novelraw Chapter 72 Don't call me Mom, call me Teacher
Chapter 72 Don't call me Mom, call me Teacher
Chapter 72 Don't call me Mom, call me Teacher
As night deepened, the moon rose high in the sky.
Nan Feng slept straight through until evening.
And Qian Renxue actually stayed by his arm and endured until nightfall.
"Gurgle—"
A clear rumbling sound rang out in the quiet night.
Qian Renxue's face instantly turned bright red. She pressed her stomach tightly, trying to cover up the embarrassing sound.
She cried from morning until noon, and then lay there until night, without eating or drinking a drop of water or a grain of rice.
This is the limit for a nine-year-old child who is still growing.
Nan Feng slowly opened his eyes and glanced at the disheveled little figure beside him.
But he didn't say anything, yawned, adjusted his position, and prepared to close his eyes and continue sleeping.
"Mother--"
Qian Renxue's hoarse voice rang out again, thick with nasal tones and tentatively probing: "Could you—could you forgive Xue'er this time?"
"Xue'er promises—she will absolutely, positively never do this again."
"Xue'er will protect Mommy and will never let anyone bully you again—"
"Protect?"
Nan Feng finally sat up. He looked at Qian Renxue, his purple eyes devoid of any warmth, only a chilling clarity and ruthlessness: "Qian Renxue, can't you understand human language?"
I'll say it one last time, I'm not your mother.
"I'm just a monster, a monster that parasitizes your own mother, a disgusting parasite."
"Your grandfather wanted to kill me, and your own mother wanted to kill me too."
"And I can tell you with absolute certainty."
"The future you, the one who has grown up, become sensible, and inherited the glory of the angels—"
"They'll also want to kill me."
"You might even want to kill me more than they do."
"so--"
Nan Feng leaned back in his chair. "Even if you don't care what I am right now, even if you're blinded by this so-called maternal love."
"At least think about your future self."
"Don't come any closer."
"So that one day in the future, when you recall this scene, when you remember hugging your father's killer and crying for your mother while holding a filthy parasite—"
"You'll feel nauseous."
"You'll wish you could dig that memory out of your head."
Upon hearing these words, Qian Renxue not only did not back down, but became even more anxious.
She didn't pay any attention to "parasites" or understand anything about "funny things in the future."
In her view, this was just her mother still being angry, still feeling insecure because of the previous hurt, and saying hurtful things to push her away.
"No! That can't be!"
Qian Renxue shook her head frantically, tears welling up again. She lunged forward once more, clutching Nan Feng's clothes tightly: "It's all a misunderstanding! It really is a misunderstanding!"
"Mom isn't a monster! Mom is the best person in the world!"
"I would never want to kill my mother! And I never will!"
"Xue'er will explain everything to Grandpa! Grandpa is actually—actually, he's doing this for Xue'er's own good. As long as Xue'er begs him, as long as Xue'er tells him that Mom is a good person, he will definitely accept Mom!"
"Mom, believe me! I really can protect you!"
Ren Nanfeng quietly looked at the little girl in front of him, whose eyes were red and swollen and whose face was covered with tears, and said nothing more.
Until Qian Renxue's crying gradually subsided, leaving only suppressed sobs, until the fear in her panicked and helpless eyes slowly settled into an almost obsessive determination.
"Have you cried enough?"
Nan Feng finally spoke again, his voice no longer as violent as before, but unusually calm, so calm it was unfathomable.
He slowly reached out, pinched Qian Renxue's chin, and forced her to raise her head and look directly into his strangely colored, bewitching eyes.
"Thousand-foot Snow".
"Since you can't understand good or bad advice, and since you insist on going down this dark path..."
"Since you care about nothing else for this vague and fleeting warmth."
Nan Feng tightened his grip slightly: "Then remember what you just said."
"Remember what you promised today in order to get what you want."
"You said you would protect me, you said you would stand by my side, you said you would accept me whether I was a human or a ghost."
"These words were spoken by you as you cried and shouted; no one forced you."
"Never forget."
Qian Renxue felt a little pain from being pinched, but she seemed to have received the most precious promise, and her eyes instantly shone with an amazing light.
She nodded vigorously, ignoring the tears on her face, and urgently promised, "I won't forget! Xue'er will never forget, even if it kills her!"
"As long as Mom doesn't kick Xue'er out, every word Xue'er says counts!"
"it is good."
Nan Feng released his grip. "Then shut up and wipe your tears."
He had made himself perfectly clear, but she chose to turn a blind eye and pretend to be deaf and dumb because of this false maternal love, which was full of lies and calculations.
I've said everything I could, good or bad. Since this girl is determined to keep hitting a brick wall, and since she'll keep clinging to me even after knowing the "truth," I'm just deceiving myself.
Then he no longer needs to pretend to be aloof, nor does he need to act as a shield for Bibi Dong.
"call--
Nan Feng let out a long breath, and his face, which had been tense and exuded an aura that kept strangers at bay, slowly softened.
In that instant, the oppressive and deathly silence that had enveloped the Imperial Garden seemed to dissipate as his expression softened.
Qian Renxue keenly noticed this change. She cautiously raised her head. Although she was still sobbing, the fear in her eyes had turned into a hopeful longing for a response.
"Since you insist on staying, then stay."
Nan Feng raised his hand, rubbed his temples with a hint of helplessness, and said in a lazy tone with a sense of compromise, "However, let's get this straight."
"I have no interest in being your good mother."
The reason why that stupid woman, Bibi Dong, deliberately kept her distance from Qian Renxue and even went so far as to play the role of a vicious mother was simply because she thought that a short pain was better than a long one.
She hoped that Qian Renxue would hate her, and that one day when the truth came out, Qian Renxue would be able to draw her sword and kill her without any guilt or remorse.
It was a kind of self-destructive "protection".
Ah, what a great mother's love is.
Unfortunately, he is not Bibi Dong.
He knew very well that Qian Renxue would inevitably turn against him when she grew up; it was an unavoidable fate.
but.
The kind of self-righteous and defiant reversal after "discovering one's father's killer" is completely different from the kind of furious and heart-wrenching reversal after "discovering that one's most respected and relied-upon mentor is actually one's father's killer."
The former is a just trial, the latter is the collapse of faith.
The former is self-righteous, while the latter hesitates.
This hesitation might come in handy in the future.
"Wipe away your tears."
With a casual wave of his hand, Nan Feng sent a gentle surge of soul power across Qian Renxue's face, instantly cleaning away the messy tear stains and snot.
Then, he sat up straight again, no longer with that aloof indifference, but also without the previous doting; instead, he gave a stern and authoritative look.
"From today onwards, our relationship has changed."
Nan Feng held up a finger and waved it in front of Qian Renxue's eyes: "Don't call me Mom anymore."
"That title belongs to the woman who works herself to the bone in the Papal Palace. I am not worthy of it, nor do I want to take it."
"Then—what should we shout?"
Qian Renxue was a little dazed and subconsciously wanted to grab Nan Feng's hand, but Nan Feng stopped her with a look.
"Call me teacher," Nan Feng said calmly.
"teacher?"
Qian Renxue was stunned, her little face filled with disappointment and reluctance.
This is not what she wanted.
She wanted her mother, that warm embrace, and someone who would tell her bedtime stories, not a stern teacher.
Although the teacher was very approachable, there was still a distance between them.
"But—but Xue'er wants her mother—"
Qian Renxue bit her lip, mustering her courage to try and persuade him. She reached out her small hand and tried to tug at Nan Feng's sleeve again, her voice soft and coquettish: "Could you—call me Mom in private? And call me Teacher when we're in other people's eyes?"
"no."
Nan Feng refused decisively, leaving no room for negotiation.
"Qian Renxue, get to the bottom of this."
"Now you're begging me not to send you away, not me begging you to stay."
"Here, I'm in charge."
"Call me teacher, and you can stay. I will teach you things, and I will also protect you to the best of my ability."
"If you still want to call me 'Mommy'—"
Nan Feng pointed in the direction of the Papal Palace: "The main gate is over there. Goodbye, and don't come back to me."
Qian Renxue looked at Nan Feng's unquestionable gaze and knew that she no longer had the right to bargain.
Although I felt very sad, and although the title "teacher" felt cold and impersonal.
But this at least means that she wasn't kicked out.
This at least means that the person in front of her is still willing to accept her.
"--yes."
Qian Renxue lowered her head, sniffed, and although her voice still sounded somewhat aggrieved, it had already taken on a hint of submissiveness: "I understand—"
"teacher."
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