Grandfather Chen pulled at his sleeve to wipe the sweat off his forehead. He continued to mutter to himself.
"Xiao Chen? Why does this name sound so familiar?"
After pausing for a moment, he suddenly remembered something. His eyes widened as if his entire body was charged with adrenaline.
"Xiao Chen! The Xiao family! He... Shouldn't he have died five years ago?"
At this moment, Grandfather Chen felt like his whole body had frozen.
Was he talking to a human just now or a monster?
On the other hand, Xiao Chen returned to his manor after leaving the bathhouse.
Xiao Ziyi was still quiet, probably surprised by her new living circumstances.
Her innocent heart had been very traumatized! Aside from Xiao Chen, she still had issues with other people—for example, Qi Sha.
This gave Xiao Chen not only a heartache, but also a slight headache.
He had to think of a way to teach Xiao Ziyi to speak then teach her to interact with other people. This would be the best way to make Xiao Ziyi adapt to regular life.
...
At noon, Su Ruoxue from the neighboring mansion once again pulled up in her Ferrari. Upon returning home, she saw Xiao Chen sweeping the yard with a little girl next to him and couldn't help but be interested.
"Heh? Where did you get that kid?"
She hurriedly approached Xiao Ziyi, scaring the little girl. Xiao Ziyi hurriedly jumped behind Xiao Chen and clutched his pants. She kept her eyes focused on Su Ruoxue, full of caution.
Xiao Chen patted her head to comfort her and said:
"Don't worry, she's not a bad guy!"
But Xiao Ziyi did not want to approach her and only shyly stared at her from behind.
Su Ruoxue smiled gently, her watery eyes turning into half moons.
"Come to big sister; this sister will give you snacks. You want some?"
Afterward, Su Ruoxue pulled out a lollipop from her purse. Xiao Ziyi swallowed. She had seen the other kids at the orphanage eat this before.
And they seemed to have enjoyed it, so this must be delicious!
She looked at Xiao Chen, who gave her an encouraging look. She gathered her courage and took quick small steps to Su Ruoxue. When she received the lollipop, shen then hurriedly ran back to Xiao Chen again. She then raised the lollipop and offered it to Xiao Chen, as if asking for praise for her achievement.
Xiao Chen put down the broom in his hands and knelt down behind Xiao Ziyi to help her unwrap the candy.
"Eat it. Go ahead, it's really good!"
Xiao Ziyi happily ate the lollipop.
Seeing the satisfied smile on her face, Xiao Chen couldn't help but smile as well.
He stood up and nodded in thanks at Su Ruoxue.
"Thank you!"
This 'thank you' wasn't just for the candy she'd given his daughter, but also to thank her for informing him about the existence of his daughter!
Otherwise, there was no way he would have met his daughter.
"Don't mention it!"
Su Ruoxue smiled like sunshine, bright and beautiful like a flower.
She did have a face that would make one's city proud. If Xiao Chen didn't love his wife, his heart might have skipped a little.
"Oh, right. Where did this girl come from?"
"She is my daughter!"
"Your daughter? My god, your child is already this big?"
Su Ruoxue's eyes widened as her mouth opened in shock.
Immediately, she was aware of the rudeness in her tone and immediately apologized.
"Sorry, I didn't mean anything by it!"
Xiao Chen shook his head.
"Don't worry about it."
"Oh, right. Now that we're neighbors, why don't we get lunch together? My treat!"
Xiao Chen smiled calmly.
"If anyone should be treating, it should be me. Why don't you pick a place?"
"I know there's a Western restaurant at the city center that has cuisine suitable for children."
Xiao Chen nodded.
"Alright, lead the way!"
"Okay! Let's go!"
The two drove off in their respective cars, one following the other to the city center.
Xiao Ziyi was scared of strangers, so when she arrived at such a crowded space, she clutched Xiao Chen even tighter, reluctant to let go.
Even if Su Ruoxue wanted to hold her, she refused.
However, Su Ruoxue didn't mind. After all, Xiao Chen had just moved in yesterday, and Xiao Ziyi had just met her today.
The two arrived at the restaurant. Under the recommendation of the staff, they were seated by a window near the second floor.
"Hello, what would you like to order today?"
"What's suitable for children here?"
"We have many combos for children here, but there is a new item on our menu. As long as you three would like to order the family combo and share it on social media, you can receive 40% off!"
Su Ruoxue blushed.
"You've misunderstood. We aren't a family!"
"Oh, my apologies."
The waitress hurriedly apologized.
Su Ruoxue waved her hands and said:
"It doesn't matter. We'll take one of your signature children's combos and two adult meals."
"Okay! If you guys need to check the status of your order, you can scan the QR code on the table. You can also add more food!"
"Thanks!"
"No problem."
After the waitress left, Su Ruoxue cast a quick, furtive glance at Xiao Chen only to see him playing with Xiao Ziyi. He wasn't paying her any attention at all.
She felt a slight envy toward this.
"You and your daughter's relationship is so nice! Unlike my dad. From the very beginning, he only cared about his business and never cared about me."
Xiao Chen responded calmly:
"I just met with my daughter, too. These last few years, I've been constantly on the move as well."
"Oh. What about her mother? How come I haven't seen her mother?"
Su Ruoxue's words made Xiao Chen quiet for a moment. She seemed to understand the situation and said:
"S-sorry, I said something wrong again!"
"It doesn't matter."
Xiao Chen shook his head.
"You will have a chance to meet her in the future!"
Su Ruoxue thought that Xiao Chen either divorced his wife, or she had an accident.
She couldn't help but feel sorry for Xiao Ziyi.
This girl was just like her, losing her mother at such a young age.
It was almost meal time. Su Ruoxue pushed the child's combo toward Xiao Ziyi and smiled gently.
"Little sister, try some. This is really good!"
Like the lollipop from before, Xiao Ziyi was not too enticed by Su Ruoxue. She still reached for the food but handed it to Xiao Chen instead.
This warmed Xiao Chen's heart.
He didn't refuse and ate the food. Xiao Ziyi revealed a happy smile. Only then did she begin to eat.
The interaction between father and daughter touched Su Ruoxue very much. She poured two glasses of juice and handed one to Xiao Chen, keeping one for herself.
"Cheers to us being neighbors!"
Xiao Chen raised his glass and clinked it with hers.
Both of them were driving, so no alcohol was consumed.
"We will be under your care, Miss. Su!"