He didn''t have the right to criticize his master. Even then, he knew very well that what Old Master Nan said was the truth from the bottom of his heart. It was something that had bothered him so much.


    Both his son and daughter couldn''t choose what they wanted because Old Master Nan kept on covering for them. In the end, his son even made him so angry that he wished to disown the other party.


    For his grandchildren, he didn''t wish to repeat the same mistake ever again.


    "Would this much of freedom be alright, Master?"


    "I''m sure that Hua''er will be fine. If she ever needs help, I''ll be backing her up, ready to help her up anytime she needs it." Old Master Nan smiled ruefully. "But I''ll let her do as she wished and never try to stop her from doing what she wants. I''ll let her be free so that she could show her brilliance and not be contained."


    Hou Lin could detect the pride from within Old Master Nan''s tone. At the same time, he could sense deep sadness that was hard to conceal.


    "Master? Are you alright with this?"


    Old Master Nan sighed. He shook his head. "Even if I''m not, what can I do? I never want my granddaughter to be this brilliant. What I want is for her toe to me, ask for hug, and call me grandfather cutely like in the past."


    Yes, his granddaughter was so capable and smart. It was to the point that even adults might not necessarily able to do the same as her. However, it was not what Old Master Nan wanted from his granddaughter.


    He wouldn''t mind even if she was not capable.


    What he wanted was for the cute girl to return. He hadn''t seen Nan Hua for years before returning to the Capital City and the cute girl from the past had disappeared. She was no longer the innocent girl who used to act adorable in front of him.


    "Master, this…"


    "It''s not her fault, I know." Old Master Nan gnashed his teeth. It was also why he didn''t want to repeat the same mistake when nurturing his grandchildren. To think that his own son was the one who pushed his granddaughter to this state now. It was not something that he wanted to see in the slightest bit.


    "And being innocent in this kind of world is a great privilege. Not everyone will be able to keep staying innocent when the world is this harsh." Old Master Nan waved his hand, signaling for Hou Lin to leave.


    Hou Lin silently retreated. He was the one who had followed Old Master Nan the longest and had seen many things, including how Old Master Nan used to dote on his children very much. He was only harsh during their training and wanted his children to follow his words.


    But when they grew up, they didn''t end up too well.


    While Nan Si Qiao was still better, his son ended up be the type of scum that Old Master Nan hated. If not because of his promise to his wife, Old Master Nan might have long strangled Nan Shu Cheng to death.


    Hou Lin understood Old Master Nan''s sadness.


    It was the sadness because his grandchildren were forced to grow up faster than normal children. What kind of parents wanted their children to grow up so quickly? They were still young and should have enjoyed the privilege of being innocent and could y around freely.


    Yet, it was his own son who forced his grandchildren to grow up faster.


    That was the irony.


    And there was nothing that they could do to change it. Once the damage was done, there was no way they could take it back. He could only try to give what had lost to the already grown up young girl.


    …


    In Nan Hua''s room.


    Nan Hua took a short bath and then turned to her bed. She stretched her hand slightly and looked at the needles marking. Even though she had already held back slightly, she still ended up using more force than what her small body could cope up.


    If this was her old body, it would be very easy to subdue those people without having her exert herself. But with this small body, it was hard.


    She could not achieve the same result as what she wanted.


    "Miss."


    "Yes?"


    "Would you like a massage?" Xiao Yun asked carefully.


    Nan Hua was silent for a moment. "Come in."


    After getting the permission, Xiao Yun carefully pushed the door open. She looked at Nan Hua on the bed then carefully closed the door. Her body trembled slightly as she walked to Nan Hua and took her small hand.


    "I''ll start from hand massage, Miss."


    "Ok."


    Carefully, Xiao Yun began to massage Nan Hua''s hand. Her movements were slow and soft as if she was afraid that even the slightest bit more force would destroy the tender arm in front of her.


    Nan Hua was looking at Xiao Yun carefully. "You don''t have to try so hard."


    Xiao Yun was startled. She smiled bitterly. "But Miss, if I didn''t work hard, how am I supposed to protect you?"


    Nan Hua didn''t respond. She didn''t need their protection.


    "You''re strong, Miss, but I wish that you''ll always be well and not hurt in the slightest bit. Even if all I can do is to do this small menial task, it doesn''t matter much to me. I want to be of help to you," Xiao Yun said softly.


    She had been following Nan Hua for a long time, allowing her to know just how stubborn her miss could be. It was also for this reason that she didn''t want let Nan Hua to always be at the receiving end.


    She had vowed to protect her Miss, so she would do everything she could to fulfill it.


    Nan Hua looked at Xiao Yun and slowly asked, "Don''t you have already done that in the past?"