There was no telling what might happen.

In her panic, the girl might even lash out at Lian.

But if Qiong Xing approached her directly, it might only worsen her fear.

...

Scary, scary, scary, scary, scary, scary.

It had only been a simple outing to refresh herself.

She had gone shopping as usual, but before she knew it, she had been grabbed by strange men and dragged into a dark alley.

Even if she tried to call for help, a hand was covering her mouth, and even without that, fear had stolen her voice.

She struggled desperately, but with several men against a single woman, there was nothing she could do.

She was pinned down and they began to strip her clothes away.

Just when she was about to give up, thinking it was all over, the men’s hands suddenly stopped.

"This girl is neither your slave nor a tool to satisfy your lust. I will not allow you to touch her with those filthy hands."

That clear, dignified voice made her think, just maybe, she might be saved.

She desperately suppressed her voice and made herself as small as possible.

Please don’t find me.

Please don’t come back.

She prayed inwardly, but then unfamiliar people reached out his hands, seemingly trying to help her.

However, her body trembled again.

No, no, no.

She did not want to go through something like that again.

He tried to speak to her, but she shook her head violently and refused to go with them.

However, he could not leave her like that, and though it was forceful, he took her away.

Before she knew it, she was crouching in an unfamiliar room.

She was scared, scared, scared.

Everything was nothing but fear, and she did not even know what to do to escape.

As she sat there with her thoughts in chaos, there was a knock at the door.

It opened slightly, and a little girl peeked in.

"Hey, are you owie?"

The girl who is clearly younger than her walked right up and gently patted her trembling head.

"Owie?"

The carefree voice that was completely out of place in such a situation made all the strength drain from her body.

The men had been impossible to resist, but perhaps because it was a child, she thought she might still be able to resist if she had to.

"T, pain pain?"

She carefully tried asking, but the girl tilted her head, apparently not understanding.

"Hey, sis sis, pain pain?"

It was clear the girl was trying her best to communicate, so she tried to decipher it.

"By sis sis, do you mean me?"

When the girl smiled brightly, she realized that was correct.

"Um... by pain pain, do you mean... where it hurts?"

The girl nodded enthusiastically, and she felt relieved that they understood each other.

But she wondered if telling such a small child would even help. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

"A, actually... my leg hurts a little. And my arm too..."

Still, since the girl kept asking, she felt bad refusing and answered anyway, even though she did not expect anything to come of it.

"Pain pain go away, sis sis’s pain go away."

Along with the adorable voice, a small hand touched her bruised arm and gently stroked it.

"A, thank you. I am fine. It is just a little bit..."

She tried to say it was bearable despite the pain, but then she suddenly noticed something strange.

The pain was gone.

"Pain pain go away."

This time, the girl touched her swollen leg.

The pain quickly faded, and even the swelling disappeared.

"Gone gone?"

"Eh? A, um, y-yes. I am fine. Thank you?"

"Mama, sis sis is gone gone!"

The girl turned toward someone outside the room and called out cheerfully.

The girl smiled brightly and raised both hands as if she had done something great, then ran off.

Still not understanding what had just happened, she stared blankly at the doorway the girl had left through.

Then, once again, a small face peeked in.

"Mama, is it okay?"

"Eh? M, Mama? Y-yes."

She answered on reflex, but realizing someone was about to enter, she tensed her body.

"Hello. Sorry for startling you."

The man who entered said this apologetically.

His face closely resembled the little girl’s from earlier.

"My name is Qiong Xing. This child is my daughter, Lian. Are you still hurt anywhere?"

He asked with concern.

She shook her head and he smiled in relief.

He stepped into the room, but stayed near the entrance and did not come closer.

It was probably because he was trying not to frighten her.

"I am sorry."

"Eh?"

She did not understand what he was apologizing for.

"If I had noticed sooner, you would not have had to go through something so terrifying. I am sorry I was too late to help you."

Hearing that, she realized he was the one who had saved her earlier.

Now that she listened carefully, the gentle voice she heard then was the same one.

"You were scared, weren’t you? It is alright now. Those men are no longer here. No one will hurt you anymore. So you do not have to keep holding it in."

At his soft, comforting voice, something inside her finally broke.

Tears began to spilled out before she could even wipe them away.

Her trembling hand reached out and he gently took it in his own.

"Good job. It’s alright now, everything is over."

As she was patted and told that it was all over, that there was nothing left to fear, the girl finally broke into tears and cried out loudly.

Once she had cried herself exhausted and fallen asleep, Qiong Xing lifted her up and gently laid her on the bed so as not to wake her.

"She seems to be asleep. It looks like her parents have arrived, so could you come with us?"

It seemed the family had finally been found, and Qiong Xing was called to give a proper explanation.