Chapter 1577: Old Enemies in Narrow Path

"What’s wrong?" Zhao Li Xin asked when he noticed the change in her face.

Lory immediately locked her phone and gave him a reassuring smile. After that, she put her phone back in her pocket. "

I’m fine," she answered briefly.

But the look in her eyes made it clear that now wasn’t the time to explain. She turned back to Toby, who was staring at her with wide, curious eyes. Without warning, Lory reached out and pinched his cheek.

"You should know this place is dangerous, right?" she said gently. "So, why did you come here again? What if those bad guys return? You could get hurt," she make have said in a joking tone, but the truth is, she was really worried for the little boy’s safety.

She gave his cheek a light tug. "If you get hurt, who will take care of Snowy? What about your parents?"

"Ouch!" Toby rubbed his cheek, which had already turned red. "Don’t pinch my cheek! I’m a man, you know!"

"Oh?" Lory lifted a brow. "Even if you’re a man, if you’re naughty, you still need to be punished." She pinched his other cheek. Now both cheeks were equally red.

"Ooouch! Stop it!" Toby protested, but Lory only laughed softly, clearly amused by his reaction.

Seeing the boy’s puffed cheeks turn the color of ripe apples, she finally burst into laughter.

Toby glared at her with an aggrieved expression, feeling terribly wronged.

At last, Lory patted his head. "Alright, alright. My fault. I’m sorry, okay?" she said, barely suppressing another chuckle.

"Hmph." Toby raised his chin proudly. "I forgive you since you’re pretty." ℯ𝓵.

Lory laughed again. This kid’s antics were strangely entertaining.

"It’s getting late," she said, glancing at the sky that had begun to darken. "You should go home now."

"Oh!" Toby suddenly remembered something. "Right!" Then he looked at Lory expectantly. "Pretty lady, do you want to come to my house?"

Lory gave him an apologetic smile. "Um..Maybe not today."

"Oh..." Toby looked disappointed, but he didn’t push further.

He turned and walked away, but then Lory noticed something odd about the boy’s gait. His body was leaning slightly to one side, and he seemed to be dragging one of his feet. It wasn’t very obvious, but Lory, being a keen observer, easily noticed it.

"Toby, wait," she called.

The boy turned back. "Yes?"

"Did you hurt your leg?" Lory asked.

He wondered if he had twisted the facts earlier when Zhao Li Xin scared him; if so, then this would be their responsibility.

Toby’s face turned red with embarrassment. "No... it’s an old injury," he admitted reluctantly. "Mom said I fell when I was a baby, so..."

Then he quickly added, "B-but I’m still the fastest runner among my friends!" It was obvious he didn’t want anyone to pity him.

Lory’s expression softened. She knew that in many countries, medical care wasn’t easily accessible. Some families simply couldn’t afford proper treatment.

It was very different from Harland, where healthcare was widely available.

Looking at Toby, who is cheerful, enthusiastic, and full of spirit, despite having a small disability, Lory feels it is a shame if such a small thing as this would limit his future.

If he had been born in Harland, this would have been easily treated long ago.

"I know you’re great," Lory said gently. "Come here for a moment."

For reasons he couldn’t explain, Toby trusted her instinctively. Something about her voice and gentle eyes made him feel safe.

"Sit here." Lory pointed to a flat rock near her.

Toby sat down obidiently, despite not knowing why Lory asked him that, still he believed she would never hurt him. Zhao Li Xin watched quietly from the side, as he had already guessed what Lory intended to do, but he said nothing.

If Lory wished to do something, he had no reason to stop her.

"Close your eyes," Lory said with a playful grin, rubbing her hands together.

Toby obeyed without asking any questions, and Lory found his obedience both amusing and a little concerning. Such a trusting, innocent boy deserved a better future. She knew she couldn’t help every good child in the world, but at the very least, she could help the one fate had placed before her.

A moment later, even with his eyes closed, Toby noticed a faint glow illuminating the darkness behind his eyelids. He didn’t know where the light came from, but it felt warm and gentle, wrapping around him in a strange sense of comfort. He didn’t have the right words to explain, cause this is unlike anything he had ever experienced before.

Soon after, he felt a soft warmth spreading around his leg. It reminded him of the feeling when he soaked his legs in warm water after running too much; it was a pleasant and soothing sensation, but this sensation was far better.

Then a strange tingling began to stir in his injured foot. It prickled lightly at first, like tiny sparks dancing under his skin. A few moments later, it felt as though something inside him had suddenly opened up.

Warmth flowed through his leg, smooth and steady, and the dull heaviness that had always lingered there slowly disappeared.

For the first time in his life, his legs felt light, comfortable...free. He had never felt this good before.

Not long after the light gradually disappeared, later on, he heard the woman’s soft voice, "You can open your eyes now."

Toby blinked in confusion, unsure of what had just happened. He looked at Lory with a questioning gaze, but she said nothing, only returning his look with a gentle smile.

"Alright, you should go home now," she said softly. "Your parents and Snowy must be waiting for you."

Still puzzled, Toby glanced up at the sky. Only then did he realize that it had already begun to grow dark.

His eyes widened in alarm. If he went home late, his father would definitely scold him again, and he hadn’t even fed Snowy yet!

"Oh no!" Toby hurriedly jumped to his feet, but the moment he landed, he paused, something... felt different.

He slowly looked down at his feet, confusion written all over his face. Why did they suddenly feel so light? To make sure, Toby stomped his foot a few times.

Then his movements froze, his eyes widened in utter shock. His feet didn’t feel aching anymore, nor it feel heavy. But, how could it be? He instantly threw a shocking gaze at Lory.

’Could it be?’

Lory pressed a finger to her lips. "Let’s keep this our little secret, alright."

Toby agape, he wanted to say something, but his words caught in his throat. He had heard that healers charged enormous fees. His father could never afford such treatment, which was why his leg had never been fixed.

Yet this woman had healed him without asking for anything, "Mi...miss, are you—" his voice trembled.

"It’s nothing," Lory said nonchalantly, "Go home now, Toby."

Toby knew the woman didn’t want to reveal her secret, and that was understandable. He wiped away the tears that were beginning to well up in his eyes. He wouldn’t ask any more questions. He remembered his father had often warned him about this, that he should curb his curiosity. His father had once reminded him, ’Curiosity killed the cat.’

Although he was sure that this couple would not harm him, it was true that they seemed to be hiding a lot of secrets; nevertheless, he believed that they must be good people.

Toby suddenly turned and ran toward home. But after only a few steps, he stopped, turned back, and waved his hand energetically.

"If you ever get bored with that man, you can come find me anytime!"

Then he dashed off in a hurry without waiting for a reply.

Lory stood there, stunned for a moment, before bursting out laughing.

Beside her, Zhao Li Xin snorted in disdain. "Annoying child."

"Really?" Lory tilted her head and grinned. "I think he’s quite cute."

Zhao Li Xin let out another loud snort.

Lory laughed again at his reaction, clearly enjoying this rare, adorably jealous moment from her usually elegant and composed husband.

She slipped her fingers into his and gave his hand a light squeeze.

"Come on," she said. "We should go. We need to think through all this new information." The teasing smile on her face slowly faded, replaced by a faint trace of concern.

Zhao Li Xin immediately understood what was troubling her. If the enemy was using those two companies to carry out their plans, then the real question was, how far had they already gone? And what exactly were those companies being used for?