Lu Yao raised a hand and felt the large round ball attached to his neck, unsure whether it would still be there tomorrow.
The courtyard had fallen so silent that a dropped pin could have been heard, yet the little girl seemed utterly oblivious. Looking down at the ruler of Qiguang beneath her, she asked, "Daddy, can you lift Nannan a little higher?"
Lu Yao: "..."
Well, now. She had even worked out what to call him.
The ruler of Qiguang had no idea why, but instinctively hoisted the little girl a little higher anyway.
Then, before everyone's eyes, the little girl reached out and tried to climb onto the wall between the two courtyards.
The sight frightened Lu Yao so badly that his heart stopped for a beat. He nearly lost control of his instinctive response and stepped forward to carefully lift her down to safety.
Fortunately, the ruler of Qiguang was not entirely without his wits. Seeing this, he hurriedly pulled the little girl back into his arms. "Oh, my little ancestor!"
"What's the hurry?" The ruler of Qiguang chuckled. "We people of Great Rui are the warmest, most welcoming hosts. How could the Uncle next door possibly refuse to have our adorable Nannan over?!"
The guilt-tripping was woven so naturally into his words that it did not sound remotely out of place, making it hard not to wonder just how many times he had used this trick.
Jiang Yingcheng tapped a fist against her palm, her sparkling eyes strikingly bright in the darkness. "Oh, right!"
"Uncle! Just wait, Nannan is coming over to see you!"
The round little head poking over the wall whisked out of sight. Then hurried footsteps rang out alongside the little girl's cheerful urging-
"Second Uncle, Third Uncle! Come on, the Uncle next