Chapter Fourteen: Su Bai Bai

The two of them gazed at each other while the others busied themselves with their own affairs. Their voices were not loud, so no one noticed the tension between them. Though a few meters apart at first, Mo Lan approached step by step. The little girl stood her ground stubbornly, refusing to retreat.

The weather was gloomy, and in this desolate countryside, the scene felt all the more bleak. He was not a prominent figure, so he could not be laid to rest in the public cemetery; instead, Mo Lan had personally purchased this burial plot for him. Compared to how others might have handled it, Mo Lan had been more than generous—anyone else would likely have simply had the body cremated and called it done.

“It was your family who killed my father. He was my only family. Why didn’t you just kill me too?” The little girl’s voice trembled with intensity. After learning more, Mo Lan knew the girl’s name: Bai Bai. Su Bai Bai.

“Bai Bai, your father’s death was an accident. The whole world knows it. He was poisoned because he drank something that should never be mixed together. It had nothing to do with my family.” Mo Lan knelt down, gently wiping the tears from Bai Bai’s eyes, as tenderly as if she were comforting her own younger sister.

Su Bai Bai slapped Mo Lan’s hand away with all the strength she had, hatred still burning in her eyes.

Su Bai Bai did not believe her. Her father had not been an important man, but he had some money and provided a decent life for her. Now, poisoned so senselessly, she was left with nothing. She was determined to avenge her father, to destroy those responsible.

Mo Lan was at a loss. How could such a young girl harbor such fierce hatred? She reminded her so much of Qian Yin. The thought brought a faint smile to Mo Lan’s lips.

“What are you smiling at? Do you agree with what I said? Or are you mocking me for the way I am now?” To Su Bai Bai, even a simple smile felt like ridicule.

Mo Lan’s breathing tightened. She had smiled without thinking, with no malice in her heart. But on reflection, she realized how inappropriate it was—this was a funeral, after all. She should not have smiled.

“I’m sorry.” Mo Lan bowed deeply as she spoke, a formal ninety-degree bow.

The little girl turned her head away angrily, refusing to accept the apology, but hearing it did seem to ease the pain in her heart a little.

All of this was witnessed by someone hiding behind a tree, pressed tightly against its trunk, breathing unevenly.

The funeral began. Some beat drums and gongs, others knelt and wailed—professional mourners, all of them. Mo Lan and the little girl knelt at the front, both offering their prayers with deep sincerity.

Everyone wore black. White banners hung everywhere. Each person knelt in a semicircle, creating a strange, uncanny sight. A group dressed in red and yellow vests moved about, chanting as they went, their drumming and shouting never ceasing.

Of all present, only Su Bai Bai truly wept; the rest shed false tears. So many die each day—these mourners cry for whoever hires them. Who would genuinely grieve for a man who died of food poisoning?

Mo Lan shed no tears, but her eyes reflected sorrow. In this barren place, the scene was profoundly mournful. Even the wind seemed to carry a chill.

When the ceremony ended, it was time to discuss the girl's future. She had no other relatives; her father had brought her to this strange city, and now, orphaned, she would be sent to an orphanage.

Mo Lan agreed this was best. She was always on duty, even if her current cases were not violent. Keeping the girl with her would be inconvenient. Sending her to the Mo family was out of the question—the family barely cared for their own daughter. How much affection could a stranger expect?

Mo Lan brought her to the car, fastened her seatbelt, and smiled gently. “Let me take you to the orphanage.”

Cruel words, but honest ones.

“Just leave me here. Don’t pretend to be kind. Even if I died, no one would blame you. You’re a police officer, serving the people. No one cares about little things like this.” The girl’s childish yet resentful words left Mo Lan at a loss between laughter and tears.

Mo Lan wished she had some snacks or biscuits to occupy the girl’s mouth, but there were none in the car—if there had been, they were likely expired by now.

“Everything I do for you isn’t to make up for the Mo family, but for myself,” Mo Lan said at last. “You have the right to refuse my kindness, but I have the right to care for you.”

Would the girl believe her if she said she wasn’t a bad person?

“What if someone bullies me at the orphanage? Can you guarantee they’ll treat me well? You’re just shirking responsibility. If you really cared, you would keep me by your side.” The girl seemed determined to cling to her, and Mo Lan had no idea how to respond.

Resigned, Mo Lan had no choice but to bring her back to her small apartment. Since she had been out handling affairs that day, someone from the Mo family had even sent a bundle of wormwood, instructing her to wash up and rid herself of any lingering bad luck. It was less about superstition and more about keeping misfortune away from the Mo family.

Mo Lan could only accept it and went to wash up. The little girl was shy at first, but soon treated the place as her own home.

The table was covered with fruit and snacks, all from Mo Lan’s stockpile—she rarely shopped, so she bought in bulk to avoid going out when she didn’t feel like eating.

“You must be hungry. Eat something. Don’t worry, there’s no poison here. Make yourself at home,” Mo Lan said, taking a biscuit, opening it, and nibbling on it politely.

Su Bai Bai grabbed an apple, wiped it clean, and bit in right away.

Mo Lan nearly choked, hastily setting down her biscuit and taking the apple away. She picked up a fruit knife and quickly peeled the skin.

After swallowing the biscuit, she said, “The fruit isn’t poisoned, but you should peel it first—there’s a lot of dirt and chemicals on the skin. It’s not good for your stomach. You’re still young, you could get sick.”

In just a few minutes, the apple was peeled, its white flesh gleaming. Su Bai Bai stared in surprise, only realizing how long she’d been watching when she noticed Mo Lan’s gaze.

She took the apple and began eating. Seeing this, Mo Lan relaxed and turned her thoughts to other matters.

Noticing how obediently Su Bai Bai sat there, Mo Lan glanced at the girl’s clothes. She had nothing suitable for a child—she would have to go out and buy some.

Mo Lan sent Qian Yin a message, asking if she wanted to go shopping for clothes together.