Where Was I Wrong?

"What a headache this little brat is."

Bibi Dong sighed inwardly. Looking at Xuan Hao kneeling there, she finally broke the silence.

"Is kneeling comfortable?"

Xuan Hao trembled and carefully raised his head, revealing a pair of innocent, wide eyes. "Not really... My legs are numb."

"Your legs are numb?"

Bibi Dong sneered, setting down her teacup. "When you were collecting money at the academy, your legs looked plenty nimble to me. What? Now you know they can go numb?"

"Go on, President Xuan Hao."

Bibi Dong leaned forward, and an invisible pressure instantly enveloped Xuan Hao. "You used my name to throw your weight around in the academy. You nearly drove those Education Committee members into smashing their heads against a wall."

"Do you think that just because you're my disciple, I really won't do anything to you?"

"Or perhaps..."

Bibi Dong narrowed her eyes, her voice turning dangerous. "You think your wings have hardened, and you can make your own rules now?"

Faced with Bibi Dong's aggressive questioning, Xuan Hao did not hesitate in the slightest, nor did he offer even half an excuse. He lifted his chin and, in the most resolute tone, said the most cowardly words.

"I was wrong!"

"..."

Bibi Dong's carefully built-up momentum was abruptly cut off. She froze for a moment before asking instinctively, "Then tell me. Where were you wrong?"

Xuan Hao blinked his big eyes, his face utterly sincere. "Wherever Elder Sister says I was wrong, that's where I was wrong."

"..."

Bibi Dong was instantly choked up, a stifling feeling rising in her chest.

All the scolding she had prepared felt as though it had struck a lump of soft cotton. There was nowhere to apply force.

She had been expecting the boy to argue with her a little. Even if he had simply craned his neck and retorted, "I earned that money fair and square," she could have slammed the table and punished him harshly for being unrepentant and making specious arguments—sending him to reflect before a wall or copy the academy rules.

But what was this?

He had dropped to his knees and admitted fault right from the start, with such a sincere attitude that she could not find a single flaw in it. It left her at a loss.

Where was your pride? Your arrogance?

Where was that wild swagger from the plaza, when you stood there with your hands behind your back and looked down on everyone, declaring that you would collect Protection Fee from upper-year students before graduating into the advanced division?

At least act a little arrogant!

If you're not arrogant, how am I supposed to punish you?!

Seeing that Bibi Dong remained silent while the oppressive aura around her lingered, Xuan Hao's eyes shifted. He shuffled forward on his knees and edged up beside Bibi Dong's legs.

He stretched out his two little hands and gently placed them on Bibi Dong's long calves, kneading them with just the right amount of pressure. As he massaged her, he looked up with a pitiful expression.

"Elder Sister, don't be angry. If you get so angry that it harms your health, you won't be pretty anymore."

"You can punish me however you want, as long as you're happy. I'll accept it all. Even if you hang me at the entrance of the Papal Palace for public display right now, I won't utter a word of complaint."

Bibi Dong was somewhat dumbfounded by his shamelessly roguish behavior.

She had been the Pope for so many years. Who did not tremble before her, as though walking on thin ice? Even Hu Liena barely dared to breathe whenever she was angry.

This was the first time anyone had dared to shamelessly wheedle her like this, even daring to... put his hands on her and massage her legs?!

Yet as she watched the exquisitely cute child before her, diligently massaging her while gazing up at her with those moist, pleading eyes, the anger in her heart truly could not come out.

One did not strike a smiling face, much less such an adorable yet monstrously gifted Personal Disciple.

Bibi Dong simply kept a stern face. She neither spoke nor refused him, allowing him to continue currying favor with her.

Seeing this, the great weight in Xuan Hao's heart finally lifted halfway. He said nothing, only massaging her legs even more diligently, controlling his strength perfectly.

He understood the situation perfectly.

If Bibi Dong had truly been furious, she would never have brought him back to her chambers, much less wasted words with him here. She would have punished him directly.

Since she had brought him back and still let him kneel here while talking nonsense, it meant the matter was not too serious.

When dealing with an angry woman, one must never try to reason with her.

Women were emotional creatures; their feelings came first. When a woman was in the middle of being angry, trying to reason with her or debate right and wrong was just adding fuel to the fire. That was practically asking for an argument and a falling-out.

At a time like this, you had to stroke her the right way.

First, calm her emotions. Let her cool down and soften her heart. Once her emotions settled, even if you told her the earth was flat, she might smile, pat your head, and say, "You're right."

Trying to reason with someone in the grip of emotion was the stupidest thing in the world.

He was no idiot like that.

Time passed second by second.

The chambers were eerily quiet. Only the faint sound of Xuan Hao's little hands rubbing against fabric could be heard.

Bibi Dong truly was not used to Xuan Hao's attentive behavior. Though those small hands were tender, they carried a warm strength that gradually loosened her tightly strung nerves.

"That's enough."

At last, Bibi Dong reached out and pressed down on the back of Xuan Hao's massaging hand, stopping him.

She lowered her head and looked at the little rascal with a complicated gaze. Though her tone remained cool, most of its piercing chill had faded.

"Stop pretending to be obedient and playing the victim."

"I'm asking you: do you actually know where you went wrong?"

Xuan Hao stopped moving, raised his head, and put away his earlier cheeky grin. His expression became exceptionally serious.

"I do."

"My mistake was making Elder Sister angry."

Bibi Dong raised an eyebrow slightly, and the teacup in her hand swayed faintly. "Oh? So you don't think there was anything wrong with what you did at the academy itself? You don't think collecting Protection Fee and acting like a School Bully was a problem?"

"Elder Sister." Xuan Hao looked straight into Bibi Dong's eyes. Though his voice was childish, his logic was incomparably clear. "You were the one who told me that yourself."

"You said that in Spirit Hall, you are the Pope, and I am your disciple."

"You said I didn't need to follow all those tedious formalities or care about what other people thought. In this world, I only needed to listen to you."

"This was the only thing I needed to remember, and the only thing I needed to obey."

Xuan Hao spread his hands, speaking as though it were only natural.

"Since I only need to listen to you, and you never forbade me from doing those things at the academy, then doing them did not count as breaking the rules."

"However, what I did made you unhappy. It made you angry."

"That violated the highest principle of listening to Elder Sister."

"So that is my only mistake. Everything else is unimportant."

"Ha..."

Looking at the child before her, his little face raised and filled with righteous conviction, Bibi Dong could not help laughing in anger.

What a sharp tongue! What a shamelessly airtight line of logic!

His words sounded like an admission of fault, but in reality, he was flattering her in a roundabout way while conveniently legitimizing his lawless behavior.

By his reasoning, not only had he done nothing wrong, but he had faithfully carried out his teacher's instruction—"listen only to her."

Since she had not forbidden him from collecting Protection Fee, he had every right to collect it.

And his only mistake was merely that she was in a bad mood now.

How was this admitting fault?

It was clearly him saying: Everything I did was to carry out your will. If you're angry, then I was being thoughtless. I'll just coax you.

Whether in attitude or reasoning, Bibi Dong could not find even the slightest flaw.

But the more flawless it was, the more stifled she felt.

As the Pope, she had controlled Spirit Hall for so many years. She had always been the one to toy with others in the palm of her hand. Yet today, a six-year-old brat had rendered her speechless with a set of specious reasoning?

If she let him muddle through this with a grin, where would her authority as Pope be? Wouldn't this brat become even more unruly in the future?