Have some candy, and it won't be bitter or hurt anymore

The speaker was the capable-looking woman with short hair.

Her eyes lit up as she stared at Qin Yan's pretty little face peeking out.

"I have experience looking after children. You can leave her with me without worrying."

The other two both twitched at the corners of their mouths.

Xiao Zhen said, "By experience looking after children, do you mean training them to death and swinging your fists at them when they don't listen?"

Qin Yan: (O?O)

She hurriedly hid herself even more thoroughly.

Zheng Xiao's face darkened at once. "Director Xiao, how can you slander me? How can those boys compare to this little baby? Don't you know perfectly well what troublemakers they are?"

"Don't listen to him, baby. He's slandering me. How could someone as gentle and pretty as me be so violent~"

She was trying very hard to make her voice sound sweet.

But it frightened her two colleagues so badly that they almost thought something unclean had possessed her.

Qin Yan answered in her soft little voice, "I want to stay with my youngest uncle."

Fu Nanshan said nothing, merely casting Zheng Xiao a faint glance as he left.

Although he still wore that same utterly expressionless look, everyone could clearly feel that his steps were much lighter as he carried her away.

Zheng Xiao said, "...Was he showing off to me with that look just now?"

The other two looked at the sky and the ground.

Zheng Xiao huffed, then murmured, "Too bad Fu Nanshan is an unyielding monk. Otherwise, I'd really like to try having a baby with him. I'm not asking for much, just one like the little one he's holding."

Before this, the strong-willed career woman had never thought about having children.

Xiao Zhen and the other man: ...

Do you even hear what you're saying? Not asking for much?!

Once they left the Special Administration Bureau, Qin Yan felt much more at ease in the car.

She held a clean little handkerchief and was wiping Jinbao's mouth and little paws.

"You need a bath when we get home today."

"Woof, woof, woof..."

Jinbao wagged his tail in agreement.

That was no big deal.

"You were so amazing today, Jinbao. You protected me."

"Jinbao is an amazing doggy."

Under the little one's soft, enthusiastic praise, Jinbao became positively giddy with excitement.

He snuggled into her arms even harder. So comfortable, so comfortable...

His little tail wagged so fast it left afterimages.

Fu Nanshan: (?-?)

He could hardly bear to watch.

They first went to Fu Yunting's company to pick up Tuantuan, and also soothed the frightened cats.

When Fu Yunting learned they were going to the hospital, he was worried and went along.

"Keeping Jinbao around is quite useful after all."

Jinbao's performance protecting his owner today had eased much of the brothers' wariness.

Jinbao proudly presented Fu Yunting with the back of his head.

Once they arrived at the hospital, they went straight to the special ward.

The person confined here was the bride who had been controlled by the Blood Wedding Dress.

Just looking through the clear glass in the door, they could tell that the patient inside had gone a little mad.

When they pushed open the door, the woman turned to look at them, then revealed an eerie smile.

"Husband, you're back!"

The two brothers: ...

The next second, the woman clutched her head. "No, I'm not Gao Wanniang! Who am I... I'm... I'm Zhao Xiaocui."

"It hurts so much. Let me out. I don't want to live in a coffin. Let me out..."

"I'm not, I'm not Gao Wanniang, and I'm not Zhao Xiaocui either."

"I'm... Aaaah... Hahaha... Dead, they're all dead. I killed my lover with my own hands. They're all dead. I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

Clearly, her mind was already in disarray, and she had gone somewhat mad.

Qin Yan hid her tiny body behind her eldest uncle, listening to the woman's ceaseless struggling, sobbing, and despairing cries.

She couldn't help peeking out at her.

She's so pitiful...

Qin Yan clutched her eldest uncle's trousers tightly.

Fu Nanshan looked at the woman, compassion in his gaze, which was as cold and clear as a snowy mountain.

"Zhou Lin."

He turned the prayer beads in his right hand with his fingers, his cool voice carrying a mysterious energy.

The woman, who had been raving just a second before, suddenly began to calm down.

She released her grip on her hair and slowly raised an excessively pale face. Hideous blue-black lines like earthworms had already spread up her neck and across her face.

Her black pupils already occupied two-thirds of her eyes.

Once that blackness filled her eyes, she would become a monster completely.

This was one of the signs of contamination.

Contamination this severe was irreversible.

Even the Special Administration Bureau had no way to resolve it.

In fact, because the people of the Special Administration Bureau fought on the front lines, their chances of being contaminated were even higher.

In the end, they could only harden their hearts and put those contaminated people down.

Zhou Lin watched Fu Nanshan walk toward her, bloody tears flowing from her eyes.

"Kill me."

She had regained her lucidity.

But being lucid was also the most painful.

"Please, kill me."

Fu Nanshan was silent for several seconds, then nodded.

He said, "All right."

His voice was very soft, yet it carried immense weight.

Fu Nanshan began chanting sutras.

Sanskrit characters glowing with golden light enveloped Zhou Lin and began purifying the contaminating eerie energy on her body.

But as the contamination was purified, Zhou Lin's life would also end.

Zhou Lin accepted it calmly.

The purification process hurt, and her body trembled slightly.

With her pupils almost entirely swallowed by blackness, she stared at the sun outside the window, unable to understand why she was so unlucky.

Why her?

Suddenly, something soft touched her palm.

Zhou Lin turned her head somewhat mechanically and lowered her gaze.

A very pretty baby with snow-white skin, like an angel, had come to her bedside at some point.

The tiny hand held a piece of candy and carefully placed it in her palm.

Under her gaze, the little one lifted her pretty little face. She was clearly so frightened that even her eyelashes were trembling, yet she had still come over.

"Big sister, have some candy, and it won't be bitter or hurt anymore."

Her soft voice carried the most innocent, purest wish.

Zhou Lin stared at her blankly. Only after several seconds did she tremble and say hoarsely, "All right."

With bloody tears streaming down her face, she carefully placed the milk candy in her mouth.

In her final moment before leaving this world, she tasted that hint of sweetness.

At last, Zhou Lin's eyes returned to normal, and she lay on the hospital bed and slowly closed them.

Qin Yan leaned against her bedside and said quietly, her voice tinged with tears, "Good night, big sister."

It was just like the day the blind granny died, when she had also leaned against Granny's bedside, crying as she wished her good night.

Little as she was, she understood very clearly what death meant.

Fu Yunting walked over and carefully picked her up.

Qin Yan wrapped her arms around his neck, her tears pattering onto it.

She didn't know why she was crying, either. They had only been strangers.

But it just hurt so much.

The little one leaned against her eldest uncle, listless.

Fu Yunting patted her back, feeling somewhat regretful. He shouldn't have let the little one come.

With his task complete, Fu Nanshan slowly walked over and stroked her fuzzy, drooping little head.

"You did very well."

Qin Yan said, "That dress is bad!"

Her voice nasal, she scolded the Blood Wedding Dress in her soft little voice.