Chapter 897: Chapter 877: Little Darling is Here
Born with mild autism? Su Yan furrowed her brows, but it wasn’t surprising.
She had originally thought this child might be an idiot or deformed.
Autism is fine, though. That way, she can manipulate him however she wants, and he won’t resist.
With that thought, Su Yan said, "Director Sheng, please open the door. I’d like to have a chat with this child."
Building some rapport with this kid in advance was necessary.
When Su Yan had inquired about Little Doubao’s situation over the phone, she’d also made a donation to the orphanage. Director Sheng treated her like a benefactor and didn’t hesitate to open the door.
Su Yan walked in, gently closed the door behind her, and looked at the child. Her tone softened, exuding maternal warmth: "Little Doubao."
Little Doubao didn’t stop drawing. He continued, not sparing her a glance.
"Little Doubao, what are you drawing?"
Still no response.
Su Yan frowned slightly but forced herself to remain patient. She approached, crouched beside Little Doubao, and looked at his drawing board with an admiring expression: "Oh wow, Little Doubao, you’re such a talented artist..."
Before she could finish, Little Doubao yanked the drawing board away and turned around, presenting his back to Su Yan.
Su Yan’s expression darkened, her gaze growing cold.
She had never been fond of children to begin with, and this brat’s rudeness irritated her even more.
But what could she do? Having a child with Huo Tianpei wasn’t an option, and this kid was her only way forward.
Suppressing her temper, she moved in front of Little Doubao again. Seeing that he was still focused on his drawing and ignoring her, she forced a smile and took his paintbrush from him: "Little Doubao, how about I take you home in a while? It’s so much better than this orphanage. There’ll be delicious food and new clothes, and lots of people to serve you. Whatever you want, they’ll do it for you—"
Little Doubao, upon seeing her take his paintbrush, reacted as if his territory had been invaded. With a loud crash, he overturned a nearby palette onto Su Yan!
"My dress—You—!"
Su Yan watched in horror as colorful paint splattered all over her expensive dress. She shot up, fuming, and glared at Little Doubao in front of her. Resisting the urge to curse him as an idiot, she clenched her fists, itching to slap him.
Little Doubao, however, seemed oblivious to her anger. Hugging his drawing board and paintbrush, he retreated to a corner and resumed his drawing, completely ignoring her.
"What happened?" Director Sheng entered upon hearing the commotion. Seeing Su Yan’s dress stained with paint, he roughly guessed what had occurred. He stepped forward to console her: "Miss Su, please don’t be angry. Little Doubao is just like this. He never communicates with anyone and has a strong sense of territoriality. He doesn’t like strangers approaching him. To this day, I’ve barely heard him utter a few words. Drawing is the only thing that keeps him company. It’s not that he’s targeting you—he’s just naturally defensive."
"Alright, I get it," Su Yan said, casting a glance at her stained dress, her face twisted in displeasure. "Anyway, I’ll trouble you, Director Sheng, to take good care of this child in the coming days. I might come to pick him up later."
As she spoke, she pulled out her checkbook, wrote down an amount, tore it off, and handed it to Director Sheng.
She had flown here to G City today under the pretense of meeting with a client and had to return to Yunling soon. She didn’t have the time to waste here.
Director Sheng accepted the check, glanced at the figure, and inhaled sharply. Although he didn’t know why this Miss Su was so particularly interested in Little Doubao, there was clearly some connection between them. He nodded: "Alright, Miss Su."
————————————————————————————
After the arrangements for the Second Young Master’s funeral were completed, everything returned to normal.
However, the atmosphere in the Huo Family remained somewhat heavy.
After all, the household had just lost a young master, and the servants couldn’t help but whisper among themselves in private.
It wasn’t until Gan Xinxin’s arrival that the house’s gloomy mood began to lift. Discussions about the Second Young Master gradually drifted into the background.
Grand Commander Gan had always spoiled his granddaughter. Seeing as Gan Xinxin insisted on staying at Disheng while she was in Yunling, and given his good relationship with Huo Zhenyang, he felt reassured.
On the morning Gan Xinxin arrived, Zaizai rarely got up early. As soon as he was awake, he dragged Jiayi to the airport to pick her up.
When they saw Gan Xinxin, wearing a pink princess dress and being led out of the airport by the Gan Family’s assistant, Zaizai bolted towards her with a giant teddy bear he had prepared as a gift: "Xinxin!"
Gan Xinxin’s small face turned bright red with excitement when she saw Zaizai: "Brother Ting."
"Look! This is your birthday gift from me. I spent all day yesterday picking it out at the mall. It’s handmade and one of a kind."
Jiayi felt embarrassed watching her son’s smooth flirting skills. She glanced awkwardly at the Gan Family’s assistant: "I’m sorry, this kid has always been like this, a bit of a show-off."
"It’s no problem. Our young lady insisted on staying at the Huo Family for a while, so I hope the Second Young Master and Madam will take care of her," the assistant said with a smile.
The Gan Family, though far away in the north, had also heard about Huo Zhenyang and his wife’s divorce. However, seeing Jiayi back at the Huo Family residence, the astute assistant continued to refer to her as Madam.
Jiayi had initially intended to correct the assistant but, glancing at Zaizai, decided against it. She replied with a smile: "It’s no problem. As long as Commander Gan doesn’t miss his granddaughter too much, Xinxin can stay as long as she likes. I love little girls—they’re much easier to take care of than boys. I’ll make sure to look after her well."
The Gan Family’s assistant thanked her and gestured to the little girl: "Miss Xinxin, say hello to Madam."
Gan Xinxin hugged the teddy bear close to her chest and sweetly greeted Jiayi: "Hello, Sister."
Jiayi couldn’t help but laugh: "Xinxin, your words are so sweet! Just call me Auntie."
"But you don’t look like an Auntie. You look more like a Sister—prettier and younger than a Sister, even."
Zaizai frowned. This didn’t feel right. How could Gan Xinxin call his Mommy "Sister"?
If Mommy became Gan Xinxin’s Sister, wouldn’t that make Xinxin his aunt?
"Be good, sweetheart. Listen to Mommy and call her Auntie," Zaizai said, patting Gan Xinxin’s head seriously.
Gan Xinxin, obedient to Zaizai, immediately nodded: "Okay."
Jiayi asked the Huo Family’s driver to carry Gan Xinxin’s luggage, said her goodbyes to the Gan Family’s assistant, and took the two little ones into the car.
Back at Disheng, Jiayi had the maids bring out the toys she’d prepared in advance. The two little ones were instantly glued to their new playthings, their eyes lighting up with joy, no longer paying attention to anything else.
The room Jiayi arranged for Gan Xinxin was right next to Zaizai’s. Zaizai was not happy about this at all.
When evening came, and the maids were about to escort Gan Xinxin to the room next door, Zaizai protested: "Mommy! What about trust? Didn’t you say I could share a room with Xinxin?"
Jiayi lightly pinched his nose: "She’s a little girl. How can a girl share a room with a boy? If Xinxin stayed here, people might say she wasn’t properly raised. Would you want her to be criticized?"
