The Master

The pink suitcase wheels dragged against the floor, making a dull "rumble" sound.

He leaned against the headboard, his left arm wrapped in thick bandages, propped high on a pillow.

But none of this was the most fatal part.

The most fatal part was the little thing in front of him, only as tall as the table.

Lin Wanwan dragged the suitcase to the edge of the bed and struggled to straighten the teddy bear that was missing a patch of fur.

She sniffled, crossed her hands in front of her, and bowed deeply to Chen Zhi.

"Hello, Master."

Chen Zhi almost choked on his breath, pulling his wound and gasping in pain.

What was this all about?

Had she been watching too many mixed-up TV dramas?

"Who taught you that?" Chen Zhi gritted his teeth, squeezing out a few words.

Lin Wanwan blinked her red, swollen eyes, looking serious: "The aunties on TV all act like this, selling themselves to bury... no, selling themselves to pay off debts, they all do this."

As she spoke, she ran to Chen Zhi's bed with her short little legs, stood on her tiptoes, and reached out her chubby little hand to touch the bandage, only to shrink back as if she'd been electrocuted.

"Zhizhi, are you hungry? Are you thirsty? Do you need to pee?"

A barrage of questions hit him like rapid fire.

Chen Zhi closed his eyes and turned his head away: "I'm not hungry, not thirsty, and don't want to pee."

"Then are you hot?"

Before Chen Zhi could answer, Lin Wanwan had already pulled a folding fan out of her backpack.

It was a paper fan with the four large characters "Ignorance is Bliss" printed on it, probably a prop Lin Shuxian used to pretend to be cultured.

"Whoosh—whoosh—"

Lin Wanwan puffed out her cheeks, holding the fan handle with both hands, fanning Chen Zhi with all her might.

The wind was strong.

Chen Zhi's bangs were blown wildly.

The newly scabbed wound was irritated by this sudden strong wind, and the sharp pain was beyond words.

"Stop!"

Unable to bear it any longer, Chen Zhi let out a low growl.

Lin Wanwan shuddered in fear, and the fan dropped to the floor with a "clack."

She was about to cry again.

As soon as her mouth turned down, Chen Zhi immediately spoke up: "Don't cry, hold it in."

Lin Wanwan forcibly swallowed the howl that was already at her lips, letting out a tearful hiccup.

"Hic—"

Just then, Lin Shuxian's hearty laughter came from the doorway.

"Oh, you're already serving him?"

Lin Shuxian was holding a large bag of things, and Lin Jing followed behind, carrying Lin Wanwan's little pillow.

There was no trace of the sadness of marrying off a daughter on the couple's faces, only the relief of throwing off a burden.

Zhang Guifang came out of the kitchen, wiping her hands, and was also highly amused by the scene.

"Oh my, Lao Lin, what are you doing? The kids are just playing around, and you really brought their bedding?"

Lin Shuxian put the bag in the corner, his tone serious, but his eyes were full of smiles.

"That won't do, a person must keep their word."

"Since Wanwan said she would pay off the debt, she has to look the part."

He walked to the bed and reached out to rub Chen Zhi's head.

"Zhizhi, from now on, she's your servant girl. Don't be polite, order her around as you please."

"If she dares to be lazy, just call Uncle Lin, and I'll come over and sort her out."

Chen Zhi looked expressionlessly at these dramatic adults.

This group of people, nearly a hundred years old combined, were more playful than children.

Lin Wanwan stood to the side, listening to her father's words, her face pale.

She had originally held onto a sliver of hope, thinking her parents would definitely be reluctant to part with her.

Now it seemed they really didn't want her anymore.

Lin Jing walked over and placed the small pillow embroidered with strawberries next to Chen Zhi's pillow.

"Wanwan is a restless sleeper and likes to kick off the covers, so I'll have to trouble Sister Guifang to keep an eye on her."

"Also, if she gets hungry at night, there are cookies in her backpack. Don't give her candy, it's bad for her teeth."

Zhang Guifang smiled broadly: "Don't worry, how could I let her suffer here? It's perfect, she can keep Zhizhi company."

The adults exchanged a few more pleasantries.

Lin Shuxian checked his watch: "Alright, it's getting late, we should head back."

"Wanwan, work hard, and try to redeem yourself soon."

With that, the couple waved their hands and turned away dashingly.

The moment the security door closed.

Lin Wanwan's last psychological defense collapsed.

She looked at the closed door, then at Chen Zhi lying on the bed, feeling overwhelmed with sorrow.

But she remembered that Chen Zhi had just told her not to cry.

So, the little girl bit her lip hard, tears swirling in her eyes, stubbornly refusing to let them fall.

That look of bearing humiliation and heavy burdens made her look just like a bullied little wife.

Chen Zhi sighed.

Although his mental age was in his twenties, seeing such a little dumpling holding back tears in front of him, even a heart of stone would soften a bit.

He also suddenly remembered his system, which hadn't made a sound in those years.

Lin Wanwan was still able to find the down-and-out him after achieving success at the age of thirty.

Chen Zhi sighed silently.

I owe you from my past life.

"Come here."

Chen Zhi patted the empty space next to the bed.

Lin Wanwan shuffled over with tiny steps, her head down, not daring to look at him.

"Get up here."

Lin Wanwan froze for a moment, looking up at Chen Zhi, tears still hanging on her eyelashes: "B-but I'm a servant girl, servant girls can only sleep on the floor..."

Chen Zhi felt a headache coming on.

Just how many ridiculous 8 o'clock soap operas did this child watch?

"My floor tiles are cold, if you catch a cold, I'll have to spend money to treat you."

Chen Zhi said grumpily: "I don't have money to treat your illness."

This sentence hit Lin Wanwan's soft spot.

Right now, burdened with a huge debt, her biggest fear was spending more money.

She scrambled onto the bed using her hands and feet, carefully shrinking into the innermost side of the bed, pressing tightly against the wall.

The space between them was wide enough to fit two more fat people.

Zhang Guifang came in carrying two cups of hot milk and saw this scene, her heart melting completely.

"Alright, go to sleep early."

"Zhizhi's hand hurts, if you feel uncomfortable at night, call Mom."

"Wanwan, be a good girl, don't move around and bump your brother's wound."

Zhang Guifang tucked the covers in for the two children, turned off the main light, leaving only a dim bedside lamp.

The bedroom door gently closed.

The bedroom grew quiet.

The sound of cicadas outside the window drifted in through the screen, seeming particularly noisy.

Chen Zhi lay flat, bursts of burning sensation coming from his left arm, making him completely sleepless.

Beside him, Lin Wanwan's breathing was very light, but the frequency was fast, clearly she hadn't fallen asleep either.

After a good while.

A rustling sound came from the darkness.

A warm little hand quietly reached over and gently covered Chen Zhi's left hand.

Not the injured hand, but the good one.

"Zhizhi..."

The voice was very small, with a thick nasal tone.

"Yeah," Chen Zhi responded.

"Does it still hurt?"

"It doesn't hurt anymore."

"Liar." Lin Wanwan sniffled, "I saw you frown."

Chen Zhi didn't say anything.

This girl's observation skills were quite sharp.

"I'll blow on it for you."

Lin Wanwan rolled over and leaned close to Chen Zhi's ear.

"Whoosh... whoosh..."

Warm breath puffed against Chen Zhi's neck, tickling him.

"You don't need to blow, go to sleep."

Chen Zhi turned his head somewhat uncomfortably.

"Zhizhi."

"What now?"

"I will definitely be very obedient from now on."

Lin Wanwan's voice sounded particularly firm in the darkness.

"I can wash clothes, sweep the floor, and... and I can even brush my teddy bear's fur."

"When I grow up, I'll go make money and give it all to you."

"Please don't send me away, okay?"

Toward the end, a hint of pleading crept into her voice.

Chen Zhi felt as if something had struck his heart.

In his previous life, after his father's business went bankrupt, he had seen enough of the fickleness of human nature.

Even relatives and friends would make all sorts of excuses when it came to borrowing money.

He never expected that after being reborn, the first person to give him such an unreserved promise would be this silly four-year-old little girl.

Although this promise sounded childish, even a bit ridiculous.

The sentiment behind it, however, carried immense weight.

Chen Zhi turned his hand and grasped that chubby little hand.

Her palm was warm and soft.

"I'm not sending you away."

Chen Zhi's voice sounded a bit deep in the night, yet exceptionally reassuring.

"Go to sleep, we have to wake up early tomorrow to... work."

The last word was purely to put the little girl's mind at ease.

Sure enough.

Hearing the word "work," Lin Wanwan seemed to have found her life's purpose and let out a contented "Mhm."

"Then I'll get up at five tomorrow to cook for Zhizhi!"

Chen Zhi's mouth twitched.

Five o'clock?

That's really not necessary.

"Seven is fine."

"No, hardworking maidservants all wake up at five!"

"...Suit yourself."

Chen Zhi couldn't be bothered to argue with a child. Anyway, the little girl was just all talk.

She normally stayed in bed until eight, requiring Lin Jing to pull off her blankets. There was no way she'd wake up at five.

Drowsiness washed over him.

Chen Zhi groggily closed his eyes.

The little furnace beside him radiated a steady stream of heat, which was actually a bit too warm for a summer night.

But Chen Zhi didn't let go of her hand.

...

The next morning.

Chen Zhi woke up gasping for air, feeling suffocated.

He snapped his eyes open, panting heavily.

His chest felt heavy, as if a boulder was pressing down on it.

He looked down.

Lin Wanwan was sprawling horizontally across him, one leg pressing on his stomach and one arm tightly wrapped around his neck.

She had drooled all over his shoulder, soaking a large patch of his pajamas.

That balding teddy bear was planted face-down right over his face; that was the source of his suffocation.

Chen Zhi struggled to push the teddy bear aside.

He glanced at the wall clock.

Eight-thirty.

What happened to waking up at five to cook?

What happened to the hardworking maidservant?

Was this the legendary "compensating him with herself"?

She was clearly here to claim his life!

Chen Zhi tried to push the octopus off his body.

She didn't budge an inch.

Lin Wanwan smacked her lips, seemingly dreaming of something delicious, and took a bite out of Chen Zhi's collar.

"Chicken leg... smells so good..."

Chen Zhi stared at the ceiling, feeling that life had lost all meaning.