Chapter 195: The Whole Family Reunited
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation
Lu Chao Chao smirked, her eyes gleaming with mischief. [You asked for it.]
“Do you know why Daddy King and Grandpa Xiao like me?” she began, displaying her palm innocently. “Because I have a lucky mole right here! Daddy King says it brings good fortune!”
Xie Yi Ning rolled her eyes. “What’s so special about that? I have one too!” she boasted, pausing for dramatic effect before adding proudly, “Actually, I have three on my butt!”
Duke Xiao’s face paled at her words. His body shook, lips turned white, and his grip loosened, causing Xie Yi Ning to tumble to the ground with a painful crash.
“Ouch, Grandpa! It hurts so much…” she whimpered, looking up at him with tearful eyes.
But Duke Xiao’s gaze held nothing but intense disgust and rage as he stepped back from her.
“Grandpa, what’s wrong? Is it because of Lu Chao Chao?!” she sobbed, confused and desperate.
“I don’t have a granddaughter like you! Stay away from me!” Duke Xiao rebuffed her harshly.
None of them were truly his descendants. His face twisted in fury, and his fists clenched tightly, eyes red with bloodshot veins.
“It’s all your fault, Lu Chao Chao! Are you happy now?” Xie Yi Ning yelled, her thoughts a whirlwind of her mother’s nightly sobs, her grandfather’s scorn, and her own sinister scheme. [Why does Lu Chao Chao have to live?]
With sudden ferocity, she lunged at Lu Chao Chao. The guards, concealed and unprepared, couldn’t react in time to prevent the attack.
“Chao Chao!” Madam Xu shrieked, rushing forward in a panic.
But it was too late. Lu Chao Chao was already too close to the railing. The force of Xie Yi Ning’s shove sent her spiraling through the gap.
The crowd gasped in horror.
“Ah!” Their screams filled the air as the guards leapt down, but they were too late to catch her.
Madam Xu, her face wet with tears, seized Xie Yi Ning by the shoulders. “Why did you push Chao Chao? She’s only two years old! How could you be so cruel?!”
Xie Yi Ning’s eyes flickered with a brief glint of satisfaction, but she quickly masked it with a facade of panic. “I didn’t mean to! I just lost my balance. I’m so sorry, it was an accident,” she sobbed over the railing.
Consort Xiao rushed to her daughter’s side, comforting her. “Don’t cry, Ning’er, don’t cry.”
“How can you be so heartless?!” Consort Xiao snapped at Madam Xu, her tone icy. “She’s only six! It was an accident!” Consort Xiao barely concealed her satisfaction as she defended her daughter.
Madam Xu shook with anger, pointing at Consort Xiao accusingly.
Xie Yi Ning cowered behind her mother, smirking inwardly. [I don’t believe Father would ever choose an adopted child over his own blood!]
The onlookers were stunned that such a young child could commit such a heinous act.
Amidst the chaos, Duke Xiao, his face ashen, commanded urgently, “Open the gate to the animal park, quickly!”
“Look! The big black bear is heading toward Princess Sunshine!” someone yelled in terror.
As the crowd turned, the sight of the looming black bear caused a wave of fear to ripple through them.
“The bear is the most ferocious of all. They say it rips open the stomach, allowing its prey to watch as they are devoured. The sound of bones crunching is unimaginably horrifying.”
“This bear hasn’t eaten for three days. What will we do?”
Even the eldest prince, aware of his father’s deep affection for Princess Sunshine, was visibly shaken.
Meanwhile, Lu Chao Chao, seemingly oblivious to the danger, clumsily stood up. From the moment Xie Yi Ning approached Duke Xiao, she had sensed the girl’s malice.
Though Xie Yi Ning was only six, Lu Chao Chao had underestimated her capability for cruelty.
As she stood up, dusting off her warmly dressed self unharmed from the fall, Lu Chao Chao raised her hand and waved at her distraught mother.
Madam Xu’s heart had nearly stopped when she saw her daughter fall, but now she was relieved to see her safe.
Suddenly, a massive shadow fell over Lu Chao Chao. Looking up, she saw the towering black bear, its size monumental.
“Me wike amimals. ‘Specially bear bear,” Lu Chao Chao said, gazing up at the bear with wide, innocent eyes.
The bear, capable of recognizing human gestures, eyed her curiously, its mouth watering in anticipation.
“I weally wike bear bear,” Lu Chao Chao continued, pointing at her scarf. “Dis is your auntie.” Then pointing at her coat, she added, “And dis is your uncle. You remember, right?”
Patting her chest, she confessed her love for bears, her outfit made entirely of bear fur. “Me need bear fur blankie…” she said, her voice sweet and convincing.
“I know you understand me!” she added confidently, as if everything in the world could comprehend her words.
The bear hesitated, seemingly recognizing the scents of its own kind. It looked at Lu Chao Chao, sensing a powerful aura emanating from the small child.
Even the wolves and tigers nearby seemed unnerved.
“Reunite or bow to me?” she asked playfully, tilting her head.
[People say bear paws taste delicious. I’ve never tried them! If it attacks, I’ll finally have a reason to eat it.]
Lu Chao Chao’s eyes gleamed with anticipation, imagining the bear as a sumptuous meal.
Suddenly, the massive bear knelt before her.
The crowd was stunned into silence, witnessing the unbelievable sight.
“What’s happening? The black bear is bowing to Princess Sunshine!” They murmured among themselves, disbelief coloring their voices.
Duke Xiao, still trembling, opened the gate to the animal park fully.
Lu Chao Chao, slightly disappointed, patted the bear’s paw gently. “Such a pity…” she mused. [Now I can’t eat it.]
The bear shivered under her touch.
Turning to Xie Yi Ning, who still wore a smug expression, their eyes met, and Xie Yi Ning’s confidence wavered.
“Go, give my big sister a surprise,” Lu Chao Chao instructed softly. [You didn’t push my life; you pushed your own fate.]
As the heavy gate swung open, the black bear charged toward the shocked crowd.