Suspicion

Night fell, and the city lights flickered on. Lang Yue pushed open the front door and stepped inside, bringing the night breeze with her. A trace of exhaustion showed on her face. She shook her head and set the document folder in her hand on the table.

"How did it go, Auntie?" Jiang Nannan approached and asked softly.

Lang Yue sighed, keeping her voice low for fear that the two children playing nearby might hear. "I asked every nearby police station and community office, and even used the academy's connections. There are no records at all. This child... it's as if she appeared out of thin air. At the very least, she isn't anyone's missing child in Aolai City."

At the other end of the living room, Tang Wulin held Na'er's hand, excitedly showing her every furnishing in the house. Na'er listened obediently, offering a sweet smile now and then, as though she truly were nothing more than a pitiful, homeless girl.

Tang Wutong stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, watching them with her brows tightly furrowed. She turned and walked over to Lang Yue and Jiang Nannan, her tone grave. "If we can't find her family, that's all the more reason not to keep her."

"Wutong!" Jiang Nannan looked at her in surprise.

Tang Wutong lowered her voice, a flicker of coldness passing through her eyes. "Don't you think it's too much of a coincidence? Wulin ran into those 'thugs' right after school, and the moment he brought her home, we found there was no record of her. This Na'er... I keep feeling she has some ulterior motive for approaching Wulin. What if she's a bad child? What if she hurts him? To be safe, sending her to an orphanage would be more appropriate. At least there would be staff there to watch over her."

No sooner had she finished than a little tousled head popped out from behind the sofa. At some point, Tang Wulin had sneaked up behind them and heard every word.

"Sis!" Tang Wulin's eyes instantly reddened. He threw himself at Tang Wutong like a little koala and wrapped his arms around her waist, pleading, "Please, don't! Na'er's so pitiful and so well-behaved. How could she be a bad child? Sis, please let her stay! I promise I'll take good care of her and keep her out of trouble! Please, Sis?"

Tang Wulin shook Tang Wutong's arm while sneakily fluttering his big eyes. That pitiful little face would have softened anyone's heart.

Tang Wutong was utterly helpless against this trick of her brother's, and her head immediately felt swollen to the size of a bushel. She sighed helplessly and tapped his forehead. "You! All you know how to do is act cute! What if she's a little swindler?"

"She isn't, she isn't!" Tang Wulin assured her solemnly. "I trust my instincts! Na'er's definitely a good girl! Sis, please say yes!"

Faced with her brother's expectant gaze, Tang Wutong finally conceded defeat. She shook her head helplessly and told Lang Yue and Jiang Nannan, "Fine. Since we can't find her family, let her stay for a few days and see how things go. But if we notice anything wrong, she has to leave immediately."

"Yay! Sis, you're the best!" Tang Wulin cheered, then turned and ran to Na'er, taking her little hand and bouncing up and down.

Inside Na'er, however, waves were crashing and seas were churning.

The Peerless Shrek Seven Monsters are all still alive... and Tang Wutong is actually here with Wulin... This is completely different from what I experienced in my previous life.

In her memories of her previous life, Tang Wulin's childhood had been lonely. Aside from his adoptive parents, almost no one had truly accompanied him as he grew up. In this life, however, not only did Tang Ziran and Lang Yue treat him as their own, but he also had a powerful guardian like Tang Wutong, and even Jiang Nannan showered him with care.

Is this... a gift from fate?

As Na'er watched Tang Wulin dance about with excitement, an unprecedented warmth welled up in her heart. She had only intended to find an excuse to stay by his side, never expecting that the script of this life had already been rewritten.

In that case... The corners of Na'er's lips lifted slightly into a heartfelt smile. In this life, I'll hold on tightly to this happiness.

The lavish dishes Lang Yue had carefully prepared gave off tempting aromas. Braised pork, steamed fish, shrimp with jade-green vegetables, and a large pot filled with pork rib soup covered the round dining table.

"Let's eat!" Tang Wulin cheered. So hungry that his belly felt plastered to his backbone, he eagerly picked up his chopsticks.

The instant he placed a piece of braised pork in his mouth, something unexpected happened.

A barely perceptible pattern of golden lines flashed through his eyes and vanished. As the food entered his stomach, the colossal being sleeping in the depths of his Sea of Consciousness—the Golden Dragon King—began to stir like a shark catching the scent of blood.

The structure of Tang Wulin's Sea of Consciousness was extremely unusual, entirely unlike that of other Soul Masters. Within it existed two spiritual spaces, separate yet connected.

One was a forbidding prison built from countless golden chains. The savage, frenzied essence of the Golden Dragon King was sealed firmly inside. He slammed against the chains in defiance, roaring soundlessly, yet no matter what he did, he could not break free of the God-level seal Tang San had left behind.

In the other spiritual space lay another immense mass of energy. Although it, too, originated from the Golden Dragon King, its uncontrollable savagery had been stripped away, leaving only the Dragon King's pure bloodline and power. Like a sleeping dragon, it lay quietly dormant, greedily absorbing the nutrients Tang Wulin converted from his food.

The existence of these two Seas of Consciousness was precisely what gave Tang Wulin his astonishing appetite. Not only did he have to sustain his own growth, but he also had to constantly "feed" those two enormous bottomless pits within him.

"Burp—"

Tang Wulin let out a satisfied burp and rubbed his belly, still wanting more. He was about to reach for another sweet-and-sour pork rib when he realized the dishes had already been emptied. Scratching his head, he looked at Lang Yue with some embarrassment. "Auntie Lang Yue, Uncle Ziran, I think... I'm still not full."

Lang Yue and Tang Ziran exchanged glances, each seeing helplessness in the other's eyes. Wulin's appetite had been growing larger and larger lately; he was practically a bottomless pit. Fortunately, Shrek Academy paid a special "nutrition allowance" on time every month specifically to cover his food expenses. An ordinary family truly would not have been able to afford it otherwise.

"Eat as much as you like. There's more in the pot!" Lang Yue rose with a smile, about to fetch more food from the kitchen.

Just then, Na'er, who had been quietly eating all this time, put down her bowl and chopsticks.

"I'm full," Na'er said in a clear, melodious voice.

Everyone instinctively turned to look at her. The empty plates in front of her were stacked as high as a little mountain. Even Tang Wulin was astonished by how much she had eaten.

Tang Wulin's eyes widened, his mouth forming an O. "Na'er, you... you ate way too much, didn't you?"

Na'er wiped her mouth and looked at him innocently. "Was it that much? I thought it was just enough. I always ate this much where I used to live."

She had almost let something slip. As the Silver Dragon King in her previous life, she had not needed to eat, but the personality she had split off, Na'er, had inherited that hunger for energy. Watching Tang Wulin feast had also awakened the appetite in her silver dragon bloodline, so she had begun eating without restraint.

Lang Yue, Tang Ziran, Tang Wutong, and Jiang Nannan exchanged looks, their eyes full of shock.

"This little girl..." Tang Ziran murmured. "She looks so small and thin, yet her appetite actually rivals Wulin's?"

"She can really eat!" Jiang Nannan said quietly. "If she really ends up living here, our food bill will probably double."

Tang Wutong narrowed her eyes and studied Na'er anew. Being able to eat so much without bursting her stomach was proof enough that this girl's physique was anything but ordinary. And then there was her strange background...

It seems keeping her close was the right choice, Tang Wutong thought. Only here can we find out who she really is.

Dinner ended amid a strange atmosphere. Tang Wulin rubbed his rounded belly and lay on the sofa in contentment. Na'er sat obediently beside him, and the two shared a smile, as though they had found some kind of common ground.

Over this dinner, the two children with God-level bloodlines flowing through their bodies had shared a silent exchange. Tang Wutong had watched it all and quietly committed it to memory.

The night deepened, and the bustle of Aolai City gradually subsided. In the Tang family's master bedroom, Tang Wulin had changed into loose pajamas and was clinging to Tang Wutong like a little sloth.

"Sis, Na'er was really so pitiful today. You have no idea how vicious those two thugs were..." Tang Wulin burrowed under the covers, chattering on as he recounted his daytime "heroic rescue of a beauty" yet again.

Tang Wutong sat on the edge of the bed. Looking at her guileless little brother, she sighed helplessly and reached out to ruffle his hair. "All right, Linlin. I know you're kind. But..."

She paused, her tone growing more serious. "That Na'er... I keep feeling there's more to her than meets the eye. You saw it today, too. She has such a huge appetite, and although she looked frightened when facing those two thugs, there wasn't any real fear in her eyes."

Tang Wulin blinked, clearly not having thought that deeply about it. "Maybe... maybe she's just used to it? Sis, aren't you overthinking things?"

"I hope I am." Tang Wutong did not dwell on the subject. She tucked the covers around Tang Wulin and said gently, "Go to sleep. Your sister's here. No matter what happens, I'll protect you."

Hearing his sister's gentle words, Tang Wulin felt warm inside. Before long, his breathing became steady. He had loved sleeping beside his sister since he was little. Only at her side did he feel completely safe.

In the guest room, meanwhile, the atmosphere was somewhat delicate.

Dressed in a brand-new nightgown Tang Wutong had found for her, Na'er sat obediently on the edge of the bed. Jiang Nannan sat in the armchair opposite her with a book in hand. She appeared to be reading, but in truth, she was watching Na'er's every movement out of the corner of her eye.

"Um... Sister Nannan, aren't you going to sleep?" Na'er broke the silence first, her voice soft and sweet.

Jiang Nannan closed her book and offered a gentle yet appraising smile. "I'll sleep once you're asleep. You're our guest, after all. I need to make sure you're comfortable staying here."

"Oh." Na'er obediently lay down and pulled the covers over herself. She closed her eyes, her long lashes trembling slightly. Clearly, she had not fallen asleep.

Jiang Nannan sat in the armchair, inwardly on her guard. Though she looked delicate, as one of the Shrek Seven Devils, her strength was not to be underestimated. If this Na'er truly harbored any ill intent, she was confident she could subdue her immediately.

Silence settled over the room, broken only by the clear ticking of the clock on the wall.

After a long while, once she had confirmed that Tang Wulin was fast asleep, Na'er quietly opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling, a trace of bitterness and envy rising in her heart.

In my previous life, Wulin's childhood was lonely. Aside from his adoptive parents, almost no one truly stayed by his side. But in this life, he has a sister, friends, and people willing to watch over him through the night like this.

How wonderful...

She turned her head toward Jiang Nannan on the armchair, who seemed to be dozing but was actually highly alert, and a faint warmth stirred in her heart.

It seems there are more guardians in this life than in the last.

Na'er closed her eyes again, the corners of her lips curving into a faint smile.

That night, some were destined to harbor hidden schemes, while others stood ready for battle. Whatever the case, a solid defensive line had already been built around Tang Wulin.

In the master bedroom, Tang Wutong watched her sleeping brother, gently clasped his little hand, and silently swore:

No matter who you are, where you came from, or what you want to do, if you try to hurt Linlin, I won't let you succeed—even if it costs me my life.