When He Qianshan saw the message, his eyebrows knitted together.
The car that had just come to a stop pulled out of the garage again. With one hand on the steering wheel, he typed a reply to Wu Pengpeng with the other: "Wait. I'll come and take you home right away."
His words were like an anchor in the sea, stabilizing Wu Pengpeng's panicked heart.
She mustn't lose her nerve now. She wasn't a real member of the Wu family. If there was even a slightest sign of something amiss, with the means of Wu You and Wu Xian, they could easily make her disappear without a trace.
Wu Pengpeng replied with a simple "Okay", put away her phone, and turned around with a smile.
Just then, Wu Junchen walked over. Seeing that her eyes were a bit red, he asked in a hushed voice, "Are you okay?"
Wu Pengpeng shook her head with a smile. "I'm fine."
Noticing that she didn't want to talk about it, Wu Junchen didn't press further. "It's like this for everyone when they first start taking care of a child. It'll get better gradually."
Wu Pengpeng knew he had misunderstood but just went along with his words. "Yeah, I know."
Wu Junyu looked at her with a pained expression for a while, then reached out and patted her on the shoulder. "You've had a hard time."
Actually, he hadn't been close to this younger sister before. She lost her parents at a young age, so the elders in the family doted on her extra.
She had been raised like a star surrounded by the moon and went abroad to study at a young age, keeping a distance from the family.
He had never thought of improving this relationship. But on her birthday night, when she looked up at him and said, "I'll give you whatever big brother likes", for the first time in his life, he felt that being a big brother to someone was actually a happy thing.
"You're still just a child!" Wu Junchen suddenly felt a pang in his heart, and his voice trembled a bit. "How can you be a mother?"
Although Wu Pengpeng wasn't sad because she suddenly became a mother, she was still touched by Wu Junchen's words.
While everyone's attention was on the child, only he noticed her panic as a new mother.
Wu Pengpeng felt a lump in her throat and suddenly had an urge to cry. She quickly lowered her head, not wanting him to see her weakness.
Wu Junchen ruffled her hair and said softly in a soothing tone like he was comforting a child, "It's okay. It'll get better gradually. If you feel tired, I can take care of the baby for a while."
"Thanks for your kindness, big brother, but it's not necessary." She couldn't entrust the baby to anyone.
Although Wu Junchen was very kind to her, she wasn't sure how much of his kindness was genuine.
Not knowing that she was on guard against him, Wu Junchen thought she just couldn't bear to part with the baby and didn't insist. "Tell big brother if you're tired."
Wu Pengpeng replied with a perfunctory smile and looked in the direction of the baby.
He was sitting between Wu You and Jiang Xinyu, sipping milk obediently.
Wu You's eyes seemed to be glued to the baby. He couldn't bear to take them off for a single second.
Seeing his reaction, Jiang Xinyu felt a bit displeased. She turned to Zhou Xiaowei beside her and joked, "Your second uncle likes Xinxin so much. He probably wishes the baby could change his surname to Wu!"
Zhou Xiaowei also liked this baby. She thought the way he was eating was so cute and was staring at him intently.
Hearing this, she replied casually, "No matter what his surname is, he's still Pengpeng's child and has the Wu family's blood in him!"
Although Zhou Xiaowei said this without thinking, it didn't sit well with Jiang Xinyu. It was like being slapped in the face in public. She felt ashamed and angry.
She only had Wu Junyu as her child, and he wasn't of the Wu family blood.
No matter how much Wu You valued him, he would never hand over the Wu family's business to him.
With Wu You's deep affection for that woman, even if she brought back a bastard from outside, he would still dote on it like a precious treasure.
Jiang Xinyu subconsciously glanced at her son sitting across from her. She saw a strange look flash across his eyes, but it was quickly hidden.
He was smiling as he looked at Yan Zixin across from him, as if he really liked him.
Jiang Xinyu looked away and turned to tease Yan Zixin. "Xinxin, look how much your second grandpa likes you. How about you change your surname and take your second grandpa's surname?"
The baby was still too young to understand such a narrow concept of clan. But he was a curious baby, so he asked, "What does it mean to change my surname?"
Jiang Xinyu said, "It means you won't be called Yan Zixin anymore. You'll be called Wu Zixin. How about that?"
The baby still didn't understand. "But why should I take my second grandpa's surname?"
Jiang Xinyu teased him again. "Because your second grandpa likes you. Does Xinxin like your second grandpa?"
The baby nodded and said in a milky voice, "I like him!"
As soon as the baby finished speaking, Jiang Xinyu saw a slight change in Wu You's expression.
Although to outsiders, his expression seemed the same as before, after more than twenty years of living together day and night, she could tell at a glance that Wu You was suppressing his smile.
Jiang Xinyu felt even more uncomfortable, but she didn't show it on her face. "So would Xinxin like to take your second grandpa's surname?"
The baby tilted his head and thought seriously for a long time. Then he asked in a difficult tone, "Can I be called He Zixin?"
Everyone was stunned. They didn't understand why he suddenly wanted to change his surname to "He". Only Wu Pengpeng understood what he meant.
She quickly stepped forward, picked up the baby from the sofa, and said, "You drank so much milk just now. You should go to the toilet now, or you'll wet your pants."
Although the baby didn't need to pee, since his mom thought he did, he was taken into the toilet and placed on the toilet seat.
The baby dangled his little legs and continued the topic. "Mommy, can I be called He Zixin?"
Wu Pengpeng lifted him off the toilet seat, pulled up his pants, and casually teased him. "Why do you want to be called He Zixin?"
The baby said matter - of - factly, "Because I like Uncle He!"
Wu Pengpeng felt like she had given birth to an ungrateful child. He would rather take someone else's surname than hers.
Then she thought that she didn't go through the pain of pregnancy and childbirth, so maybe she didn't have the right to complain.
So she said generously, "Sure. From now on, you'll be called He Zixin."
The baby happily spun around on the spot. Wu Pengpeng was amused by him. "Are you that happy?"
"I'm this happy." The baby stretched out his little arms to make a big circle. Then he asked again, "Mommy, when can we go home? I miss Uncle He."
"Right now." Wu Pengpeng squatted down to tidy up his clothes. "Uncle He is here to pick us up."
Hearing this, the baby happily jumped up and down twice.
Wu Pengpeng made a shushing gesture at him and whispered in his ear, "Don't tell others that Uncle He is here!"
The curious baby asked, "Why?"
Wu Pengpeng lowered her head and didn't say a word.
She didn't want He Qianshan to get involved in this mess. But she was really tired today and needed someone she could trust to give her the courage to go on.
And He Qianshan was exactly that person.
"Because they don't like Uncle He." She played on the weakness of adults and deliberately scared the child. "If you let it slip, they'll drive Uncle He away, and you'll never see him again."
The baby immediately covered his mouth with his two chubby hands and stared at her with round eyes to show that he would never say a word.
After coming out of the bathroom, Wu Pengpeng said that she wanted to take the baby home.
Wu You naturally didn't want them to go and insisted that they stay for a few days.
After the baby showed with every cell in his body that he didn't want to stay in the old mansion, Wu You reluctantly let them go.
It wasn't until the baby was safely in the car and the car drove out of the Wu family's gate that Wu Pengpeng's tense nerves finally relaxed. Suddenly, her whole body started to shake.
She bit the inside of her cheek, trying to force herself to calm down.
But somehow, the more she tried, the more she fell apart.
Just as her tears were about to fall, a warm hand covered hers and gently squeezed her palm.
He Qianshan's voice followed. "Don't be afraid."
Wu Pengpeng subconsciously turned her head, wanting to ask how he knew, but her throat was so sore that she couldn't make a sound.
He Qianshan stared straight ahead, his voice gentle and determined. "You can't remember some things now. It's natural to feel a bit panicked when facing your family's concern."
Wu Pengpeng lowered her head and didn't say a word. After a long time, as if she had given up resistance, she said dejectedly, "I'm so scared every time I go home. I'm scared they'll be kind to me, and I'm even more scared they won't."
She turned her head and gave a self - deprecating smile. "You won't understand this strange feeling."
He Qianshan's hand on the steering wheel stiffened slightly, and he gave a bitter smile in his heart.
Having grown up in such a family and survived so many hidden and open attacks, how could he not understand?
He looked at Wu Pengpeng's eyes in the rear - view mirror and said solemnly as if making a promise, "Don't worry. With me here, no one will ever hurt you again."