Chapter 185: Something Meaningful

Chapter 185: Chapter 185: Something Meaningful

"It’s just that Yanzi is very thoughtful, and she has nowhere to go at the moment, so I’m letting her stay at my place."

"Besides, with everything that’s happened to her family, I’m worried she might get overwhelmed and do something foolish."

For some reason, the more he spoke, the less confident he sounded, and the stranger the expression on Yin Ruxue’s face became.

"Perhaps,"

Yin Ruxue said with a chuckle.

"Oh, come on. Why are you laughing at me? Can’t you maintain that cold CEO persona of yours?"

Jiang Fan rolled his eyes and waved his hand dismissively, especially when he saw that smile of hers.

"That persona is just for other people. If I kept up that cold front with you, would you like it?"

"If you said you liked it, I suppose I could manage."

When she saw Jiang Fan actually start to ponder it, Yin Ruxue laughed even harder.

She couldn’t remember the last time she had been this relaxed or laughed so freely.

For so long, the weight of all kinds of pressure had made her increasingly aloof and cold.

In fact, this wasn’t her personality at all when she was growing up.

The two of them kept drinking tea and chatting, and before they knew it, a faint glow appeared in the eastern sky.

"Oh, look! It’s already dawn. Come on, let’s get to sleep. Mengmeng will probably be up in two or three hours."

"It’s a holiday today, and we have to take her out."

Jiang Fan and Yin Ruxue exchanged a look and hurried to the bedroom. They fell asleep almost instantly, only to be woken up by Mengmeng.

"Daddy, Mommy, the sun’s been up for ages! Why are you two still in bed?"

Mengmeng giggled.

Jiang Fan sat up in bed, yawning, while Yin Ruxue gently shifted out of his embrace and sat up beside him.

"I’m dead tired."

"You’re a big girl now, go wash up and get some breakfast."

"Just five more minutes."

With that, Jiang Fan lay back down.

"She’s still so young, how can you just send her off to wash up and eat by herself... There’s no way she’ll want to..."

But before she could even finish her sentence, Mengmeng nodded obediently, slipped on her shoes, and hopped off the bed.

"She’s not that little, really. There are plenty of things she can do on her own."

"It’s time to foster some independence. When I was a kid at the orphanage, I started brushing my own teeth, washing my face, and getting dressed by myself at four."

"At five, I started sleeping in my own bed."

"She’s a big girl now, but she’s still sleeping with us."

Jiang Fan mumbled groggily as he drifted back to sleep.

His words, however, left Yin Ruxue unable to fall back asleep.

"Don’t go back to sleep yet. I have an idea."

"Can we take Mengmeng to see your orphanage?"

"Huh?"

Jiang Fan shot upright.

"Weren’t we supposed to take her to the amusement park?"

"We can go to the amusement park anytime. I think you’re right. It’s time for her to see a different side of life."

"But... she’s been looking forward to the amusement park for so long. She won’t be happy if we suddenly change plans..."

"Let me handle it,"

Yin Ruxue said, full of confidence.

Half an hour later, the family of three was in the car, and Jiang Fan looked at her, completely speechless.

’So much for her confidence in the bedroom,’ he thought. ’In the end, I was the one who had to step in.’

"That trick always used to work. Who knew she’d be so hard to fool now that she’s older?"

Feeling Jiang Fan’s stare, Yin Ruxue, though embarrassed, stubbornly defended herself.

"Alright, alright, sit tight. We’re heading out."

Jiang Fan didn’t press the issue. He hit the gas and drove straight to the orphanage.

The sun wasn’t harsh and the breeze was just right. The children of the orphanage were all playing games on the large playground while Dean Grandma and Qian’Er sat in the distance, watching them with smiles.

Jiang Fan led Mengmeng by the hand and walked over with Yin Ruxue.

"Dean Grandma, Snot Girl."

Jiang Fan greeted them with a smile.

"Jiang Fan? Don’t you call me Snot Girl!! My name is Li Qian’Er!!"

Li Qian’Er was naturally thrilled to see Jiang Fan arrive, but when he uttered those two words, her happiness faded.

"Fan, and who is this beside you...? And this little girl..."

"Dean Grandma, this is Yin Ruxue. She’s my... she’s my..."

Jiang Fan scratched his head, unsure of how to introduce her for a moment.

Especially with Mengmeng right there, he couldn’t explain the situation clearly.

"Hello, Dean Grandma. Hello, Qian’Er. I’m Jiang Fan’s wife."

"You can just call me Xue. This is our daughter, Mengmeng."

"Huh??"

"Huh?"

Dean Grandma and Li Qian’Er wore identical expressions of shock.

"Um, I’ll explain later. Qian’Er, can you take Mengmeng to play with the other children first?"

"I’ll come find you in a bit."

Li Qian’Er swallowed hard and nodded instinctively.

"Mengmeng, would you like to go with Auntie over there and play with the other children?"

Jiang Fan crouched down and asked, stroking her little head.

"Okay, Mengmeng is a good girl."

After saying that, she took Li Qian’Er’s hand and skipped happily, blending into the big family of the orphanage.

Since the other children were around her age, she fit right in and started playing with them.

Meanwhile, Jiang Fan had to go to great lengths to explain the situation to Dean Grandma.

But even though he got the point across, it seemed as if Dean Grandma chose not to understand.

She held onto Yin Ruxue’s hand the whole time, looking at her as if she were her own granddaughter-in-law.

Her gaze was filled with nothing but satisfaction and approval.

It got to the point where even Yin Ruxue started to feel embarrassed.

"Um, Dean Grandma, I’m going to go check on Mengmeng. You two can keep talking."

With that, she beat a hasty retreat.

Sitting nearby, Li Qian’Er gave Jiang Fan a thumbs-up. "Jiang Fan, I’ve looked up to you since we were kids, and that hasn’t changed."

"To think you could land a CEO, and even have that kid willingly call you Daddy."

Li Qian’Er’s face was full of admiration.

"Oh, get outta here."

Jiang Fan rolled his eyes and flicked her hard on the forehead.

"Fan, that girl seems wonderful... Is there any chance for you two...?"

"Alright, alright, Grandma, let’s not talk about this right now."

"I’m hungry. When are we going to make some food?"

"Jiang Fan, that was a really clumsy change of subject."

Li Qian’Er hid behind Dean Grandma, peeking her head out and sticking out her tongue as she spoke.

"Grandma, you should ask him what he’s going to do about Jun!"