Chapter 21: The Goddaughter’s Secret

Dai Fanghua’s gaze settled on the bed by the window.

A small, delicate silhouette rose beneath the covers, a strand of deep chestnut hair escaping from the edge and fanning across the pillow.

She took two steps closer.

At that moment, the covers slipped slightly, revealing the beautiful girl’s half-profile. Her eyelashes were long and thick, her nose small and delicately upturned, and her lips, a soft cherry pink, parted slightly to release gentle breaths.

As Dai Fanghua watched, her heart swelled with an undeniable tenderness.

Instinctively, she reached out to touch the child’s cheek, but her fingers halted midway.

The other women in the room subtly sensed the shift in atmosphere.

Song Siyu’s gaze flickered between Dai Fanghua and Lin Shishi, her brows furrowing then relaxing.

Zhang Shulan adjusted her gold-rimmed glasses, her eyes behind the lenses gleaming with contemplation.

Meanwhile, Merlin, the quietly observant assistant, stood half a step behind Dai Fanghua.

It was almost impossible not to notice the uncanny resemblance between Dai Fanghua and Lin Shishi.

Their brow arches, the slope of their noses, the curve of their lips—all were identical, as if cast from the same mold. One was a mature, elegant version, the other a youthful, innocent one.

Yet, no one dared to voice it. An unspoken silence permeated the room, broken only by the faint hum of the air conditioner.

“She… she’s so adorable.”

After a long pause, Song Siyu cleared her throat, breaking the quiet.

Her words pulled a somewhat lost Dai Fanghua back to the present.

Queen Dai Fanghua straightened, nodding. “Indeed, very adorable.”

Her eyes remained fixed on Lin Shishi’s face, her voice imbued with an indescribable gentleness. “Speaking of which, I’d very much like to adopt her as my goddaughter.”

“Goddaughter?”

Everyone was stunned.

Song Siyu nearly stumbled.

Principal Zhang Shulan’s glasses slid down her nose, and she quickly pushed them up.

Merlin’s toe twitched imperceptibly.

Song Qinghuan, however, simply held her breath.

The next second, Queen Dai Fanghua suddenly raised a finger to her lips, making a ‘shush’ gesture.

She lowered her voice, saying, “However, I need to consider the implications of this matter. Before I officially acknowledge her as my goddaughter in public, I hope you can all keep this a secret. Additionally, I’d appreciate it if you could look after this girl within reasonable bounds.”

“Yes, absolutely.”

Zhang Shulan immediately nodded in agreement, her posture becoming even straighter.

Principal Zhang Shulan didn’t have many impressions of Lin Shishi, only remembering her as a quiet freshman from the School of Literature with average grades.

But from this moment on, she had a plan. She would retrieve Lin Shishi’s complete file, from family background to academic performance, from dorm assignments to course selections. This girl would receive special attention.

She even planned to arrange more staff to discreetly monitor Lin Shishi — not to invade her privacy, of course, but to protect her from being bullied. After all, this was the goddaughter the Queen Regent wished to acknowledge.

****

Deep down, as to whether she was a goddaughter or a biological daughter, they only dared to wonder.

“Perhaps we should wake her so she can speak with you?” Song Siyu suggested, her voice hushed as if fearing to disturb something.

Dai Fanghua smiled, a complex emotion playing on her lips.

She shook her head. “That’s enough for now. I’ll visit her again when I have time. She’s tired.”

But just then—

Lin Shishi suddenly mumbled from the bed.

She turned over in her sleep, the covers slipping to reveal a shoulder and a small patch of skin on her back.

Then, in a voice thick with sleep, soft and utterly unlike herself, she clearly stated, “Master, I really want you to punish me. I want you to spank my bottom again…”

The moment the words left her lips, the air in the entire dorm solidified.

Time seemed to stretch out severalfold.

Song Siyu’s fingers tightened on the arm she was holding.

Principal Zhang Shulan’s glasses slipped down again.

Merlin’s toe froze in place.

And Song Qinghuan’s face instantly turned ashen.

Then, something even more shocking occurred.

Lin Shishi, seemingly feeling hot, groggily threw off her covers.

The quilt slid away, her nightgown askew…

…

Song Qinghuan reacted the fastest.

She lunged forward, pressing down on the still half-asleep Lin Shishi and wrapping the girl in the quilt.

Then she turned, blocking everyone’s view. “Sh-she has a habit of talking nonsense.”

At that moment, Lin Shishi finally fully woke up.

Her eyes snapped open, beautiful pupils first filled with confusion, then astonishment, and finally, overwhelming shame.

She saw the many women who had suddenly appeared in the dorm — Song Siyu, Zhang Shulan, and even the beautiful, elegant woman who bore a striking resemblance to herself.

She instantly froze, her mind crashing.

Her brain went blank with a ‘boom’.

‘What just happened?’

‘What did I say?’

‘What did I do?’

Lin Shishi’s face flushed crimson at a visible pace, spreading from her cheeks to her earlobes, then to her neck, until even her collarbones turned pink.

She shrank into the quilt, only her eyes peeking out.

Queen Dai Fanghua was stunned for a long moment.

She was clearly shocked by what had just transpired — her daughter, the seemingly well-behaved and quiet daughter, actually had such… hobbies?

In that instant, Dai Fanghua felt a loss of face.

However, having weathered many storms, she knew this was not the time to embarrass her daughter further. She simply offered a faint smile, waved her hand, and said, “It’s nothing, nothing at all. Go back to sleep. I’ll find time to talk to you again another day.”

Then, Queen Dai Fanghua cast a complex glance at Song Qinghuan.

Her eyes held scrutiny, doubt, and an unreadable emotion.

They all understood who Lin Shishi’s “Master” referred to. In this four-person dorm, only Song Qinghuan stood by Lin Shishi’s bed at that moment, her face pale.

Dai Fanghua gently paced over to Song Qinghuan.

She leaned close to Song Qinghuan’s ear, her voice barely a whisper, and said softly, “If she was talking about you… be a little kinder to her in the future. When you punish her… be a little gentler…”

“I really didn’t bully her!”

Song Qinghuan was on the verge of tears.

“She… she wanted it herself!”

Dai Fanghua made the ‘shush’ gesture again.

She whispered softly, “This is your secret; don’t speak it aloud. Remember, her future status will be very precious. You must preserve her dignity.”

Song Qinghuan nodded frantically, like a pecking chick.

‘Good heavens,’ she thought to herself. ‘It looks like little Shishi is going to rise in prominence. The Queen Regent’s goddaughter — once this identity is revealed, all of Yugang University will surely erupt!’

Then, Dai Fanghua smiled and turned, walking towards the door.

Principal Zhang Shulan quickly made way for her.

Song Siyu deliberately lingered behind as she passed Song Qinghuan.

She glared fiercely at Song Qinghuan, her gaze as sharp as a knife.

Everyone exited the dorm room together.

After Dai Fanghua’s figure vanished around the corridor’s bend, Song Siyu suddenly reached out, pulled Song Qinghuan behind the door, and whispered, “You little pervert, how could you treat your roommate like that?”

Song Qinghuan wailed, “What little pervert? The real pervert is Lin Shishi!—”

But the words were barely out before Song Siyu clapped a hand over her mouth.

She leaned in even closer, her voice almost a breath. “Even if she’s a pervert, you can’t say it, understand? — Regardless, she’s going to be Her Majesty the Queen’s goddaughter. Can a goddaughter be a pervert? No. So it can only be you who’s the pervert, got it?”

Having been scolded by her ‘dad’, Song Qinghuan could only nod desperately.

Song Siyu released her hand and continued, “However, it’s a good thing Her Majesty doesn’t seem particularly repulsed by this behavior. So, even if she’s a pervert in the future, be clear-headed when you ‘punish’ her — don’t leave such obvious marks, understood?”

Song Qinghuan nodded again.

‘What the hell is going on?’ Song Qinghuan thought to herself. ‘I encountered a little pervert, and now I’ve ended up becoming the pervert myself.’

****

Soon, accompanied by Song Siyu and Zhang Shulan, Dai Fanghua departed from Yugang University.

Her black sedan silently glided into the night.

Song Siyu sat in the back seat of the car, fine beads of sweat already forming on her forehead.

She pulled out a tissue and gently dabbed her skin, her fingertips trembling slightly.

It had to be said, the Queen Regent was usually dignified, and today’s sudden “visit” had subjected her to unavoidable pressure.

What alarmed her even more was that she seemed to have inadvertently glimpsed some of the Queen’s unknown secrets.

‘Would I be silenced in the future?’

‘Would my daughter be silenced?’

Song Siyu grew more frightened the more she thought about it.

However…

If this “little princess” truly grew fond of her daughter in the future, then she might just become a member of the royal family.

Wouldn’t that be a good thing?

With these complicated feelings, Song Siyu also returned to her home.

****

Quiet returned to the dorm room.

“What just happened?”

Lin Shishi covered her face, her voice muffled and heavily nasal, leaking through her fingers.

The girl was like a startled rabbit, her mind instantly clearing from the shock, her entire body feeling no longer her own.

Therefore, she had barely registered anything of what had just transpired — how many people came, what they looked like, what they said. All the details were blurry, like looking through frosted glass.

But one thing she remembered clearly: she had said things she shouldn’t have, done things she shouldn’t have. Those shameful words, and… and those marks on her body.

“Idiot! Moron! You sold me out, you know that?!”

Song Qinghuan stomped her feet, beginning to rage in the room.

Lin Shishi jumped, quickly throwing off the covers and getting out of bed.

She hugged Song Qinghuan’s thigh.

“I’m sorry, it was my fault… Little pet begs Sister Qinghuan… ah, no… Master, for punishment.”

Song Qinghuan chuckled.

She actually found it amusing.

She bent down, reaching out to gently pull Lin Shishi’s twin ponytails.

She tugged slightly, forcing Lin Shishi to look up.

Their eyes met.

Song Qinghuan saw her own face reflected in Lin Shishi’s eyes, along with a full, almost overflowing, dependence and plea. A strange feeling suddenly welled up within her — a sense of control, and an… indescribable satisfaction.

“Come and serve me.”

Then, Song Qinghuan leaned in, her lips brushing Lin Shishi’s ear.

“I want you for life,” Song Qinghuan said, word by word, her voice as light as a whisper, yet as heavy as a vow, “to be my little pet.”

Lin Shishi closed her eyes, her long eyelashes casting fan-shaped shadows on her eyelids.

She nodded softly, her voice as faint as a mosquito’s buzz: “Yes.”