The single word “Daddy” froze everyone present.
Shen Yuan: Qiao Hailou has a daughter?!
Qiao Hailou: I don’t have a daughter!
Xiao Lin: …Who’s this grown-up?
Shen Yuan was the first to react, a sudden, inexplicable fury rising in him. He didn’t even notice anyone else around, eyes reddening as he blurted, “A daughter? What’s going on?!”
Qiao Hailou hurriedly denied it. “She’s calling me wrong—I don’t have a daughter. I’m not even married! How could I have a daughter?”
Shen Yuan’s temper flared further. “Not being married doesn’t mean you can’t have a kid! It wouldn’t be surprising for someone like you to father a child!”
He looked from the little girl in his arms to Qiao Hailou—eyes, nose, mouth—all so alike. The resemblance made him even angrier. Fuming, he held the girl up to Qiao Hailou and demanded, “I said she looks familiar—don’t deny it! How can you explain this?”
The little girl stared at Qiao Hailou, then giggled and, perfectly timed, said again in her childish voice, “Daddy.”
Together, they truly looked like a father and daughter.
“Listen!” Shen Yuan’s eyes blazed. “If she’s really not your daughter, why does she call you ‘Daddy’?”
Xiao Lin, already confused, was completely dumbfounded by their strange argument and the odd tones they’d used earlier.
It looked for all the world like a wife had just caught her husband with a secret child. But wasn’t Shen Yuan just an employee at this man’s company? Were they really that close?
Xiao Lin tugged on his brother’s sleeve. “Bro, what’s wrong?”
Shen Yuan realized his little brother was standing there and glanced at him, finally recognizing his outburst. Still, his anger hadn’t fully subsided. He took a deep breath, trying to calm down as others nearby started looking their way.
Now was definitely not the time to argue with Qiao Hailou. Shen Yuan felt annoyed with himself. Why had he just blanked out like that? He wasn’t usually so impulsive.
It would be monstrous if Qiao Hailou actually had a child and denied her. Shen Yuan hated fathers who abandoned their children more than anyone.
“I don’t know…” Qiao Hailou protested, finally scrutinizing the girl. Then he realized, “Oh… she’s my niece. Of course, she looks a bit like me—my second brother and I resemble each other. She must have mistaken me by accident.”
Shen Yuan froze, relief and surprise flooding through him. “Your niece?”
He wanted to believe Qiao Hailou but couldn’t completely trust him. “Really?”
Qiao Hailou handed the girl over. Holding her, he examined her and said, “She got startled and didn’t recognize me at first. This is my second brother’s daughter, An’an. The last time I saw her, she was a baby. I remember the mole next to her left eyebrow.”
Shen Yuan still couldn’t fully trust him. “Really? You’re not lying? If you had a secret daughter, you could just tell me.”
Xiao Lin glanced between the two, still confused—why was his brother angry? He didn’t understand any of it.
Qiao Hailou cast several glances at Xiao Lin, silently reminding Shen Yuan that his little brother was there. But Shen Yuan’s temper had blinded him. Smiling faintly, Qiao Hailou added, “I don’t have children. If an accident had happened, I’d take responsibility. Do you really think I’d deny my own kid?”
Shen Yuan pouted, frustrated, and asked, “Then what about your second brother and sister-in-law? Why didn’t they watch her properly? How could she run off without anyone noticing?”
Qiao Hailou paused, then said softly, “…Her parents died in a plane crash two years ago. She’s been living with her grandfather ever since.”
“I’m not lying. If you don’t believe me, ask your uncle. He was at my brother’s funeral too.”
Shen Yuan felt as if his chest had been struck. He went silent, all his anger dissipating, staring at the sweet, naïve little girl like a mirror of his younger self: fatherless, motherless, with no one to rely on, living with elders.
No one had noticed her running off.
He felt a sharp pang of empathy.
The girl nestled into Qiao Hailou’s arms, looking up at Shen Yuan with curious eyes, as if realizing he wasn’t her father. Qiao Hailou made a funny face, and the girl giggled.
Shen Yuan murmured, “You’re pretty good with kids, huh.”
Xiao Lin tugged on him again. “Bro, her parents are found. Let’s go back.”
Qiao Hailou said, “Okay, I’ll return her. You two can leave.”
Shen Yuan lingered, reluctant to leave, thinking of his own childhood. After a moment, he asked, “…What if she gets lost again? Who’ll bring her back next time if I’m not around?”
Qiao Hailou understood Shen Yuan’s past and his unease.
Xiao Lin didn’t understand why his brother was asking such a seemingly random question. It wasn’t their responsibility if a stranger’s child got lost.
Qiao Hailou, gentle but firm, said, “Then let’s make sure we return her together, okay?”
Shen Yuan wanted to agree but doubted his right to intervene. “Can we?”
Seeing his eyes, Qiao Hailou smiled slightly. “Of course.”
He handed the girl back to Shen Yuan. “You found her, so the credit’s yours. Her grandfather will thank you properly. You deserve it.”
Shen Yuan finally snapped out of his daze. Of course—by his scheming nature, if he rescued a lost Qiao family child, he’d claim the credit, not give it away. He hadn’t thought that far earlier.
The girl didn’t resist, climbing back onto his lap and wrapping her tiny arms around his neck with a sweet smile.
She was so light, almost weightless, her dress loose, her body so thin it seemed all bones. Shen Yuan inhaled deeply, holding her tightly, touched by her vulnerability and innocence.
He said to Xiao Lin, “You go back first. I’ll return her and come right back.”
A sudden pang of jealousy rose in Xiao Lin. Seeing the man called Qiao Hailou made him uneasy. He stuck close to Shen Yuan. “I’m coming with you.”
Qiao Hailou glanced at him. Xiao Lin frowned, their gazes briefly colliding like sparks.
Qiao Hailou, familiar with his own home, led them through the courtyard of the old family mansion, knowing exactly where the family might be resting. On the way, they bumped into Qiao Elder, frantically searching for his granddaughter.
The little girl shouted happily, “Grandpa!”
Qiao Elder’s face lit up. He rushed toward them, out of breath, first noticing Shen Yuan holding the girl. “Where have you been!”
Then he noticed Qiao Hailou and realized, “What are you doing here?”
Qiao Hailou smirked. “What do you mean ‘what am I doing here’? If I hadn’t found her, who knows what would’ve happened. Aren’t you going to say ‘thank you’?”
Qiao Elder, annoyed, ignored him and reached for Shen Yuan. “An’an, come here.”
Shen Yuan passed the girl over, watching as Qiao Elder hugged her tightly and thanked him and Xiao Lin sincerely. “Who are you boys?”
Shen Yuan spoke for both of them. “I’m Shen Yuan, adopted by Li Chen. This is my little brother, Xiao Lin.”
Qiao Elder nodded, smiling faintly. “Good, thank you both.”
He treated Qiao Hailou as invisible, never once looking at him, and carried the child away.
Shen Yuan lingered, watching the old man’s wobbly figure walking off with the girl.
He thought of his grandfather, who rarely held him. Only once, at six years old, when he was picked up from the police station, had he clung tremblingly to his grandfather’s shoulder, afraid to cry, yet tears slipped out anyway.
Even now, he remembered the fear vividly. Sitting on the tall chair at the police station, he hadn’t dared to get down, scared of falling or being scolded. Shadows flickered like monsters, and though people said he was pitiful, no one came to care for him.
The little girl rested on her grandfather’s shoulder. Seeing Shen Yuan watching, she smiled and pinched his hand.
Shen Yuan felt a tight pang in his chest—not just for the girl, but for his own lonely childhood.
Lost in memories, he spoke softly, “The child is safely with her grandfather. I’ll go back now—thank you, Uncle Qiao.”
Walking with Qiao Hailou again felt awkward.
Sensing his unusual sadness, Qiao Hailou hesitated. “No need to thank me.”
Shen Yuan said to his brother, “Let’s go back.”
They parted ways there.
Shen Yuan thought of the little girl and his own childhood, feeling listless.
Xiao Lin, silent, finally couldn’t hold back. “Bro… are you really close with that Qiao Hailou guy?”