Chapter Nine: Are You Going to Lose Your Nest Again?

Page 1/3

The smile on Shen Jin’an’s face froze instantly. Of all times to say it, she had blurted it out now—there was no taking it back! At this moment, Gu Li was happily squatting, sniffing and snuffling as he dug out a pencil hidden beneath another set of building blocks. His face lit up with hope as he looked at Shen Jin’an. “I have a question I can’t figure out. Can you teach me?”

Gu Li’s eyes were like tender little arrows of pink, piercing straight through Shen Jin’an’s heart.

Though the task was right in front of her, it was truly hard to refuse such a bright-eyed little cub.

Seeing Shen Jin’an hesitate, Gu Li tilted his head slightly, a faint trace of disappointment and cautious probing in his voice: “Do you not know how to do it either?”

The clumsy little challenge was the kind that would make Shen Jin’an scoff if anyone else tried it.

But this was an irresistibly cute human child.

“It’s just the classic chicken and rabbit problem. I was best at that back in elementary school.”

With a flourish of her hand, Shen Jin’an swept the question into view. Taking the pencil, she began confidently writing equations on paper. As she explained the problem and her thought process to Gu Li, she doodled a few crooked little chickens and rabbits on the scratch paper.

Gu Li lay beside her, listening intently. Finally, he slapped his small hand down in sudden understanding. “I get it!”

The little one’s comprehension was astounding. Based on this simple foundational question, he even managed to solve several increasingly difficult similar problems.

Shen Jin’an nodded proudly. No wonder he was a little antagonist—his intelligence was truly formidable.

Just as she was about to interrupt his studies, the little cub pointed at a more complex equation, looking up with wide, sparkling eyes full of thirst for new knowledge. “What about this one?”

Once again, Shen Jin’an’s heart was struck. She picked up the pencil she had just set down.

Fueled by the child’s teasing, Shen Jin’an explained five or six different types of problems in a row until the system’s reminder brought her back to reality.

[Host, five minutes remain to complete your task. Please be mindful of the time.]

Shen Jin’an’s heart jolted. Hastily, she interrupted Gu Li’s next question. “Li Li, I want to go to the amusement park. Can you come with me?”

Pulled out of the sea of math, Gu Li’s impression of this so-called amusement park was not good. “What’s an amusement park?”

“It’s a really fun place with lots of games and many kids.”

Hearing this, Gu Li shook his head and sighed heavily in his heart. This amusement park sounded so childish. He hadn’t expected his stepmother to be such a childish grown-up.

Page 2/3

But since his stepmother had been quite kind to him these past few days, he was willing to reluctantly give up studying and go to the amusement park with her.

Gu Li nodded with an expression that said he really had no choice. At that moment, the task completion notification sounded.

Shen Jin’an exhaled deeply. Thankfully, she finished the task at the last moment—she definitely didn’t want to end up like the original supporting character.

Come to think of it, this was her first time going out since arriving in this world.

Shen Jin’an felt a flutter of excitement as she held the freshly dressed little cub, ready to hail a taxi. Suddenly, an incredibly sleek Cullinan pulled up right before them.

“Madam, young master,” the driver nodded slightly, “Sir heard you two planned to go out and specially instructed me to pick you up.”

Shen Jin’an took Gu Li to the amusement park. Just as they were about to enter, the little cub clutched her clothes tightly, looking quite nervous.

“What’s wrong, Li Li? Are you scared because there are too many people here?”

Gu Li glanced timidly at Shen Jin’an, his small mouth pressed tightly shut. After several seconds, he cautiously probed, “Are you... going to abandon me again?”

At those words, Shen Jin’an’s brow furrowed tightly. She frantically searched through the original owner’s fragmented memories—and found the relevant part.

She saw how the original owner had drawn a kind smile to coax Li Li out, only to heartlessly abandon the child amidst a dense crowd on the street. From innocent confusion to utter terror, Shen Jin’an’s fists clenched involuntarily.

That had been a time when traffickers ran rampant.

If Gu Yizhao hadn’t received timely news and mobilized every resource to find the child, the consequences would have been unthinkable.

Shen Jin’an shuddered at the thought. She suppressed the urge to beat up the original owner, cursing her for exiting the story so early.

Gently patting the cub’s head, she solemnly promised, “Don’t worry. Today, I’ll stay by your side. Wherever you are, that’s where I’ll be.”

Gu Li looked up with wide, glossy eyes, blinking as if trying to discern the truth of her words.

After a while, he nodded slightly, letting out a muffled “Mm.”

Yet the little hand clutching Shen Jin’an’s clothes remained tightly gripped, showing no sign of loosening.

At first, Gu Li had only thought to accompany his stepmother, but no matter how mature and clever a child was, he was still a child. After a few rides, his initial fear and anxiety faded away, replaced by excitement.

Passing by a shooting game booth, a brown teddy bear even bigger than Gu Li immediately caught his attention.

Page 3/3

Shen Jin’an keenly noticed the little one’s gaze, watching him glance again and again but wisely keeping silent. She couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy. “Do you want that big bear?”

Gu Li quickly averted his eyes from the teddy bear, stubbornly saying, “I’m just looking.”

“Wait here.”

Shen Jin’an placed Gu Li on a chair within her sight, picked up the air gun, twirling it in her hands. She cocked her head, aimed carefully, and fired dozens of shots. Each balloon popped in response, none left unburst.

The simple, neat ponytailed girl with her deft shooting skills drew quite a crowd, many cheering and even filming videos.

The little cub who had watched the whole scene with his mouth agape didn’t react until Shen Jin’an handed him the enormous teddy bear.

“Is this for me?”

“Of course.”

Shen Jin’an shoved the bear into the cub’s arms. Rather than the cub holding the bear, it was more like the bear enveloped the cub.

Until they left the amusement park, Gu Li hugged his new treasure tightly. When the driver waiting at the gate saw only Shen Jin’an and the huge teddy bear she carried, his face instantly turned anxious and flustered. He shouted, “Madam, where’s the young master?”

Last time the young master went missing, he had suspected the madam’s involvement, though he lacked proof.

He hadn’t expected her to repeat the same trick so soon!

The driver pulled out his phone, ready to alert Mr. Gu immediately. The sooner the amusement park was sealed off, the faster they could find the young master.

Just then, the large toy in Shen Jin’an’s arms twitched, and a small head poked out from inside. “Are you looking for me?”

Gu Li waved cheerfully at the family’s driver uncle, suddenly remembering something. He happily wiggled in Shen Jin’an’s arms. “Stepmom bought you milk tea. It’s super tasty!”

After saying this, he smacked his lips with satisfaction.

The driver, who had just doubted Shen Jin’an, thought: I really deserve this.