Si Nian walked out of the private room in a hurry and bumped into An An, who was about to enter.
He sensed something was wrong and tried to twist his body to dodge, but things happened too fast. He had already collided with An An, and the latter was a child.
He instinctively scooped up the child and spun in the air before landing.
An An experienced being flown through the air in Si Nian's arms.
Knowing that everyone in the room were his mother's friends, he wasn't scared. His eyes were filled with surprise.
Si Nian put him down and looked at the delicate, almost fragile child. A hint of impatience flashed in his eyes.
"Kid, are you alright?" he asked indifferently. "Be careful next time, don't stand by the door."
Despite his impatience, he gently set An An down and patiently gave him a reminder.
The weak were always troublesome.
An An, being very perceptive, sensed the disdain and impatience in Si Nian's eyes. He took a step back and simply said, "Thank you, Uncle."
The child was polite but not chatty, which made Si Nian look at him a second time.
Looking closer, An An seemed familiar.
But he couldn't place where he'd seen him before. Everyone he could remember around him was single.
"You're welcome." Si Nian dismissed the thought and was about to move on.
Suddenly, Huo Rou's surprised voice called out from behind, "An An?"
Si Nian turned his head to look at Huo Rou and asked, "Do you know him?"
Before Huo Rou could nod, An An excitedly ran forward and hugged Huo Rou's leg, his voice soft yet clear, "Mom!"
Although he hugged Huo Rou's leg, he secretly kept an eye on Si Nian. Seeing the surprise in Si Nian's eyes, An An relaxed.
He had felt that the uncle's tone had changed drastically, speaking so blandly to him but so gently to his mother.
Sensing something was amiss, An An decisively took the initiative.
Huo Rou felt An An's significantly increased affection and her heart melted. "Why are you here? Where's Dad?"
The surprise in Si Nian's eyes turned serious.
Dad?
"We're here to pick you up!" An An replied earnestly. As he spoke, Qin Ningyi also walked over from his seat.
His expression, however, was not good. "Giles..."
"I know." Huo Rou knew what he was going to say as soon as he opened his mouth. "I was just about to go with you to see. Will you take An An back first?"
She didn't know how Qin Ningyi found out, but being able to escape under such circumstances meant the situation was not optimistic.
This was also one of the reasons she wanted to go.
Qin Ningyi came over and stroked her head. "A Rou, you go, and I don't? Does that make sense?"
"Let's go."
He wasn't sure if Huo Rou knew the news, but seeing the three of them come out together, he understood.
Huo Rou still felt that the matter was a bit dangerous and didn't want Qin Ningyi to go.
Si Nian said indifferently, "We just got the news, and you know it too."
He looked at him meaningfully. "Qin Ningyi, you got this information too quickly."
Qin Ningyi ignored the barb in his words and quietly deflected, "It's alright."
The atmosphere between the two was subtle.
Zhao Wen's heart was filled with sweat.
Huo Rou, holding An An, seemed hesitant.
"An An needs to be sent home first, Ningyi, you..."
As soon as An An heard Huo Rou suggesting he be sent home, he quickly said, "Mom, An An wants to go too. An An won't be a bother! Don't leave An An home alone."
His eyes were full of longing.
Si Nian glanced at his watch. "Let's go. He's just a child, there's no one we can't protect."
He didn't want to waste any more time. Since he was Qin Ningyi's child, he was bound to go through some hardship.
After speaking, Si Nian scooped An An into his arms and walked out first.
Huo Rou, worried, chased after him.
"Huo Rou, don't tell me you don't even have the confidence to protect a child now." Si Nian's voice was somewhat cold, his tone completely different from before in the private room, as if he had returned to his strict training days. "A true warrior should have no attachments."
An An remained quiet in his arms. Since this uncle could let him come along, he would let him hold him for now.
But why was he being harsh to Mom?
"Uncle, please don't be mean to Mom, okay?" An An tried to reason with him. "An An can let you scold me."
"Heh." Si Nian didn't want to talk. What was there to say to a little brat?
He put An An in the car, his face grim, with no room for negotiation.