Qin Haochen chuckled at little one’s words, the smile on his lips broadening. "So what are you playing?"
"Guessing what little uncle is thinking~"
Ye Rongyuan, fully aware of Qin Sui’an’s mind-reading abilities yet filled with skepticism and curiosity, decided to play along.
Seeing her little uncle so serious, Qin Sui’an took the game seriously too, focusing intently and forgetting to listen for outside noises until she heard her father’s thoughts and realized he had arrived.
With Ye Rongyuan standing up, a little unsettled from the sudden emptiness in his arms, he turned to the man at the door and politely called out, "Brother-in-law."
Qin Haochen shifted his gaze from little one to Ye Rongyuan, nodding slightly. "You came quite early."
"Nothing much, just dropped by. I was missing Ann," Ye Rongyuan replied, glancing at the clock on the wall, then curiously asked, "Is Qin Corporation facing any difficulties?"
Not only did President Qin Haochen have late "working hours," but recent project collaborations were also cutting deeply into their profits.
Ye Rongyuan’s bluntness wasn’t out of doubt about the company’s viability; it was a roundabout way of suggesting that his brother-in-law was slashing profits for Ye Corporation on new projects.
Qin Haochen smiled calmly. "Everything is normal at Qin Corporation."
Ye Rongyuan’s emotions were hard to conceal, or maybe he wanted to appear confused. "Then how come..."
He paused, changing the subject, "Let’s talk about business later."
Qin Sui’an snuggled comfortably in her father’s embrace, though she could read minds, she was a bit muddled by the adults’ conversation.
But it was normal for kids not to understand what adults were saying~ When Ann grows a bit older, she’ll understand!
Dinner was ready, and Old Mr. Qin came over from the dining room, noticing only his son Qin Haochen had arrived. He asked curiously, "Where is everyone else? Not coming home for dinner?"
Besides Qin Niexun, who was upstairs, several members of the Qin family were still missing.
Qin Haochen explained, "He Yan checked; they’re all on their way back."
Looking down at little one in his arms, he asked, "Is Ann hungry? If you are, we can eat now."
"Not hungry yet~" Qin Sui’an shook her head, speaking sweetly, "Ann can wait for Big Brother, Second Brother, Fifth Brother, and Sixth Brother to come home before eating."
Old Mrs. Qin saw her precious granddaughter being so considerate and couldn’t help but smile, "Ann is so sensible."
However, she wouldn’t let her granddaughter starve waiting for the others to return; after all, they could take half an hour.
Old Mrs. Qin stood up and headed to the dining room to bring back some light snacks for Ann to nibble on.
Qin Haochen sat on the sofa in the living room with little one, feeding her snacks while waiting for the others to arrive.
Ye Rongyuan, feeling bored, noticed that with his brother-in-law back and Ann munching away, he couldn’t keep pestering Ann to play games. So he sought out Qin Lvzheng, who also seemed to have nothing to do.
Qin Lvzheng glanced at him and kindly agreed to play a game of chess.
It was their first match, and given their generational difference, Ye Rongyuan focused hard not to lose to his nephew Qin Lvzheng.
Qin Lvzheng’s chess skills were decent, a good match for Ye Rongyuan, making it evenly matched.
As they played seriously, Qin Sui’an enjoyed the snacks her father fed her, watching attentively.
However, little one often wore a puzzled expression, seemingly trying to understand why her little uncle and third brother made certain moves when better options were available.
Though confused, Qin Sui’an remained silent, diligently observing as a good spectator.
Before either could determine the winner, a commotion from outside interrupted.
Curiosity piqued, Qin Sui’an wondered who would triumph between her little uncle and third brother, now drawn by the noise outside. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖
She heard her big brother’s voice, seemingly bringing something home for her.
"Is Ann eating yet?"
"Qianyi, Miss Ann is still in the living room, waiting for you all to come home before eating."
"Hey, perfect timing!"
As the brief exchange ended, the next moment, Qin Sui’an heard her brother calling for her:
"Ann, Ann—"
Qin Haochen also heard his younger son Qin Qianyi’s shout and saw little one getting excited. He smiled and set her down, saying, "Go see what your brother wants."
"Okay~"
As soon as her feet hit the floor, Qin Sui’an dashed towards the castle entrance.
Qin Qianyi stood at the door, one hand behind his back, peeking inside. Upon seeing Ann’s little figure running towards him, his lips couldn’t help but curl up.
"Big brother~" Qin Sui’an was intrigued by his mysterious demeanor.
Crouching down, Qin Qianyi steadied her with one hand, asking, "Ann, guess what good thing I brought back?"
Qin Sui’an sniffed the air, catching a delicious scent. "Is it food?"
"Bingo!" Qin Qianyi poked her nose playfully, "So smart!"
Glancing back into the castle to ensure no elders were around, he revealed what he had hidden behind his back: "Ta-da! Roasted pig trotters!"
"Roasted pig trotters?" Qin Sui’an’s gaze immediately fixated on the trotters in her brother’s hand. She didn’t know what they were, but she knew they were edible!
"Exactly! They smell so good! I devoured one and thought it was delicious, so I packed another for you! No one else gets one!"
Qin Qianyi usually wasn’t interested in such foods, but seeing it after school today reminded him of his little glutton sister, so he brought it home for her to try.
Qin Sui’an blinked her big eyes, still captivated by the trotters, and solemnly defended herself, "Ann isn’t greedy."
Qin Qianyi chuckled, "Alright, alright, Ann isn’t greedy; I am."
Knowing this food wasn’t exactly clean, Qin Qianyi didn’t want to draw attention. If the elders found out, he’d be in trouble.
Thinking this, he scooped up Ann in one arm and headed toward the garden, instructing the bodyguard, "We’ll be back in five minutes."
In the garden, the big white goose, originally "snacking" on the aura among the flowers, perked up at the rustling sound and the additional tantalizing aroma.
Let this goose see who’s sneaking snacks in the garden!
Qin Qianyi spread his jacket on the grass for Ann to sit on and opened the box containing the roasted trotters.
He pulled out two pairs of gloves from his pocket, first slipping a pair onto the drooling Ann, then putting one on himself, breaking off a piece of tender meat for her to taste.
Qin Sui’an felt a bit guilty about the secretive nature of this snack, glancing back toward the castle.
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