Chapter Twenty: "You've learned well; next time, don't bother learning anymore."

An’an spoke with precise articulation, and combined with her unique accent, it sounded irresistibly adorable.

Lu Huaiche didn’t want to listen to Old Master Lu’s continued coaxing, so he simply said, “Play with An’an,” then squatted beside her to watch her play with the dog. Unexpectedly, An’an was startled by him.

And her reaction was utterly charming.

Lu Huaiche laughed aloud, placing his large hand atop An’an’s head, which it completely covered.

“An’an, where did you learn to say ‘Oh my goodness’ like that?”

An’an obediently replied, “I learned it from the TV!”

Mentioning this made An’an beam with pride.

Her face clearly pleaded silently, “Praise me, please praise me.”

Lu Huaiche chuckled softly, his tone filled with affection. “That’s wonderful.”

An’an nodded proudly. “Yes! An’an is really amazing!”

“An’an watches TV with Great-Grandpa, An’an even watches ‘Pleasant Goat’ by herself, and An’an’s learned so many words. An’an is truly incredible!”

The more An’an spoke, the prouder she became, unable to resist showing Lu Huaiche her “learning achievements.”

“Bold! I am the little emperor!”

“Hey, brother’s still watching, but he actually left a while ago~”

“You’ve betrayed my love; you owe a debt to your conscience~”

“I know you’re in a hurry, but you better not rush…”

“All right, all right, good baby, brother knows you’re smart. You’re amazing, I can’t even remember that much.”

An’an wanted to keep showing off, but a headache-stricken Lu Huaiche interrupted her. Praised like this, An’an instantly forgot her urge to demonstrate further and felt shy under his compliments.

Lu Huaiche said, “You’ve learned well. But don’t learn this next time.”

An’an tilted her head. “Brother, what are you talking about?”

Lu Huaiche shook his head. “Nothing, brother’s just saying An’an’s really great.”

An’an nodded. “Yes, An’an’s great! Brother’s great too!”

Meanwhile, Mianmian, unable to bear being ignored, stuck out its tongue and rushed toward An’an, bumping its head against her until she plopped down.

An’an sighed and gently held Mianmian’s head, speaking with an earnest tone, “Mianmian, you have to be a good child and not cause trouble.”

Lu Huaiche watched this scene and couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

Mianmian was so big, and An’an so small. Especially with An’an sitting like that, Mianmian’s head rested in her arms, making it seem from Lu Huaiche’s perspective that everything below An’an’s neck vanished, leaving only her head and two chubby arms draped over Mianmian’s head.

Moreover, An’an herself was a toddler with a less-than-three-heads-tall stature, now earnestly lecturing Mianmian, which made it nearly impossible for Lu Huaiche not to laugh aloud.

An’an cast a reproachful look at Lu Huaiche.

Trying to suppress his laughter, Lu Huaiche “rescued” An’an.

An’an said, “I know you want to laugh, but brother, please don’t laugh first.”

Lu Huaiche burst out laughing. “Hahaha!”

At first, Lu Huaiche could hold back, but An’an’s words broke his composure entirely.

“An’an, haha, listen to brother, haha, don’t learn these things in the future, hahaha, I’m dying laughing. Seriously, don’t learn it!”

Laughing and speaking at once, Lu Huaiche completely disarmed An’an.

An’an pushed away Lu Huaiche’s arms and, like a little swallow returning to its nest, nestled into Old Master Lu’s arms. “Great-Grandpa, brother’s bullying me…”

Old Master Lu had just been thoroughly amused by An’an’s words, but now that she had come to “complain,” he naturally had to support her and maintain the scene—so he carefully restrained his smile.

“Ah Che, that won’t do. How can you laugh at your sister? That’s not how a brother should behave.”

Lu Huaiche was speechless. “Great-Grandpa, maybe you should stop smiling.”

Old Master Lu replied, “What nonsense! An’an, don’t listen to brother. Brother’s bad; we’re good.”

An’an pointed her finger. “Actually, brother’s good too~”

Lu Huaiche looked touched. “An’an, you’re the best sister. Brother will definitely treat you very well from now on.”

Mianmian barked beside them.

Lu Huaiche said, “See? Mianmian agrees too.”

Mianmian barked again.

Early the next morning, Lu Huaiche carried An’an outside.

An’an was still sleepy-eyed, but after Lu Huaiche patted her back, she drifted off again drowsily.

When she woke, she found herself surrounded by a group of unfamiliar people.

They were a bunch of energetic young men, restrained here by force. Many were a bit restless, ready to tell Lu Huaiche they had things to do and wanted to leave, when suddenly the little treasure Lu Huaiche was holding woke up.

Their eyes met, and all of them were momentarily stunned.

It was only when Lu Huaiche snapped his fingers before them that they snapped back to reality.

“Che Ge, your sister is so adorable.”

Lu Huaiche nodded. “Of course, you should look at whose sister she is.”

An’an shrank her neck, looking up at Lu Huaiche.

Still just over two years old, suddenly facing so many strangers, she was naturally scared and instinctively sought the person who made her feel safe, leaning closer to him.

Feeling the little girl trembling in his arms, Lu Huaiche quickly spoke to soothe her.

“Are you okay, sweetie? Did they scare you? Brother will make them leave, alright?”

Seeing someone familiar, An’an instinctively hugged Lu Huaiche’s neck.

Lu Huaiche inwardly regretted having been too busy showing off his sister to these men, forgetting that she was still young and frightened by strangers.

The men exchanged glances, and one of them spoke on their behalf, “Che Ge, maybe we should leave first? You can spend some time familiarizing yourself with your sister.”

Lu Huaiche nodded. “Okay.”

“I’ll message you later.”

Once the room was empty, An’an finally slipped out of Lu Huaiche’s arms, her little face flushed as she lowered her head. “Brother, An’an didn’t mean it.”

Hearing this, Lu Huaiche was instantly overwhelmed with guilt and tenderness, as if drowning in them.

It was his fault to begin with, but the little girl, so sensible, took the blame upon herself, which made him all the more pained.

Holding her close, he rubbed his face against hers. “An’an, it’s not your fault. Brother was wrong. Brother should have talked to you first and gotten your permission before bringing you to meet them.”

“Brother shouldn’t have been so careless. Can An’an forgive brother?”

An’an looked up at Lu Huaiche, seeing he bore no resentment, and seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. Her eyes immediately misted with tears.

Suddenly encountering so many people had frightened her.

But because it was her brother, An’an could forgive him.

Her fingers instinctively twitched at her clothes as she met Lu Huaiche’s gaze.

“An’an can forgive brother, but…”