"Young Master, you clearly saw it; why didn't you dodge?"
The two walked back home along the road, the imposing mansion ahead of them.
HuMing was taken aback by the unexpected question, and he gently touched the visible swelling on his face.
"SuLiu has been as irritating as gum recently. I was only concerned about not having a good reason to shake her off, but I hadn't expected her pursuers to be so insane. So I just went with it and took a punch from him."
"But you dodged it, didn't you?"
"Yeah, I softened the blow, so it didn't hurt much; it just looks a little noticeable."
HuMing wasn't dumb enough to let himself get punched in the face directly.
KangXin, on the other hand, saw the truth. But she was unsure why he had done so.
HuMing had no intention of explaining to her or anyone else; he needed to keep his guard up. Who knows when someone will betray him? He hated traitors the most.
HuMing felt that having a maid by his side made the scenery on the way home much more pleasant.
"Why come here if you don't have money? I told you they wouldn't agree!"
The sound of a middle-aged woman cursing came from the side of the street.
The woman had a fierce look, berating the middle-aged man next to her. The man being scolded remained silent as if accustomed to such a scene before him.
When HuMing passed by, he took a few more glances at them. However, the middle-aged woman seemed to notice his gaze and shouted at him.
"What the hell you looking at? Haven't you seen people arguing before!"
[You call this arguing? It's just one-sided abuse.]
HuMing was too lazy to care about other people's problems and scoffed silently in his heart. The man himself decides to adopt the persona of a cowardly turtle. Should he get some tweezers and pry the man's head out? Not realistic.
Gradually, the sound of the insults behind vanished. Upon his return home, HuMing saw that the looks people gave him were unpleasant.
As he entered the hall, he noticed Han ShuYi comforting Madam Han from her seat next to her. Her eyes were red as if she had suffered some injustice.
"Sorry, mother. I didn't expect them to come knocking at the door."
"It's not your fault, they're just being unreasonable."
Madam Han had to take care of her son's emotions. But just thinking of the couple's attitude just now made her angry.
It just so happened that HuMing had returned. Madam Han couldn't shake the feeling of how similar the middle-aged couple and HuMing looked. HuMing's stubborn and erratic nature reminded me a lot of that couple.
With considerable disdain, she cast a frustrated glance at Hu Ming.
"HuMing, what's the reason behind your recent hiding from us? Are you afraid that the Han family will not support you anymore?!"
HuMing was suddenly the target of the accusation, but his expression remained mostly unchanged. Based on their recent conversation, HuMing could be positive that the couple he saw outside were ShuYi's foster parents.
ZhaoWei and Lu GuiFang!
Madam Han became even angrier at HuMing's lack of speech. HuMing hadn't spoken to any family members since his identity became public. She'd never looked down on HuMing despite his somewhat stubborn personality.
But now, her discontent with HuMing has intensified to a great extent due to this development.
"Do you know your biological parents just came? They begged us to return ShuYi to them. But they didn't even mention you!"
HuMing calmly watched the woman, who was engulfed in anger. Her own hands now tore apart the image of herself she once showed in front of him.
The original was indeed an unfortunate individual. Everyone eventually forgot about him. Even becoming a stepping stone for others, a joke that is brought up at class reunions many years later.
Villains, indeed, meet unpleasant ends.
"They offered tens of thousands of dollars just to take away my ShuYi, but in their eyes, you are worthless!"
"Mother!"
Han ShuYi's voice interrupted her words. Madam Han instinctively turned her head, only to see Han ShuYi shaking his head, signaling her to stop.
Upon seeing her son's face, like a hot iron pan drenched with cold water, Madam Han instantly calmed down. Only then did she realize what she had just said.
She abruptly turned to face HuMing, but all she saw were two figures walking away. The sunset shone through the massive French windows, making the two figures appear particularly lonely.
Madam Han leaned weakly on the sofa, holding her head in her hands and appearing wholly defeated.
Beside her, a slight grim smile appeared on Han ShuYi's face.
...
"Young Master, it appears you have been detested by Madam."
"Thanks for the reminder; otherwise, I'd be clueless."
A wry smile tugged at the corner of HuMing's mouth; KangXin was excellent in every way except for being overly direct. She appeared unconcerned about her surroundings and would say whatever came to mind.
Of course, it was only directed against him.
KangXin approached HuMing from her room, holding a bottle of medicinal wine.
"Young Master, let me apply the medicine for you."
"I can do it myself."
"Please let me do this, Young Master. You should think about how you will spend your days ahead now."
KangXin dipped a cotton swab into the medicinal wine and leaned in carefully to apply it to HuMing.
She exuded a lingering lemon fragrance. HuMing fixed his gaze on the young girl before him. Though her ink-black hair obscured her face, he could sense the imaginable beauty beneath it, which was not inferior to SuLiu's.
If she cared about her appearance, she could become a goddess in many people's eyes.
HuMing brushed aside the young girl's hair unconsciously as he thought about this.
Her face, was delicate as a porcelain doll's, with flawless skin like polished jade, a petite nose, and rosy lips.
Her eyelashes were long enough to cast shadows under her eyes, much like birch trees in the winter.
Just as HuMing had guessed, she was indeed stunning.
[How blind is the original to not notice such a lovely girl by his side.]
HuMing couldn't help but retort inwardly.
Meanwhile, HuMing's actions left KangXin slightly stunned. The two stared at each other for quite some time, only stopping when KangXin retracted the cotton swab.
Silently, she let her hair down and returned to her previous demeanor.
"KangXin, have you ever thought about going to school?"
Kang Xin shook her head. She had never considered such a question.
"Young Master saved me and brought me back. I'm already grateful enough. Education is not something I dare to ask for."
"What if I'm the one who wants you to study?"
KangXin stared blankly at the boy before her, her eyes as bright as torches. She realized that she had never truly known him.