Chen Zhenlong, the patriarch of the Divine Family, was taking a short break in his office with his two wives, Chen Wenrou and Chen Yinying. The three of them were discussing the recent incident involving their daughter's tampered meal.

  His head rested against the back of his chair as he groaned softly in relief, while his first wife, Chen Wenrou, gently massaged his temples.

  Sitting across from them, in the chair in front of Chen Zhenlong's desk, was his second wife, Chen Yinying, the biological mother of Chen Linlin.

  Her expression was nothing short of furious. Her fists were clenched so tightly that a cracking sound echoed in the room, and a faint aura of a one star Black Gold rank demon spiritualist leaked from her body, threatening to erupt at any moment.

  "I can't believe that bitch tried to hurt my baby," she huffed angrily. "Let me handle the beheading. I'll slap that bitch straight into her next life."

  "No, you can't do that, Sister Yinying," Chen Wenrou immediately interjected. Knowing her fellow wife's temperament, she had no doubt Yinying would carry out her words. "Your reputation would be ruined if you lower yourself like that. Just let our people handle the dirty work."

  Although Chen Wenrou had absolutely no problem with Chen Yinying tearing that maid into minced meat, the public would definitely have opinions.

  After all, Chen Yinying was the wife of Chen Zhenlong. How could the wife of a major family's patriarch lower herself to personally execute a criminal even if that criminal had tried to harm her own daughter?

  Although the people of Glory City were the last surviving humans in the world, they were still a civilized society.

  There was due process that needed to be followed in situations like this, and none of it involved Chen Yinying raining absolute hell upon the criminal.

  If that were allowed, Chen Zhenlong would have long since slapped that woman to death himself.

  Hearing this, Chen Yinying's shoulders slumped, and the fury on her face faded into sadness.

  "I can't believe my baby just let it happen," she said softly. "She didn't even say anything to Xue Hui."

  The three parents in the room felt utterly helpless. They were unable to do anything about their daughter's condition, and without any of them noticing the signs, their daughter had begun to see herself as a burden to them.

  In Chen Linlin's mind, because of her condition, she believed she had no right to complain about how others treated her.

  So when the food she received began to taste horrible, she remained silent and endured it.

  And when that jealous fallen nobility maid discovered this, she took the opportunity to mistreat their daughter.

  Upon seeing the pained expression on his wife's face, Chen Zhenlong stood up from his chair and walked toward Chen Yinying. He knelt in front of her so they were eye to eye, gently taking her hands and giving them a firm yet comforting squeeze.

  "I already talked to Lin'er," he said softly. "I made her understand that her condition doesn't make her any less our daughter. We love her and care for her and that will never change for the rest of our lives."

  Chen Yinying sniffled and wrapped her arms around her husband. She wished she could transfer all the pain her daughter was going through onto herself. She hated seeing her baby suffer.

  "Well, it's a good thing husband brought Xiao Hui with him," Chen Wenrou chimed in gently. "Ever since that boy started working as Lin'er's attendant, the situation has improved slightly. Lin'er finally found someone she's comfortable with, and the boy has proven himself diligent as her caretaker."

  In this recent incident, Xue Hui had proven himself to be someone they could rely on to keep their daughter properly cared for.

  Back then, when Chen Zhenlong brought the boy home and intended to make him Chen Linlin's attendant, everyone had been worried. The boy carried himself in a strange manner, with an emotionless face and soulless eyes that sent chills down people's spines.

  Yet, Xue Hui proved to be unexpectedly effective.

  Who would have thought he would become the perfect attendant for their daughter?

  Not only was he excellent at fulfilling his duties, but he was also the only person outside their immediate family whom Chen Linlin was willing to speak to. Thanks to his unique circumstances, Chen Linlin found herself able to relate to Xue Hui on many levels. As such, she had no problem with him staying by her side.

  Thinking of the peculiar boy, Chen Yinying couldn't help but snort as she recalled something he had done earlier.

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  "Wait," she said, lifting her head slightly, "is it true that Xiao Hui is the reason Shen Hong's little sister caused such a fuss while leaving the mansion?!"

  Chen Zhenlong let out a snort and shook his head, a faint smile etched onto his face.

  "Yeah. The boy called her out about her… weird smell," he said. "Xiao Hui probably caught a whiff of her perfume and didn't like it."

  Both women giggled upon hearing his words. Xue Hui could be absolutely merciless with his honesty when he chose to be.

  "I still remember the time he asked Brother-in-law Fe if he had issues with his masculinity," Chen Wenrou added, amused. "That was when Xiao Hui found out that Brother-in-law Fe was the only elder in the Divine Family without a child. And he asked that in front of everyone."

  This time, all three of them laughed, recalling the painfully awkward scene one that nearly made the elder vomit blood from sheer grievance.

  If Xue Hui were not such an important person to Chen Linlin, Chen Fe would have long since yeeted the boy out of the Divine Family for calling him out like that in public.

  While the three parents continued their conversation,

  At Chen Linlin's residence, inside her room,

  The little girl could be seen flinging a pillow at the only other person present.

  She was upset.

  Her parents had found out about the bad meals.

  And it was because of Xue Hui snitching on her behalf.

  Although she knew he only wanted to help her, she couldn't stop herself from feeling betrayed by his actions especially after she had explicitly asked him not to tell her parents anything.

  Yet despite her request, he had still gone behind her back and informed them, making her father and mothers worry even more than they already did.

  She was angry.

  And Xue Hui was at fault.

  She had originally wanted to throw him out of her room. She didn't want to talk to him at all.

  But every time she tried to tell him to leave, her heart began to ache.

  Xue Hui was the only person in this vast mansion whom she considered truly close. With her illness and with Xue Hui's own condition she no longer felt alone in the world when he was around.

  Unable to chase him away, she resorted to throwing pillows at him instead.

  But even that failed to lessen her anger. On the contrary, it only irritated her further.

  Because the target of her resentment the boy who was supposed to feel guilty for betraying her continued to act as normal as ever.

  He simply let the pillows rain down on him, completely ignoring her tantrum. He even caught the ones she hurled at him and gently placed them back at her side.

  "Ugh! I hate you! Hui-hui, you're the worst! You didn't listen to me and you made my parents worry even more. I hate you so, so much!" the little girl yelled, making sure the boy in front of her heard every word.

  She continued throwing pillows in every direction, grunting and huffing, missing her target by a wide margin.

  She kept it up until she began to feel lightheaded, her breathing turning shallow and uneven.

  "Hui-hui…"

  Chen Linlin extended both of her arms toward the small boy an action she had done countless times in the past.

  As if a switch had been flipped, Xue Hui immediately discarded the pillow in his hands and hurried toward her, extending his own hands to hold hers.

  The moment she felt the warmth of Xue Hui's hands, Chen Linlin's rapid breathing slowly began to calm. They stayed like that, hands clasped together, until her breathing returned to normal.

  She didn't know when it started, but whenever she felt uncomfortable or her breathing became abnormal, she would instinctively reach for Xue Hui's hands.

  For some reason, holding them always made her anxiety fade away.

  Xue Hui didn't let go. The two children stood there, hands clasped in the middle of the cold night, bathed in the soft moonlight pouring through Chen Linlin's window.

  Xue Hui, who had been blankly staring at their joined hands, raised his head when he picked up the sound of soft sniffles in front of him.

  What he saw was a delicate face, her cheeks faintly red from overexertion earlier. The moonlight highlighted her features, making the tears that slid down her cheeks shimmer like precious gems.

  "I'm sorry… I didn't mean all of it," she whispered. "Don't be angry at me. Please don't leave me alone, Hui-hui."

  Burdened by her illness, Chen Linlin always felt that everyone around her would eventually leave her behind.

  Even though her parents constantly reassured her of their love, she feared they would one day grow tired of caring for her… and stop.

  That fear never left her heart.

  But for some reason

  She didn't feel that way about Xue Hui.

  Xue Hui was abnormal.

  He was emotionless, spoke very little, and most of the time, he unnerved the people around him.

  But for some reason, Chen Linlin felt comfortable around him. She felt safe secure in a way she couldn't explain.

  As if she never had to worry about Xue Hui growing tired of her… or abandoning her.

  Xue Hui had never promised her anything. He never spoke about staying by her side.

  Yet every one of his actions silently implied the same thing

  That he would remain with her, no matter what.

  Because of that, Chen Linlin's fear of being left alone in the vast mansion had subsided significantly.

  Her earlier outburst about hating him was nothing more than a childish tantrum. It never carried any real meaning.

  But the moment she thought that he might actually take her words seriously, leave, and never come to see her again

  Panic began to creep into her chest, her breathing turning heavy and uneven.

  So she reached out for him.

  And when he immediately took her hands, just as he always did whenever fear overwhelmed her heart, relief washed over her completely.

  Pulling him into her embrace, Chen Linlin buried her face against Xue Hui's chest and bawled her eyes out. With everything that had happened today and her anxiety flaring up, she clung to him desperately for comfort.

  She hated where her life was heading.

  Not only had she lost her ability to cultivate, something her parents had once been so proud of, but her body itself was slowly failing her. For now, it was only her legs. In the future, she might not be able to move at all.

  Her illness was something that would gradually render her completely paralyzed.

  Just thinking about it made her press her face deeper into Xue Hui's chest, muffling the sound of her sobs.

  She didn't want her parents to see her cry. Ever again. To hide it from them, she only allowed herself to break down when she was alone… or when she was with Xue Hui.

  She liked that Xue Hui never overreacted to her condition when she cried like this. Unlike her parents, who would immediately grow anxious the moment they noticed even the slightest sign of distress, Xue Hui would simply hold her, calmly and let her cry until there were no tears left.

  Chen Linlin didn't know what compelled her to ask what she did next.

  Perhaps it was because her heart was filled with grievances. Or perhaps she wanted to believe that there was still the slightest hope, that things could change for the better, that someone might one day free her from her illness.

  With a shaky voice and trembling gaze, she lifted her small head. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she looked at Xue Hui.

  "Please save me, Hui-hui," she whispered. "I don't want to spend my whole life lying in bed… or keep being the withered princess."

  Her fingers tightened around his clothes.

  "P-please… if you ever go anywhere someday, take me with you."

  "P-promise me you won't leave me alone… and that you'll always stay by my side, Hui-hui."

  Her teal eyes met Xue Hui's lilac eyes, blank, unreadable, unchanged.

  Seeing no reaction from him, Chen Linlin sniffled and slowly loosened her grip, about to pull away from his embrace.

  Then

  A hand gently cupped her cheek, wiping the tears from her face.

  She froze, keeping her gaze on Xue Hui's eyes, this time filled with quiet curiosity.

  Xue Hui had never done something like this before, so it caught Chen Linlin completely by surprise. Her eyes widened when, all of a sudden, a brilliant glint appeared in Xue Hui's pupils.

  His usually lifeless, lilac-colored eyes showed a faint spark of vitality.

  Chen Linlin saw various emotions flash through them fast, fleeting, yet undeniably real.

  The hand cupping her cheek moved more gently, more fondly.

  Her breath hitched as she watched the blank expression she was so used to slowly soften, transforming into one filled with quiet care.

  Then he spoke.

  Not in his

  usual monotone, but with a voice full of conviction.

  "In this lifetime, I, Xue Hui, won't let you suffer."

  Bathed in moonlight, the two children held each other's gaze. Neither of them moved.

  End of Chapter 6