The Light She Reached Out and Grasped

"Hey! Qing Lin, you're such a good girl. Come on, big brother will take you to get a new outfit."

Xiao Fan naturally took Qing Lin's hand. Qing Lin had never felt a hand so warm before. "If only... if only I could see what big brother looks like..."

"Xiao Yan'er, come on. Let's find somewhere to settle down first."

But unexpectedly, Zi Yan slowly walked over to Qing Lin and took her other hand of her own accord.

Qing Lin was clearly startled. Though she could not see, it did not seem to affect her ability to judge the things around her.

"Little Sister Qing Lin, don't be afraid. My name is Zi Yan, and I'm really strong! I'll protect you from now on!"

Qing Lin tightened her grip on Xiao Fan's hand. She seemed a little nervous.

Xiao Fan reassured her, "Mm, Xiao Yan'er is very powerful. No one will bully you from now on. If anyone does, your Sister Zi Yan will destroy them!"

Qing Lin now seemed somewhat reliant on Xiao Fan and trusted him unconditionally. "Mm, Sister Zi Yan, thank you!"

"No, I should be the one thanking you..." Zi Yan replied to Qing Lin in her heart.

Xiao Fan was delighted to see the two getting along so harmoniously. Still, Qing Lin's condition worried him. Once they found somewhere to settle down, he would give her a physical examination...

"Y-Young Master, enough, enough. These are more than enough for Qing Lin to wear for a long time." Qing Lin tugged at Xiao Fan's arm. He had already bought her so many different clothes. Even though she could not see them, she could tell from the fabric's feel alone that it was incredibly expensive. She knew she was making Xiao Fan spend too much again.

"Hmm? Qing Lin, what should you call me?"

Qing Lin covered her little mouth. In her anxiety, she had called him Young Master again. Yet she did not know why—she simply found that form of address incredibly intimate...

"Have you stopped recognizing me as your big brother?" Xiao Fan's tone carried a trace of anger.

"N-No, Young... Big Brother... Qing Lin, Qing Lin..."

Qing Lin was still very insecure and withdrawn. Whenever she got nervous, she easily stuttered.

Xiao Fan also hoped that Qing Lin could move on from her past sooner. Pinching her little face, now clean and fair and tender, he said, "All right, big brother isn't blaming you. But as punishment, I'll buy you another ten outfits to keep as spares."

"Mm! N-No..." Qing Lin's voice grew quieter and quieter. She could feel that if she refused, Xiao Fan would definitely be angry.

"Xiao Yan'er!"

"Here!"

"Go pick out ten outfits for Little Sister Qing Lin!"

"Roger!"

Zi Yan was rarely so invested in anything. Not only did she repeatedly check the fabrics, she also took Qing Lin back and forth to select and try things on.

This made the shop assistant ecstatic. Selling so many clothes at once—she could not have been happier.

Unable to resist teasing, she said, "Little sister, you're so lucky to have such a wonderful big brother."

It was Qing Lin's first time receiving such warm service from a shop assistant. She was a little overwhelmed by the attention, but she still instinctively covered her arm.

Naturally, the shop assistant noticed this detail. Her eyes widened in shock. "Snake... Snake-Person..."

The words circled in her throat, only to be swallowed beneath an invisible pressure.

The shop assistant instantly fell silent, though she still instinctively moved away from Qing Lin.

Qing Lin naturally sensed that something was wrong with the shop assistant. Though she could not see, she could feel the emotions people around her held toward her.

Am I really something people hate...?

Zi Yan promptly linked arms with Qing Lin. "Ignore them. Come on, big sister will take you shopping. Let me tell you, Xiao Fan has a Black Card with loads and loads of money in it!"

As she spoke, Zi Yan kept gesturing at a mountain-sized pile of gold coins. Although Qing Lin could not see her gestures, she could feel Zi Yan's care for her...

"Then big brother is amazing!"

Qing Lin praised him. Little as she was, she was sincerely happy that Xiao Fan possessed so many gold coins.

But at some point, that Black Card had silently appeared in Zi Yan's hand.

"Little Sister Qing Lin, Xiao Fan loves the feeling of being drained dry the most. So you need to spend more money from now on. That way, Xiao Fan will work even harder to earn money!"

Zi Yan leaned close to Qing Lin's ear and whispered in an enticing tone. Qing Lin was only a little girl now—how could she know right from wrong? But she knew that people who treated her well would surely not deceive her.

Qing Lin nodded her little head. "Mm, I'll definitely work hard to drain big brother dry!"

Meanwhile, Xiao Fan, who was still looking for a place to stay, suddenly felt a chill down his back...

The two returned carrying huge bags in both hands, leaving Xiao Fan rather speechless. He knocked Zi Yan on the head. "Don't you have a Storage Ring? Why didn't you put them in there?!"

"Xiao Fan, you don't understand the fun of carrying them!" Zi Yan complained while covering her head.

Xiao Fan took the large bags from Qing Lin's hands. Seeing Qing Lin loaded down with packages, he could not resist knocking Zi Yan on the head again.

"Ow! Xiao Fan, why did you hit me again?!"

"Why do you think? Can Qing Lin's body handle carrying so much stuff?" Qing Lin was practically skin and bones. How could she endure such treatment? It was only because the little girl had stubbornly held on.

"Don't compare Qing Lin's body to your physique."

"B-Big Brother, don't blame Sister Zi Yan. I can carry it." Qing Lin anxiously spoke up for Zi Yan.

Xiao Fan looked at Qing Lin's tiny hand, where a purple mark had already been squeezed into her palm from carrying things for so long.

"Sigh." Xiao Fan sighed and massaged Qing Lin's purpling little hand. In a gentle tone, he admonished her, "Qing Lin, you're not alone anymore. Don't keep your grievances buried inside. If there's something you can't solve, come find big brother. Big brother can solve it. And if big brother can't solve it, your Sister Zi Yan will still have your back."

"We're both your family."

Xiao Fan understood that Qing Lin could not change overnight. They could only help her improve little by little in the days ahead.

"Uh... Looks like I don't have any spare Storage Rings..." Xiao Fan had wanted to prepare a Storage Ring for Qing Lin, only to discover that he did not have any extras. Then he remembered that Qing Lin seemed unable to use one right now anyway, so he said to her,

"Qing Lin, leave your things with me for now. Let Zi Yan take you to wash up properly."

"Huh? I have to go too?" Zi Yan pointed at herself. She could not even remember how long it had been since she last bathed. With her strength as a Dou Wang, bathing was not nearly as efficient as using Dou Qi.

"You've been marinated in your own saliva, and you can't even smell it yourself." Xiao Fan pinched his nose and waved his hand back and forth, as if she really stank.

Sniff, sniff.

Zi Yan carefully sniffed herself. "Xiao Fan, I don't smell anything?"

But when she saw Xiao Fan's smug grin, Zi Yan knew she had been fooled again. "Awooo!"

"Hey, hey, you might as well just become a dog!"

Qing Lin could not see, but she felt that this family was so warm, so cozy.

It felt as though she had truly grasped the light...

"..."

"Hmph, let's see if you dare complain about my saliva again!"

Zi Yan dragged Qing Lin off to the bathhouse, leaving Xiao Fan alone to look at the fresh bite mark on the web of his hand. "Looks like... it'll be there for several days again."

"..."