Qi Shi was already unconscious inside the house. When he was rescued from inside, his face was covered in soot.

"Alas, this illegitimate son of the Qi family has suffered so much." The doctor was already treating Qi Shi inside the house, and Constable Wang quietly sighed to Xu Yi.

When I was little, I was abandoned by Master Qi in a remote village. Now that I've finally been able to return to the Qi family, I'm either poisoned or burned.

"That Steward Qi is really vicious. He'll do anything for the sake of the Qi family's meager assets."

Xu Yi listened to Constable Wang's rambling from the side, occasionally offering a perfunctory reply.

After a while, Constable Wang remembered, "Commander Xu, we've troubled you to keep us company for so long. There's nothing else to do right now, so why don't you go back and rest?"

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Investigating cases is their duty as constables, and Officer Wang felt a little guilty for dragging Xu Yi along so late at night.

Having already stayed this long, a little longer wouldn't make a difference. Xu Yi lifted his leg and walked into the house. "I'm going to check on Qi Shi."

When Qi Shi woke up, he seemed confused and looked strange when he saw Constable Wang and the others.

"Me, you~"

"This is~"

He had inhaled a lot of smoke, making it difficult for him to speak.

Officer Wang stepped forward and said to him, "Young Master Qi, there was a fire in your backyard. Fortunately, it was discovered in time, otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable."

"Fire? How could there be a fire?" Qi Shi murmured.

Officer Wang glanced at the person on the bed, somewhat reluctant to tell him the truth, but it was a fact right before his eyes, and there was no way to change it.

"It's Butler Qi."

First published on: Tower > Read Novels

"He was the one who poisoned you."

"It's highly likely that he was the one who set fire to the backyard."

"Don't worry, we've already arrested him. Our government will interrogate him thoroughly and give you an explanation."

With each sentence Officer Wang spoke, Qi Shi's face paled further, his expression constantly shifting, and his hands gripped the blankets tightly beneath him.

"Uncle Qi?"

"How could it be Uncle Qi?"

"He~~~"

As he spoke, Qi Shi choked up, his eyes turning red.

Officer Wang comforted him, "Young Master Qi, don't worry, we've caught the man, you're much safer now."

Without Steward Qi around to keep an eye on things, this illegitimate son of the Qi family should be able to live a better life.

The original text comes from Tower & Read Novels~&

Qi Shi didn't speak. He stared blankly at the ceiling. Officer Wang waved to everyone, signaling them to leave.

Xu Yi hadn't said a word since he entered, and he was standing in a rather inconspicuous spot.

Qi Shi's reaction just now didn't seem fake. Sometimes a person's smile and happiness can be shown through facial expressions, but the eyes can't lie.

When Constable Wang said those words, Qi Shi's pupils dilated for a moment; clearly, he was genuinely shocked.

Xu Yi felt that things had finally cleared up and the sun was shining, but now everything had become confusing again.

After leaving the room, he bid farewell to Constable Wang and left. It was so late and he hadn't gone home yet. He wondered if Man'er was worried.

The houses in the town were laid out similarly to the old houses in the village. The front yard was where Xu Genshan and his wife lived, and the back yard was where Fu Man'er and Xu Yi lived. Their rooms were still next to each other.

When Xu Yi returned, Xu Genshan and his wife had already gone to sleep, and everyone except the gatekeeper had also retired for the night.

So he walked quietly into the backyard, afraid of making any noise that might wake Fu Man'er.

When Xu Yi passed by Fu Man'er's room and saw the closed door, he knew that his little girl was already asleep.

The original text comes from Tower & Read Novels~&

Although he missed her terribly after not seeing her for a day, Xu Yi didn't want to disturb her sleep, so he tiptoed to his room.

He had just turned around and closed the door when he noticed something was wrong with the room.

Someone's there!

Besides his breathing, there was another person breathing!

Xu Yi stood up by the door without moving. He stood in the darkness for a while, and his eyes slowly adjusted. At the same time, he held his breath and listened to where the breathing sound was coming from.

Finally, his eyes fell on the desk, listening to the even and long breathing, as if he had fallen asleep.

Asleep? Xu Yi was startled and vaguely saw the person slumped over the table.

He strode over, took out a tinderbox, and lit the candle next to him.

The people at the table straightened up. "Brother," Fu Man'er called out softly, her eyelids drooping.

That "brother" went straight into Xu Yi's heart. Was his little girl waiting for him?

Xu Yi could tell from the fact that half of her face was flushed that she had been sleeping on the table for a while.

It's already autumn, and Fu Man'er didn't even put on a coat. She just lay down on the hard table and fell asleep, and it was on a special day for the little girl.

Xu Yi didn't know whether to feel sorry for him or be angry.

As soon as he walked over, Fu Man'er opened her arms and closed her eyes, which had been half-open. "Brother, hug me."

As he spoke, he leaned forward, showing no fear of missing his target.

Xu Yi caught her, put her hand on his shoulder, and then lifted her up in his arms.

Fu Man'er nestled affectionately against Xu Yi's chest and mumbled, "I waited for my brother to come back, I waited for so long that I fell asleep."

Xu Yi's heart tightened. "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting." He had originally sent someone back to tell him that he would be back around dinner time, but he was worried that Officer Wang might not be able to stay calm on his own, so he stayed to help.

I didn't expect that after helping with this, there would be other things to do, and before I knew it, it was already late at night.

Xu Yi gently placed Fu Man'er on the bed, took off her shoes, and covered her with a blanket.

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He was lying perfectly still, but if he turned over, he would immediately fall off.

After lying down, Xu Yi flicked his finger and extinguished the lit candle.

The breathing sounds became clearer in the darkness. Xu Yi had just closed his eyes when his body stiffened.

Although Fu Man'er was already asleep, she seemed to sense something and moved her head toward Xu Yi, who didn't dare to move.

He let her rest her head on his shoulder, her warm breath brushing against his neck, and Xu Yi's breathing became much lighter.

Before he could even adjust, that hot little body moved over, and after a few whimpers, Xu Yi felt a weight on him as Fu Man'er wrapped herself around him with her hands and feet.

Now he was a vigorous young man, and with his beloved woman's soft and warm body in his arms, Xu Yi felt as if all the blood in his body was flowing backward.