Yan Kai stepped forward and carefully explained some precautions to the aunt. Only after confirming that everything was correct did he feel at ease and pull Ji Lun towards the door.

Just as she reached the door, Qiu Li came running up, her little hands tightly gripping Yan Kai's trouser leg. Her eyes were slightly red, and she asked in a tearful voice, "Brother Yan Kai, I called big brother, but no one answered. Does he not like Ali anymore?"

The little girl blinked her big, watery eyes, full of grievance, and looked at him expectantly.

Yan Kai's heart softened. He squatted down to be at her eye level and gently comforted her, "Big brother has been too busy with work lately. He went on a business trip to another city, and the signal is bad. I'll talk to him and ask him to call you back when he has time, okay?"

"Hmm!" Qiu Li sniffed, nodded seriously, and slowly loosened her grip on her trouser leg.

After Yan Kai left, he immediately called Lu Yanting to report back.

On the other end of the phone, Lu Yanting tapped his long, slender fingers lightly on the desk in front of him, his brows furrowed, and he muttered to himself, "My senior from university?"

"Yes, Mr. Lu. But don't worry, I heard that the two of them only got in touch today."

"Hmm," the man managed to squeeze out a single word from his throat.

Despite verbally agreeing, the unease in his heart lingered and he couldn't shake it off.

His eyes gazed into the distance, and suddenly, a conversation he had with Qiu Mang not long ago came to mind.

Qiu Mang rejected him many times back then, and Lu Yanting couldn't help but ask, "So, you're now guarding your future man?"

The girl answered decisively, "Of course I'll protect him!"

"Besides, I already have someone I like, so I should stand firm on my principles for him!"

Recalling Qiu Mang's resolute gaze, Lu Yanting felt a throbbing vein bulge in his temples. Could it be that the man who appeared today was the one she had been longing for?

After a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, Yan Kai's voice slowly came through: "By the way, Mr. Lu, that... the little girl said she'd like to speak with you. I wonder if you're available right now?"

"I understand, thank you for your hard work." Lu Yanting said, and hung up the phone decisively.

The man raised his hand, picked up the coffee in front of him, took two sips, and frowned slightly.

Upon seeing this, a blonde, blue-eyed woman standing nearby smiled and said, "Lu, is it that our Australian coffee doesn't suit your taste?"

Lu Yanting smiled and said gently, "You're joking. There are just some domestic matters that need to be taken care of."

"Is it difficult?" The woman tilted her head slightly, looking at him with concern.

It's more than just troublesome! Another man has appeared beside his beloved woman, and he's very likely the one she's interested in. How can he possibly sit still like this?

Lu Yanting gently put down his coffee cup, his tone resolute: "Yes, the project here needs to be expedited. I need to go back as soon as possible."

After chatting for a while, the woman got up to say goodbye and left.

Lu Yanting took out his phone and dialed Qiu Li's number.

"Big brother!" The little girl's excited voice came through as soon as the call connected.

"Big brother is abroad, he'll be back in a few days and bring you a gift, okay?" Lu Yanting subconsciously softened his voice.

"Big brother, I don't want any gifts. I know you work very hard to earn money. Just remember to come and see me when you come back."

Lu Yanting couldn't help but smile. This was the first time in his life that someone had felt sorry for how hard it was for him to earn money.

Qiu Li pouted, as if suddenly remembering something important, and quickly said, "Big brother, I don't want a gift, you buy a gift for my sister! She's sick, you have to comfort her!"

Lu Yanting immediately replied, "Okay, I understand. You two will both receive gifts!"

Changing the subject, a sly glint flashed in his eyes as he said softly, "By the way, Ali, you're almost a little adult now, and you should know how to take care of your older sister. But you're still young and your abilities are limited. How about this, if anything happens to your sister in the future, just tell me quietly, and I'll step in to resolve it, okay?"

Qiu Li blinked her big, watery eyes, nodded with a hint of confusion, and asked in a clear voice, "Big brother, do you have to tell me everything about my sister?"

Lu Yanting smiled knowingly and replied with certainty, "Yes."

Qiu Li tilted her head, her little hands clutching the hem of her clothes. She thought about it seriously for a moment, then said, "Then I'll tell you what happened today. This morning, my sister got sick, and I was so worried. I called you right away, but you didn't answer. I was so anxious I almost cried."

But then my sister's phone rang. It was my brother calling. As soon as he heard she was sick, he rushed over to see us without saying a word.

Upon hearing this, Lu Yanting frowned instantly and probed subtly, "What did they talk about?"

Lu Yanting had previously seen someone enter the house through the floor surveillance, but for now, he could only resort to some tricks and start with the children to find out what was going on inside.

Qiu Li tilted her head and recalled for a moment, then said, "No, my sister was too sick. She barely opened her eyes and was mostly asleep. But that brother told me that they used to go to the same school and were very close. They used to participate in club activities together. Although I didn't understand what he said, I could tell that they used to be very good friends."

Lu Yanting frowned even more, thinking to himself: They have a very good relationship?

Qiu Li seemed to suddenly remember something amusing, and chuckled, saying innocently, "Big brother, they used to be so close, weren't they called...childhood sweethearts? Aren't you two kids going to guess?"

Hearing this incoherent statement, Lu Yanting frowned and asked, "Where did you hear these words?"

Qiu Li scratched her head a little embarrassedly and explained with a smile, "When I was at home, I often watched TV with my mom, and they always said that childhood sweethearts would get married someday. Big brother, do you think that brother will marry my sister someday? Will he become my brother-in-law?"

The smile on Lu Yanting's face vanished instantly, his eyebrows furrowed, and he gritted his teeth as he spat out two words: "No way!"

The little girl was clearly stunned by the answer. Her mouth was slightly open, and she asked in confusion, "Why?"

Why?

Lu Yanting's eyes were icy cold. Why ask why? First of all, he would never allow such a thing to happen!

Seeing that she didn't get an answer, the little girl looked a little disappointed and muttered, "That's a pity. That brother was really nice to my sister, and most importantly, he was very handsome! I like handsome people!"