"Towards
An An looked at Huo Rou. She smiled at them, showing no intention of interfering.
His innocent mother!
He gently pulled Zou Xiaoxiao aside. "Aunt Xiaoxiao."
An An's eyes were full of seriousness. "Are you trying to bribe me?"
Zou Xiaoxiao burst into laughter. Was this child so direct?
When she had lived at the Qin family's place before, she had seen his interest in this. Children were like that, and she felt An An was well-behaved and sensible. Since she wanted to thank Huo Rou, she had done it casually.
How did it turn into bribery?
"Huo Rou has helped me a lot. She's very capable, and I want to thank her."
Zou Xiaoxiao, imitating An An's quiet tone, whispered into his ear.
An An flinched back. "Then you should give it to my mother, not me?"
An An still felt there was something fishy about Aunt Zou Xiaoxiao, though she didn't seem as annoying as that morning.
Zou Xiaoxiao didn't know whether to laugh or cry. This stubbornness was so much like Qin Ningyi when he was young.
"She doesn't lack anything. If you give it to her, she'll be very happy too." Zou Xiaoxiao dangled the item in her hand again. "Don't you want to take a look? You'll like it too."
"You and my father..." An An remained unmoved.
Zou Xiaoxiao sighed. "I'm not the kind of person who ruins relationships. They love each other, and I wouldn't do anything so low."
"Kid, you worry too much." Zou Xiaoxiao ruffled his hair and pushed the item into his arms.
"Let's go!"
Zou Xiaoxiao waved goodbye to Huo Rou and adjusted her clothes as she walked down the steps.
She had done what she felt was right, and that was enough.
One couldn't become unrecognizable just because they liked someone.
As for the emptiness in her heart, it would eventually be filled.
An An watched her receding back and then looked down at the robotic arm in the bag in his arms.
It was exactly the same as the one Zou Xiaoxiao had tinkered with before, just a bit smaller.
He carefully recalled Zou Xiaoxiao's expression just now. It seemed she hadn't lied.
A smile bloomed from the bottom of An An's heart. "Thank you, Aunt Xiaoxiao!"
Zou Xiaoxiao sniffled and smiled back at him. "If you really want to thank me, call me 'sister.' 'Aunt' makes me sound old."
An An smiled adorably and shook his head.
"What are you talking about? You seem so happy?" Huo Rou walked over and asked An An.
This child had been so guarded just a moment ago.
An An's eyes darted around. He wanted his naive and innocent mother to remain that way forever.
He held up the item in his arms. "Aunt Xiaoxiao gave me a robotic arm!"
He grinned mischievously. "Is she not working properly and slacking off?"
Before Huo Rou could express her emotion, she was caught off guard by An An's remark.
She scooped her son into her arms and ruffled his hair. "Oh, you."
An An chuckled secretly. He didn't want his mother to thank Aunt Xiaoxiao. He had received the gift, and his thanks were enough.
As they walked towards the car, Huo Rou's phone buzzed. She opened it to find a detailed profile.
Shen Yuan Shu.
The man who was very concerned about An An.
She looked at Shen Yuan Shu's photo on the profile. It was an unfamiliar face, but the calm and focused gaze directed at the camera felt oddly familiar.
She wouldn't have such a feeling for no reason. This person was not simple.
She scrolled down. Shen Yuan Shu's information was noticeably disjointed. His experiences from childhood to adulthood seemed fabricated, perfect, and complete.
It wasn't until eight years ago that this person truly came alive in his resume.
"That strange uncle we met that day, have you seen him again? You said Ruan Ruan told him your school, did he come?"