Chapter 297: Hubby (1/2)

“Big Brother!” Luoluo’s childish voice sounded hoarse and dry after having just woken up.

Xue Wei smiled gently as he leaned forward and gently patted the girl’s head; her tears finally spilling from her eyes as she started crying out loud.

“It was so scary,” she cried, her voice trembling. “The darkness was everywhere, and I couldn’t wake up. I was so scared!”

Hearing her pitiful cries, saddened Xue Wei, and he quickly scooped her up from the bed and placed her in his embrace. “Don’t think about it anymore,” he said soothingly as he held her tight like he would a great treasure. “You are awake now, and all your dear ones are right here next to you. You are not alone, and the darkness is not going to swallow you. Big Brother will never let you be alone.”

Hearing this did not stop Luoluo from crying, but she let all her frustrations and fears free by burying her face in his shoulder and crying her heart out.

Xue Wei smiled slightly when he saw how clingy the child was to him, it was obvious that she had been alone for so long, but how had she managed all this time alone?

As a small child, she must have felt bored, depressed, and sad every single day sitting in her worn out home and staring at nothing more than the fleeting clouds.

Xue Wei’s heart ached when he pictured the hollow shell of a life she’d lived for so many years, never being allowed to mature. As a child, one should have a childhood filled with happiness, learning, and love, but she experienced nothing but isolation and monotony instead.

Although he had been betrayed, hunted, and hated by many, at least his childhood had been good. When he lived with his father, he had been loved unconditionally, and even Xiao Lei had cared deeply for him.

He understood how important such feelings were to every person, and thus, he wanted to do whatever he could to make Luoluo feel loved. Although he had no children or real siblings, he truly felt as if this young girl had become family—someone whom he must protect and care for until the day she was mature enough to spread her own wings and make her own decisions.

Luoluo cried on Xue Wei’s shoulder for a long time, and only when she had no more tears left to shed did she finally stop. Her head was bobbing up and down, and her eyes were closing involuntarily as she had exhausted herself after crying as much as she had.

Xue Wei was rather eager to enter the forbidden area and get this mystery over with once and for all, but he also knew what was more important right now.

Luoluo was currently weakened and panicked. Leaving her now would harm her, so instead, he waited by her side until she woke up a second time.

Her mentality had regressed further than before; it seemed that the attack she had unleashed against the Baili grand elder had made her deteriorate to the state of a four-year-old.

When she woke up again, Xue Wei doted on her and had some food prepared for her. Although she was younger, food still cheered her up immensely. Her confused expression was replaced with happiness the moment she saw the dishes that were being placed in front of her.

She clapped her small hands with glee, and Xue Wei smiled with indulgence as he took his chopsticks and started by placing an assortment of fresh, aromatic and mouth-watering appetizers from their shared plates into Luoluo’s bowl.

After some time, the meal was over, and Luoluo sighed with contentedness. It was time for Xue Wei to leave the satisfied young spirit.

Meeting with his companions in the main room, he announced, “I will be going to the forbidden area, but I will not take Xiao, Tianyi, nor Luoluo with me.”

“Why not?” Lin Xiao could not help but ask with slight frustration, and Xue Wei looked at him with a helpless expression on his face.

“Tianyi felt uncomfortable when he went last time, so having him go would be impossible.

“You know Luoluo can’t go, that place is terrible for her. Not to mention, the Soul Tower stopped working the moment she left, so if she is to enter again, we will definitely alert them to our presence.

“I don’t dare leave Luoluo to Tianyi, he does not like kids, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he had consumed her like a delicious meal by the time we return, so Xiao will have to stay back and make sure that the two spirits behave.”

Lin Xiao, who had just been demoted to the babysitter once again, could only shake his head in defeat. He had to agree with Xue Wei that leaving Bai Tianyi and Luoluo together would be the same as leaving a cat with a ravenous dog.

Although Bai Tianyi would, of course, refrain from consuming the spiritual energy of Luoluo because Xue Wei cared for her, looking after her was maybe a little too much to ask for, considering the careless behavior of Bai Tianyi.

“Will hubby stay with me?” Luoluo asked with sparkling eyes as she looked at Lin Xiao, her words making Xue Wei feel as if he just fell from high above, and his mouth twitched as he tried to stifle a laugh.

“Hu… Hubby?” Lin Xiao repeated with disbelief on his face. Had he just been called hubby by a four-year-old child? Was this not too disturbing?

“Little Luoluo…” Xue Wei began. He also felt that something was wrong with this scene, but he did not want to break his little sister’s heart. He pondered on how best to break it to her gently and make her understand that she and Lin Xiao were not a couple.

“Yes, Big Brother?” Luoluo looked at Xue Wei with big doe-like eyes and a trusting, happy smile on her face that melted his heart, and he did not have it in him to scold her, so instead, he changed tactic.

“Do you know what hubby means?” he asked curiously. She had the mentality of a child, how could she even know what a hubby was?!

“It is my husband! Someone who will be with me all my life! I wanted to marry Big Brother, but since we are family, and a family cannot marry, so I am okay with Lin Xiao instead.”