To put Bao Yun at ease, Housekeeper Liu added, "I’ll explain things well to the old lady." "Thank you, Uncle Liu. I’ll have someone bring in the tea leaves." An Yin blinked her big, misty eyes, listening to their cryptic conversation, feeling utterly bored. As Bao Yun turned to leave, he noticed the little girl in a daze, her eyes like autumn waters, clear and bright. The girl’s skin was fairer than snow, accentuated by her long black hair, making her even more striking. Her eyes, moving with grace, were as pure and clear as a pool of autumn water. As he watched her, Bao Yun seemed to see an old acquaintance, and his gaze grew darker. "Little girl, let’s go," Bao Yun said softly. "Huh?" An Yin was jolted back to reality, and upon realizing her distraction, she blushed and lowered her head, "Alright." The two walked one after the other. Housekeeper Liu stood in place, watching their figures as fragments of past memories surfaced in his mind. If he remembered correctly, the second master had also been with a beautiful little girl when he was young... Housekeeper Liu lowered his eyes, allowing the past memories to fade away. Some things cannot be returned to. The Bao Mansion covers a vast area; getting from the front gate to the backyard requires navigating a long and winding path. It was An Yin’s first visit here, and she couldn’t find time to admire the surroundings, her bright, sparkling eyes occasionally glancing at the man’s back. "Where do you live?" Bao Yun suddenly asked. An Yin didn’t think much and directly gave the exact location of her home. Her soft voice came from behind, with a melodious timbre reminiscent of a bird’s song, gentle and pleasing. The little girl was sincerely open, without any guard against others. Upon this thought, a trace of worry reflected on Bao Yun’s face. "Have you had a hard time these years?" Bao Yun wrapped his hands nervously, the question seeming to take all his strength to ask. The man’s question puzzled An Yin, as if implying he knew her and Ms. An. An Yin frowned slightly and answered softly, "It’s been pretty good." She was telling the truth. As long as she was with Ms. An, she felt happy. Bao Yun turned his head to look at her, and seeing her innocent and carefree demeanor, he believed her words. It was clear that the little girl was well-protected by someone! Had he not seen the little girl’s appearance, he would never have thought that someone eventually decided to have the child. Bao Yun walked quietly, and upon leaving the Bao Mansion, his car was parked by the roadside. At the entrance, a servant was trimming the roadside branches. Bao Yun waved to the person, who quickly came over. Bao Yun handed the tea leaves from the car to the servant, "Give it to Uncle Liu." The servant took it with a bow and left. Bao Yun stood on the asphalt road, looking up at the plaque above the distant gate, a hint of melancholy flashing in his eyes. An Yin noticed him staring at the Bao Mansion’s gate and asked in confusion, "Uncle, what are you looking at?" Bao Yun shifted his gaze, looking at the girl’s round, deer-like eyes, and replied, "The weather’s going to change." Huh? He was clearly looking at the house; how did it relate to the weather? An Yin didn’t expose his words, and mumbled softly, "It won’t change; the weather forecast says it’ll be light rain or overcast for the next fifteen days." Listening to her, a faint, fleeting smile appeared on Bao Yun’s somber face, "You’re right!" With that, he opened the passenger door, "Get in." An Yin obediently got in the car. After Bao Yun got in, he fastened his seatbelt and checked to see if the little girl had done the same. As the car started, a calm look settled on Qingjuan’s face. He spoke leisurely, "Tell me about your childhood." An Yin looked out the car window, feeling a slight comfort. For some reason, the man beside her gave her a sense of relaxation. Unconsciously, she felt a vague sense of familiarity and warmth from him. Follow current novels on 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩⚫𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢⚫𝔫𝔢𝔱 "Childhood?" An Yin murmured, then smiled sweetly, "When I was little, mom loved me very much." "What else?" Bao Yun continued to ask. "I often got sick as a child, and mom frequently took me to the clinic..." Her bright autumn-water-like eyes held a layer of haziness, "Sometimes, despite the visits, the illness wouldn’t improve, so mom would take me to a big hospital. During that time, I often took leaves from school for colds..." "Mom worked really hard!" An Yin’s eyelashes trembled lightly, and as she spoke, her voice grew hoarse. An uneasy silence filled the car. Listening to her, Bao Yun tightened his grip on the steering wheel, his face marked by a lingering darkness. "Have you ever thought about finding your father?" Bao Yun drew a deep breath, as if to calm his emotions. Upon hearing this term, both familiar and strange, An Yin stopped breathing, her body tense, feeling like she was caught in a massive whirlpool, at a loss. An Yin hung her small head low, looking despondent. Bao Yun noticed her mood and knew he’d hit a sore spot. "If you don’t want to talk, that’s okay," he respected her choice. "It’s not that I don’t want to..." An Yin said slowly, her voice muffled, "Just, if I find him and he doesn’t like me? What if I am the child he abandoned?" "Meeting me, he would surely feel troubled!" An Yin’s fluttering eyelashes were moist, her eyes misted. After hearing her words, Bao Yun felt a heavy weight on his heart. He pursed his lips slightly, his deep eyes drooping. After a long pause, he said with a trembling tone, "Little girl, he wouldn’t dare!" Bao Yun’s voice was low and solemn, as if declaring an undeniable fact. "Uncle, thank you for comforting me." An Yin sniffed, turned her head to the side, and secretly wiped away her tears. She assumed her tear-wiping went unnoticed, but little did she know, Bao Yun caught it all in his peripheral vision. It seemed the little girl took his words merely as comfort. Bao Yun raised his eyes to the overcast sky, a trace of pity surfacing in his heart. At this moment, a car approached from the front at high speed. Bao Yun glanced at the rearview mirror, watching the car go further and further away. He stepped on the brake, pulled over to an empty spot, and parked. Within ten seconds, the car that had sped away before came racing by and stopped steadily behind Bao Yun’s car. An Yin, sitting inside, only heard a screeching brake from behind. She turned her head and muttered, "That was close; our car was almost hit." The little girl was likely quite frightened, her face pale, one hand patting her chest repeatedly. Seeing the man beside her remain unmoved, she felt embarrassed and lowered her head. Oh no... Was she scared for nothing?