Hua Mu was exhausted after training for just over an hour. Besides, she didn’t feel safe with Bai Zhen away, so she put her inhibitor back on and summoned her.

Bai Zhen had finished checking the traps and had gone to gather some wild vegetables and fruit. After everything they had been through, she now based all her actions on the principle of conserving energy. By the time she heard the signal shot and returned to the beach, Hua Mu was already asleep on the bamboo bed.

This was clearly due to overexertion.

Bai Zhen had witnessed Hua Mu’s efforts over the past few days, and it pained her to see them. The pampered young lady’s arms were now tanned, and calluses had formed on her palms. Outwardly, she no longer resembled a noblewoman in the slightest.

But the beauty of an eighteen-year-old girl could not be worn away by two months of hardship. Having lost some of her delicate fragility, Hua Mu had developed a different kind of charm.

Her once thin and frail body had put on some weight from the unrestricted diet and daily labor, and her upper arms even showed clear muscle definition.

Bai Zhen found herself staring, lost in thought. She knew it was deeply disrespectful to gaze at Hua Mu so profanely while she slept, yet she couldn’t tear her eyes away.

The first time they met, Hua Mu had been just a six-year-old girl, being questioned by a police officer on the street because she had no adult with her.

At the time, Bai Zhen had been wandering for over a month, surviving on a few Little White Pills she had obtained from the Tower. She was not only disheveled, but her mental state was also precarious.

But she still recognized Hua Mu—the little girl from television who was always by the Queen’s side. She had platinum-blonde pigtails, emerald-green eyes, fair skin, a chubby little face, and a tense, serious expression.

Why was there no adult with her?

Hiding in a corner to observe, Bai Zhen couldn’t help but wonder. Still, with a police officer’s help, the girl would surely be sent home soon.

A noble little girl like that seemed to be from a different world. It felt like a miracle just to be able to see her from afar.

“Don’t… let go of me, it hurts… You’re a bad man…”

Just as Bai Zhen was thinking she should avoid the officer, the situation took a sudden turn. The “policeman,” apparently unable to get any information, forcefully picked the little girl up.

“Don’t cry, little one. Officer Uncle will take you to find your mommy.”

“Let go of me! I’m not lost! You bad man… You-you’re not a police officer… Help, sob sob sob…”

The little girl struggled and cried out, but the surrounding pedestrians merely smiled knowingly, as if it were a common sight.

Bai Zhen knew she shouldn’t meddle, but the girl’s cries were too desperate. More importantly, the man’s rough actions looked less like helping a child find her mother and more like a kidnapping.

When she saw the uniformed man pull a hypospray injector from his pocket, Bai Zhen could no longer stand by.

That really wasn’t a police officer!

Before she could even think, her body had already shot out like a fully coiled spring.

At twelve years old, Bai Zhen was already 1.65 meters tall. Thanks to years of training, her physical condition was far superior to that of an average adult woman. Though nearly a month on the streets had left her looking ragged, she was physically unharmed.

A Sentinel’s explosive power gave her an overwhelming advantage against an ordinary person. Bai Zhen had trained for some time in the Tower and learned many techniques. Coupled with the fact that her opponent was caught off guard, she subdued the man in under three seconds, then scooped up the little girl and fled the area.

The girl lay quietly in her arms, neither crying nor fussing. Only after Bai Zhen had twisted and turned through several alleys to ensure they weren’t being followed and stopped at the small shelter she had been using recently did the child finally lift her face.

Bai Zhen had acted on impulse, and now she had no idea how to explain herself. The girl’s gaze made her blush, and she was left speechless.

“I… I…”

I’m not a bad person.

“You’re not a bad person?”

Bai Zhen nodded repeatedly.

The little girl gave a charming smile and said with a hint of pride, “I know. You heard me cry for help, so you came to save me, right?”

“Mhm!”

The girl got down from her arms. While sizing up this plastic house, which looked like it had been discarded from some park, she asked, “What is this place? What’s your name?”

“I-I’m Bai Zhen… This is where I live.”

“You live here?” The girl was very surprised and shook her head repeatedly. “Big Sister, this won’t do. You’re so amazing, why would you live in a place like this?”

Completely flustered by the little girl, Bai Zhen stammered, “I-I’m not amazing…”

The girl wrinkled her cute nose, clearly disagreeing with her.

“You are too! You took down that bad guy in just a few moves!”

“I… I…”

Bai Zhen was quite embarrassed, scratching her head, not knowing how to be modest.

“Oh, right, my name is Hua Mu. The ‘Hua’ for flower, and the ‘Mu’ for bathing in sunlight. Big Sister, you can just call me Mumu. That’s what my daddy calls me.”

“Um… th-then, Mu… why are you out here alone? Where’s your father?”

Hua Mu found a small wooden stump to sit on, not showing any disdain for the surroundings.

“I ran away from home. My daddy and my auntie don’t love me anymore.”

“Ran away from home?” Bai Zhen was very surprised that such a small child knew how to run away from home, and had even succeeded. “Your family will be very worried. You should go back quickly.”

“I don’t want to go back. I won’t see them even if I go back anyway. They won’t be worried about me.”

Hua Mu’s cheeks were puffed out in a pout, and she tapped the toes of her little red leather shoes, looking thoroughly bored.

“How can you do that? It’s very dangerous for a child like you to be out alone. Weren’t you almost kidnapped just now?”

Hua Mu, who had been acting like a composed little adult all this time, finally looked a little guilty.

“Th-that was an accident… Besides, besides, didn’t you save me?”

“But that was a coincidence… Besides, you can’t live on your own.”

“Who says I can’t live on my own? I have money!” Hua Mu opened the cute little bag she was carrying to show Bai Zhen. Inside was a thick stack of large-denomination bills, tens of thousands at the very least.

Bai Zhen had been in the Imperial Capital for less than half a year and had never seen so much money in her life. She was thoroughly shocked.

“Mumu, you can’t show people this much money. You’ll get robbed.” She quickly helped Hua Mu close the bag.

Hua Mu looked at her with a grin. “I know. I don’t show other people, I only showed you, because you’re a good person.”

“B-but how do you know I’m a good person? What if I’m a bad person?”

“You saved me, so how could you be a bad person? Are you a bad person?”

Bai Zhen didn’t know how to explain it to her, so she could only shake her head repeatedly. “I’m not a bad person, I’m not a bad person.”

“See!”

Bai Zhen was very worried for her.

“But you’re so young, even with money you can’t live alone. If you walk on the street alone, people will question you, and you need a guardian to check into a hotel.”

And given her identity, she would definitely be discovered before long.

Hua Mu also looked a little worried. “Yeah, several police officers on the street questioned me. I told them all that my mommy sent me out on an errand to get by.”

“So, you should go back soon.”

“No! I’ve only been out for half a day. It would be so embarrassing to go back like this! Daddy and Auntie will definitely think I’m just playing house and won’t know how serious this is!”

Hua Mu’s eyes darted around, and she clapped her hands. “I know! I’ll hire you to be my guard! You’re so strong, you can definitely protect me. I can give you money! You can book a hotel for me!”

Bai Zhen showed a troubled expression.

Not to mention she had escaped from the Tower, just her age alone meant she would be questioned if she tried to book a hotel by herself.

“I-I can’t…”

“Why not? You can stay in the hotel with me. It’s much more comfortable than this place.”

Bai Zhen was genuinely worried about Hua Mu, who trusted her so much after just meeting her.

“I’m twelve…”

“You’re twelve?” Hua Mu looked very surprised. “You’re not an adult?! The attend… the big sisters around me are shorter than you and they’re already adults.”

The little girl was still at the stage of judging age by height. To her, Bai Zhen’s height put her in the adult category.

“Mmm…” Bai Zhen couldn’t help but slouch her back a little.

Back in her hometown, she didn’t think there was anything wrong with developing early, growing fast, and being tall. But after coming to the Imperial Capital, her different skin color, different eye color, and even being slightly taller than her peers made her seem out of place.

“Then you’re so amazing! Why did you grow so tall? Did you eat something special? I want to grow up quickly too, then Auntie and Daddy won’t always treat me like a child and coddle me!”

“I didn’t eat anything special…”

“Is it because you exercise a lot? My daddy says exercise makes you grow taller!”

“I guess so…”

The two of them unknowingly chatted a lot. The two little girls, with different ages and circumstances, actually chatted for a whole afternoon without any barriers between them.

To this day, Bai Zhen still remembered Hua Mu’s smile from that time, remembered every word she said, and also remembered the promise she had made to her.

“Mmm… don’t… so tired… Bai Zhen…”

Bai Zhen’s thoughts were interrupted by Hua Mu’s sleep-talking. Hearing the Miss call her name, she hurriedly leaned over to check on her.

Hua Mu seemed to be having a nightmare due to overexertion, kicking her legs as if she had missed a step on the stairs.

Bai Zhen was afraid she would hurt herself, so she gently held her calves. Unexpectedly, Hua Mu moved right up against her, seeking an embrace.

“M-Miss…”

Hua Mu, as if she had finally found a comfortable safe harbor, wriggled her body and burrowed into her arms.

“Ah, Bai Zhen…” she murmured Bai Zhen’s name, her tone lyrical, almost like a sigh.

Bai Zhen didn’t dare to move, holding her stiffly.

Hua Mu buried her face in her chest and sighed, murmuring, “Why are you so big…”

What was the Miss dreaming about? Could she also be dreaming of the past? Asking her why she grew so tall, why she was so strong, why she was so amazing—with innocence and adoration.

In the past, she didn’t know the answer. Now, she felt it must be so that she could better protect the Miss!