With a smile in his eyes, Yan Shao watched as Zhu Qianying helplessly led the little one into the house. He felt both warm and satisfied.
The night before Zizai left, Chen Jing was helping Zizai pack his luggage. Yan Shao couldn't help, so he stood aside and listened quietly as Chen Jing talked about some things from Zhu Qianying's childhood.
“When I gave birth to Ying’er, I was only nineteen years old. Moreover, I’m a very brainless person. At that time, I was only thinking about how to get Zhu Zhizhou to focus his attention on me.”
"Even after giving birth to Ying'er, I had no sense of being a mother at all. I just casually dumped her on the nanny. All the nannies in the Zhu family were Zhu Shaofen's people. Looking back, I'm so glad that Ying'er and Xiaoyu weren't poisoned or abused!"
Yan Shao felt suffocated just listening to Zhu Qianying's past.
Having been pampered like a little emperor since childhood, he couldn't even imagine how Zhu Qianying grew up under the tutelage of a terrifying older brother like Zhu Junwei.
“As her mother, I didn’t fulfill my responsibilities as a mother at all when she was a child, and she probably didn’t enjoy any happiness in her childhood either. So, even if she wasn’t forced to, she would probably send Zizai back to you sooner or later.”
Of course, this is just Chen Jing's personal speculation. As for whether this might become a reality, no one can be sure. After all, there are no "what ifs" in life. Until that point is reached, no one knows what choice they will make.
"In the past, I didn't fulfill my responsibilities as a mother to Ying'er, let alone Zhu Zhizhou. So now, all I hope for is a man who will cherish her and treat her well! Not only as a lover, but also as a daughter to pamper and love her..."
Chen Jing's words, of course, were spoken from her perspective as a mother.
However, she also made it clear that as long as Young Master Yan could genuinely love his daughter, she would not interfere.
Her words have been constantly replaying in Yan Shao's mind these past few days.
Speaking of which, he was eight years older than Zhu Qianying, so logically he should be the one doting on her.
Just like how he used to pamper Yi Wei, although it was mostly material pampering, ultimately, the relationship between them was one of him giving and Yi Wei receiving.
But he and Zhu Qianying were the opposite; in the past, she was always the one accommodating him.
To be honest, from the time they met until their marriage, he never gave her anything, neither materially nor emotionally.
That's probably why she was so resolute when she left.
Because she felt no love or affection from him, she had no reason to feel any attachment to him.
Qin Xiu has been teasing him lately, saying he's an unscrupulous boss and that having a wife has made him much less productive at work.
Qin Xiu had no idea that he wasn't deliberately trying to slack off at work. Rather, he felt he had wronged Zhu Qianying too much in the past, and now that he finally had this opportunity to make up for it, he wanted to spend as much time and energy on her as possible.
Material things couldn't sway her; he could only put in more effort and thought.
Hopefully, this will move her and make her change her mind soon.
Based on the two days he spent with her, he could actually sense her hesitation and wavering.
"Mommy, close your eyes!"
The little guy's voice suddenly came from inside the room, interrupting Yan Shao's thoughts.
He then remembered that he and his son had specially prepared some things to surprise Zhu Qianying, but because he was so engrossed in playing with his son, he had completely forgotten about it!
Yan Shao strode into the room and saw that Zhu Qianying had obediently closed her eyes as Zizai had ordered, but she was still muttering about Zizai.
"Zizai, what trick are you playing now? You're soaking wet. Go take a shower, or at least change out of your wet clothes, or you'll catch a cold!"
Zizai responded, and seeing Yan Shao enter, he quickly grabbed Yan Shao's hand, "Daddy, I'm leaving this to you! I'm going to change my clothes!"
After handing Zhu Qianying's hand to Yan Shao, the little guy dashed into the bedroom.
Zhu Qianying felt her hand being placed in a large hand by the little guy's cold little hand. When she realized what was happening, she tried to pull her hand away, but Yan Shao was one step ahead and held her hand tightly first.
"Ying'er, come with me!"
Zhu Qianying thought Yan Shao was playing a trick on her and was about to open her eyes to see what was going on when she heard Yan Shao say something.
"Don't open your eyes, that's Zizai's idea!"
When her son was mentioned, Zhu Qianying became much more obedient.
Yan Shao led Zhu Qianying into the living room and helped her sit down by supporting her shoulders.
With her eyes closed, Zhu Qianying strained her ears to carefully discern the intermittent rustling sounds coming from all around her.
Zhu Qianying belatedly racked her brains, wondering if today was some kind of special day.
But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't figure out what big day it was.
Valentine's Day had long passed, and so had the Lantern Festival. Besides, even if these days hadn't passed yet, she didn't think Yan Shao would be such a romantic person.
Zhu Qianying, who couldn't figure it out no matter how hard she tried, finally decided to stop thinking about it. After all, the mystery would be revealed soon, wouldn't it?
Sure enough, not long after, the sound of a door opening was heard, followed by a "snap" sound, the sound of a lighter being lit.
"Mommy, you can open your eyes now!" came the little guy's slightly excited voice.
When Zhu Qianying opened her eyes, she saw a three-tiered cake in front of her, with a rose-shaped candle lit on top of it.
“Baby, this is…”
Zhu Qianying looked at her son with a puzzled expression, then at Yan Shao.
The little guy reached out and took Zhu Qianying's and Yan Shao's hands at the same time, and then clasped their hands together with his own.
"Mommy, this is our family's first family day!"
Zhu Qianying was taken aback for a moment, then a black line appeared on her forehead. After going around in circles for so long, this little guy has always believed that this is his home.
He probably thought that as long as he, his parents, and he were all together in this family, they could become a real family.
Zhu Qianying, feeling both amused and exasperated, looked up at Yan Shao.
Her probing gaze lingered on his face for a long while; she would never believe it if he said he hadn't offered any advice on this matter.
But Yan Shao always wore a faint smile, and there was no clue on his face.
The short man sandwiched between the two looked up and eagerly tugged at Yan Shao's hand.
"Daddy, pick up the baby, let's blow out the candles together."
However, regardless of whether Yan Shao was involved or not, the little guy's joy and excitement were real and intense.
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