025 Unable to Sleep, Seeking Father

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Yi Siyu suddenly interrupted Qiu Hong: “Mom, my little sister guessed it. Children her age love imagining things. When she saw the snake protecting me, she guessed that Big Flower must have a very close relationship with me. We children all believe that everything has a spirit.”

Qiu Hong came to her senses as well.

“President Shen, An'an, we will certainly repay you for saving Siyu’s life—but not right now. Please keep Siyu’s rescue a secret for the time being. When I come to thank you, I will make it known to everyone that you were the ones who saved Siyu. The Qiu family owes you an enormous debt of gratitude!”

Qiu Hong had said the Qiu family, not the Yi family.

Yi Siyu seemed to realize something too, and fell silent.

Though terribly weak, he struggled down from Qiu Hong’s arms and insisted on walking by himself.

Holding the python, Yi Siyu rested his head against it affectionately. “Big Flower, be careful, okay? Take good care of yourself, and don’t let anyone catch you.”

The python slowly slithered away.

Watching it disappear, Yi Siyu reached out as if to touch An'an, then withdrew his hand and wiped it on his clothes. But then he remembered that his clothes were hardly clean either.

An'an seemed to understand what he was thinking and took the initiative to rub her head against his hand. “Big brother, do you want to touch me? I’m not dirty.”

It was not that she was dirty. He was.

Yi Siyu clenched his hand into a fist, restraining the urge to touch An'an.

Such an adorable little sister!

“Your name is An'an, right? My name is Yi Siyu. I’m going home now. Little An'an, let’s play together next time.”

“Okay. Brother Siyu, make sure you get well.”

On the way back, they split up.

Shen Zhihan and An'an rode in one car, while Shen Zhihan had a bodyguard drive Qiu Hong and her son home.

Before getting into the car, Shen Zhihan had already washed his hands with bottled water, yet he still felt as though the snake’s sticky sensation lingered on them.

An'an even reached out and touched his face.

Shen Zhihan felt his entire body go numb.

“An'an!”

An'an blinked at him innocently. “Daddy, what is it?” She smiled so sweetly that Shen Zhihan could not bear to scold her.

Forget it. The little girl was still young, and she had not done it on purpose.

After returning home, Shen Zhihan washed his hands at least ten times and took two showers.

He lifted his hand and smelled it. He still felt as though the python’s scent lingered on his skin.

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Shen Zhihan turned his face away in disgust.

Someone knocked on the door from outside, followed by the little girl’s soft, childish voice. “Daddy, An'an is so happy that she has to go to school tomorrow. An'an can’t fall asleep. Can An'an come see you?”

Shen Zhihan opened the door, expecting to see An'an clutching a soft little rabbit toy, dressed in an adorable cotton nightgown and blinking up at him with big, innocent eyes—a sight so cute it could melt anyone’s heart.

But that was not what he saw.

In reality, An'an stood outside the door holding a picture book titled Dad the Superhero. She looked up at him with her tiny face raised. When she saw him lower his eyes, a huge smile immediately blossomed across her face.

“Daddy, read with me.”

A smile appeared on Shen Zhihan’s face before he even realized it.

He had never imagined that one day he, too, would learn to fantasize.

To Shen Zhihan, fantasies, predictions, and suppositions had always been the most useless things in the world.

Facts were facts. Living in reality mattered more than anything.

Shen Zhihan wore a black robe, revealing the faint outline of his strong, solid chest.

He lifted An'an into his arms. His arms were firm and powerful, the contours of his muscles subtly visible, radiating an overwhelming sense of security.

His private room, which no one had ever entered before, suddenly held a soft, adorable little bundle.

Shen Zhihan’s bedroom was decorated in a cool, austere style. Even the sheets and quilt cover were dark gray.

He set An'an down on the bed. Dressed in pale yellow pajamas, she looked like a cute little custard bun, completely out of place against the dark-gray bedding.

Shen Zhihan immediately changed his mind and picked her up again.

An'an was not frightened by the sudden lift. Instead, she giggled. “Daddy, I’m flying!”

Shen Zhihan simply held her beneath the arms with both large hands and lifted her with ease, carrying her around in circles.

Under the force of the spinning, An'an’s whole body floated in the air, truly seeming to fly.

She was not afraid in the slightest. Her laughter was clear and adorable, with a soft childish lilt.

“Hahaha! Daddy, I’m flying! I’m flying!”

Shen Zhihan spun around with her several times, until An'an became dizzy.

“Daddy, oh no, I’m dizzy.”

Shen Zhihan quickly stopped and let the little girl sit on the edge of the bed.

“I’m sorry. Are you feeling better now?”

After resting for a while, An'an reached up and touched Shen Zhihan’s head. “Daddy, you don’t have to apologize. I’m happy. Daddy, this is your first time being a father too.”

Shen Zhihan was stunned. Then a smile spread across his lips. “Yes. It’s the first time for both of us. An'an, please take good care of me.”

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It seemed that only now had he truly begun to feel like a father.

“Come on. Let’s go back to your room. I’ll read picture books with you. You can read as many as you want.”

“Really? You can’t take it back. Whoever goes back on their word is a puppy.”

“Okay.”

Shen Zhihan was about to pick An'an up when she took his hand instead. “Daddy, I can walk by myself. If you never let me walk, I’m going to forget how. An'an needs to walk and run more. I want to run really fast. Then, if Daddy ever gets into danger, An'an can run very fast.”

Shen Zhihan was curious. “If I’m in danger and you run very fast, will you stand in front of me?”

An'an said, “Silly! I’m just a little kid. How could I protect you? I have to run really fast first so I can find help for you!”

Shen Zhihan could not help laughing. He ruffled her hair. “You’re very clever, An'an. If you ever encounter danger, run as fast as you can.”

“Of course An'an is clever!”

Yet neither of them could have imagined that when that day truly came, the little girl would indeed run very fast—but she would run straight in front of him.

Back in An'an’s room, the KingSiZe bed was so large that even a restless sleeper like her would not have to worry about falling off.

Shen Zhihan had not yet had the chance to find out whether An'an slept restlessly, because ever since she had come back, she had always slept by herself.

She was unbelievably well-behaved and never asked for anything. At such a young age, she seemed almost entirely without desires.

But considering his own childhood, Shen Zhihan knew that she was not without desires. She had simply been abused from an early age and had grown accustomed to never causing anyone trouble.

While he was lost in thought, An'an had already climbed onto the bed by herself. Seeing Shen Zhihan sitting at the edge, she patted the space beside her.

“Daddy, come sit here too!”

Shen Zhihan took off his shoes and climbed onto the bed. An'an thoughtfully stuffed a cushion behind his lower back.

“Daddy, lean against this.”

Shen Zhihan hummed in acknowledgment and settled down. An'an leaned against him and handed the book to him.

Shen Zhihan did not immediately begin reading. Instead, he looked at An'an.

“An'an, you can tell Daddy anything from now on. Whatever you want, whatever you want to play with—anything at all. Just like today. You did wonderfully by coming to find me when you couldn’t sleep and asking me to read with you. You were very brave and very good. Keep doing that from now on.”

“Daddy, An'an had to gather so, so, so much courage before coming to find you. So I did really well?”

“Yes. You did wonderfully.”

“Then can An'an keep doing this in the future?”

“Yes.”

“What if An'an asks for something very, very unreasonable?”

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