It was a Sunday afternoon when Fang Siying left Bai Tingting for the first time and went to Taipei by herself, buying many things. When she returned to the Bai residence, carrying several bags, she unexpectedly found Tingting sitting on the garden steps, her hand propping up her chin, her face full of worry.

  "Why are you sitting here, Tingting?" Fang Siying asked in surprise.

  "I'm waiting for you," the child said pitifully, her mouth twitching. "Next time you go to Taipei, can you take me with you? I'll be good and won't bother you."

  "Ah!" Fang Siying couldn’t help but ugh. "Tingting, you've become more dependent.

  You need to learn to be independent! Come on, cheer up. Didn't I just come back? Let′s go upstairs; I have something to show you."

  The child hesitated for a moment. "Don't go in yet," she said softly.

  "How?" Fang Siying asked in surprise, but then she was suddenly shocked because she noticed a bruise on Tingting's cheek, about the size of a wine gss rim. She crouched down and looked at the mark. "Did you get this from hitting something, or did you fall?" The child shook her head, lowering her eyelids.

  "Mom and Dad had a fight, a really bad one," she said.

  "Your mom didn′t go out today?"

  "No, she's still in the living room, angry."

  "Why did they fight?"

  "Over money. Mom wants a sum of money, but Dad won’t give it to her."

  "Ah, I see." Fang Siying understood as she looked at the bruise on Tingting's cheek.

  "You′re caught in the crossfire again. Did she twist it?"

  Before Tingting could answer, the gss door suddenly opened. Fang Siying looked up and saw Ai Lin standing in the doorway, her face full of anger. Standing there, her slender figure was upright, and her beautiful eyes were cold as ice, fixed sharply on Fang Siying. Fang Siying involuntarily straightened up, meeting Ai Lin's gaze. She said nothing, waiting for the other to speak.

  "You don′t need to ask her," Ai Lin′s voice was cold and hard. "I can tell you, it was me who twisted her cheeks. What's the matter with that?"

  "You—you shouldn’t have twisted her cheeks!" Fang Siying heard her own voice, angry, brave, trembling, and firm. "She didn′t provoke you. You shouldn’t take your anger out on a child!"

  "Hah!" Fire fshed in Ai Lin's eyes. "Who are you? Do you think you have the right to interfere in my family matters? A private tutor bought for two thousand a month, and you think you′re Tingting′s protector? Yes, I hit her. What does it matter to you? The w hasn't said that a mother can't discipline her own child. I hit her because she isn′t behaving. She lies; she′s sneaky; she′s like the ghost of her dead mother! Yes, I hit her! What are you going to do about it?"

  Saying this, she quickly raised her hand, and before Fang Siying could even comprehend her intentions, she spped Bai Tingting across the face.

  Tingting had been standing there, shrinking back, never expecting she would be hit at that moment. Therefore, the sp nded solidly on her face, the sound sharp and loud. She lost her bance, stumbling and nearly falling. Fang Siying let out a cry of surprise, her hand loosening, and the paper bag and box she was holding scattered all over the floor. She rushed forward and caught Tingting in her arms. Standing protectively in front of her, she was truly shaken, furious, and both startled and in pain. She gasped for breath, staring at Ai Lin, trembling with anger, shouting, "You can't hit her! You can't! You..." She couldn't speak anymore, the fury choking her throat, making it difficult to breathe.

  "I can't?" Ai Lin raised her eyebrows, her expression full of murderous intent. "Get out of my way! I’m going to kill this little brat today! Let’'s see if she can still py the poor little thing!"

  She lunged forward again, but Fang Siying quickly pushed Tingting behind her.

  Standing firm in front, at that moment, she had no other thought but to protect the child, even if it meant risking her life. Ai Lin charged at her, reaching out several times, but every time she was blocked by Fang Siying, preventing her from getting to the child. In frustration, she started spping Fang Siying a few times in an attempt to hit her, but Fang Siying endured it, still stubbornly shielding Tingting. Ai Lin then began to shout curses at her.

  "Why are you meddling in other people's business? Who asked you to be a bodyguard? You old virgin! You psychotic old witch! Get the hell out of here! This bastard child is not yours to raise! If you're really going to interfere, we can settle this! I'll make sure you regret it!" Suddenly, a loud shout came from the doorway:

  "Ai Lin! You're going crazy again!"

  "Ah, now there's another one!" Ai Lin gasped, saying, "Looks like your power is strong! What a great alliance! A blind man! An old virgin! A little bastard! What a powerful force! I can’t fight you, but everyone else can deal with it! We'll see!" After saying that, she brushed past them and stormed into the garage. Without needing Lao You, she started the car herself and sped off in a fsh.

  In that moment, Fang Siying, overwhelmed by the emotional shock, felt as though she couldn't control herself. She didn′t even look at Tingting′s injuries, but instead, in a daze, she ran past Bai Peiwen, rushed upstairs, and smmed the door of her room shut. Throwing herself onto the bed, she took off her gsses and broke down in uncontrolble sobs.

  She cried for a while until she heard a soft knock on the door. She ignored it, but the doorknob turned, and the door was pushed open. Someone ran to her bedside. Then, she felt Tingting, sobbing, gently pushing her, calling out softly and tenderly, "Teacher, please don't cry! Teacher!"

  Fang Siying lifted her head. Through a veil of tears, she saw that half of the child's face was already red and swollen. She gently stroked the injury on Tingting's cheek, then pulled her into her arms, crying even harder. As she wept, she cried out in pain, "Tingting! Oh, you poor, unfortunate child!"

  Hearing Fang Siying's call, Tingting couldn't help but feel overwhelmed with sorrow.

  She wrapped her arms around Fang Siying's waist and buried her head deep in her embrace. With a loud cry, she began to sob uncontrolbly. While they were in the midst of their heart-wrenching tears, Bai Peiwen quietly walked in and stood there for a long while. After a moment, he sighed deeply.

  "I'm sorry, Miss Fang," he said with pain in his voice.

  Fang Siying wiped away her tears, and after a while, she stopped sobbing. She gently pushed Tingting away and carefully used a handkerchief to wipe the child's cheek. She had already regained some composure. Sniffling, she took a deep breath and forced a smile for Tingting.

  "Don't cry, good girl. It's all my fault; I brought this on you. Now, go wash your face, and could you bring my paper bag from downstairs? Okay?"

  "Okay," Tingting obediently replied. She hugged Fang Siying's neck and kissed her cheek before running downstairs.

  There was a long silence. Fang Siying remained quiet for a while, and so did Bai Peiwen.