The little girl stopped directly in front of her.
Her round eyes blinked upward innocently.
"You’re very beautiful."
The dining hall instantly became quiet again.
Xi Lanyin looked startled.
Xi Qianqian immediately turned nervous.
Even Lin Meiyun straightened slightly.
Because nobody knew what kind of reaction Su Yueqing would have.
But contrary to everyone’s expectations—
Su Yueqing’s expression softened slightly.
Very slightly.
Almost impossible to notice unless someone was watching carefully.
She lowered her gaze toward the little girl standing before her.
Xi Anran looked small and soft beneath the lantern light, her cheeks slightly round with childish innocence completely untouched by the ugly future waiting for the Xi family.
Inside her mind—
[Ah.]
[She’s cute.]
[Children who compliment me automatically become my favorites.]
Xi Anran blinked curiously while Su Yueqing slowly lifted one hand and gently patted the little girl’s head.
The movement was surprisingly soft.
Not rough or impatient just light and natural.
The family quietly stared at her.
Then—
Su Yueqing’s thoughts continued calmly.
[Poor child.]
[Unfortunately, after the Xi family falls, she’ll die from a serious fever while escaping during winter.]
The warmth inside the dining hall disappeared instantly.
Xi Anran innocently tilted her head upward, completely unaware of the sudden horror spreading across the adults’ faces.
Meanwhile, Su Yueqing continued thinking quietly.
[Still...]
[At least it’s better than execution.]
[Most of the rest of this family won’t even get proper graves.]
Xi Lanyin’s fingers tightened hard around her sleeves.
Xi Yunhao’s expression became extremely ugly.
Even Gu Zhen slowly lost the relaxed look on his face.
Meanwhile, Su Yueqing gently withdrew her hand from Xi Anran’s head.
Inside her mind, she sighed softly.
[This whole family’s ending really is miserable.]
Xi Qianqian slowly looked toward her little sister.
For the first time tonight—
Real fear began appearing inside her eyes.