Chapter 13
Mu Tianyin’s embrace was icy cold, yet wonderfully fragrant.
Bai An’an threw herself into her arms, wrapped both arms around her slender waist, and wiped all the tears from her face onto Mu Tianyin’s snow-white lapels.
Naturally, Mu Tianyin knew exactly how Bai An’an’s tanghulu had disappeared.
She loosely embraced the frail little girl and raised one hand to gently pat her shoulder and back. “Don’t be sad. If you like it, I’ll buy you another one.”
Bai An’an raised her head from Mu Tianyin’s embrace. Her face was still streaked with tears, and her reddened eyes made her look terribly pitiful. She shook her head. “It wouldn’t be the same.”
Mu Tianyin looked confused. “How would it be different?”
Bai An’an fell silent for a moment. After glancing at Mu Tianyin, she lowered her lashes and whispered, “That was the first gift I ever received.”
She hung her little head, revealing only the fluffy crown of her hair. Her tiny, emaciated body sat in Mu Tianyin’s arms, making her appear all the more pitiable.
Mu Tianyin’s eyelashes trembled. She raised her hand and placed it atop Bai An’an’s head.
For the first time, she felt completely helpless and did not know how to comfort this little girl. All she could do was silently stroke her head.
Only after a long while did she slowly manage to say, “It’s all right. I’ll buy you another one.”
Bai An’an immediately burst into laughter. Tilting up her little face, she smiled at Mu Tianyin and asked, “Fairy Sister, is that the only thing you know how to say?”
Mu Tianyin gazed at her gently, a faint smile appearing at the corner of her mouth. “Whatever you want, you may ask me for it…”
Bai An’an extended one finger and placed it against Mu Tianyin’s soft lips.
Her fingertip was warm. When it touched those soft, cold lips, Mu Tianyin’s mind went blank for an instant.
After pausing, Bai An’an whispered, “I don’t want anything.”
She glanced at Mu Tianyin and pressed her lips together. “Fairy Sister, is there any way to make An’er grow up quickly?”
“I want to grow up soon and learn skills from Fairy Sister. Once An’er becomes strong, I can take Mother back to the outside world.”
“You don’t know this, but Mother came from outside. She doesn’t like it here. I know that.”
Mu Tianyin asked gently, “Even though your mother beats you, you don’t mind?”
Bai An’an shook her head and answered earnestly, “I don’t blame her. Mother gave birth to An’er and gives An’er food to eat. An’er is already very content.”
Mu Tianyin had not expected her to say such a thing and immediately froze.
Bai An’an glanced at the pitch-black night outside the window and lowered her lashes. “I know that if Mother abandoned me, I could only live like those little beggars, sleeping in the wind and rain without knowing whether I would survive another day.”
“Taozi and Sister Cuiyan are here too. They both treat me very well.” She raised her face. Illuminated by the moonlight streaming through the window, her features appeared softer, and her entire little face seemed to emit a faint glow.
After a long moment, her youthful voice softly continued, “Besides, I have Fairy Sister!”
“Fairy Sister gave An’er a present, so An’er wants to give you one too.” The light in her bright eyes dimmed. “Unfortunately, An’er doesn’t have any money, so I can’t buy you anything.”
Though surrounded by darkness, she still yearned for the light. Her heart was open and honorable, without the slightest shadow.
What did this make her?
In Bai An’an’s own words, she was practically radiating the holy light of a saint!
She refused to believe Mu Tianyin could remain unmoved after Bai An’an had gone this far.
From the corner of her eye, Bai An’an secretly glanced at Mu Tianyin. Seeing the light flickering in her eyes, she guessed that Mu Tianyin’s heart must be anything but calm and immediately became smug.
If Mu Tianyin had not still been sitting in front of her, Bai An’an would have laughed triumphantly several times.
She pressed her lips together and barely managed to keep herself from becoming too carried away with pride.
Mu Tianyin remained beside her bed until she fell asleep, only then departing.
When Bai An’an awoke the following morning and rubbed her eyes as she climbed out of bed, Mu Tianyin was indeed nowhere to be seen.
This time, she had asked Mu Tianyin to examine all her “memories” in one sitting. Therefore, before her scumbag father appeared, she needed to administer one more powerful dose.
Someone knocked three times on the wooden door before pushing it open without the slightest courtesy.
Taozi stood excitedly in the doorway and shouted, “An’an! Hurry outside! Young Master Chen is here!”
Seeing Bai An’an still sitting bewilderedly on the bed, she rushed forward in a few quick strides, grabbed Bai An’an’s hand, and tried to drag her down.
As she pulled, she said, “Young Master Chen is more generous than anyone! If we go upstairs, pour tea, and offer him a few auspicious greetings, we can each receive a whole tael of silver as a reward!”
Bai An’an hurriedly held her back. “No, I’m not going.”
Taozi scratched her cheek in confusion and tilted her head. “But if you have money, you can buy lots and lots of tanghulu!”
Bai An’an’s eyes abruptly lit up.
She blinked as though an idea had occurred to her, hurriedly climbed out of bed, and dressed. Without needing any further persuasion from Taozi, Bai An’an seized her hand and raced toward the main hall.
Young Master Chen was a well-known spoiled libertine in the surrounding area. The fact that he openly indulged in debauchery during broad daylight spoke volumes about his character.
By the time Bai An’an and Taozi reached the main hall, the first floor was already packed with people.
Several young masters dressed in fine silks sat on round stools, holding folding fans as they lecherously selected women. Neither girl knew which one was Young Master Chen.
Bai An’an and Taozi had heard about Young Master Chen’s habit of spending money lavishly, but they had never seen him before. With three young masters sitting in the hall, they looked at each other in confusion.
Taozi scratched her head. “What should we do? I don’t know which one is Young Master Chen.”
“We’ll know if we ask,” Bai An’an replied. “But Young Master Chen’s friends should be just as generous as he is, right?”
Taozi made a sound of agreement before confidently suggesting, “Then we’ll each choose one, and split the reward afterward?”
Bai An’an nodded.
The two girls separately approached the young masters.
Bai An’an walked toward one dressed in white.
The white-robed young master was embracing a beauty in green. Upon closer inspection, Bai An’an realized she was someone familiar.
She glanced at Cuiyan, then lowered her eyes and quietly poured the white-robed young master a cup of wine.
The cup had only just been filled when a child’s frightened cry rang out.
Bai An’an’s gaze flickered, and she immediately looked up.
Across the table, a powdered young master with slicked-back hair had seized Taozi’s hand and was frivolously stroking her chin.
Young Master Chen glanced over and raised his brows in surprise. “Brother Li, what sort of game are you playing?”
With so many breathtaking beauties beside him, why would he choose to molest a little girl who was barely out of infancy?
Young Master Li twisted his lips into a vulgar smile. “A spray of pear blossoms pressing down upon a crabapple—flowers are always better when they’re tender and fresh. Brother Chen, you simply don’t understand the pleasure involved.”
Taozi did not understand what was happening, but instinctively felt afraid. She looked toward Bai An’an and murmured, “An’an…”
Following Taozi’s gaze, Young Master Li immediately noticed Bai An’an pouring wine for Young Master Chen.
He looked her up and down, examining her carefully. His eyes suddenly brightened. “You. Come here and let this young master have a look.”
Bai An’an trembled as she walked over, staring timidly at Young Master Li.
Young Master Li released Taozi before gripping Bai An’an’s chin and raising her face for a careful examination.
Once Taozi regained her freedom, she no longer cared about the promised reward. She bit her lip, glanced at Bai An’an, then turned and fled without hesitation.
Watching Taozi run away without a backward glance, Bai An’an’s lips curved into a mocking smile, but it quickly disappeared.
She deliberately adopted a heartbroken expression and stood motionlessly, allowing Young Master Li to hold her chin and examine her.
The longer he looked, the more satisfied he became. He reached out to stroke Bai An’an’s face. “What a fine specimen. So young, yet naturally seductive to the bone. Given a few more years, her potential will be limitless.”
Although Bai An’an appeared sallow and emaciated, the natural beauty of her features was undeniable.
She had only gone unnoticed before because she was still so young.
But now she had encountered a pervert like Young Master Li—
Young Masters Chen and Li truly did exist in Bai An’an’s memories.
There was not much to say about Young Master Chen. He was merely an ordinary spoiled libertine and had never offended her.
But Young Master Li, who stood before her now, was another matter.
Bai An’an subtly narrowed her eyes, and a flash of red passed through them.
If she were not trying to ensnare Mu Tianyin, why would she ever allow this piece of garbage to touch her face?
Even if this was merely a memory, she was so disgusted that she wanted to chop off his filthy hand on the spot.
“An’er…” A voice suddenly interrupted Bai An’an’s thoughts.
Her so-called mother descended gracefully from the second floor in a long purple gauze gown, looking captivatingly alluring.
She walked leisurely to Young Master Li’s side and adjusted the long hair resting upon her shoulder. In a coquettish voice, she asked, “Might a flower like Ziyuan be pleasing to Young Master Li’s eyes?”
Bai An’an’s mother was the brothel’s most sought-after courtesan and rarely showed herself.
By coming downstairs now, she had shown the three young masters tremendous respect.
The incident was consequently dropped.
After they returned to the room, Bai An’an awkwardly thanked her mother.
Her mother sat before the dressing mirror, combing her long hair as she replied carelessly, “I wasn’t helping you. An’er, how old are you this year?”
Bai An’an froze. Inside the world of her memories, she could assign herself whatever age she wanted. Judging from the size of her current body, she was probably almost seven.
Her mother said unhurriedly, “In a few more years, you’ll be able to receive customers too.”
She turned and glanced at Bai An’an, her expression completely undisturbed. “I’ll protect you this once. Next time, you’ll have to fend for yourself.”
Seeing the despair on Bai An’an’s face, her mother appeared delighted. She approached and leaned toward her.
“Remember this: the moment you entered this brothel, you became tainted. You might as well follow the prostitutes here and properly receive your customers.” Her fingers patted the child’s thin cheek.
Bai An’an seemed to awaken from a stupor. She stared at the woman in disbelief and shouted, “I don’t want to!”
A slap abruptly struck her face, knocking her head to the side.
Her mother seized her chin. Her distorted face loomed directly before Bai An’an. “Who are you looking down on? I’m the prostitute who raised you! What’s wrong with making you remain in the brothel? Where else can you go if you leave? Or do you want to imitate that bitch Cuiyan and lose your mind over some man?”
Bai An’an covered one cheek with her hand, her eyes reddening. “I’m not looking down on Mother. I just don’t like living this way. I want to learn skills from Fairy Sister and then take Mother away from here!”
Her mother released her chin and pointed at her, laughing as though she had heard the most absurd fantasy imaginable. “You? Stop dreaming!”
For the first time, Bai An’an defied her mother. She clenched both hands into fists before her body and stared at the woman stubbornly. “Fairy Sister promised she would accept me as her disciple!”
After forcefully throwing down those words, she disregarded everything else, turned around, and ran out.
She raced all the way to the rear courtyard before crouching there, panting heavily.
Taozi caught up to her and, with a flushed face, stuffed a handful of broken silver into her hand. “An’an, I’m sorry… What I did earlier was wrong.”
Bai An’an stubbornly refused the money. She crouched on the ground with her arms wrapped around her legs and her little head buried between them.
Seeing that nothing she said could get through to Bai An’an, Taozi became annoyed. “What’s wrong with you? I already apologized!”
Bai An’an raised her red-rimmed eyes and abruptly declared, “I’ll ask Fairy Sister to teach me magic, and then I’ll leave this place…”
“What Fairy Sister? What nonsense are you talking about?” Taozi asked in bewilderment.
“It isn’t nonsense! Fairy Sister really exists!” After shouting this, Bai An’an rushed forward, snatched the broken silver from Taozi’s hand, and ran away.
Holding the silver, she stood bewilderedly on the bustling street, uncertain where she should go.
Several children carrying pinwheels and kites ran laughing past her, their youthful faces completely carefree.
Envy immediately appeared on Bai An’an’s face, her gaze settling upon the toys in their hands.
A tall, immaculate figure in white appeared beside her. Mu Tianyin looked down and softly asked, “Do you want them?”
Hearing Mu Tianyin’s voice, Bai An’an subtly narrowed her eyes. A moment later, she assumed a delighted expression and opened her palm toward her.
“Fairy Sister! An’er has money now!”
Her sadness instantly vanished as she excitedly chattered, “Whatever Fairy Sister wants to buy, just tell An’er! An’er will buy it for you!”
A bright-red handprint still marked her face, and the tears at the corners of her eyes had not yet dried. Yet she did not mention a single word about what had just happened.
She clearly knew Mu Tianyin possessed the ability to resolve these problems for her and could even avenge her.
Mu Tianyin gazed at the innocent little child, and at that moment, her frozen heart suddenly became achingly soft.
For the first time, Bai An’an’s entire figure was reflected clearly in Mu Tianyin’s tea-colored eyes. She raised her hand, placed it atop Bai An’an’s head, and sighed.
“All right.”
“If there is ever anything I want, I will be sure to ask you for it.”
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