Chyou hopped up and down. "Pretty Aunty, let's have ice cream together!"
An Yueqin was at a loss. "Um…"
"Ice cream! Ice cream!" She laughed.
Zizi pulled Chyou back. "Chyou, don't be stubborn. She is a stranger to us."
She stiffened.
"You will bother her if you act too spoiled."
Chyou bit her lip. "I…I am a bother?"
An Yueqin quickly said, "No, no! You aren't a bother at all!" She narrowed her eyes at Zizi. "You…you shouldn't say this to a child."
Zizi frowned. "Huh? Who are you to tell me this? Chyou is very close to me. I can see you are very troubled. Don't worry. Chyou won't ask you anymore. She is just missing her mother and father too much. That's why she is lonely."
An Guoting nodded.
"But nobody can help it. She will have to be a good girl and wait. She is waiting for Xiaosi to wake up again and eat ice cream with her family. Who knows how long it will take? We just came to accompany Chyou, but honestly we have been so busy."
"You. How can you leave a child alone? She needs you all the most now."
An Guoting was solemn. "Of course, I take care of my granddaughter. But I have my company to look after too."
An Yueqin stared at him. "You think your work is more important than Chyou?"
"Huh? I am not saying that. It just means that I sometimes get busy."
Chyou lowered her head. "Grandpa busy…Chyou is alone."
She fumed. "You! This is horrible! Do you have any sensitivity?"
"You don't need to teach me that. First of all, you are not Yueqin, so you are not her grandmother. So…So don't get angry over nothing."
Zizi held her hand. "Let's go, Chyou. We have already spent enough time here."
"But…But I want to eat ice cream…"
"Sorry, dear. But I have a date with Yunru," she blushed. "I don't have time for ice cream right now."
Chyou expectantly looked at him. "Grandpa…"
An Guoting quickly said, "Chyou, next time, we will definitely eat lots of ice cream. But now, I have an urgent meeting."
Chyou's little face dimmed into sadness. "Okay…"
"Guoting!!!" An Yueqin exclaimed in a fury. "Have some shame!" She pulled Chyou behind her and faced him. "She is already going through so much, and you dare add to her troubles!?"
An Guoting froze.
Guoting…she called me just by my name…
"If you cannot do your job properly, then I will do it."
She looked at Chyou. "Chyou, I will take you for some ice cream."
Chyou brightened. "Pretty Aunty will take me?"
"Yes."
Zizi quickly pulled Chyou to her side again and harrumphed. "Excuse me, but should you really do this? We cannot let someone who is involved with harming my brother take care of Chyou. What face will I show to Caihong?"
An Yueqin paled.
Zizi didn't give her any chance to speak. "Chyou, be a good girl today. This pretty aunty can hurt you if you stay close to her."
Her eyes widened in disbelief.
"You!" She gritted her teeth. "You think I will hurt my grand-" she stopped herself just in time.
An Guoting narrowed his eyes. "Huh? Hurt your what?"
She felt her heart in her throat, feeling their strong questioning gazes.
"I mean you think I will hurt a little child?"
Zizi coldly said, "Weren't you involved in almost hurting Siying too? Siying is also just an innocent child."
Her eyes flickered with an unknown emotion, and for a moment she avoided their eyes.
"Enough! How many times should I say that I am not involved? You two…you don't like to listen to people, don't you? Nothing is proven against me."
Zizi raised her brow. "You are right. You haven't proved to be guilty yet. But you aren't out of suspicion either. So, giving Chyou to you is still a risk for us. After how Siying narrowly escaped death, we cannot take any chances."
Chyou lowered her head. "No ice cream with pretty aunty?"
"No, Chyou."
An Yueqin saw Chyou longingly staring at the ice cream parlor. She felt as if her heart would burst out in pain.
"Ah damn! I am getting late for my date! Hurry!"
Zizi pulled Chyou and quickly left. An Guoting stared at her for a few moments and then turned to leave too.
Left alone, An Yueqin finally couldn't hold back her tears and they slid as she clenched her fists.
—
In the car, Zizi was hugging Chyou with all her might. "Damn it Chyou, you acted so beautifully! Muah! A hundred points! On the spot! You should definitely become a famous actress in the future~~"
She showered her cheeks with kisses. Chyou felt ticklish and laughed. She blushed, hearing so many praises.
"Dad, did you see how she reacted?"
An Guoting eagerly nodded. "She was worried that she would meet Caihong and was fidgety. A-and did you hear her? She called me just Guoting in a fury!"
"Hah! That means she was angry enough to call you by your name. It totally felt like she was scolding her husband. When I mentioned Siying's accident, though she didn't confess, she did hesitate for a moment. Like we had every reason to be wary of her."
An Guoting felt emotional as he said, "And…and she was almost about to call Chyou her granddaughter. She knows. She remembers everything!"
Zizi beamed and nodded. "Yes. There were many signs to prove that. Though she was alert enough not to confess. But that's fine. I already knew it wouldn't be so easy to make her spill it. Now, we just have to push her switch even more. We have to force her into a corner. Only Chyou can do that."
She pinched her cheeks.
An Guoting picked her in his arms. "Aish, my Chyou is so talented."
Chyou hugged him and kissed his cheek.
"She did exactly like I told her to act," Zizi smirked. "A pitiful, ignored child. Chyou is awesome."
"Grandpa! I did good. So I want ice cream now!"
He laughed. "Of course! You can eat as much ice cream as you want. You deserve it.. You rattled your Grandma who nobody was able to do until now."
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