Chapter 38

At that moment, Hu Shuli happened to walk in. Seeing her son finally learn to roll over, she couldn’t help but wonder if it was just her imagination, but the way the little kitten beside him lay there, gently nodding its head, really looked like an elder watching a younger generation with a pleased expression.

She just didn’t know how her father would react when he came home from work and found out that his precious grandson had learned to roll over not with his help, but under the guidance of a cat. Would he dock the kitten’s daily portion of canned food?

An An and the little kitten lay together on the soft carpet. An An unintentionally placed his tiny hand over the kitten’s paw. The kitten, which had been dozing with half-closed eyes, glanced at him, then, thinking itself very sneaky, subtly retracted its paw and pressed it onto An An’s little hand instead.

An An had only randomly placed his hand over, but the kitten’s deliberate action sparked his competitive spirit. He pulled his hand back and pressed it down on the kitten’s paw again, then used his other hand to gently tug at the kitten’s ear.

The kitten drooped its ears in silent surrender, turned its head to the side, and simply chose to ignore the situation—out of sight, out of mind.

Watching this scene, Hu Shuli couldn’t help but find it amusing. She had heard people say that two- or three-year-old children were so mischievous that even cats and dogs found them annoying.

But her An An wasn’t even six months old yet, and he was already about the same as a two- or three-year-old.

Once he learned to roll over for the first time, it became much easier to do it again. An An even started rolling around on the fluffy carpet and, without anyone teaching him, began trying to crawl.

Ever since the kitten arrived at their home, it had known who its little master was. A trainer who specialized in teaching cats and dogs had worked with it, making it much gentler and completely non-aggressive.

Besides, An An was still very young, and the lifespans of humans and cats were not the same. According to the child-rearing expert, the kitten had likely come to see An An as a baby it needed to take care of.

In other words, it had taken on the role of An An’s elder.

That day, Hu Shuli was in the upstairs study handling some matters. After noticing her father’s aging, she wanted to help share his workload. Mr. Hu was more than happy to hand over some documents to his daughter to give her some experience.

Working from home meant no rush from a boss, and when she got tired, she could take breaks to spend time with her child. Hu Shuli found her days fulfilling and satisfying.

As An An grew, he remained well-behaved, but he had started doing things that left Hu Shuli at a loss for words—though he himself had no awareness of his mischief.

After causing trouble, he would innocently reach out to his mother for a hug, looking so pure and clueless that Hu Shuli couldn’t bring herself to scold him at all.

That day, after finishing up her paperwork, Hu Shuli had the driver deliver the documents to her father’s company. She stretched lazily in the courtyard before heading off to check on her son.

In the playroom, the childcare worker was tidying up the toys. To help children develop focus, as long as An An wasn’t in danger, the caregivers wouldn’t interfere with his activities.

At the moment, An An was half-reclining against a soft stuffed animal, holding the kitten in his arms. From behind, the scene looked incredibly warm and harmonious. But when Hu Shuli walked closer and saw what was happening, a vein on her forehead twitched in frustration.

An An was holding the kitten with one hand, while the other hand gripped his bottle—pressing the nipple of the bottle against the kitten’s mouth. The kitten, using its paws to push the bottle away, was clearly resisting.

“An An!”

His mother’s voice startled An An so much that his body flinched. When he saw her standing not far away, he instinctively tried to hide the bottle to the side.

Hu Shuli couldn’t help but laugh at the sight. So, this little guy actually knew that some of the things he did would get him scolded? She walked over, crouched in front of An An, and gently pinched his nose.

“If you give your milk to the cat, can you still drink it yourself?”

Saying that, she took the bottle and moved to feed An An instead. But for some reason, despite being so young, this little guy was already a neat freak.

He only ever fussed when his diaper was wet, showing mild displeasure, and after drinking milk, he would even lift his chin expectantly, waiting for someone to wipe his mouth.

Before the bottle even reached his lips, An An instinctively leaned back, hunching his shoulders and expertly putting on a pitiful expression.

“The kitty has its own milk powder. You can’t use your bottle for it, okay?”

“Meow.”

The kitten curled itself into a ball, even tucking its tail in tightly, fully guarding against the quick-handed little boy.

With the kitten as a companion, An An had become noticeably more lively and cheerful. Though he could be a little mischievous at times, it was still within Hu Shuli’s acceptable range.

When Mr. Hu heard from his daughter that An An had learned to roll over by watching the kitten and was now starting to crawl, he did feel a little disheartened at first. But he quickly adjusted his mindset.

At the end of the day, learning to roll over was a good thing.

At this stage, children love to touch everything. They are no longer satisfied with just looking but prefer to explore the world with their hands.

Every day, Hu Shuli would hold An An on the sofa, with a nanny nearby preparing various toys—colorful and in all sorts of strange shapes.

She would pick up a toy and hand it to An An. His tiny, fair hands would carefully touch it bit by bit, his expression showing deep focus and enjoyment.

The living room was filled with soft, soothing music. A bouquet of fresh flowers, arranged by Hu Shuli herself, sat on a table nearby, their faint fragrance lingering in the air.

With the curtains drawn open, the sunlight streaming in made the floating dust particles in the air distinctly visible, creating an oddly calming effect.

Hu Shuli stared at An An’s few strands of fine baby hair, which looked slightly frizzy in the sunlight. She leaned in and gently nuzzled him with her nose. An An, already familiar with this game, rubbed his fluffy little head back against her before turning his attention to the next toy.

The little kitten was lying on another sofa, sleeping soundly. The warm sunlight made it feel incredibly comfortable, and it even let out a purring sound.

…

After being thrown out last time, Song Yushu was, of course, unwilling to accept defeat. His encounter with Hu Shuli was not a coincidence but a result of his careful planning. What seemed like a romantic meeting was actually orchestrated by him.

Later, when Hu Shuli sensed something was wrong and wanted to leave, Song Yushu acted according to the values instilled in him since childhood—he forced her into a relationship with him.

In his mind, as long as they had a physical relationship, Hu Shuli would never be able to escape from him.

When the wounds on his face had just scabbed over, making him look pitiful, he came to see Hu Shuli again. Unfortunately for him, Mr. Hu had already informed the security guards in advance, and he couldn’t even get past the gate.

Song Yushu stood there, staring inside for a long time. It was the first time he truly realized the vast gap between himself and these people.

He stood in silence, fully aware that no matter how hard he worked in his lifetime, he might never be qualified to live in such a place.

For most people, realizing such a gap might make them feel defeated, leading them to give up.

But Song Yushu was different. Instead of wanting to give up, his ambition only grew stronger.

Clenching the gift he had bought for that child, he turned and left. Before getting into the car, he glanced back one last time.

One day, he would live there too.

That evening, when Mr. Hu returned home, he heard about the incident from the security guards. His daughter had previously mentioned the idea of temporarily settling abroad, and now the thought resurfaced in his mind.

At his age, he wasn’t particularly eager to leave, and he knew very well that Lili was a homebody. If they didn’t have to leave, it would be best to stay.

But in this circle, Mr. Hu had seen too many men who had no real ability but still dreamed of using their wives to climb to the top—those ungrateful “phoenix men.”¹

Aspiring to a better life wasn’t wrong, but using the wrong means was disgusting.

Mr. Hu couldn’t bear to see his beloved daughter being used as a stepping stone by someone who had no real affection for her.

That night at the dinner table, Mr. Hu brought up the idea again, but he didn’t mention that man’s visit.

He only said that their overseas branch had sent word that they urgently needed someone to take charge.

Mr. Hu held traditional views, but from what he had heard from friends, the environment abroad was much more open. He hoped that by changing her surroundings, his daughter could break free from the darkness of her past.

“Dad, can An’an take a plane?”

“Yes. My personal assistant will handle all the arrangements. You only need to pack what you want to take with you.”

“What about the cat? If An’an sees that we moved but didn’t bring his kitten along, he’ll definitely be upset.”

After spending so much time together, there was already a strong bond. Hu Shuli had spent less time with An’an than the cat had.

If Hu Shuli hadn’t insisted otherwise, An’an would have happily let the kitten sleep beside him every night.

“Pet transportation shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Dad, when do you think we should leave?”

“The sooner, the better. There’s a lot to take care of over there, and if we go too late, it might be hard to catch up.”

This time, Mr. Hu was truly afraid. The master’s words had already unsettled him, and now, seeing that man again only made him more anxious.

From start to finish, Mr. Hu had never wanted his daughter to compromise and be with that man. No matter how great his so-called future achievements were, they didn’t matter.

Just by looking at his face, Mr. Hu could tell he was a philanderer. And with a mother like that…

Dating could be impulsive—as long as two people loved each other, they could overcome anything.

But marriage was different. It was the union of two families, and the character of the in-laws mattered.

Mr. Hu didn’t demand that the man abandon the mother who had given birth to and raised him. He simply wanted his daughter to have a reasonable, easygoing mother-in-law.

“Lili, think about it. If you become like that woman who came to our house that day, who would want to marry our little An’an in the future?”

Mr. Hu had started to grasp how to communicate with his daughter. When it came to herself, she might not care, but if it involved An’an, her thinking became much clearer.

Hu Shuli’s movements slowed noticeably at those words. Just imagining it made her uncomfortable.

Even though she had a son, she could still put herself in another’s shoes. If she had a daughter, she wouldn’t want her to have such a difficult mother-in-law.

In that moment, she suddenly understood her father’s intentions. She couldn’t help but feel both amused and exasperated.

Did her father really see her as so unreasonable that she couldn’t even grasp such a simple truth?

“Dad, I’ll ask the housekeeper to help me pack later. We should leave as soon as possible.”

Whenever she encountered Song Yushu, she became unlike herself. During that time, she felt like a drunken person—fully conscious yet watching everything unfold as if from an outsider’s perspective.

“Good.”

They soon left the country. Mr. Hu made all the necessary arrangements in the shortest time possible, determined to focus on developing their overseas branch for the foreseeable future.

When An’an was carried away, he was still in a daze, completely unaware of what was happening. It felt just like the many times before when his mother had taken him out to play. Seeing that the cat was also beside him, his clean, bright eyes lit up even more, and his mood was obviously very happy.

During the long flight, An’an didn’t make a fuss and slept the entire time, though he seemed a bit sluggish and lacking in energy.

The house on the other side had already been arranged in advance by Mr. Hu’s assistant, set up as much as possible according to their preferences. As soon as they arrived, they collapsed onto the beds, too exhausted to think about anything else.

Fortunately, there was also a hired childcare specialist here, so there was no need to worry about An’an. Mr. Hu and Hu Shuli both took a satisfying nap.

When they arrived, the country was experiencing a heavy snowfall, much heavier than any snow Hu Shuli had ever seen back home.

The nanny carried An’an to the glass window, and as he watched the swirling snowflakes outside, he remained quiet, occasionally gnawing on his little hands.

Luckily, although Mr. Hu was getting older, he exercised regularly and didn’t need too much time to adjust to the new environment. He quickly got into work mode.

He had always had a sharp business acumen in his younger days, and even in his old age, he hadn’t lost his edge.

In his eyes, the local branch of the company had great development potential. It even gave him a momentary feeling of reliving the passion of his early days of hard work.

Hu Shuli did not try to escape from this new setting. Instead, she quickly joined her father in work, and she visibly became much more confident in the workplace.

An’an, still too young, could only stay at home, but with the little cat’s company, he wasn’t too bored. Apart from the cat being a bit lazy, everything was fine.

This little cat had long gotten used to taking care of this human baby. In order to teach him how to crawl, it even humbled itself by bending its legs and carefully crawling on the ground.

An’an watched the little cat’s movements and nodded as if he understood. Then, he started imitating it. The system, observing from its space, grew slightly anxious.

Wanting to learn how to crawl was fine, but… there was no need for his hands to bend like the cat’s.

Meanwhile, back home, Hu Shuli’s younger uncle was still unmarried. At this point in time, his fiancée had already been drawn to Song Yushu’s extraordinary aura, and their relationship was heating up. She had begun using cold violence in an attempt to force her fiancé into submission.

Looking back at An’an, who wasn’t even crawling properly and was already panting after just a few attempts, the system sighed helplessly as the childcare specialist handed him a bottle of formula.

Such a tiny baby—no matter how much the system revealed the truth to him, there was nothing he could do about it.

Right now, things were only just starting to spark. The two were still in a period of emotional ambiguity, and their actions weren’t obvious. If someone called them just friends, it wouldn’t seem unreasonable.

It wouldn’t be until next year, after an unexpected incident, that the younger uncle’s fiancée would realize she had long fallen in love with Song Yushu.

The system knew that An’an probably couldn’t understand what it was trying to convey, but that didn’t stop it from occasionally mumbling about mission-related matters in front of him.

At first, little An’an found it noisy, but later, he gradually got used to it. After making the cat angry once, he even started taking the initiative to chat with the system.

Their life here gradually settled down. Hu Shuli adapted to the new environment and regained confidence in her career. The sense of achievement she felt from having control over her own life was far more satisfying than any emotional fulfillment.

One day, Mr. Hu had the household chef prepare a grand dinner to celebrate their settling down in this new place.

By now, An’an’s diet could include some supplementary foods, and his gums had started to itch. Previously, he had been content just touching everything, but now he had moved on to gnawing on anything he could get his hands on.

After being bitten on the paw twice, the little cat had become more vigilant and now kept an eye open whenever it was around An’an.

An’an wasn’t chewing things just for the sake of it—it was just that his gums were unbearably itchy, and biting something helped relieve the discomfort.

The nanny became even more diligent about disinfecting his toys. Nearly every toy in the house had been in his mouth at some point. But children’s hands were too quick—even if she kept her eyes on him constantly, she was still always a step too slow.

That evening, An’an was placed at the dining table. As he caught the aroma of the food, he started drooling. He clumsily grabbed a tissue to wipe his mouth, but the drool kept coming, and he kept wiping.

In front of him, however, were still only fruit puree and formula milk. The moment these were placed before him, his previously excited face immediately fell, and he let out soft whimpers of protest.

He turned his head and glanced at the cat sitting nearby—even it had someone opening a canned meal for it!

“When you get a little older, you’ll be able to eat whatever you want,” Hu Shuli coaxed when she noticed her son’s unhappiness.

This little guy could now understand most of what they said. The parts he didn’t understand were likely just things he didn’t want to hear, selectively playing dumb.

She could see right through his little thoughts, but she never exposed them. Watching An’an smugly think he was clever was actually quite adorable.

An’an clutched a spoon in one hand, trying to bring the fruit puree to his mouth, while holding the milk bottle in the other.

Mr. Hu was in an excellent mood today. Several of his business partners had praised his daughter’s outstanding abilities, and for a father, such compliments were even more gratifying than praise for himself.

He had someone bring out some red wine, intending to have a good drink with his daughter that evening.

Hu Shuli didn’t refuse, and when they clinked glasses, she didn’t forget about the little one drinking milk.

The moment they toasted, An’an had been staring at them intently. When his mother and grandfather lowered their glasses toward him, he hesitated, then tentatively clinked his milk bottle against theirs.

“Come on, cheers~”

After dinner, Hu Shuli held An An in her arms, unwilling to let go. Although she had spent significantly less time with him recently, it did not affect An An’s natural clinginess in the slightest.

As long as she had time to accompany him, he would always eagerly reach out his little hands toward her.

For little An An, tonight was nothing short of bliss. His mother could stay with him for a long, long time, and even the little kitten finally had a chance to rest, lazily lying there and swaying its tail.

Unexpectedly, in the next second, Mr. Hu, who had just finished a phone call, scooped him up and carried him out to the courtyard to find his daughter and grandson.

The call was from back home. The butler informed him that Song Yushu had come looking for them multiple times again. The reason for today’s call was that Song Yushu’s mother had fallen ill.

When Song Yushu came over, he said that his mother missed the child so much that she had become sick. If possible, he hoped Hu Shuli could take the child to visit his grandmother.

The butler did not know how to handle such a situation properly. If he did not manage it well, it could easily result in an awkward predicament where no one was satisfied.

Mr. Hu was very firm in his stance. However, he also knew that if he changed his mind later and found out the butler had made a decision on his behalf, he might just fire him on the spot.

Mr. Hu did not believe a single word the butler relayed. That old woman from that family—he still vividly remembered how vicious she looked when she last laid hands on An An. He had no doubt that if An An had not been so small, she would have taken a stick and ruthlessly beaten his hands.

After what happened, how could she possibly genuinely care for his grandson? Let alone be so heartbroken from missing the child that she fell ill? That was utterly ridiculous.

Mr. Hu had no intention of telling his daughter about this. He knew very well that the daughter he had personally raised was too kind-hearted. Li Li would be angry with Song Yushu and dissatisfied with his mother, but she would never be cold-hearted enough to ignore her in her time of illness.

Whenever he thought of this, Mr. Hu could not help but regret teaching his daughter to be too kind. Such a soft-hearted nature was too easy for others to exploit.

Outside, Hu Shuli was humming a song while An An nestled in her arms, listening intently. His curled lashes fluttered as he blinked. When he noticed his grandfather approaching, he happily waved his little hands.

“Dad, is something wrong?”

“No, just got a call from the butler. He said your uncles from your grandfather’s side are planning to visit in the twelfth lunar month. They want to have a meal together to celebrate the New Year as a family.”

Mr. Hu was enjoying his carefree life abroad, free from any worries, but there were always people back home who felt sorry for them.

Her uncles all said that Li Li was still so young, yet she had to spend the New Year in a foreign country. No matter what, they had to come visit her and bring the red envelopes that were meant for the New Year.

And An An—last time, they had rushed to prepare his first meeting gift, and it had not been formal enough. They intended to make up for it this time.

“My uncles are coming? That’s great.”

“Yeah, they all said they wanted to come and see you and An An.”

“Ya?”

The little one, who had been spacing out, instinctively looked over upon hearing his name. Mr. Hu reached into his pocket and pulled out a small biscuit, handing it to him.

After checking with the childcare expert that it was fine for An An to eat, Mr. Hu gave it to him. It was An An’s first time trying such a thing, and his eyes were full of curiosity.

Holding the unwrapped biscuit in his little hand, he tried hard to bite into it, but with no teeth yet, he could only manage to taste a bit of the flavor.

Mr. Hu also opened a can of cat food for the kitten. Seeing both the child and the kitten eating happily, he felt an unprecedented sense of ease and contentment.

“Li Li, about the cooperation proposal we discussed this afternoon—I feel there are still some aspects that could be improved.”

Hu Shuli could tell that her father was deliberately testing her with this remark. She thought about it seriously, then nodded in agreement.

“I think so too. For example…”

As they discussed work matters, the little one, who could not understand a word but still wanted to listen, grew sleepier and sleepier. He was still clutching the biscuit in his hand, but he had already fallen asleep.

Mr. Hu had extensive business experience, and under his deliberate guidance, Hu Shuli’s eyes grew brighter as she spoke. When she finished, she felt an exhilarating sense of accomplishment.

She was about to continue when she caught sight of the little one fast asleep in her arms, his slightly open lips gently closing again.

Adjusting her posture to make An An more comfortable, Hu Shuli had a fleeting thought—was it just her imagination, or had the child put on quite a bit of weight since coming abroad?

“Li Li, I saw our neighbor’s Labrador yesterday. It was a beautiful dog. I think we should consider getting one for An An to grow up with.”

They had not yet fully integrated into the local social circles, and children needed playmates. In Mr. Hu’s opinion, a single, overly intelligent kitten was simply not enough.

“Let’s wait for the weekend. We can take An An to pick one out together.”

“Alright.”

Hu Shuli had no objections to this and simply followed her father’s lead. After bidding him goodnight, she carried An An into the bedroom.

No matter how much the little one loved being in her arms, there was no denying that the bed was much more comfortable for sleeping.

The little kitten trailed behind her and curled up in its own bed on the other side of the room.

Standing there, Hu Shuli watched An An’s sleeping face for a long time. Before she even left, the little kitten had already dozed off. The sound of the child’s steady breathing mixed with the kitten’s soft purring, creating an inexplicable sense of peace.

There were moments when she was uncertain about her choices and doubted if she had made the right decisions. But every time she wavered, looking at An An would always reaffirm her resolve.

What she wanted was the healthy, slightly mischievous little one in front of her, who sometimes gave her headaches—not a sickly child. She hoped her child would grow up strong and healthy.

As An’an slept, he seemed to sense something. When he adjusted his position, he mumbled something that sounded like “Mom.”

…

Mr. Hu had always been highly efficient. That weekend, he took An’an to a place where they could see Labrador puppies, allowing the little one to choose a companion for himself.

Labradors have gentle temperaments and are excellent companion dogs. The puppies available were at the perfect age to bring home.

An’an pointed at the one he thought looked the easiest to chew on. The chosen puppy was brought in front of him, lying down and trembling slightly as it observed its surroundings with a hint of fear in its eyes.

After locking eyes with An’an, the puppy visibly calmed down.

“It seems to have a bond with our An’an,” Mr. Hu commented casually, choosing this puppy to bring home.

Though he hadn’t been here for long, his mindset had already begun to change. He used to think that a child needed proper human friends, but now he felt that perhaps, in An’an’s world, pets were his best companions.

Just like that little kitten before—its crawling posture had never even been corrected.

The puppy was also entrusted to professionals for initial care, so An’an couldn’t get too close to it yet. However, he could visit it every day with the kitten, watching it grow little by little.

There was no Spring Festival tradition in this place; their most important holiday was Christmas. But for Mr. Hu and Hu Shuli, Spring Festival was the most sacred holiday in their hearts.

As the festival approached, they prepared many decorations for their home. Being away from their homeland made these little touches even more important in fostering a sense of belonging.

Half a month before the Spring Festival, Hu Shuli’s three uncles and two aunts arrived in the country. They were all family and had some understanding of the circumstances that had forced this move.

Many people didn’t believe in such things, but that didn’t stop them from feeling a sense of awe. Psychological influences often led people to unconsciously connect events to these beliefs.

To those unaware, it seemed like Mr. Hu was an old man needlessly making things difficult for himself. But those who knew the truth understood that his actions weren’t wrong.

If the same thing had happened to them, they might have made the same choice.

Hu Shuli’s grandmother wanted to visit her, but she was simply too old, and such a long journey would be unsafe. While she couldn’t come in person, she sent many handmade gifts instead.

When Hu Shuli saw her relatives from her grandmother’s side, she felt nothing in particular. But the moment she saw the gifts her grandmother had prepared for her, tears nearly welled up in her eyes.

An’an, who was beside her, noticed that his mother’s eyes had turned red. He stretched out his tiny hand, wanting to wipe them for her, but he couldn’t reach.

His little hand waved frantically in the air, drawing everyone’s attention. Then, they saw Hu Shuli squatting down, tearing open the gifts with reddened eyes.

Mr. Hu walked over, crouched beside his daughter, and gently patted her shoulder.

“When things settle down here, let’s go back and visit your grandmother, alright?”

An’an babbled in agreement from the side. But the uncle holding him was completely clueless and didn’t think to carry him over to his mother, making the little one so anxious that he kicked his feet in frustration.

Hu Shuli sniffled and nodded slightly. She wasn’t usually this sentimental, but seeing how much effort her grandmother had put into preparing these gifts had overwhelmed her.

Just then, her grandmother called via video chat. The moment her grandmother’s voice came through, Hu Shuli’s tears, which she had been holding back, finally fell.

“Oh, Lili, don’t cry,” her grandmother clumsily tried to comfort her.

At this moment, the second granduncle finally realized what An’an was so eager about and carried him over to Hu Shuli.

Seeing his mother cry made An’an anxious. He used his tiny hands to wipe her tears away.

Hu Shuli, upon seeing even her son trying to comfort her, forced a small smile.

Once he was sure his mother had stopped crying, An’an turned his head and wiped the tears from his hands onto the uncle’s coat.

After ensuring his hands were clean, he started wriggling around with a disgusted expression, struggling to get his grandfather to carry him farther away.

The little one’s dramatic expressions instantly lightened the atmosphere in the room, making even Hu Shuli feel less sad.

Hu Shuli’s grandmother had prepared many gifts, even one for An’an—a tiger-head hat clearly meant for him.

In her grandmother’s hometown, there was a tradition that children under a year old had to wear red or green hats embroidered with auspicious symbols, wishing them a safe and smooth life.

That evening, when the family gathered together, Hu Shuli put the hat on An’an.

An’an’s skin was already fair, his chubby milk-white face irresistibly cute. The green hat made him look even more delicate, like a freshly peeled egg.

The great-aunts all crowded around, eager to plant kisses on him, but the little one refused to let them.

Later that night, as they sat on the sofa chatting after dinner, An’an, sitting in his youngest great-uncle’s lap, started to nod off. His little head bobbed up and down, his half-lidded eyes struggling to stay open, as if he would fall asleep any second.

At that moment, the system suddenly spoke up. It reminded him that his youngest uncle’s fiancée was gradually becoming aware that her feelings for Song Yushu weren’t purely platonic. She was struggling with her emotions and slowly coming to terms with becoming just one of Song Yushu’s many women.

Already feeling sleepy, An An became even more overwhelmed after hearing such a complicated statement. His head felt like it was going to explode, and the only thought in his mind was to sleep.

Yet, he couldn’t sleep peacefully. After adjusting his position, he found the hat uncomfortable, so he pulled it off with his little hands. Then, he tugged at his little granduncle’s ear to make him lower his head.

Although An An was still very young, his movements were fairly coordinated. He was also very patient. After more than a minute of effort, he finally managed to put the green hat² on his little granduncle’s head. Satisfied, he clapped his tiny hands.

---

Notes:

1. A “Phoenix man” (凤凰男) is a man from a poor rural background who works hard to succeed but remains deeply influenced by his upbringing. The term often implies strong family ties, frugality, and traditional values, sometimes leading to cultural clashes in relationships. ↩︎
2. “Green hat” (绿帽) is Chinese slang for being cheated on by a partner. It originates from an old practice where men with unfaithful wives wore green head coverings. Today, it’s used as an insult, and many men avoid wearing green hats due to this association. ↩︎