Guduo was only four or five years older than Xiao You, so the little girl stubbornly insisted on calling her Sister Duoduo.
Shen Yi’s mouth twitched. "Xiao You," he said, "how many times have I told you? This is your aunt."
Xiao You bit her lip. "But aren’t aunts supposed to be really old? See, my mommy’s aunt is super old! Sister Duoduo is so young, so I have to call her ’sister’."
Shen Yi: "..."
He was mentally exhausted. He finally sighed and said, "This is all my mom’s fault. I’ll have to give her a call later and ask her why she had Guduo so late!"
Guduo rolled her eyes at her brother, then pulled Xiao You away to play.
As for Xiao Zijin, he properly addressed Guduo as "Aunt" and then went to keep Mr. Du company.
"Great-grandpa, you were on the plane for so long. Aren’t you tired?"
Mr. Du was, in fact, quite tired. But while he was abroad, he had been constantly thinking about these two children. He had only been able to see them through video calls. After going overseas to recuperate, another health problem was discovered, and he subsequently underwent treatment.
That treatment lasted for more than three years.
Because he couldn’t stop worrying about his family back home, and because the old man believed that no matter what, a man should return to his roots in his final years, he came back without a second thought.
The old man looked lovingly at the adorable Xiao Zijin. "Great-grandpa isn’t tired. Great-grandpa wanted to come back and see if our little Zijin has gotten taller again."
Zijin secretly glanced at his sister, who was playing with their aunt Guduo, and whispered, "I did grow. I’m two centimeters taller than Xiao You, but don’t tell her. She’ll get mad."
Hearing this, Mr. Du couldn’t help but chuckle.
And just like that, all his fatigue vanished without a trace.
Qin Jiao was in the kitchen helping her mother, Su Yun. Su Yun glanced around before lowering her voice. "Xiao Jiao, I’ve heard some gossip recently. It’s about our son-in-law."
Qin Jiao just smiled as she prepared the vegetables.
Su Yun said nervously, "Xiao Jiao, you can’t just brush this off. Shen Yi is only twenty-seven, but he’s already worth tens of millions. He’s handsome, young, and rich. Do you have any idea how many young girls are throwing themselves at him?"
Qin Jiao placed the prepared vegetables into a bowl. "Mom, I know what you’re worried about, but I’m not worried Shen Yi will cheat on me."
"You have way too much faith in him," Su Yun muttered under her breath.
Over the years, she had come to know that Shen Yi was a good man. The way he treated Xiao Jiao was beyond reproach.
But so many men started out wonderful, only to have a change of heart after they made money and were exposed to more temptation.
Qin Jiao smiled. "It’s not that I’m certain he’ll never cheat. It’s that if he does, my world won’t come crashing down. He’s young and exceptional, but I’m young, exceptional, and beautiful, too. Alright, Mom, what’s this gossip you’ve heard?"
Seeing her daughter’s calm and unbothered expression only made Su Yun more anxious. She glanced back to make sure Shen Yi hadn’t noticed them, then lowered her voice. "Someone said that last time Shen Yi went to the South on a business trip, he took a woman to... one of *those* places."
"Oh? Is there any proof?"
"Yes. The person who told me is a neighbor I’m on good terms with. Her son happened to have a camera and took a picture."
’A photo?’
Now Qin Jiao was genuinely interested. She immediately asked her mother for the photo. Su Yun glanced outside again before pulling a photograph from her pocket.
This was from the era of point-and-shoot cameras, and you still had to get your photos professionally developed. Qin Jiao looked at the person in the picture. Yes, that was definitely Shen Yi.
And he was indeed entering a karaoke bar with a long-haired person.
She held the photo in her hand and said, "Mom, the person who gave you this... is it that Aunt Feng who keeps trying to set Xiao Shi up with someone?"