Indifference

Qian Daoliu held her in his arms, heartbroken.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something comforting, but found himself at a loss for words.

He knew very well what had happened to Bibi Dong.

He knew what Qian Xunji had done to Bibi Dong.

He knew why she hated everyone in the Qian Family.

He knew even better why Qian Renxue had been treated coldly by her mother since birth.

Did he want Bibi Dong to hold Qian Renxue and sleep with her, like a normal mother and daughter?

That was impossible.

Unless he used his position as the Great Enshrined to force her.

But what was the point of forcing her?

A forced hug was not motherly love, and forced companionship would only make Bibi Dong hate the child more.

Moreover, what right did he have to force Bibi Dong?

When his own son had done something worse than a beast, what right did the father have to demand that the victim love that beast's child?

Qian Daoliu's heart churned, and in the end, it could only turn into a helpless sigh.

"Be good, little Xue, don't cry," he gently patted his granddaughter's back, comforting her softly. "Grandpa will go talk to your mother, ask her... ask her to look at you more, okay?"

Qian Renxue lifted her head from his embrace, looking at him with tear-filled eyes. "Will... Mother listen to Grandpa?"

Qian Daoliu looked at her red and swollen eyes, his heart aching.

She didn't know.

This child knew nothing.

She didn't know why her mother didn't like her, didn't know how she came into this world.

She simply wanted her mother's love, just like any three-year-old child.

"Grandpa will go talk to her," Qian Daoliu could only coax his granddaughter with this pale and powerless promise.

"Then Grandpa can't lie," Qian Renxue vigorously wiped her tears with her sleeve, her eyes red as she looked at Qian Daoliu earnestly, her tone carrying the stubbornness and pleading unique to a three-year-old. "Grandpa must keep his word."

Qian Daoliu looked at her serious little face, his guilt almost overflowing.

He wasn't someone who made promises lightly, but what else could he do now but agree?

Let her continue to sit here and cry until her voice was hoarse and her eyes were swollen, with no one to care for her?

"Okay," he nodded, his voice a little dry. "Grandpa won't lie."

Only then did Qian Renxue slowly stop crying.

She sobbed a few times, then raised her sleeve to wipe away the tear stains on her face again and again.

Although her eyes were still red and her nose was still wrinkled, a smile finally reappeared on her little face.

"Grandpa is the best."

Qian Daoliu stroked her hair and sat with her for a while longer.

After she had completely calmed down, he called a maid to take his granddaughter back to rest. He then stood up and strode towards Nurse Zhou's room.

As he reached the door of Nurse Zhou's room, he heard voices inside.

It was Bibi Dong's voice.

"...What should we pay attention to when it's hot in the summer?"

"The room needs ventilation in the summer, but the wind shouldn't blow directly on the young master," Nurse Zhou's voice was patient and meticulous. "Wipe him dry promptly when he sweats to prevent heat rash. The water temperature for bathing can be slightly cooler than in winter, but not too cool..."

Bibi Dong listened attentively, occasionally asking a question.

Just by listening to her voice, anyone would think she was a dedicated, gentle, and meticulous mother.

Qian Daoliu stood outside the door, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

This woman was learning from the nurse how to care for an adopted infant, studying so intently and diligently.

Meanwhile, her own daughter was sitting on the stone steps outside, crying her heart out.

Qian Daoliu stood at the door for a moment and coughed lightly.

The voices inside stopped abruptly.

The door opened.

Nurse Zhou stood at the door. Upon seeing Qian Daoliu, her expression changed slightly. She quickly took a few steps back and bowed respectfully. "Great Enshrined."

Bibi Dong sat in a chair, holding Luo Dong in her arms.

She looked up at the newcomer, her gaze indifferent, without any ripple.

She did not get up to greet him, nor did she offer a respectful greeting, nor did she even glance at him again.

Qian Daoliu looked at the infant in her arms.

Small, wrapped in swaddling clothes, only a face was visible.

Bibi Dong held him with practiced ease, one hand supporting his neck, the other his bottom, exactly as Nurse Zhou had taught her yesterday.

When she looked down at the infant, her gaze was soft, unlike how she looked at anything else.

That softness had never been given to Qian Renxue. Never.

Qian Daoliu sighed inwardly and turned to Nurse Zhou, "You may leave."

Nurse Zhou acted as if she'd received a pardon, bowed to both of them, and quickly exited the room, closing the door behind her.

Only two people remained in the room, along with an infant.

Qian Daoliu was silent for a moment before breaking the quiet, "Bibi Dong."

He didn't call her "Saintess" or "daughter-in-law."

He knew those titles would sound like mockery to her.

He used her name, maintaining the bare minimum of respect.

Bibi Dong still didn't speak, merely holding Luo Dong and staring at him quietly.

Her gaze held no respect, no fear, and no anger.

Only a near-icy calm.

It revealed nothing, yet was more unsettling than anything else.

Qian Daoliu felt a pang of unease under her stare.

He knew he had wronged Bibi Dong in more ways than just "not raising his son properly."

After that incident, he had simply remained silent.

He hadn't pursued it, hadn't punished anyone, and hadn't even offered an apology to Bibi Dong.

Because he was first and foremost the Grand Guardian of the Martial Soul Hall, and only then a father.

For the stability of the Martial Soul Hall, for the honor of the Qian Family, he had chosen silence.

This silence, like Qian Xunji's atrocity, was another sin laid upon Bibi Dong.

"I've come to tell you something," Qian Daoliu began, his voice gentle, "Take good care of Qian Renxue. She is also your child."

Bibi Dong's grip on Luo Dong tightened slightly, then returned to normal.

No reply.

Her face remained expressionless, her eyes still calm.

Qian Daoliu sighed again.

He had expected this.

"I know you're unwilling," his tone carried guilt and helplessness, "but Xiao Xue is innocent.

She knows nothing; she only knows you are her mother. She wants you to hold her, to sleep with you, to receive a little bit of your care, just like this infant...

When I came just now, I saw her sitting alone on the stone steps outside, crying until her voice was hoarse.

She told me to ask Grandpa to tell Mommy to hold her too."

Bibi Dong's eyelashes fluttered.

But only for a moment.

"I know Qian Xunji wronged you," Qian Daoliu's voice lowered, as if speaking to himself, "and I wronged you too. I turned a blind eye to that matter, and I didn't give you justice. You can hate me, hate him, it's all fine. But Xiao Xue, that child..."

Qian Daoliu paused.

"She is innocent, just like you."

The room was silent for a long time.

Bibi Dong said nothing.

She simply held Luo Dong, her gaze calmly fixed on Qian Daoliu.

Her eyes seemed to say, Are you finished?

If you're finished, you can leave.

Qian Daoliu looked into her eyes and suddenly felt that no more words could be spoken.

He had known this would be the outcome before he came.

He had no right to force Bibi Dong to do anything; he already owed her too much.

He was too ashamed to face what his own son had done, so how could he demand that a victim love this child?