The eldest daughter's scheming, the crown prince's exclusive favor to the venomous concubi

Bai Rufeng frowned immediately. He was most reluctant to drink the medicine that could kill him at this critical moment, but it seemed that if he didn't drink it, there would be no good outcome.

Considering his current situation, he remained silent, which was taken as tacit agreement. Chang Le then said, "Doctor, bring me the anesthetic powder, and I'll have someone prepare it."

The doctor nodded, handed the anesthetic powder to Chang Le, and sighed, "This child's endurance is truly rare in my life; he didn't utter a sound even after being cleaned like this."

Upon hearing this, Chang Le snorted, "Of course I could hold back, otherwise, how could I not have noticed how badly he was injured?"

If the guard hadn't gone back and told her that the strong smell of blood meant she should call a doctor, she probably would have thought the child had only suffered minor injuries. Otherwise, how could such a serious wound have allowed her to drag him back without uttering a sound?

Watching the doctor clean the wound, even deliberately peeling back the scabs to remove the rotten flesh, she felt a sharp pain. But when she looked at Bai Rufeng, whose face showed no sign of pain, as if it were none of her business, she felt a pang of heartache.

"Hey kid, does it hurt? Why don't you bite my hand?"

As Chang Le spoke, she carefully offered her hand. Bai Rufeng looked up, and she immediately closed her eyes, as if she had made a great decision, and said, "Go ahead and bite, it won't hurt."

Bai Rufeng glanced at her indifferently, a slight sneer on his lips, then closed his eyes and said, "Only girls are afraid of pain, stay away."

Chang Le was taken aback, then glared at him and said, "You're being ungrateful for my kindness. I'd rather you suffer the pain."

As she spoke, she angrily withdrew her hand, sat back down at the table, and gritted her teeth.

"Little brat, wait until you're healed, and I'll get my revenge. I'm not going to bother with you now."

The anesthetic was brought over shortly afterward, by the same guard. Bai Rufeng stared at the bowl of anesthetic for a long time, his eyebrows furrowed so deeply they could trap a mosquito, but he just didn't want to drink it. Seeing this, Chang Le said, "If you don't drink it, I'll have him force-feed it to you. It's your choice."

Bai Rufeng stared at Chang Le, who was watching him intently, for a long while. Then, he opened his mouth indifferently and drank it down little by little with the help of the guard. Soon after, his eyelids drooped and he fell asleep. Only then did Chang Le breathe a sigh of relief and say, "Doctor, let's begin."

The doctor nodded and began stitching up the wound. The child's back wasn't very broad, but the wound was over twenty centimeters long. The entire back was very red and swollen due to the long-term suppuration of the wound. The doctor stitched it up for about half an hour and then cleaned it, which took another half hour. Only then did the doctor breathe a sigh of relief, write a prescription, and leave.

Chang Le sent someone to fetch the medicine, while she sat by the bed, staring at the sleeping Bai Rufeng.

She had never liked children and always thought they were devils, but when she saw the stubbornness in the eyes of this dirty child, she felt that she wasn't so disgusted with him, and even felt a sense of closeness to him.

She has never had any experience interacting with children, and even when the opportunity to do so is presented to her, she turns it into a chaotic battlefield, becoming the children's number one enemy.

But this child is really smart and sensible.

Just now, the wound looked so bad that even an adult would scream in pain, but he refused when she offered him her hand to bite.

It wasn't that he wasn't in pain, but that he could endure it. When he could bear it himself, he would never trouble anyone. She even saw his shoulders trembling from the intense pain, but she never heard him groan in pain.

"Little brat, how can you endure so much pain! When I was your age, I would cry for a day or two if I got a needle prick in my finger, but you didn't even utter a sound with such a big wound. Are you numb from the pain, or do you really not feel any pain?"

poor child.

Chang Le sat for a while, then turned and left. The moment she left, Bai Rufeng on the bed opened his eyes. He had learned how to keep himself conscious since he was a child, so the bowl of anesthetic would not make him fall into a deep sleep. However, when he was stitching up his wounds, Chang Le's heartache and worry moved him.

Since birth, he has received love and care from those around him. Although Hua Xiangrong and Qiu Lingyu's abnormal training drove him to the brink of collapse, he never questioned their love for him. But this was the first time he had felt the concern of strangers.

But does she really care about him? His mother said that the outside world is full of dangers, and after leaving the protection of his family, he must learn to be cautious and never lose sight of the bigger picture for the sake of small gains. But now, he has met a kind savior who has saved his life. Should he continue to be wary?

Filled with doubt, Bai Rufeng fell into a deep sleep and slept soundly through the night without any dreams.

The next morning, Chang Le came to find Bai Rufeng, intending to change his dressing. However, when she arrived, she found that Bai Rufeng had already changed the dressing himself, and the removed bandage was placed on the table. She said helplessly, "Little brat, can you be quiet for a bit? If you reopen your wound, you'll have to stitch it up again."

Bai Rufeng remained silent, only staring at the food box in her hand. Chang Le looked at her with disdain and said, "You're not a child anymore, all you know is eating. Eating is fine, but you need to take your medicine first."

As she spoke, she put down the food box and took out a bowl of medicinal soup. Bai Rufeng picked it up and drank it down in one gulp without saying a word. Chang Le was stunned: "Isn't it bitter? I also prepared candied fruit."

As she spoke, she took her hand out of the food box, still holding a bag of candied fruit. Bai Rufeng said indifferently, "Only girls need to eat candy. I want to eat rice."

Chang Le said, "Alright, alright, let's eat. But you can only eat 45 minutes after taking your medicine. The food isn't ready yet. Let me see your wound."

Bai Rufeng frowned, her eyes full of reluctance. Seeing this, Chang Le laughed and said, "What? Shy? How old are you? What's wrong with your older sister taking a look? It's not like I'm looking at your little bottom."

Bai Rufeng was startled by what he said and suddenly stood up, coldly replying, "Boys and girls should not sit together after the age of three."

Chang Le waved her hand helplessly: "Don't get excited, wound, be careful of the wound. I won't look, okay? But I'll have my guards show you later. You have to see it. It's settled then. Oh! Why aren't you cute at all? A child should act like a child. This way, it's like I'm some lewd woman taking advantage of you."

Bai Rufeng pursed his lips. Although his aunt often teased him, she was his aunt after all, and he got used to it. But the woman in front of him was a complete stranger. Although she was several years older than him, she was still a woman.

He sat there stiffly, and Chang Le didn't leave either, sitting to the side admiring his coffin-like face.

The more you look at this face, the more it resembles Lu Nianzhe's. It's just that he's too young and hasn't fully grown up yet. If he grows up, he might become a handsome young man who would charm countless girls.

The guards soon brought breakfast, and Chang Le instructed them to examine Bai Rufeng's wounds. Bai Rufeng resisted, but because his injuries were too severe, the guards quickly pinned him to the bed. Chang Le reacted swiftly, stepped forward, and pulled his clothes off.

Bai Rufeng had never been treated like this before. He was so angry that his eyes were blazing with fury as he stared intently at Chang Le. Chang Le didn't care at all. He glanced at Bai Rufeng's back, and finally threw down the clothes with satisfaction. He turned around and walked back to the table, saying, "The wound is fine. There's no bleeding. It seems your technique is very skilled. I won't hold you accountable for changing the dressing without permission."

The guard silently released Bai Rufeng and retreated behind Chang Le, his eyes warily watching Bai Rufeng. Bai Rufeng quickly got up and dressed himself in a few moments, giving the guard a cold glare, his killing intent surging: "If you don't touch me, I will recover even better."

The guard narrowed his eyes and lowered his head to warn Chang Le. Chang Le raised his eyelids and laughed, "You're not old, but you have quite the temper. Don't forget, you're eating my food, living in my house, and using my things. If you wanted to harm me, I believe you really wouldn't find a place to hide in this capital city."

"Hey! Kid, tell me, what's your background? I looked it up yesterday, and those people...tsk tsk, they're not ordinary human traffickers. What powerful figure have you offended? Or did your parents offend someone?"

Bai Rufeng remained silent, walked to the table, picked up his rice bowl, and began to eat. Chang Le didn't care and continued, "You child, don't forget to eat your vegetables. You need to eat more to grow. Look how thin you are, like a monkey. If your family comes looking for you, they might say I'm abusing you. Besides, I'm still waiting for you to repay my kindness."

Bai Rufeng quickly finished his meal, wiped his mouth, and asked with a mocking look in his eyes that seemed to have seen through the coldness of the world, "What do you want?"

Chang Le was taken aback, then shook her head and sighed, "Why are you looking so serious? It's not like I'm asking you to repay a debt of gratitude. You're such a boring child, you can't take a joke at all."

Bai Rufeng said coldly, "What are you joking about? I'm serious. I don't owe anyone anything. Just state your conditions, and as long as I can do it, I will."

Bai Rufeng looked serious, and Chang Le didn't know what to say. This wasn't the first time she had seen this child's stubbornness, so she could only say, "Alright then, but I need to think carefully about what I want. I don't lack anything, so I must think of the best way to repay your kindness."

"Okay, I'll wait."

After Bai Rufeng finished speaking, he went back to bed, lay down, closed his eyes, and began to doze off.

Chang Le found it incredible; this child was becoming more and more interesting. She glanced at the guards behind her and said, "I suddenly think that raising such a child is not a bad choice."

The bodyguard silently lowered his head, choosing to avoid seeing or being bothered.

Princess, if you were to raise a child, it would likely die within days! But if it were this one in front of you, the outcome would be...

The secret guards reported to Chu Tianyi that Chang Le had adopted a child. Chu Tianyi found it unbelievable and said, "Are you sure Chang Le isn't joking? She's never liked children. Was it really picked up from the street? Or was it forced upon her?"