Chapter 146

An An patted the door with one hand while rubbing his sleepy eyes with the other. He tilted his head up, staring at the doorknob that was a bit too high for him, then stood on tiptoe, trying to reach it.

“Grandpa, Grandpa, it’s me, An An.”

Inside the room, Grandpa Zhou was already up. After getting dressed, he opened the door and bent down to pick An An up.

It had been a long time since Grandpa Zhou had gotten up this early, and he was still not quite used to it. Nestled in his arms, An An yawned and mumbled in a drowsy, muffled voice:

“Grandpa, my eyes… won’t open.”

Grandpa Zhou looked down at his dazed little face, his eyes filled with affection. He carried him downstairs and set him on the stool in front of the sink.

Just last year, he was still a little guy who needed help brushing his teeth. Now he could already stand on the little stool and do it with him.

Grandpa Zhou still remembered when An An had first been brought home. He couldn’t even speak and did everything so cautiously. His heart had ached just looking at him.

In the blink of an eye, he had raised him into a chubby, lively little boy. Warmth and pride surged in his heart.

In the mirror, An An was still squinting from sleepiness and nearly poured the mouthwash into his nose. Grandpa Zhou quickly grabbed the cup.

An An turned his head with an innocent look and glanced at Grandpa, a flicker of confusion in his big eyes.

“Huh? Grandpa, what are you doing?”

Grandpa Zhou’s face was full of exasperation as he held the cup to An An’s mouth.

Forget it. He’s still little. Give it another two years. We’ll talk then.

Even though he didn’t get an answer, An An still obediently leaned forward to rinse his mouth, his cheeks puffing in and out.

Back in the day, Grandpa Zhou had a habit of practicing tai chi, but over time he got lazy about waking up early. Now that he was picking it back up, he was a little rusty.

An An stood beside him, mimicking his movements with his tiny hands and feet. Though his form was a bit clumsy, he looked absolutely adorable.

After practicing for a while, Grandpa Zhou walked over to correct An An’s posture, helping him make the movements properly.

An An was a smart little fellow. With Grandpa’s hands-on guidance, the two of them were soon moving almost in sync.

The morning sunlight carried a special kind of vitality, casting long shadows of the grandfather and grandson across the ground.

By the time breakfast was ready, Grandma Zhou came to call them, and both of them were sweating. An An responded in his soft, childish voice.

“Coming!”

Grandma Zhou knew exactly why Grandpa Zhou had suddenly picked up tai chi again after all these years.

Right now, things between Shizhe and An An seemed fine. But Shizhe was already at the age where he’d soon be getting married. Once he had a family of his own, his focus would naturally shift.

To expect him to keep treating An An this well wouldn’t be fair to his wife and children. They couldn’t drag their eldest grandson down just for the sake of the little one.

The best solution was for the two of them, these old bones, to hold on as long as they could. Only if they raised An An themselves would it be fair to everyone.

The breakfast prepared by the chef was very nutritious. An An held his spoon and ate without needing to be coaxed. Occasionally, he would switch to chopsticks and pick out some of the dishes Grandpa didn’t like, placing them into Grandpa’s bowl.

Since it was his little grandson personally giving it to him, Grandpa Zhou ate it even if he didn’t like it, eyes closed if needed.

An An hid behind his bowl, giggling, his eyes curved like crescent moons.

Just as he was feeling smug, Grandpa Zhou peeled a boiled egg and placed it in front of An An with a smile.

“Eat this. It’ll help you grow tall.”

The smile froze on An An’s face. His little eyebrows scrunched together as he stared at the egg for a long time before reluctantly eating it.

Pride sparkled in Grandpa Zhou’s eyes. This little rascal still had a long way to go if he thought he could outsmart him.

Moments like this between grandfather and grandson happened almost every day. Grandma Zhou pretended not to see it. Her old man was just taking advantage while An An was still small.

Once An An got a bit older, he definitely wouldn’t dare to tease him so recklessly. If he really made An An cry, her old man would just try to shove the boy into her arms and ask her to comfort him.

The teacher they had arranged for An An in advance happened to be coming today. The family had the nanny prepare two rooms specifically for An An’s studies.

Unless work was especially hectic, Zhou Shizhe would always come home from his company to spend at least an hour playing with An An.

The company he had started on his own, with only a few contacts provided by Grandpa Zhou, was expected to go public in the next year or two.

His excellence made Grandpa Zhou the envy of all his peers whenever they gathered.

With his eldest grandson already grown and outstanding, Grandpa Zhou now poured all his energy into raising his youngest grandson.

Perhaps because the teacher was so well-known, word of it even reached Father Zhou and Mother Zhou.

They made a rare appearance, bringing gifts, and came by while An An was away at his equestrian lesson.

Father Zhou and Mother Zhou sat on the sofa, originally planning to wait for the old man to speak first before bringing up what they wanted to say.

Grandpa Zhou glanced at the gifts left by the door, then focused on the walnut in his palm, not sparing them even a glance.

In the end, it was Father Zhou and Mother Zhou who couldn’t hold back. Mother Zhou nudged Father Zhou with her elbow, prompting him to speak first.

“Dad, I heard you found a few teachers for An An…”

He had barely gotten the words out when Grandpa Zhou cut in with a sarcastic tone.

“Oh? How come you never seemed so concerned about An An before?”

After all, they were his own children, so Grandpa Zhou gave them a bit of face. He stopped just short of outright saying they had ulterior motives for coming.

Even though that was clearly the truth, having it pointed out so bluntly still made Father Zhou a bit embarrassed.

In the past, he wouldn’t have been in such a sorry state. But now, with his assets rapidly shrinking, hiring top-tier teachers like that required not just money but also the right background.

For the sake of his younger son’s future, Father Zhou forced down his displeasure and managed a smile as he continued:

“Dad, you see, An An and Shitou are about the same age. We’re planning to send him to kindergarten in the second half of the year. Why not let them go together? That way the kids can have some company.”

“If they grow up together, they’ll have a bond. In the future, if anything happens, they can help each other out.”

“If An An is the only one at home, he might feel lonely.”

The words sounded tempting, but unfortunately, Old Master Zhou didn’t believe a single one of them.

If there were some blood relation between the two kids, maybe it’d be worth considering. But there wasn’t.

And that child didn’t have a good temperament either. Grandpa Zhou could see his domineering nature and his dislike for An An at a glance.

If they were really put together, An An would definitely be the one to suffer.

Rather than saying they wanted the kids to be companions, it was more like they wanted An An to be a little tagalong for their child!

Grandpa Zhou’s expression turned a bit complicated. After a long silence, he finally squeezed out a sentence.

“Are you… one of those ‘average men with inflated egos’ I keep seeing about online?”

An An was being raised just fine by his side. The teacher had been specially hired to tutor An An and only An An.

It was precisely because An An was still a bit shy and introverted that Grandpa Zhou worried he might not be able to fit in with the other children if they sent him off straight away. That was why he decided to have the teacher come to the house first.

Where did his son get the confidence to think he would ever agree to let someone who disliked An An stay by his side and make him unhappy?

Back when An An was on X-Change, Grandpa Zhou had been closely following the online discussions and even picked up a few trendy buzzwords.

Even he hadn’t expected that the first person he’d use those words on would be his own son.

“Dad, how could you say something like that?”

Only after speaking did Grandpa Zhou realize that what he said might have been a bit harsh. But in front of his own son, he wasn’t about to admit he was wrong. He simply frowned and continued:

“If you hadn’t done that, would I have said something like this?”

Whatever Father Zhou had been about to say was completely stuck in his throat by that one sentence.

The father and son hadn’t seen each other in a long time, and they had barely exchanged a few words before they were already arguing. Mother Zhou gently patted his hand in an attempt to calm him down.

“Dad, we really were wrong about what happened back then. Shitou has suffered so much out there, we couldn’t help but be a little more partial to him. But we know now that we were wrong.”

“The kids in our circle tend to look down on Shitou and don’t like playing with him. As parents, it hurt to see that, so we were hoping An An and Shitou could spend some time together.”

“Kids around the same age being together might help bring An An out of his shell and make him more cheerful. It’d be good for both of them. When they grow up, they could look out for each other.”

As Mother Zhou spoke, her eyes turned red. She looked every bit the devoted mother thinking only of her children, and what she said sounded reasonable and sincere.

Unfortunately, Grandpa Zhou didn’t believe a single word.

In their social circle, if you didn’t have eight hundred schemes running through your head, you wouldn’t survive a day.

The children in these families were raised with care from a young age. How could they possibly be deliberately isolating one child?

Even the most pampered kids were never neglected in their education. Just look at An An—who didn’t praise him as a well-mannered and obedient child?

Unless that child was an illegitimate son, or had done something truly disgusting.

A child so clearly favored and doted on by his parents, yet unable to make friends without doing anything wrong? That was impossible.

Even if not for the sake of his son, people would at least give face to him.

Grandpa Zhou might say he didn’t want to meddle in his son’s affairs anymore, but in the eyes of outsiders, they were still one family.

People would think: how could a father truly be so heartless as to cut ties with his own son? At most, it was just a temporary falling-out.

If outsiders got involved in a dispute between father and son, once the two reconciled, they would turn on those outsiders together.

“You said those kids don’t want to be friends with Shitou. Then of course my An An wouldn’t want to either.”

After hearing that, Grandpa Zhou felt deeply uncomfortable. What did it mean to shove a friend that even other kids didn’t want onto An An? Was his precious grandson supposed to look like he picked friends out of the trash?

Seeing Grandpa Zhou’s clear displeasure at the mention of Zhou Shi, Mother Zhou felt a sharp stab in her heart. On impulse, she blurted out something she had discovered not long ago.

“Dad, I noticed something off with Shitou recently. I suspect he might have mild autism. A friend of mine said spending time with peers could help.”

“I remember An An was the same way when he first came to us. So I thought… if he was willing to spend time with An An, maybe it would help.”

Grandpa Zhou, who had been lounging lazily against the back of the sofa, immediately straightened up when he heard that. His expression turned stern as he said:

“If he’s sick, take him to a psychologist. What are you dragging An An into this for? An An’s just a little kid—how is he supposed to treat someone’s illness? What kind of parents are you?”

He was so angry that his face turned red. If his son weren’t already a grown man, he wouldn’t have been able to stop himself from slapping him right then and there.

“Dad, Shitou’s condition isn’t that serious. It’s just a tendency…”

“He already doesn’t like An An, and now you insist on forcing them together. Are you trying to help him get better, or are you deliberately trying to make his condition worse?”

As Grandpa Zhou said this, his anger suddenly flared again. He slammed the tea table and stood up, giving his son a hard kick.

“Unbelievable! You’d even lie about your own son’s health for what?”

If they truly didn’t care about the child, they might have tried to pair the two kids together just to avoid trouble.

But they had already gone so far as to slap their older son for the sake of the younger one. How could something as simple as taking the child to a psychologist be too much?

So why didn’t they do it? It could only be because that child had no problem at all!

“Why are you always scheming about An An? Let me tell you, I made my will not long ago. All my assets will go to An An. If anything happens to him before he comes of age, everything will be donated to Project Hope. You won’t get a single cent!”

“How did I end up with a son like you? I’m still alive, you hear me? I’m still alive!”

Grandpa Zhou was so angry that his body started to tremble. When Grandma Zhou came downstairs and saw the scene, she rushed over to help him sit down, gave him his medicine, and gently rubbed his back to help him breathe.

“Have you forgotten what the doctor said recently? Before An An left, he told me to keep an eye on you and not let you get angry. If he knew you were so upset you had to take medicine again, he’d ignore you for days.”

At the mention of An An, Grandpa Zhou’s reason returned. He forced himself not to think about what had just happened, and his breathing slowly began to steady.

Grandma Zhou had always been a gentle-tempered woman, especially in her old age. No matter what the situation, she always handled things with softness and care.

But today’s incident had truly made her angry. Even little An An knew not to push Grandpa too far, because his health couldn’t take it. Even when he threw tantrums, he knew when to stop.

Yet their grown son had deliberately brought his wife over just to provoke them. If something really happened because of this, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Or maybe that was his real goal in coming here—to provoke the old man on purpose?

She couldn’t even bear to think about it. The more she thought, the angrier she became. All the past incidents where their son had come to upset them came flooding back to her.

“Enough. I told you last time not to come here again.”

“In your own home, you can do whatever you want. But if you try to meddle in our affairs, don’t blame us for being ruthless.”

“We don’t need you to take care of us in our old age. Cutting ties with you won’t affect us in the slightest.”

It was the first time Grandma Zhou had spoken so harshly. Even Father Zhou was a little shocked. What she said was even more heartless than what Grandpa Zhou had said.

When the children were young, she had been willing to be tolerant, because she was a mother. But now that she was old, after a lifetime of putting up with things, she simply didn’t want to endure anymore.

Their son was only now beginning to realize that doing business had become much harder than before. If word got out that he had completely severed ties with his father, there might not even be a place for him in this city.

Father Zhou was not like Zhou Shizhe. Zhou Shizhe had the ability to stand on his own, while Father Zhou relied entirely on being Old Master Zhou’s son.

Neither Grandpa Zhou nor Grandma Zhou could understand how, despite using the same parenting methods, their son and grandson had turned out to be complete opposites.

Now that they were at this age, they no longer wanted to dwell on the past. All they wanted was to live out their remaining years in peace.

Every time their son came over, he would throw the entire household into chaos, and the old man would be in a foul mood for days afterward.

Grandma Zhou had always let it slide before, but today, she simply couldn’t hold it in any longer.

After speaking, seeing that they still hadn’t moved, she pointed to the door and shouted:

“Get out! All of you, get out of my house!”

After they left, Grandma Zhou sat down on the sofa and let out a weary sigh. Grandpa Zhou, who had finally come back to his senses, actually came over to comfort her.

Children and grandchildren have their own blessings. When it came to raising their children, they had a clear conscience.

“Go inform the security guards. From now on, don’t let them in again.”

“And don’t let An An find out about this.”

That little guy was still young, and just as sensitive. These days, he got upset easily and held grudges. Even Grandpa Zhou didn’t dare provoke him—once he got angry, it was nearly impossible to coax him back.

Before heading out with his little backpack, he had promised he wouldn’t get angry no matter what happened.

If he found out, he’d definitely sulk in a corner with his arms crossed for a long time. Just thinking about it gave Grandpa Zhou a headache.

“Alright, I understand.”

An An came bouncing into the living room with his cartoon backpack after finishing his horseback riding lesson. His little legs wobbled as he ran and shouted:

“Grandpa, Grandma, I’m home!”

Compared to his usual return time, he was clearly much later today.

An An ran over to Grandma Zhou, who bent down to pick him up. She stared at his rosy cheeks for a long time before smiling and asking:

“Did you have fun today?”

The little guy barely reached her waist, so she didn’t expect him to actually learn much from the horseback riding lessons.

Even the horse he rode was a tiny one. The whole point was just to let him have fun and get used to being around other people so he wouldn’t grow up shy.

“I had fun!!”

“Grandma, where’s Grandpa? I have something to say!”

Every time An An saw something interesting outside, he would treat it like a press conference when he got home—he wouldn’t say a word until both Grandpa and Grandma were gathered.

“Coming, coming.”

Grandpa Zhou responded as he hurried in from the backyard, still wearing his gardening gloves.

Most of the flowers in the backyard were taken care of by professional gardeners, which gave them peace of mind.

But there were a few plants that were Grandma Zhou’s favorites. Over the years, Grandpa Zhou had always tended to them himself. They had grown lush and full, and caring for them had become a habit.

An An pulled Grandpa’s hand and took him to wash up. After washing thoroughly, he dragged him to sit on the sofa and began recounting something he saw on the way to his horseback riding lesson.

He had happened to witness a pregnant mare giving birth. The coach, seeing how curious An An was, let him watch the entire delivery process.

For some reason, the mare had a difficult labor, and the delivery took much longer than expected. That was why An An had come home late today.

Thankfully, there were experienced professionals on hand, and both the mare and her foal made it through safely. An An had squatted nearby and watched as the exhausted mare gently nudged her newborn. In that moment, he felt something very special stir inside him.

He didn’t know how to describe the feeling to Grandpa and Grandma, so he just waved his arms excitedly.

“An An, do you like that little foal? How about we buy it?”

Grandpa Zhou didn’t just care about An An’s education. He also paid close attention to his emotional development. He believed that when An An grew up and looked back on this moment, it would be a precious memory.

“I do! But it’s so small… If it gets separated from its mom so soon, won’t it be really sad?”

An An happily agreed at first—after all, he had watched that little foal be born with his own eyes. That was a special bond between them!

But then he thought about how the foal’s mother might feel, and his little brows furrowed in worry.

Thinking of the foal and its mother, An An hugged Grandpa’s arm and whispered:

“Let’s forget it. I’ll just go visit it sometimes, that’s enough.”

Grandpa Zhou gently ruffled An An’s soft hair. People say that children with soft hair tend to have soft hearts. That saying seemed to be true for An An.

“It’s alright. Grandpa can buy its mother too.”

An An’s mention of the foal reminded Grandpa Zhou of an old comrade. They used to envy those who served on horseback in the grasslands, thinking they looked so cool riding horses.

They had even promised each other that once they retired, they’d go ride horses on the plains together.

Every time Grandpa Zhou looked at An An, he couldn’t help but feel grateful. As long as An An was in this world, all his past regrets could be made up for through this little guy.

“Wow! Grandpa, you’re amazing!! Really? You can really buy the whole family? Won’t that cost a lot of money?”

An An’s reactions were always over-the-top, which greatly satisfied Grandpa Zhou’s inner child. He waved his hand and said nonchalantly:

“Don’t worry. Grandpa has plenty of money.”

In response, An An leaned in like a kitten and rubbed his little head against Grandpa’s shoulder. Grandpa Zhou absolutely adored his grandson’s affectionate gestures.

“Grandpa, you’re the best~”

That night, Zhou Shizhe didn’t come home—not because he was busy with work.

After hearing from Grandma that his little brother might have autism, and that their parents had no intention of doing anything about it, he waited until they were out and took his brother to the city’s most renowned psychological clinic.

All the doctors at this clinic were well-known. In their social circle, many people liked to come here on weekends just to chat with the therapists.

After a thorough and authoritative evaluation, it was confirmed that his brother did not have any psychological disorders.

Zhou Shizhe stood there frozen, unable to process it for a long time.

Taking advantage of his momentary daze, Zhou Shi broke free from his grip, ran a few steps away, and shouted:

“If you like him so much, then treat him like your real little brother. Just leave me alone!”

Zhou Shizhe knew the “him” in his words referred to An An. Seeing Zhou Shi’s twisted expression, he was at a loss for words. He didn’t know how to respond. His mind went completely blank.

He had never wanted to believe that such a young child could harbor so many dark thoughts. He had assumed Zhou Shi had just misspoken in a moment of confusion.

But now, they were standing so close that Zhou Shizhe could see the resentment and bitterness in his brother’s eyes with painful clarity.

“He is my real little brother.”

After saying that, Zhou Shi became even angrier than before. He even looked like he was about to charge over and start punching and kicking Zhou Shizhe.

“Why?! Why?! He’s just an adopted kid! Why do Grandpa and Grandma like him so much? Why does my big brother like him too?! Why are Grandpa and Grandma planning to leave all their inheritance to him?!”

As a grown man who exercised regularly, Zhou Shizhe could have easily dodged the attack. But he didn’t.

Despite being just a child, Zhou Shi’s punches weren’t weak at all. Zhou Shizhe’s heart grew colder and colder until, finally, he shouted sharply:

“That’s enough!”

“Why are you yelling at me?”

Zhou Shizhe grabbed his wrist and practically dragged him into the car by force. He told the assistant to take him home and to make sure nothing happened on the way.

That house—Zhou Shizhe didn’t want to go back there ever again.

He crouched under a streetlamp by the roadside, his eyes completely unfocused.

To say he had deep feelings for that younger brother would be a lie, but he was still his blood brother, after all.

Even so, in comparison, he liked An An more. Still, he did care about Zhou Shi to some extent and had even thought about looking after him in the future.

Even now, Zhou Shizhe couldn’t understand why they all so confidently believed that Grandpa’s belongings were theirs by right.

He had always thought that everyone should be like him—hoping that their loved ones would live a long and healthy life.

Not wishing for them to die early just to inherit their wealth, especially when they weren’t even struggling financially.

A cold wind blew past, and Zhou Shizhe, without a jacket, felt even colder. Just then, his phone rang. He took it out and saw that it was a call from An An.

“Hello?”

Zhou Shizhe swiped to answer. As soon as he spoke, he realized his voice was hoarse. On the other end, An An had lowered his voice too. Even through the phone, it was easy to imagine his sneaky little expression.

“Hey, Big Brother, are you coming home tonight?”

Earlier, Zhou Shizhe hadn’t even known where he should go. But now, hearing An An’s soft, childish voice seriously asking if he would come home, he gave a quiet “Mm.”

“I’m not asleep yet. Big Brother, can you bring me some fried chicken?”

Zhou Shizhe glanced at the time in the top-left corner of his screen. It was already late, and it would take him at least half an hour to get home.

Logic told him this was a request he absolutely shouldn’t agree to.

“Big Brother, you’re the best of the best. Without fried chicken, I won’t be able to sleep, boohoo.”

“Thank you, Big Brother, love you~”

Zhou Shizhe hadn’t said a single word, but An An had already showered him with flattery, making it impossible for him to refuse. All he could do was sigh and compromise.

“Just one piece.”

“Okay!”

Zhou Shizhe went to a nearby 24-hour fried chicken shop and bought a portion of drumsticks. He even asked for insulated packaging. Then he flagged down a taxi at the intersection and gave the driver the address near home.

By the time he got back, Grandpa and Grandma had already gone to bed. He went straight upstairs to An An’s room.

An An, dressed in an animal onesie, was sitting on the couch holding a picture book, waiting for him.

The moment the door opened, his eyes lit up.

The book he’d been reading was casually tossed aside as he bounced up and launched himself toward his brother.

After a short running start, An An leapt straight into Zhou Shizhe’s arms, sniffed the air, and giggled sweetly.

Zhou Shizhe handed him the insulated food container. An An skillfully unwrapped it and put on disposable gloves.

There were two drumsticks in the box. An An handed one to Zhou Shizhe.

When Zhou Shizhe had been outside earlier, he hadn’t felt hungry. But now, with the smell of food wafting up, his stomach growled twice.

That psychologist usually required an appointment well in advance. But Zhou Shizhe had been in a hurry and had asked a friend to pull some strings.

To take Zhou Shi to see the therapist, he hadn’t even eaten dinner and had been starving until now.

An An held the drumstick out to his brother and mumbled in his soft little voice:

“Cheers~”

“Oh wait, I mean, cheers with chicken legs~”

His small hands were clearly well-shaped. Because he was still young and well-fed, they looked especially cute. Even though the drumstick was at least twice the size of his little hand, he held it effortlessly.

Zhou Shizhe took his drumstick and lightly tapped it against An An’s.

The two brothers had originally been sitting face to face, but before he knew it, An An had scooted into his lap. The fuzzy little panda in his arms was sneakily munching on his chicken leg.

Zhou Shizhe knew full well that if Grandpa found out about this, he’d definitely get a scolding.

But doing something secretly like this, behind their backs, made it all the more thrilling.

An An gnawed his chicken leg clean, leaving only the bone with not a trace of meat on it.

Normally, An An would’ve been asleep by now. But tonight, he’d insisted on staying up to wait for his brother. After eating, his head drooped sleepily, and he dozed off in Zhou Shizhe’s arms.

Taking care of An An had become second nature to Zhou Shizhe. He carried his sleeping little brother to wash up, then tucked him back into bed.

Before leaving, he bent down and kissed An An’s chubby cheek.

At first, Zhou Shizhe’s feelings for An An had been mostly gratitude. After all, when Grandpa had been hospitalized that time, he truly thought he was going to lose him.

But the more time he spent with An An, the more he came to love him.

Whenever Zhou Shizhe felt like he couldn’t go on or was on the verge of breaking down, An An would always manage to heal him—without even realizing it.

By the time he left An An’s room, the bad mood caused by what had happened earlier had completely lifted. He stood in the hallway and let out a long breath.

Luckily, tomorrow was the weekend and he didn’t have work. He could finally sleep in.

Although, with that little troublemaker in the house, chances were he’d be woken up right after An An finished his morning tai chi. If things went poorly, An An might come to wake him up right after rousing Grandpa.

After all this time, An An had developed a fixed biological clock.

Even if he didn’t set an alarm before bed, he would still wake up at the same time every morning.

He’d slip his feet into his slippers while still in pajamas and toddle off on his short little legs to wake Grandpa. And since Big Brother was home today, he’d make a detour and barge straight into his brother’s bedroom.

From across the room, he’d take aim at the bed and launch himself.

When Zhou Shizhe was jolted awake by the ambush, he didn’t even have the energy to be annoyed. He reached out and gave An An’s little face a good rub, then nuzzled him affectionately.

“Time to get up. Go change your clothes.”

An An clearly wasn’t convinced by his brother’s claim that he was awake. He looked back three times as he walked to the door, and even reminded him:

“I’m coming back after I change, okay?”

“Mm, go on, go on.”

They always changed into special outfits for tai chi in the morning to make it easier to move.

Grandma Zhou hadn’t been a fan of this at first, but she couldn’t resist when Grandpa insisted on dragging her along, saying it was good for their health.

What started as something no one wanted to do had now become a family routine.

An An, being the youngest and smallest, stood at the very front. Every movement he made during tai chi was precise and standard.

Afterward, Grandma Zhou wiped the sweat off his forehead, while Grandpa Zhou gave his eldest grandson a look of utter disdain.

“Look at you. You haven’t practiced in ages, have you? Now even An An is better than you!”

An An, looking completely innocent, sipped from his water cup and gave his brother a cheeky wink when he noticed him looking over.

Maybe it was because yesterday’s events had left Zhou Shizhe especially heartbroken, but today he was unusually childish. As soon as Grandpa finished speaking, he turned to An An to complain.

“An An, look, Grandpa’s picking on me now.”

Just moments ago, Xiao An’an had been happily sipping water and watching the show from the sidelines. But in an instant, he felt the gazes of all three of them land squarely on him.

Nervously swallowing the mouthful of water he had been holding, he thought for a long while. Then, hugging his water bottle with one arm, he covered his eyes with both hands, quietly turned his body in another direction, and softly muttered:

“Leaking, leaking, An An didn’t see anything.”