Chapter 1217: I Want to Make You Stay (95)
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
An Xiaoning nodded and answered, “Yes, I dreamed of myself too. It’s a bad sign.”
If she were someone else, Jin Qingyan would have just told her that it was merely a bad dream. However, he knew that her dreams were rarely false alarms.
“What did you dream of?”
“I dreamed that I was sprinting continuously to nowhere, and I bumped into you later on. My head was bleeding, and you even smiled at me,” said An Xiaoning, appearing ill at ease.
Jin Qingyan’s temples began to throb and he asked, “Really?”
“Absolutely. You didn’t say a word at all. I couldn’t tell if it was you or Henry, but I was calling your name in the dream,” said An Xiaoning.
“It might either be me or Henry. You might have called my name because you didn’t know that I had become Henry. Or perhaps you did but you were just too used to calling me by my name. Or maybe we’re just the same person. Henry is just a small part of me.”
An Xiaoning tried her best to calm herself down.
After doing so for a long while, she finally felt much more at ease.
“I feel a little flustered.”
Jin Qingyan put an arm around her and lay down. “Don’t dwell on it, just be more careful.”
An Xiaoning instructed him, “Could you stay in Wei Ni Estate for the time being? I’m afraid that you’ll become Henry again and wander off on your own.”
In order to get her to stop worrying, he conceded, “Alright, I won’t go anywhere from now on. I’ll just stay home.”
“You’re not allowed to come here either.”
“Got it, Ma’am.”
“…”
The two of them fell asleep again. By the time An Xiaoning woke up, Jin Qingyan was no longer around. However, he had left a note on the table.
“My dear, continue to work hard and brave through all odds. I’m looking forward to seeing a brand new Bao’er.”
He even added a cute smiley face at the bottom of the message.
An Xiaoning chuckled and stowed the piece of paper away into her bag. She then opened the door after washing up to let the fresh morning air in.
However, it was a little too humid.
No. 8 walked toward her and greeted, “Sis, Good morning.”
“How did Bao’er behave last night?”
“She was too tired and dozed off while sitting on the pillar. She then fell off and landed on the ground. She was so frightened that she could not stop yelling. I then picked her up and placed her onto the pillar again. She’s been awake ever since. She kept asking to see you, but I turned her down,” said No. 8.
“Well done. Take a nap in your room after breakfast.”
“Okay.”
One hour later, the clock struck half past seven.
Shi Bao’er was brought to An Xiaoning. She frantically greeted, “Auntie…”
“I heard from No. 8 that you fell off the pillar last night. Is that true?”
Shi Bao’er turned pale and shivered at the thought of last night’s scenario. “Yes,” she answered, her lips trembling uncontrollably.
“Go wash your face and brush your teeth. The smaller toothbrush belongs to you. Once you’re done, come out for breakfast.”
Shi Bao’er walked toward the bathroom, after which An Xiaoning opened the suitcase to take out a fresh set of Shi Bao’er’s clothes.
After breakfast, An Xiaoning made Shi Bao’er change into them.
“Since you guys had to attend lessons and training sessions at the boot camp, the servants were put in charge of doing your laundry, and you didn’t have to lift a finger when you were at home either. However, there’s no one to do your laundry here, and you have to wash your own clothes. Don’t think that there’d be someone to help you with the chores. That’s impossible. Get Uncle No. 5 to bring you to the water taps to wash your dirty clothes.”
“Yes, Auntie,” said Shi Bao’er, who left together with No. 5.
Half an hour later, she returned with her washed clothes and waited for An Xiaoning to give out her second order.
“I made you hunt for a small animal yesterday and you promised that you would keep your word, yet you didn’t even do so and you failed to complete the task that I gave you. I want you to do it again today. This time, no one will be tailing you, and there won’t be anyone watching you at the foot of the mountain either. I shall see if you’re going to make another attempt at escaping.”
“I won’t. Auntie, I’ll return with a small animal,” Shi Bao’er said softly while pinching her own fingers.
“You may begin now. I’m giving you a day’s time. Bring two bottles of milk and two sandwiches with you.”
Shi Bao’er nodded and grabbed the bag of milk and sandwiches from No. 5.
An Xiaoning warned one last time, “If you try to escape again this time, you won’t just be sitting on the pillar when I find you.”
Shi Bao’er asked fearfully, “What is going to happen, then?”
“You’ll share an intimate night with those adorable creatures.”
Shi Bao’er turned pale instantly and she said firmly, “I won’t run away.”
“Let your actions speak for themselves. Hurry along.”
Shi Bao’er left with the bag in her hands.
No. 5 asked, “Sis, is there really no one at the foot of the mountains?”
“I didn’t assign anyone to stay on standby at the exits.”
“What if she tries to flee again this time? I have a feeling that she still wouldn’t abide by your words,” No. 5 said worriedly.
“That’ll depend on whether she trusts her own capabilities or mine. If she believes that she’ll never escape my clutches, she won’t escape. If she believes in her own ability to flee, she will definitely do so. Although I didn’t assign any bodyguards to stay near the exits, I did arrange for some of them to be on standby about five hundred meters away from the exit of Mount Heyuan. I even told them to bring her back only after she’s expended all her energy trying to run around, should she really try to escape again.”
No. 5 finally understood why she was so composed and certain that Shi Bao’er could never escape from her clutches. “I take my hats off to you,” No. 5 remarked.
An Xiaoning said, “If we adults can’t outsmart a child, we’ve really lived in vain.”
About two hours later, An Xiaoning received a call. The bodyguards told her that Shi Bao’er had already left Mount Heyuan. An Xiaoning ended the call and remarked, “What a disobedient lass. She really hasn’t learned her lesson.”
“Did she leave Mount Heyuan again?” asked No. 5, who felt a little worried for Shi Bao’er.
“Yes, she has. This child is not trustworthy at all. All she does is lie, just like her father. Genetics are really such an incredible thing. It’s extremely difficult to alter genetic personality traits. If she were in an ordinary family, she would have been beaten to death long ago for all that she had done. Her family would have gone bankrupt after paying for all the trouble that she had caused too. It’s so unfortunate that she had reincarnated as Qingyue’s child. However, it’s Shi Bao’er’s blessing to have someone to clean up after her and the mess that she creates. I guess that’s the reason why she’s so dauntless and lawless.”