Chapter 18

Maybe she should go over and help him up. After all, he was an old man.

An Xiang bit her lip, torn with hesitation, when the car door opened and a pair of long legs stepped out.

Those legs... didn't look like they belonged to someone who could barely walk.

While she was distracted, the man had already gotten out from the back seat. Pei Nuo opened her arms and threw herself into his embrace.

"Great-Grandpa!" the little girl cried excitedly. An Xiang stared at him blankly for a long while before coming back to herself.

The sunlight was thin, dim, and warm. The man before her was dressed in a suit, tall and straight. His slender fingertips rested lightly in Pei Nuo's hair; his expression was slightly cold, but his movements were gentle and patient.

As if sensing An Xiang's gaze, he lifted his lashes. Across the short distance between them, their eyes met.

The moment she saw his face, An Xiang's heartbeat skipped.

He was far too striking. There was not a single flaw to be found in his brows, eyes, nose, or lips. Perhaps because he was too perfect, the indifference in his gaze lent him an air of lofty arrogance, making him seem distant and difficult to approach.

"Great-Grandpa, you came to pick us up!" Pei Nuo held his hand and bounced around, chirping like a little sparrow.

Pei Yizhou said nothing. His eyes burned as they reflected only An Xiang's figure.

She stood gracefully beneath the warm sun, and the faint glow radiating from her soul bloomed into dazzling colors in his eyes.

Pei Yizhou stared at her fixedly. All at once, he felt the entire world drifting away, leaving only her brightness behind. It left him dazed, unable to pull himself free.

Every soul in this world possessed a unique color. Children's souls were usually clean, vivid, and bright; adults oppressed by life were left with only dim, gray dullness.

But hers was a translucent, pristine green, utterly without impurities—brilliant and dazzling like crystal.

Pei Yizhou remembered her color. He remembered her scent even more.

No one spoke, and the silence made the atmosphere feel tense.

An Xiang forced herself to approach. Tilting her head up at Pei Yizhou, she hesitantly asked after a long pause, "Excuse me... are you these two children's great-grandfather?"

Those three words, great-grandfather, really wouldn't come out easily.

Only after getting close did An Xiang realize just how tall this man was. He was nearly one meter ninety, and An Xiang, who was less than one meter sixty-five, looked like a tiny porcelain doll standing before him.

He smelled of cedar.

And...

Her nose twitched. There was also a floral, fruity fragrance in his blood, somewhat like oolong tea.

It smelled nice...

She stared at his neck and unconsciously licked her lips. Then her ears turned red, and she lowered her head.

Pei Yizhou could only see the fluffy crown of An Xiang's head. The scent drifting from her made him restless, followed by an unfamiliar flutter in his chest.

An Xiang looked obedient. Her voice was soft, and she seemed rather timid.

Pei Yizhou changed his usual manner, restraining his presence and lowering his voice. "Yes, I'm their great-grandfather." After a pause, he added, "Not by blood."

Even without an explanation, An Xiang understood.

How could there be such a young great-grandfather in this world? Unless... their family wasn't human.

But that was probably impossible.

Vampires didn't exactly crawl all over the place.

"My son fought with your Pei Yan earlier and accidentally knocked out one of his teeth." An Xiang did not choose to defend her child. She fairly and objectively described what had happened. "Mr. Pei, if you're worried, you can take Yanyan for an examination. I'll cover the treatment and any follow-up expenses."

After saying that, she looked up at Pei Yizhou again.

An Xiang's eyes were exceptionally beautiful. Her double eyelids fanned outward from the inner corners, and her lashes were thick and long. They were naturally seductive eyes, but her heart was free of impurities, and her gaze was clear, making them look both innocent and alluring.

Pei Yizhou's Adam's apple bobbed as he slowly said three words. "Your... son?"

"Yes." An Xiang nodded. After thinking about it, she copied his earlier tone and said, "Biological."

Biological...

Pei Yizhou's heart sank. For some reason, he felt irritated—and displeased.

He swept his gaze around before catching sight of a corner of clothing behind a distant tree.

"Pei Yan." Pei Yizhou withdrew his gaze, his expression stern. "Come here."

Pei Yan, who had been hiding behind Dean Tan ever since Pei Yizhou appeared, stiffened. Shoulders drooping, he reluctantly came out from behind him and walked over to the man.

"You fought with someone?"

Pei Yizhou's tone was not especially harsh, merely a simple question, yet Pei Yan's eyes still reddened.

Pei Yan pointed behind the tree. "That little bastard bullied Nuonuo first!"

Pei Yizhou's gaze sharpened. "Pei Yan, you may not call someone that so rudely."

Still unconvinced, he gave a cold snort and turned his head aside.

"I'm sorry. I've been too busy with work and neglected to discipline him, which is why he has become so ill-mannered."

An Xiang was startled and hurriedly waved her hands. "No, no, no. It's our Momo who was being naughty. If compensation is needed, I'll definitely accept it."

"There's no need." He said, "Dean Tan explained the situation to me over the phone. Yanyan hit your child too. I hope you and your husband won't mind."

Husband?

An Xiang froze for a moment, then blurted out, "I'm a single mother. I don't have a husband."

No husband.

At those words, Pei Yizhou was first stunned. Then his brows rose, and an almost imperceptible curve formed at the corner of his lips.

He quickly suppressed his smile and returned to his composed expression. Raising a hand, he loosened his tie. "Both children were at fault. You don't need to take it too seriously."

An Xiang had not expected such a stern-looking man to be so kind and magnanimous. Her favorable impression of him immediately deepened, and his imposing aura no longer seemed frightening.

An Xiang took her phone from her backpack and opened WeChat. "How about this? Mr. Pei can save my contact information. If anything happens after Pei Yan gets home, you can contact me anytime. I won't run away."

Pei Yizhou was more than happy to hear that. His left hand had just slipped into his trouser pocket when an unexpected troublemaker barged in and blocked the space between them.

Pei Yan's little face twisted as he pointed at An Xiang's nose and began shouting, "Give up! You're never getting my great-grandpa's contact information!"

Pei Yizhou's expression darkened.

Pei Yan noticed nothing. As though he had seen through everything, he shot An Xiang a disdainful glance. "An auntie tried to trick my seventh great-grandpa's number the same way before. Don't think I don't know what women like you are thinking. You want to use me to marry my great-grandpa and become my great-grandmother. Pah! Not a chance!"

He was young, but he knew quite a lot. His nonsense came out in one smooth stream after another.

An Xiang had only wanted some contact information, so how could she have imagined it would go that far? But upon thinking it over carefully, it did seem to make a little sense.

Directly asking for someone's contact information did indeed make her seem like she had ulterior motives.

An Xiang put the phone she had just taken out away again. She had been about to leave Pei Yizhou a business card for her milk tea shop, but stopped herself in time.

What if he misunderstood and thought she was taking the opportunity to solicit business?

"Great-Grandpa, Great-Grandpa, let's go home! Nuonuo is hungry!" Pei Nuo had grown impatient from waiting. Holding Pei Yizhou's hand, she shook it nonstop and coquettishly urged him to leave.

Pei Yan chimed in, "Exactly, exactly. Let's go home already. Losing one tooth won't kill him."

Losing a tooth was a small matter. Accidentally gaining a great-grandmother was a major one!

The two children stood on either side of Pei Yizhou and tugged him toward the car.

The contact information that had practically been in his hands had flown away. One could imagine how impatient Pei Yizhou felt inside.

Without any effort, he restrained both children. His face struggled to maintain calm as he said to An Xiang, "Children say foolish things. Don't take it to heart."

"I know." Looking at the two human-shaped pendants clinging to Pei Yizhou's legs, An Xiang pressed her lips together in a smile. "Then Mr. Pei, you should head back first. Don't let the children go hungry."

She was gentle, soft, and considerate.

Pei Yizhou's heart stirred, and he could not help wanting to find an excuse to invite her into the car. In the end, he held himself back. An overly abrupt invitation would scare her, and he did not want to make her uneasy.

"Alright. Then I'll be going first."

An Xiang waved. "Goodbye, Mr. Pei."

Pei Yizhou nodded. With one large hand, he scooped Pei Nuo into his arms, then kicked Pei Yan away. Taking long strides with his long legs, he got into the car without looking back and left.

An Xiang watched the car disappear into the distance, finally letting out a long breath of relief.

"An Zimo." It was the first time An Xiang had called her son by his full name. She did not go over, simply calling toward the tree, "We're leaving."

After a while, An Zimo crawled out from behind it, dirty and disheveled.

An Xiang pulled him over and gave Dean Tan a deep bow. "I'm sorry. We've taken up so much of your time and caused you so much trouble."

"It's alright. Boys at this age just like to make a fuss." Dean Tan waved generously. "Don't get angry with the child after you go home."

An Xiang apologized once more, then took An Zimo's hand and left the kindergarten.

After all that commotion, the sun had already set in the west.

Dusk dyed the sky in gradients of red and orange. The trees lining both sides of the path grew thick and lush, and their shadows intertwined on the ground. Though they walked together, there was always an uncrossable gap between them.

An Xiang stopped and turned to look at An Zimo, who had been silently following behind her.

After an afternoon of fighting, he no longer looked as neat as he had when he came out. His hair was messy, his shirt was wrinkled, and his face bore both pinch marks and smudges of dirt. He looked filthy and bedraggled, yet somewhat pitiful.

An Xiang had originally wanted to scold him, but when she saw him like that, all that remained was heartache.

She took a wet wipe from her backpack. Before her hand could reach him, An Zimo dodged away, watching her outstretched hand with wary eyes.

An Xiang knew what he was thinking. Without saying anything, she forcibly pulled him to a nearby bench and made him sit down. Ignoring An Zimo's resistance, she firmly held down his small hands and carefully wiped the dirt from his beautiful little face.

Her movements were indescribably gentle. An Zimo's shoulders stiffened, then he slowly stopped struggling. Only curiosity remained in his eyes.

"If you want to scold me, then scold me. If you want to hit me, then hit me. Don't put on an act." An Zimo turned his head slightly away, his lips pressed together stubbornly.

"I won't hit you, and I won't scold you." An Xiang put away the wet wipe and sat beside An Zimo.

Streetlights lit up one after another, bringing a trace of warmth to the cold city.

"Momo, do you think everyone wants to hurt you?" Her voice dissolved into the night.

Pedestrians hurried past, cars honked, and amid all that noise, the small bench where they sat became a quiet, gentle world.

An Zimo's hands resting on his knees slowly clenched into fists. He did not answer, which was practically an admission.

"I don't know what the children and adults in the village said to you, and I don't know how they bullied you. But..." An Xiang looked at An Zimo's profile and spoke word by word, "By my side, no one will curse you, and no one will bully you. So, Zimo, you can try accepting the kindness others offer you."

Didn't she understand?

All his pain came from her.

No matter what she became, no matter what she said, he would never accept her. He never would.

An Zimo stood and jumped down from the bench. His eyes were faintly red, and his expression was stubborn. "You saw it today too. I'm just this disobedient, and I'll be this disobedient in the future too. You can throw me away, but I won't change."

He had no family and no friends. He had made his way through life alone, with no one to rely on.

What damn kindness? An Zimo did not care about it, nor did he want it.

He had always lived like this, and he had lived just fine.

He did not need consideration, and he did not need kindness.

He did not need it. He would never need it!

Momo was emotionally deprived. No one had taught him, and no one had treated him well.

He simply did not know what kind contact was, because he had never received kindness himself. To him, every approach was a purposeful invasion. Put simply, he was too dark and a little antisocial.

So from the character's perspective, his rudeness, selfishness, and lack of kindness all made sense! Who said a child had to be kind and polite? (:з"∠)_ But don't worry, he would slowly change and become like a normal person.