Chapter 374: The Umbilical Cord in the Door Crack

"Hey, hey, don't run off!"

Lin Xingjie dashed down the stairs from the hallway and was making her way to the front door when her mother, who had been lying in wait in the living room, caught her red-handed.

Mrs. Lin seized the little girl's collar like one would snatch a rabbit and pulled the would-be escapee to her side.

"What's going on? Where do you think you're going?"

"I… I'm going out to play!"

Lin Xingjie shrank her neck guiltily, relying on a loud response to bolster her courage.

"At this hour?" Lin Suya glanced outside, where the shapes of branches were smeared into menacing shadows by the dim light of dusk. "Your dad and Uncle Meng are talking over there, don't disturb them."

"This… They have their talk, and I have my play, what's the big deal!"

When the little girl heard that the two men were busy, she suddenly felt emboldened; she grew more vehement and defiant as she spoke,

"But it's getting too late now."

Lin Suya hesitated.