Fuzhu's Ballad

42

Chapter 42 Beneath the glitter

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To avoid arousing suspicion, the baby had to be sent out of the mansion in the cargo truck in the afternoon. Before leaving, Shentu Rui asked Xia Xin to bring the baby over for one last meeting with Lan Dan.

Lan Dan sat by the window without moving. When she saw the baby in Xia Xin’s arms, she suddenly didn’t know how to face this little baby. She sat in the shadow of the window lattice and, even though it was the hottest time of early summer, she felt a chill all over her body.

Shentu Rui had been lazily leaning on the bed all along. Even after a night’s rest, he still looked worn out. When Xia Xin brought the baby in, he had no interest in looking, but instead threw a glance towards Lan Dan.

Xia Xin understood and went straight to Lan Dan, kneeling down and lifting the baby up for her to take a closer look.

Shentu Rui looked at Lan Dan and said lightly, “Take a good look, maybe you won’t see each other again in this lifetime.” His tone was too casual, as if he was not talking about a parting.

“Can I hold him?” Lan Dan looked at the baby in Xia Xin’s arms and made a gentle request, not with a determined attitude.

She even hoped that Shentu Rui would refuse her request, because she didn’t know why she wanted to hold the baby, and was afraid that doing so would create a bond that would be hard to break.

After a moment of hesitation, Shentu Rui nodded.

Xia Xin carefully placed the child in Lan Dan’s arms, but Lan Dan didn’t know how to hold a baby, and fumbled a bit, relying on Xia Xin’s help to steady the baby.

Shentu Rui watched, and laughed at her clumsiness, and the atmosphere became warm for a while.

Lan Dan looked down at the small and soft baby in her arms. The baby was still too young and wrinkled to tell if she was pretty or not. She was the daughter of Chong Wen and Lan Huang, so Lan Dan was still her aunt. Bringing the baby out of the palace tied to her leg was her chance to survive. Holding the baby, Lan Dan felt her fragility and smallness. Tears fell down her face, landing on the baby’s small face. Lan Dan gently wiped them away, afraid of hurting the baby’s delicate skin. The baby was so small and soft, and now she was going to be separated from her mother, living alone and in hiding. Today’s farewell may be forever. Lan Dan hoped that the people who adopted her would treat her well and give her a peaceful and simple life, never knowing the secret of her identity.

“Send her away,” said Shentu Rui, not wanting Lan Dan to feel sadder.

Lan Dan watched as Xia Xin carried the baby away from her embrace and out of the room, out of the Prince of Yan’s mansion, and out of her world. A sense of powerlessness and desolation filled her heart.

Shentu Rui, on the contrary, did not even glance at the baby. Lan Dan turned her head away, not wanting him to see her crying face. She knew he was heartless and that the baby had nothing to do with him, so he had nothing to worry about.

“Why are you crying?” Shentu Rui forced a smile. “Compared to the little prince, she is already very lucky. At least… she is safe.”

Lan Dan raised his hand and wiped away his tears with his sleeve. He was right, the baby boy who became the prince would have to live on the edge of a knife from now on. Even if he managed to survive and grow up, he was the child that his mother, Lan Huang, would help to ascend to the throne. Being sent away and living incognito was certainly pitiful, but being left behind to be a foil was even more tragic.