CHAPTER 765: AMUSEMENT IN A WORLD OF MONSTER: A CHILD’S HAND, A DEMON’S PATH!

Her lashes fluttered, and after a second she leaned up timidly, pressing a small kiss to his jaw.

Her voice was soft, almost whispered. "...Warm... Daddy always feels warm."

Wang Jiarong stumbled back, her hand shooting to cover her mouth. "Oh... God... Xiao Wang..." Her voice horrified. "You fucked me like an animal until I couldn’t breathe... and now this... you really are a demon."

Her words trembled, spilling out broken, half disbelief, half rage.

Eirene’s head turned at the sound. Her wide eyes met Jiarong’s, then quickly looked away. She buried her face against Wang Xiao’s neck.

Her little voice cracked with nervousness, then she clung tighter, almost hiding inside his embrace."...Daddy..." she murmured, barely audible, as if afraid she wasn’t allowed to say it.

The word rang in Wang Jiarong’s ears like thunder.

Her knees weakened.

"Stop overreacting," Wang Xiao said with a shrug, as if nothing had happened. "She’s Eirene. My daughter."

Wang Jiarong’s lips parted, but no sound came out. Daughter...? The word spun in her mind, clashing with the filth she’d just assumed.

Wang Xiao turned to the girl in his arms and flicked her forehead lightly.

"What were you doing in the wardrobe?"

"Um..." Eirene blinked, big eyes widening as if caught stealing sweets. She fidgeted, pressing her lips together, no answer coming out.

He tilted his head, studying her. "Then how did you even get here?"

At that, she hesitated, then slowly raised both of her small hands. Pale, delicate, a faint flush of red across her palms as if they’d been pressed together too hard. She held them up to him earnestly, as though that explained everything.

Wang Xiao squinted. "...What is that supposed to mean?"

Eirene only tilted her head, pink hair spilling across her cheeks, her lips pursed in a shy little pout.

"Don’t be like your mother... silent and useless," Wang Xiao said, squinting one eye at her.

Eirene puffed her cheeks, glaring weakly, and jabbed her little finger at her hands again. "I-I touched it... and then... I was here..." Her voice was small, hesitant, almost sulky.

"...She’s really your daughter?" Wang Jiarong finally spoke, her voice trembling. She took a step forward, reaching out, as if touching the girl would prove it real.

But Eirene immediately shifted in his arms, pressing her cheek into Wang Xiao’s shoulder, refusing her touch. Her big eyes glanced up once at Jiarong, sharp, wary, and for a second the space itself seemed to be vicious.

The pressure grew heavier, crawling up Wang Jiarong’s chest, until her breath came tight. She staggered. "W-what... is this?"

Wang Xiao lifted a hand and flicked the girl’s forehead lightly. "She’s not an enemy."

Eirene blinked up at him, then gave a tiny, reluctant nod.

Wang Jiarong gasped, staring at the little girl with complicated eyes. "Did... did she just do that?" she whispered, almost afraid to believe what she’d seen.

Wang Xiao only shrugged. "She might. Don’t look so surprised."

Her lips trembled. "...But she’s a child... children don’t do things like that."

"She’s my youngest," he said evenly. "Born when I was at my strongest. And her mother... Eveline. A vicious goddess, in her own right."

"...A goddess?" Wang Jiarong echoed faintly, the word slipping from her lips like it didn’t belong. She lowered her gaze, shaking her head as though she couldn’t make sense of it. "You... you can’t expect me to understand that."

Wang Xiao tilted his head, half amused, half dismissive. "I don’t. You’ll figure it out eventually."

"That’s not... an answer..." she murmured, barely audible. Her eyes flicked down again to the girl. "So... she’s really... your daughter?"

Instead of explaining further, he bent down and set Eirene in front of her.

"Hold her."

The girl hesitated, clinging to his sleeve, but at his nod she slowly slipped her tiny hand into Wang Jiarong’s.

Wang Jiarong stiffened, almost pulling away, then froze when she felt the warmth of those small fingers. "...God. You’re serious," she whispered under her breath.

Outside, the three of them walked together. Wang Jiarong’s gaze kept drifting to the girl, mind storming with questions, but every vague word from Wang Xiao made her feel smaller, more restless.

Finally she gathered her courage. "...Where are we going? Are you... are you taking her home?"

"Not home," Wang Xiao said flatly. "Amusement park."

"...What?" Jiarong blinked, startled.

"Mother will get her gifts later," he said, not even glancing at her. "For now, Eirene gets to play."

The girl’s eyes widened, lips parting before a shy little smile tugged at her face. "R-really...?"

"Really." He ruffled her hair.

Wang Jiarong lowered her gaze, lips pressed tight. A bitter thought wormed its way in: The same man who tortured me... is playing father like nothing ever happened. The contradiction made her stomach twist, but she swallowed it down in silence.

They hadn’t gone far before Eirene tugged at Wang Xiao’s sleeve again, pointing up with her tiny finger.

"What is that?"

"...That’s the sun. Big, hot, don’t even think about eating it."

Her eyes widened. "...Oh." She whispered the word like it was a secret, her lips curling into a smile.

A minute later, she pointed again. "That?"

"It’s a car."

She tilted her head. "...Does it bite?"

"No," Wang Xiao deadpanned. "Only if you stand in front of it."

Eirene gasped softly, shrinking against his arm as though the parked cars nearby might lunge at her.

Her gaze shifted again, this time toward a stray dog nosing through trash. "That?"

"A dog."

She blinked, clutching tighter at his robe. "...It looks scary."

"It barks louder than it bites."

"Oh." She repeated it again, softer this time, as if practicing the word.

Her eyes then caught on a balloon seller at the park entrance. "...That? The round thing?"

"It’s a balloon. You hold it with a string, but if you let go, it flies away."

Her mouth formed a perfect O. "...It... flies?" She tugged his sleeve nervously. "Will it... carry me away too?"

Wang Jiarong almost choked, her throat tightening as she looked at the girl’s earnest face. ’... she really doesn’t know anything.’

They walked a few more steps before Eirene’s little voice piped up again, almost shy, almost guilty."...And those?" She pointed at a couple walking by, hand in hand.

Wang Xiao glanced. "...People."

"I know that..." she said quickly, cheeks turning red. Then, softer, "...But... why are they holding hands?"

Wang Jiarong stumbled, the answer catching in her throat. Wang Xiao only smiled faintly. "Because it makes them feel less alone."

Eirene’s lips parted, her eyes glimmering with a fragile kind of hope. She stepped closer, both hands clutching his much larger one. "Eirene... feels alone too... Will you hold her?"

For a second, two, the street hushed. People slowed, turned, and for some reason their faces softened, as if the little girl’s words brushed against something buried in them. A strange sadness flickered in their eyes... envy, too, when they looked at him.

But Wang Xiao’s response cut through the stillness. His voice was casual, but sharp enough to sting. "Being alone isn’t bad. It isn’t weakness. Waiting for others will only slow you down... drag you away from your path."

Eirene blinked up at him, stunned. "H-hm? Am I weak...? What’s my path then?"

Her small voice wavered, caught between fear and curiosity.

Wang Xiao tilted his head, studying her. "Hmm... let me think. What do you want right now?"

She froze, then slowly turned her gaze outward. Her eyes roamed the street, first toward the ice cream cart, her lips parting slightly in yearning... then toward the crowd where a few leering men stood, their eyes too sharp, too hideous. Her nose wrinkled faintly. And finally, she turned back to him, her little hand tightening around his.

"...Can I have the sweet one?" she whispered. Then, softer, with a frown, "...And make the scary ones go away?"

Her words were innocent, childlike. But Wang Jiarong, standing just a step behind, felt a chill crawl up her spine.

"Hm... you can," Wang Xiao considered. "But they’ll resist... unless you’re stronger than them."

Eirene’s brows knitted, lips pursing like it was the hardest puzzle in the world. "Then... I can’t. I’m weak." She hesitated, then her big eyes lifted toward him. "...Then can you?"

"Hm?" His gaze narrowed.

"I want you!" she blurted, cheeks flushing. "Selene said you’re strong!"

Wang Xiao exhaled through his nose, amused. "...But if I do it for you, you’ll just depend on me. And when I’m not there, you’ll feel even more alone. Is that what you want?"

Her answer came soft but stubborn. "Then... hold me."

For a moment, the crowd nearby slowed, glancing at them like they’d stumbled into a scene from a play. Jiarong’s chest tightened, part pity, part unease.

Wang Xiao rubbed his forehead. This brat skipped all the steps and went straight for goal.

"How long are we talking?" he asked dryly, as if bargaining a contract.

Eirene thought for a beat, then beamed. "Forever!"

He groaned. Wang Jiarong could only gasp, her terrifying brother actually arguing terms with a six-year-old. What the hell am I watching...

A second later, the men Eirene had been pointing at simply vanished. No screams, no trace. And just like that, he pressed an ice cream into her hands.

Her entire face lit up. She held the cone like treasure. "Another one?" she asked shyly, voice muffled between licks.

Wang Xiao looked skyward. "...Another one."

The amusement park buzzed around them. Music from the carousel, children shrieking on roller coasters, vendors shouting about candied fruit.

Wang Jiarong tugged Eirene toward the carousel, lifting her onto a painted horse. The girl gasped when it began to spin, clutching the pole with wide eyes, then laughter, bright, burst out of her.

From the rail, Wang Xiao watched, hands in his pockets. To him, the ride was a circle of illusions, beasts galloping but never moving. Humans call that joy. To him, it’s nothing but motion without progress.

At a balloon stall, she tugged his sleeve. "If I let it go... will it fly away?"

"Yes," he said flatly. "That’s what happens when you are weak, and depend on something you can’t hold."

Her lips trembled. "...Then will you hold it for me?"

Wang Jiarong’s throat tightened. She tied the ribbon into the girl’s hair instead, forcing a smile. ’At least let she is normal.’

By the time the Ferris wheel lifted them over the city, Eirene’s forehead pressed to the glass. "It’s... beautiful," she whispered.

Wang Xiao followed her gaze. To him, beauty was strength, covering the sky with one hand, bending the world to his will. But to her, beauty was lights strung across a fragile concrete city.

When they got back, Wang Jiarong had dropped her guard completely. She was curled on the couch with Eirene on her lap, letting the little girl play with her hair. A soft laugh escaped her lips, so unlike the bitter nights of the past three days. She looked like a woman meant for a family, not someone trapped in hell.

Then she got her phone.

Then she scrolled.

And the color drained from her face.

The Tianjin slaughter. The nailed bodies in Beijing. The photos, the names, She knew them. She had seen them alive.

Her throat locked. She sprinted down the hall, pushed his door open.

"You... you did that?!" Her hand trembled with the phone still lit in her grip.

Wang Xiao turned, calm as a stone. "Yes."

That single word knocked her legs out from under her. She stumbled back, horrified.

"Who... who are you?!"