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“Godmother!”
Lu Ying ran out of the kindergarten gate and saw Qiu Ruru leaning against her car. She immediately ran toward her with her small backpack on.
Qiu Ruru crouched down and picked Lu Ying up. “Your parents were both busy today. Godmother will take you home.”
“Okay!” Lu Ying kissed Qiu Ruru on the cheek.
“Let’s go, princess,” Qiu Ruru said, opening the car door for her.
Lu Ying climbed in.
Before the door was closed, a similarly young boy’s voice came from behind. “Lu Ying!”
Qiu Ruru turned around and saw a little boy running toward them in a hurry. He stopped in front of them and immediately gave her a 90-degree bow.
“Hello, Auntie!”
“...Oh!” Qiu Ruru was startled by his big bow.
And her little princess, who already had a queen-like demeanor at such a young age, sat in the passenger seat in her poofy dress and pointed at Qiu Ruru. “This is my godmother, not my mommy.”
The little boy bowed to Qiu Ruru again. “Hello, Godmother!”
“...”
Why was he calling her that too?
The little boy straightened up and said to Lu Ying, “Lu Ying, for tomorrow’s craft class, can I be in your group?”
Lu Ying frowned slightly. “But I already asked Shi Yu to be in my group. How about we all do it together?”
The little boy nodded eagerly, very happy. “Okay, see you tomorrow, Lu Ying! Goodbye, Godmother!”
Qiu Ruru smiled and said goodbye to him, then walked to the other side and got in the car.
“Is that Shi Yu you mentioned a boy or a girl?” Qiu Ruru asked.
Lu Ying pouted. “A boy, of course.”
Qiu Ruru raised an eyebrow. “Is he handsome?”
Lu Ying turned to her and said in a small voice, “Super handsome. He’s my male idol. But he’s a little short. I hope he grows taller and becomes as tall as my daddy.”
“A male idol?” Qiu Ruru said in a small voice, mimicking her. “Is that your little secret? You’re just telling me like that?”
“It’s not a little secret. My mommy knows, too, and Mommy said she also had a little friend she liked in kindergarten.” Lu Ying thought for a moment, then added, “But Mommy won’t let me tell Daddy. She said Daddy would get mad and might even go talk to Shi Yu.”
“That’s right,” Qiu Ruru laughed so hard that she leaned back in her driver’s seat. She nodded. “You definitely can’t tell your dad. And you can’t tell your dad that your mommy had a little friend she liked in kindergarten either.”
Qiu Ruru laughed for a long time, her stomach hurting, before she stopped.
She reached out and rubbed Lu Ying’s head, saying with a laugh, “Are you kids all so precocious these days?”
Lu Ying didn’t understand what “precocious” meant. After a moment, she remembered something and said, “A lot of girls in my class say they want to marry Shi Yu.”
“Oh,” Qiu Ruru said, holding back a laugh. “Don’t you get angry?”
“I don’t get angry at all. Shi Yu likes me very much.”
She had some of Shen Yihuan’s old personality.
“Are you hungry? Godmother will take you to get something to eat. What do you want?” Qiu Ruru started the car.
“Ice cream!”
“Okay, Godmother will buy you whatever you want.”
She drove to an ice cream shop, went in, and came out with two ice creams, one for Lu Ying and one for herself.
“Cheers,” Qiu Ruru said, tapping her ice cream against Lu Ying’s.
Lu Ying licked her ice cream little by little. After finishing the chocolate on top, she started biting the crunchy cone, making a “crunch, crunch” sound.
She suddenly asked, “Godmother.”
“Hmm?”
“When can I see Godfather again?”
“Godfather?” Qiu Ruru was stunned for a moment. “You mean Uncle Gu?”
Lu Ying nodded.
She had visited Gu Minghui once before. She didn’t really understand what a prison was. She just knew that Uncle Gu couldn’t come out and play with her for now.
“Who told you that Uncle Gu is your godfather?” Qiu Ruru asked with a smile.
“Mommy did.”
“Mm,” Qiu Ruru bit into her ice cream, correcting her. “Right now, he’s just your Uncle Gu. Your godmother isn’t with him yet, so he’s not your godfather.”
Lu Ying nodded, not fully understanding. “Okay.”
“Your Uncle Gu...” Qiu Ruru calculated in her head and smirked. “It won’t be long. Not too far away. But if you really want to see him, Godmother can take you next time.”
“Okay! Can we go after my school’s talent show is over?”
“Yes, but you have to get your parents’ permission first.”
Lu Ying nodded obediently.
________________________________________
Naturally, Shen Yihuan and Lu Zhou had no objections to visiting Gu Minghui.
On a Saturday noon, Qiu Ruru took Lu Ying to the prison for a visit.
It had been so many years, but Qiu Ruru didn’t visit very often. She had been busy with work. The newspaper had a major reshuffle, and many employees came and went. After that, she became the editor-in-chief.
By her calculations, she hadn’t seen Gu Minghui in half a month.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to. She just didn’t want their relationship to be like this.
Ultimately, her personality prevented her from pursuing someone completely without regard for the consequences, even though she and Gu Minghui had already laid all their cards on the table.
She wanted Gu Minghui to be with her because he truly liked her, not out of guilt or gratitude.
“Yingying has grown so big!”
Through the glass, Gu Minghui smiled and waved to the little girl.
Lu Ying was never shy with strangers. After meeting Gu Minghui once, she had already classified him as “someone she knew.”
And just like Shen Yihuan, she was a sucker for good looks. She thought Uncle Gu was quite handsome.
Lu Ying smiled sweetly at him. “Hello, Uncle Gu.”
“Are you in the big class in kindergarten now?”
She shook her head. “No, I’m in the middle class. I’ll be in the big class next semester.”
Qiu Ruru held Lu Ying on her lap. “Yingying, where’s the little gift you said you wanted to give Uncle Gu?”
Lu Ying rummaged through her pocket and pulled out a small wind chime. It made a crisp, clear sound when she shook it. She had made it in her craft class.
“Give it to that sister over there. She’ll give it to Uncle Gu later,” Qiu Ruru said, pointing to a female officer standing nearby.
Lu Ying and Gu Minghui chatted for a while, talking about this and that.
Lu Ying had features from both Shen Yihuan and Lu Zhou, but her personality was nothing like Lu Zhou’s. She could talk to people she didn’t know very well for a long time.
She was a little chatterbox.
When she got tired of talking, Qiu Ruru asked the officer outside to watch her for a while.
Only the two of them were left in the visiting room.
“There are five more years left,” Qiu Ruru said, leaning back in her chair and looking at him.
“Mm,” Gu Minghui paused. “...How have you been lately?”
“Not great. I’ve been swamped with work, so I haven’t had time to come see you.”
Gu Minghui smiled. “I get it. You have to work hard, or you’ll have to go back and inherit the family business.”
The Qiu family and the Gu family were old acquaintances. Their good relationship was mainly due to the many business partnerships between their fathers’ companies.
Qiu Ruru was a rather low-key second-generation rich kid.
“Yeah,” Qiu Ruru said. “What about after you get out? Have you thought about what you want to do?”
“Go back and help my dad. My dad... how’s his health lately?”
“He was discharged from the hospital a few days ago. He’s stable now. You don’t have to worry. I visit him often.”
Gu Minghui said, “Thank you. Really.”
Qiu Ruru accepted his thanks without modesty. “You can thank me on your knees when you get out.”
________________________________________
A few days after the visit, on Wednesday, little Lu Ying got into trouble at kindergarten.
Shen Yihuan was in a photo studio when she got a call from the kindergarten teacher. “Is this Lu Ying’s parent? Could you please come to the school after work?”
“Yes, of course. Teacher, did Lu Ying do something wrong at school?”
“She hit another classmate at school. It wasn’t serious, but we hope you can come in and help us resolve this.”
Lu Ying had never hit anyone before. Although she was a spoiled child with a bit of a temper, she shouldn’t have hit someone.
Shen Yihuan was stunned for a moment. She apologized to the crew and left work early. She also called Lu Zhou and asked him to come with her.
But the first thing he said when he heard that Lu Ying had hit a classmate was, “Did Lu Ying win?”
“...”
Shen Yihuan glared at him. “Lu Zhou, when did I not realize you had such a thing for violence? Is this a time to talk about winning or losing?”
Besides, with her and Lu Zhou’s genes, Lu Ying probably didn’t lose.
Shen Yihuan just thought that last part in her head.
“No,” Lu Zhou explained. “Was Yingying hurt?”
“No, she just hurt the other kid.”
Lu Zhou visibly let out a sigh of relief.
Shen Yihuan: “...”
________________________________________
The incident was caused by another little boy, but it was still wrong for Lu Ying to hit him.
The little boy was an only child, and his parents spoiled him a lot. When they got the call from the teacher, they rushed to the school.
The homeroom teacher saw that the other parents were very emotional, so she had Lu Ying go outside to play for a bit.
In the office, only the homeroom teacher, the little boy, and his parents were left.
When Shen Yihuan and Lu Zhou arrived, they heard the other parents angrily demanding that the teacher bring the little girl who hit their son over immediately.
Both of them frowned.
Lu Ying was nowhere in the office.
Lu Zhou looked at Shen Yihuan. “You go find Lu Ying first. I’ll go talk to the teacher.”
After Lu Zhou went in, the other man became even more self-righteous. He held his son in his arms and pointed his finger, shouting, “You have to give me an explanation for this! Don’t be so protective. My son deserved to be hit...”
Lu Zhou interrupted him without a hint of politeness. “Whether he deserved it or not, we’ll see after we know what happened.”
Lu Zhou had come from the military. Although he wasn’t wearing a uniform, his demeanor showed he was not an ordinary person. His crisp shirt outlined his broad shoulders.
His slightly furrowed brow showed an unquestionable authority, giving off an exceptionally intimidating aura.
It made people not dare to act recklessly in front of him.
The office finally quieted down. The young homeroom teacher played the security footage. She hadn’t wanted to, but seeing how aggressive the boy’s parents were, she had to show them the most direct evidence.
The boy had first bullied a little boy in the class whose parents were divorced. His grandparents usually picked him up.
The boy was heard saying a few words in a childish tone during the quarrel.
Orphan, pitiful, and a series of other offensive words.
Then, Lu Ying appeared and hit the boy on the head.
It wasn’t a hard hit, and a teacher who came in quickly pulled her away.
________________________________________
Meanwhile, Shen Yihuan found Lu Ying on the playground outside the kindergarten.
The kindergarten was closed, and most of the children had been picked up. There weren’t many people on the playground.
Lu Ying was crouching on the ground, and a very cute little boy sat in front of her, pouting with two dry tear stains on his face.
“Stop crying,” Lu Ying said, pulling a wrinkled tissue from her pocket and handing it to him.
The boy lowered his head and didn’t take it.
Lu Ying “tsk-ed” and leaned in to wipe his face with the tissue. “So what if he called you names? If you don’t have a mommy, you can treat me as your mommy.”
The little boy: “...??”
He wiped his eyes. “What about you?”
“What about me?”
“Teacher Zhang said you have a mommy and a daddy.”
“It’s fine. My mommy and daddy won’t scold me, and it was his fault anyway.”
“But you hit him.”
“Was that a hit?” Lu Ying smiled and waved her soft little fist in the air. “I didn’t even use much force. Who knew he would cry like that?”
She was so rebellious that she was truly Shen Yihuan’s daughter.
The little boy looked at her in surprise. “...Are you a girl?”
“No, my godmother said I’m a little queen,” Lu Ying said, whistling a not-so-smooth whistle. “If he calls you names again, I’ll go beat him up for you.”
Standing behind them, Shen Yihuan was completely bewildered.
Qiu Ruru’s teasing little queen, and Lu Ying actually lived her life as a little queen.
“Yingying,” Shen Yihuan called from behind.
“Mommy!” Lu Ying immediately stood up and ran into her arms.
Shen Yihuan picked her up.
As they reached the office door, they heard Lu Zhou’s cold voice speaking to the boy’s father. “My wife and I don’t let her hear a single swear word. Our little one didn’t come here to listen to your son swearing and calling people names.”
Shen Yihuan and Lu Ying stood at the door. Lu Ying looked up at her father’s back.
“Your son started the fight and then blamed my daughter because he lost?”
A round of applause suddenly came from behind.
Lu Ying didn’t fully understand everything, but she could tell that her dad was sticking up for her. So, she gave him a round of applause.
“Yingying,” Shen Yihuan said, looking down at her and gently scolding her. “Put your hands down.”
She pouted and put her hands down.
Lu Zhou went over and picked Lu Ying up in his arms. He politely nodded to the homeroom teacher who was standing on the other side. “I believe the school can handle this well based on the surveillance footage. If there are any costs or compensation we need to pay, you can contact me directly. But now, I need to take my daughter home.”
Lu Zhou was indeed excellent since he was a child.
He was the class president who was ranked first in his grade. Then, he was the captain who was great at completing missions. Now, he was also an excellent father.
They walked out of the kindergarten and stopped at a crosswalk in front of the car on the other side of the road.
The family of three stood and waited for the light to turn green.
Shen Yihuan turned her head and looked at Lu Zhou. The man stood backlit.
Lu Ying, who wasn’t bothered by the incident, had already fallen asleep on her dad’s shoulder.
The man’s shirt was buttoned all the way up. His hair was cut neatly. His lines were smooth and superior, and his jawline was strong and serious.
She looked at Lu Zhou’s transformation from a young boy to the man he was today.
He had been a part of her entire youth and would be a part of every important and unimportant moment in her future.
“Lu Zhou,” she said, leaning in and kissing him on the corner of his lips.
I feel like you love your daughter more than you love me now.
She hadn’t even had the chance to say this joke.
Lu Zhou kissed her more deeply.
And Shen Yihuan heard him say, “I love you.”
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