Chapter 3 An'an Is Your Child

Shen Ping'an? Lu Yan was taken aback.

Shen Qingyi spoke without a hint of timidity, "Shouldn't your family be the one apologizing? Wang Dou Dou took Ping'an's peach crisps first."

Wang Dou Dou sobbed as he denied, "No, I just wanted to be friends with him. I asked him to share a peach crisp with me, but he wouldn't. He threw it to the ground and stomped it to pieces."

Children don't usually lie. When Wang Dou Dou went home crying and explained to his grandmother, even she thought her family was in the wrong. But later that evening, his mother heard the story and was furious. In her eyes, Shen Qingyi and her son ought to keep their heads down and please their neighbors. Over a few peach crisps, they dared lay hands on her son.

So she spent the night teaching Dou Dou to lie. After all, with the stigma on the Shen family, as long as Dou Dou had any slight justification, mother and son would be drowned in public scorn.

Ping'an turned his little head at once and retorted loudly, "You're lying!"

"How am I lying? The peach crisps you stomped are still on the ground," Dou Dou said, pointing.

Everyone looked where Dou Dou pointed, and indeed, the peach crisps were scattered across the ground.

The crowd erupted in discussion. "This child has no manners."

"So young, yet so stubborn—he'd rather stomp them than share."

Ping'an's face flushed red with anger. He wanted to argue back, but with so many people, he didn't know where to start. The man holding him felt his small body trembling and gently patted his head to comfort him.

Shen Qingyi stood calmly, her voice steady. "The peach crisps belong to my son. Whether he gives them away or throws them is his right. Why don't you ask why he'd rather throw them away than share with Dou Dou?"

"Why is that?"

"Wang Dou Dou not only snatched from my son's hands, he called him a bastard." At this, Shen Qingyi's heart tightened. She continued, "So who really lacks manners?"

Dou Dou's mother hadn't expected Shen Qingyi to be so stubborn. She sneered, "The Lu family doesn't acknowledge him, so isn't he a bastard? The marriage isn't even over, yet you're already bringing a strange man home. How dare you talk about manners with us? My Dou Dou comes from a proper family, with a mother and a father, and knows what's right and what's wrong."

She had wanted to insult the man holding Ping'an, but seeing his refined demeanor, the clothes, the watch, and the car behind him—all marks of someone extraordinary—she turned her attack on Shen Qingyi, implying her son had a mother but no father to teach him.

It was venomous indeed.

Xia Xiyue frowned, tightened his hold on Ping'an, and addressed Dou Dou's mother. "Sister, you can eat what you like, but you can't say whatever you like. Do you have any evidence for your claims about a 'strange man'? In your family, is every man besides your husband a stranger to you?"

"If you keep slandering people, I'll go to your workplace and have your boss settle this."

Dou Dou's mother gasped in anger. This 'strange man' was surprisingly assertive. She snapped, "If Ping'an isn't a bastard, would the Lu family have kicked his mother and him out? Everyone in the compound knows. If there were any misunderstanding, the child's father would have explained long ago—why would a strange man have to stand up for them?"

"Who says Ping'an is a bastard? He's my child." A voice, deep and cold, rang out, instantly stirring the crowd.

Lu Yan glanced at Xia Xiyue, who was holding Ping'an, then his gaze turned icy as it fell on Dou Dou's mother. "I'm Lu Yan, Ping'an's father!"

Shen Qingyi froze at the familiar voice and those words. Looking up, all she saw was his back.

Though many in the compound hadn't met Lu Yan, they'd heard his name—the top student in the province, a first-class engineer on a national research project. With his personal acknowledgment, no one dared question it further.

Lu Yan waited for the crowd to quiet down, then took a handful of White Rabbit candies from his pocket, walked over to Dou Dou, and crouched down, speaking gently, "If you tell the truth, Auntie won't pursue your responsibility, and I'll give you these candies."

A four-year-old child could hardly resist such temptation. Staring at the handsome, gentle uncle before him, Wang Dou Dou blurted out, "I took Ping'an's peach crisps and called him names."

The words fell, and the crowd erupted again. Lu Yan placed the candies into Dou Dou's hand.

He had bought the candies and a small toy at the department store before taking the bus, thinking to bring a gift for his first meeting with Ping'an.

Dou Dou grabbed them, felt his mother's murderous glare, spun around, and vanished into the crowd.

"My god, Dou Dou is so young and already knows how to lie."

"Such foul language—must've learned it from adults!"

"Absolutely outrageous."

"I didn't expect Ping'an really was Lu Yan's child."

"The Lu family is too much—they used such a vicious excuse to kick out their daughter-in-law while their son was away. It's disgraceful."

"This is my first time seeing Lu Yan, and I have to say, the resemblance is striking. Red lips, white teeth—handsome indeed."

It all happened so fast that Dou Dou's mother had no time to react before her son betrayed her.

Her face flushed and paled in turn. Forcing a laugh, she said to Shen Qingyi, "Sorry, I didn't expect the brat to fool me. I'll teach him a lesson when we're home," then hurried away without looking back.

Everyone's curious gaze turned to Lu Yan.

Lu Yan turned around, and Shen Qingyi finally saw him. The blue work jacket made him look tall and slender, his refined features as striking as ever.

Shen Qingyi, too, had shed her naivety from four years ago. Her small, delicate face had lost its baby softness, her chin now even more refined and beautiful. When she saw Lu Yan, her wide, dark eyes opened in surprise for an instant, then quickly regained their composure.

The wind scattered the wisps of hair at her temples, a strand brushed her full red lips. Shen Qingyi gently lifted her jade-like hand to tuck it behind her ear, then spoke lightly to Lu Yan, "Come inside and talk."

The man holding Ping'an was momentarily stunned by her beauty, then let Ping'an down and said to Shen Qingyi, "You two talk. I'll go now."

He bent down to Ping'an, "Uncle Xia will visit you next time."

Shen Qingyi nodded. Ping'an waved obediently to the man.

Ping'an glanced at Lu Yan again. This uncle felt both kind and clever—he'd made Dou Dou admit his mistake with ease. But his mother seemed unhappy to see him, only offering him a secret smile before running to Shen Qingyi's side and taking her hand.

Inside, Shen Qingyi gestured for Lu Yan to sit and went into the backyard herself.

Lu Yan sat somewhat nervously on a clean, white-painted wooden chair.

He looked up. The living room was no longer as it had been when the old professor was alive—where it used to be simple and quiet, now it was warm and tasteful.

A light green TV stand held a fourteen-inch black-and-white television. The coffee table was covered with a blue-and-white checkered cloth, topped with a transparent glass vase.

Inside the vase was a cluster of pale blue hydrangeas.

The white dining table was spotless. Sunlight poured in through the window, creating a peaceful, comfortable atmosphere.

Seeing this, Lu Yan felt slightly relieved. At least her life these years hadn't been too hard.

When Shen Qingyi returned, she carried a glass of water and handed it to him. "There's no tea left, so please make do."

Lu Yan reached for it. "Thank you."

Shen Qingyi could guess his purpose. After a moment's hesitation, she spoke, "I want to apologize for my father's decision back then. We acted selfishly. Thank you for acknowledging Ping'an today."

Her tone was gentle, even soft, yet carried an unmistakable distance and indifference.

Lu Yan remembered she hadn't been like this that night. He had even felt as if she liked him.

"Qingyi, I should be the one apologizing. From the moment I saw Ping'an, I knew he was my child. You've suffered these years," Lu Yan said, his voice trembling.

Shen Qingyi lowered her lashes, silent for a long moment before replying, "It's all in the past."

To be honest, she and Lu Yan never had much to say. In the past, when he visited, it was either to eat or to discuss research with her father. They barely exchanged a few words.

The atmosphere grew awkward, until Lu Yan broke the silence. "I'll apologize on behalf of my parents. Once my job is settled, I'll have them return and you and Ping'an can move back. I won't let this happen again."

He fully understood Shen Qingyi's attitude. He owed her.

Shen Qingyi had endured many humiliations. All her pride and dignity had been shattered, her spirit worn down long ago.

"In fact, things are fine as they are. We owe each other nothing now. Let's let each other go. Ping'an is about to start kindergarten. Once his household registration is settled, we'll get divorced," she said calmly, almost as if negotiating.

Lu Yan listened, and it felt as if a stone pressed on his chest, suffocating him.

He caught sight of Ping'an peeking at him from behind the door, and an idea struck. "Let Ping'an be registered under my household—he can attend the institute's kindergarten for free."

Shen Qingyi smiled warmly, but her tone was firm. "Ping'an's surname is Shen."

Lu Yan fell silent. He really had no right to ask Ping'an to take his surname. He hadn't cared for him a single day, hadn't even known of his birth. He nodded, "Alright. But I don't agree to divorce."