Chapter 91: I Also Want to Protect You
Everyone exchanged glances, but no one spoke. They could only let him take Shanshan away.
On the surface, Shanshan nodded obediently, murmuring a few words of compliance.
But only she knew that this was a matter she absolutely had to investigate.
Because she had discovered something extremely unusual.
The Ling family’s fortune had changed.
Before, the Ling family’s fortune had been as solid as a rock.
But recently, that fortune seemed to be eroding, as if eaten away by some invisible force, leaving it on the verge of collapse.
Every night during her meditation, she could sense an ominous presence.
But she didn’t dare say a word about it.
If she did, her parents would just dismiss it as nonsense.
She knew that in this family, no one would believe a teenage girl could see "fortune."
To deceive the ever-watchful Ling Anxun, she deliberately acted docile and obedient.
Once everyone had let their guard down, she quietly sought out her eldest brother, Ling Zhiyan, and her second brother, Ling Zhiyu, to probe for clues.
"Shanshan, it’s not that I won’t tell you."
Ling Zhiyan crouched down and gently ruffled her soft hair.
"Your father gave the order himself. No one is to mention this, especially not to you. We’re just trying to protect you. We don’t want you getting involved."
"He’s right."
Her second brother, Ling Zhiyu, also crouched down.
"This is grown-up business. It’s too complicated and involves too many things. You’re just a kid; even if you understand some of it, you can’t help. Just be good and stay out of it, okay?"
"But I’m part of the Ling family!"
Shanshan’s cheeks puffed out, and her eyes grew red around the rims.
"Something has happened to the Ling family! If this goes on, we’re headed for disaster! I know I can help, so why won’t you let me? Is it because I’m young? Because I’m a girl? Does that mean I’m supposed to just stand by and do nothing forever?"
She didn’t dare confront her father; he was, after all, the person she revered most.
But all that frustration had to go somewhere. She secretly made a face at her eldest brother, then turned and ran.
"Hmph! I’m ignoring you!"
She skipped down the corridor, looking for the next person she could ask.
Aunt Yang in the kitchen doted on her the most. Maybe she would know something.
What Shanshan hadn’t counted on, however, was that in this house, Ling Anxun’s word was law.
With the exception of her grandfather, of course.
Ling Zhenkang was the sole exception in the household.
Seeing her running around the house asking questions, Ling Zhenkang’s heart softened. He gestured for her to sit down.
"Come, sit. Grandpa will tell you what’s going on."
He explained everything from beginning to end, holding nothing back.
"This is no joke, Shanshan. Your father and the others have been investigating this for a long time and have only just found a lead. If word gets out, we’ll all be in serious trouble."
"Grandpa, can I go see?"
She asked, looking up at him.
"Maybe I can actually help. I’ve studied first aid, and I know a little about pharmacology... Aunt Yang taught me how to identify herbs."
Ling Zhenkang fell silent for a moment.
"Aren’t you afraid? This is very risky; you could get hurt. These people are not to be trifled with."
Shanshan pressed her lips together, her small hands clutching the hem of her dress.
"I’m not afraid. Grandpa loves me, and Dad protects me. I want to do something for my family, too."
Ling Zhenkang knew his son was right; the girl shouldn’t be involved.
But he doted on Shanshan from the bottom of his heart, as if she were his own flesh-and-blood granddaughter.
’Our own child should be allowed to help if she can,’ he thought. ’If something really goes wrong, it won’t be her problem to worry about. The adults will handle it.’
The grandfather and granddaughter exchanged a look of tacit understanding.
Without telling Ling Anxun, the two of them quietly slipped out of the house.
Shanshan wore a simple dress and a small hat. With her head lowered, she followed her grandfather through a side door.
Once they arrived, Shanshan secretly put her skills to use.
She recognized at a glance that the medicinal prescription had been tampered with.
She quietly scraped off a bit of the powder with her fingernail and tucked it into the small porcelain vial she carried with her.
But to their surprise, they couldn’t keep it a secret.
The moment the two of them stepped back into the house, they came face-to-face with Ling Anxun, who had rushed home.
"Dad, did you take her there?"
For the first time, Ling Zhenkang was confronted directly by his son.
The old man’s heart skipped a beat.
He finally understood why his grandsons’ knees went weak at the mere mention of Ling Anxun’s name.
It wasn’t that he was trying to be frightening; he just had an overwhelming presence.
So, Ling Zhenkang didn’t stand in his way.
He sighed, took a step back, and placed the vial of medicine on the coffee table.
"Ah! Grandpa, save me!"
Shanshan was genuinely terrified.
She instinctively ducked behind her grandfather, gripping his sleeve tightly and curling into a small ball.
But her grandfather only glanced at her before gently pulling his sleeve free and walking away with his hands clasped behind his back.
The next second, Ling Anxun raised his hand and slapped her bottom.
SMACK!
It was the first time she had ever been hit.
And in such a...
humiliating way.
Before she could even process what had happened, tears began to stream down her face.
"Waaah... Daddy’s mean... Waaah..."
Ling Anxun had intended to be firm and teach her a lesson.
But after only a couple of slaps, the sight of her tear-streaked face made his resolve melt completely.
He froze, his fingers trembling slightly, before scooping her into his arms.
"There, there, don’t cry... It was my fault. I shouldn’t have laid a hand on you."
"Waaah... You’re mean! I don’t want you anymore!"
Though she said she didn’t want him, her small hands clung desperately to the front of his shirt.
"Shanshan, do you know why I was so worried?"
Ling Anxun lowered his head, gently resting his forehead against the crown of hers.
"You know how special you are. You’re not like other children. Your abilities... If outsiders ever found out, how many people do you think would covet them? How many would come snooping? How many would try to snatch you away from me?"
"If anyone found out, could you ever live a peaceful life? I don’t want you to grow up and look back, thinking I used you or treated you like a tool. I don’t want you to hate me one day."
Ling Anxun murmured.
Shanshan understood, her eyelashes fluttering.
"But... I smile every day here. I’m happy,"
she mumbled.
"Dad, I wake up wanting to smile every day. Because I’m home. I’m not afraid, and I don’t care if other people know."
"I’m not an outsider. I’m a child of this family. I’m Ling Xueshan, your daughter."
"Shouldn’t family members protect each other?"
She tilted her little face up to look at him.
"I don’t feel like I’m being used at all. You protect me, and I want to protect you, too. We’re a family, right?"
Father and daughter stayed close, their foreheads touching.
Since what was done could not be undone, Ling Anxun had no choice but to face it.
He began to silently monitor everything around Shanshan.
At the slightest sign of trouble, he would immediately intervene to stamp it out.
There were things about Shanshan that could not be known to outsiders.
They were her secrets, and they were the family’s line in the sand.
If they were ever exposed, the consequences would be unimaginable.
The entire family kept their mouths shut, working as one to conceal the truth.
Had this been the Cao family, Cao Daqiang would have long since dragged his daughter around, begging for favors and pulling strings.
But Cao Jiajia was only a little girl; how could she understand such complexities?
All she knew was that, suddenly, money at home had become tight.
They had to be frugal with water and electricity, and only buy the cheapest vegetables at the market.
Before, all it took was a little pouting to get a new toy or school supplies; her dad would buy them without a second thought.
Now, even if she threw a full-blown tantrum on the floor, she couldn’t even get a new pencil case.