Chapter 142

Grandma Zhou placed the plate full of pastries beside An An, picked one up, and tucked it into his palm. Then she gave Zhou Shizhe a look, signaling him to take An An away first.

Once they were gone, Grandpa Zhou didn’t even bother to hide his displeasure anymore. Leaning back in his chair, he spoke lazily:

“That son of yours just got brought back, and now he wants me to send An An away? Who does he think he is?”

Let alone this newly found grandson—even if it were his own son who dared to suggest sending away his precious An An, Grandpa Zhou would have kicked him out of the house without hesitation, just to make it clear who really ought to be sent away.

“You really think you’re something special? More important than my An An?”

As Grandpa Zhou’s words grew harsher, and seeing his youngest son on the verge of tears, Father Zhou finally spoke up:

“Dad, don’t say that. He’s still just a child.”

“Pah! My An An is a child too! And yet the moment he opens his mouth, he wants to drive someone out? Is that your idea? If it is, I swear I’ll throw you out right now!”

Grandpa Zhou’s chest heaved with rage. Worried he might get too worked up, Grandma Zhou quickly brought him his blood pressure medicine and made him take it.

From his father’s reaction, it was clear that this matter was basically impossible. Father Zhou shifted his gaze toward his wife instead.

Their youngest son had been abducted by traffickers years ago due to their own carelessness. He hadn’t grown up by their side all these years.

Now that he was finally back, he had only this one small wish.

Grandma Zhou was indeed softer-hearted than Grandpa Zhou. Noticing her son looking at her with pleading eyes, she decisively turned her head away to avoid his gaze.

Tears welled up in Zhou Shi’s eyes. He sniffled and buried his face in his mother’s arms.

His little body trembled with sobs, as if he had suffered the greatest grievance in the world.

Mother Zhou gently patted her son’s back, her heartache overwhelming her reason.

“Dad, who’s really your biological grandson here? It’s just sending him away for a little while, not abandoning him.”

“Our Zhou Family raised him all these years. Even if there was a great debt of gratitude back then, it’s been repaid by now, hasn’t it? Are you really going to wrong your own grandson for the sake of an outsider?”

The moment she called An An an outsider, Grandpa Zhou nearly choked on his own breath in fury. He bellowed:

“Where are the security guards? Get this whole family out of my house!”

“And remember this—when you say ‘Zhou Family,’ you’re talking about his home. Mind your own husband’s business!”

Security quickly arrived in the backyard. To avoid further embarrassment, they chose to leave on their own.

After they left, the more Grandpa Zhou thought about it, the angrier he got.

Back when they lost track of their child and he was abducted by traffickers, Grandpa Zhou had been devastated too. He’d pulled every string he could to try to find that child.

He could understand their guilt and their eagerness to make up for not raising their son.

But that absolutely did not mean Grandpa Zhou was willing to let them use the An An he had raised to fill that void.

Grandma Zhou poured him a cup of water and said gently, with a sigh:

“Last month during your checkup, the doctor said you really shouldn’t get so angry.”

“As long as I’m alive, they can forget about sending An An away. And even if I die someday, they still better not dare!”

“Yes, yes, and there’s still Shizhe. He’ll definitely protect his little brother.”

At the mention of his eldest grandson, Grandpa Zhou’s expression finally softened a little. Then he changed the subject.

“Did you tell the chef to make An An’s favorite dishes?”

Before Grandma Zhou could answer, Grandpa Zhou had already stood up and headed toward the kitchen.

“That little guy likes the taste of ginger but won’t touch actual ginger. I’d better go check.”

Upstairs in the toy room, An An sneakily pulled out a small box where he kept his bottle cap collection. He opened it and pushed it in front of his big brother.

“Big Brother~”

All kinds of bottle caps from different drinks had been washed clean and neatly stacked together. They really did look quite pretty.

Zhou Shizhe glanced at the box of bottle caps, then at An An’s eager little face, clearly fishing for praise. He reached out and ruffled his hair, then asked teasingly:

“Did you forget that you got sent to X-Change because of these bottle caps?”

At the mention of that, An An’s little face instantly fell. He gave a soft humph and turned his head away.

“Grandpa is bad.”

Standing at the doorway, Grandpa Zhou had just arrived, personally peeling and cutting fruit into bite-sized pieces, when he happened to hear that line.

The sound of footsteps behind him made Zhou Shizhe instinctively glance back. Seeing it was Grandpa, he scrambled to explain on An An’s behalf.

“Grandpa, An An didn’t mean—”

Before he could finish, Grandpa Zhou had already squeezed past him.

“The food’s not ready yet. An An, have some fruit first. Don’t listen to your brother—he’s the bad one.”

An An, mouth full of fruit and chewing diligently, couldn’t even respond. Grandpa Zhou took his silence as agreement, rubbed his little head, and started chatting about what dishes were being made in the kitchen.

There was still about a week left before the first round of X-Change filming ended. After that, there would be a half-month break before the second round began.

Calculating it out, little An An could stay with him for nearly a whole month. Grandpa Zhou had already started thinking about where he could take the little guy to have some fun.

“Grandpa, it’s so sweet~”

Hearing those words made Grandpa Zhou beam with joy—but then An An used his little fork to pick up a piece and held it out to Zhou Shizhe.

“Big Brother, you try it too.”

It was no exaggeration to say that Zhou Shizhe had never eaten fruit prepared by Grandpa like this in his entire life. He didn’t even dare to ask for it.

Not only had the apple been peeled, but the core had been removed, and the pieces were cut into cute little animal shapes, all the same size. They looked absolutely adorable.

Under Grandpa’s death glare, Zhou Shizhe ate the fruit. The moment he swallowed, Grandpa waved him downstairs.

In the kitchen, Grandpa picked up another identical plate and brought it out, placing it in front of him.

Only then did Zhou Shizhe realize why An An’s plate looked so nice—because all the trimmings and scraps had been saved for him.

Normally, Grandpa Zhou didn’t care about news media or online gossip at all.

In fact, when Zhou Shizhe was younger, Grandpa had taught him never to let public opinion dictate his path.

But this time, when he noticed people speculating online about whether An An had been switched at birth, he put on his reading glasses, pulled out his smartphone, asked his assistant to help him register a social media account, got it verified, and started speaking up for An An.

Zhou Jianye: He was not switched. An An is the grandson of a comrade-in-arms.

After he posted that statement, the next day his son and daughter-in-law brought that child over again.

Father Zhou held his youngest son’s hand and gently nudged him toward Grandpa.

“Go on, call Grandpa.”

“Grandpa…”

The moment Grandpa Zhou saw Zhou Shi’s timid, shrinking posture, he felt annoyed. If the boy hadn’t asked him to send An An away, he might have felt sorry for him too—after all, he hadn’t grown up by their side.

But once that sentence had been said, even if this grandson were a little celestial being, Grandpa Zhou had no interest in dealing with him.

“I won’t respond to that ‘Grandpa.’ Don’t come around here unless you have to.”

That one sentence made tears stream down Zhou Shi’s face. He sniffled and said in a choked voice:

“Grandpa… I’m sorry. I know I was wrong.”

“I… I thought maybe Big Brother and I had been switched at birth, and that’s why I got angry and wanted him to leave.”

“I didn’t mean to. I didn’t mean to say those things.”

“I was jealous that Big Brother got to live with Mom and Dad all these years. I’m a bad kid. I’m sorry.”

Zhou Shi looked pitiful, tugging at the heartstrings of his parents, who rushed to comfort him, insisting it wasn’t his fault.

But Grandpa Zhou, sitting on the sofa, simply closed his eyes and pretended not to see.

He didn’t care whether the child meant it or not. All he knew was, if An An heard this, he’d be upset for a long time.

Even now, Grandpa Zhou still remembered how An An had looked when he was first brought home—like a timid little quail.

A child nearly one and a half years old, bullied to the point he couldn’t even speak.

When he first arrived, he didn’t dare sleep alone. As soon as Grandpa Zhou recovered from his illness, he stayed with him day and night. He hadn’t even been this attentive with his own son.

It had taken over a year to raise An An into the lively, adorable child he was now. There was no way he’d let anyone bully him—not anyone.

“Dad, look, he’s already apologized to you. It’s not a big deal. We’re all family. Why not just let it go?”

After saying that, Father Zhou even brought up An An.

“An An’s a generous kid. He wouldn’t mind something this small.”

The more he spoke, the colder Grandpa Zhou’s expression became. In the end, he was so angry he actually laughed.

Did they really think he couldn’t see through their little schemes?

“No. I’m petty. I mind.”

If they had asked An An this in front of him, that thin-skinned little guy would definitely say it was fine. Even if he was upset inside, he’d swallow it for Grandpa Zhou’s sake.

Grandpa Zhou leaned in toward Shitou and could tell at a glance that this child was hiding a lot.

“There’s no need to waste your thoughts on things like that. An An was raised by me. Your parents barely even came to see him. Don’t worry, you’re not competing for affection.”

If those two were really left to take care of his little An An, Grandpa Zhou wouldn’t be able to rest easy. In his eyes, not even the nanny could take care of him better than he could.

“As long as I’m An An’s grandpa, everything I own will go to him. I won’t touch a single thing your parents plan to give you.”

When Grandpa Zhou said this, Zhou Shi momentarily lost his composure.

“Grandpa!”

“Don’t call me Grandpa. I don’t deserve to be called that by you.”

At his age, how could Grandpa Zhou not see through the petty calculations of these younger people?

He hadn’t called them out before because he wanted to save face for everyone. No need to make things ugly.

Not only was Zhou Shi stunned, even Father Zhou was left speechless.

He had always known his father doted on the adopted child, but he never imagined he’d be so biased as to plan on leaving him everything.

“Dad, you’re still in great health. There’s no rush to make arrangements like this.”

“Don’t start eyeing my things. I’ll give them to whoever I want. It’s none of your business.”

Seeing that Grandpa Zhou was getting worked up again, Father Zhou, who had been beaten plenty growing up, didn’t dare say another word and could only shut his mouth.

“I’m not even dead yet, and you’re already thinking about my things?”

“Don’t bother. Everything is for An An.”

Before this, Grandpa Zhou had never considered that his son might be scheming like this.

From the beginning, he had always planned to leave everything to An An. Now that he knew what his son was thinking, he decided to make things crystal clear.

“Got it, Dad.”

Father Zhou was indeed shocked, but not to the point of falling out with his father over something like this.

After all, what his father had given him over the years was far more valuable than anything material—connections and influence that couldn’t be seen.

For years, he had relied on his father’s name. No matter what he did, things went smoothly, and people were always willing to give him face.

Zhou Shi stood frozen, tears slowly welling up as Mother Zhou held him in her arms and tried to comfort him.

“No need to stay for lunch. You can go now.”

Last night, little An An had stayed up late playing chess with him. It was about time for him to wake up. Grandpa Zhou stood up and personally saw them out, not wanting his precious little one to see them and get upset.

“Alright.”

Grandpa Zhou could tell this child wasn’t ordinary.

He figured it was just that growing up in that kind of environment had made him more calculating.

In the kitchen, an old hen soup was simmering. Grandpa Zhou specifically instructed that the layer of oil on top be skimmed off completely.

An An had the same tastes as his grandpa—he didn’t like greasy food.

Just then, Grandma Zhou came downstairs, holding a small box in her hand. When Grandpa Zhou came out of the kitchen, she called him over to take a look.

Inside were two exquisitely crafted gold bangles, custom-made by a master artisan she had specially commissioned some time ago. They had just arrived a few days earlier.

“Do you think An An will like these?”

That was hard to say. Grandpa Zhou held the little gold bangles and examined them for a long time. The craftsmanship was flawless.

But if they gave them to that little rascal, he’d probably be happier with a few bottle caps.

“I saw that other kids had them, so I thought I’d get a pair for An An too.”

Zhou Shizhe was already grown and didn’t need them. As for the other child they had just found, Grandma Zhou hadn’t even considered him.

At their age, the two of them usually avoided talking about anything related to death. It felt unlucky.

But since their son had brought it up today, they figured they might as well discuss it while waiting for An An to wake up.

“That house in the Capital City—I want to transfer it to An An’s name once he’s a bit older.”

Grandpa Zhou had originally bought that house for An An to use when he went to school. He hadn’t mentioned it before because he didn’t think it was necessary.

After all, their family wasn’t lacking. There was no need to squabble over a single house.

But now that the other child had returned, Grandpa Zhou wasn’t so sure anymore. It was better to settle things early.

He was even thinking of taking his wife to a law firm one of these days to draft a will in advance.

Otherwise, under domestic law, if something happened to him, An An would only get a token share.

Grandma Zhou had no objections. In fact, she was planning to make her own will too. Over the years, she had collected quite a few antique paintings and pieces of jewelry.

Although they had adopted An An shortly after that other child had been kidnapped, there was absolutely no connection between the two events.

At the time, Grandpa Zhou had been admitted to the ICU due to organ failure. The best hospital in the country had issued multiple critical condition notices.

He had thought that was the end for him. His only regret in life was not being able to find the child left behind by his old comrade.

Grandpa Zhou had served in the military when he was younger. During a particularly dangerous mission, he had almost died. It was his comrade who had carried him out of the snow at the cost of his own legs.

Due to the harsh conditions and the strain of carrying him down the mountain, his comrade’s legs were ruined. He only survived a month in the hospital before succumbing to infection.

Before dying, he had gripped Grandpa Zhou’s hand and asked him to help his only son if he ever needed it after Grandpa Zhou retired.

Back then, communication and information weren’t as developed. After retiring, Grandpa Zhou searched in many ways, but all he learned was that the child’s family had moved away.

After the second critical notice, he told his wife to pull every string she could and search thoroughly.

Before he left this world, he had to meet the bloodline of his old comrade.

Otherwise, even in the afterlife, he wouldn’t have the face to see the friend who had carried him out of the snow-covered mountains.

To fulfill Grandpa Zhou’s final wish, he had searched desperately, risking everything, and in the end, he really did find some information.

Unfortunately, the situation was far from optimistic. His comrade’s wife had passed away early, and their son had been sent to live with his uncle.

The compensation money from back then had all ended up in the uncle’s hands. The comrade’s son had dropped out of school early to work, married, and had a child.

Due to overwork, he developed a terminal illness but had no money for treatment. To avoid becoming a burden and to leave more for their child, the couple made a mutual decision to end their lives.

The comrade’s grandson, An An, ended up being raised by the same uncle, but sadly, he didn’t care for the boy at all.

When the Zhou Family found him, the one-and-a-half-year-old child couldn’t even speak yet. He was extremely timid and so thin he looked like skin stretched over bone.

Strangely enough, after Grandpa Zhou met An An and decided to adopt him, his own health—despite multiple critical condition notices and even funeral plans underway—miraculously began to improve.

Even highly skilled doctors said that in all their decades of practice, they had never seen anything like it.

Later, an old friend of Grandpa Zhou introduced him to a master who did a fortune reading for him.

The reading revealed that Grandpa Zhou’s time was indeed almost up, but because he intended to adopt his comrade’s grandson before passing, and the child’s fate indicated he was meant to have a grandfather, he was granted more time.

Old Master Zhou had never believed in fate or fortune-telling, but after brushing so close to death, he couldn’t help but take it seriously.

With that karmic connection, he began treating An An as his own biological grandson. He even gave An An privileges that his actual eldest grandson, Zhou Shizhe, had never enjoyed.

Zhou Shizhe had been raised by his grandparents and shared a deep bond with Grandpa Zhou. When the critical notice came, he had clung to his grandfather’s hospital bed, crying his heart out.

He had just reached the age where he could finally repay their love, only to be hit with the crushing regret that it might already be too late. For a while, he wandered through life in a daze.

Who would have thought that simply deciding to adopt a little brother would turn everything around, bringing light back into their lives?

People who never believed in such things often became the most devout believers after experiencing them firsthand.

What began as guilt and gratitude toward An An’s grandfather gradually turned into genuine affection as they spent every day together. They raised the boy, watched him grow from a shy and timid child into the lively and adorable boy he was now.

The time and love invested made Grandpa Zhou and Grandma Zhou dote on him more and more.

As for Grandpa Zhou’s joke about sending An An to join the show 【X-Change】, it wasn’t because he expected An An to stop his odd habit of picking up bottle caps.

He had just heard that the kids on the show were quite mischievous and thought it’d be fun for An An to spend a few days playing with them.

It wasn’t until the show was about to air that Grandpa Zhou realized the kids on the program were a bit older than expected.

…

Inside the bedroom, An An had just woken up and was sitting there contemplating life.

Every time he woke up, he needed a moment to zone out, like his brain’s system needed time to boot up.

The System, which hadn’t shown up in quite a while, chose that moment to send him the plot of this world.

This time, An An’s mission targets were Grandpa Zhou and Grandma Zhou, with Zhou Shizhe as an indirect target.

Originally, the host of this world had drawn a sweet and pampered script. He was the Little Young Master adored by the entire Zhou Family.

Aside from being abused by the foster family that had taken him in when he was very young, he had a happy childhood and eventually married the love of his life.

Grandpa Zhou and Grandma Zhou had written their wills early on, leaving most of their assets to An An.

Even his older brother, who had no blood relation to him, continued to care for him after getting married.

But then the world glitched. The child Zhou Shi, who was supposed to be found at age twelve, overcame his childhood trauma with the help of his parents and a top psychologist, and grew up to be an outstanding person.

However, Zhou Shi, who originally only had psychological scars, was replaced by someone who had transmigrated into the book.

This person altered the timeline so Zhou Shi was found earlier and took every opportunity to slander the original host in front of his biological parents.

Unlike Zhou Shizhe, who had a deep bond with Old Master Zhou, Father Zhou and Mother Zhou naturally favored their biological son more.

With just a few words of manipulation, their affection for the original host vanished completely, even turning into subtle disgust.

Zhou Shi’s hatred toward the original host didn’t disrupt his life at first. Grandpa Zhou and Grandma Zhou still spoiled him as always.

Having grown up in such a loving environment, the original host was a bit naive. During his rebellious phase, Zhou Shi used a few tricks to turn him against the grandfather who had raised him.

Zhou Shi maliciously fabricated lies, making the original host believe that his biological grandfather’s death was orchestrated by Grandpa Zhou.

He also made him believe that his parents had taken their own lives at such a young age because Grandpa Zhou was afraid of the truth coming to light.

Spoiled as he was, the original host, even in anger, could only think of hurting himself as a form of revenge.

He began to crave extreme sports—racing, skydiving, bungee jumping—anything with a high risk factor, he would try.

After turning eighteen, he even got involved with something he never should have touched because of an accident.

For Grandpa Zhou, who had lived his life with unwavering integrity, this was a devastating blow. Helping the original host break free from that addiction aged him overnight.

Within three months, he passed away from illness.

Grandma Zhou, who had shared a deep and loving bond with her husband, died half a month later from overwhelming grief.

The original host inherited all of their wealth and was just about to squander it recklessly when Zhou Shizhe stepped in as the older brother, trying to steer him back onto the right path.

But by then, the original host had already lost all emotional connection and had become a complete slave to his addiction.

When the supplier demanded that his brother come pick him up, he didn’t hesitate to call, ignoring the terrible weather and insisting that Zhou Shizhe come.

It was a stormy night with extremely poor visibility on the roads.

But the original host kept urging him, and on the way there, Zhou Shizhe got into a fatal car accident.

With no one left to restrain him, the original host spiraled out of control and managed to destroy himself in less than three months.

The massive inheritance left by Grandpa Zhou ultimately ended up with Father Zhou and Mother Zhou. And if nothing unexpected happened, it would one day be inherited by Zhou Shi.

Sitting there, his brain still fuzzy from booting up, An An scratched his head innocently after digesting the incredibly complicated plot.

Oh no, why does it feel like my head is itchy?

Since he hadn’t gotten out of bed yet, Grandpa Zhou couldn’t help but come in to check on him.

As soon as he walked in, he saw little An An sitting on the bed, scratching his head. Grandpa Zhou sat down beside him and asked:

“Is your head itchy?”

“Mm, Grandpa, An An suspects… I might be growing a brain!”

Grandpa Zhou, who had been thinking about asking the nanny to wash An An’s hair later, was both amused and exasperated when he heard that. He reached out and scooped the boy up.

Ever since Grandpa Zhou’s health had improved, he had been personally taking care of An An.

When it came to changing clothes, he was already very skilled.

While Grandpa was helping An An change his clothes, the little rascal kept swinging his legs mischievously.

Every now and then, he would giggle foolishly and lean over to plant a kiss on Grandpa.

But when Grandpa picked up the jacket to help him put it on, the carefree little guy suddenly froze.

If he remembered correctly, during his bath earlier, he had secretly stuffed his most beloved bottle caps into the jacket pocket.

Grandpa Zhou caught the fleeting guilty look on An An’s chubby little face and instinctively reached into the pocket.

Inside were two bottle caps, one blue and one red. He took them out and held them in his palm in front of An An. The boy immediately burrowed his head into Grandpa’s chest.

“Wuuu, Grandpa~”

His soft, babyish voice as he acted cute instantly melted Grandpa Zhou’s temper.

“What’s so fun about these stupid bottle caps?”

“I love Grandpa the most.”

“Look at this thing, it’s all dirty.”

Every time Grandpa Zhou thought about how he’d once caught his precious An An digging through the trash for these bottle caps, he couldn’t help but feel a strong aversion to them.

“Other kids’ grandpas don’t let them play with them, but my grandpa does. My grandpa is the best!”

An An kept sweet-talking Grandpa, terrified he’d throw away his most, most, most treasured bottle caps.

Grandpa Zhou wasn’t blind. He could clearly see that An An was only saying all this to protect his bottle caps.

But when those words came from his most beloved An An, they still filled his heart with joy.

“You can play with the bottle caps, but you absolutely cannot dig through the trash again!”

“Okay!”

An An agreed immediately and threw his arms around Grandpa’s neck, planting a kiss on his cheek.

“I asked the chef to make some chicken soup for you. Want some?”

“Yes!”

Inside the System Space, the System watched as Zai Zai was carried downstairs. Several times, he had clearly swallowed hard, his craving obvious. The System couldn’t help but worry whether he had truly taken its warnings to heart.

In this world, Zhou Shi might look like a little kid on the outside, but inside, he carried the soul of an adult.

Although the System thought its Zai Zai was adorable in every way, it had enough self-awareness to know that in this kind of situation, a child like him had no chance against an adult.

Downstairs, Grandma Zhou had already asked the chef to ladle out some soup and cook noodles in the chicken broth. It would be ready just in time for An An to eat after waking up.

Grandpa Zhou’s old comrade came from a region far from theirs, and the food culture was completely different.

An An, like his grandpa, preferred noodles.

In the downstairs bathroom, Grandpa Zhou filled a basin with water and personally brushed An An’s teeth.

He had long since retired and had nothing else to do, so he devoted himself entirely to raising his sweet little grandson.

When his own son was born, Grandpa Zhou hadn’t even had the chance to come home—he’d only seen a few photos at most.

He did help a bit when his eldest grandson was born, but most of the time, the nanny took care of things.

Only with An An did Grandpa Zhou willingly do everything himself.

Once those tiny baby teeth were brushed clean, the chicken noodle soup in the kitchen was ready. As the food was brought to the table, the aroma filled the air, and An An swallowed hard without even realizing it.

“Come eat quickly. After you finish, play chess with Grandpa.”

“Okay~”

An An held the bowl, which was slightly bigger than his face, and worked hard to get the noodles into his mouth.

When he got tired of using chopsticks, he’d set them down and pick up a spoon to sip the soup. His slow, deliberate manner was exactly like Grandpa Zhou’s.

Both Grandpa Zhou and Grandma Zhou had become much gentler in their old age. They sat quietly by his side, never rushing him.

After An An finished eating, his belly bulged into a round little mound, making him look especially funny.

In the courtyard, Grandpa Zhou and An An sat face-to-face playing Chinese chess, while Grandma Zhou read a book nearby.

The flowers in the backyard were tended by a professional gardener and bloomed beautifully.

A breeze rustled the leaves, carrying the scent of flowers through the air. The scene of grandfather and grandson together was heartwarmingly peaceful.

“Hey hey hey, Grandpa, my soldier is a special forces soldier. He’s trained, so he can move two steps.”

Grandpa Zhou was quite skilled at chess. At the very least, beating a human cub who still clung to his baby bottle at night was no challenge at all.

An An had learned the basic rules under Grandpa’s guidance, but every time he saw himself about to lose, he’d start cheating.

With his chubby little face all serious, he spouted nonsense with total conviction, making up all sorts of “rules” that he explained with great confidence.

“My horse grew wings, so it can fly like this.”

“My cannon is high-tech. Boom boom, it blasts everything.”

Of course, Grandpa Zhou didn’t take these antics seriously or argue with An An over them.

After all, the little guy was still so young. The fact that he could even grasp the rules of chess already made him a pretty impressive kid in Grandpa Zhou’s eyes.

If he ever managed to beat Grandpa at chess, that would make him a downright prodigy!

Back when Grandpa Zhou was young, he had hoped to see his child succeed and carry on his legacy.

But now that he was old, he no longer had that same ambition.

For An An, the grandson he had raised with his own hands, all he wanted was for him to grow up safe and healthy.

Grandpa Zhou looked at An An with eyes full of tenderness. An An, completely unaware, was focused entirely on the chessboard in front of him.

Even though he claimed his soldier was special forces, his cannon could blast anything, his horse had wings, his guard had a shield, and his general had superpowers and could run anywhere—he was still about to lose.

When he realized this, An An opened his mouth in shock.

He stared at the chessboard for a long time, making sure Grandpa hadn’t cheated, before his eyes went wide with disbelief.

“Wah!!”

“Well? Grandpa’s chess skills haven’t gotten rusty after all these years, have they?”

Grandma Zhou saw An An puff out his cheeks in frustration, so she closed her book and walked over to sit beside him.

“Come on, let Grandma win it back for you.”

“Okay!”

Grandpa Zhou and Grandma Zhou often played chess together at home when they were bored, and their skills were about evenly matched.

Even An An, who only had a rough idea of the rules, could tell that Grandpa and Grandma were well-matched when they played.

He’d glance at one side of the board, then scurry over to the other, his short little legs busy running back and forth.

The game lasted quite a while, and in the end, Grandma Zhou managed to pull off a win.

An An clung to Grandma excitedly, as if he were the one who had won.

“Grandma’s amazing! You beat Grandpa!”

Grandpa Zhou was a stubborn old man who cared about his pride. If anyone else had said that, he probably would’ve gotten angry on the spot.

But he couldn’t stay mad when the one saying it was his beloved An An.

With a grumpy expression and his beard twitching in irritation, he clasped his hands behind his back and walked into the house.

An An watched Grandpa’s retreating figure and clutched Grandma’s clothes, clearly conflicted. He looked up at her with those big, expressive eyes.

Grandma Zhou felt the tug on her clothes and looked down, meeting An An’s slightly worried gaze.

She could pretty much guess what the little guy was thinking and let out a helpless smile.

That old man had been stubborn in his youth, and now even in his old age, he was still getting upset over such trivial things.

Grandma Zhou picked up the chess pieces one by one. An An instinctively leaned over to help, picked up a piece, and handed it to her. In a hushed voice, he carefully asked:

“Grandma, is Grandpa mad?”

Grandma Zhou gave a soft “mm” in response, then said:

“Your grandpa is just a grumpy old man. We’ll ignore him.”

An An thought back to all the times Grandpa had doted on him. Today, he hadn’t even taken away his bottle caps. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that what Grandma said wasn’t quite right.

His chubby little face was full of worry, even his delicate eyebrows were scrunched together.

“Grandma…”

Out of the corner of her eye, Grandma Zhou could see that old man’s footsteps slowing down.

He’d been walking for quite a while and still hadn’t stepped into the living room. It was obvious he was waiting for the little guy to come coax him.

An An was truly innocent and pure. His eyes kept sneaking glances in that direction—it was clear he wanted to take the bait too.

“Why don’t you go ask him yourself? Then you’ll know.”

“Oh, that’s true!”

An An lay there and shouted in his tiny, milky voice at the top of his lungs:

“Grandpa, where are you going?”

“To cut you some apple slices shaped like little bears.”

“Grandpa, I want bunny-shaped apples!”

“That works too.”