Chapter 41

Huo Si, who had been wearing a cold expression, immediately stepped forward and picked up little An An as he wobbled toward him. He pressed An An’s hat down a bit to cover his face.

“I only kept the reason for the annulment a secret because your parents personally brought gifts to apologize to my family. I hope you have enough sense not to make things ugly for both families.”

If the truth were to be revealed, Huo Si might lose some face, but the one whose reputation would be completely ruined wouldn’t be him.

“You…”

His fiancée clenched her handbag tightly. She hadn’t expected that in such a short time, the gentle and considerate fiancé she once knew had become like this.

An An hugged his little great-uncle tightly, squeezing him so hard that Huo Si felt a bit strangled. He simply assumed An An felt insecure in an unfamiliar environment and didn’t think too deeply about it.

After settling the bill, Huo Si left the café. The encounter had completely killed his mood for shopping, so he took An An back to his studio.

That evening, after finishing work and returning home, he heard that Hu Shuli had come to visit An An.

An An, who had been sitting and playing with his toys, immediately pushed himself up from the ground when he heard his mother calling his name. He wobbled his way over to her.

Hu Shuli reached out and caught him in her arms, then rubbed her nose lightly against his soft little cheek and gently asked:

“Did you miss Mommy today?”

“Yes!”

An An nodded very seriously and gave his mother a kiss before telling her about the person he had encountered that afternoon.

“Fai, An An, don’t like.”

“Who’s bad?”

Hu Shuli didn’t think much of it at first. She assumed it was just her younger uncle teasing An An again, making the little troublemaker throw a tantrum.

Hearing this, An An hugged his mother’s neck and thought for a long time. He wasn’t sure what to call the person, so he pointed at his little great-uncle’s head and then lightly patted his own.

“Your great-uncle’s fiancée?”

“Boh, it’s a man.”

A man connected to her younger uncle’s former fiancée, whom An An disliked? The only person Hu Shuli could think of was Song Yushu.

“What is An An talking about?”

Huo Si, listening on the side, was completely lost. It felt like mother and son had some special way of communicating, and he couldn’t understand a single word.

“Uncle, did you and An An run into Song Yushu while you were out today?”

Even though she framed it as a question, Hu Shuli had already reached her own conclusion.

An An hadn’t interacted with many people, and there were only a few he genuinely disliked. The ones who usually teased him didn’t even count as “disliked” in his mind.

“No, we ran into her.”

Huo Si instinctively answered. Other than some casual shopping, the only encounter he had was exchanging a few words with his ex-fiancée.

The café owner was a friend of his. After Huo Si returned to his company, the friend even sent him a clip from the surveillance footage. It showed that when he had been avoiding his ex-fiancée, the little boy who had been sitting so obediently had been startled into running off at full speed.

Since he found the situation amusing, Huo Si remembered it clearly and casually mentioned it to Hu Shuli.

“Uncle, Song Yushu might have been nearby at that time. He wanted to take An An.”

Hu Shuli held An An tightly, inhaling his familiar milky scent. The panic that had made her heart race was only now starting to subside.

Huo Si’s originally calm expression crumbled at her words. Seeing An An nodding along in agreement, he carefully replayed the details of the encounter in his mind.

Then, he pulled out his phone and reviewed the surveillance footage more closely. Sure enough, in the corner of the footage, he spotted a man dressed in black.

Given the distance between him and An An at the time, plus the screen blocking his view, if he had stayed to talk with his ex-fiancée a bit longer, An An might have already been taken.

No matter what, Song Yushu was still An An’s biological father by blood. Getting An An back from him would be an uphill battle and would also force Hu Shuli to have more interactions with him.

“Lili, at that time, I… I didn’t realize.”

Huo Si had no idea how to explain himself. This time, if they were lucky, it had been Song Yushu. But what if next time, it was a human trafficker?

An An was still so small, not even steady on his feet, yet he had been frightened into running.

“Uncle, it’s okay.”

Hu Shuli often took An An out to play, so she understood how energetic kids at this age could be. One moment they were there, and the next, they were gone.

Her uncle had no experience raising children, so it was perfectly normal for him to be a little careless.

In that situation, even if she had been the one watching An An, she might not have done any better.

“An An is so smart.”

Hu Shuli lowered her head and kissed An An on the cheek. She couldn’t even imagine what life would be like without him by her side. This little one had long since become an inseparable part of her world.

After spending the whole day out, An An seemed tired. He rested his head on his mother’s shoulder and yawned, his long, curled eyelashes damp with moisture.

“Are you sleepy? Take a nap, and I’ll wake you up when it’s time to eat.”

“Tank yuu.”

“No need to thank me.”

That evening, Hu Shuli told her father about what had happened.

Lately, Mr. Hu had handed over most of his work to his daughter and had some free time, so he specifically went to visit a few old friends.

The Hu family and Song Yushu’s current business ventures weren’t in direct competition, but Mr. Hu knew several major players in that field.

During his conversations with them, he learned that Song Yushu had actually been doing quite well.

If it weren’t for his reminder this time, several of his old friends would have been inclined to collaborate with Song Yushu, praising his keen business insight and talent.

Mr. Hu had no desire to see him succeed. Every time he climbed even slightly higher, Mr. Hu wanted to press him down.

Perhaps because the gap between them was too vast, and with that mysterious master from before still around, Mr. Hu didn’t dare to go too far.

He operated in secret, making moves behind the scenes. Even Song Yushu himself thought it was just bad luck that he kept encountering setbacks again and again.

His career struggles left Song Yushu increasingly frustrated. His current girlfriend was none other than Hu’s former fiancée. Ever since her engagement was annulled, her family had abandoned her. Aside from a generous monthly allowance, she could provide him with no support.

The drastic change in his lifestyle meant he often had to listen to her complaints.

The longer he spent with this arrogant and temperamental girlfriend, the more he missed Hu Shuli. He felt that only a gentle and soft woman like her was truly fit to be his wife.

Unfortunately, despite several attempts to have his mother mediate, he had failed. He hadn’t been able to see her at all, and all means of contact had been blocked.

As for the child from back then, whether due to frail health or other reasons, he had been staying at Hu Shuli’s grandmother’s house. Song Yushu couldn’t see him. Every possible path to reaching Hu Shuli seemed to have been cut off.

At this point, he wasn’t even sure whether he wanted Hu family’s support or if he simply couldn’t accept losing Hu Shuli.

A man who once had clear ambitions now seemed trapped in a vicious cycle, unable to break free—even his work had been temporarily set aside.

---

Hu Shuli’s grandfather had always known that An’an’s biological father had yet to give up. Fortunately, their family’s villa was spacious, and with their resources, whenever An’an needed something, they simply brought the person over to their home.

A spacious backyard, a private swimming pool, and even a personal amusement park—more than enough for a one-year-old baby to play.

A doctor visited every month to check on An’an. Under the meticulous care of the entire family, the effects of his premature birth had mostly been mitigated.

Though he still needed extra attention in daily life, and his constitution was slightly weaker than other children, there were no lasting complications—already the best possible outcome.

An’an particularly loved the swing in the amusement park. To nurture his sense of childhood wonder, his great-grandfather had arranged for three swings when the park was built.

The Labrador had grown significantly, and the little kitten had also become plump and fluffy.

Hu Shuli had named them—Sweetie for the Labrador and Sisi for the kitten.

An’an, aside from the simplest words, couldn’t pronounce much else clearly. Whether calling Sweetie or Sisi, he always defaulted to “meow-meow” and “woof-woof” instead.

One day, when Mr. Hu came to visit An’an, the housekeeper told him the child was playing in the amusement park. So he went over and saw that all three swings were occupied from a distance.

An’an sat in the middle swing, with Sweetie on the left and Sisi on the right. The three swings swayed in perfect unison, and Sweetie even wagged its tail gently.

“An’an.”

Hearing his name, the little one on the swing immediately turned his head. Mr. Hu stretched out his hand, waiting for him to run over.

“Grandpa~”

“Come here, let Grandpa hold you. Let’s see if you’ve gotten heavier.”

“Yes! An’an big~”

“Grandpa knows our An’an is the best.”

Mr. Hu picked An’an up and sat down on a bench, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

The child had inherited his daughter’s features—his large, watery eyes could soften anyone’s heart, making them want to give him everything.

“An’an, do you want a daddy?”

Mr. Hu hadn’t just come to visit his grandson today. That man Miles, whom Shuli had met abroad, had actually found his way to China.

Before, work had been an excuse, but now his intentions were quite obvious.

Hu Shuli didn’t mind interacting with him, and the two were tacitly maintaining a friendship.

That morning, when Mr. Hu had asked his daughter about her thoughts, Shuli said she was worried An’an wouldn’t be able to accept it.

She admitted that it was her own selfishness that had brought An’an into this world, and she was determined to take full responsibility for his life.

If there was ever a conflict between her romantic life and An’an’s well-being, she wouldn’t hesitate to choose her child.

Mr. Hu had left work early today just to ask An’an directly. He held the little boy’s hand, shaking it gently, then took out an exquisitely crafted toy from his pocket and handed it over.

“If you had a daddy, that’d mean one more person to dote on you. You’d get an extra big red envelope every year. And if you ever make Mommy mad, you could run to Daddy for cover.”

The usually cheerful child had been serious-faced ever since Mr. Hu brought up the topic. He didn’t say no outright, but his stubborn expression already spoke for him.

“If you don’t want one, then we won’t. Why the long face? Look at you, all scrunched up—it’s not cute anymore, you look like a little old man.”

Mr. Hu helplessly shook his head and poked An’an’s chubby cheek to make him laugh. But instead of laughing, the little boy pouted, and tears welled up in his eyes.

“Waa… Grandpa, no…”

Every time An’an cried, he seemed afraid of embarrassing himself, always burying his head in the arms of whoever was holding him.

Mr. Hu watched An’an’s trembling shoulders for a long while before finally sighing. He was relieved that he had come to ask first rather than letting his daughter test the waters.

If Shuli had seen An’an looking so pitiful, she probably wouldn’t even consider the idea for the rest of her life.

“Alright, alright. No, no. Do you really dislike Daddy that much?”

Children are possessive of their mothers, even their biological ones, let alone when there’s no blood relation at all.

“Mm, no.”

An An sniffled and answered in a tearful voice, trying his best to articulate what he wanted to say.

Back then, because An An couldn’t read, the system had given him visual information instead of text.

Through the system’s electronic screen, An An had watched, wide-eyed, as Song Yushu used every means possible in the original storyline to hurt his mother.

In the end, his mother even sacrificed her entire life for him.

At first, An An had only felt that Hu Shuli inside the story was pitiful. But now, after spending so much time together and forming a deep bond, looking back, he was filled with overwhelming guilt.

That scene was nothing short of a nightmare for An An. If possible, he wished it had never happened. He especially didn’t want his mother to have any entanglements with Song Yushu.

If the system had brought him here earlier, even if it meant he would only exist as a floating little spirit like before, he would have willingly given up his own birth in exchange for his mother’s lifelong happiness.

Whenever An An cried, his nose would turn red. His fair little face had already flushed pink, and even the area around his eyes was rimmed with red.

Mr. Hu gently wiped away his tears and shook his head helplessly. This situation truly put him in a dilemma.

On one hand was his daughter’s happiness. On the other was his little grandson’s unwillingness. No matter which choice he made, it would break his heart.

“Alright then, no daddy for now.”

In the end, it was Mr. Hu who compromised. His daughter was still young, and An An was just a child. No one could predict what the future would hold.

He knew very well that even if he temporarily brushed things under the rug with his daughter, once Lili came to ask An An about it and saw his pitiful expression, the outcome would still be the same.

Having been a father for decades, he fully understood his daughter’s love for An An.

“None at all, An An doesn’t want one.”

Seeing An An say this so seriously, Mr. Hu really wanted to tap his little head. But looking at the tear-streaked face of the little boy who had just finished crying, he couldn’t bring himself to do it.

The next day, Hu Shuli came over as well. She didn’t bring up the topic with An An. For her, everything with Miles had moved too fast—she wasn’t ready to enter another relationship so soon.

She simply brought An An the little cakes he’d mentioned wanting last time, along with some nutritional supplements for his grandmother.

An An was always happy when he saw his mother. Like a clingy little koala, he immediately latched onto her, rubbing his head against her from time to time. His contented expression made Hu Shuli’s heart soften.

She knew An An loved sticking to her, so whenever she came over, she basically held him the entire time.

Lately, she’d been taking the time to work out whenever she had a break, so carrying An An wasn’t too difficult for her.

She was sure there was nothing wrong with the ingredients in the little cakes. After visiting Grandma, she took An An to sit at a table in the back garden.

Although it was called a “little cake,” the portion was still a bit much for An An. So Hu Shuli prepared an extra plate and politely asked if he was willing to share some with her.

Seeing his mother hold out a plate in front of him, An An clutched his plastic knife, hesitating over how to divide it.

“An An, are you willing?”

Since she hadn’t received an answer, Hu Shuli asked again. An An, distracted from his thoughts, didn’t get upset. Instead, he answered in his soft, childish voice.

“Okay~”

“Mm, how do you plan to share it with Mommy?”

The cake Hu Shuli brought was a palm-sized strawberry cake. An An spent a long time measuring it with his hands, gripping his plastic knife tightly without making a move, as if he wasn’t sure what the best way to divide it was.

During this time, Hu Shuli waited patiently without rushing him, nor did she intend to help.

She was a new mother, but she understood the importance of letting go. Rather than making An An follow her predetermined ways of doing things, she preferred to let him make his own choices.

When it came to anything involving An An, the decision would always be his, even if he was still just a little one.

After a long time of measuring, An An finally found a method he thought was fair—he cut off a big portion and gave it to his mother, asking her to move the piece onto her plate.

Then he turned around and, using his little fork, scooped the strawberry from his mother’s cake and plopped it onto his own plate.

“Mm? An An really likes strawberries?”

Hu Shuli looked at the cake in front of her, now almost bare of decorations.

She wasn’t upset, nor did she think An An was being selfish. Instead, she patiently asked, genuinely curious about why he did that.

“Sour. Mommy ‘bushi fan’ (doesn’t like it).”

After speaking, An An stabbed a piece of strawberry and stuffed it into his mouth. As expected, he scrunched his face at the sourness, his little face all wrinkled as he forced himself to swallow. Once he finished, he patted his mommy’s hand.

“Mommy, ‘bushi’ (don’t) buy next time.”

“Okay, next time I’ll get An An a different cake.”

If An An hadn’t reminded her just now, Hu Shuli wouldn’t have remembered—strawberries on cakes were usually quite sour, and she happened to dislike sour foods.

An An might be little, but he was already learning to take care of her in his own way.

If, in the beginning, Hu Shuli’s feelings toward An An had been more about responsibility, by now, those thoughts had long since changed. What she felt now was nothing but pure, genuine love.

“Thank you~”

“No need to thank me.”

With An An staying at his grandmother’s house, Hu Shuli felt at ease, allowing her to focus more on work. Her success in her career largely made up for certain emotional gaps in her life.

As for Miles, he wasn’t very interested in his family’s business at the moment. The only reason he had started working hard before was to have a chance to meet Hu Shuli.

They also had plans to expand in this direction and had a dedicated person handling the matter. However, his main purpose in coming to this country was Hu Shuli.

Miles always had a knack for maintaining the perfect balance—never being annoying, never making people feel offended, and even being able to provide some help at work.

Even when Hu Shuli candidly told him that her child was still young and she had no intention of starting a new relationship, he remained a gentleman and brushed off the awkwardness with a joke.

“It’s okay, I can take a love queue number and wait patiently.”

“If you ever have similar thoughts one day, I hope you’ll let me cut in line, considering how long I’ve waited.”

After saying this, Miles handed Hu Shuli the items he was carrying, his face adorned with a gentle smile.

“These are gifts my assistant brought over. They help with early childhood brain development and also strengthen the bond between mother and child.”

“Apart from all these benefits, the most important thing is that they’re fun. I think you’ll like them too.”

If it were an expensive gift, Hu Shuli would have outright refused due to their current relationship. But since it was just toys for a child, she had no real reason to say no.

“Thank you.”

“No need to thank me.”

Miles personally escorted Hu Shuli home. When Old Mr. Hu saw this scene, he let out a cold snort. He didn’t object, but he also found it hard to be pleased.

“You two together now?”

Hu Shuli was momentarily stunned by her father’s words, then smiled and shook her head. She lifted the gift in her hand and waved it in front of him before explaining,

“No, this is a gift for An’an.”

“Dad, I’m not thinking about that right now, and I don’t plan to ask An’an either. We’ll talk about it later.”

An’an was too obedient and too sensible. Hu Shuli knew very well that if she wanted to pursue a relationship, even if An’an was unhappy, he would compromise just to see her happy.

In a way, that would mean she was using An’an’s love for her to achieve her own goals.

“You, you think about An’an, but why don’t you think about yourself?”

“Dad, I remember you once taught me that everyone has to take responsibility for their own choices.”

Old Mr. Hu irritably waved his hand. He had no interest in listening to his daughter talk like this.

Sometimes, raising a daughter too well could be a source of frustration. Like now—if he had raised Li Li to be selfish and only think about herself, there wouldn’t be so many problems.

Meanwhile, Song Yushu had gradually reached the threshold of this social circle through his own efforts. Miles had always been by Hu Shuli’s side, which wasn’t exactly a secret. When Song Yushu found out about it, he couldn’t sit still anymore.

Not long ago, he had saved an elderly man with a special status. Originally, he had planned to use this opportunity to advance his career, but now he couldn’t wait any longer. He decided to meet Hu Shuli.

Hu Shuli was surprised that an elder she hadn’t contacted in a long time had come looking for her. But since this elder had a good relationship with her father, she went despite her doubts. Before heading out, she made sure to send her father a message.

Before entering the restaurant, she remembered her upcoming date with Miles and sent him another message.

【Sorry, Miles. Something urgent came up at work.】

【No problem. The date can wait. Send me your location, and I’ll pick you up when you’re done.】

Hu Shuli casually sent her location. The moment she stepped into the restaurant, a waiter approached to guide her, leading her to a private room on the second floor.

The waiter opened the door, and as Hu Shuli walked in, she realized that besides the elder, there was another man in a black suit—none other than Song Yushu.

“What are you doing here?”

The elder smiled and spoke up,

“Shuli, I’ve heard about what happened between you and Yushu. It’s really not such a big deal—why has it dragged on for so long?”

“A married couple is best as they were originally. Arguments are normal. Those who argue but don’t break up are the real couples.”

“So today, I’m here to do you both a favor. Have a good talk.”

After saying that, the elder stood up and left the private room. Hu Shuli clenched her handbag, her expression cold as she prepared to leave as well. But Song Yushu seized the chance to block her path.

“Shuli, all this time, I’ve been full of regret. I know I shouldn’t have neglected you because of work.”

“I was wrong. Considering that we already have a child together, could you give me another chance?”

If this had happened in the past, before Hu Shuli had truly experienced what it meant to be cared for, she might have been moved by Song Yushu’s pretentious remorse.

But ever since she had gained full independence, she had no shortage of suitors. Among them, Miles was the most sincere.

With a high-quality pursuer like Miles offering both material and emotional support, every word from Song Yushu now seemed full of flaws to Hu Shuli.

She wasn’t sure if this was a side effect of spending too much time at the negotiation table, but she was certain that the man before her disgusted her.

“An’an would never want a father like you, and I don’t need your insincere apologies either.”

“Song Yushu, I didn’t bother to argue with you before because I didn’t want to upset An’an. But today, you’ve crossed my bottom line.”

Hu Shuli wasn’t some weak pushover without a temper. She raised her hand and slapped Song Yushu hard across the face.

“Reconcile? Do you even deserve it?”

“From the moment I got pregnant until now, have you ever taken care of me even once? In that awful hospital, did it ever cross your mind how a woman who just had a C-section was supposed to manage on her own?”

The humiliation she endured in that hospital was something Hu Shuli would never forget. Every time she recalled it, her hatred for Song Yushu deepened.

Recently, while spending time with Miles, she had read many books on psychology. From that, she could now analyze that Song Yushu had likely been trying to exert psychological control over her back then.

In the most humiliating situation, she reached out for help, turning herself from an independent person into his subordinate.

“You still dare to mention An An in front of me? Have you ever even bought a single can of formula for An An since he was born?”

When Song Yushu saw her raise her hand once again to slap him, he suddenly grabbed her wrist. His unwillingness to accept humiliation reached its peak at this moment—he was consumed by the thought of making this woman beg him again, just like before.

“Hu Shuli, don’t push your luck! Do you believe that I—”

He didn’t finish his sentence, but Hu Shuli understood his implication. Furious, she struggled with all her strength, but the natural physical difference between men and women left her at a disadvantage.

At this moment, tears welled up in her eyes out of frustration. She regretted not bringing a bodyguard with her today just because she was meeting an acquaintance.

The next second, the private room door was suddenly kicked open from the outside. Miles strode in and delivered a punch straight to Song Yushu’s face. He then shielded Hu Shuli behind him and, in clumsy Chinese, demanded:

“What are you trying to do to my girlfriend?”

“Why are you here?”

“I was worried.”

Miles had arrived well in advance of his meeting with Hu Shuli and, while waiting downstairs, had casually inquired about the identity of the person she was meeting. Old Mr. Hu had sent him an old photo of himself with that person.

By chance, Miles had seen the elderly man leaving the venue. After waiting for three minutes without seeing Hu Shuli come out, he had stormed in without hesitation.

Miles stared at Song Yushu for a long time. His sheer presence and intimidating gaze alone made Song Yushu waver. As he left the room, Miles threw down a menacing remark:

“You should be grateful you’re in Hua Country right now.”

Shaken and in a terrible mood, Hu Shuli was taken home by Miles. After learning the whole story, Old Mr. Hu was furious—he had never imagined that his old friend would aid and abet such a despicable act.

A person who once seemed perfectly normal had turned completely irrational the moment he encountered Song Yushu.

Previously, Old Mr. Hu had intended to respect his daughter’s wishes, but after Miles left, he brought up the topic again.

“Lili, you don’t have to tell An An everything. Maybe you could consider letting Miles interact with An An—just as your friend.”

They could see how things went from there. If An An wasn’t willing, they wouldn’t force anything.

Hu Shuli sat on the sofa, holding a steaming cup of milk tea. The warmth gradually spread to her cold fingertips.

She admitted that, in a way, Song Yushu’s actions had had some effect. Just like back in the private room, when she saw Miles burst in at the most desperate moment—being pulled out of despair and surviving the ordeal—it was a moment that could easily give rise to love, fueled by relief and gratitude.

Now, with her father by her side at home, her tense nerves finally relaxed, allowing her to recall the details more clearly.

Miles, who always cared about his appearance, had shown up with disheveled clothes and messy hair. Even his arm had been trembling when he held her earlier.

“Dad, I think it’s worth a try.”

—

That morning, after waking up and finishing breakfast, An An chatted with his great-grandmother for a while. When she wanted to rest, he took Tiantian(Sweetie) and Sisi to a small amusement park.

Tiantian and Sisi could already climb onto the swings by themselves, but An An still needed the nanny’s help to be lifted onto one.

As the swing swayed gently, the shadows of a boy, a cat, and a dog stretched across the ground, creating an exceptionally peaceful scene.

At this time, Huo Si returned from outside. He had vaguely heard about Hu Shuli’s plans regarding her love life, and he figured today was the day she would introduce someone to An An.

An An’s pockets were stuffed full of snacks that his great-grandmother had just given him, making them bulge. He happily kicked his feet as he swung back and forth.

Huo Si walked over, sat on a bench nearby, and pointed at An An’s head.

“In just over ten years, you’ll be taking the college entrance exam. Why are you still out here basking in the sun?”

“Zou Ye Ye~”

An An didn’t understand what he meant. He simply greeted him in his soft, childlike voice.

Huo Si stood up and leaned in closer to him. Judging by the time, Hu Shuli and the others should be arriving soon. He couldn’t resist teasing the little guy.

“An An, what would you do if your mom brought a dad to meet you today?”

The word “dad” instantly brought up An An’s most unpleasant memories. He ground his not-yet-fully-grown teeth and fiercely declared:

“Kick elbows!” (Go away!)

“An An, that’s not the right way to think. What if your mom really likes him?”

“Mommy likes An An!”

An An patted his own chest proudly, tilting his little chin up in confidence, as if he could look down on his granduncle through his nostrils.

Huo Si found his reaction amusing. He chuckled, ruffling the boy’s hair before saying:

“I’m not lying to you. Your mom really is bringing someone to meet you today.”

The little boy, who trusted his mom completely, had no doubt about her. He simply snorted, jumped off the swing, scooped up the cat, and marched toward the house. He didn’t believe it at all.

As he stepped into the living room, Hu Shuli happened to walk in. She was a bit nervous when she saw her son and hesitated before reaching out her arms toward him.

Little An An happily tossed the cat aside and ran toward his mom. But the moment he saw the man in a black suit standing behind her, he suddenly froze.

Without a second thought, tears welled up in his big, beautiful eyes.

Hu Shuli panicked and quickly crouched down to wipe his tears, but the moment her fingers touched his face, An An let out a loud wail.

Miles stood there, mentally prepared for this reaction beforehand, but now that he was actually facing it, he still felt a bit awkward. He stepped forward, put down the gift he had brought, and took another hesitant step closer.

The little boy, crying so hard he was sniffing between sobs, caught sight of the man through his teary vision. Just as he was about to spit in defiance, his gaze landed on the man’s dazzling golden hair.

His tears stopped instantly.

“Eh?”