Chapter 59 Confounding Formation

she listenYan Luoxi pushed back against Lǐ ān's rock-hard chest as hard as she could. Even under his firm hold, she still tried to break free from his grasp.Lǐ ān was displeased with Yan Luoxi’s fier...Lishi Ba'ai: Captive Little Wife

Li An grew up with these children and knows them very well. They've tried every possible plaything, so encountering something as interesting as adopting an unfamiliar little girl is rare in their not-so-peculiar but relatively calm childhoods. This strange little girl, like a small lamb among wolves, sparks curiosity and excitement.

Among all the children, no one is more interested than Shao Jia's two kids: Shao Meizhuo and Shao Junhe.

Nine-and-a-half-year-old Shao Meizhuo, like Li An, was spoiled from a young age and is arrogant and overbearing. Standing closest to Yan Luoxi, she boldly sizes her up with her large pretty eyes before suddenly giggling and turning to her brother: "How could Aunt Xiongběi adopt such an ugly daughter!"

Used to being spoiled, Meizhuo doesn't hide her voice at all. Upon hearing her remark, Luoxi turns around, her gaze lingering slightly on the girl.

Shao Junhe has amber eyes and a clear gaze that betrays his sincere and kind nature. Yet, he's unfortunate to be entangled with Meizhuo, this irritating troublemaker, and Li An, this little devil, destined to lead a miserable life amidst their chaotic world.

Hearing his sister’s words, Junhe also turns around to look at Yan Luoxi, pressing his lips together. "I think she looks pretty!"

He genuinely thinks Luoxi is nice: large innocent eyes, fair skin, and a little white dress that makes her resemble a sparkling cloud.

Hearing her brother's opinion, Meizhuo feels even more sour inside. She knows he will never agree with her thoughts; it’s like trying to tell a summer insect about ice. She doesn’t want to waste effort on changing his views.

She looked at Yan Luoxi and gave a mysterious smile, then she leaned over to Li An's side and whispered something. Although she often quarreled with Li An, when it came to jointly causing trouble for others, they were in perfect harmony.

Li An nodded eagerly as he listened to Shao Meizhuo’s words. He was worried that his parents would keep the little girl too tightly under their wings, but now that Shao Meizhuo—the rascal—had taken the lead, even if they ended up making the little girl cry in the end, it would be Shao Meizhuo taking the blame.

Li An had always been domineering since he was young; among their group of kids, his word was law. He instructed Ah Ruan and Shao Junhe to go over and "lure" Yan Luoxi over.

Gu Xiaobei was just then holding Yan Luoxi, chatting enthusiastically with everyone when she saw that Shao Junhe and Ah Ruan came to play with Yan Luoxi. She was very pleased and praised them: “Douzi and Ah Ruan are really considerate; they know how to bring their little sister along to play. Unlike my Li An who only knows how to cause trouble for himself! Luoxi, go over and play with your elder brothers and sisters, get to know more friends, since they will often come over in the future.”

Yan Luoxi did not want to go against Gu Xiaobei's wishes. She followed Shao Junhe and Ah Ruan over to Li An’s group somewhat fearfully, her big eyes staring at Li An with anxiety.

To achieve his goal, Li An was willing to show friendliness towards Yan Luoxi by reaching out to pat her head: "Come here, sit down and eat the cake!"

Although he was young, he had a deep understanding of human nature and knew how to deal with people. For someone as stubborn as Shao Meizhuo, this tactic always worked; no matter how she jumped around or shouted, once he patted her head, she would calm down at most muttering to herself.

Clearly, Yan Luoxi was also very receptive to his approach.

Yan Luoxi didn't expect Li An to be so amiable. She felt honored and sat down beside the dining table; a somewhat older pretty girl smiled kindly at her and offered her snacks and sweets. Later on, she learned that this beautiful sister was Li An's cousin from his aunt’s family named Nianxiang.

Lian An saw Yan Luoxi eating candy while eagerly staring at the ice cream and desserts in a small fridge nearby. He then personally got up to get her two servings, smiling brightly as he said, "Here, eat this; it's really sweet."

Lian An was indeed very attractive. Whenever he smiled sincerely like that, he appeared particularly warmhearted, making people feel naturally drawn and convinced. As if bewitched, Yan Luoxi gave Lian An a silly smile and suddenly exposed her gap-toothed grin, startling Lian An.

Suppressing his discomfort, Lian An waited until Yan Luoxi finished eating the ice cream before calling everyone to come play in the garden. As soon as he stepped outside, he took big gulps of fresh air and was finally relieved not having to stare at this ugly person again.

This was the first time Yan Luoxi had taken a proper look at Lian Family's beautiful large garden since coming over; it was truly magnificent in such an expensive area.

Lian An once again took on his role as leader and shouted, Let's play hide-and-seek!

Great idea!

The children immediately responded to the call.

Seeing the kids scatter around her, Yan Luoxi was a bit dumbfounded. Shao Meizhu gave her an evil grin and pulled her along: "Come on, let's hide over here."

To Yan Luoxi, this garden seemed as vast as a maze, but Shao Meizhu had grown up playing here and led Yan Luoxi through twists and turns to the corner with dense trees. When she saw Yan Luoxi’s wide-eyed confusion, she quickly slipped away.

When Yan Luoxi turned her head again, she couldn't find Shao Meizhuo. At first, she wasn't too panicked; since childhood, she had been surrounded by street children and was used to running around wildly in the mountains and fields, so she didn't feel particularly afraid at that moment.

She walked back along the path she remembered, but soon she realized something was wrong—she had returned to her original location!

Could it be Even if this garden were large, getting lost shouldn't happen here!

Determined not to lose, Yan Luoxi tried again to retrace her steps. But after two rounds of walking around, she ended up back where she started.

Now she was truly worried. Although it was a scorching hot day with clear skies, the grass and trees around her seemed to emit an eerie atmosphere. She felt anxious and afraid but didn't dare to call for help; she could only wander aimlessly in that spot.

Unaware of what was happening, lost Yan Luoxi didn't know that at this moment when she was frantically wandering around, Li An and the others were sitting in a pavilion in the garden, drinking beverages and watching her move about like an ant on a hot pan from afar.

The place where Yan Luoxi was located was precisely the 'bewildering array' that Li An had meticulously set up. Since childhood, he had been full of inventive tricks; after exhausting all possible fun places at home, he started to innovate on his own.

Based on the martial arts dramas he watched, he used his family's large garden to create this 'bewildering array.' Every child who came to play for the first time would inevitably encounter it.

According to previous experience, any girl caught in the 'bewildering array' would cry after no more than three rounds. Even the formidable Shao Meizhuo was no exception. However, Yan Luoxi showed no sign of wanting to cry; instead, she pursed her lips stubbornly and repeatedly attempted to find an exit.high sense of self-respect; in other words, he was incredibly arrogant. Today, he had lost face big time.Hearing their boss's order, the bodyguards didn't dare hesitate any longer and quickly withdrew...