Chapter 15: Promise

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation  Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

“Village Chief, you’re here.”

The woman looked uneasily at the old village chief in front of her. She even felt a little ashamed. She had heard about what had happened just now. Could it be that the old village chief had come to reprimand her?

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The old village chief only nodded. He didn’t care about what the woman thought.

“I would like to talk to the village chief about something. If you don’t mind…”

Shen Yan had been striking business deals for years. How could he not notice something going on between the woman and the village chief? He helped to find an excuse for her to leave.

The woman hurriedly nodded and left. If she didn’t leave now, who knew what the village chief would say right in front of her?

“Master Shen, that was rather embarrassing. I’ve been the village chief for so many years, but I had never expected the people in the village to become so selfish. It’s all my fault for not managing them well,” the old village chief said. He truly felt shameful about the matter.

“Village Chief, you don’t have to be like this. There will always be differences in people’s character.”

Shen Yan picked up the teacup in his hand and brought it to his mouth.

“Master Shen, you’re right. Little Emi was a poor child. If Tavis Hyde hadn’t sacrificed himself back then, Little Emi’s life wouldn’t be so precarious and she wouldn’t be so insecure now.”

The old village chief still remembered how Little Emi used to greet everyone with a smile. She was known to be the well-behaved, good kid in the village. Anyone who met her would praise her.

However, ever since her father left and her mother became terminally ill, he had never seen the same smile on Little Emi’s face again.

It wasn’t that she stopped smiling. When someone gave Little Emi food, she would still smile and thank them. He knew that Little Emi appreciated those who had helped her, but that smile only made her more pitiful rather than cheerful.

“Emi’s parents?” Shen Yan asked, puzzled.

The old village chief realized that Shen Yan didn’t know what happened to Emily’s family, so he sighed deeply and told Shen Yan about Tavis Hyde. He then told Shen Yan about how Emily’s mother fell ill, and Emily had to get food from the other households in the village. In the end, she could no longer take the appalling attitudes of the villagers and left. He told Shen Yan all of it.

As he spoke, the sky turned dark.

“It’s all my fault, I’m getting too old and couldn’t take proper care of Little Emi. It’s all my fault.”

The old village chief smacked his lap repeatedly. He really hated himself for his incompetence.

“Don’t say that. Now that Emi has come to the Shen family, we will treat her as one of our own. We definitely won’t let her suffer anymore.”

Shen Yan didn’t expect Emil’s past life to be so tragic. If she hadn’t met Shen Yu back then, no one knows what would have happened to her.

Shen Yan initially just thought that Emily would be able to help with Shen Yu’s condition. Furthermore, Emily was really well-behaved, so it wouldn’t be a big deal to raise another child like her. However, after learning her story, Shen Yan greatly sympathized with Emily and wanted to give her the life she deserves. He did not expect such a young child to have suffered so much hardship.

“Thank you, thank you so much. Little Emi is a good kid who knows to be grateful to those that show her kindness. Even when the villagers treated her so harshly, she only remembers the times when they treated her well.”

Shen Yan nodded. He knew that Emily had a great character. When Emily said that the clothes were not hers, he could tell that Emily was a good kid who wouldn’t lie.

The old village chief nodded with tears in his eyes. If he wasn’t so old and frail, he wouldn’t have let Emily suffer so much.

Shen Yu rested his hand on Emily’s shoulder and said softly, “Let’s go.”

The old village chief and Shen Yan didn’t know that their conversation had been overheard by Emily outside.

Emily stood there for as long as they talked, and Shen Yu stood there with her.

Emily’s face was covered in tears. She knew that the old village chief was saying all this because he was afraid that the Shen family wouldn’t treat her well.

He wanted to tell the Shen family that there was still someone who would still support her in this village.

“Brother…” Emily called out softly, but she did not know what to say.

She felt that she was truly lucky to have met Shen Yu.

Shen Yu nodded and looked at Emily without blinking. He waited for Emily to continue, but she stopped talking.

Shen Yu sighed and promised, “Don’t worry. I will protect you well. I will not let you be alone again.”

He couldn’t leave her either. After all, she was the only light that appeared in his dark world. He wanted to reach out and hold her tightly in his arms.

Emily looked at him with her eyes still a bit red. For a moment, she didn’t understand why Shen Yu would suddenly say these things.

Shen Yu smiled. “Forget it, don’t think about it. You’ll understand when you’re older.”

Emily got even more confused. But when she saw Shen Yu’s smiling face, she actually got a little infatuated.

“Brother, you look really handsome when you smile.”