Lu Yan looked at the little girl so close to him, his chest churning with emotions.
Even though he had spent the entire night digesting the fact that he had a daughter, it still felt as unreal as a dream.
He was terrified that it was just an illusion.
His eyes stared at the little pink dumpling in front of him with doting affection and excitement, his expression softer than it had ever been.
He was still a novice father, and this change in identity had caught him completely off guard.
He was afraid that he might do something wrong and make the little girl uncomfortable.
Seeing that she hadn't called him daddy again for a long while, he suppressed the disappointment in his heart, raised his large hand, and rubbed her head. "It's okay if you can't bring yourself to say it for now."
Little Sweet Orange blinked her big, black, glass-like eyes and asked in a childish voice, "Are you really the daddy whose grave is already overgrown with weeds?"
Lu Yan's body stiffened. "Grave overgrown with weeds?"
Little Sweet Orange nodded. "I used to think daddy went to heaven, but today mommy told me it wasn't daddy's fault and told me not to blame daddy."
Lu Yan's throat choked up.
Even though Jiang Shuyin didn't like him, she hadn't spoken ill of him in front of the child.
She had very proper values.
Lu Yan's gaze toward Little Sweet Orange softened even more. "Daddy will make it up to you from now on."
Even though there was just a little tyke in front of him, he felt more nervous than he had ever been.
Earlier at the airport, she seemed to call Li Zeqian dad. Would she refuse to acknowledge him?
Little Sweet Orange's butterfly-wing-like long eyelashes gently drooped, and crystal-clear teardrops fell from her eyes one by one.
Seeing the little girl cry, Lu Yan's usually cold and hard heart twinged with pain.
He had no experience coaxing children. Faced with the little girl's falling tears, he was somewhat at a loss. "Why are you crying? If you can't say it, daddy won't force you."
His rough fingers wiped the tears from her face, his movements extremely gentle, afraid of hurting her.
Little Sweet Orange sniffled her cute nose, and with tears on her eyelashes, she said, "I don't hate daddy. I'm happy. I finally have my real daddy."
Daddy was exactly as she had imagined.
Tall, mighty, and handsome.
The first time she saw him at the airport, she liked him very, very much.
Even though he was unsmiling and looked fierce, she inexplicably felt a desire to get close to him.
So it was because he was her daddy.
Mommy said he didn't intentionally avoid seeing her and her brother; he just didn't know they existed.
Originally, she had a little bit of resentment in her heart, but now, she didn't blame him at all.
When she returned to Country M, she could show off to her little friends that she had a cool daddy.
Thinking of this, a happy smile appeared on Little Sweet Orange's beautifully carved pink face. "Daddy!"
Lu Yan's body stiffened severely.
A immense joy surged in his chest. "Can you call me that one more time?"
Little Sweet Orange pouted her little mouth. "Daddy, is there something wrong with your ears?" Although she complained a little, she still called out several times, "Daddy, daddy, daddy—"
All the blood in Lu Yan's body rushed to his head. He stretched out his long arms and pulled the little girl tightly into his embrace.
Her soft and squishy little body still carried a milky scent.
This was his daughter.
The daughter he had longed and hoped for.
This feeling of regaining something lost truly felt like a giant pie had fallen from the sky.
His heart was incredibly soft, and a moist mist welled up in his deep eyes.
"Cough... Daddy, are you trying to strangle me?" Little Sweet Orange was hugged so tightly by him that she felt like she couldn't breathe.
Lu Yan immediately loosened his arms. "Sorry, daddy is just too happy."
He looked at Little Sweet Orange with a face full of apology. "Daddy will definitely be careful next time."
Little Sweet Orange smiled mischievously. She leaned close to Lu Yan's ear and whispered, "If daddy is sincerely apologizing, buy me some sweets later without mommy knowing."
Lu Yan thought of the image of the little girl eating an ice cream cone at the airport, and his thin lips couldn't help but curl up. "How about daddy gives you a dessert shop?"
Little Sweet Orange's big, black grape-like eyes lit up. "Really?"
Lu Yan nodded. "Really."
Little Sweet Orange licked her little lips. "That's great, daddy, let's pinky promise."
Lu Yan reached out his hand and made a pinky promise with Little Sweet Orange.
Lu Yan carried Little Sweet Orange into the room. When Little Sweet Orange saw the many pink toys, princess dresses, and lots of imported snacks in the living room, she let out an exclamation of "Wow."
"Are all these from daddy?"
Lu Yan nodded. "I don't know if you like them or not."
Little Sweet Orange got down from Lu Yan's embrace and excitedly hugged the gifts. "I love them so much."
Seeing the little girl's happy appearance, a smile appeared on Lu Yan's chiseled, handsome face.
...
Jiang Shuyin stood outside the wooden cabin, watching the entire scene of Little Sweet Orange and Lu Yan acknowledging each other.
She hadn't expected that beneath Lu Yan's rough and cold exterior, there was actually a soft heart.
She could tell that Lu Yan genuinely liked Little Sweet Orange.
Most importantly, Little Sweet Orange also really liked him as a daddy.
Fatherly love was something she could never make up for to the two children.
Jiang Shuyin lowered her long eyelashes and planned to return to the hotel, leaving the private space to the father and daughter.
However, not long after she walked away, Lu Yan came out and stopped her. "Jiang Shuyin!"
Lu Yan took a few quick strides to Jiang Shuyin's side, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her to the terrace on the side of the wooden cabin.
"Let's talk," he said in a low voice, his deep, eagle-like eyes landing heavily on her.
Today, Jiang Shuyin was wearing a bohemian slip dress with a thin, long-sleeved jacket over it. The cinched waist design outlined her exquisite curves.
Even after having children, she was still as slender and graceful.
Her shoulder-length black hair was tied in a low ponytail, she wore sunglasses on the bridge of her nose, and her pale pink lips were slightly pursed. Her temperament was somewhat cold, presenting a very high-class beauty.
Lu Yan pushed the sunglasses from the bridge of her nose to the top of her head.
Their gazes intertwined.
His were dark and deep.
Hers were cold and indifferent.
Lu Yan's heart sank a little.
Even though they had a daughter together, her heart was not with him.
"Little Sweet Orange is almost three years old. I've missed the most important three years of her life. Do you plan to keep hiding her in the future, or will you let her stay in touch with me, her daddy?"
Jiang Shuyin pressed her lips together tightly. "You know of her existence now. Even if I wanted to stop you from contacting each other, could I?"
Lu Yan reached out his hand to Jiang Shuyin. "In that case, shouldn't the two of us exchange contact info first? Give me your phone!"
Jiang Shuyin, "..."
After a moment, she handed him Little Sweet Orange's smartwatch. "She has her own number."
"I'll naturally add hers, but as her guardian, I have to add yours too." He paused slightly. "Or do you want me to fight you for custody?"
