Xiao Chen's gaze flickered, suppressing the gloom in his eyes. "It's nothing."

At that moment, how envious he was of the boy in the humble room.

Although they were not biologically related, the adoptive mothers' attitudes were completely different.

If he had a choice, he would rather... Unfortunately, he couldn't choose; he was destined to remain immersed in a dark and cold world.

Suddenly, a warm, soft hand pressed against the back of his hand.

He was startled, and suddenly looked up to meet the woman's bright, star-like eyes.

The stars in her eyes pierced the darkness, their delicate light shining into his eyes and spreading all the way to his heart, exploding like fireworks.

This strange feeling made him both anxious and reluctant to let go.

...The next day, Nanqianyue sat on the swing and chattered incessantly.

"You said you'd come with me to steal peaches, but you were clearly going to take care of your own business. You princes and crown princes are always causing trouble..."

"They said they were recuperating here, but they clearly have some messy things to deal with and can't leave..."

Xiao Chen listened silently, while washing and peeling the few peaches he had picked casually the night before.

The woman on the swing kept talking, "Why did you grab that woman's husband?"

Xiao Chen handed her a peeled peach, saying, "He is an invading official."

Nanqianyue took the peach with a look of disgust, took a bite, and asked vaguely, "How could marrying such a gentle wife be considered an assault?"

Xiao Chen also took a peach and walked behind her to help push it a few times, saying, "Men are better at pretending than women, so it's not difficult to fool a gentle wife."

Nanqianyue did not refute these words. Instead, she worried about the situation of the woman and her son. "But without her husband, how will that woman and her son survive?"

Xiao Chen smiled slightly, but Nan Qianyue didn't see it. "Don't worry, I've already arranged for people to secretly help her and her child."

Nanqianyue, clutching the swing ropes, suddenly turned around, looking at him with a bright smile, "Are you a bad person?"

Xiao Chen was almost captivated by her smile, but thankfully her question brought him back to reality.

He lowered his eyes slightly and said, "Not a good person."

As she moved south, Yue's smile deepened, her eyebrows lifting with unwavering confidence. "I'm a good person!"

The woman's smile was bright, her eyes sparkling with captivating charm, and Xiao Chen couldn't help but curl the corners of his lips into a slight smile.