She was walking forward when, suddenly turning a corner, she caught a glimpse of a dark figure. Something slammed into her like a cannonball.
Cuilan was startled. "Miss!"
She quickly stepped forward to support Fu Zhen, who was staggering backward. There was a rare glint of anger in her eyes. "How can you walk like this? Don't you have eyes on your head..."
When she saw who was in front of them, Cuilan suddenly fell silent, her eyes filled with shock.
A child came running straight at them. It seemed that he had been frightened out of his wits before. Now, after bumping into someone, he was probably scared. He stood still for two seconds, then burst into tears with a "waa".
Fu Zhen had just steadied herself when her ears were assailed by the ear - piercing cries. She was stunned for a moment, then suddenly looked down. A little boy in a dark green robe with his hair tied in two tufts was crying loudly. He might have fallen a few times before, as his clothes were dirty and there was mud on his face. He looked extremely disheveled.
Even in her previous life, Fu Zhen had never given birth, and there were no children of this age in the Marquis's Mansion. Although she was in pain from being bumped into by the child, seeing him cry so pitifully, she couldn't help but feel a bit of pity. She squatted down rather clumsily and took out a handkerchief to wipe his face.
"Don't cry," Fu Zhen coaxed. "Did you hurt yourself when you fell? How about I apologize to you, little one?"
The boy's clothes were not cheap, so he didn't seem to be from an ordinary family. Maybe he had been well - raised and was a bit smarter. Just now he was scared, but now seeing Fu Zhen squatting down and coaxing him gently, he sniffled twice, opened his tear - filled eyes and looked at her. "S - sorry..."
He even knew that he was the one who had bumped into others first and apologized.
Fu Zhen's heart softened. "It's okay. Sister doesn't hurt."
The little boy looked around. Seeing that Fu Zhen was kind to him, he couldn't help but step forward and grab the corner of her skirt. "Sister, let's go quickly! There are people chasing me!"
Fu Zhen was stunned. She frowned. "Why are they chasing you? Are they just playing with you?"
The little boy shook his head vigorously, tears welling up in his eyes again. "No! They... they want to sell me! Sister, they are really scary. I saw other girls in that house. You're so pretty. If they see you, they'll catch you too!"
Fu Zhen suddenly turned to look at Cuilan. There was shock and anger in her eyes. "In the capital, can human trafficking be carried out so openly?"
Just as Cuilan was about to say something, several big men suddenly ran out of the dark alley in front. The little boy let out a scream and immediately hid behind Fu Zhen.
Fu Zhen shielded him behind her and frowned as she looked at the approaching men.
The big men hesitated when they saw Fu Zhen. After all, this was on the street. If things got out of hand and the officers were alerted, it would be difficult for them to get away.
The friendlier - looking one among them stepped forward, sized Fu Zhen up, and showed a smile on his face. "Madam, this child is from my family. He always lies and deceives people. Whenever something doesn't go his way at home, he runs out and says we're going to sell him. He's deceived a lot of people in the town before. Don't believe him."
Fu Zhen looked at him coldly. "You say he's lying, but how do I know you're not lying?"
The man put on a bitter face. "Madam, don't be scared by our fierce looks. Actually, I run a security company at home, and these are my fellow bodyguards. Our child got lost, and we were so worried that we all came out looking for him."
The little boy poked his head out from behind and shouted angrily. "You're lying! You're not bodyguards. You're human traffickers!"
The man showed a sad expression. When the little boy said this, there was even a flash of pain in his eyes. "Kang'er, how can you talk to your father like this?"
"You're not my father!" the little boy screamed. He tightly grabbed the corner of Fu Zhen's skirt, looked up and cried. "Sister, he's really not my father. I'm not lying!"
The little boy was very young, only about four or five years old. It was already very smart of him to say such things.
Between an adult and a child, Fu Zhen preferred to believe the child.
She frowned. "Since we can't figure this out, let's go to the magistrate together! Only the officials can decide who's right and who's wrong!"
The man's eyes flashed. The big men behind him were momentarily intimidated by her. One of them stepped closer. "Boss, this woman doesn't seem to be an ordinary person. What should we do..."
Seeing that he couldn't deceive her, the man's eyes suddenly flashed with a hint of cruelty. "Attack!"
The big men immediately surrounded them. Cuilan shouted sharply. "This is the cousin of the Marquis's Mansion. How dare you act so recklessly in the capital!"
The man sneered. "Don't mention the Marquis's Mansion. Even if a prince came, I'd still dare to act!"
After saying that, he waved his hand, and the big men immediately stepped forward to grab them. Fu Zhen was startled. Turning her head, she saw a big man reaching out for her.
Her eyes turned cold. She protected the little boy behind her and was about to kick forward when, before her foot could land, the big man in front of her was instantly sent flying.
A masked man descended from the sky. In a few moves, he knocked all the men down. He picked up the man with one hand as if he were picking up a chick, kicked him with his foot, and the man's knees instantly buckled and he knelt on the ground with a "thud". The man let out a scream, and cold sweat instantly broke out on his forehead.
Fu Zhen's heart was pounding. Looking at the masked man in coarse clothes who was silent, her heart skipped a beat. She asked, "Did Chen Tingfeng send you to follow me?"
The masked man lowered his head. "Yes, Miss."
Chen Tingfeng was about to go on a military expedition. Even though he had cleaned up his family, he was still worried that the people in the palace would take extreme measures. So he left some of his secret guards at home. Two of them were secretly following Fu Zhen.
The secret guards were extremely good at hiding. They would only appear when their master was in danger and usually hid in various corners.
Fu Zhen let out a sigh of relief. Just as she was about to say something, she saw the secret guard smash the man's head to the ground. The man rolled his eyes and fainted instantly.
Suddenly, a group of people appeared at the end of the road and ran towards them quickly.
Fu Zhen only felt a blur in front of her eyes. The masked man disappeared in an instant. The little boy let go of her skirt. His eyes lit up, and he ran forward. "Dad!"
She looked up and saw a man in a cyan robe running towards them quickly. He picked up the little boy in his arms. There was relief in his eyes at having found his son. "Kang'er!"
"Are you okay? Are you hurt?" he asked anxiously. All the anger from his rushed journey disappeared, leaving only deep concern for his son.
The little boy shook his head and couldn't help crying again. "Waa, Dad, I was so scared..."
The man held him in one arm and stroked his hair with the other, comforting him. "Don't be afraid. Dad's here. Dad will protect you."
After the two of them calmed down, the man looked up at Fu Zhen, who had been standing in the corner. Looking around at the fallen big men, he understood what had happened. He quickly put the little boy down, stepped forward, bowed deeply, and said, "I'm Chu Qiwen. Thank you, miss, for saving my son's life!"