He Lang held Xue Yue’s hand.

"I’m sorry. This was my fault. I was careless, and I never imagined human traffickers could be so brazen. Thankfully, Shiyi was found safe and sound."

"You have no idea. The little guy slept the whole time. By the time he woke up, we’d already found him, so it didn’t really affect him. I was the one who was scared to death. I kept thinking, ’If you came back, you’d definitely kill me,’ and that made me even more terrified."

Xue Yue rolled her eyes at him. "Oh, come on. I don’t believe you."

He Lang squeezed her hand. "It’s true. When I couldn’t find Shiyi, I was terrified. I imagined every possible outcome."

Xue Yue let out a breath. "Okay, let’s not talk about it anymore. Just thinking about it makes my chest tighten."

He Lang leaned in. "Here, let me calm you down."

Xue Yue slapped his hand. "Just go to sleep."

He Lang laughed. "Any sleepiness I had just vanished after that scare."

Xue Yue asked He Lang, "Oh, right, did Gu Yuwei show up?"

He Lang nodded.

Xue Yue asked, surprised, "What does she want?"

He Lang snorted. "She wants her daughter."

"Xiao Yu?"

"Yeah. Says her situation has improved, so she wants to take her daughter back."

Xue Yue frowned. "And Mom agreed to that?"

He Lang shrugged. "Of course not. That’s why they were arguing, which is how Shiyi got lost in the first place."

Xue Yue gritted her teeth.

He Lang patted her back. "Alright, don’t be angry."

Xue Yue said angrily, "That’s a human being! How can she just abandon her child whenever she wants, then come back to claim her on a whim? If Mom and Dad hadn’t raised her, who knows what would’ve become of that girl? What gives her the right to show up now and cause all this trouble?"

He Lang said, "I don’t think that woman will give up easily. She’s probably consulted a professional," inferring as much from what Gu Yuwei had said during her last visit.

He Lang looked at Xue Yue. "Let’s not worry about her. We’ll deal with it when the time comes." He wasn’t particularly concerned for himself, but he was worried about his mother.

The next day, they were having a meal with Xue Xingzhou’s family. After breakfast, they had nothing else to do, so they went over early.

When they went inside, they saw Zheng Guofeng was also there.

"Uncle Zheng."

"Hello, Grandpa Zheng," Ruanruan and Shiyi shouted.

Zheng Guofeng smiled at them and said, "You’re here. I haven’t seen Xingzhou and the others for a while, so I came over to see the kids."

It was strange. Ever since he had a grandson, Zheng Guofeng didn’t feel the separation as strongly when he went a long time without seeing the parents; instead, he just really missed his grandson. This must be what they mean by the special bond between grandparents and grandchildren; he was always thinking about him.

Tun Tun was in school now, but the boy didn’t like to exercise and didn’t talk much. You never had to worry about him eating, though, so he was still chubby.

Xue Xingzhou was worried his weight would affect his appearance and planned to create an exercise routine for him. But Zhang Qian thought he was too young and it wasn’t necessary. Besides, she felt her son was perfect in every way and good-looking, too. What was a little chub? He might just slim down when he got a bit older.

"He might get even fatter when he’s older." It wasn’t that Xue Xingzhou was worrying for nothing; the boy was just incredibly lazy. He’d rather sit than stand, and rather stand than take a single step.

"My son’s body might be lazy, but his mind isn’t."

That much was true. It was a mystery who the child got his intelligence from. He often said things that even Zhang Qian couldn’t understand. He had just started preschool but had a near-photographic memory. His teacher had even called them to the school specifically to praise Tun Tun’s memory in front of them, saying he was exceptionally smart.

"He gets it from his dad. High IQ," Zhang Qian had said right in front of the teacher. Xue Xingzhou raised an eyebrow and looked at Zhang Qian.

Zhang Qian genuinely believed it. In her mind, Xue Xingzhou was simply smarter than she was, so it was only natural their son took after his father.

"Tun Tun, look who it is!"

Xue Yue saw Tun Tun sitting on the floor working on a puzzle as soon as she entered the room.

Tun Tun glanced up at Xue Yue. "Auntie." Then he went back to his puzzle.

Zhang Qian said to Xue Yue, "Dad brought him that puzzle from overseas. He just started it, so he’s not paying attention to anyone right now. He’s completely engrossed."

Xue Yue smiled and nodded, then took out the toy she had for Tun Tun. It was a talking toy dog that could also record sounds, which Xue Yue had also bought for him abroad.

"Tun Tun, look at the toy dog Auntie bought you." Xue Yue pressed a switch on it, and it made a sound.

"Hello, hello!"

Tun Tun stared at the toy dog for a few moments. "Thank you, Auntie." He then took it, placed it beside him, and went back to his puzzle.

Ruanruan and Shiyi also sat down next to Tun Tun to watch him.

Zhang Qian asked Xue Yue, "You were abroad for so long. Are you used to being back? I hear the climate over there is very different from here."

Xue Yue nodded. "Of course. Our country suits me better. Going abroad was something I had to do."

"By the way, I got a promotion after coming back."

Zhang Qian’s eyes lit up. "Really? That was fast! Congratulations."

Xue Yue smiled and said, "Thanks. Sister-in-law, didn’t my brother say our two families were getting together? Where is he?"

"He went out to buy groceries. He took Little Jun and Yun Lei with him, said he needed help carrying things."

"Are we eating at home?" Xue Yue had thought they were going out to eat.

Zhang Qian nodded. "Your brother said it’s easier to talk at home, so we’re eating in. They left a while ago, so they should be back soon."

Speak of the devil, the three of them were already at the entrance to the alley. Xue Xingjun and Zhang Yunlei’s hands were full, while Xue Xingzhou, in contrast, was strolling ahead with his hands behind his back.

Xue Xingjun was still complaining, "Big Brother, give me a hand! I can barely carry this anymore." He was hugging a bag full of glass soda bottles, and they were heavy as hell.

Zhang Yunlei was carrying two bags of vegetables and meat. Hearing Xue Xingjun, he also looked at Xue Xingzhou with the same plea in his eyes.

Xue Xingzhou scoffed. "You’re grown men and you can’t even carry this little bit? Is that any way to act? Besides, I’m the one paying. If you don’t carry it, you don’t get lunch."

Xue Xingjun grumbled, "He’s really treating us like his servants."

When they entered the courtyard gate, Xue Xingjun saw He Lang and shouted, "Brother-in-law, come help me! My arms are about to fall off!"

He Lang chuckled as he watched the three of them and went over to take the items from Xue Xingjun. Seeing that Xue Xingjun had help while he was still managing two large bags on his own, Zhang Yunlei felt a pang of envy. Just then, Zheng Guofeng suddenly took the bags from his hands.

He pressed his lips together. "Thanks."

Xue Xingzhou went inside and saw the three children engrossed in the puzzle. He turned and asked Xue Yue, "Your father-in-law and mother-in-law aren’t coming?"

"My father-in-law went to the supermarket, and my mother-in-law said she’s not coming. I thought we were going out to eat."

Xue Xingzhou said, "We have a lot of kids, so it’s better to be at home. They can play however they want here."