Chapter 7

Pei Hanying thoroughly enjoyed dinner that evening.
Ning Song readily helped her finish everything she disliked, while Pei Yuan and Chao Qing turned a blind eye to Pei Hanying’s sneaky picky eating because they wanted the two little girls to grow closer.

The only drawback was that Ning Song was as skinny as a kitten and had an appetite to match. Although she was using a child-sized bowl and had been given less than half a bowl of rice, she soon couldn’t eat any more.
When Pei Hanying noticed her slowing down, the food she had been about to place in Ning Song’s bowl changed course and ended up in her own mouth instead.

She chewed slowly and finished the egg.
Glancing at Ning Song, who was still trying hard to stuff food into her mouth, Pei Hanying said, “If you can’t eat any more, then stop.”

Ning Song paused while shoveling rice into her mouth and timidly raised her eyes to look at Pei Hanying.
Anyone who saw her looking at Pei Hanying that way might assume Pei Hanying had bullied her somehow.
In reality, the true villain was someone else entirely.

Pei Hanying clicked her tongue inwardly and said to her evenly:
“What are you looking at? Can you still eat?”
“If you can’t, then stop. It’s not as though our family can’t spare you another meal.”

Ning Song gently set down her chopsticks and said quietly, “If I don’t finish it, it’ll go to waste.”
Ever since her parents divorced, Ning Song hadn’t eaten a hot, filling meal in a very long time. She treasured this hard-won chance to eat her fill, so although she was already stuffed, she was still trying to force more food into her stomach.

Pei Hanying: “……”
Looking at the little girl’s earnest expression, her emotions alternated between “How pitiful” and “You should save your sympathy for yourself.”

In the end, she directed a pleading gaze toward Pei Yuan.
After noticing her daughter’s stare, Pei Yuan unhurriedly set down her chopsticks and said gently to Ning Song:
“If you can’t eat any more, then stop. You won’t go hungry in Auntie’s home, and the food won’t be wasted even if you don’t finish it.”

As she spoke, she asked Chao Qing to lift the two little girls down.
Then she sent them to play in the living room.

Before that, Ning Song was given another dose of fever medicine. Only after her temperature was taken and they confirmed that her fever hadn’t returned was she allowed to sit on the floor with Pei Hanying and work on a puzzle.
Pei Hanying wasn’t very patient with toys that required concentration. After playing for a while, her attention would always begin to wander.

Ning Song kept her head lowered and worked on the puzzle with great concentration.
She was also very fast, able to place nearly every piece in its corresponding position at a glance.
A puzzle that would normally take Pei Hanying two or three days to complete was finished by Ning Song in just over half an hour, revealing a beautiful Christmas Eve snowscape.

Looking at the completed puzzle, Ning Song lowered her head and smiled faintly.
The outer corners of her eyes curved slightly downward, giving her a remarkably docile and ​unauthorized copy​gentle appearance. It was impossible to imagine that she would one day become a hysterical villain.

Pei Hanying stared blankly at her profile.
Only when the girl raised her head and met her gaze in confusion did Pei Hanying finally turn away.

She said, “It’s late. I’m going upstairs to sleep. If you want to take a bath, ask one of the maids to help you.”
As she stood, she looked at Ning Song’s hair. After trying to restrain herself, she added, “You can go home after your fever is gone.”

After saying that and seeing Ning Song nod, she didn’t remain in the living room any longer and went upstairs.
There were servants on the first floor, so she didn’t need to worry about anything happening to Ning Song.

Although Pei Hanying had said she was going to sleep, she found herself unable to do so after taking a bath.
She opened the curtains, knelt on the window seat, and stared into the dimness outside.
The wind and snow were still raging. By the light from inside, she could see the snowfall growing increasingly heavy.

Her thoughts drifted uncontrollably back to Ning Song. At that moment, Pei Hanying felt somewhat grateful that she had brought the little girl home.
If Ning Cheng had still refused to let Ning Song inside tonight, she probably wouldn’t have survived until morning.

At the thought, Pei Hanying frowned and exhaled softly.
At least she had saved Ning Song’s life. No matter what happened, she could only hope that Ning Song would remember the favor.

After staring blankly out the window for quite some time, Pei Hanying’s throat began to feel dry.
When she checked her watch, it was already past nine.

At this hour, almost everyone in the house was asleep.
After coughing softly, she jumped down from the window seat. Only when she reached the corner did she realize that she had forgotten to turn on the humidifier today.
No wonder the air had felt especially dry.

She wanted some yogurt. After thinking for a moment, she quietly crept downstairs.
Feeling her way down in the dark without making a sound, Pei Hanying glanced toward the second floor. Seeing that she hadn’t attracted her parents’ attention, she finally relaxed slightly.

She switched on the light downstairs and was about to look for yogurt in the refrigerator.
Her gaze casually swept over the sofa. When she saw a black-haired head protruding above it, her heart gave a violent leap, and she instinctively stepped backward.
Only after recognizing Ning Song as the person sitting there did she pat her chest in relief.

She asked irritably, “Why aren’t you sleeping this late at night? What are you doing sitting here?”
She had nearly scared her to death.

Ning Song raised her head and looked at her, ​read the original at bailiantales.com​bewilderment showing in her sleepy eyes.
She hurriedly apologized, “S-sorry. I woke you up.”

Pei Hanying stared at her for several moments without speaking. She opened the refrigerator and searched for quite a while but couldn’t find any yogurt.
She found only a bottle of warm milk sitting in the small pot used to heat it.

Damn it.
It seemed they had anticipated this long ago.

Pei Hanying unhappily took out the milk. When she emerged from the kitchen, Ning Song was still sitting on the sofa.
She walked over and looked Ning Song up and down, her gaze stopping on that dog-chewed haircut with obvious disdain.

Ning Song had changed into a pink outfit. The dusty-pink color softened her aura, and the pink kitten face on her jacket made her look rather cute. It was just her hair—it was such an eyesore.

Seeming to sense the blatant disdain in Pei Hanying’s eyes, Ning Song pursed her lips and lowered her gaze without speaking.
Her hands were tightly twisted together in her lap.

Medicine had been applied to the injuries on her face and body, but they wouldn’t heal so quickly.
Her fingers remained red and swollen.

After several seconds, Pei Hanying frowned and asked, “Don’t tell me you’re afraid to sleep alone?”
Why else would she abandon a perfectly good room and insist on sitting in the living room?

Ning Song was about to explain. She parted her lips but didn’t know what to say.
After taking a bath that evening, she had originally intended to rest. But she grew thirsty and went to the living room for some water, where she accidentally overheard a maid packing away everything she had used and saying disdainfully, “Who knows whether the things that child used are carrying some virus?”
“Once she leaves, it looks like we’ll have to throw away everything in the guest room.”

Ning Song was accustomed to being disliked, but she was grateful to the Pei family and didn’t want them to suffer such a large loss.
Moreover, she was only a little over five years old. Words like those would inevitably still upset her.
Only after the maid left did she return to the living room and sit quietly, planning to bid the Pei family farewell the next day.

She simply hadn’t expected to encounter Pei Hanying.

Pei Hanying took her hesitant expression as confirmation.
Just as expected, the main villain was nothing but trouble.

After glancing at Ning Song, she handed her the milk.
“Drink it.”

Ning Song stared blankly at the milk in her hand before obediently accepting it, only to encounter difficulty opening the cap.
Seeing this, Pei Hanying used a bottle opener to remove it for her.

The warm milk settled in her stomach, soothing its fragility.
Ning Song’s eyes narrowed slightly as she finished the entire bottle, then licked the corner of her lips.
A warm house, soft clothes that fit, and warm milk—everything was so wonderful that it felt like a dream.

Pei Hanying shoved a tissue into her hand. Once Ning Song had wiped her mouth, she said rather fiercely:
“Come upstairs with me.”

With that, she stood and walked toward the stairs.
After taking several steps, Pei Hanying turned around. Seeing Ning Song still sitting motionlessly on the sofa, she raised her voice:
“Hurry up and follow me.”

Ning Song immediately rose and walked behind Pei Hanying, following closely in her footsteps up to the third floor.
Even after Pei Hanying led her into the bedroom, she still hadn’t processed what was happening.

Pei Hanying closed the door. Seeing Ning Song standing motionlessly in place, she poked her shoulder.
“Go wash up. Are you planning to sleep or not?”

Ning Song’s mind went completely blank, and she instinctively walked into the bathroom.
Hearing water running in the bathroom, Pei Hanying took a sip of water to soothe her throat and felt her eyelids growing heavy.

She rubbed her eyes. After removing her watch, she raised the temperature of the air conditioner before lying down on one side of the bed.
After a while, Ning Song finally emerged from the bathroom.

Pei Hanying yawned. Looking at the person standing beside the bed, she lost her patience.
“Are you going to sleep or not?”

Ning Song looked at her, her mind finally beginning to function again.
She asked softly, “Am I sleeping with you?”

Pei Hanying lifted her eyelids and glanced at her, her voice much softer with drowsiness:
“What else? Aren’t you afraid to sleep alone?”
As she said this, Pei Hanying didn’t forget to curse Ning Cheng several more times inwardly.

Ning Song blinked, her heart beating somewhat faster.
She said nothing and merely walked to the other [Read on BaiLianTales]side of the bed, lifted one corner of the quilt, and then raised her head to look cautiously at Pei Hanying.

Only after seeing no resistance on her face did Ning Song quietly remove her shoes and socks and climb into bed.
The moment she lay down, Pei Hanying’s voice came from beside her. “We each sleep on our own side. You’re not allowed to squeeze toward the middle, and you’re not allowed to come near me.”

Ning Song lowered her eyes in disappointment and quietly agreed.

After saying that, Pei Hanying felt slightly more at ease.
Her biological clock was taking effect, and she truly couldn’t stay awake any longer.
She closed her eyes and rolled over, turning her back toward Ning Song.

Pei Hanying had a strong sense of personal boundaries and disliked anyone casually intruding into her space.
Fortunately, Ning Song seemed quite obedient for now and was also remarkably unobtrusive.

Thinking drowsily about this, she fell asleep without realizing it.
Hearing Pei Hanying’s soft, even breathing, Ning Song’s tense body beneath the quilt relaxed slightly.

A fresh citrus scent filled her nose, and a soft, warm quilt covered her body.
Her drifting heart temporarily found somewhere to belong, and her previous anxiety slowly eased.

In the darkness, Ning Song glanced in Pei Hanying’s direction. Resting against the soft pillow, she closed her eyes. Before she could fall asleep, however, a faint rustling came from the bed. Before she could react, another warm body moved closer and wrapped around her as though hugging a doll.

Huh?
Ning Song blinked.