Mommy, don't be afraid, I'll bring you blind boxes and scam you out of a wealthy family to

Wen Li was drawing in the living room when she suddenly heard a commotion outside. There were people shouting and the clicking of camera flashes.

The little dumpling put down her crayons and was about to look when she was stopped by a terrified maid: "Miss, don't... don't go out!"

The gate of the Duan family's old mansion was surrounded early in the morning, and the visitors seemed to have ill intentions.

Wen Li was still a little curious when she recognized a familiar voice amidst the clamor of voices, shouting, "Give me back my daughter!"

She froze.

—That's my stepfather's voice!

At the entrance, Gao Ye, dressed in a suit and tie, stood next to Bai Ru, who was heavily pregnant, while a large group of reporters stood in front of them.

Unable to enter the old house, they set up their cameras and aimed them at the gate.

"The Duan family is illegally detaining children! My daughter is being held inside by them!"

"Legal adoptive father demands to see his daughter, but is violently evicted by the wealthy family!"

"Tan City is a society governed by the rule of law, not a place where someone surnamed Duan can dictate everything!"

The reporter frantically pressed the shutter button, and the comments in the live stream chat on the phone scrolled by at breakneck speed.

Bai Ru, supporting her belly, sobbed softly, "Li Bao's mother is my best friend, and Li Bao is like my own daughter to me... I haven't been able to sleep at night since my child left..."

Tears came so easily; I don't know whether to say her acting was too good or too bad.

Yet some people actually believe it.

The chat room is already filled with insults:

"This is outrageous! Does money give you the right to snatch children?"

"Even if he's not his biological child, his stepfather legally raised him for three years. Why can't he see him?"

"I feel so sorry for this beautiful woman. She's so kind. The child's mother is so lucky to have a friend like her."

The noisy crowd fell silent.

Everyone looked up and saw Old Master Duan, who had been retired for a long time, walking over with a cane.

He stopped on the steps, looking down at Takano as if he were looking at a ridiculous ant.

The old man did not fly into a rage; his expression was icy: "Get out."

Gao Ye felt a chill run down his spine from the look in his eyes, but then he remembered that there were cameras pointing at him from behind, so the Duan family wouldn't dare to do anything to him.

The butler looked worried: The eldest young master is still out of town, and the young master isn't home today either. The master has only just recovered from his illness a few days ago. What if he gets upset again and something bad happens to him?

Little Wenli hugged her doll and hid by the door.

Grandpa's back, standing in front of me, was so tall, like a wall.

But Grandpa's hands were trembling. Was Grandpa feeling sad again?

Takano was still yelling, "Give me back Riri! I'm her father!"

Old Master Duan sneered, "You dare to utter those two words?"

Takano's expression changed: "What do you mean?"

The old man looked down at him, speaking each word with a haughty air:

Where were you when your child had a high fever?

Where were you when she was starving and almost kidnapped?

"When she was being beaten, you—oh, you were the one who beat her, weren't you?"

"Now, you've remembered you're a father?"

Upon hearing this, the reporters exchanged bewildered glances: Was there such a thing?

Someone turned the microphone around: "Mr. Gao, is it true that Grandpa Duan said you hit the child?"

"You're making baseless accusations!" Takano said, his face flushed and his neck red with guilt. "Besides, what does her condition have to do with you?"

"We didn't have that before," the old man said, each word firm and resonant. "Now we do."

Gao Ye and the reporter were both stunned—was Old Master Duan acknowledging the child?

Amidst the frantically flashing lights, Gao Ye's face was grim: "Old man, you can't just say things like that. Her surname is Wen, not Duan!"

Countless cameras were pointed at Duan Yuanzhou, but the old man just stared indifferently at Gao Ye.

"Haven't I made myself clear enough? She lives in the Duan family home, eats their food, and receives their care—anyone who wants to bully her will have to ask me first!"

Takano gritted his teeth: "I'm the guardian!"

Duan Yuanzhou scoffed: "Whether the court rules you as a disqualified guardian is none of my business. But if you want to take the child away—"

He slammed his cane heavily on the ground, as if it were a stabilizing force.

"dream."

Little Wenli stared blankly at all of this.

Grandpa is speaking up for me.

Grandpa didn't want to throw Li Bao away?

The little girl felt a lump in her throat, buried her head in the hair of her doll, and sniffed to keep the tears from falling.

Gao Ye panicked. He had spent so much money hiring reporters and online trolls, not to let the Duan family gain attention again by recognizing the child.

He took a few steps forward: "Wen Li! Come out! Come home with Daddy—don't make me say it twice!"

Bai Ru chimed in, "Pear baby, your little brother in Auntie's tummy misses you too."

The little dumpling's face was completely drained of color. She subconsciously let go of the doll, hugged herself tightly, and her body began to tremble.

It was as if every word Takano uttered was a punch.

Those nights spent locked on the balcony in the cold wind, those days of being scolded and going hungry, those painful memories of being pinched and twisted—all of them cruelly haunted me.

"No..." Her voice was so low it was almost inaudible.

Duan Yuanzhou noticed the movement behind him, turned around, and saw the milk dumpling's pale face.

During his time at the Duan family's house, the little guy went from being flustered at first to always having bright eyes and a sweet smile. It's unknown how much care and attention the adults have given him.

As a result, the moment those two scumbags arrived, the deep fear in the child's eyes returned immediately.

The old man felt a pang of pain in his heart.

On the other side, Takano had already reached out and grabbed the iron gate railing!

Boom!

With a dull thud, Old Master Duan's cane slammed heavily onto Gao Ye's hand: "You think I don't know what you two are up to? No one used to stand up for her. Now they do—as long as I live, you won't be able to touch this child again!"

Takano immediately let out a bloodcurdling scream like a pig being slaughtered.

The old man wanted to try again, but he was old and had just recovered from a serious illness, so he was a beat too slow and Takano grabbed his cane!

Takano's face contorted with rage: "You old fool, you're asking for it, aren't you?!"

He pulled, and the old man stumbled and almost fell.

This scene stunned everyone: Duan Yuanzhou, the patriarch of the Duan family, had never been treated like this before.

Even the Duan family's security guards were stunned, forgetting to react. The little girl rushed out, running to the man she feared most, the man of her nightmares, trembling but shouting as loudly as she could, "Get away!"

Of course she was afraid of Takano.

However, she was even more afraid of seeing her grandfather being bullied.

Grandpa protected her from the pocket watch incident and her stepfather's rude behavior earlier.

Now, it's Pear's turn to protect Grandpa!

Gao Ye never expected that the little girl who used to be terrified by a single glare would dare to stop him: "Wen Li, how dare you talk to me like that? Hurry up and come here now!"

Little Wenli instinctively shrank back, but still clenched her little fists tightly: "Li Bao doesn't want to go with you..."

All the cameras were focused on this scene.

Enraged, Takano retorted, "I'm your father!"

"You didn't!" Wen Li shouted, tears streaming down her face. "You hit Mommy, you hit Li Bao, you didn't give her food, you locked her outside..."

"You said Pear Baby is a little bastard... You, you said... it would be better if Mommy died..."

She became increasingly distressed as she spoke, her small body trembling violently: "You and Aunt Bai...you are bad people!"

Both the scene at the venue and the live stream chat exploded:

"Holy crap! A complete plot twist!"

"This reaction doesn't seem fake; she's genuinely afraid of that man."

[Is this child being subjected to domestic violence all along? And her mother too?]

Wait a minute, what's the relationship between the pregnant woman and that man?

How could you talk to a child like that? Ugh! Scum!

When he was publicly humiliated, Takano turned green with embarrassment.

Seeing the increasingly strange looks from those around him, he suddenly realized something and smiled sinisterly: "You brat, do you think Duanjia Town will keep you around forever? They're just after a bit of novelty. Once they get tired of you, they'll throw you out again!"

Xiao Wenli trembled all over.

Takano's words were like sharp needles, piercing the weakest unease in my heart.

Baba hasn't come back yet. Does that mean she doesn't want Libao anymore?

In that case, Pear will have to go back to her stepfather and Aunt Bai's house, where she won't get any food, won't have anyone to hug her, and will never see her mother again...

The little bundle of joy had red eyes and shook its head vigorously, trying to banish those terrifying thoughts: "No... Baba will come back..."

But her voice grew softer and softer until she could barely hear it herself.

Gao Ye knew his words had worked and reached for Wen Li: "See? Even you don't believe he'll protect you, do you?"

Just then, a deep rumble suddenly came from afar, like the roar of a wild beast whose territory had been invaded—

Everyone instinctively turned around.

The next second, a dark motorcycle tore through the gossip, its tires leaving glaring marks on the ground, and came to a steady stop in front of the Duan family's gate.

The air seemed to solidify into a tangible substance, making it difficult for everyone to breathe.

The helmet was removed, revealing an incomparably handsome, yet extremely imposing face—the tyrant of Tan City has returned!

He looked up and saw that the little dumpling's face was covered in tears, staring blankly at him, as if she thought she was dreaming.

Tears clung to her long eyelashes, threatening to fall.

After a long while, it finally opened its mouth and softly called out, "Ba ba...?"

Like a young animal that has been wronged for a long time, it has finally found its guardian.

Duan Hetong's gaze instantly darkened, becoming frighteningly black.

Takano felt a chill run down his spine. What happened to the person who was supposed to be away on a business trip?

Duan Hetong strode up to him, his 1.9-meter height forcing Gao Ye to look up at him.

But with so many cameras pointed at him, even if Duan Hetong is crazy, he wouldn't resort to violence in public, would he?

He forced a fawning smile: "Tong, Master Tong, actually—"

Bang--!!

Without questioning, without warning, without even a single wasted word, Duan Hetong kicked him hard in the chest!

Takano flew straight out, crashed into the steps, and rolled twice before coming to a stop.

He knocked over a camera, which crashed into the group of reporters, causing a domino effect as many cameras fell, accompanied by screams.

Duan Hetong stood still, the wind whipping up the hem of his long trench coat.

He casually dusted off the corner of his clothes, his voice eerily flat.

"Who gave you the guts?"

"You touched my daughter."