Chapter 18

That night, the two children had no idea what the three adults had discussed.
However, the next morning, when Lin Miao woke up, she saw the beautiful Mrs. Yu, who was applying a face mask while asking the housekeeper to change her breakfast.
“Boiled broccoli with half a piece of chicken breast will be fine,” she said, then turned and saw the two little children coming downstairs, looking fresh and youthful. Lin Miao felt a little nervous.
Whenever she was around Mrs. Yu and Mr. Yu, she always felt uneasy. It was as if they were from a completely different world.
It felt like the first time she met her brother, that distance and superiority, which made her feel out of place.
But later, the little prince became a real brother, playing games, teaching her to read and write, and practicing English phonetics with her every day. He wasn’t distant anymore; he became family.
Adults often argued, and Lin Miao would listen to them, not understanding what they were fighting about, but still feeling scared.
Sensing Lin Miao’s nervousness, the young master held her hand and led her toward the dining room.
Mrs. Yu, still with the face mask on, waved at them, “Xiao Yu, Shui Shui, come over here.”
Lin Miao thought her face was completely white, looking like a ghost, which was a little scary, but she didn’t show it. She just held her brother’s hand; if he didn’t go, neither would she.
Mrs. Yu, still patient, stood up and walked over. Seeing her son’s unhappy expression, she remembered what her mother-in-law had said and squatted down in front of Lin Miao. “Shui Shui, your skin is a bit yellow. Would you like to use a face mask with Mommy? It will make you fairer.”
The young master frowned and said, “She doesn’t need it.”
He then led Lin Miao to the nearby dining room, leaving Mrs. Yu somewhat embarrassed.
At that moment, Grandma and Mr. Yu came out as well.
Grandma simply said, “You should have some snacks.”
So, at the breakfast table, with several adults present, Lin Miao became even more nervous. She carefully peeled her egg, not like when she was in her brother’s room and only the two of them were there, where she would bite half an egg in one go. Now, she was chewing slowly, imitating how her brother ate.
The table was quiet.
Mrs. Yu glanced at her son, then at Lin Miao, and smiled lightly. “Shui Shui is so cute, eating like a little mouse.”
Lin Miao didn’t quite understand if this was a compliment or if she was being compared to a mouse.
Where she came from, mice were animals everyone despised.
She was a bit confused and didn’t know how to respond.
The young master stood up and said, “Mom, comparing someone to a mouse? Your compliments are really unique.”
Mrs. Yu felt awkward. She had only wanted to get closer to the little girl and strengthen their relationship, but she never expected that her casual comment would upset her son.
Mrs. Yu tried to make up for it.
After breakfast, when Lin Miao and her brother were about to go upstairs, Mrs. Yu suddenly picked her up.
Lin Miao was startled and met Mrs. Yu’s cheerful expression. Her voice was full of excitement, almost like a child herself. “Shui Shui, how about Mommy takes you and your brother out to play today?”
The doctor often said it wasn’t a good idea to go outside, so Lin Miao wasn’t sure if it was allowed. She instinctively looked at her brother.
The young master came over. “Mom, put her down first.”
Mrs. Yu blinked, laughing as she said, “Don’t tease your sister. Shui Shui doesn’t talk much.”
Then she asked the doctor if it was okay to go out. The doctor said it would be fine occasionally, but not now since the young master had just recovered from chickenpox and his body wasn’t fully recovered yet.
Mrs. Yu awkwardly smiled, and the young master pulled Lin Miao away and closed the door.
Back in their room, the young master began to teach Lin Miao English.
These past few days, Mrs. Yu had been at home and even bought Lin Miao a lot of nice clothes.
Soon enough, she really did take the two children out to play, with the doctor and a bodyguard accompanying them, just in case something happened.
This was Lin Miao’s fourth time in a car.
She had taken a ride with the Master when she first came here, then took a taxi to the hospital, and now was riding again.
Once they got into the car, Mrs. Yu excitedly asked the two children if they wanted ice cream or popcorn.
Lin Miao had never had either, but if her brother ate, she would too. If he didn’t, neither would she.
Seeing the children’s lack of interest, Mrs. Yu turned to the little girl from the countryside. “Shui Shui, do you want ice cream?”
Lin Miao blinked and honestly replied, “I’ve never had it.”
“Would you like to try some?”
“I don’t know,” Lin Miao said truthfully.
The young master grew impatient. “Mom, stop it. You don’t understand anything and you’re acting overly familiar. It’s really annoying.”
Hearing this, Mrs. Yu became a bit upset. “What do you mean ‘stop’? I just want to get closer to you. I specifically took time off from work to spend time with you. Why are you ignoring me? I’m a first-time mom. If there’s anything I’m doing wrong, just say it. You’re not a three-year-old anymore…”
Perhaps after failing to connect over the past few days, she was feeling frustrated and couldn’t hold back anymore.
The young master quietly listened and then said, “You’re more suited to being a star who everyone likes and obeys, but not a mother.”
Mrs. Yu froze for a moment, feeling a little hurt, then turned her gaze away and stopped speaking.
Luckily, they had arrived by this time.
Lin Miao could sense the tension in the air. She just held her brother’s hand and wasn’t sure what to say.
When they got out of the car, Mrs. Yu quickly put on her sunglasses and mask. The doctor and a bodyguard followed them.
Unexpectedly, as soon as they got out of the car, a fan recognized Mrs. Yu. “Queen!”
Several people approached and asked for autographs, even though they were all wearing sunglasses and masks. Somehow, they still recognized her.
The bodyguard quickly stepped forward to protect Mrs. Yu.
Mrs. Yu didn’t refuse, instead giving them autographs with a friendly attitude.
The young master observed the situation outside, furrowing his brows. He said to the doctor and the remaining bodyguard, “Let’s go play on our own.”
So, the young master held Lin Miao’s hand, and with the doctor and bodyguard accompanying them, they got out of the car.
After walking a short distance, they suddenly heard a scream.
Then they heard the voices from the crowd.
“Ah! The Queen was knocked down!”
“Call an ambulance!”
“Catch that crazy person!”
The scene became chaotic as people gathered around. The remaining bodyguards and the doctor hurried over, and the young master was startled, about to rush over, but suddenly felt dizzy.
Lin Miao noticed something was wrong with her brother and was about to shout for help when her mouth was covered.
Moments later, she was picked up by someone.
Lin Miao’s eyes widened as she looked at the commotion but couldn’t make a sound. She struggled but couldn’t move, as the person holding her was too strong. She bit their hand hard but could only say two words: “Brother…”
Her voice was drowned out by the noise from the crowd. She was quickly silenced again.
Meanwhile, the chaos continued, with people shouting, “No photos! Don’t take pictures, they’re hurt!”
Lin Miao’s tears started to fall as she realized her brother had been taken away. “Look over here! Come over here!” she silently pleaded.
The person holding her quickly turned a corner, and soon they were out of sight.
“She’s a problem. The little brat bit me and it really hurts!” Lin Miao heard the man carrying her say.
“Take her with us, we’ll drop her off here. She’ll be found soon enough,” another person replied.
Then, Lin Miao felt a cloth pressed over her face, and soon, she lost consciousness.
Back at the scene, Mrs. Yu was helped to her feet, her knee bleeding.
The fans had managed to capture the frantic fan, and the police had been called.
The doctor was tending to Mrs. Yu’s wound.
Mrs. Yu was in so much pain that tears streamed down her face, but she realized that the two children were missing.
“Where are Xiao Yu and Shui Shui?” Mrs. Yu asked the doctor and bodyguard.
“I think the young master said he was going to check things out,” one of the bodyguards said. “There are so many people; they should be fine. I’ll go find them now.”
“Take her to the hospital first, this wound could leave a scar,” the doctor frowned and said.
Mrs. Yu shook her head. “Find the children first.”
The police had arrived and took the fan away.
Mrs. Yu said, “My two kids are missing, we need to find them.”
Fans also started helping search for the children.
Meanwhile, Lin Miao had just regained consciousness. She realized she was in a very confined space and still moving. People were speaking in front of her, but she couldn’t see them.
Her mouth was covered with tape, and her hands were tied behind her back.
Her brother was lying beside her, silent.
Lin Miao carefully moved closer to her brother, her body numb from being tied for a long time, making every movement uncomfortable. But she ignored it and finally managed to get close to him.
Slowly, she nudged her head against his, hoping to wake him up.
When her forehead touched his, she felt that he wasn’t feverish, his temperature was the same as hers. She felt relieved.
Lin Miao nudged his head again and then saw him open his eyes.
“Hmm hmm hmm…” Lin Miao tried to tell him that they had been kidnapped, but then realized her mouth was still taped.
The young master rubbed his forehead against hers, gently. She had sweated a lot from her efforts to get closer, and some strands of hair stuck to her forehead. He didn’t mind and rubbed her head again.
Then, the two children stayed quiet, listening to the voices ahead.
“They really have a plan. We thought with so many people around, they wouldn’t be able to take them.”
“Everyone was distracted by the big star; no one paid attention to this side.”
“Hurry, drive faster, get out of the city. The people over there said to buy time for us.”
Lin Miao felt frantic, her tears flowing, and the young master remained calm. He rubbed her head again to comfort her.
When the fans rushed over, he had been angry, thinking it was just another publicity stunt, but it turned out that this was a deliberate attack aimed at him.
But who were the people they referred to when they said “the others”? Was it the two bodyguards or the doctor?
The young master’s mind raced, but he quickly focused on something more pressing: another matter that required immediate attention.