She was hoisted up by one of his hands, receiving several solid smacks on her bottom.

Despite this, she still tried to argue her way out of it. "I wasn't saying anything bad about you just now."

Seeing his hand move again, she quickly gave in. "I admit it! I admit I said a few bad things about you. Please, stop hitting me."

"My poor little butt can't handle your fan-sized palms!"

Corporal punishment really is effective. No wonder teachers loved to use this tactic on their students. Unfortunately, students are too precious nowadays, so it's not allowed anymore.

"Don't change the subject. Tell me exactly what you said to her before. Why did she stop talking to me afterward?" Sun Dasheng glared at her.

This little witch is showing signs of turning into a vixen.

"I just said Uncle Sun seems to like you... and then she became like that... It wasn't my fault! Ah... No... Stop... Don't hit me anymore, I was wrong!"

The little witch took a few more hits, but she could clearly feel the force of the palm on her buttocks was much gentler now. Uncle Sun didn't seem as angry as he appeared. She was happy to play along, shouting a few times to complete the act and let him cool off. As expected, he only hit her a few more times before putting her down.

"You really love stirring up trouble, don't you? Is that something you can joke about?" Sun Dasheng glared at her irritably.

Yang Xintian had a retort ready. "If I hadn't said that to distract her, she would have cried endlessly. I had no choice. You told me to stop her crying but didn't give me much time. Other than saying that to quickly shift her focus, I couldn't think of a better way."

Her bold words actually sounded somewhat reasonable. The best way to quickly pull someone out of one emotion is to plunge them into another. This gives rise to the popular online saying: the best way to get over a relationship is to start a new one.

"Tian Tian, where are you guys?"

A tearful voice called from the living room. It seemed that finding the house suddenly empty had sent her into a panic. Clearly, she hadn't yet recovered from the tragic ordeal of her father's death, her mother's abandonment, and her brother's disappearance. This was a time when she was at her most vulnerable and most in need of companionship.

"Zi Xuan, Uncle Sun and I are just on the balcony enjoying the view. Don't be scared, okay?" With that, she broke free from Uncle Sun's annoying hand and ran toward the living room.

Sun Dasheng watched her run off, a silent smile on his face, before turning his gaze to the distant sunset. He lit a cigarette, watched the sun as it began to set, and let the cigarette extinguish in the wind without taking a single puff.

Dinner was takeout. After they finished eating, Sun Dasheng prepared to leave.

However, the young girl clutched his sleeve, refusing to let him go. Her pitiful, pleading eyes were enough to melt his heart.

"Uncle Sun, why don't you stay here for the night? Zi Xuan is scared of being alone; she needs someone to stay with her," the little witch, Yang Xintian, chimed in.

"But you're here, aren't you?"

"If I don't go back, my parents will nag me to death!"

The words came back to bite her instantly as her own sleeve was grabbed. Now she was in an awkward position. "Uh... Zi Xuan, it's enough to have Uncle Sun stay with you. It'll be really troublesome for me if I don't go home to sleep. It's absolutely not because I don't want to stay and keep you company, okay?"

Unfortunately, her explanation was useless. At this moment, Xiang Zixuan was extremely sensitive and fragile. To her, these two were now the most important people in her life. She didn't want to let either of them go; she wanted them both to stay and keep her company.

Under normal circumstances, this would be an unreasonable demand. But given the special situation, she couldn't be blamed for her "unreasonableness."

Watching the little witch get caught in her own trap, Sun Dasheng was highly amused. "Since your best friend is asking, you should stay. I'll talk to your parents for you."

"Alright... Thank you, Uncle Sun," Yang Xintian said, pulling a long face.

It wasn't that she minded sleeping over. If she could stay out all night having fun, she'd be thrilled. But tonight... there's a big bad wolf right here. I don't think I'll get any sleep. I'll have to do that exhausting 'needlework' again.

Sure enough, not long after she'd managed to lull Xiang Zixuan to sleep and had barely started playing a game on her phone, she received a text from the man in the next room.

[Now that she's asleep, come over.]

She pouted, pretending she hadn't seen it. Doing 'needlework' is no fun at all. It's not just tiring; it's excruciatingly painful. Whoever wants to do it can go ahead, because I certainly don't.

It turned out the pain from the first time had left her with a psychological block. Coupled with her own particular inclinations, she wasn't very enthusiastic about this sort of thing. This also explained why she hadn't actively sought out Sun Dasheng for so long after their first encounter. Other women, after being with him once, were either desperate for a second time or longed to stick to him constantly. Someone like her was a true rarity.

Before long, the door opened. A figure walked in and scooped her up by the waist.

She was about to cry out in surprise, but she clamped a hand over her own mouth when she recognized who it was. Glancing at Zi Xuan on the bed, she turned to the man holding her and complained in a low voice, "Why did you come in here? What if Zi Xuan sees you?"

Sun Dasheng ignored her, asking instead, "Why didn't you respond when I called for you earlier?"

"I... I was playing a game. I didn't see it," Yang Xintian tried to bluff her way out.

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