Song Wan's eyes were clear, her smile innocent, just like when he first met her five years ago.
But now, she can no longer see any attachment to him, any admiration for him, any love for him, or any hatred for him.
Lin Zhaojiang suddenly felt a sharp pain in his heart.
Uncle?
But she once said that he wasn't old at all...
"Uncle! Uncle?" Song Wan called softly when she saw him lost in thought, "Uncle, what's wrong?"
Lin Zhaojiang snapped out of his daze, smiled politely, and apologized to her, "I'm sorry, I caused this trouble. I shouldn't have brought this teddy bear in; it distracted the child."
"This little bear is so cute!" Song Wan smiled. "Don't even mention the child liking it, I like it too!"
"Is that so?" Lin Zhaojiang's expression changed, and a gentle light appeared in his usually cold eyes.
He bought the teddy bear for her five years ago.
She really doesn't remember anything.
"If you like it, put this teddy bear in the classroom," Lin Zhaojiang said in a slightly hoarse voice. "You and your friends can see it every day."
Song Wan was taken aback, a strange feeling creeping into her heart.
This person seemed familiar, but she couldn't quite place him in her blank mind.
“Uncle,” Song Wan murmured, “I’ve never seen you before, may I ask who you are…”
"I'm here to pick up my child," Lin Zhaojiang said, maintaining a smile.
Just then, Huo Jiayuan skipped over and hugged Lin Zhaojiang's leg like a little squirrel. Lin Zhaojiang smiled indulgently at her and carefully held her in his arms.
"Is school over? Let's go home!"
"Hey, wait a minute!" Out of a sense of responsibility as a teacher, Song Wan stepped forward and stopped him.
"Uncle, you can't..."
“I know this child.”
"But the kindergarten has a rule that people who haven't registered aren't allowed to pick up the children! So far, the people who have picked up Huo Jiayuan include..."
"He'll be here from now on!" Huo Jiayuan's voice was sweet and bright, her big eyes blinking like a little angel fallen to earth.
"Teacher Song, he's my great-uncle!" the little girl explained clearly. "My great-uncle is the one who gave me the house!"
Song Wan suddenly realized.
She had heard of the amusement park filled with houses. It was a place that was almost abandoned, but not long ago it was bought by a mysterious person who spent a lot of money to renovate it, turning it into a dream paradise for many little girls and the newest popular spot for taking photos in the city.
She had always wanted to see it.
Unexpectedly, I ran into the owner of the dreamland here.
"Zhaojiang, what are you doing here?" At this moment, the kindergarten director rushed over from not far away. Seeing Huo Jiayuan in his arms, she couldn't help but laugh and said, "So this is your child?"
"Yes," Lin Zhaojiang said with a hint of pride.
It seems this little guy has a quarter of the Lin family's genes, which means their Lin family's genes are quite good.
The headmistress exclaimed, "I never expected this to be your child! Little Yuan Yuan is so well-behaved and adorable, so talkative, and incredibly smart!"
Lin Zhaojiang raised an eyebrow. "What, doesn't it look like me?"
"Not really!" the principal joked seriously. "I remember when you were in school, we didn't exchange a single word with each other for an entire semester."
"Yeah?"
"You have a quiet personality, but you have a lot of ideas and a ruthless streak."
"Oh." Lin Zhaojiang's voice lowered. "Now... I won't do that anymore."
He changed after losing Song Wan.
Unfortunately, Song Wan would never know how much he had changed for her.
"Teacher Song, please entrust the child to him." The kindergarten director looked at Song Wan with a smile. "This is my junior apprentice, Lin Zhaojiang. By the way, you know that newly renovated playground, right? He's the one who designed it!"
Song Wan smiled sheepishly.
She silently repeated the name in her heart, Lin Zhaojiang... Suddenly, her heart clenched, as if an invisible hand was tearing at it, and a faint pain traveled through every blood vessel in her heart to her whole body.
This feeling lasted only a few seconds, so short that she thought it was an illusion.
Lin Zhaojiang hesitated for a moment before extending his hand, smiling gently.
Song Wan politely shook hands with him.
Lin Zhaojiang smiled a genuine, heartfelt happiness.
"Thank you, Teacher Song," he said softly. "Then I'll take Yuan Yuan with me now."
Song Wan waved goodbye to Huo Jiayuan.
Lin Zhaojiang held Huo Jiayuan in his arms without turning around. He could feel her gaze on him, and his eyes quietly reddened.
"Grand-uncle?" Huo Jiayuan wrapped her little arms around his neck, leaning closer to look at him curiously. "Did you cry?"
Lin Zhaojiang looked up and realized they had already walked quite a distance. He put Huo Jiayuan down, saw an ice cream shop next door, went in and bought her a vanilla cone.
The two, one big and one small, sat by the roadside, looking at each other and smiling.
"Uncle, tell me!" Huo Jiayuan said readily while eating, "Is there something you want to know?"
Lin Zhaojiang was taken aback. "You little rascal, you're too clever for your own good!"
"Uncle, we're family!" The little girl patted his chest like a little adult. "You bought me ice cream, so of course I have to tell you everything I know!"
"Well... my grandfather said, when you're in the world of martial arts, integrity is the most important thing!"
These words left Lin Zhaojiang speechless, both amused and exasperated.
“Alright,” he looked at Huo Jiayuan, “since you’re so smart, guess what I want to know?”
To everyone's surprise, Huo Jiayuan replied directly, "You want to know about our Teacher Song, right?"
"Cough cough..."
Lin Zhaojiang never imagined that after half a lifetime, he would be seen through by a little girl.
“Uncle,” Huo Jiayuan looked into his eyes, “do you know our Teacher Song?”
Lin Zhaojiang avoided her gaze and replied, "I don't know him."
"But...you were smiling at her the whole time!"
Huo Jiayuan scratched his head. "If you don't know her, why would you smile at her? You're like that prince in the cartoon, who kept smiling at Cinderella when he danced with her!"
"Oh? A prince?"
"Of course, you're not as handsome as the prince!"
Lin Zhaojiang's expression changed, and he choked, unable to speak.
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