Chapter 39: PUA Man, Stay Away from My Daughter (6)

Perhaps it was because he had bought her teething biscuits, but An’an had grown much closer to Xie Lang.

One day, she even babbled and gestured insistently, wanting her dad to take her to see her little uncle.

At the time, Xie Lang was away on a business trip to another city. Unable to find him, An’an was so upset that she clutched the doll he had given her and cried herself to sleep, her eyes red with grievance.

By this point, An’an could sit up steadily on her own, making it harder to fool her. Seeing her cry so pitifully, Xie Hui sent Xie Lang a video of her sobbing.

That night, after finishing work and preparing to rest, Xie Lang lay in bed and watched the video. He wished he could sprout wings and fly back immediately.

Even though An’an often grabbed, pinched, and smacked him, it didn’t change how much he adored his little niece.

The main reason was probably that An’an was truly adorable.

Though she wasn’t even a year old yet, her delicate features were already apparent—especially her big, glistening eyes, as dark as black grapes, framed by long, curled lashes. They blinked with curiosity at the world, making her look like a finely crafted doll.

In the original timeline, the protagonist’s attempt to expand overseas had not gone smoothly, and he eventually abandoned the project.

Having learned from the protagonist’s mistakes—and with experience accumulated over many lifetimes—Xie Hui successfully developed the overseas branch into a thriving business.

The team the he had chosen to manage the expansion was highly competent, so Xie Hui wasn’t too busy on a daily basis. He only needed to attend occasional video conferences.

Just as he was about to start a scheduled meeting in his study, someone knocked on the door.

He had already told the butler that he would be in a meeting, so there was no need to guess who it was—it had to be that little troublemaker.

“Sir, Miss has been looking for you.”

The nanny had tried to soothe An’an for a long time but failed. Seeing her sob so hard that her tiny body shook, she had no choice but to bite the bullet and seek out Xie Hui.

“Mm.”

Xie Hui nodded, taking his daughter into his arms and grabbing the prepared milk bottle from Aunt Zhang’s hands. He then returned to his desk and sat down.

Just moments ago, An’an had been a little tyrant in the nanny’s arms, but as soon as her father held her, she became perfectly behaved. She sat quietly in his lap, clutching her bottle, occasionally glancing up at Xie Hui.

Rescheduling the meeting wasn’t an option. Everyone was already prepared, and it wouldn’t be fair to cancel just because his daughter wanted to see him.

To maintain professionalism and respect for his colleagues, Xie Hui was even wearing a full suit today, with his hair neatly combed back and a pair of gold-rimmed glasses on his nose.

He looked like a model corporate elite—except for the little girl in his lap, dressed in a pink dress with a butterfly hair clip, clutching a milk bottle. The contrast completely shattered the serious atmosphere.

When An’an was fussy, she was truly a handful, but when she was quiet, she was surprisingly easy to take care of.

Now, in Xie Hui’s arms, she drank her milk peacefully. When she finished, she tugged at her father’s shirt to signal him to take the bottle away, then lowered her head and played with her fingers.

Only after the meeting ended did Xie Hui shut down his computer and leave the study with An’an in his arms.

“Do you miss your little uncle?”

An’an turned to look at her father upon hearing this and babbled something.

“Your little uncle should be back tonight. He even said he’s bringing you a new doll.”

“Oh ya~”

By the time Xie Lang returned, it was already very late. An’an had long since fallen asleep, and even Xie Hui, who valued his health, was already resting. The maids and nannies in the house were also asleep by then.

The next morning, Xie Lang was woken up by his little niece.

Since he had gotten back late, he was used to sleeping in the next morning. But today, a tiny, milk-scented bundle had climbed onto him, tugging at his ears with her chubby little hands.

Squinting his eyes open, Xie Lang saw An’an’s bright eyes staring at him. As soon as she noticed he was awake, she flailed her arms excitedly, her babbling filled with joy.

“An’an, you’re up so early.”

Xie Lang praised her absentmindedly as he lifted the covers and got out of bed, picking her up in his arms.

Only An’an could wake him without making him grumpy. Back in his rebellious phase, if his brother had tried to wake him up, he would’ve thrown a fit about how no one in the world understood his love for sleeping in. They had even had a huge fight over it.

“Yiya ya~”

Xie Lang gazed at her clear, sparkling eyes and playfully pinched her ear.

“Ya ya yi?”

After getting ready, he stepped out of his room and, unsurprisingly, saw his brother sitting in the small living room outside. The nannies and maids in the house would never dare wake him up—it had to be his brother, as shameless as ever.

Xie Hui saw through his thoughts and shrugged helplessly.

“An’an started crying for you as soon as she woke up.”

“As expected, An’an is the best!”

Hearing that his niece had been looking for him, Xie Lang’s morning grumpiness vanished instantly. Instead, he brought up another topic.

“Bro, did Mom and Dad finalize their divorce?”

Even while brushing his teeth, Xie Lang refused to let go of An’an, holding her in his arms as he clumsily maneuvered his toothbrush. After being away on his trip, he had really missed his soft, sweet-smelling niece.

“No, that woman took the money Grandpa gave her and ran. She even brought a lawyer to make Grandpa sign a gift contract. Grandpa got so mad that he beat up Dad, and now Dad’s stuck in bed, unable to get up.”

Xie Hui recounted the events nonchalantly. This outcome was exactly what Xie Lang had expected.

Ever since he was a child, Xie Lang had known that his parents weren’t truly in love. He had always thought their divorce was just a matter of time. But as he grew older, he realized their relationship was entangled with too many interests to be dissolved easily.

Who would’ve thought that, in his middle age, his father would start chasing romance again?

In Xie Lang’s eyes, his dad wasn’t just getting entangled in romance—he was outright asking for a beating from Grandpa!

“By the way, one more thing. Grandpa called yesterday and told you to bring An’an over when you come back.”

Xie Lang didn’t think much of it. It had indeed been a while since he last visited Grandpa.

“Alright.”

When Xie Lang took his little niece to visit Grandpa, An’an sat in Grandpa’s lap, tugging at his beard. Grandpa was reluctant to scold her, his lips twitching upward despite himself.

The old man doted on his great-granddaughter dearly. Seeing the delicate little girl sitting in his lap, flashing a sweet smile that revealed her tiny baby teeth, his mood instantly brightened.

Even as An’an pulled on his beard, Grandpa just chuckled. But when he turned and saw his grandson lounging on the sofa with his legs crossed, he immediately scolded him:

“You’re a grown man already, yet you still don’t know how to sit properly? Just like your brother!”

At that moment, Xie Lang finally understood why his brother hadn’t come with him. Turns out, whoever was standing nearby had to be the old man’s punching bag—since Grandpa couldn’t bring himself to scold his precious great-granddaughter.

“Grandpa, An’an is the one pulling your beard. Why don’t you scold her instead?”

Hearing this, Grandpa frowned even more.

“How old is An’an? It’s normal for a little girl to be a bit playful. Why should I scold her? It’s good for girls to be cheerful and outgoing.”

After saying that, he lowered his head to tease An’an again. Seeing her grin widely, he laughed too, his eyes crinkling with joy.

Despite his grumbling, Grandpa still made Xie Lang stay for dinner—though Xie Lang suspected it was only because he wanted to spend more time with An’an.

During the meal, Grandpa brought up the topic of An’an’s first birthday banquet. She was the first great-grandchild in the Xie family, and since she had lost her mother at such a young age, Grandpa was even more protective of her.

“Let’s hold it at the old family home. Tell your brother that he just needs to bring An’an over. I’ll take care of everything else.”

Hearing someone call her name, the little girl, who had been hugging her milk bottle, lifted her head and looked around, babbling softly. The sight made Grandpa’s wrinkles seem full of laughter.

Time flew by, and soon, it was An’an’s first birthday.

It was early summer—the perfect season for wearing little dresses.

Xie Hui usually prioritized comfort when buying clothes for his daughter, but Xie Lang and Grandpa preferred extravagant, frilly dresses.

Even though An’an was only a year old, she already had enough dresses to fill an entire wardrobe.

Three days before the banquet, Grandpa had Xie Hui bring An’an to the old family home to stay, ensuring everything would be perfectly prepared.

The night before the banquet, Grandpa was still fretting over which dress his great-granddaughter should wear.

“Ta yiyi ya~”

Hearing sounds from outside the door, Grandpa set down the dresses and quickly got up to open the door.

Xie Hui stood at the entrance, holding An’an in his arms, looking slightly helpless.

Somehow, the little one seemed to know that tomorrow was her birthday—she was too excited to sleep and kept calling for her great-grandfather.

“Ah, Great-Grandpa was just picking out a dress for An’an to wear tomorrow!”

Since Grandpa was getting older and his health wasn’t great, he usually didn’t carry children. Instead, he let Xie Hui hold An’an while he picked up a few dresses, letting the little girl choose.

In the end, An’an grabbed a bright red dress with a large bow.

“Oh, An’an has such good taste!”

Grandpa gently tapped her tiny nose. Seeing her furrow her little brows, he handed the dress to Xie Hui.

“Take this back and dress her in it tomorrow morning when she wakes up.”

Holding An’an’s birthday banquet at the old family home instantly dispelled any malicious speculation from outsiders.

Since the nanny hadn’t come to the old house, Xie Hui personally did An’an’s hair. Grandpa didn’t want her hair tied up too tightly, afraid it would hurt his precious great-granddaughter.

Xie Hui used a small ribbon with a butterfly decoration, gently tying her soft hair into two loose pigtails. Then, he carried her out, dressed in the bright red princess dress—a perfect little princess.

“Welcome, everyone, to my great-granddaughter’s first birthday banquet.”