Lu Yan's face instantly darkened. He raised his long leg and kicked Dalong. "Shut up!"
Dalong, Qin Chuan, and the others exchanged glances, not daring to say another word.
Outside the door, Jiang Shuyin silently lowered the hand she had raised to knock.
She had been far too confident!
She had thought that his forceful taking, his relentless pursuit, and his insistence that she keep the child were all because he liked her.
As it turned out, she was nothing more than a substitute to him.
Thinking of her confession to him in the kitchen tonight, she felt like a complete clown.
In his heart, he must be laughing at her!
Jiang Shuyin lowered her long eyelashes. The sourness and heartache inside her surged straight to her eyes, and glistening tears welled up.
She tilted her head up slightly, forcing herself to hold the tears back.
About five minutes later, Jiang Shuyin finally raised her hand to knock on the door again.
Seeing Jiang Shuyin return, Lu Yan slightly narrowed his eagle-like eyes. "What is it?"
Jiang Shuyin's expression was indifferent. "I left my phone in the kitchen."
With that, she went into the kitchen and retrieved her phone.
"Miss Jiang, come have a cup of tea with us!" Qin Chuan called out.
"No need, I have things to do later. I'll be leaving first, bye." She practically fled in panic.
Never had there been a moment where she wanted to escape so desperately.
She didn't want to see Lu Yan anymore, let alone hear his voice.
She was afraid she would lose control of her emotions.
When she reached downstairs, it had started raining outside at some point.
Jiang Shuyin had no intention of seeking shelter; she dashed straight into the misty rain.
The rain fell from above, soaking her face.
She tasted a salty bitterness on her lips, unsure if it was the rain or her tears.
She walked out toward the residential area's main gate, completely unaware of the deep, unfathomable eyes watching her retreating figure from a high building.
After returning to her apartment, Jiang Shuyin developed a fever and fell ill.
She didn't intentionally ask about Lu Yan's whereabouts anymore; he had probably returned to Country M.
She had never experienced the taste of a broken heart before, but this time, she felt it deeply.
Of course, she had fallen out of love before she even got a chance to be in it.
That feeling was like having her heart entangled by a layer of wildly growing vines, suffocating her bit by bit.
...
One month later, Country M.
Lu Yan came out of the IBI headquarters and drove to the kindergarten where Little Sweet Orange was.
As the car approached the main gate, he saw Little Sweet Orange arguing with a little blonde girl.
"Jiang Chengcheng, you still claim that you and your brother aren't little bastards. Last time, my mommy told me that Uncle Li isn't your biological daddy at all. Your mommy must have given birth to you two while working a shady job in the red-light district, right?"
Little Sweet Orange could endure being scolded herself, but she absolutely would not allow anyone to badmouth her and her brother.
"Alice, your mommy is the one who worked in the red-light district and had you by accident! Also, my brother and I are not little bastards. We have a daddy, and our daddy is very handsome and cool!"
With that, Little Sweet Orange gave Alice a hard push, causing Alice to lose her balance and fall to the ground.
Right at that moment, Alice's mommy walked over.
"What are you doing, you little bastard? How dare you push my precious daughter?" Alice's mommy shoved Little Sweet Orange without a second thought.
Just as Little Sweet Orange was about to fall, a long, powerful arm suddenly reached out and caught her just in time.
Little Sweet Orange looked up and saw a lean, cold, and handsome face.
Little Sweet Orange's eyes widened involuntarily, and she exclaimed, "Daddy!"
Alice and Alice's mommy looked at Lu Yan.
Lu Yan was wearing his IBI uniform. Tall and upright with a chilling aura, he looked sacred and inviolable.
"Your daughter called my little girl a bastard and slandered her mommy, saying she works in the red-light district. There are surveillance cameras here. I will pull the footage and sue you in court."
Lu Yan's face was freezing, his words resounding and forceful.
Alice looked at Lu Yan, realizing she couldn't even accuse Little Sweet Orange of finding a random daddy to back her up.
Because this fierce and handsome uncle truly looked just like Little Yiyi.
Alice's mommy naturally noticed the resemblance between Lu Yan, Little Sweet Orange, and Little Yiyi. She hadn't expected them to actually have a daddy.
Seeing Jiang Shuyin drop the kids off at school alone before, she had assumed she was a single mother.
"Little Sweet Orange's daddy, it's my daughter's fault. I will educate her properly when we go back. Please don't sue us."
A wise person submits to circumstances. Seeing the uniform Lu Yan wore, Alice's mommy knew he was a big shot she couldn't afford to offend.
Seeing Lu Yan's authoritative and unquestionable gaze, Alice was so scared her eyes turned red. "Jiang Chengcheng, I-I'm sorry."
Little Sweet Orange wasn't an unforgiving person. Since Alice had apologized, and considering she had pushed her earlier, she decided not to hold it against her anymore.
Little Sweet Orange nestled into Lu Yan's embrace, a sweet smile blooming on her adorable, doll-like face. "Daddy, why did you come over so suddenly?"
Lu Yan extended his long arms and picked Little Sweet Orange up.
"Daddy finished his recent work, so I came to see you and that brat. By the way, where is your brother?"
Little Sweet Orange pouted her small mouth. "Brother didn't come to school today. He said the things we learn now are too simple. Only little fools like me need to learn them, and it's simply a waste of time for a genius like him."
A faint smile appeared on Lu Yan's cold and handsome face.
He could almost imagine the brat's expression when saying those words, he must have looked like a proud little peacock.
"Give your brother a call. How about I take you both to see your grandpa and grandma?"
Little Sweet Orange nodded excitedly.
"Who usually picks you and your brother up?"
"The nanny."
As soon as Little Sweet Orange finished speaking, the nanny who took care of the siblings walked over.
The nanny knew of Lu Yan; Little Sweet Orange had mentioned him many times in front of her ever since acknowledging her daddy.
Lu Yan followed the nanny's car to the residential area where Little Sweet Orange and Little Yiyi lived.
At first, Little Yiyi refused to go with Lu Yan to see their grandparents, but Little Sweet Orange had a trump card. She immediately made a video call to Jiang Shuyin.
When Jiang Shuyin learned that Lu Yan was picking up the two children to meet his parents, she quickly gave Little Yiyi a pep talk.
Little Yiyi loved his mommy the most. Since mommy told him to go, he could only obediently listen.
Lu Yan brought the two children back to the Lu family home.
The Lu family home was a three-story villa with a large courtyard, featuring green plants, flowers, and an artificial lake. The environment was incredibly beautiful.
"Wow, grandpa and grandma's house is so pretty."
Lu Yan affectionately patted Little Sweet Orange's head. "This will be your and your brother's home from now on too. If you ever want to stay over, I'll have grandpa and grandma come pick you up."
Little Sweet Orange smiled and nodded.
...
Upon learning that Lu Yan was bringing the twins over, Father Lu and Mother Lu cooked a large table full of dishes. They had also prepared a variety of fruits, toys, and big red envelopes well in advance.
Father Lu had installed a small playground in the backyard a while ago. He and Mother Lu had been eagerly looking forward to seeing their grandson and granddaughter.
Hearing the sound of the engine, Father Lu and Mother Lu immediately walked out of the villa to greet them.
Seeing the twins, Father Lu and Mother Lu were overjoyed.
However—
Mr. and Mrs. Lu peered into the car. When they didn't see their daughter-in-law, Mrs. Lu shot Lu Yan a glare. "Where is the other important person?"
