The little girl was bright and clear-eyed, with rosy cheeks like a peach and a pair of big, smiling eyes.

The moment she pushed open the door like a little angel, Pei Nian felt as if she were seeing herself as a child.

However, her childhood was not as happy as that of the little girl.

She wasn't as clean and pretty as she is now. As a child, she was always dirty, with messy braids and clothes that were several sizes too big. The other children bullied her, saying she had been born but no one to raise her.

When she was a child, she dreamed of having a little girl's doll.

Pei Nian's heart tightened, and she turned her face away expressionlessly.

Shao Xiaofei greeted her: "Hi! You're here too? Aren't you going to have lunch? Are you busy with work?"

Before Pei Nian could answer, Qin Yu's icy voice rang in her ears:

"Do you think everyone has as much free time as you?"

Shao Xiaofei's expression changed, but she held back her anger.

Qin Yu, however, remained unperturbed and continued with a sarcastic laugh: "What tricks are you playing today? Bringing your daughter along to spy on us?"

"Shao Xiaofei, Nuannuan's surname is Qin, don't you dare corrupt her!"

"you……"

Shao Xiaofei's face flushed red and then turned pale, and her fists clenched tightly at her sides.

Pei Nian felt it wasn't appropriate to stay any longer and was about to leave when a warm little hand gently pulled her back.

"aunt!"

Pei Nian was suddenly taken aback! "You..."

She looked down and saw the little girl holding her hand, smiling sweetly at her.

That smile melted Pei Nian's heart like ice cream under the sun, leaving it half-melted.

"Nuan Nuan!" Shao Xiaofei rushed over. "This isn't your aunt, why are you calling her that!"

"Mom, didn't you teach me?" Qin Nuan turned her little face away, "When you see a pretty girl, call her 'Auntie'!"

Shao Xiaofei blinked, a smile spreading across her face. "Silly girl! What aunt? I taught you to call her 'sister'!"

"But……"

The little girl pouted, thought for a long time, and was still stubborn, using her other hand to measure her height.

"But I think my sister should be this much taller than me... This pretty girl is so much taller than me, and her legs are so long, she must be my aunt!"

Shao Xiaofei smiled and looked at Pei Nian apologetically.

"I'm sorry, Nuannuan just turned five and doesn't understand many things yet. Recently, she's been learning how to address family members at kindergarten, and it seems she's only learned 'auntie' so far. Therefore..."

"It's alright." Pei Nian smiled gently.

Her hand was still being held tightly by that soft little hand.

She was actually a little reluctant to let go.

It's strange. She used to be very averse to children and kept her distance from human babies. But now, she actually craves the feeling of being led by a human baby.

Her once sharp-edged heart has been softened considerably.

"Auntie, Auntie!" The little girl shook her arm, signaling her to squat down.

Pei Nian squatted down in front of her with a very good temper.

"Auntie, are my mom and dad going to have a fight?" Qin Nuan whispered in her ear. "Can you talk to them? Nuan Nuan is afraid they'll fight..."

The little girl's soft, sweet voice seemed to touch Pei Nian's heart. She patted the girl's head and smiled gently at her.

"Alright, alright, stop bothering Auntie." Shao Xiaofei winked at Qin Nuan.

The little girl was clever; she immediately took the lunchbox from her mother and put it on her father's table.

"Dad, Mom made this especially for you! Mom said that Dad works hard and you must eat on time so your stomach won't hurt!"

Qin Yu paused for a moment, then looked up at Shao Xiaofei.

Although this wasn't the first or second time someone had tried to get close to him by using children, he despised this kind of behavior of exploiting children.

But looking at his daughter's innocent and adorable face, Qin Yu suppressed his temper.

A complex emotion flickered in his eyes, and his previously icy gaze gradually melted.

Perhaps no one can resist such a beautifully sculpted little baby!

Pei Nian lowered her eyes. Now was the time for the three of them to spend time together, and she should leave.

She turned and walked out, and just as she reached the door, she heard her little one's soft voice: "Auntie, goodbye!"

"Nuan Nuan!" Shao Xiaofei corrected her, "It's Auntie, you should call her Auntie!"

"It's my aunt!"

"It's alright." Pei Nian smiled. "Call me whatever you like."

"Ha, you certainly know how to play the game!" Qin Yu sneered at the opportune moment. "You want my daughter to call you aunt? Who do you think you are?"

"Qin Yu!" Shao Xiaofei glared at him. "Can't even a meal shut you up?"

"None of your business?"

"you……"

Pei Nian's smile vanished. Not wanting to watch the battle any longer, she shook her head helplessly and walked out.

She couldn't understand it. They already had such a lovely daughter, couldn't the couple just get along? Why did they have to make a mistake, have to catch each other cheating, and then argue in front of the child…

It's just a pity for that child. At such a young age, he was forced to grow up by his environment and had to do all sorts of things to please the adults.

If it were Mianmian's child, she would definitely be much happier than her.

Thinking this, Pei Nian hurriedly took the chicken soup upstairs to Jiang Mianmian.

*

These past few days, Huo Junyang has been staying at the hospital with Lu Ran.

Lu Ran took an excessive dose of sleeping pills, and even though she was out of danger, she remained unconscious for a period of time after being taken to the ward.

Huo Junyang stayed by her side, taking care of her without ever taking off his clothes.

When Lu Ran woke up, she was weak, so he fed her water and food and took meticulous care of her.

Huo Junyang, who had been waited on hand and foot since childhood, even washed Lu Ran's towels these days.

The nurse who came in to get an IV drip looked at Lu Ran with envy: "Your boyfriend is so good to you, he's the one who takes care of everything!"

Lu Ran glanced at Huo Junyang and gently took his hand.

"Junyang..."

"Don't say anything more." Huo Junyang felt extremely guilty. "It's all my fault for making you suffer like this."

"It's not your fault, it was my momentary lapse of judgment that caused you trouble."

"Ranran..." Huo Junyang's eyes reddened again. He pressed her hand to his face, choking back tears and unable to speak.

"Junyang, even if you're angry with me again, please don't ignore me, okay?" Lu Ran said weakly. "You're all I have now. If you don't want me, I really don't know how I'll go on living..."

Huo Junyang bit his lip and seriously agreed.

“Junyang,” Lu Ran paused, then asked him softly, “Will you still marry me? We will get married, right?”

"Of course. Ranran, I will never argue with you again. I will listen to you in everything... You also have to promise me that you will never do anything foolish again!"

Lu Ran nodded, a complex smile playing on her lips.