted fish on the sofa turned over. The cold medicine she had drunk began to take effect, and after a short while, sleepiness surged into Pei Hanying’s mind. In a daze, she quickly fell asleep.

Children slept a lot. When she opened her eyes again, a fragrant smell was coming from the kitchen.

One of Pei Hanying’s little hands poked out from the fluff and rubbed her eyes. Her amber eyes still carried a few traces of confusion.

After a minute or two, her sleepiness gradually faded.

She had originally been sleeping while leaning against the sofa, but now she was lying on it.

The villa had heating installed, and the room was very warm, so she was only covered with a fluffy blanket.

After jumping off the sofa and putting on her shoes, Pei Hanying followed the fragrance and ran toward the kitchen.

The Pei family had just laid carpets in November, so when her footsteps landed on them, there was almost no sound.

In the kitchen were Aunt Feng and Aunt Zhang. Aunt Feng was cooking, while Aunt Zhang stood to the side helping her.

As she cracked an egg into a bowl, Aunt Zhang said, “I asked around about that Ning family in the back. They didn’t just move in these past few days.”

“That man is no good. It’s bad enough that he doesn’t do anything proper all day, but he can even bring himself to beat his own daughter so ruthlessly. There’s hardly any good skin left on that child from head to toe.”

Pei Hanying had just reached the kitchen door when she heard this sentence.

She froze slightly, and the bright smile that had risen on her face gradually fell.

The child they were talking about—was it the one she had met yesterday?

The little girl did not speak and continued listening to the two of them.

Hearing Aunt Zhang’s words, Aunt Feng poured the beaten egg into the pot and stirred the soup.

She said mildly, “That’s someone else’s family matter. We can’t interfere.”

Aunt Zhang realized she had spoken out of turn. “I won’t talk about it anymore. I was just thinking that our young miss is held in the palms of everyone’s hands, while another family’s little girl isn’t cherished at all. Thinking about the difference really feels like a lot.”

After that, she did not speak again. Only the bubbling sound of the soup boiling remained in the kitchen.

Pei Hanying waited for a minute. Then she raised a smile and spoke in her usual tone.

“Aunt Feng, Aunt Zhang, what are we eating for lunch today?”

After hearing the little girl’s voice, Aunt Feng’s face also carried a bit of a smile.

“We’re eating the meatballs Miss likes. The food will be ready soon. Let Tingting take you to wash your hands. There’s also egg drop soup.”

Pei Hanying nodded and tossed what she had heard just now to the back of her mind.

Call her cold, call her lacking in empathy—either way, in her previous life, Pei Hanying had struggled through society alone, and the final conclusion she had come to was not to meddle in other people’s business.

Giving the child curled up in the corner of the wall a piece of clothing yesterday was already an act of overflowing kindness on her part.

Besides, she was only a child too. Even if she wanted to do something, her abilities were weak, and she did not have the capacity to take responsibility.

A few more days passed. The snow the weather forecast had reported still had not fallen. Instead, the sky began to clear abnormally, and the sunlight falling on one’s body carried a warm, toasty temperature.

Pei Hanying’s cold had gotten better. After being cooped up at home for several days, the moment her parents went out to work, she immediately had someone take her outside.

Jinhe Garden had a small playground specially provided for the children in the community to play in.

When the weather was good, Pei Hanying usually liked going there to bask in the sun, but she did not really play with the snotty, dirty little brats there.

However, Pei Yuan had just instructed that morning that Pei Hanying was not allowed to go out, so Xia Ting felt somewhat troubled when she heard this request.

The adult and the child stared at each other face to face.

Pei Hanying lifted her chin slightly. “We’re going out. If Mommy gets angry, I’ll explain to her when the time comes.”

No one knew where she had learned that tone of speech, but she had copied Pei Yuan’s commanding tone when assigning tasks to subordinates at the company with perfect accuracy.

The little girl clearly looked soft, cute, and adorable, yet she carried an air that did not allow anyone to disobey her.

In the end, Xia Ting could only yield beneath Miss Pei’s tyrannical power.

“Then Miss will explain to Madam herself when the time comes.”

Only then did Pei Hanying curve her eyes and nod with a smile.

The faintly oppressive aura from earlier disappeared, and now she became several degrees cuter.

After putting on a coat, Pei Hanying had Xia Ting help comb her long hair before happily going out.

Pei Hanying held Xia Ting’s hand while looking around left and right.

After not going out for several days, the plants in Jinhe Garden had lost quite a few leaves, and many of them had faded by a shade.

The two passed through the walkway scattered with fallen leaves and headed toward the playground.

The playground was maintained by dedicated staff every day, and it was washed and disinfected morning and evening.

The weather today was truly good. There were quite a few children in the playground, all dressed prettily. The clothes on their bodies were either famous brands or custom-made.

Several little boys who had originally been digging in the sand immediately flattened their mouths after seeing Pei Hanying, then quickly grabbed their shovels and hid behind the others.

Seeing this, the corner of Xia Ting’s mouth twitched.

In the past, those boys had seen that Pei Hanying was pretty and had teamed up to pull her braids together, wanting to attract her attention.

But ever since Pei Hanying was three, she had occasionally attended taekwondo lessons. So when her scalp had only hurt slightly, the little girl, at just over four years old, had directly beaten up four or five boys who were a head taller than her.

Who knew where such a small girl got so much strength from?

And she had not beaten them lightly either. In the end, those boys had all gone home crying with bruised noses and swollen faces.

There were surveillance cameras in the playground. Once the footage was checked, it was discovered that those boys had caused trouble first. Besides, the Pei family was a top-tier wealthy family that could not be offended, so even though the boys’ parents felt sorry for their own children, they could only swallow their broken teeth and bear it.

After that, whenever they saw Pei Hanying, they practically took a detour around her.

Pei Hanying did not notice the movements of those children. After entering the playground, she had Xia Ting wipe down the swing, then sat on it and began swaying gently.

She did not really like staying in similar environments all the time. It made her feel stifled.

Even though there was also a swing in the Pei family’s backyard, she still liked coming somewhere farther away for a while.

The sunlight fell lazily, warming Pei Hanying’s hair and back. She closed her eyes, enjoying the environment that was completely different from home.

Until a harsh, rough man’s voice exploded beside her ear.

“You little bitch! What are you running so far for? Get back and work for me!”

Pei Hanying furrowed her brows, opened her eyes, and looked toward the direction the voice came from.

A tall man with half-long hair was wearing an overly loose suit. In his hand, he held a bamboo switch. With a sharp slicing sound, the stagnant air was cut apart, and the bamboo switch landed heavily on the girl in front of him. The girl staggered, nearly falling to her knees on the ground.

They were not far apart, but Pei Hanying did not hear any cry of pain.

Her gaze fell on the thinly dressed girl, looking at those somewhat familiar yellowed hair ends.

“Get back! This place is for rich young ladies and young masters. Is this somewhere a lowborn brat like you can come?”

The man’s movements did not stop. The wooden stick lashed the girl again and again.

“Waaah!”

“Wuwuwu, Mommy!”

Even though the bamboo switch had not landed on them, the children in the playground were still gradually frightened into crying by the scene. For a moment, the area became extremely chaotic.

The nannies and aunties who had come out with the children hurriedly comforted them.

A few others could not bear to watch this scene and quickly tried to stop him.

“How can you hit a child so hard? Are you even human!”

“Hurry up and stop, or I’ll call the police in a moment!”

…

Listening to these words, the man smiled hideously. He twisted the girl’s ear and made her turn around to face the crowd in the playground.

He said in a heavy voice, “I’m disciplining my own daughter. This is a family matter. What the hell does it have to do with you!”

The girl was forced to turn around, but her head was lowered, making it almost impossible to see her face clearly.

Seeing her timid and shrinking appearance, the man’s expression darkened. He grabbed her hair and forced her to raise her head, exposing her face before everyone.

Ning Cheng said, “This little bitch’s face is actually pretty good-looking. If you really can’t stand watching, then buy her back as a servant—or let her become a child bride for your young master. That works too.”

Looking at the girl’s face that had been forcibly displayed, for a moment, everyone present fell somewhat speechless.

There was no other reason. This little girl was simply too beautiful. Most other children at this age made people think they were cute, but one look at this girl made people feel that she was stunningly beautiful.

Her small face was pale and thin, unlike most children who still had baby fat on their cheeks.

Her features were delicate, as if they had been carefully carved. Most eye-catching of all were those jade-green cat eyes, like a deep pool of rich green.

Her curls fell beside her cheeks and over her shoulders, making her look like a living doll.

Abused by her father, breathtakingly beautiful, with rare, deeply colored jade-green eyes.

Pei Hanying’s body stiffened. No matter how she thought about it, this setup felt somewhat familiar.

She turned her head and looked at Xia Ting.

“Sister Tingting, is this person surnamed Ning?”

After receiving an affirmative answer, Pei Hanying closed her eyes in pain.

No wonder she had felt that the setup was familiar. Wasn’t the little girl currently being beaten none other than Ning Song, the revenge-against-society villain from To Give You Deep Affection!