"Are they asleep?"


    Wang Xiao, reclining against a chair woven from bamboo strands on the balcony, posed the question casually, a cigarette smoldering between his fingers.


    Beside him, Mary sat in a simrly crafted chair, her gaze empty and distant, her expression indifferent.


    Cradled in her arms, his twin daughters, now a year old, slumbered peacefully.


    "It appears so," Mary responded quietly, her voice tinged with mechanical detachment as she nced down at the sleeping children.


    "Good job, you''re officially hired," Wang Xiao dered, his lips curving into an evil grin as he let out a dry chuckle.


    Mary raised her head, her nk stare fixed on him, unsure how to react to hisment.


    "Why did you choose to relocate here? It''s so isted, hardly ideal for raising children," she inquired, her tone remaining neutral yetced with curiosity.


    Wang Xiao''s response was a soft, mockingugh. "Isn''t it ironic? The woman known for the ughter of millions of children is now a nanny and offering me parenting advice?" he quipped, his voice dripping with irony as he watched her reaction.


    "..."


    Mary maintained her silence, undisturbed by Wang Xiao''s words.


    To her, they were mere facts, unworthy of emotional investment.


    Why should she care about the judgments of others?


    If she believed an action was right, she would pursue it without hesitation.


    Leaning back, Mary''s eyes were drawn to the setting sun, its dying light casting fiery reflections in her hollow gaze.


    Observing her quiet demeanor, Wang Xiao chose his words with precision. "You''ve handled children for centuries, even if it was through maniption. That''s the least of my concerns—after all, from a certain perspective, isn''t everything maniption? The fact that Luna harbors no life and death hate towards you suggests you''re capable," he exined his rationale for choosing her.


    Wang Xiao exhaled a deep sigh, "This ce is optimal for us right now. I will ensure that Aether doesn''t infiltrate,pelling everyone here to focus on mastering the elements themselves rather than relying on Aether to solve their problems. It''s a slower process, but it fosters genuine skill and independence."


    He nced around the secluded setting. "There''s no social media, no inte—no conduits for external influences to corrupt their thoughts or dilute their focus."


    Turning to face him, Mary blinked slowly, processing his intentions. "So, you intend to raise thempletely isted from the outside world?"


    Her voice held a trace of irony, mirroring the methods she herself had employed.


    Why did his n sound so strikingly familiar to her own past actions?


    Wang Xiao responded with a knowing smile. "That''s correct."


    Indeed, that was the true reason behind his actions; the rest was just window dressing.


    "You have the potential to be worse than me," Marymented tly, her face devoid of emotion as she made her observation.


    Wang Xiao simply smiled in response, choosing to keep his thoughts to himself.


    He knew that even if he shared his ideas, others might not understand.


    He inhaled deeply from the cigarette that was lightly burning between his fingers—an essory rather than a habit.


    He had taken up smoking not for himself but as a deterrent; his daughters disliked the smell, and it served as a useful tool to give him some space when needed.


    Without it, they would cling to him all day.


    He couldn''t help but think of Anran, whose behaviors the girls had begun to emte. He felt a twinge of annoyance at Anran''s influence on them.


    It had been a year since they began living in this isted ce.


    Alongside him were Anran, their daughters Wang Xiaoyue and Wang Xiaoxi.


    Reba, the doctor he had kidnapped, also resided here, mainly coordinating with Amelia and Bing Xueli to further develop the area.


    Luna was here as well.


    Before settling here, Wang Xiao had extended an invitation to Sera, but she declined, citing her daughter Josephine''s education in the States as the ''Excuse''.


    Aisha was with Josephine, providingpany and support, while ra, known for her poisonous body, remained busy handling external affairs.


    Eveline, too, was part of this secludedmunity, living independently in her own space as per her preference.


    Currently, she was expecting her second child, stirring in Wang Xiao a mix of concern and disbelief over her thoughts and ns.


    There had been someplications with Amelia''s delivery.


    Fortunately, Wang Xiao''s timely intervention resolved them, albeit the whole situation endowed her daughter with some rather unique abilities.


    Bing Xueli''s dilemma of finding a suitable sessor was another matter Wang Xiao addressed ''creatively''.


    He not only solved it but also granted her the freedom to manage the development of this remote haven ording to her desires.


    Upon discovering that Naomi had relocated to China, now known by the name Qing Dynasty, and was overseeing his remaining family affairs, Wang Xiao''s attention drifted away from external matters.


    Athene, another mysterious and distant figure, made rare visits.


    She seemed solely interested in his daughters, scarcely acknowledging Wang Xiao.


    Perhaps she doubted his parenting skills, but he gave little thought to her suspicions.


    If she ever crossed a line, he was ready to put her in her ce, though he knew well that any conflict between them could escte disastrously, potentially world to rubble.


    "Where is their mother?" Mary''s casual question pulled Wang Xiao from his reverie.


    "She is responsible," he blurted out without thinking.


    "What?" Mary repeated, clearly puzzled.


    How did her being responsible exin her whereabouts?


    Wang Xiao fixed Mary with a serious gaze, as if about to divulge a profound truth that exined the current circumstances.


    "She is the most responsible woman in the world," he dered, his wordsden with a depth that seemed to transcend their ordinary meaning.


    "!"


    Even Mary looked taken aback by his solemn deration.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Meanwhile, in a different location, a womany sleeping, her abdomen exposed to the cool breeze of a table fan sting directly at her.


    Such daring sleep habits could only belong to Anran.


    She had be ustomed to sleeping with just a table fan and no air conditioning after spending several years in war-torn countries on missions, turning it into a habit.


    Wang Xiao felt a certain helplessness when it came to this peculiar creature.


    In fact, an incident six months ago had crystallized his need for a nanny.


    In one such moment, half a year earlier, Wang Xiao had encountered a sight so startling that it hadpelled him to take action.