Chapter Twelve: "Where Has Susu Gone?"

When Yin Yuanxun received Lu Jinqiao’s call, his heart was filled with panic. At that moment, he had sent a message to Lu Jinqiao and, without waiting for a reply, had taken the little girl out with him. Now, he was probably just coming out of a meeting and would discover that Yin Yuanxun had brought the child along.

He dared not answer the phone now, fearing a scolding.

Although he might face a beating later, he could rely on the little girl as his shield, right? Surely, Lu Ge wouldn’t dare strike him in front of her.

Yin Yuanxun’s well-laid plan never accounted for another possibility—

Avoiding An An’s reprimand.

His mind was so consumed with spending time with An An that he completely forgot just how ruthless Lu Ge could be.

Yin Yuanxun had been out playing with An An until dusk, and by the time they returned, An An was already asleep, her head resting on his shoulder.

Upon entering Lu Jinqiao’s house, he was immediately met with a face-to-face assault—a kiss pressed close.

Yin Yuanxun quickly covered his lips with his hand, signaling for silence.

Lu Jinqiao gently took An An from his arms and carried her to her room. After closing the door, he hooked his arm around Yin Yuanxun’s and led him up to the gym on the third floor for a “workout.”

Yin Yuanxun, ever the wise one, smoothly dropped to his knees in a graceful, almost pitiful slide and began to admit his faults.

But as far as Yin Yuanxun’s apologies went, they could be summed up in eight words: “wild imagination, nonsense, rambling.”

He went from “Firstly, I shouldn’t have…” to “Back in the Jurassic period…” then “As everyone knows, orcas are a kind of…” and finally, “I’m sorry, I was wrong.”

In short, “I was wrong, but I’ll dare again next time.”

Lu Jinqiao always treated Yin Yuanxun’s self-reflections as mere nonsense, barely hearing a word.

After forcibly dragging Yin Yuanxun to exercise for a while, they went downstairs to freshen up before joining An An.

Once assured that Yin Yuanxun hadn’t fed An An anything inappropriate and that she had eaten well, they let her continue sleeping instead of waking her.

…

During the days Yin Yuanxun stayed at the villa, he didn’t go to the office. He spent all day at home playing with An An, so whenever Lu Jinqiao returned, he barely got a chance to speak with her.

Every time he came home from work, An An was already asleep.

Moreover, lately, Yin Yuanxun had been talking to An An constantly, forcing her to become quite the chatterbox. Her language skills had improved dramatically—her speech was much clearer, and her pronunciation accurate except for a few rare words. Normal conversations posed no problem.

Therefore, although Lu Jinqiao found Yin Yuanxun annoying, he did not send him away.

At the very least, he served as a companion to chat with.

One day, Lu Jinqiao returned home from work, and for once, An An was still awake.

“Daddy, An An hasn’t seen you for such a long time.”

Every time An An woke up, Lu Jinqiao had already left for work. When she fell asleep, he was just returning home.

Though such a large company didn’t require his constant presence, unexpected situations continually arose, causing delays that meant An An was always asleep when he came back.

Lu Jinqiao sat beside An An. “I’m sorry, it’s Daddy’s fault. How about Daddy stays home with An An tomorrow?”

An An, wise beyond her years, shook her head. “Daddy needs to earn money. An An is already big now.”

Lu Jinqiao gently patted her little head. “An An is really smart.”

“Then, can Daddy take a day off tomorrow? Daddy works so hard, and he wants An An to keep him company.”

An An furrowed her delicate brows in concern and lightly tapped Lu Jinqiao’s arm. “Daddy, can you stay home tomorrow? An An will keep you company.”

Lu Jinqiao achieved his goal. “Alright, Daddy will take a day off tomorrow, okay?”

An An: “Okay.”

At that moment, Yin Yuanxun was leaning against the kitchen doorway, holding a bowl of yogurt, watching the scene unfold.

Watching Lu Ge act pitiful made him shudder, as if trying to shake off the goosebumps.

It was downright terrifying.

He had never seen Lu Ge like this before.

Yin Yuanxun scooped a big spoonful from the bowl and popped it into his mouth. Suddenly recalling something, he swallowed and went to find Lu Jinqiao.

“Brother, when is An An’s birthday? I want to prepare in advance.”

Having spent more than a week with An An, Yin Yuanxun was completely won over by her charm.

He was utterly captivated by her cuteness.

Lu Jinqiao paused for a moment upon hearing this.

He didn’t even know when An An’s birthday was.

“An An, do you know when your birthday is?”

The moment the question was asked, Lu Jinqiao immediately regretted it.

He even caught a judging, suspicious look from Yin Yuanxun, as if to say, “Are you really An An’s biological father?”

Of course, how could An An possibly know?

He was completely at a loss too.

[System: Kiddo, quickly tell him your birthday is December 31st, hurry.]

Hearing Lu Jinqiao’s question, the system suddenly remembered that when it had sent An An over, it had forgotten to include a “Childcare Manual.” Lu Jinqiao had no idea about An An’s basic information.

Lu Jinqiao and Yin Yuanxun both looked at An An in surprise.

It seemed unbelievable that such a young child, barely over two years old, would know her own birthday.

At this age, when all she knew was eating, sleeping, and playing, how could she remember her birthday?

An An blinked her big eyes and met Lu Jinqiao’s gaze.

Lu Jinqiao sighed, “Forget it. Let’s not think too much about it.”

When An An first appeared beside him, he had checked the surveillance footage at the company entrance. There was no sign of anyone bringing her there; only the moment she suddenly appeared.

So although he was surprised by An An’s knowledge of her birthday, it wasn’t so hard to accept.

Yin Yuanxun, however, was different. He circled An An like he had discovered a little genius, staring for a long time before finally withdrawing his gaze under Lu Jinqiao’s notice.

The system observed their reactions from within the space, puffing out its nonexistent chest, secretly proud.

Yin Yuanxun said, “By the way, Lu Ge, I should head back now. The old man has been calling me nonstop, urging me to return. I’ve been hiding for many days already; it’s time to go. I’ll leave tomorrow.”

Before Lu Jinqiao could respond, An An reacted first. She hopped off the sofa, clinging to Yin Yuanxun’s leg, looking up at him with teary eyes.

“Su Su, please don’t go. An An doesn’t want you to leave…”

Yin Yuanxun was touched and reluctant too. He stroked An An’s head affectionately. “Uncle will come back.”

An An: “Like Uncle Grey Wolf?”

The slight sadness vanished instantly at An An’s words, and Yin Yuanxun couldn’t help but laugh.

“Yes, just like Uncle Grey Wolf.”

“But An An, if you don’t want Uncle to leave, how about coming back with him? What do you say?”

At this, An An broke free from Yin Yuanxun’s embrace and climbed back onto the sofa, throwing herself into Lu Jinqiao’s arms, burying her face in his chest.

“Su Su, you’re so mean, An An will miss you so much~”

Her muffled words made both Lu Jinqiao and Yin Yuanxun laugh aloud.

Yin Yuanxun said, “This kid, how can she be so adorable, haha.”

Though An An said all that, she was especially clingy to Yin Yuanxun that evening—sitting beside him during meals and snuggling against him while watching TV, held in his arms.

The next morning, upon waking, An An asked, “Su Su? Where did Su Su go?”