019 Devoted Father

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Shen Zhihan held Anan protectively in his arms, his voice icy cold: "Whether my daughter is telling the truth or making things up, I believe you know that better than anyone."

Anan curled up in Shen Zhihan's embrace, whispering, "Daddy, I'm scared. Auntie is so fierce. I want to go home."

Every time Lin Aifang pointed her finger at her while speaking, it inevitably ended with poking Anan’s forehead, sometimes even her eyes—it hurt terribly.

Once, Anan even thought she was going blind.

Shen Zhihan lifted Anan into his arms. "Don’t be afraid. With Daddy here, no one can bully you. Haochen, you handle your own matters. Anan never lies."

Anan never lies, which meant Liu Jingxiu was indeed having an affair.

Zhou Haochen didn’t look at Liu Jingxiu but gently patted Anan’s head. "Anan, Uncle will come to visit and play with you another day."

"Okay! Uncle, goodbye!"

Night had fallen. After such a tiring day, Anan fell asleep within minutes of sitting in the car.

The little one leaned against Shen Zhihan’s chest, her head resting on his arm, long eyelashes like tiny fans veiling her beautiful eyes.

Shen Zhihan adjusted Anan’s sleeping position to make her more comfortable in his arms.

He sighed softly.

It was uncertain whether Anan’s ability to understand animal language was a blessing or a curse.

However, if it helped Zhou Haochen see Liu Jingxiu’s true colors, perhaps it wasn’t all bad.

If not for Anan, he might already be dead, never knowing that Xia Jing had stolen Ouyang Zhi’s credit while the villain enjoyed his money without consequence.

He would show no mercy to the Xia family. By Tuesday at the latest, the Xia household would be declared bankrupt.

Zhou Haochen knew well, judging from Liu Jingxiu’s reaction, he had been betrayed.

Yet, he felt no sorrow—his feelings for Liu Jingxiu had never been deep.

Cheating meant breaking up; it was no big deal.

Zhou Haochen lit a cigarette; naturally, he hadn’t smoked while Anan was present.

The smoke curled around him, blurring his features and masking his emotions.

"Do you want me to investigate, or will you confess yourself? If I prove you’ve deceived me, your entire Liu family will go bankrupt because of you. Confess now and get lost quickly. Don’t ever show your face to me again, and I won’t make things difficult for your Liu family."

Liu Jingxiu’s face drained of color, terror-stricken.

The scions of prestigious families were never the reckless playboys they appeared to be—they were like Shen Zhihan, cold and ruthless, decisive in their actions.

"Haochen, don’t touch me. I was just lonely. It was only for fun. Please forgive me."

"Still not telling the truth?"

Zhou Haochen made a call. Within ten minutes, a man arrived carrying an envelope.

Zhou Haochen didn’t even glance at it, tossing the envelope onto the table. Several photos slid out, showing Liu Jingxiu intimately embracing and kissing the man.

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"Disgusting!" Zhou Haochen crushed out his cigarette.

Liu Jingxiu confessed to everything.

Even the twins who had once saved the Zhou family were part of her scheme.

She had covered her tracks so well, circling around the truth multiple times. No wonder Zhou Haochen had never uncovered it during his previous investigations.

Zhou Haochen played the video evidence and threw it to Madam Zhou. "Mom, don’t interfere in my affairs anymore. Look, this is the girlfriend you vouched for. By the way, don’t blame yourself—I was blind too."

Goodness, he even cursed himself when being ruthless.

Zhou Haochen couldn’t understand how Anan knew about this. She couldn’t have witnessed it herself, could she?

That was impossible—such a young girl witnessing such filth would be an irreparable stain on her pure innocence.

Refusing to waste energy on doubt, Zhou Haochen called Shen Zhihan directly, cutting straight to the point: "Tell me—is it because you’re afraid of embarrassing me by exposing Liu Jingxiu directly, or did you think the more we tried to stop it, the stronger our feelings would grow, so you used Anan’s mouth to warn me?"

Shen Zhihan wanted to say that Zhou Haochen was overthinking.

But if he thought that, it would save Zhou Haochen from making excuses.

Shen Zhihan simply responded with a brief "Hmm."

Zhou Haochen slapped his thigh, impressed by his own cleverness.

"Brother, no need to thank me for such a big favor. To show my gratitude, I’ll reluctantly be Anan’s dad and share the hardships of raising her with you."

Shen Zhihan’s face darkened as he hung up.

When Zhou Haochen called back, he found he had been blocked.

Damn, so petty!

Having an extra dad would make life easier for little Anan!

*

At dawn, Anan woke to the soft morning light filtering through the window. She immediately went in search of Shen Zhihan.

"Daddy?" There was no reply in the room.

A maid came upstairs. "Miss, Mr. Shen has gone out for a run. Once you’re dressed, I’ll take you downstairs."

Anan obediently went to the wardrobe to pick out clothes.

There were so many outfits; the little one couldn’t possibly wear them all.

The maid was dazzled, too.

Such a lovely little girl—how fortunate she was to have their master.

Anan was never fussy; she chose a set she hadn’t worn before and changed quickly.

She brushed her teeth and washed her face by herself, remarkably well-behaved and easy to look after.

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Anan went downstairs to find Shen Zhihan just returning from his run.

The man wore a short-sleeved running shirt, tiny beads of sweat on his brow, hair dampened by perspiration, and bathed in the morning sun as he jogged toward Anan.

Anan thought her daddy looked like a god descended from heaven—handsome beyond words.

Unable to contain herself, she exclaimed, "Wow!" As Shen Zhihan bent down to meet her gaze, she gave him a thumbs-up. "Daddy, you’re so handsome!"

The maid looked on enviously. They all thought Shen Zhihan was handsome, but none dared praise him openly.

Shen Zhihan reached out his hand to Anan. "Then look at me more often."

If she looked at him more, little Anan wouldn’t be easily deceived by boys when she grew up.

Just thinking about the day she might like someone, grow up, and get married made his heart ache.

Shen Zhihan finally understood what it meant to be a doting father.

Pushing aside the uncomfortable thoughts, Shen Zhihan took Anan back to the living room.

"I’m going to shower. You play for a while."

"Okay, Daddy. Anan will be good."

The tabby cat was naturally aloof and independent, but whenever Anan was around, it would stick to her.

Anan played with it using a cat teaser toy.

Old Master Shen was brought in, pushed in his wheelchair.

Two bodyguards lifted both the wheelchair and the old man inside.

Anan’s eyes lit up at the sight. "Great-grandpa!"

Old Master Shen smiled so widely his mouth almost wouldn’t close. "Anan, hello."

Anan grabbed a picture book, her large eyes sparkling with a plea: "Great-grandpa, will you read me a story?"

She read quickly and had gone through many books, but she recognized the words in these better than her own.

How could Old Master Shen refuse?

A servant quickly brought a chair for Anan beside the old man’s wheelchair. The little girl leaned against the wheelchair’s armrest, listening intently to the story.

Old Master Shen recalled when he was young and had just become a father, reading picture books to his son.

No, he had read to his grandson too. After the grandson got lost, every moment he saw of grandparent and grandchild together brought a pang to his heart.

He told the story vividly, and Anan listened with rapt attention. After finishing one book, Anan pestered him, "Great-grandpa, read another, read another!"

By the time Old Master Shen’s throat was hoarse, he looked up to see Shen Zhihan standing at the staircase, eyes deep and unreadable, watching for who knew how long.