The compass needle shifted again, pointing away from Lu Mingyuan before swinging back in his direction, only to deviate once more. This back-and-forth repeated, as if even the small compass couldn't confirm whether he was the one they were looking for.
Zhouzhou, seeing this for the first ti, patted the small compass and muttered, "Is it broken?" She took out a talisman, touched it to Ye Lingfeng, and placed it on the small compass. Imdiately, the compass needle pointed directly at Ye Lingfeng. So, it wasn't broken after all.
Zhouzhou put the previous talisman back on the compass, and yet, the sa result occurred. Ye Lingfeng was also puzzled. "What's going on?"
Zhouzhou shook her head, equally confused. After a careful look, she hesitantly said, "It seems like the compass is saying that the bad guy is, and at the sa ti isn't, that uncle."
Is and isn't? What kind of answer was that? Was he or wasn't he the bad guy?
Zhouzhou had no idea either. After thinking it over, she looked up and said, "Dad, I don't think that uncle seems like a bad guy."
Ye Lingfeng glanced at her with a cold smile, "You're only saying that because he gave you sothing good to eat, aren't you?"
Upon hearing this, Zhouzhou's eyes widened, clearly upset. "Dad, is that really what you think of ?!"
Ye Lingfeng stared at her silently. She should know whether or not that was true.
Zhouzhou: "..." Couldn't there be any trust at all?
"Dad," she huffed angrily, becoming more and more frustrated. "If you keep this up, I'm going to be really mad!"
She pouted, crossed her chubby arms, and turned her head away, waiting for him to console her. But this ti, Ye Lingfeng did sothing unexpected. He mimicked her, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall, giving her a slow, sidelong glance, "I'm mad too."
Zhouzhou: "..."
The two stood there for a few seconds, locked in a stubborn standoff, neither willing to give in. When Xi Mo arrived, he was greeted by this amusing scene--father and daughter glaring at each other like two roosters about to fight. He raised an eyebrow; it had been a while since he'd seen these two like this. It was surprisingly satisfying. After all, their constant affection could get a bit much, and Ye Lingfeng was always showing off, which was incredibly annoying.
Suppressing his smirk, Xi Mo approached and asked, "What's going on here?"
Zhouzhou huffed and puffed even more, pouting as she complained, "Daddy's being an."
Ah, so now she's playing the victim. Ye Lingfeng glanced at her and snorted.
This ti, Zhouzhou beca even more irritated. The little girl took a deep breath and huffed louder than him, finally feeling victorious as she ran off with her short legs.
Such a little fool. A faint smile flickered across Ye Lingfeng's face. He turned to Xi Mo and repeated what Zhouzhou had said earlier. Xi Mo, too, was surprised by the outco and furrowed his brows in thought.
They had hoped to figure things out today, but instead, they were left with more questions.
After pondering for a mont, Xi Mo suggested, "Let's keep observing him. Over ti, he's bound to slip up. No one can hide forever."
Ye Lingfeng agreed; that was all they could do for now. As they were about to continue, Ye Lingfeng stopped and shot Xi Mo a sideways glance. "And don't get too excited. Zhouzhou's my daughter. No matter how much we fight, we'll make up soon enough. Don't think you'll ever co close to taking my place."
He straightened his back and strode away.
Xi Mo: "..."
Suppressing a curse in his mind, Xi Mo couldn't help but envy him--this guy was just too lucky!
anwhile, Zhouzhou had made her way back to the dining table. Lu Mingyuan saw her return and pulled out a chair for her. Noticing the little girl looking downcast, he asked, "What's wrong?"
With her head drooping and her cheeks puffed out in frustration, Zhouzhou mumbled, "Daddy made mad."
Ah, so that was it. Seeing her pout so much that she could practically hang a bottle on her lip, Lu Mingyuan chuckled softly. "He's just teasing you. Your dad cares about you a lot."
Well, that was true. Aside from his infuriating manner of speaking, he didn't have many other flaws. Alright, maybe she would go back and cheer him up later. Ugh, he's so petty, always getting jealous. Humph.
As Zhouzhou thought this over, she looked at Lu Mingyuan, who handed her a small cake. The sweet flavor lted in her mouth, making her chubby legs swing happily under the table.
Lu Mingyuan smiled at her with even more warmth in his eyes.
Noticing this, Zhouzhou asked curiously, "Uncle, do you have any children?"
Hearing this, a shadow passed over Lu Mingyuan's face. Just as he was about to answer, a sharp voice cut through the air.
"Well, well, what's the loser doing here?"
The voice was grating.
Zhouzhou turned and saw three people approaching. The man in the lead wore a custom-made suit, looking polished but with arrogance etched into his expression. The other two were younger, a pair of fraternal twins in their early twenties, but their faces bore an unpleasant sneer.
They were all dressed extravagantly, sharing so resemblance with Lu Mingyuan, but without his good temper. They gave off an imdiate sense of dislike.
Seeing them, Zhouzhou frowned.
At that mont, Ye Lingfeng and Xi Mo arrived, but instead of stepping forward, they observed from the side, carefully watching how Lu Mingyuan would handle the situation.
As expected, Lu Mingyuan greeted the three of them with his usual patience, behaving just as the information they had gathered suggested. Neither Ye Lingfeng nor Xi Mo felt any rush; they continued observing.
Seeing Lu Mingyuan's polite deanor, the three beca even more arrogant.
The younger boy taunted, "What's the matter? Lost your kid, so now you're looking after soone else's? Really love being a dad, don't you?"
The girl beside him curled her lip in a smirk, her perfectly made-up face twisting into a cruel expression. "What else can he do? His wife's a vegetable now. Even if he wanted more kids, there's no one to have them with."
"Pathetic. His wife's like that, and he doesn't even dare find soone new. Total coward." The boy's sneer grew even more venomous, his lips curling into a malicious grin.
"Your mom's dead, your kid's dead, and even your wife's half-dead lying in a bed. Tell , are you cursed? Everyone close to you ends up dying."
This line pleased the girl, and she burst out laughing, her laughter sharp and grating. "I think there's so truth to that!"
The pair cackled together, their laughter grating on everyone's nerves.
Finally, the eldest, Lu Mingcheng, spoke up. "Enough. The dead deserve respect. Don't say such things."
Zhouzhou's little fists clenched tightly. She was about to charge at them and punch them all into oblivion when her compass suddenly twitched.
This ti, the needle no longer wavered but pointed directly at Lu Mingyuan.
Huh?
Zhouzhou paused, turning to look at him.
From her short height, she glanced up and t his downcast eyes, catching the flicker of sothing dark within them. She saw it clearly.
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