My Inner Thought is Exposed! The Villain Family Defy Their Fate!

Yun Zheng responded with a hum, lifted his leg to leave, but the little one clung tightly to a strand of Lu Wu’s hair, her eyes pleadingly fixed on him.

Lu Wu, the beleaguered one: "..."

His scalp ached from the pulling, yet he patiently endured it, not forgetting to chuckle softly and speak on her behalf.

"My lord, this little girl has just arrived, she’s unfamiliar with everything about you and the mansion. Perhaps because she’s been with me all the way, she relies on me more and won’t let go."

"Please wait a moment, allow me to have a few words with her."

Yun Zheng sighed helplessly and nodded, "Alright."

With permission granted, Lu Wu turned to the little one, soothing her in a soft voice.

"Hey, let go of me. The lord is your family, he won’t harm you. Don’t be afraid, go with him with peace of mind. The madam is a very gentle and kind person, she will surely be good to you..."

Before he finished, the little one suddenly struggled and lunged over, throwing her small arms around his neck, tears streaming down and soaking his neck in an instant.

"..."

Lu Wu froze in place, his body stiffening uncontrollably.

A moment later, he raised his eyes to look at Yun Zheng, and said with a troubled expression, "My lord, what should we do about this?"

Yun Zheng didn’t expect this to happen.

Clearly, the little girl depended on Lu Wu more than on him.

It made sense. All along the way, Lu Wu seemed to have taken great care of the little girl without ever showing her a harsh face.

Thus, in this unfamiliar environment, compared to him, a complete stranger, the little girl relied more on Lu Wu.

Well then, just let Lu Wu take care of her first; wait until she becomes familiar with them before deciding.

"Hold her tight."

Decided, Yun Zheng handed the little girl over to Lu Wu. Confused about the situation, Lu Wu took her and held her properly.

Then, he heard Yun Zheng say, "For the time being, stay and live in the mansion..."

"Soon, I will have the steward prepare a courtyard for you. You take care of the little girl for now, and we will plan once she is able to accept us."

Lu Wu: "..."

No, how did he, a fine military officer, end up taking care of a child?

"My lord, with her in my care, what of my tasks?"

He looked at Yun Zheng with great difficulty, having no inclination to take on such an arduous task.

He was the lord’s most capable right-hand man, adept at battles, killings, and cunning tactics, how could he be wasted on child-rearing?

More importantly, he didn’t even know how to care for a child...

The lord had said he would become this little one’s father. Clearly, he intended to raise her by his side as a daughter. As the young lady of the Duke Ning Mansion, she couldn’t be compared to a little stray on the street; how could he manage this?

Besides, with her, how could he still find Cui Ning?

Surely, he couldn’t just leave her alone in the courtyard?

"I will have someone else handle it."

Yun Zheng spoke in a low voice, having already made proper arrangements in his mind.

He planned to assign Lu Wu’s tasks to Yun Wanye.

That boy had been idle lately; it was perfectly fitting to give him these assignments, sparing others from his mischief all day.

"Alright~"

Unable to avoid it, Lu Wu reluctantly agreed, then suddenly remembered something, "By the way, my lord, what should this little girl be called?"

Now that she was under his care, not knowing for how long, he couldn’t just keep calling her little one, or the little girl, could he?

At these words, Yun Zheng instantly thought of her painfully humble and disgraceful name, his eyes immediately darkening, his entire body radiating a murderous aura.

"Nickname Zhenzhen, formal name Zhuyu."

Those people wanted her to be lowly like grass, but he insisted she be as valuable as pearls and jade.

He leaned closer to the little one, gently stroked her head, and said, "Nickname Zhenzhen, formal name Zhuyu, Yun Zhuyu. This will be your name from now on, remember it."

"Zhen, Zhen? Name...?"

The little one finally reacted.

She lifted her head, her tear-streaked eyes gazing at Yun Zheng in confusion. Her voice, as if grated by sandpaper, was exceptionally hoarse and dry, making it very uncomfortable to hear.

This voice was evidently damaged, and the articulation was clumsy and awkward, clearly showing she hadn’t spoken for a long time.

Neither Yun Zheng nor Lu Wu expected her to speak, taken aback for a moment. The next instant, Lu Wu held her in front, filled with joyful surprise, staring at her intently.

"Oh, so you’re not a little mute? Then why didn’t you say a word all the way?"

The little one fell silent again, pursing her lips as she looked at Yun Zheng, perhaps waiting for a response.

Seeing this, Yun Zheng’s mood improved, his furrowed brows relaxing.

"Yes, it’s correct. This is your name, nickname Zhenzhen, meaning precious, valuable, like a treasure of pearls and jade, perfectly matching your formal name."