"What did Shanshan ask you?" I said gently. This child was actually willful on the surface, but her heart wasn't as resolute as it seemed. I wondered what kind of environment had shaped her. ? ?
"She... She didn't ask anything!" Jing Xiaoman muttered. I let out a helpless laugh, patted her head, and said, "If you don't tell me, who would know what happened? If you still refuse to speak, wouldn't that mean Han Shanshan's kindness was wasted? Though she only met you by chance, she asked me to listen to your troubles because she cares about and wants to protect you, doesn't she?"
Jing Xiaoman wasn't ignorant of reason. She simply didn't want anyone to know how truly fragile she was inside, so she had always used her outward appearance to push others away. After crying for quite some time, she finally said, "I... I rarely leave home... but I never miss it. Do you know why...?"
"Why? Your father is the Demon Venerable. You should have relatives at home to look after you, and a mother who cherishes you, shouldn't you?" I was stunned for a moment.
"Why do you assume everyone else's family is like yours? My family... You did that on purpose, didn't you?" Jing Xiaoman stood up and looked at me unhappily.
"How was I doing it on purpose?" I gave a bitter smile and simply changed from crouching to sitting. I sat on the cliff's edge and gazed at the drifting clouds ahead. There was little difference between day and night here. The starry sky visible at night was no different during the day.
"My family really isn't what you imagine. From the time I was little, I never dared imagine living together the way Sister Shanshan described—without arguments, without battles, without conflicts.