Her eyes were fixed on Ning Rongrong. There was still lingering fear in them, but even more than that was the desperate hope of a drowning person clutching at driftwood, wanting so badly to believe.
"You'll be my best friend from now on."
Her voice was very soft, trembling.
"You have to protect me."
Ning Rongrong looked at Xiao Wu's pitiful face, and an indescribable emotion surged in her chest.
There was heartache, of course.
But at the same time, she sensed that something was off.
Xiao Wu's fear of her master was excessive. It did not seem like the simple fright of someone intimidated by a powerful person's aura. It was more like there was some specific, deadly reason behind it.
But Ning Rongrong did not press her.
It was not that she did not want to. It was that she had already said the words.
The words "protect you" had already leaped from her mouth.
Who was Ning Rongrong? The young mistress of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. Once she said something, it was set in stone. No matter the reason, since she had said it, she had to own up to it.
"Of course I will." Ning Rongrong lifted her chin, her confidence soaring.
Then she paused.
Raising one finger, she added,
"But only when it comes to my master, okay? This young lady can't do anything about the rest."
Xiao Wu froze for a moment. Then she smiled.
It was a smile thick with a nasal tone, her tears not yet dry. The corners of her lips curved upward, revealing two little canine teeth.
"I only need protection from your master."
Seeing her smile, Ning Rongrong finally relaxed. Fine, that settled it.
She stood up, rummaged through the box, and handed over a clean handkerchief.