She looked up at the sweet, murderous woman with a fixed, blank expression, a look designed to convey nothing but unblinking, unsettling childhood scrutiny.
"Auntie Meilin, did you come all the way here just to bring us bread?" Huaijin asked, her voice high and childishly inquisitive, but with an underlying tone that dared the woman to lie.
Xu Meilin's perfect smile wavered for a fraction of a second, the slight tightening around her eyes betraying her annoyance at the child's intrusive questioning and physical barrier.
"Why, yes, darling Huaijin. And to check on my cousin Yuanying, of course," Xu Meilin replied smoothly, ignoring Huaijin's proximity to her father.
She then directed her full, solicitous attention to Yuanfeng. "Brother Yuanfeng, please, don't feel obligated. Just make sure you eat well. You look exhausted. You spend too much time on your work, and not enough time on… necessities."
