Running Away While Pregnant with the Villain’s Child - Chapter 26

A seven-year-old illegitimate daughter? Father Luo felt as if he had been struck by lightning; his face was dark, yet he didn’t dare to get angry. He stood there for a long while, stifling his breath, unsure of what he should even say to Mother Luo.

Mother Luo’s expression wasn’t great either, but she reached out and patted Father Luo’s hand.

“How could I not believe you?” Mother Luo smiled and shook her head, allowing Father Luo’s heart to finally drop back into his chest.

When Luo Xingran was born, Mother Luo had suffered a great deal. On the very first day she finished her postpartum confinement month, Father Luo had gone to get a vasectomy.

Under normal circumstances, it was impossible for Father Luo to have any children other than his daughter, Luo Xingran.

Luo Xingran wasn’t aware of these specifics, but her intuition told her something was strange. She didn’t believe her father would cheat; she was leaning toward other possibilities. A sudden pang of unease hit her heart, and she felt as though she didn’t know what she was supposed to hold onto.

A vague sense of dread suddenly swept over her.

“What’s wrong?” Pei Junzhuo took Luo Xingran’s empty hand, having noticed her teammate’s distress.

Hearing Pei Junzhuo’s voice, Luo Xingran felt for a moment that she shouldn’t share her thoughts. But when she looked into Pei Junzhuo’s eyes, she felt that she should speak.

“I suddenly feel… a bit panicked in my heart.”

Pei Junzhuo’s gaze dimmed slightly. She pulled Luo Xingran into a gentle embrace but said nothing.

“I could accept things even more absurd than this back then, do you really think I would…” Mother Luo rolled her eyes at Father Luo, the scent of “disdain” practically wafting off her.

When the child was brought inside, everyone present fell into silence.

It was hard to describe, but this little girl looked exactly like Luo Xingran did when she was seven years old. Yes—identical, down to the last detail.

“I remember… we didn’t have a second child back then, right?” Father Luo froze, then looked blankly at his wife.

“No kidding,” Mother Luo muttered, though her heart couldn’t help but soften the moment she saw the child’s face.

Seeing this child, Luo Xingran surprisingly didn’t feel much rejection either. On the contrary, Pei Junzhuo, standing to the side, didn’t give the girl even a glance.

The Little Heavenly Dao, sensing the gazes around her, clicked her tongue inwardly. As expected, the Luo family are all good people. Everyone here likes me except for that fellow Pei Junzhuo!

Thus, the Little Heavenly Dao put on a pitiful expression and revealed her “identity,” claiming her mother had gone traveling and had sent her here with a letter.

Mother Luo took the letter and read it, quickly grasping the gist of the situation. She handed the letter to her husband, her expression becoming increasingly amiable.

“It’s just that the messengers didn’t explain it properly. So it turns out you’re my sister’s daughter,” Father Luo said, relaxing considerably as a smile returned to his face.

“Come here, child. Call me Uncle.” Watching her father accept the child so rapidly, Luo Xingran found the situation a bit absurd.

“Mom?” Hearing the doubt in her daughter’s voice, Mother Luo knew things were about to go sideways.

“Why aren’t you calling her your sister? Why are you looking at me like that? I forgot to tell you—your aunt mentioned this to me last time.”

“I just forgot to mention it to you,” Mother Luo added with such a natural air that even Luo Xingran began to feel a bit dazed.

“My aunt? The one who said she’d never marry or have kids… has a child?” Luo Xingran was stunned. In her memory, her aunt was the coolest person she knew.

While other people’s daughters were talking about love in their twenties, her aunt was traveling abroad alone to pursue the truths of the world. Over the years, Mother Luo had tried to consider her sister’s marriage prospects, but her aunt’s practical actions ensured Mother Luo never succeeded once.

After a few attempts, Mother Luo had received a “heart-to-heart” talk from her sister. Since then, Luo Xingran had never seen her mother bring up the subject again.

Regardless, Luo Xingran still couldn’t believe her aunt would suddenly have such a large child.

Seeing her daughter deep in thought, Mother Luo hurriedly interrupted her. If the act wasn’t convincing, either her daughter or her sister would be the ones to suffer later. If memories were wiped or people were “replaced” again, her heart wouldn’t be able to take it. Mother Luo could only hope that by acting this way, she could successfully muddle through.

“Is that so?” Luo Xingran still felt something was off, but given that she herself was a “transmigrator,” it seemed reasonable that she wouldn’t know every small detail of this world.

The Little Heavenly Dao felt a bit awkward as well, sensing the oddness, but then decided it was her own doing. After all, she had “written” this; she was now part of the Luo family. Thinking about it this way, the Luo family’s lack of defensiveness was likely due to her influence.

As the Luo parents looked at the child, their hearts were still pounding. Neither knew the child’s true background, so they knew they had to be extremely cautious.

With a silent exchange of glances, the two tacitly decided to keep Luo Xingran from having too much contact with this child. If possible, they even wanted to keep their daughter tucked away at home. The dangers outside could lead to them truly losing their precious daughter.

After a brief moment of low spirits, the parents began to tend to the Little Heavenly Dao.

“Child, what is your name?” Mother Luo pulled the girl close. Even knowing there was something fishy about her origin, she couldn’t help but feel a spark of affection. The child looked so much like a young Luo Xingran that the resemblance alone was enough to drop her guard by thirty percent.

“Tell Uncle what name your mother gave you,” Father Luo said with a smile, trying his best to look approachable.

“I’m Xingxing. Mama said my name is Luo Xingxing,” the Little Heavenly Dao made up a name on the spot.

“Surname Luo… that sounds like a lovely name,” Father Luo smiled.

“Are you hungry? How did you get here? Your mother’s letter didn’t mention the journey,” Mother Luo said, taking Luo Xingxing’s hand and leading her into the house.

“Mama had an uncle bring me here. Once we got to the door, the uncle left,” the Little Heavenly Dao lied casually, knowing her words would instantly become reality. If anyone checked the surveillance footage now, they would indeed see a man in black leading her to the gate.

The Little Heavenly Dao didn’t worry much. Holding the hands of Father and Mother Luo, she felt an extraordinary warmth. It was the same feeling she’d had when Luo Xingran picked her up.

The Luo parents treated her with a mix of tenderness and wariness. The Little Heavenly Dao understood this perfectly but didn’t resent it. She didn’t even understand why she wasn’t offended. When that idiot Li Dan had been guarded against her, she had wanted to wipe him from the world forever.

Clearly, Luo Xingxing had only learned about manipulation and counter-manipulation from Li Dan. she hadn’t experienced much genuine kindness. When suddenly faced with something good, she didn’t even know how she was supposed to feel.

What followed was a normal family dinner. The only thing that made it special was that the Luo family’s table manners weren’t stiff or solemn. Instead, every family member shared the good things that had happened to them that day. Everyone had natural smiles and relaxed expressions.

Luo Xingxing had once peeked into Li Dan’s “beautiful dreams.” In those dreams, they ate delicious food, but only Li Dan sat in a chair while everyone else knelt. The food in those dreams tasted of nothing but oppression and fear. That peek had convinced Luo Xingxing that “eating dinner” was a terrifying ordeal, unlike eating snacks.

But sitting here, soaking in the atmosphere, she found herself dazed. She couldn’t put it into words, but there was a simple comfort in the Luo household. The people here seemed eternally content. Li Dan was the opposite; he was never satisfied, his desires seemingly infinite.

“Xingxing, would you like a piece of Lychee Pork?” Mother Luo smiled as she picked up a piece with her chopsticks. She didn’t put it directly into the girl’s bowl, but asked for her opinion first. It was clear that if Xingxing didn’t want it, Mother Luo wouldn’t force her.

Suddenly, that piece of meat looked incredibly delicious. Not knowing what to say, Luo Xingxing nodded shyly.

Seeing the child looking so restrained, Luo Xingran reached out and ruffled her hair.

“Do you want to try this?” Luo Xingran pointed toward the Squirrel-Shaped Mandarin Fish.

Luo Xingxing glanced at the fish, feeling a bit afraid. Li Dan had once brought her fish dishes that were foul-smelling and bitter. But those fish had been black, and this dish was not.

“Worried it won’t taste good?” Luo Xingran saw the girl’s features scrunch up and had no intention of forcing a child to eat something strange.

“Is it tasty?” Luo Xingxing seemed to summon a great deal of courage, blinking her bright eyes at Luo Xingran.

“I think it’s delicious—very fresh. Want to try? If not, that’s fine too. You can try other things.” Luo Xingran’s voice was light, like a white feather.

From Luo Xingran’s tone, Luo Xingxing understood she didn’t have to force herself.

“Thank you, Big Sister.” Luo Xingxing nodded and held out her small bowl to receive the fish.

At the table, everyone kept adding food to her bowl. Before long, the pile of food was higher than the rice.

“Will you be able to finish all that? Don’t force yourself,” Luo Xingran said, patting the girl’s head and signaling her parents to stop the constant serving.

Pei Junzhuo stayed for dinner as well. She sat next to Luo Xingran, observing the little girl out of the corner of her eye with a cold, detached gaze. To her surprise, the innocence in Luo Xingxing’s eyes was striking.

Based on her initial assumptions, Luo Xingxing shouldn’t be such a simple girl. Just by showing her a bit of care and feeding her…

If she adjusted her preconceptions, it seemed some things might become a little easier.

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