Chapter 303: Wait, What Happened to Your Neck?

"So what?" Ye Qianning said flatly.

Emotions surged within Qian Fanji. There was so much he wanted to say, but faced with her indifference, the words caught in his throat.

’But no matter what, she’s my daughter. Whatever happened to her in the past, she has me and the Qian family now. One day, I’ll dispel the coldness that surrounds her.’

"Minister Qian, when my father arrives, I’d ask that you don’t say too much. Otherwise, don’t blame me for being ruthless." Ye Qianning left him with those words and turned to walk out of the room.

’What rotten luck. Why did I have to be his daughter?’

"Young Miss, aren’t you going to eat?" Luo Wen asked as he came in with a tray of food.

"I’ll eat downstairs," Ye Qianning said with a wave.

Luo Wen brought the tray into the room. "Minister Qian, did you do something to upset my Young Miss?"

Qian Fanji stared at the water basin.

"Look, Minister Qian, I don’t mean to overstep, but my Young Miss risked her life to save you yesterday. It’s one thing to be ungrateful, but you go and make her angry on top of it? Have you no conscience?" Luo Wen set down the tray. "If the Young Miss hadn’t told me to bring this food, I couldn’t be bothered with you."

Qian Fanji looked up. "She was the one who had this food sent?"

"Who else but my Young Miss would show you such concern? You can’t even recognize a kind heart when you see one." Luo Wen snorted and left.

Qian Fanji’s heart leaped, and a joyful expression spread across his face. He walked slowly to the table and sat down. As he picked up his chopsticks, his vision blurred, as if he were hallucinating.

He saw Ye Qianning picking up her own chopsticks and smiling at him. A sweet, childish voice said, "Daddy, hurry up and eat."

"Eat up," Qian Fanji murmured, picking up a chicken leg with his chopsticks to place in her bowl. As his hand extended, his vision suddenly cleared. He froze for a moment before pulling his hand back.

He was a goner...

Another one driven to obsession.

Downstairs, just as Ye Qianning finished her meal, Xiang Minghou arrived. He vaulted off his horse and charged into the inn.

"Dad."

Xiang Minghou followed the sound of her voice and saw the small figure sitting by the window. He rushed over. "You little rascal, you had me worried sick!"

"I took Fourth Granny to Four Directions Town yesterday. It seemed so lively that I decided to look around for a bit," Ye Qianning said with a smile.

"And you didn’t even send a message back home! You scared me so much I couldn’t sleep all night." Only then did Xiang Minghou finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Ye Qianning scratched her head. "I forgot."

"As long as you’re all right, I can... huh? What happened to your neck?" Xiang Minghou noticed a thin, faint scratch on her neck.

"I went up Four-direction Mountain to play yesterday. The grass was really tall, and I accidentally got scraped by a blade," Ye Qianning said, touching her neck. ’The cut is so faint, but Dad is surprisingly observant.’

His heart ached for her. Xiang Minghou looked up and glared at the men standing behind her. "Luo Wen! Luo Xuan! What kind of job are you doing protecting her? If that cut were any deeper, her life would have been forfeit!"

"We were at fault. We await the General’s punishment." 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Luo Wen and Luo Xuan dropped to one knee. Seeing the mark on their Young Miss’s neck, their hearts filled with animosity toward Qian Fanji.

"When you return, you will each receive twenty military batons."

"Yes, sir."

It was her own lie; Ye Qianning had no intention of letting Luo Wen and the others get in trouble for it. She hopped off her chair and went to Xiang Minghou’s side, tugging his arm with her small hands. "Dad, it’s not their fault. I was the one who was careless while playing. Please don’t punish them."

"Absolutely not. You’re injured, and they’re completely unscathed."

"Dad, it really wasn’t their fault, Dad..." Ye Qianning wheedled, shaking his arm.

Xiang Minghou was always a sucker for this routine. "All right, all right."

"So you promise you won’t punish them, Dad?" Ye Qianning’s eyes shone.

Xiang Minghou cleared his throat, putting on a stern facade. "Just this once."

"Thank you, Dad! You’re the best!" Ye Qianning threw her arms around his, resting her head on his shoulder, absolutely delighted.