After Returning Home, The Female CEO Actually Gave Me A Daughter Section 40

She drew out an "oh" in a long, teasing tone. "Oh!!! So Mom's blushing!"

"Tang Yao!"

Teased by her daughter like that, Shen Qingyan's face turned even redder.

Embarrassed and indignant, she raised her hand as if to strike.

The little girl giggled and fled the danger zone, running back into the bedroom...

Shen Qingyan naturally wasn't really going to hit her—otherwise, how could the little one have escaped?

She rubbed her burning cheeks, leaned back on the sofa, and it took a good while before the flush on her face began to show signs of fading.

Just then.

A knock came at the door.

Shen Qingyan got up and went to the door. Peeking through the peephole, she saw Xu Nan standing outside and opened the door.

"Nannan, what brings you here so late?" Shen Qingyan asked, puzzled.

"What brings me here? I was worried about you, that's what."

Xu Nan said with exasperation: "You rushed off in a hurry yesterday, and you haven't replied to my messages yet... Hey, why is your face so red?"

"..."

Shen Qingyan touched her cheek—it was still quite hot. "Maybe it's just too warm."

Xu Nan didn't suspect anything. She walked into the house, fanning herself with her hand.

"It is a bit hot... A villa's nice—you can set the temperature however you want... Pfft, that's not the point. How did things go with Yaoyao's kindergarten yesterday?" She sat down on the sofa and asked.

"It's already been resolved," Shen Qingyan replied.

"How?" Xu Nan pressed.

"Yaoyao transferred to another kindergarten," Shen Qingyan said.

"What?!"

Xu Nan shot up from the sofa, staring at Shen Qingyan with intense agitation. "Transferred? Are you kidding me?"

"So she was bullied?"

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Why didn't you call me back then?"

"Do you have any idea how much that could hurt Yaoyao's heart?"

Though Tang Yao's arrival had piled countless hardships onto Shen Qingyan, Xu Nan couldn't bring herself to dislike the little girl at all. Instead, she adored her to the bone and genuinely cared for her.

She couldn't imagine how much damage being forced to transfer schools to avoid conflict would do to Tang Yao's young heart.

Or what grievances Shen Qingyan had suffered in that conflict.

"Don't worry."

Shen Qingyan took her wrist and guided her back to the sofa. "She wasn't bullied. We transferred because the old kindergarten was too irresponsible."

"Really?" Xu Nan questioned.

"Of course it's true. Why would I lie to you?" Shen Qingyan said softly.

"Phew!"

Xu Nan let out a sigh of relief. "That's good."

"Qingyan, listen—if anything else happens, remember to call me right away."

"I've been training in free combat for ten years. Those five medals hanging on my cabinet at home aren't just for show!"

"Alright, alright. Next time something like this comes up, I'll definitely call you!" Shen Qingyan nodded with a smile.

"So which kindergarten did Yaoyao transfer to? Let me get familiar with it in advance, so I'm not caught off guard next time you ask me to pick her up." Xu Nan grabbed a cup from the coffee table, poured herself some water, took a sip to wet her throat, and asked.

"She transferred to Yinghong."

Shen Qingyan answered.

"Pfft!"

Xu Nan spat the water back into the cup.

"Transferred to Yinghong?! How did that happen?!"

She knew all too well that Shen Qingyan had tried to get Tang Yao into Yinghong before but had no connections at all.

"It was..."

Shen Qingyan was about to explain the whole story from start to finish.

But just then, Tang Yao came running out of the bedroom, phone in hand.

"Mom! Aunt Xu is here too!"

"Yaoyao, good evening! Come here and let Auntie give you a kiss!"

Xu Nan crouched down and opened her arms.

Tang Yao walked over with a somewhat forced expression, only to be scooped up and showered with mwah~ mwah~ kisses all over her face.

"Yaoyao, what's wrong?" Shen Qingyan asked.

Tang Yao, looking utterly resigned in Xu Nan's embrace, replied, "Dad called. He said we can go to Dini Amusement Park tomorrow, and he wanted to ask for your opinion, Mom. If you agree, he'll buy the tickets first..."

"Does Yaoyao want to go to Dini?" Shen Qingyan asked.

Tang Yao nodded.

"If Yaoyao wants to go, then Mom wants to go too!"

She reached out and ruffled the little girl's hair, smiling.

"Alright, I'll go reply to Dad right now!"

Just as Xu Nan loosened her grip, Tang Yao darted off and disappeared back into the bedroom.

Xu Nan was frozen in place.

After a long moment, she furrowed her brows and looked at Shen Qingyan, asking, "Didn't we agree yesterday? If you were scared, you wouldn't come—you wouldn't gamble on this?"

Shen Qingyan brushed a strand of hair from her temple and gently pressed her red lips together. "I think... he's worth the gamble..."

Xu Nan was stunned.

She stared at Shen Qingyan's resolute expression for a long time, then let out a deep sigh. "Tell him to buy one more ticket. I'm coming tomorrow too..."

"I'm going to vet him for you!"

"If he's really just a pretty face with nothing inside—a scumbag through and through—I'll kick him straight in the... Who? What? I'll be right there!"

She clenched her fist fiercely, but before she could finish her sentence, her phone suddenly rang. She picked it up, listened for a moment, and her expression shifted sharply as she shot up from the sofa.

"Forget the tickets, forget the vetting. The magazine's in trouble again—I have to rush over. Shen Qingyan, listen to me: until I give the green light, take it slow, don't let things move too fast..."

As she spoke, Xu Nan had already dashed out the door.

Watching her retreating figure, Shen Qingyan wore a faint smile.

Having a friend like that by her side was truly a stroke of luck.

Then she suddenly remembered she hadn't gone into detail about the kindergarten incident.

But given how frantic Xu Nan had looked, she probably wouldn't have time to take a call and chat anyway...

Early the next morning.

Tang Chen and Shen Qingyan each held one of Tang Yao's little hands as they arrived at Tiny Land.

From a distance, they could already see the queue snaking into several long lines, stretching endlessly out of sight...

"So many people!"

Tang Yao looked at the crowd, her face scrunching up in dismay. "With this many people, how long will we have to wait... Dad, maybe we should come back when it's less crowded..."

"No need, we'll just go this way!"

Tang Chen led Tang Yao, and Tang Yao led Shen Qingyan. The three of them walked past the long lines and arrived at the entrance to the VIP channel. They scanned their tickets and successfully entered the park.

Watching this scene, countless people in line wore expressions of envy.

"VIP! After all this time, I finally get to see a VIP!"

"I still don't understand how you even get a VIP ticket..."