Pei Nian suddenly opened the door.

Standing outside was none other than Ding Cheng.

"You?" Pei Nian was taken aback, looking around. "What are you doing here?"

Ding Cheng didn't speak; his eyes blended into the darkness, making them appear even dimmer.

Jiang Mianmian came out and was taken aback when she saw Ding Cheng. She then smiled and said, "Are you a student brought by Teacher Pei? Is this your first time attending an event like this tonight? Have you eaten enough?"

Ding Cheng was stunned and speechless for a moment.

He looked at Jiang Mianmian. He had never seen such a beautiful older sister before. He had always thought that his sister was the most beautiful woman in the world.

but……

His gaze then turned to Pei Nian. In fact, his sister was no less beautiful. The two women were different in their beauty, but the only difference was that they were both fairies.

"Hey!" Pei Nian waved her hand in front of his eyes. "What are you looking at?"

"It's nothing..." Ding Cheng quickly lowered his head. At this age, the boy already had a sense of shame. He felt that looking at the other person like that was too impolite and embarrassing.

"You haven't answered my question yet," Pei Nian asked him, "Why are you here?"

"I……"

"This is a mother and baby room. Don't you recognize this sign?"

Ding Cheng was even more embarrassed, his two small hands tightly gripping the hem of his clothes.

As soon as the words left his mouth, Pei Nian regretted them. A child who had lived in the mountains all his life probably didn't even know what a mother and baby room was.

She had witnessed how women in the mountains breastfed their babies—without any inhibitions or privacy, at most finding a small grove of trees to slip away into. In those isolated and underdeveloped areas, women had no status; they were merely tools for childbirth and feeding.

Jiang Mianmian noticed Ding Cheng's embarrassment and gently patted his shoulder, encouraging him to straighten his back like a little man.

“If you always keep your head down, you won’t grow tall!” she laughed. “This is a mother and baby room, which means that if your baby needs to be fed or have their diaper changed, you can bring them here. It’s spacious and comfortable, and it protects the privacy of both mother and baby. Because these are very private matters, they shouldn’t be disturbed by others.”

Ding Cheng looked up at her; this was the first time in his life someone had explained things to him so gently.

“You’ll be living in Yangcheng from now on, going to school and living just like the other children here,” Jiang Mianmian continued. “There are many things you’ll have to learn because you need to adapt to this environment. But I believe that with your intelligence, you’ll definitely learn quickly!”

"Me?" Ding Cheng couldn't believe it. "Smart...smart?"

"Of course. How could a student whom Teacher Pei has chosen be bad?"

Ding Cheng felt as if something was blocking his throat.

He looked at Jiang Mianmian in disbelief, then at Pei Nian, as if he had a lot to say, but couldn't utter a single word.

The little boy didn't know that this was "encouragement." But a child who grows up in encouragement and love gains spiritual wealth and the courage to face any storm in life.

Little Yuan Yuan on the bed kicked her tiny feet and murmured in a childish voice. Jiang Mianmian quickly went over and gently patted her back, soothing her softly.

Ding Cheng looked at Xiao Yuanyuan as if she were a beautiful doll, unable to look away for a moment.

"Alright, stop looking." Pei Nian blocked his way. "Auntie just told you, right? This mother and baby room is for mothers and babies to rest. You're a boy, you can't come in."

Ding Cheng pursed his lips, then silently turned away.

"Wait a minute." Pei Nian called out to him softly again, and stood with him outside the door, gently closing it.

"Teacher Pei, is there anything else?"

“Just now…” Pei Nian frowned, “Why didn’t you knock first, but instead turned the doorknob?”

Ding Cheng was taken aback.

“This is something you need to learn too,” Pei Nian said earnestly. “From now on, no matter where you go, whether it’s to the teacher’s office or another student’s dormitory, you must knock on the door first, not push it open. It’s a matter of manners, understand?”

Ding Cheng's lips moved, but in the end he swallowed back what he wanted to say.

That wasn't him.

Just over ten minutes ago, he ran away from that noisy banquet to get some fresh air and unintentionally came to this quiet corridor. He didn't know anything about a mother and baby room, but he saw a figure turning the doorknob of that room under the cover of darkness.

He couldn't see the person's face clearly, and the person was very vigilant, quickly running away after failing to open the door after a couple of attempts.

Ding Cheng then walked over and heard Pei Nian calling out "Who is it?" from inside the room. Feeling a little worried, he knocked on the door.

"Why aren't you saying anything again!" Pei Nian said anxiously. "Did you remember what I just said?"

Ding Cheng nodded.

"you……"

Before Pei Nian could finish speaking, he immediately turned and left.

Pei Nian watched his retreating figure, her thoughts suddenly in turmoil. The image of the little boy with a runny nose who always needed her to carry him kept surfacing in her mind, accompanied by those unpleasant memories, pricking her like needles.

When she fled the mountain village, Aye was only three years old. Although he was the son that Ding Daming had longed for, he still could not escape his clutches.

Ding Daming firmly believed that it was only natural for a father to beat his son. Every time he lost money gambling or got drunk, Ding Daming would beat his daughter first and then his son. Pei Nian couldn't bear to see young A Ye being beaten by him, so every time she held her younger brother tightly in her arms, Ding Daming would whip her hard with his broom and rattan cane.

Later, she could no longer endure this kind of life. After plotting for a long time, she finally took that one-way step on a foggy morning.

She ran frantically, not daring to stop for a moment, until she crossed the mountain and sat down by the roadside to catch her breath.

Just then, she felt the candy in her pocket.

The two small pieces, wrapped in colorful paper, shimmered like jewels in the sunlight.

She knew that A-Ye had secretly slipped it to her. Just the day before, the neighbor had given A-Ye two candies, which he hadn't eaten, and Pei Nian hadn't paid any attention to them... but she never expected him to put them in her pocket.

At three years old, he knew everything. He knew his sister was leaving, that she wouldn't take him with her, and that he would have to walk his own path step by step with his tiny, tender feet.

Pei Nian could no longer hold back and burst into tears by the roadside.

...

Ning Meng arranged the meal at a well-regarded four-star hotel.

Ding Daming's eyes nearly popped out of his head as he looked at the table full of food. He secretly glanced at Ning Meng; if this high-and-mighty young lady didn't touch her chopsticks, he wouldn't dare to eat anything, no matter how tempted he was.

Ning Meng let out a soft snort and glanced at him disdainfully.

She looked down on this kind of person; putting him in a four-star hotel was already doing him a favor.

But now, she needs this kind of person.

So all we could do was treat him to good food and drink, hoping to get something out of him.

Ning Meng gave a cold smile and gestured to the waiter to pour wine for Ding Daming.

"Mr. Ding, please eat as much as you like, don't be shy!"

"The wine here is quite good. I imagine you've never had this kind of wine before, living in the mountains. But that's alright, as long as you want some, I'll have someone deliver it to you every day! Is that alright?"