Chapter 98

An’an ground his still-emerging teeth and, catching a glimpse of his grandma walking over, paused to consider—then began brewing up some tears.

By the time Grandma Huo pushed open the door and walked in, she was greeted with the sight of her little darling, tearful and pitiful. Instinctively frowning, she walked over, scooped An’an into her arms, and asked with a cold face:

“What’s all this noise? Can’t you see you’ve scared An’an?”

When her son began to cry, Bai Yiyi’s expression finally softened a bit. She had put on delicate makeup today and had no intention of becoming a joke on such an important day for her son.

Huo Haozhan stood frozen in place, visibly anxious. But with his mother blocking the doorway, he didn’t dare leave. After a long pause, he simply sat down on the couch and leaned back, taking slow, steady breaths to calm himself.

An’an nestled into his grandmother’s arms, looking as if he had suffered the greatest grievance in the world.

Previously, Grandma Huo had taught Bai Yiyi a tactic: to show vulnerability. But even if Bai Yiyi understood, she had always been too proud to actually use it. Her pride and self-respect didn’t allow her to do such things just to hold onto a man.

But An’an was different. Not only had he listened carefully, he was ready to use it like a pro—and not just on his dad.

Tears the size of beans fell with zero hesitation.

Grandma Huo used a tissue to gently wipe away the little pearls clinging to An’an’s face, then swayed him slightly to soothe his crying. Once done, she shot a glare at Huo Haozhan, who was still sitting on the sofa.

Grandma Huo had many complaints about Bai Yiyi’s overly gentle temperament, but there was one thing she couldn’t deny—

She was very good to An’an.

On a meaningful day like the Zhua Zhou ceremony, there was no way she would ignore how An’an felt and just let him be upset.

Which meant the only one who could’ve messed things up this badly—was Huo Haozhan.

“Well? What were you planning this time?”

Under his mother’s sharp gaze, Huo Haozhan struggled to speak. Just then, his phone rang again, jarringly loud in the otherwise silent room.

“Xiaoyu again?”

“…Yeah.”

Furious, Grandma Huo smashed the cup by her side. It shattered right in front of Huo Haozhan.

“What did you promise me before? Didn’t you say you wouldn’t have anything to do with her anymore? You’ve got a wife and kid, and you’re still chasing after someone else’s woman? Why didn’t you just divorce and marry her in the first place, then?”

An’an, in his grandma’s arms, bobbed his head like a little pecking chick, clearly in full agreement with what she said.

Even though Huo Haozhan knew his son had once suffered brain damage and might just be reacting unconsciously, it still stung in a way he couldn’t explain.

“Mom, it’s not what you think between me and Xiaoyu.”

“Oh? And you think just saying the word ‘innocent’ makes it true? Have you looked at your own actions?”

Grandma Huo was so angry her breathing was unsteady. She never imagined that her own son could be this clueless.

Noticing this, An’an hurriedly used his chubby little hand to pat his grandma’s back, trying to help her breathe easier. At the same time, he shot his dad a fierce glare, looking like an overly devoted little sidekick.

With An’an there, at least Grandma Huo didn’t get angrier. She gestured for Bai Yiyi to come sit next to her.

“You can’t keep doing this forever. It’s not fair to expect Yiyi and An’an to follow you around and put up with this.”

The more she spoke, the more convinced she became. Beyond just stating facts, she no longer wanted her old bones to be dragged into messy love dramas because of her children.

“You stay here today and give me a clear answer. If you really can’t let go of Su Xiaoyu, then after the Zhua Zhou is over, wait out the cooling-off period and divorce Yiyi.”

“I’m done talking. I’ve said all this before, and you’ve never taken it seriously.”

At this point, Grandma Huo felt a pang of regret. For all kinds of reasons back then, she hadn’t raised her child right—and turned Huo Haozhan into the indecisive man he was now.

She had her share of blame too.

“Mom, why are you saying all this? How could I possibly divorce Yiyi? An’an is still so little. You want him to grow up in a single-parent home?”

When she first heard her mother-in-law’s words, Bai Yiyi had indeed felt swayed.

She shared the same thoughts—she didn’t want to keep wasting her energy and emotions on the back-and-forth between Su Xiaoyu and Huo Haozhan. Even if nothing had happened between them, the way he always rushed to help her first still made her sick.

But when she heard what Huo Haozhan said, she looked at the innocent An’an in her mother-in-law’s arms and started to hesitate again.

Ever since giving birth, he had become a bond she couldn’t shake and couldn’t bear to cut. No matter what she did, she always thought of him first.

An’an was too young to understand much, so she, as his mother, had to think for him.

Grandma Huo shot Bai Yiyi a glance, wrapped an arm around An’an, and leaned back on the sofa, crossing her legs with full authority.

“You say you’d never divorce, but every action you take just chips away at your relationship. I get it—you’re just being two-faced.”

“What’s wrong with a single-parent home? With me around, don’t tell me I can’t raise my own grandson? Am I not better than a father who disappears with just one phone call?”

An’an’s little hand was patting so hard it was about to go numb. He rubbed his head against his grandma, completely radiating his love and dependence. He didn’t seem worried about becoming part of a single-parent family—in fact, he looked thrilled.

He was still young, slow to process things, and easily content.

Having both mom and dad would be best, of course. But if it had to be just mom, with grandma as backup, he could live with that. Either way, it was way better than what he had before.

Grandma Huo’s words gave Bai Yiyi the confidence she needed. She took a deep breath and said:

“Huo Haozhan, if you’re going to keep acting like this, then after An’an’s birthday banquet, let’s just get a divorce. An’an will stay with Mom.”

What she meant was not only that she wanted a divorce—she was also willing to give up custody and let Grandma Huo raise An’an.

The whole turn of events blindsided Huo Haozhan. He’d never expected that before he could even say anything, before he could explain, Bai Yiyi had already decided on An’an’s custody.

“Yiyi, you don’t know what really happened back then.”

Huo Haozhan didn’t know how to say it—after all, he had promised Su Xiaoyu he would keep it a secret.

Usually, Bai Yiyi would feel bad seeing him in such a tough spot. She might have let it go before he even had to explain, pretending it never happened.

But even the gentlest person has a breaking point.

Her mother-in-law had already paved the road—if she didn’t walk down it now, then she really would be beyond saving.

“What happened? Tell me. I want to hear it too.”

“Waaah~”

Right after Grandma Huo’s voice came a little baby cry, making her instinctively look down at An’an’s round head.

She wasn’t sure if it was just her imagination, but the little darling in her arms looked like he was thoroughly enjoying the drama.

With both his mother and wife cornering him, Huo Haozhan knew that if he kept hiding things, this family would fall apart. After a moment of weighing his options, he finally spoke:

“There was more to that situation back then.”

If nothing had actually happened, Huo Haozhan would’ve happily kept the promise he made to Su Xiaoyu.

But now, with just a few words from his mom putting him on the spot, it was clear—his family was more important than the girl he grew up with.

“That night, when I went to find Yiyi for my birthday, at the party my friends threw for me, Xiaoyu… she spiked my drink.”

Originally, the plan was to drag Huo Haozhan into a pit, but he was too deep in love at the time—he ditched the small party his friends had prepared for him without hesitation.

Instead, he shared a twenty-yuan cake with Bai Yiyi by the music fountain in the park. There weren’t even candles, but he did have a proposal ring bought with every last bit of his savings.

Later, Su Xiaoyu, in a moment of confusion, ended up sleeping with a stranger—and even got pregnant with Nian Nian.

At the same time, Huo Haozhan had just successfully proposed to Bai Yiyi. Su Xiaoyu gave up completely and went ahead to get married on the same day, deliberately to spite them.

The man Su Xiaoyu randomly chose to marry turned out to be awful—not only was he weak and useless, he also had violent tendencies.

After marriage, he often beat Su Xiaoyu, leaving her covered in bruises. He even laid hands on little Nian Nian. The worst incident landed Nian Nian in the hospital in critical condition.

That day just happened to be the same day no one noticed An An’s high fever.

Because of what happened at the birthday party, Huo Haozhan had always felt guilty toward Su Xiaoyu. He thought if he had been there, he would have noticed something was wrong and taken her to the hospital.

The friends Su Xiaoyu invited back then weren’t particularly close to Huo Haozhan. Though they were from the same social circle, he looked down on their behavior and felt no pressure skipping their party.

These people ended up sowing the seeds of misfortune for Su Xiaoyu. Even when they saw her being taken to a hotel by a stranger, none of them intervened. Instead, they just stood around, enjoying the drama.

Even without his mother’s urging, Huo Haozhan would have still helped Su Xiaoyu and looked after Nian Nian.

After hearing everything, the room fell silent—even Mrs. Huo didn’t know how to respond for a moment.

She had only known that Su Xiaoyu liked her son. Back then, she had even joked with Su Xiaoyu’s mother about making her her daughter-in-law. She never expected Su Xiaoyu could be so obsessive.

Yes, her situation was pitiful. But once the full picture was laid out, it was clear that the bitter consequences were of Su Xiaoyu’s own making. No one else was to blame.

Anyone else might’ve just offered some words of comfort, but the problem was that her son was too soft-hearted—always running to her aid.

As someone who had raised her son herself, Mrs. Huo could clearly see that he only regarded Su Xiaoyu as a little sister. That was why he did all this.

Because Su Xiaoyu presented herself as a victim, even when Huo Haozhan knew she was in the wrong, he couldn’t help but want to reach out and help her.

“You know today is An An’s first birthday banquet. Su Xiaoyu probably knows that too, right? She deliberately came to find you today. Can you guess what she’s trying to do?”

The difference in how they think led to them viewing things differently. Huo Haozhan only thought that her ex-husband had come looking for her again, and she and her son might be in danger.

But Su Xiaoyu must have known that if Huo Haozhan left the banquet today, Bai Yiyi would be heartbroken.

“Mom, what are you implying?”

“Relax. She’s fine. Even if you don’t go today, she’ll still be fine.”

Growing up together had led Huo Haozhan to treat Su Xiaoyu as a sister. Even when something went wrong, he never assumed the worst of her.

So Mrs. Huo simply tore off the mask and showed him the ugliest side of things.

“She’s already an adult. Do you really think she doesn’t understand anything? You know how her parents treat her. Yet when something happens, instead of turning to them, she comes to you. Who wouldn’t suspect there’s something more between the two of you?”

“If you don’t attend today’s birthday banquet, what do you think people will say?”

Having grown up in this social circle, it only took a moment of deeper thought for Huo Haozhan’s face to turn pale.

As the father, his absence from his child’s first birthday banquet would already be frowned upon. Not to mention, An An’s intellectual delay from a previous high fever wasn’t exactly a secret.

Someone would definitely say something sarcastic to Bai Yiyi—maybe that Huo Haozhan resents having a “stupid” child and won’t even show up for his birthday.

At that moment, Huo Haozhan finally understood why Bai Yiyi had so often gotten mad at him for no apparent reason.

“Mom, I’m not going.”

“Just this time?”

Mrs. Huo pushed him to make a real promise. If this issue wasn’t resolved, no matter how long it dragged on, Su Xiaoyu would always be a ticking time bomb in their marriage.

“Never again.”

Even if he wasn’t around, Su Xiaoyu still had her own parents to take care of her.

But if he insisted on helping her any further, it would directly lead to the breakdown of his marriage and family. In comparison, he figured he had more to lose.

“What if you break your promise again?”

Mrs. Huo never beat around the bush. Last time, Huo Haozhan had made a proper promise in front of her, but then reverted back to old habits behind her back.

Three strikes and she was out of patience.

Huo Haozhan looked at Bai Yiyi, then at little An An in his mother’s arms. Gritting his teeth, he said,
“If I ever go looking for Su Xiaoyu again, then I’ll agree to a divorce and leave with nothing.”

“Talk is cheap.”

Mrs. Huo’s dismissive tone made it clear she didn’t believe a word he said. Anxious to prove himself, Huo Haozhan quickly added,
“I’ll sign a contract. I’ll get the lawyer here. We’ll sign it after the banquet.”

“It’s about time. Let’s go.”

With that, Mrs. Huo stood up and straightened her clothes.

“Okay.”

She was satisfied with this outcome. If Huo Haozhan broke his promise, they’d simply enforce the agreement. Either way, they wouldn’t lose.

As for the specific terms, she’d discuss them with the lawyer after the banquet.

Her son might be hopeless when it came to relationships, but his talent in business was undeniable. In the short time he had taken over the company, its market value had already increased significantly.

She thought it best to include a clause—if he breaks the promise, he’ll work for them for free for twenty years until An An comes of age.

Holding An An in her arms, Mrs. Huo led the way, followed by Bai Yiyi and Huo Haozhan.

Bai Yiyi watched her mother-in-law’s upright back, eyes sparkling like stars.

If possible, she too wanted to become someone like her mother-in-law—someone who could handle even the trickiest situation with a few well-placed words.

Noticing the look in his wife’s eyes, Huo Haozhan suddenly had a sinking feeling in his gut.

Everything needed for the “Zhua Zhou” ritual had been prepared in advance. The process had already been rehearsed, so nothing would go wrong. Everything was going smoothly.

They placed An An at one end of the red cloth and called for him to go pick something from the items arranged at the other end.

Though a little slow-witted, both Mrs. Huo and Bai Yiyi were excited to see what item he would choose.

An An wobbled across to the other side, eyeing the items on the ground carefully. He picked up each one and held it in his tiny hands to examine it—he didn’t miss a single one.

This greedy little display had everyone laughing.

After going through everything, An An finally chose a little gavel. Someone immediately piped up—

“This little guy is definitely going to be a great judge in the future!”

Holding the gavel, An An ran back and stood in front of Huo Haozhan. He gripped the gavel tight and started knocking on him with it.

The way his chubby cheeks trembled with the effort made it obvious he was using all his strength.

Mrs. Huo, watching with glee, clapped and laughed,
“Not bad, not bad! An An’s really strong!”

She even pulled out her phone to capture the scene—An An, adorable in his festive outfit, holding a little gavel; and Huo Haozhan, standing helplessly to the side, not daring to dodge.

Just from this image alone, they looked like a harmonious, loving father and son.

Granny Huo sent the photo to Su Xiaoyu with a faint smile on her lips.

She had thought that after their last talk at the teahouse, Su Xiaoyu would have the sense to stop doing inappropriate things. But she hadn’t expected that even on such an important day as An’an’s first birthday celebration, Su Xiaoyu would try to cause trouble.

Granny Huo was never known for her patience—let alone when someone like Su Xiaoyu crossed her bottom line.

【Xiaoyu, look at your brother Haozhan—doesn’t he more and more look like a real dad now?】

After sending the message, Granny Huo set her chat to “Do Not Disturb,” put her phone back into her bag, and went on with the rest of the event.

Other guests were gushing about how An’an would grow up to be a high judge someday, but Bai Yiyi wasn’t paying attention to any of it. Watching the scene before her, her eyes filled with concern. She sighed and shook her head helplessly.

She strongly suspected that An’an had just picked something from the pile that was easy to swing—and used it to whack his dad for fun.

Tired from all the hammering, An’an tossed the toy aside, stood up wobbling, and stumbled toward his mom, waving his little hands in the air, clearly asking to be picked up.

Bai Yiyi bent down and scooped him up, then wiped the sweat from his forehead with a tissue.

No one paid any attention to poor Huo Haozhan, who had just taken several hits from An’an. In fact, a few friends even came over to tease him with exaggerated winks and chuckles.

Thinking back to what his mother said earlier, Huo Haozhan figured he probably deserved it.

After the birthday banquet ended, Huo Haozhan personally saw off several guests. Just as he was about to head home, he saw Su Xiaoyu outside the hotel, looking completely disheveled.

She was sitting on the steps by the roadside, hair a mess, as if she’d just been bullied.

His years of habit kicked in—Huo Haozhan instinctively stepped forward.

But the next second, the little An’an in his arms clenched his tiny fist and gave him a solid punch in the face.

It didn’t hurt, but it did bring him back to his senses. Just as he was about to pinch his son’s chubby cheeks in mock scolding, he noticed An’an burying his red eyes against his chest.

That movement made it clear—he didn’t want Dad to see that he had just cried.

Huo Haozhan couldn’t quite describe the feeling—it was like a cat’s paw lightly pressing down on his heart.

Compared to Su Xiaoyu, a grown adult, of course little An’an, who was crying and shy about it, needed comforting more.

He gently rocked him in his arms. Just then, their driver pulled the car up, and Huo Haozhan, as if he’d seen nothing at all, got in.

“Don’t cry, An’an. Want a snack? It’s crunchy and really yummy.”

Huo Haozhan pulled out a piece of Bai Yiyi’s favorite crispy rice treat from his pocket and held it in front of An’an, curious to see if what worked on the mom would work on the son too.

An’an gave the treat a glance, then looked at his dad, rolled his eyes, opened his mouth wide, and showed off his pink, toothless gums.

Tears still clung to his lashes. Huo Haozhan’s heart ached even more.

He lowered his head and rubbed his nose lightly against An’an’s cheek. In a soft voice, he said:

“Want the nanny to make you some yogurt melts when we get home? You can eat those even without teeth.”

As the car slowly passed by Su Xiaoyu, Huo Haozhan saw her stand up from where she’d been hugging her knees.

He quickly turned his gaze away.

Even a little kid like An’an knew that if you’re sad, you go find your dad. Why didn’t Su Xiaoyu get such a simple truth?

An’an didn’t know what yogurt melts were, but once he heard it was food, he clung to his dad’s leg.

Feeling this sudden flattery from his son, Huo Haozhan pinched his nose and said in mock disdain:

“An’an, you are way too opportunistic.”

An’an acted like he didn’t hear a word, continuing to nuzzle his dad with his head.

Totally ignoring the world, all he cared about now was yogurt melts.

Granny Huo and Bai Yiyi left the hotel first. Bai Yiyi was hesitant about letting Huo Haozhan take An’an, but Granny Huo dragged her away.

As they walked, she began sharing her wisdom—don’t be too soft on men. If you don’t trouble him, someone else will.

If he never gets a taste of the struggles of raising a child, he’ll never truly understand how hard it is to care for such a tiny, fragile baby.

If from the start he doesn’t see how much Bai Yiyi gives to this family, then in the future he’ll only grow more indifferent.

Bai Yiyi wasn’t convinced. She didn’t want her son to suffer just to prove to Huo Haozhan how hard she worked.

But the little guy in her arms had been convinced. He reached out to be held by Dad.

It was rare for Huo Haozhan to enjoy this kind of affection, and he was so pleasantly surprised that he clung to An’an the entire way home.

It was the first time Huo Haozhan had ever ridden in a car with An’an. Watching those little eyes dart around like black grapes, he suddenly found it very amusing.

“An’an, you can’t hit people, okay?”

Watching him closely, Huo Haozhan noticed An’an’s expression flicker at his words, but then he quickly returned to normal.

Still, his curiosity as he gazed out the window now had a slight forced air to it, unlike before.

Realizing his son didn’t like the scolding, Huo Haozhan just dropped it.

After all, he’s still young—his punches don’t even hurt. There’s time to teach him. If he’s still punching people when he’s older…

Huo Haozhan thought seriously about it. But since An’an had never hit anyone without a reason, as long as he didn’t provoke the little tyrant, he should be safe.

Halfway home, Huo Haozhan’s phone rang. It was an unfamiliar number, and he instinctively answered it.

The moment the call connected, he heard a woman’s muffled sobs.

That familiar voice reached An’an’s ears. Before Su Xiaoyu could even speak, An’an burst into loud wails, his crisp baby cry nearly deafening.

He threw his arms around Huo Haozhan’s neck, smearing tears and snot all over him.

Feeling the cool touch of tears soaking through his shirt and the jerky movements of his crying son, Huo Haozhan hung up the call without hesitation and focused on comforting the little one.

Compared to that, his son’s sobs mattered more. Su Xiaoyu could cry to her own dad.

Once An’an was sure his dad had really ended the call, he stopped crying. Then, while Huo Haozhan wasn’t paying attention, he kicked the phone far across the floor.

The sound of the brand-new phone hitting the ground caught Huo Haozhan’s attention. He looked over to see the little guy’s red eyes and his attempt to look completely innocent.

He couldn’t even bring himself to be angry.

“Don’t you dare throw my phone again.”

An’an buried his head into Dad’s chest and even swatted at his own ears, a classic case of playing dumb, which made the veins in Huo Haozhan’s forehead throb.

They soon arrived home. Granny Huo was already asleep. Bai Yiyi took An’an without a word and went upstairs, not even sparing Huo Haozhan a glance.

After a long day, Huo Haozhan found he couldn’t fall asleep. He knew without a doubt Bai Yiyi had locked the bedroom door again from the inside, so he just slumped onto the living room couch to rest.

As soon as he sat down, the nanny came out with a tray, carrying a bowl of steaming noodle soup.

“Yiyi made this?”

“Mhm.”

The herbal recipes passed down in Bai Yiyi’s family were refined and effective—and unlike most medicinal foods, they actually tasted amazing, perfectly balancing flavor and function.

Her cooking was on another level. She was especially skilled with anything noodle-related.

Huo Haozhan had only just picked up his chopsticks and hadn’t even tasted the food yet, but he already knew this had to be noodles hand-pulled by Bai Yiyi herself—so firm and springy.

He’d drunk quite a bit at the banquet but hadn’t eaten much, and his stomach had been feeling uncomfortable. But after finishing a bowl of clear broth noodles, he immediately felt a lot better.

If nothing else, at least in this matter, Yiyi still took care of him.

Back in the past, when Bai Yiyi used to cook for him, Huo Haozhan had gotten completely used to it.

But now, after he’d just done something that would surely anger her, she still hadn’t forgotten to prepare a bowl of noodles for him—that touched Huo Haozhan deeply.

He ate everything clean, not even leaving behind a drop of soup.

When heading upstairs, he sensibly went straight to the guest room, not disturbing Bai Yiyi’s rest.

Before going to sleep, Huo Haozhan asked his assistant to find out which children’s amusement park in the city was the best. He was planning to take An’an and Yiyi there next weekend.

After spending so much time together, Huo Haozhan understood Bai Yiyi’s personality very well.

As long as she hadn’t said something completely final, it meant there was still a chance to make things right. Every day right now was an opportunity for him to prove himself.

That incident had indeed been mishandled on his part. Back then, when Su Xiaoyu asked him to keep it a secret, he helped her hide it and even silenced the few people who knew.

It really wasn’t a very honorable matter—could even damage Su Xiaoyu’s reputation.

Huo Haozhan leaned against the headboard, staring at the chat window with Yiyi on his phone. The last message was a photo she had sent of An’an: a little dinosaur lying on the balcony carpet, legs raised, basking in the sun.

Before he realized it, Huo Haozhan was lost in thought.

Fortunately, Yiyi was only upset about him helping Su Xiaoyu—at least she wasn’t letting her imagination run wild.

With how close Nian Nian and An’an are in age, if Yiyi ever suspected Nian Nian was his child, he wouldn’t be able to explain himself even if he jumped into the Yellow River.

The moment that thought popped into Huo Haozhan’s head, he was jolted wide awake.

He could even imagine what those gossiping behind his back would say.

Just like what his mother had said—if that child wasn’t his, why would he treat him so well?

Huo Haozhan wasn’t just determined to cut ties with them; he also set his phone to block all calls from unknown numbers.

He didn’t want to take any more calls from Su Xiaoyu—none at all.

The next day was a weekend. Huo Haozhan didn’t have to work and, after a long day yesterday, just wanted to sleep in a bit.

At seven in the morning, his mother, who kept a very regular schedule, got up and played with An’an for a while. When she learned from the nanny that Huo Haozhan was resting in the guest room, she brought a little dinosaur toy and opened his door.

At seven-thirty, when Huo Haozhan was still sleeping soundly, he suddenly felt a weight on his body and opened his eyes in shock.

There was little An’an, dressed in a dinosaur onesie, grinning at him. His smile was so big that drool was dribbling from his mouth.

Being a bit of a neat freak, Huo Haozhan quickly grabbed a tissue to wipe the drool and looked up at his mother, asking:

“Mom, what are you doing?”

“Don’t tell me you want me to take care of the kid?”

She was already at an age where that clearly wasn’t an option.

After a moment of silence, the door was shut again, leaving Huo Haozhan and An’an staring at each other. The quiet room was broken only by his sigh.

There was no way he’d be able to sleep now. Huo Haozhan threw off the covers and got up. He had just stepped into the bathroom when he heard some whining from the bed. He rushed back out to check.

It wasn’t anything serious—just the little dinosaur lying there bored, kicking his legs and squirming.

He casually tossed him a toy, but after only a couple of steps, An’an started whining again, looking like he might burst into tears any second.

After this happened a few times, Huo Haozhan finally realized—this little guy couldn’t stand to be alone.

He could walk away, but only if he stayed within sight. If not, An’an would start crying.

Resigned, he brought in the little stool that An’an usually sat on and placed it at the bathroom door.

This time, the little dinosaur was finally satisfied, holding a favorite stuffed animal in his arms. He seemed to get tired from sitting, so he put the toy under his chin and lay there, staring at Huo Haozhan with wide eyes.

Under An’an’s watchful gaze, Huo Haozhan finished his morning routine. Once done, he picked An’an up and carried him out.

Downstairs, he heard from the nanny that his mom had gone out shopping with Yiyi and wouldn’t be back for lunch.

Hearing that, Huo Haozhan instinctively glanced at An’an, his heart tightening—but luckily the kid didn’t cry, just blinked his big eyes, confused why his dad was staring at him.

Thankfully, the nanny who usually helped Yiyi take care of An’an was still there, so Huo Haozhan wasn’t completely on his own.

The nanny handed over a freshly made bottle of milk. Seeing little An’an lying in the crib, Huo Haozhan, imitating what he’d seen in movies and shows, held the bottle and tried to feed him.

An’an held the bottle with both hands but got tired and wanted to change positions—only to find that his dad was holding it too tightly for him to move.

Sensing An’an’s squirming, Huo Haozhan didn’t loosen his grip—on the contrary, he held it even more firmly, worried the baby might accidentally hit himself in the face.

“An’an, listen to me. You’re already dumb enough. If you get hit in the head with a bottle, won’t you be even dumber?”

After saying that, Huo Haozhan thought An’an would calm down a bit.

Unexpectedly, the next second, An’an raised his leg and kicked him hard. His snarling little face made him look adorably fierce.

Having reclaimed control of the bottle, An’an drank greedily, like he was afraid someone might snatch it away.

Huo Haozhan rubbed his nose helplessly. Who here would even steal the bottle from him? It seemed the only possible suspect was himself.

Once An’an had drained the bottle, Huo Haozhan let out a huge sigh of relief. He could leave cleaning the bottle to the nanny—after all, from the moment he woke up, he hadn’t stopped for a second.

He was already feeling overwhelmed. He had never realized taking care of a child could be so exhausting and complicated.

When the nanny came over to clean the bottle, she saw the scene and reminded him:

“Sir, An’an’s digestive system is still developing. You should burp him after feeding.”

“Just hold him like this, and gently pat his back downward.”

As she spoke, she demonstrated the proper technique.

Since this involved his own silly little son, Huo Haozhan, even though mentally drained, didn’t dare slack off. He studied carefully.

Once he was sure he understood, he picked An’an up and let him rest on his shoulder, patting gently.

Even during tense business negotiations, Huo Haozhan had never been this on edge. He even subconsciously held his breath, afraid he might mess something up.

At first, An’an quite enjoyed it—it didn’t feel any different from when his mom did it. But after a while, Huo Haozhan’s posture started to slip.

An’an couldn’t hold it in and spit up some milk, a bit of which landed on Huo Haozhan’s shoulder.

“W-what do I do now?”

Normally a clean freak, Huo Haozhan didn’t even care about his soiled clothes this time. The way he held An’an made it look like he was offering up a precious treasure.

The nanny quickly came over, wiped up the mess, and cradled An’an to soothe him. Once sure he wouldn’t cry, she started burping him properly.

It was probably from waking up so early, but now that he was full, sleepiness hit right on time. His eyes drooped shut as he dozed off. Looking at his peaceful, carefree sleeping face, Huo Haozhan suddenly had the urge to poke him awake.

It wasn’t until the nanny placed An’an back in the crib that Huo Haozhan finally let out the breath he’d been holding and relaxed. He let out a long sigh and headed upstairs to take a shower and change clothes.

By the time he came back down, the chef had already prepared breakfast. It looked decent, but he barely ate any of it.

Partly because the hectic morning had left him with little appetite, and partly because his taste had already been spoiled by Bai Yiyi. No matter how good the chef’s skills were, they still couldn’t compare.

After finishing breakfast, Huo Haozhan lifted his wrist and glanced at the time on his watch. Thinking he could finally rest a bit, he planned to head to the study and go through the emails his assistant had sent him.

Just as he lifted his foot, he suddenly heard a child crying from upstairs.

His head immediately began to throb, and he instinctively went upstairs. In the crib, little An’an was bawling loudly. When he got closer, he realized it was all fake crying—not a single tear had fallen.

He picked him up, gently patted his back to comfort him, and slowly made his way downstairs while continuing to soothe him.

Right now, the person Huo Haozhan most wanted to see was the nanny who used to take care of An’an. He desperately needed to know how to calm this little tyrant down.

If An’an cried too hard, his mother would definitely scold him for being useless when she came back from shopping. And Bai Yiyi might complain about it too.

The nanny checked An’an’s diaper, confirmed that it didn’t need changing, and then said uncertainly, “An’an might’ve started crying because he didn’t see anyone when he woke up. He probably wants to go outside and play now.”

It had been like this ever since they came home. If An’an woke up and saw no one around, he’d cry. So normally, if Bai Yiyi had nothing else to do, she would stay by his side while he napped.

Now, before An’an could even make a sound, Huo Haozhan quickly picked him up.

“Alright, how about we go out back and feed the big turtle, okay?”

The little mouth that was just about to cry suddenly shut. Huo Haozhan knew the nanny’s guess had been right. They had barely made it to the backyard when a car pulled up at the front door.

Bai Yiyi and Madam Huo got out together. The little guy, who had just been soothed and wasn’t crying anymore, immediately started bawling again the moment he heard his mom call his name.

“Waaah… Mama.”