Academy of Fire Princess (Thirty-Four)

  The doll-faced boy followed Huo Ling'er with an innocent look, occasionally looking up at her along the way. He opened his mouth to speak but was afraid that his clumsy words would make Huo Ling'er dislike him, so he thought for a moment and finally hung his head in resignation, quietly following behind her.

  "Hiss~~"

  Huǒ Líng'ér suddenly smiled.

  The girl's bright smile is not coquettish, nor complex, but simply pure and beautiful like the clear blue sky above.

  The doll-faced boy had never seen such a beautiful smile before.

  "You don't have to be so careful around me, I may fight but I won't use my fists to bully you guys. I'm not some kind of princess now, my status is the same as yours, a student at Anqiya Academy, a resident of a no-star dorm."

  Huǒ Líng'er walked along, her tone extremely calm.

  "Sister, your old home must have had many, many servants and a very large courtyard. Was the courtyard filled with flowers and grass, beautiful like a fairy tale castle?"

  The doll-faced boy kept talking and his eyes wandered to the other end of the sky, but the sunlight was too strong and made his eyes ache.

  "Hmm, just like a castle." Huo Ling'er sighed.

  "Sister, I'm really envious of you. My dream has always been to have my mom live in a castle-like house with me, so she wouldn't have to work so hard and could leisurely drink afternoon tea like other wealthy women. In reality, my mom is an ordinary woman who works tirelessly outside the home so I can focus on my studies. She's only 40 years old but looks pale and aged, like an old person. She's afraid of embarrassing me, so she never lets me call her 'mom' in front of others. Sister, do you know? I love her very much, and I don't care about her appearance being ugly or not, because in my heart, she will always be the most beautiful..."

  The seventeen-year-old boy gradually choked with sobs at last.

  "Doll, you're so lucky that it's making me jealous." Huo Ling'er comforted him instead, raising her hand to give his forehead another slap.

  When the doll-faced boy gazed at her with a bewildered expression, her smile became slightly bitter. "You know what? I've only seen my mom's eyes twice since birth!"

  In an instant.

  The sorrowful string in the heart of the melancholic youth snapped, and the sorrow instantly turned into mist.

  "No matter how beautiful a castle is, it's not home! You have a family and you have a mother. With your wealth, are you still worried that you can't make your mother happy?"

  Huǒ Língér's hands were tangled in the young man's hair, she forced herself to gaze at the sky, only this way could she continue to be strong, and not let anyone see her tears.

  "Sister, where is your mother now?" The boy asked clumsily.

  "I also want to know about this! Alright, let's go buy a quilt and mattress instead! Where are all these strange questions coming from? Why why? Have you been staying with your family's eldest for too long?"

  Huǒ Líng'er walked forward with a light and quick pace.

  Finally, the doll-faced boy slapped himself, he was too stupid! He clearly knew his sister was heartbroken, but kept asking, and kept asking.

  Just as he raised his head to say something, he suddenly realized that the small shop, which was usually deserted, was crowded with familiar "acquaintances" who were grinning and gazing at Huo Ling'er with a lecherous look.

  He was sweating profusely as he pulled Huo Ling back and pushed her out, shouting at her "Sister, hurry up!! Go quickly!!"