Chapter 51

An An’s aggrieved expression was extremely deceptive. Director Wang patted his back, just like any unreasonable parent who always sides with their child.

“Yu Honghui! Not only is your performance subpar, dragging down the entire production’s progress, but now you’re also throwing a tantrum at a child? If you want to act, then act! If not, get lost already!”

Director Wang had already found Yu Honghui unpleasant and even regretted casting him in the first place. Now, he seized the opportunity to vent all his frustrations.

Even the screenwriter, who had once been satisfied with Yu Honghui, was losing patience as his performance continued to decline.

In contrast, Gu Chen—already a competent actor—now had an additional storyline involving Susu, bringing his screen time almost on par with the male lead. In fact, the show was starting to take on a dual-male-lead dynamic.

In other productions, the team might have tried to suppress Gu Chen’s performance to avoid overshadowing the main lead. But in this production, the director and screenwriter simply turned a blind eye.

Yu Honghui’s face flushed red with embarrassment as the director berated him in front of everyone. Even his ears burned.

The veteran actor performing opposite him now gave him a strange look. Yu Honghui had repeatedly failed to meet the director’s expectations, forcing multiple retakes and wasting everyone’s time.

Even for a seasoned actor, constant reshoots were frustrating—especially for someone older, who found emotionally intense scenes exhausting.

Anger nearly clouded Yu Honghui’s judgment, but he forced himself to suppress it, squeezing out a smile as he apologized to the veteran actor.

“Are you ready now? If there are no more issues, let’s continue shooting.”

The director signaled to the crew, then casually pulled a small biscuit from his pocket—one he had prepared for An An.

Children this age got hungry faster than adults. An An was usually well-behaved, except when he was hungry. Keeping him content in the director’s arms meant first filling his little stomach.

Yu Honghui was already in a bad state, and after being scolded by the director, he had to watch the “culprit” lounging in a rocking chair with the director, happily munching on biscuits.

His performance, already lacking, now became downright terrible. No matter how much Director Wang disliked it, he had to call off the scene, postponing Yu Honghui’s shots to the next day and focusing instead on An An and Gu Chen’s scenes.

Director Wang had already briefed An An in advance, so he wasn’t worried about the child’s performance.

In the script, Gu Chen’s character, Hu Shuming, was a top law student from a prestigious university. He had fallen in love with his wife during college, and they had a son named Susu.

However, his wife died from an amniotic fluid embolism, leaving him with only his child as the reason to go on living. Then, when Susu was just over three years old, a man pushed him off a building, taking his life.

The perpetrator came from a privileged family. His parents, deeply doting on their youngest son, fabricated proof of mental illness to shield him from legal consequences. With the right maneuvering, he was able to continue living as if nothing had ever happened.

As an ordinary man, Hu Shuming had no way to seek justice through the legal system. So, he pretended nothing had happened, carrying on as usual—until he took brutal revenge.

He ruthlessly murdered the entire family of the perpetrator, as well as those who had helped them escape justice. The only one he spared was the young, innocent child of the family.

Hu Shuming, possessing exceptional intelligence and anti-investigation skills, executed his crimes with extreme precision. After his final murder, he voluntarily surrendered and confessed.

Today’s scene was set on Susu’s third birthday. Gu Chen’s character carried his son in one arm while holding a freshly bought cake in the other.

Thanks to Director Wang’s guidance, An An knew how to find his camera angles and performed excellently.

After entering the house, he tiptoed to grab a small apron hanging on the wall, put it on, then happily ran off to fetch a larger apron for his father.

At the kitchen sink, An An stood on a small stool while Gu Chen stood behind him, encircling him as he washed vegetables.

An An tilted his head to look up at his father. Gu Chen, still working, glanced down at him. Their eyes met, and they both smiled.

Sunlight filtered through the leaves outside, casting shifting patterns of light. The relaxed atmosphere between father and son radiated a strong sense of warmth and home.

Because it was Susu’s third birthday, they prepared a particularly lavish meal, including his favorite—Cola Chicken Wings.

Initially, Director Wang had not planned to shoot the cooking scenes since few actors knew how to cook. But when discussing the scene with An An, Gu Chen volunteered, saying he could do it. So, they decided to film it after all.

As Gu Chen cooked, An An ran around the small kitchen, occasionally standing on tiptoes to peek into the pot and check if the food was ready.

When the dish was finished, Gu Chen scooped up a chicken wing and handed it to An An, motioning for him to eat outside instead of getting in the way.

An An happily carried his bowl out, eating while glancing back at his father in the kitchen, then at the cake on the table.

Finally, all the food was ready. After dinner, Gu Chen unwrapped the cake, inserted three candles, lit them, and gently corrected An An’s hand posture for making a wish.

“Make a wish.”

An An, wearing a small paper crown, pressed his hands together and closed his eyes. The living room lights were off, and the curtains were drawn. The warm glow of the candles flickered across his face.

Just before making his wish, An An inhaled deeply.

Director Wang had not instructed him to do this—it was simply an instinctive reaction to the rich, creamy scent of the cake. He even swallowed discreetly, unable to resist.

A crew member was about to call for a retake, but before he could speak, Director Wang raised a hand to stop him, signaling not to interfere.

Director Wang’s goal for An An was to be as adorable and well-behaved as possible in the script—so that his later fate would evoke greater sorrow.

No pre-set adult acting technique could compare to the natural, unconscious reactions of a child.

“I want to grow up quickly!”

Gu Chen reached out and gently tapped his head, softly reminding him,

“Wishes won’t come true if someone else hears them.”

The little boy, who had just made his wish, rolled his eyes upon hearing this. Trying to conceal his greed, he quickly mumbled another wish in a low voice.

“I wish… for a delicious cake next year too!”

After saying this, as if worried his father would scold him, he hurriedly defended himself,

“Daddy is not ‘someone else’!”

Gu Chen was momentarily stunned before quickly reacting. He reached out to ruffle his son’s hair. An An, taking advantage of the moment, dipped his little fingers into some cream and smeared it on his dad’s nose. He then leaned back on the sofa, laughing so hard that his eyes turned into crescents.

Gu Chen pulled An An into his arms, lowered his head, and lightly rubbed his nose against his son’s cheek, responding dotingly,

“Alright, I’ll buy you a cake from this shop again next year.”

“Happy birthday, Susu.”

Their performance was excellent, and the director called out, “Cut!” After the scene wrapped up, the director came over, cut himself a piece of cake, and squatted down to eat while asking,

“When’s An An’s birthday? Uncle will prepare a gift in advance.”

An An, his mouth full of cake, showed a moment of confusion. But beside him, Gu Chen, who was wiping the cream off his son’s face, accurately replied with a date.

“The 25th of the fifth lunar month.”

“An An’s performance was amazing! I’ve never seen such a naturally talented child actor. Starting today, I swear off smoking and drinking. I want to create a film just for An An when he grows up.”

Director Wang made this bold declaration while eating cake. The screenwriter, who had come over to get a slice, pretended not to hear anything. He had lost count of how many times he’d heard Director Wang say he would quit smoking and drinking. If the man lasted three days, the screenwriter would consider it a miracle.

Even though he knew it was unlikely, as a long-time friend, the screenwriter never discouraged him. If he could really do it, it would be a good thing.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the set, Yu Honghui watched the lively scene with dimmed eyes. Why was it that he endured humiliation and scolding on set, while Gu Chen received constant praise from the director? Now even his son was being showered with compliments.

In his previous life, Yu Honghui had never made a name for himself in the entertainment industry. To put it nicely, he didn’t care for such things and refused to play along with others. To put it bluntly, he simply wasn’t cut out for this line of work.

Anyone with enough experience in the industry could see how naturally gifted An An was.

Whether he would grow up well or not was uncertain, but at least for now, his talent was undeniable.

Yet Yu Honghui couldn’t see it. He believed the director was only praising the boy because of Gu Chen. The resentment in his chest grew stronger the more he thought about it.

Ever since Gu Chen realized Yu Honghui disliked him, he had kept his distance, limiting their interactions to a mere greeting.

At this moment, all his attention was on his son, leaving no room to spare for Yu Honghui. It was the screenwriter who briefly glanced in that direction before quickly looking away, vaguely guessing at Yu Honghui’s thoughts.

Saying he wasn’t disappointed would be a lie.

Even the screenwriter himself couldn’t understand why, back then, he had ever taken a liking to someone who was so obviously a poor match.

…

Since it was a film with a main plot revolving around solving a case, An An, who only appeared in flashbacks, didn’t have many scenes. Before long, they reached the final scene for his character.

Considering An An’s young age, the makeup artist gave him multiple reminders, worried he might get scared. She even demonstrated it twice for him.

The makeup artists in Director Wang’s team were incredibly skilled, making the bloodstains look frighteningly realistic.

When Gu Chen rushed down the stairs and saw his son lying there, barely clinging to life, he didn’t need to act—the cold sweat on his forehead was real.

“Susu!”

An An’s little hand, smeared with fake blood, tightly grasped his father’s clothes, leaving a red streak on his white shirt.

“Daddy, it hurts…”

Gu Chen carefully cradled An An in his arms. Although he was a man who worked out regularly, the weight of his three-year-old son was nothing to him. Yet his arms trembled uncontrollably, his whole body shuddering slightly.

“Daddy… am I… going to die?”

The staff had only given An An his lines to memorize. At such a young age, he had no real concept of death. His clear, bright eyes were filled entirely with reluctance to leave his father.

“No! You won’t die, Susu! You haven’t grown up yet—you won’t die! You said you’d buy Daddy a car when you grow up, remember? Susu!”

Gu Chen’s voice grew hoarse, but the child in his arms gradually stopped breathing.

The man, still clutching his child, suddenly lost all strength, collapsing onto the concrete floor.

Even so, his hands remained steady, making sure not to jolt the child in his arms. His bloodshot eyes, his handsome face contorted in grief—when sorrow reached its peak, not a single tear would fall.

“Susu.”

“Susu, open your eyes and look at Daddy, Susu.”

The set had never been this silent before.

The script hadn’t specified that Gu Chen should kneel—it was entirely his own improvisation.

The director was the first to applaud, snapping everyone else out of their daze. One by one, the crew members joined in, clapping.

Even after the director called “Cut,” Gu Chen remained immersed in his emotions, unable to pull himself out. He tightly hugged An An, and at that moment, he felt overwhelming relief that this was only acting—that An An’s body was still warm.

“Daddy, you’re squishing me! I can’t breathe!”

Noticing his father’s overwhelming emotions, An An wriggled around like a little worm, struggling to escape before taking deep breaths.

“Sorry… sorry, baby.”

The tears that had refused to fall earlier finally spilled over.

An An reached out his chubby little hands, gently wiping them away without the slightest hint of disgust. Then, he leaned forward and gave his father a soft kiss.

“No worries~”

Gu Chen’s performance in this scene was absolutely explosive. Director Wang suddenly realized that he hadn’t fully grasped Gu Chen’s capabilities before. Holding a cup of water, he walked over and gently patted Gu Chen’s shoulder in reassurance.

“Let me help you over there to take a break. Don’t just stay here.”

“An An is still here, isn’t he? You’re holding him. I already asked Xiao Liu to find a doctor. Go get your knee checked over there.”

Director Wang had a clear view from behind the camera—Gu Chen had dropped straight to his knees, and the hard impact definitely needed attention to avoid any lingering issues.

“Alright.”

Gu Chen slowly pulled himself out of the intense emotions he had just immersed himself in. An An, realizing that his dad’s knee must be hurting, struggled to get down, but Gu Chen held him too tightly, making escape impossible.

Director Wang patted Gu Chen’s shoulder again and rubbed An An’s head, helping Gu Chen out of the situation.

“An An, let your dad hold you for a bit. He’s feeling really bad right now.”

When an actor immerses themselves in a role, they adopt a deep, experiential approach, becoming the character itself. Gu Chen employed a similar method, which meant each performance drained him emotionally.

Scenes like this, with such an explosive emotional outburst, were practically life-consuming.

Gu Chen carried An An back to the lounge. Throughout the whole time, whether it was Brother Li or Director Wang, he refused to let go. Sensing that his dad wasn’t willing to release him, An An stopped struggling like before.

Instead, he occasionally poked at his dad’s chin or tugged lightly on his ear.

Normally, Gu Chen would have told him not to do that, but today, he found it comforting. He lowered his head and gently rubbed his chin against the side of An An’s face.

“Baby, I will protect you.”

“Daddy is amazing~”

Gu Chen had read the script many times before, but he never truly understood Hu Shuming’s character—how he gave up everything for his child, even turning himself in.

But after finishing today’s scene, as he held his own son in his arms, he suddenly understood. If it were him, he would make the same choice.

For Hu Shuming, raising his child safely was his greatest wish. Yet even such a simple desire was impossible to fulfill.

He exploited legal loopholes, unable to get justice for his son. So, as a father, he could only give his son peace of mind in another way.

The cases in the script were filled with gruesome and brutal crimes. During some scenes, Gu Chen had even thrown up after filming.

But now, recalling those moments, he felt nothing but cold indifference. In fact, he thought those methods weren’t cruel enough.

Later, when An An’s stomach started growling, Gu Chen heard it and looked down. An An instinctively covered his belly with his small hands, blinking innocently.

“Hungry?”

An An initially wanted to nod, but after seeing his dad’s current state, he forced himself to shake his head slightly.

“Not hungry.”

“Brother Li, could you ask the assistant to bring our lunch? My leg hurts a bit.”

Brother Li had already been worried about Gu Chen’s condition. Now that Gu Chen actively made this request, of course, he didn’t refuse and hurriedly had the assistant bring their food.

At the same time, the crew had found a doctor. Out of caution, they cut open Gu Chen’s pant leg. Seeing the large bruise on his knee was shocking—it looked severe.

“For the next few days, you need to be careful. Luckily, the skin isn’t broken. It’s best to get a professional to massage out the internal bruising daily.”

“Understood, I’ll make sure of it. Thank you.”

Brother Li agreed immediately. Once the others left, leaving only him, Gu Chen, and An An in the room, he couldn’t hold back his frustration anymore.

“Seriously, no matter how much you want to deliver a great performance, you still need to take care of yourself! If you ruin your health, no amount of scripts will be worth it.”

“I know, Brother Li. Don’t worry, I know my limits.”

Brother Li rolled his eyes at that. As if. If Gu Chen really had any sense of limits, he wouldn’t have gotten injured like this.

Gu Chen didn’t know how to explain it to him either. The emotions had surged at that moment, and he simply couldn’t hold back. Even if he got another chance, he would still make the same choice.

After reflecting, he still believed that was the only way to fully express the character’s inner pain.

“An An, were you scared of Daddy today?”

Brother Li placed a big chicken leg into An An’s bowl. Today was Gu Chen’s final scene for the film. Since his emotional state needed time to recover, Director Wang hadn’t mentioned a wrap party.

Even without an official celebration, the crew member handling meal distribution had been instructed to give An An an extra chicken leg.

An An shook his head and passed the chicken leg to his dad.

“Susu is leaving, but An An won’t.”

Gu Chen, still feeling raw from the earlier scene, frowned at the wording and corrected him.

“Don’t say that.”

An An didn’t really understand why, but he obediently nodded.

“Hurry up and eat. Director Wang gave you two days off to rest. After you finish eating, go back to the hotel. I’ll get a professional to give you a massage.”

“An An will nap with Daddy this afternoon, okay?”

Brother Li glanced at An An after arranging everything for Gu Chen. He knew that after finishing a film like this, Gu Chen wouldn’t be able to rest properly without An An by his side.

“Okay~”

In the end, the chicken leg still ended up in An An’s stomach. Gu Chen didn’t have much of an appetite and only ate a little. Before leaving the set, he greeted Director Wang.

“Gu Chen, get some proper rest. You don’t need to worry about the set for now. I’ll shoot some other scenes first.”

Director Wang didn’t dare to let Gu Chen stay in the crew any longer. Based on his earlier behavior, the situation seemed too serious. Before today, Director Wang had never expected Gu Chen’s outburst to be so intense.

Even he had been somewhat shocked at the time, let alone anyone else.

“Alright, thank you, Director Wang.”

When An An was in his father’s arms, he waved his little hand at Director Wang. Realizing that this little guy hadn’t completely forgotten about him just because his father was upset, Director Wang felt somewhat relieved and waved back.

It was just a normal farewell, but in Yu Honghui’s eyes, something about it felt off.

Director Wang was never particularly close with most of the crew members. Yu Honghui had heard many actors complain about this before.

If Director Wang treated everyone that way, it would be one thing. But now, with An An as an exception, it was impossible for others not to feel a little resentful.

Yu Honghui, who hadn’t been performing well in recent days, didn’t dare to act recklessly anymore. He could only keep his frustrations bottled up inside.

Just after bidding farewell to An An and feeling in a good mood, Director Wang turned his head and saw Yu Honghui standing there. His smile instantly faded. Lately, if he wanted to stay in a good mood, he had to avoid thinking about anything related to Yu Honghui.

Poor performance, unwillingness to learn, and refusal to follow instructions—Director Wang had never struggled so much to teach an actor before.

This differential treatment only made Yu Honghui resent Gu Chen even more. He believed that if it weren’t for Gu Chen’s presence, he wouldn’t be having such a hard time in the crew.

…

Gu Chen took An An back to their hotel to rest. At this moment, he wasn’t tired and didn’t want to sleep. He even considered going to the kitchen to make some food for An An.

During mealtime earlier, he had noticed that the crew’s boxed meals didn’t taste great today. An An wasn’t eating with his usual enthusiasm.

Before he could act on his plan, Brother Li arrived with someone, saying he had arranged for a proper massage to help with Gu Chen’s knee injury.

Kneeling directly on concrete had taken a toll, and after such a long time, the injury even looked a bit alarming.

Earlier, when others were checking his injury, Gu Chen had deliberately covered An An’s eyes. But now, he couldn’t stop him from seeing.

Sitting on the sofa, gently swinging his feet, An An accidentally caught sight of his father’s injured knee and instantly froze.

Gu Chen didn’t think a child should see something like this. He was just about to ask Brother Li to take An An away when, before he could even speak, An An ran over on his own.

Crouching beside the sofa, his eyes were fixed on Gu Chen’s knee, unwilling to look away.

“Daddy…”

As soon as he spoke, tears welled up in his eyes. His next “Daddy” came out in a choked voice.

When Gu Chen was alone, he didn’t think much of this minor injury. But seeing An An’s tearful expression, it felt like he had broken a leg rather than just bruising his knee.

“It’s okay. Look, someone’s here to give me a massage. I’ll recover in no time, I promise.”

If An An didn’t look so upset right now, Gu Chen would have wanted to pull him into his arms.

“Daddy’s hurt. An An will blow on it.”

An An leaned in carefully and blew on his knee.

The staff that Brother Li had brought had been instructed beforehand, so they remained silent, waiting patiently instead of rushing things along.

Blowing on an injury to make it better was just a little trick to comfort kids. Gu Chen, a grown man, didn’t believe it could have any effect.

But seeing his son puffing up his cheeks so seriously, his knee actually seemed to hurt a little less.

“Thank you, it feels much better.”

Gu Chen’s words of reassurance made An An’s barely restrained tears fall again. He sniffled, his little face still streaked with tears, looking pitiful.

“Don’t cry, An An. It makes Daddy’s heart ache. It’s nothing serious, don’t worry.”

An An wasn’t so easily coaxed anymore. He could tell how serious his father’s injury was. Turning his head to the side, he refused to listen to Gu Chen’s words.

Gu Chen shook his head helplessly and signaled for the staff to proceed with the treatment.

“Did you not like today’s crew meal, An An?”

An An was well-behaved, but he had some little quirks—like being a picky eater. He wouldn’t even touch broccoli, cabbage, or carrots.

Whenever Gu Chen saw these in the crew meals, he would pick them out and eat them himself.

Although there weren’t any of those vegetables today, An An’s behavior was exactly the same as when he was being picky. He didn’t say anything outright, but he completely ignored certain foods.

“No.”

“Then why did you eat so little? Do you want Daddy to cook for you?”

“No.”

An An pouted and refused. But after speaking, he reflected on whether his tone had been too cold and awkwardly tried to make up for it.

“Daddy is in pain. I feel bad. I can’t eat.”

He placed his small palm over his heart. At his young age, he couldn’t distinguish between feeling bad for someone and actual physical heartache. As if to add weight to his words, he winced slightly, as if feeling pain.

“Don’t feel bad. This is Daddy’s job, and Daddy loves it.”

Gu Chen initially wanted to say that he had to work hard to buy An An milk powder, toys, and new clothes. But after thinking about it, he decided against it. Even without An An, he would still work hard. There was no need to burden a child with that pressure.

Especially since this little guy was already overly obedient. Saying too much would only make him feel worse.

So instead of talking about hardships, he only spoke of passion.

“Really?”

“Really. Daddy promises to be more careful next time.”

“Pinkie promise!”

An An stretched out his little pinkie toward his dad, recalling the words he should say when making a pinkie promise. But Gu Chen suddenly pulled his hand away.

Under his son’s surprised gaze, he cleared his throat awkwardly and explained,

“Sometimes, it’s required for work. You understand, right, baby?”

An An could tell that his dad had just been trying to trick him earlier. He folded his arms, turned his head away, and the more he thought about it, the angrier he got. With a loud huff, he put on his shoes and ran back to the bedroom.

Gu Chen’s knee injury hadn’t even been fully treated yet, and the pain made him suck in a sharp breath when it was pressed.

“Brother Li, how do I make it up to him?”

Brother Li had tried to persuade Gu Chen before—not to stop being dedicated to his work, but to take better care of his body. After all, if he collapsed, no matter how successful he became, it would all be meaningless.

But no matter how much Brother Li nagged, Gu Chen never listened. He would agree to take care of himself, then immediately forget about it.

Now, seeing Gu Chen not daring to make a sound in front of his son, Brother Li was secretly amused. There was no way he was going to help.

Shrugging helplessly, he put on an innocent face and said,

“I have no idea. Your kid, your problem.”

Gu Chen leaned back on the sofa, rubbing his temples in frustration as the image of An An’s angry little figure running away replayed in his mind.

An An was only mad because he was worried about him. That thought alone made Gu Chen’s heart warm. No one in the world cared about him more than his own flesh and blood.

The little guy’s concern was so pure and obvious, laid bare for Gu Chen to see.

“An An just loves me too much,” he sighed helplessly.

“Don’t brag about it to me—figure out how to fix it.”

Just as Brother Li finished speaking, his phone rang. He stepped out onto the balcony to take a call, then said he needed to head back to the company. Since Gu Chen couldn’t walk him out, he simply reminded him to stay safe.

Despite Brother Li’s sharp tongue, he was always reliable. And his skills were no joke.

By the time he was done, Gu Chen felt much better. He could walk without needing support anymore.

“Thanks for your help.”

“It’s no trouble. Just doing my job.”

The staff member scheduled the next session, gave some reminders, then packed up and left.

Once everyone was gone, Gu Chen started thinking about how to coax his little troublemaker.

Based on past experiences, he was sure that this time wouldn’t be so easy.

“An An.”

“An An?”

Holding a warm glass of milk, Gu Chen entered the room, placed the cup on the table, and started looking around while calling his son’s name.

Usually, the moment An An heard his footsteps, he’d come running happily. But this time, he didn’t make a sound.

“An An, Daddy warmed some milk for you. Daddy is feeling sleepy now. Drink your milk and come sleep with me, okay?”

Gu Chen’s voice was gentle and patient. He had no choice—he had to be patient.

It was only after hearing that An An reluctantly came out, picked up the milk, and drank it all in one go.

When Gu Chen reached for a tissue to wipe his mouth, An An turned his head away.

“Don’t touch me!”

Gu Chen froze. He had never heard his son say that to him before.

After a moment, he asked, “Where did you learn that phrase?”

“Don’t touch me!”

An An huffed, repeating it angrily. Then he took off his jacket and socks, washed up, climbed into bed, pulled up the blanket, and closed his eyes.

His sleeping posture was neat, his actions swift and independent—making him seem like the perfect, well-behaved child.

But for some reason, Gu Chen just felt unsettled.

Probably because, normally, this little guy wouldn’t wait for an invitation—he’d already be clinging to him.

After quickly freshening up and changing into his pajamas, Gu Chen lay down beside him. As soon as he did, An An subtly scooted further away.

He wasn’t asleep.

“An An? Are you asleep?”

The moment he finished asking, a soft little voice answered,

“Asleep.”

Gu Chen nearly burst out laughing.

“If a kid ignores their dad, what should the dad do?”

“Don’t know!”

“An An, can you stop being mad at Daddy now?”

Thinking he had coaxed him enough, Gu Chen reached out to pull An An closer.

Unexpectedly, the little guy resisted with surprising determination.

As soon as Gu Chen managed to pull him in, he immediately scooted even farther away.

And each time Gu Chen reached for him, he moved even farther, until he was nearly about to fall off the bed.

Seeing this, Gu Chen had no choice but to give up.

“An An, do you know what you’re doing right now?”

“Hm?”

“This is called emotional neglect! You’re emotionally neglecting your daddy!”

Gu Chen accused him with great righteousness.

But this time, An An didn’t take the bait. In fact, he didn’t even understand what “emotional neglect” meant.

He furrowed his little brows, thought for a moment, then mumbled something in his own baby talk that Gu Chen couldn’t make sense of.

Judging by his stubborn little face, he was clearly still upset.

Gu Chen shut his eyes and pretended to sleep, trying to hug An An as usual, hoping that since he was “asleep,” his son wouldn’t be so heartless.

Just as he wrapped his arm around An An’s waist and started to pull him closer, a tiny fist landed on his shoulder.

With a pout and a fierce little voice, An An declared loudly—

“Don’t touch me!!”