028 Where on earth did this child, An'an, even come from!

The moment these words left his lips, the cloying sentimentality behind them made even Shen Zhihan feel a sense of self-disgust. How had he become like this?

Jiang Yue, with quick reflexes, captured the scene on camera.

Shen Zhihan crouched before An’an, locking eyes with her; the reluctance to part ways seemed ready to spill from his gaze. Standing before him, An’an looked bright-eyed and spirited—far more sunny and cheerful than the day of her interview. She tilted her head, seemingly in deep thought, when suddenly her eyes lit up and she dropped a bombshell: "Daddy, why don't you come to kindergarten with me?"

Everyone couldn't help but laugh, even Shen Zhihan. He affectionately flicked An’an on the nose. "I’m a grown-up. I don't go to kindergarten; I go to work."

"Then Daddy goes to work, and I go to kindergarten. Daddy, when I get out of school, will you be the very first one to pick me up? You promise, promise? Daddy, I’m going to miss you. I’m already missing you, even though we haven’t even left yet."

An’an didn't answer his question directly, yet every word was an answer. Of course she wanted to be with him; she loved him so very, very much.

Principal Hu, a person of deep empathy and childlike wonder, felt her eyes grow moist at the words. What a precious little girl. Shen Zhihan must be an exceptionally wonderful father for the little girl to be so fond of and reliant on him.

An’an’s enrollment paperwork was left for others to handle, while Shen Zhihan took her to the Sunflower Class 5. The class had already finished one lesson and was currently in the break period. The first lesson had been a picture book session, where teachers guided the children through beautiful stories, helping them appreciate the aesthetics of the text and images, and encouraging them to experience the vast, profound beauty of the Chinese language.

Qu Bowen had rushed to the hallway to peer out as soon as class ended. Some children in the class had seen Principal Hu personally greeting An’an and Shen Zhihan when they arrived.

"Qu Bowen, are you waiting for the new student?"

"Yeah. I like her so much, I really want her to be my classmate."

"I saw her too. She’s so pretty."

"How pretty?"

"Well, definitely cuter and prettier than Xia Kexuan."

Even these young children already had their own sense of aesthetics. Upon hearing this, Xia Kexuan’s hands tightened. She reminded herself that she was not actually four years old; why should she bother competing with a brat? Where on earth did this kid named An’an come from?

Xia Kexuan searched her memory, but could not recall a character like this in the original story. She walked toward Qu Bowen, making her voice sound innocent and cute: "Qu Bowen, what’s that little girl’s name?"

"She said her name is An’an, Shen Nian’an. Her dad is super handsome! Though, he’s only just barely a tiny bit more handsome than my dad."

"Qu Bowen, do you want to come over to my house to play this weekend?"

Xia Kexuan was usually adept at winning over the other brats in class, but one day Qu Bowen had called her a monster, which had infuriated her.

"Who wants to play with you!" Qu Bowen seemed to realize only then that it was Xia Kexuan speaking to him, and he immediately ran off.

Xia Kexuan told herself not to be angry—it was just a little brat!

Just then, movement came from the end of the corridor. Principal Hu was personally leading Shen Zhihan and An’an over. Xia Kexuan immediately ran back into the classroom. Right on cue, the class bell rang, playing a cute children’s song: "Back to the classroom, time for class, the teacher is calling us, picture books and songs, little children, come along..."

An’an and Shen Zhihan appeared at the classroom door. Twenty pairs of eyes turned to look at them in unison. An’an looked back at them with curiosity. The class of twenty children was attended by five teachers. The children’s eyes brightened—what a handsome father, what a cute little girl.

Qu Bowen let out a shout of delight: "An’an! You really came to our class!"

An’an looked at Qu Bowen, a sweet smile on her face: "Mhm! You invited me, so I came!"

An’an was not at all shy in this strange environment; she carried herself with grace. She let others look at her while she observed them in return. Suddenly, her gaze landed on Xia Kexuan, who was trying her best to remain inconspicuous. Shen Zhihan’s gaze swept over Xia Kexuan, but he didn't linger; he had no impression of her.

An’an, however, remembered her very clearly. She always felt that Xia Kexuan wanted to take her father away from her. She didn't like people who wanted to steal her father. Still, since Qu Bowen was in this class, An’an decided she could begrudgingly accept it.

The head teacher, Fan Lina, came out to greet them with a very approachable smile. She didn't greet the principal first, but instead focused her attention on An’an.

"Hello, little An’an. My name is Fan Lina, and I’m the head teacher of Sunflower Class 5. Welcome to our class."

Fan Lina reached out her hand, and An’an placed her own into it. Principal Hu was very satisfied. An’an had a good eye, choosing Class 5. Fan Lina was twenty-six years old and had already seen three graduating classes through; she was an excellent teacher whom the children particularly adored.

Only then did Fan Lina greet Principal Hu: "Principal Hu, I will take good care of An’an and help her adjust to the new environment as soon as possible. An’an’s father, don't worry. If anything comes up, I will contact you immediately."

Yu Feng was just about to hand out his business card when, unexpectedly, Shen Zhihan handed over his own. "Sorry to trouble you, Teacher Fan. Please remember to contact me at the first sign of anything."

Principal Hu looked at the card in Fan Lina's hand with envy. Even she didn't have Shen Zhihan’s personal business card! All the sponsorship matters had been handled by Yu Feng, and none of them had been able to make personal contact with Shen Zhihan. She hadn't expected Fan Lina to be the one to get it; Shen Zhihan was truly a good father.

Shen Zhihan crouched down and patted An’an’s head, feeling uneasy. An’an had only just returned a few days ago; although she was very well-behaved, it was precisely that obedience that worried him. He was afraid that An’an would be bullied and not know how to tell him, or that she would be forced into something and wouldn't dare tell the teacher or refuse the other person.

"An’an, you’ve seen the new school. Let’s go home for now, let Teacher Jiang teach you, and you can come back to school in September, okay?"

An’an seemed to sense his anxiety and comforted him with a serious expression: "Daddy, don't miss me too much. I’ll be fine, really. Daddy, you go to work and earn money."

Shen Zhihan had always respected An’an, and seeing her resolute attitude, he had no choice but to abandon the idea of taking her home. He stood at the door, watching as Fan Lina led An’an into the classroom. Before entering, An’an looked back at Shen Zhihan, waved, and called out in a crisp voice: "Goodbye, Daddy! You must come pick me up early!"

Fan Lina led An’an to the podium: "Children, An’an has joined our big family. Let’s give her our warmest applause."

The children, sitting in a large semi-circle, immediately clapped vigorously. Qu Bowen, in particular, clapped the hardest, his little face flushed with excitement.