Chapter Four: "Go, An An! Go, An An, the Little Chubby!"

The moment Lu Jinqiao stepped onto the stairs, she heard Lu Huaiche’s words.

He set down what he was holding, took a step forward, and picked up An An. Looking at Lu Huaiche, he asked, “What did you just say?”

Lu Huaiche glanced around, then picked up his phone. “I said, hurry up and turn right when you go out. Don’t make me scold you, it’s such a hassle.”

After saying this, he put the phone down.

“Dad, when did you get back? I was just on the phone with my classmate. Hey, where did this little one come from? So cute!”

Lu Huaiche’s smile was genuine and bright.

Lu Jinqiao said, “You better be.”

Lu Huaiche replied, “Of course. Come here, little one, let me hold you.”

An An stared at Lu Huaiche for a long while, making him feel a bit embarrassed.

Then she turned her head, burying herself in Lu Jinqiao’s arms, muttering softly, “Bad…”

If one listened carefully, a hint of tears could be detected in her voice.

Children are most sensitive to ill will. Lu Huaiche’s earlier attitude showed no attempt to hide his hostility towards An An. Though slight, it was the only time An An had seen such malice from anyone, so her reaction was more pronounced.

Lu Huaiche felt awkward but knew his behavior had been inappropriate, which was why the child reacted that way.

Still, Lu Huaiche truly disliked children.

Back in middle school, he was at the age when he had a strong possessiveness over his things, especially his collection of figurines, which he had painstakingly gathered one by one. They were usually displayed on a cabinet, and he polished them three times a day!

One time, because he forgot to close the door properly, a mischievous kid from next door came into his room and wrecked everything. The scene was a mess; except for a few high-up figures out of reach, most of the figurines were broken, missing arms and legs. Lu Huaiche was heartbroken.

When he opened the door and saw the chaos, he was stunned.

The naughty kid, upon seeing Lu Huaiche, didn’t apologize. Instead, he plopped down on the floor, pouting and crying, making the adults around him cry too, loudly proclaiming, “That big brother hit me, boo hoo! I just wanted to look at his toys, and he hit me, boo hoo!”

“He even broke the toys, waaah!”

Ridiculously, the child’s parents believed him and, without investigation, started blaming Lu Huaiche.

Lu Huaiche was furious—at that hot-tempered age, he snapped back immediately, “Don’t you know what kind of brat your kid is? Probably spoiled rotten by you! With your blind favoritism and no questions asked, you can’t expect to raise a decent child.”

Lu Jinqiao frowned. “Huaiche, apologize.”

Facing Lu Jinqiao’s gaze, Lu Huaiche stiffened but obediently said, “Sorry.”

He knew his father wasn’t asking him to apologize because he believed the kid’s lies, but because he shouldn’t have spoken so bluntly to the adults, no matter what. So, he apologized.

Lu Jinqiao said, “My son has apologized for his inappropriate words. Uncle Chen, shouldn’t your grandson apologize to my son? And entering someone else’s room without permission—is that the Chen family’s way of raising children?”

Although the naughty kid apologized to Lu Huaiche and the Chen family offered compensation, Lu Huaiche still disliked children because of that incident.

That was why, the moment he saw An An, he told her to turn right out the door.

But in truth, he wasn’t so opposed to An An. His first impression of her was rather good.

So, when he realized he had made An An cry, he felt a little bit guilty.

In the gentlest voice he had ever used in his life, Lu Huaiche said, “I’m sorry, it was my fault. I shouldn’t have said that. Can you forgive me?”

An An got up from Lu Jinqiao’s arms, still clutching his shirt tightly. She looked at Lu Huaiche timidly and, seeing no negative emotion in his eyes, pursed her lips and whispered, “Okay. But, but next time don’t call me names like that, okay?”

Her large eyes were fixed intently on him, filled with a hint of nervousness, and she pronounced each word carefully. Instantly, Lu Huaiche’s heart softened.

He reached out and hooked An An’s little hand, making sure she wasn’t upset, then gently squeezed her chubby fingers. “Okay, I won’t say that again.”

At mealtime, little An An sat in a specially made chair that Lu Jinqiao had arranged for her. Her chubby hands struggled to hold the spoon, trying to bring a meatball that Lu Jinqiao had just put on her plate to her mouth.

But after much effort, the meatball rolled off the spoon just before reaching her lips.

An An stared at the meatball for a long moment, then lowered herself so her face was level with the table. Opening her mouth, she awkwardly used the hand holding the spoon to nudge the meatball forward.

Halfway through, Lu Jinqiao intercepted it with his chopsticks.

An An looked up at him, her eyes curved in a smile. “Babe wants more? Then have some more!”

Lu Jinqiao lifted An An into his arms. “Forgot you still can’t feed yourself.” He said this as he scooped a spoonful of porridge, blew on it, and brought it to her mouth.

An An opened wide and gobbled it down. She even wagged her head and wiggled her little feet—clearly enjoying the meal immensely.

Lu Huaiche glanced at Lu Jinqiao, who looked nothing less than kind and gentle. He doubted whether this was really his father.

When he was little and refused to eat properly, his father never coaxed him. Instead, he was left hungry for a meal, and after that, he never misbehaved at the table again.

But...

Looking at An An, eating so happily, Lu Huaiche nodded silently. Yeah, if it were him, he could spoil this little girl, too.

Although he didn’t like children, if this little girl always behaved so well, he might just be able to like her a bit.

After feeding An An, Lu Jinqiao put her down to play by herself. The house was already childproofed: corners were padded, dangerous objects put away, and thick carpets covered every room except the dining area, so there was nothing to worry about.

Seeing An An leave, Lu Huaiche quickly finished his meal, then put down his bowl and chopsticks. “Dad, I’m done. You can take your time.”

With that, he chased after An An.

If his school friends saw Lu Huaiche acting so respectfully, they would definitely mock him for a whole month! After all, in front of them, Lu Huaiche was fierce and unyielding.

When Lu Huaiche reached the living room, An An was still making her way over, or perhaps running.

Her little legs moved fast, though the speed was... well, endearing.

Lu Huaiche sat cross-legged on the sofa, leisurely watching An An’s determined efforts.

After a while, An An cheered herself on: “An An, go! An An, very good!”

Lu Huaiche couldn’t help but chuckle softly.

Hearing the laughter, An An looked up in confusion, tilting her head as if asking, “Why are you laughing, Big Brother?”