But Roxy Shangguan's next words made him instantly realize that he'd been completely overthinking!
Roxy finally caught her breath, reached out her small hand to touch Quentin Hua's lips, and said with a mischievous smile, "Quentin, your lips are so sweet!" The sly glint in her eyes was caught by Quentin Hua.
Quentin Hua's eyes flickered, and he couldn't help but give her another look. He didn't say much, just smiled lazily and said, "Roxy, do you want another taste?"
Roxy frowned, slapped his chest, and huffed, "You big rascal!"
Quentin Hua looked at the little hand now poking and pinching his chest, feeling both amused and helpless. Who was the real rascal here?
Quentin Hua settled her on his lap and said seriously, "Roxy, has your mother ever told you that men and women are different?" Although he asked, he didn't hold out much hope. Morgan Shangguan and Damien Gray were both rather uninhibited, showing affection regardless of who was present. As long as Roxy hadn't been led astray, he couldn't expect them to teach her about boundaries.
To his surprise, Roxy tilted her head, thought for a moment, and nodded.
Quentin Hua raised his brows but didn't pursue it further. He continued, "So from now on, if you see a man without clothes, you must close your eyes. Otherwise, you'll get a sty on your eye!" (In Chinese culture, 'sty' is a playful warning for children who peek at things they shouldn't.)
Roxy blinked, looking at him. Her gaze slowly drifted downward, and she reached out to touch him again, pouting, "Quentin, you really are good-looking! Why can't I look?"
Seeing her aggrieved expression, Quentin Hua cleared his throat and said with a straight face, "I'm an exception. You can look at me as much as you want, but not at other men, okay? Otherwise, not only will you get a sty on your eye, you won't get any candy!" He figured that threat would work best.
"Oh!" Roxy nodded, secretly amused. He said she could look as much as she wanted? Well, she wasn’t going to hold back!
Quentin Hua thought for a moment, then added anxiously, "And don't ever undress in front of other men! Any man who tries to take off your clothes is a bad person, so just knock him flat!"
Honestly, was he worrying too much? Roxy was only two years old—even if she took off her clothes, there wouldn’t be much to see!
Roxy nodded in apparent confusion, then hesitated, "Mother says hitting people is wrong. What if I break them?"
Quentin Hua snorted, "If anything happens, I’ll take care of it! Anyone who dares mess with you deserves worse!"
After this long-winded lesson, Roxy was finally carried to the table. Seeing the beautiful pastries, she brightened and bit into a soft cake, sighing inwardly—so men really are such chatterboxes! She decided never to complain about her brother being cold again!
Originally, Luna Ying wanted to find a private moment to ask Quentin Hua about Roxy Shangguan’s identity, but Quentin was always holding Roxy wherever he went. Unable to find a chance, Luna had to ask in front of Roxy.
Quentin Hua popped a candy into Roxy’s mouth before replying slowly, "Roxy is my final disciple. Is there a problem?"
Luna Ying was momentarily stunned, then shook her head. "No problem."
Roxy glanced at her and said sweetly, "Sister, don’t worry. I won’t cause Quentin any trouble!"
Luna Ying couldn’t help but smile, praising, "Roxy is truly sensible!" With a child this thoughtful, she’d be at ease if Roxy inherited the sect master’s position someday. She wondered about Roxy’s martial talent, but since the sect master valued her, she couldn’t be lacking.
At night, the mountaintop was very quiet, with only the sound of the wind whistling through.
Roxy sat up, hugging her quilt, and grumbled, "Quentin is so clueless, making me sleep alone!"
After sitting for a while, Roxy suddenly broke into a big smile, nimbly jumped out of bed, and dashed out of the room.
Feeling something soft crawling on his chest, Quentin Hua woke with a start. His hand instinctively shot out, but when he saw who was beside him, he quickly withdrew, his face darkening. "What are you doing here?" He was still a bit shaken—if he hadn’t stopped in time...
Seeing him angry, Roxy shrank back, her lips quivering and eyes brimming with tears. She timidly grabbed his arm and shook it, her voice trembling, "Quentin, do you not want me anymore?"
Looking at her, Quentin Hua’s heart ached, and all his anger instantly vanished.
He pulled her into his arms, feeling her body was cold. Quentin frowned, wrapped her tightly in the quilt, and seeing her still looking aggrieved, said helplessly, "I didn’t abandon you. It’s just dangerous, you know?" He forgot to wonder how Roxy had managed to sneak into his bed without him noticing.
Hearing this, Roxy immediately broke into a wide grin and planted a big kiss on his cheek. "Quentin, you’re the best!" As for the danger he mentioned, she ignored it completely.
Her sudden change of mood made Quentin Hua wonder if she’d really been upset at all.
Not wanting to dwell on it, Quentin reached out to pinch her little cheek and asked, "Why did you sneak into my room?"
It wasn’t that Quentin didn’t want to sleep with her, but Ethan Gray had said Roxy was used to sleeping alone. Although Quentin doubted Ethan’s motives, he remembered that Roxy was still a child. Having moved from the Ghost King's Manor to the Lotus Sect, and without her parents around, Quentin worried she might not adjust. He tried to make her new room as similar to her old one in the Ghost King's Manor as possible. He’d planned for her to sleep alone for a while, then gradually bring her to his own room. But to his surprise, on the very first night, she came running to him!
Roxy shifted and pouted, "I’m afraid of the dark. I want to sleep with you!"
Feeling her little hands tugging at his robe, Quentin Hua frowned, "Roxy?"