It was already evening when Su Yuze carried Su Rou back home. As he stepped through the main gate of the Su family mansion, all eyes in the family were on him. Old Master Su Rongqi was sitting upright on the sofa. He glanced at Su Yuze and the little bundle in his arms, then his steady voice rang out, "Xiaozhe, where have you been today?"
On either side of Old Master Su sat his eldest son, Su Kaiming, and his wife, Liu Rulan. They merely gave Su Yuze a cursory glance and showed no particular expression, but there was a glint of anticipation in Liu Rulan's eyes as if she was looking forward to some drama.
"You know, Grandpa." Su Yuze was a bit resentful towards Su Rongqi, so his tone wasn't very polite.
"Xiaozhe, how are you talking to your grandpa?" Liu Rulan pretended to be angry as she scolded Su Yuze. In fact, she was secretly hoping that the old master would start to dislike this brat. In the Su family, Old Master Su doted on this parentless kid, Su Yuze, the most. If things continued like this, this kid might very well become the future head of the Su family. That simply wouldn't do. She had to make sure her own son would be the head of the Su family!
Su Rongqi waved his hand to stop Liu Rulan from going on. His sharp eyes fell on the little one in Su Yuze's arms. "Is this Nuan Nuan's child?"
Su Yuze nodded. Involuntarily, he tightened his hold on the little bundle in his arms. He looked at Su Rongqi warily. Aunt Nuan was already gone. This child was the one Aunt Nuan had told him to take good care of, so he wouldn't let little Su Rou get hurt, even if... she wasn't a real member of the Su family!
Su Rongqi watched as Su Yuze protected the little one in his arms like a mother hen. A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. He quickly masked his emotions and then said to Su Yuze, "Xiaozhe, bring the child over here and let me have a look."
Hesitation flashed in Su Yuze's eyes. His gaze towards Su Rongqi was full of wariness. Su Kaiming looked at this precocious kid, who was also his sister's son, with amusement and said, "Xiaozhe, your grandpa isn't going to eat the child." After all, this was still a descendant of the Su family. No matter how stubborn the old master was, he wouldn't pick on a child.
"Humph!" Su Rongqi let out a cold snort.
After hesitating for a while, Su Yuze walked up to Su Rongqi with little Su Rou in his arms. He handed the pink little baby to him, muttering constantly, "Be careful, be careful."
"You're just a kid but act like an old man. Does your grandpa not know how to hold a child?"
"Okay..." Su Yuze finally handed little Su Rou to Su Rongqi with confidence.
"Hey, this child looks quite like you, Xiaozhe. There's a tear mole at the corner of her eye. She's really adorable." Su Kaiming also leaned over to take a look. The more he looked, the cuter he found the child.
This time, Su Rongqi couldn't help but smile. While teasing little Su Rou, he casually asked, "Where's your Aunt Nuan?" What about that stubborn daughter of his, the one with the same bullheaded temper as him and her elder sister? Now that the child was born, she should calm down and come back home, right?
Hearing this, Su Kaiming also looked at Su Yuze, waiting for his answer. But Su Yuze fell silent. It was a while before he lowered his head and said, "The doctor said that Aunt Nuan wasn't in good health when she gave birth to my sister..." Su Yuze didn't understand such medical terms very well, so he could only explain it according to his own understanding.
Although Su Yuze's explanation was rather off - the - mark, Su Rongqi, Su Kaiming, and his wife all understood what he meant. Su Kaiming and his wife exchanged a look, then they both looked at Su Rongqi. They saw a flash of sadness quickly cross the old master's eyes. "That child..." She was really stubborn! He wasn't unaware of the kind of life Su Nuannuan had been living alone with the child outside, but... couldn't she just soften her attitude and admit her mistake? He let out a sigh. He would go to the hospital later to "fetch" Su Nuannuan back. He'd just assume she had admitted her mistake.
"Since she's Nuan Nuan's child, then she's a member of the Su family." With these words from Su Rongqi, it meant he had accepted little Su Rou into the Su family.
Liu Rulan interjected at the right moment, "A prosperous family brings good fortune. Let's give this child a name."
"Yeah, that's right..."
Su Rongqi was about to think of a name for little Su Rou when he was interrupted by Su Yuze. "Grandpa, her name is Su Rou. It was the name Aunt Nuan gave her."
"Su Rou..." Su Rongqi looked at the little Su Rou in his arms. "A name given by Nuan Nuan?" Looking at Su Rou who was sleeping quietly in his arms, neither crying nor making a fuss, he thought this name suited her perfectly. Gentle and charming, he just hoped... her temper wouldn't be like her mother's.
"Yeah." Su Yuze nodded.
"Alright, then her name will be Su Rou. I'll hire a nanny to take care of her tomorrow." Su Rongqi lovingly stroked little Su Rou's cheek. "From now on, Meimei will have a companion."
"Yes, yes. They'll become good friends." Liu Rulan put on a proper smile. Meimei was her own daughter. She was three years old this year and the only little princess in the family. Now that there was another little girl coming, she was afraid that the arrogant Meimei wouldn't like little Su Rou.
Su Yuze showed his first smile of the day. "Thank you, Grandpa."
"It's really not easy to get you to say thank you." Su Rongqi also laughed. He had always doted on this Su Yuze.
Su Yuze just smiled but said nothing. He simply took little Su Rou back. "I'm going back to the room with my sister to rest." When he carried little Su Rou back to the room, Su Yuze locked the door. In the dark room, he took off the mask of strength he had put on during the day. Tears rolled down from the corners of his eyes. No matter how hard he tried to act strong, he was still just a seven - year - old kid. How could he not be sad when the person he was closest to had left him?
"Ahh..." Maybe she was woken up by her brother's tears. Little Su Rou opened her big black eyes. Her little hand reached out as if she had discovered something rare. Her fingertips touched Su Yuze's tears. It looked as if she was wiping his tears.
Su Yuze placed Su Rou on the soft big bed. "Xiaorourou, I'll take care of you from now on."
"Hehe..." Maybe she understood. Little Su Rou actually smiled contentedly.