CFSSIR

‧₊˚ 45 ‧₊˚

"Elder Brother Lu Zhao, can you please not tell my mother..." Little Qingyao, held in Lu Zhao's arms, nervously grasped his sleeve. Her dirty little hands left numerous uneven prints on his moon-white robe, causing the nearby servants to feel anxious.

Everyone knew that the young master was extremely particular about cleanliness. Normally, just a speck of dust would make him frown for a long time. How could he tolerate such stains on his clothes?

However, little Lu Zhao didn't even glance at his sleeve. With a cold face, he already had the air of a grown-up looking down on everyone from the clouds. A single glance from him scared off the servant who wanted to step forward and take little Qingyao. He still didn't say a word.

Little Qingyao was terrified and spoke with a sobbing voice, "Elder Brother Lu Zhao, don't ignore me... I know I was wrong. If... if my mother finds out again, she will definitely punish me, and then I won't be allowed out of the house anymore..." She choked, and big tears started to fall. Even though she had just escaped from a dangerous situation, she was already thinking about sneaking out again.

Lu Zhao was a bit angry. How could she be so careless about protecting herself? With a blank face, he lifted his hand to wipe her tears and said his first words after rescuing her, "You shouldn't be allowed out of the house again! If you sneak out and something happens, and I can't save you in time, what then?!"

His voice carried reproach, making little Qingyao's crying pause for a moment. She looked at him with a red nose, stunned, and the more she thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt, causing her tears to flow even more.

She wasn't just playing around or intentionally trying to run away. She went out because she wanted to play with her Elder Brother Lu Zhao! But it was because Elder Brother Lu Zhao wasn't at home waiting for her that she got tricked by those who offered to guide her. Clearly, Elder Brother Lu Zhao was also at fault, so why was he scolding her!

Little Qingyao cried louder and more miserably, almost fainting from the distress several times.

Seeing her like this, Lu Zhao's anger dissipated. His heart ached, knowing she had just been scared and wasn't feeling well. Realizing his harsh words were wrong, he softened his tone to comfort her, "Alright, alright, Yaoyao, don't cry anymore. It's my fault. I wasn't scolding you. I promise I won't tell your mother, okay?"

But little Qingyao couldn't hear anything he was saying anymore. She continued to cry heartbreakingly. The little Lu Zhao had no choice but to secretly take her back to the Duke's mansion and carefully comfort her.

Seeing her beautiful little dress all muddy, he feared her family would scold her, so he dared not let anyone know. He had to sneak out again, cautiously buying her a new dress to change into.

In her dream, Shen Qingyao watched from an outsider's perspective, finally relaxing her worried frown and showing a knowing smile. She thought the two little kids were quite cute.

Outside the dream, Lu Zhao saw her breathing stabilize and smiled softly, pulling her closer into his embrace.

In the dream, little Qingyao was taken home by Shen Yushu from the Duke's mansion that night. As expected, Lu Zhao didn't mention what happened during the day to anyone. He kept it a secret.

He thought the matter was over, but not long after little Qingyao got home, the Shen family urgently called several doctors from across the city. Her illness was too severe, and Mother Shen cried by her bed all night. When Lu Zhao heard about it, he also stayed up all night.

A few days later, when little Qingyao got better, Lu Zhao immediately found an excuse to visit the Shen family. Unfortunately, the little girl bore a grudge and still remembered his cold face and scolding. She wouldn't let him in, keeping the door closed.