Hidden Marriage Chapter 4: Saved A Little Bun

The little bun feared Ning Xi so intensely that his whole face drained to a ghostly white.

She plopped down beside the little bun and merely shut her eyes for some rest, nothing more.

Chang Li had hauled her from one gathering to another all night long, forcing drinks; no wonder her head throbbed fiercely.

Stirring from a quick doze, Ning Xi noticed warmth spreading across her leg. Peering downward, she discovered the little bun latched onto her side, fingers gripping tightly at her garment's edge.

Ning Xi couldn't hold back a soft laugh.

During her time in the countryside, she had cared for a cat that was utterly timid, petrified of humans. It bolted at the mere glimpse of anyone. But if left alone, it would cautiously drop its defenses upon sensing no danger, then grow attached, even nestling on laps to slumber.

Catching her stare, the little bun's tiny face flushed crimson in shyness, yet the earlier terror had vanished, replaced by pure wonder.

He mirrored that cat perfectly, down to the very expressions on his face.

Ning Xi's lips quirked up as an itch spread through her fingers, compelling her to mess up the boy's soft locks.

The moment her hand met his skin, her brows knit together.

Why did his forehead burn like fire?

"Do you have a fever?"

Chang Li intended to trap her in this spot right up until tomorrow after the audition wrapped, and perhaps even beyond.

Should the child's fever rage on unchecked, the consequences could turn deadly.

In her frantic state, an anomaly struck her. The storeroom's light had flickered out before, so how did illumination persist here?

Glancing upward, she spotted a minuscule skylight above, filtering in faint rays. Scouring the room, Ning Xi dragged over a ladder and set it under the opening.

"Little Bun, come here! I'll help you escape!"

For the first time, the little fellow reacted, vigorously shaking his head as if resolved to stay put.

Gauging his intent from that look, Ning Xi smiled and tweaked his chubby cheeks.

"Why show such loyalty? Planning to endure the hardship alongside me? Climb up—the window's far too narrow for me to squeeze through with you. But you can slip out and fetch someone to rescue me."

Noting the child's wavering, Ning Xi lifted him straight up and settled him onto the ladder.

"Quick, act brave like a man. No more dallying. I'll stand guard below!"

Having ushered the boy safely through to the outside at last, Ning Xi climbed back down the ladder, only to be struck by vertigo. In that dizzy spell, her foot missed and she plummeted.

Beyond the window, the little bun's formerly stoic features warped in sheer panic upon seeing it unfold.

Ning Xi barely managed to whisper. "Leave…"

Beneath the starry glow, her complexion appeared wan and frail, yet it couldn't dim her otherworldly charm. Her eyes gleamed with vibrant poise, evoking a vast sea alive with a galaxy of twinkling stars.

No trace remained of the former village girl or homely swanling.

But what good did that do?

Ning Xi offered a rueful grin. Her vengeance lay unfinished, and now a simple tumble might claim her life.

At the very least, in her dying breath, she'd performed a noble act by rescuing the little bun.

Should her own child have survived back then, he'd likely match this age.

Five years prior, following the devastating car crash, the Ning family—mortified by her—had exiled her to M country, dumping her at a sleazy academy for wayward heirs of the wealthy. They'd abandoned her to survive alone.

She quit that dump to battle her way into Nanjia University, devouring every subject with manic zeal.

All for the sake of toppling Ning Xueluo and seizing back everything rightfully hers!

Crucially, acting embodied her grandest aspiration.

Upon her return home, she leveraged her stunning appearance and raw talent to catch Chang Li's notice, securing entry into powerhouse Starlight Entertainment.

Starlight's opportunities had loomed endlessly promising at first. Then Ning Xueluo joined as well, corrupting Chang Li to relentlessly sabotage Ning Xi…