Jian Ran returned home, her mood taking a long time to settle. The hardships of the past years were not something that could be described in a mere sentence.
And that man turned out to be...
Every time Jian Ran thought of this, she really couldn't feel sleepy at all, almost staying awake until dawn.
She estimated that today she must look like a national treasure again, those two dark circles under her eyes truly a sight one couldn't bear to look directly at.
The next morning
Jian Ran didn't need to report for work yet. Today, she had to sort out the house and the children's daycare, so she could be free of worries.
Pingping had already gotten up, as he was quite self-disciplined, but An'an and Lele were still being lazybones.
After she had gotten ready, she walked over to An'an's side, "Baby, time to get up."
Perhaps An'an hadn't yet adjusted to the time difference, as he was sleeping soundly.
"Mommy... I'm still very sleepy..." An'an said with bleary eyes, looking adorably dazed.
"Time to get up, mommy is going to take you to daycare today," Jian Ran said as she pulled him up, sneaking a kiss on his cute little cheek.
"Daycare?" An'an's sleepiness vanished, and he frowned, seeming quite reluctant.
"Yes, come on, get up." Jian Ran dressed him and then helped him wash up.
When An'an's clean and plump forehead was revealed, Jian Ran's gaze froze.
She became dumbstruck once more.
This… he looked too much like him! It was an ironclad fact that her son bore an exact resemblance to that man.
No, he must not find out!
Jian Ran shook her head subconsciously, coming to a halt right there.
"Mommy, why are you spacing out? What happened?" An'an asked, puzzled to see his mommy lost in thought, "Is it because I'm too handsome?"
An'an even struck a cool pose playfully.
Jian Ran immediately snapped out of it and forced a smile to cover up the panic inside her, then played along, "Yes, you are the most handsome. Mommy was so stunned by you, hurry up now, I'm going to wake Lele."
Jian Ran felt uneasy inside her heart, ah, what a headache, surely it was because she was under too much stress.
Lele, after all, was a girl and more delicate, wanting to linger in bed.
"Lele, mommy made super delicious sandwiches today, if you don't get up quickly, they might be gone by the time you're up," Jian Ran knew that Lele's weakness was food.
As expected, as soon as Jian Ran's words ended, she saw Lele scrambling out of bed.
Everyone was sitting at the table, Jian Ran took a sip of milk, then cleared her throat and said, "Babies, mommy has found you a Chinese-English daycare, let's go check it out later! So you can experience the fun of attending daycare."
All three of them immediately stopped their breakfast.
Their expressions were somewhat strange as they looked at each other.
"Although you three are very smart and agile, I think you're still young, and if you don't go to school, you will miss out on a lot of fun childhood experiences," Jian Ran said earnestly.
"Mommy, I think going to daycare is just a waste of time, not as fun as my computer," Pingping said disdainfully.
"Exactly, being with a bunch of noisy kids, it's so annoying. Mommy, I have a few endorsements to shoot for, where do I have the time?" An'an also wore a look of disdain, the thought of a bunch of grimy little kids making him very averse.
"Does that daycare have lots of yummy things? Are there lollipops? Are there cola chicken wings?" Lele mumbled to herself.
"Lele, you glutton, there are only kids with runny noses and in diapers there, and nothing yummy to eat," Pingping said mercilessly, bursting Lele's bubble of beautiful illusions in an instant.
"....Hmm.... If there's nothing tasty, I'm not going either," Lele pouted, clearly displeased.
Jian Ran looked at them, rubbing her forehead. It really was a headache, but still, she put on a firm face and said, "....This is not up to you, all of you must go."
She had already decided that once the children started school, she could go to work with peace of mind.
Children still need a childhood, she hoped her children could live a normal life.
After speaking, Jian Ran hurriedly got up and then went to change her clothes.
As soon as the three adorable kids saw their mom leave, they immediately started a meeting.
"Do we really have to go to kindergarten?...Poor us!" An'an wailed.
"Mom's decisions won't change, so we can only comply," Pingping said softly.
"Hmph, I hate this!" Lele said unhappily.
"Alright, we still have to go to kindergarten, otherwise, Mommy will be unhappy. Oh, if only we had a dad," An'an sighed softly.
Dad?
Lele's round eyes spun curiously.
"....Actually, I met someone who looks a lot like us, but I'm not sure if he's our dad. He's now with a bad woman, and that woman also wants to frame Mommy," Pingping explained with a frown.
"Are you sure? Can't you find any information?" An'an was shocked.
"Can't find anything for now, so we can investigate this during this period," Pingping stated calmly.
The other two nodded vigorously in agreement.
Just then, Jian Ran came out wearing a simple and elegant white dress, and the three of them immediately fell silent.
Jian Ran gave them a look, finding it very odd.
"Babies, let's go!"
....
The kindergarten Jian Ran chose was the best in Jiangcheng City, a bilingual kindergarten.
Because the three children were smart and cute, the principal asked them a few questions, and they answered them all correctly, then they enrolled smoothly.
Jian Ran breathed a sigh of relief, and she contacted a real estate agent to look at houses.
Since she had several children, she chose a large apartment with five or more bedrooms, and it wasn't too far from the kindergarten or the company.
She had already spoken with the agent; because the house was newly renovated and the owner was moving abroad, it was urgent to sell.
Jian Ran looked at the place and was very satisfied, she decided on the spot, in full payment.
It was the weekend, so they could move in after a bit of packing.
Lan Lan was a bit reproachful, saying it was too quick to move away.
Soon Monday arrived, Jian Ran got up early to prepare breakfast, then she had the three kids eat breakfast.
She also quickly ate her breakfast, then applied a light makeup for herself, a pair of wide-legged pants matched with a white shirt, simple yet sophisticated, but with a commanding presence, complemented by red lips, fully displaying a queen's demeanor.
She carried a designer tote and stepped into high heels. After dropping off the three little ones at kindergarten, she headed towards the direction of Haoting Group.
Jian Ran appeared mature yet unassuming, exuding complete professionalism.
She walked confidently into the Haoting Group lobby.
Standing 165 centimeters tall, with a slender figure and slightly curly long hair, dressed in upscale simple attire, she looked both capable and charming.
Just as she stepped into the employee elevator, she didn't notice a few men in black standing next to the CEO's express elevator not far away, as well as a man of distinguished bearing with a powerful aura!