You're Only 24 Years, 9 Months, 18 Days, and 8 Hours Old!

Early the next morning, Lin Ao dragged his exhausted body into the dining room.

The two elders of the Lin Family were already having breakfast with Liu Nian.

When Liu Nian saw Lin Ao come downstairs, she immediately hopped off her chair, ran over, and threw herself into his arms.

Liu Nian was in a great mood. Li Wanyu and Lin Dong had truly treated her like a five-year-old girl, preparing a room for her that was full of warmth and comfort.

The cozy room reminded her of the prison cell from her past life, its bone-chilling cold a stark contrast.

Li Wanyu had even read her bedtime stories to help her fall asleep. She had never experienced anything like that before, and she treasured it all the more.

Once Ye Chen left Jianghai City, she would return to her aunt's side. This time, she would do everything she could to protect the Liu Family and Lin Ao. Of course, Li Wanyu and Lin Dong were on her list of people to protect, too!

Lin Ao casually picked Liu Nian up and quickly handed her to Li Wanyu at the table. Liu Nian gazed at him reproachfully.

And here I was, thinking I'd protect you. You can't even give me a hug. Hmph!

You awful Uncle Lin Ao!

Lin Ao looked like he hadn't woken up yet. He told a servant to bring him a strong coffee.

"You child, why have you seemed so tired these past couple of days? What were you up to last night?"

Li Wanyu shot Lin Ao a glance. Had he developed that so-called premarital anxiety?

He wasn't even getting married yet, just engaged. Besides, what was there to be afraid of when marrying Wanqing?

Then she added, "Cut down on that stuff. You're a grown man now; you need to learn some self-control."

Li Wanyu figured Lin Ao was probably always looking at that kind of unhealthy material at night. It could affect her future grandson.

"Mom~ What are you thinking? I just stayed up a little late researching some material."

Lin Ao casually placated Li Wanyu. He really had only been researching some material, and it was perfectly wholesome, okay?

Thinking back to last night, Gu Wanqing had utterly gotten the better of him. That last picture had hit Lin Ao right in the bullseye. He'd turned it this way and that, zoomed in and out, but still couldn't make out anything. Yet it kept radiating an alluring air that drew him in.

That wicked woman!

He'd better look at fewer of her messages from now on. They were bad for both his body and his mind.

"Mom! I'm going to the company today. I'm bored sitting around at home."

Lin Ao had planned to stay out of the company's affairs this time, but he had no idea what to do at home. And Gu Wanqing had said she was coming over today.

He might as well go sit at the company and kill some time. He could avoid Gu Wanqing while he was at it.

"No! Wanqing messaged me first thing this morning. She said she made plans with you and was worried you'd forget, so she asked me to remind you!"

Gu Wanqing had messaged Li Wanyu early that morning. To stop Lin Ao from sneaking off before she arrived, she'd asked Li Wanyu to keep an eye on him.

Lin Ao froze. That... wicked woman!

Then he noticed Liu Nian gazing at him with a reproachful look.

A thought suddenly struck him.

"Mom~ I'll come get Niannian in a bit. I'll take her out to play with Wanqing."

Lin Ao had thought of a way to get Gu Wanqing to back off, and he needed Liu Nian's help.

"Sure~ Your dad and I happen to be heading back to the family estate for a meeting. The second branch has finished handling things in America and is back."

The Lin Family had two branches. Lin Dong was from the main branch and controlled 95% of the family business.

The second branch was Lin Ze, Lin Dong's younger brother. He managed the Lin Family's remaining 5%, its entertainment business. Since he'd always been a playful sort, the Lin Family's old master had only let him handle that part.

Speaking of which, one of the protagonists, Lin Feng, had to be mentioned. Lin Feng was Lin Ze's son, who had been living outside the family. Lin Ze didn't even know how he'd been born, and only after a DNA test did he learn Lin Feng was truly his biological son.

He was supposed to appear and return to the family two years later.

Lin Ao had been stabbed in the back by him more than a few times.

After Li Wanyu and Lin Dong left,

Lin Ao pulled his chair over beside Liu Nian.

"Ahem, Niannian, could you do me a favor in a bit~"

Lin Ao smiled stiffly. He wasn't very good at communicating with children, so he could only grit his teeth and give it a try.

Liu Nian turned her head away, not wanting to humor Lin Ao.

"Niannian, I'm really in a hurry. Could you listen to me?"

Liu Nian glanced at his status panel.

[Character's current state/thoughts: Anxious. There's no time. How do I get a kid to listen?]

Since Lin Ao really was in a hurry, she'd let him off this time. It couldn't be easy for him to coax someone, either.

She turned back around, signaling that he could speak.

Lin Ao's face lit up. He picked Liu Nian up and sat her on his lap.

"Listen..."

Gu Wanqing woke up early that morning feeling refreshed.

Thinking of Lin Ao, she couldn't help smiling to herself.

Her smile blossomed like a spring flower, radiating a captivating glow.

Lin Ao probably hadn't slept well last night.

After messaging Li Wanyu, she began getting dressed with care.

She gently pinned up her long hair, revealing her slender neck.

She put on a captivating short black skirt and the black stockings she'd shown off the night before, which traced the graceful curves of her legs.

She paired them with a fitted white blouse. Its collar was slightly open, revealing her alluring collarbones.

At that moment, Gu Wanqing appeared with a mature, captivating air, radiating her own unique charm and making hearts flutter.

Lin Ao! Here I come!

Gu Wanqing arrived at the Lin Family Manor and headed toward the living room.

Hearing the sound of high heels outside, Lin Ao knew Gu Wanqing had arrived. He hurriedly gave Liu Nian a look.

"Here we go! Remember what I told you!"

With that, he carried Liu Nian over to the sofa and sat down, his expression grave and somber.

As soon as Gu Wanqing entered the hall, she saw Lin Ao, with a five-year-old girl in his arms.

She was just about to ask him what was going on when Lin Ao cut her off.

"You're here!"

Lin Ao's voice was hoarse and low, making him seem as if he'd suffered some kind of blow and was feeling down.

"Mm~ I'm here."

Gu Wanqing looked puzzled. What was wrong with him so early in the morning? He seemed to be facing some kind of trouble.

Could Xiao Fan have come after him? That shouldn't be possible, right? She quickly checked Lin Ao's information panel, and several entries caught her attention.

[Character's current mood: Nervous. I hope I can fool this woman with what I say next.]

[Character's affection level: 82.]

[Character's heart rate: 120.]

[Current objective: Put on a good performance.]

[H-Index: 50.]

Tch~ Let's see what you're up to.

And why had those few photos last night only raised his affection by two points? Had they not been provocative enough?

Gu Wanqing pretended to hurry over, sat beside Lin Ao, and hooked her arm around his, pressing herself against him.

Lin Ao tried to pull his arm free, but she was holding on too tightly. With no other choice, he gave up. He might as well enjoy it!

"Lin Ao, what happened? And who's this little girl?"

She looked at Liu Nian, seated in his arms. The only thing she was actually puzzled about was this little girl who'd suddenly appeared. Whose child was she?

"Sigh... I only found out yesterday. She's my... my daughter, who'd been living outside the family."

Lin Ao looked heartbroken. His expression was convincing, and he portrayed the guilt of a father who'd only just found his daughter so perfectly that an ordinary person would probably believe him.

Gu Wanqing's mouth twitched. Could he come up with an excuse any more ridiculous than that?

Fine, fine. I'll keep playing along.

"How is that possible? Who did you have her with? You're only 24 years, 9 months, 18 days, and 8 hours old!"

Gu Wanqing pretended to be utterly astonished.

"With... a girl from school. I was drunk on my eighteenth birthday! She's passed away now, and left Lin Nian with me. I..."

"She also suffered a shock of some kind and developed a speech disorder. Wanqing, I..."

Lin Ao kept his expression mournful, ignoring the strange details in Gu Wanqing's words as he strained to squeeze tears from eyes that had none.

"I... let's call off the engagement. All I want now is to take good care of Lin Nian. There's no room for anyone else in my world anymore. I can't betray her late mother. From now on, we'll just have each other, Niannian."

At that moment, Liu Nian stared at Gu Wanqing in shock.

The two of them met each other's gaze, disbelief plain in both their eyes.