Five years after my wife's death, she came back!

"Me...me?" Shi Ying stood awkwardly in front of him, holding the child, tilting her head slightly to look at him. "This isn't really appropriate..."

"Where's her mother? Let her come pick her up. I heard her calling for her mother just now."

"What did you say?" Shang Chenyan's expression changed drastically.

Shi Ying was startled by him and stammered, "Have her mother come pick her up, she probably misses her mother..."

Looking at Shang Nian, who was tightly hugging Shi Ying's neck, Shang Chenyan couldn't help but take a deep breath: "She can't speak."

Shi Ying was taken aback.

"Her mother...is not with us." Shang Chenyan looked at her, his eyes filled with a sorrow she couldn't decipher. "She's been gone for a long time."

Shi Ying quickly pinched herself to avoid showing too much shock.

With such a huge scandal, won't she get fired tomorrow for stepping into the company with her left foot first?

An awkward silence filled the air. Shi Ying remained silent for a moment before saying, "Then Mr. Shang, you should take her home. It's so late, I should go home too."

She handed Shang Nian back to the man, but before she could let go, Shang Nian let out a desperate sob and clung tightly to her with her small arms.

The girl's face turned red. Perhaps because she couldn't speak, she opened her mouth but no sound came out, and her big, obsidian-like eyes instantly filled with tears.

Shi Ying's heart melted at her gaze; she was just too adorable, like a porcelain doll.

"Shang Nian, let go." Shang Chenyan said in a deep voice.

Shang Nian ignored him and blinked her big eyes at Shi Ying.

The two, one big and one small, remained locked in a stalemate on the street.

The father and daughter are so good-looking that many passersby have been secretly taking photos with their phones.

"Mr. Shang, how about I give her a ride?" Shi Ying succumbed to her pitiful eyes.

When she said those words, Shang Chenyan felt his very soul tremble.

She was going home with him.

His heart was churning with madness, but his voice remained remarkably calm: "Thank you for your trouble. I will have Secretary Jiang count the time you've wasted as your overtime hours."

"Thank you, Mr. Shang!" Shi Ying was surprised that the boss was so understanding, and immediately smiled broadly.

She bounced the child in her arms around him: "Your name is Shang Nian?"

Shang Nian nodded, tears welling in her eyes and sliding down her cheeks with her movements, looking extremely pitiful.

Shi Ying quickly wiped her tears, saying, "Don't cry, don't cry. I'll take you home."

elder sister?

Shang Chenyan frowned.

He was very unhappy with the way he was addressed, as it made it seem like they were from different generations.

Soon, the driver pulled up and parked the car on the side of the road.

Shang Chenyan gentlemanly opened the car door, letting Shi Ying carry the child and get in first.

He raised his hand to shield her head. After getting off work, Shi Ying let her ponytail down, and a few small tufts of hair swayed in the wind, gently scratching his palm.

A tingling sensation instantly spread throughout his body, and Shang Chenyan's Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily.

After Shi Ying sat down, he closed the door, walked to the other side, and got into the car.

The car was a closed space, and the driver was very quiet; the only sound was Shang Nian sniffing.

Even after getting into the car, she clung to Shi Ying and wouldn't let go, snuggling into her arms.

"Shang Nian, sit down properly," Shang Chenyan said.

Shi Ying quickly smoothed things over, saying, "It's alright, it's alright, she's very light."

"How old is she this year?"

Five years old.

Shi Ying looked down at Shang Nian. She was already five years old, but she looked so small.

Shang Nian felt her gaze and looked up at her, her bright red nose still bubbling with snot.

Shi Ying took a tissue and wiped her face. She was a little curious as to why she couldn't speak. Shouldn't someone as rich as Shang Chenyan be searching the world for doctors to treat his daughter if she was sick?

The man beside her seemed to hear her thoughts and offered an explanation: "Her mother left shortly after giving birth to her. Niannian is physically fine, but she just doesn't want to speak."

Shi Ying frowned; that meant it was a psychological problem.

"Why did her mother leave?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Shang Chenyan's eyes darkened, like a bottomless, icy pool.

"I don't know." The man's voice was low and confused. "She suddenly didn't want me anymore."

The carriage was dark, and the afterglow of the setting sun shone through the window, illuminating his well-defined profile. He had deep-set eyes, a straight nose, and thin lips, yet he exuded a cold and aloof air that kept people at a distance.

How could someone like Shang Chenyan get dumped?

Shi Ying didn't dare to look any longer, wishing she could take out her phone right now and furiously type out 10,000 words; she was about to burst from all the gossip she was craving.

Half an hour later, the black Maybach drove onto a quiet tree-lined road, surrounded by greenery, far away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

"Mr. Shang, we've arrived."

After passing the central fountain, the Maybach stopped in front of a white-themed villa. Shi Ying opened the car door, and a neat and exquisite garden came into view.

Shi Ying carried Shang Nian out of the car, and the gate slowly opened.

She let out a soft "wow," for she had never seen a mansion before, whether in the real world or the virtual world.

"Come in." Shang Chenyan appeared behind her at some point and took Shang Nian from her arms. "You must be tired of carrying her. Come in and sit down."

Upon hearing the word "tired," Shang Nianxu obediently let go this time.

Shi Ying couldn't help but look left and right. In the dead of winter, there were still so many flowers in the garden, and they were all varieties she didn't recognize.

She was so engrossed in watching that she didn't notice Shang Chenyan walking alongside her.

The afterglow of the setting sun cast long shadows of the two people, and the three figures were pressed tightly together.

Upon entering the living room, Shi Ying was shocked once again.

The villa features high, arched ceilings, with lights shining through floor-to-ceiling windows and reflecting the setting sun. The spacious living room has a sunken design and is decorated simply yet in a way that avoids monotony.

Like the English manor she had seen in books.

Shang Nian obediently changed her shoes, then took Shi Ying's hand, trying to lead her inside.

Shi Ying turned to look at Shang Chenyan and saw him smile: "She wants to take you to your room."

This was the first time she had seen Shang Chenyan smile.

When he smiled, the coldness in his eyes dissipated considerably, and the small mole at the corner of his eye shimmered gently under the light.

"Shall I go up and take a look?"

Shang Chenyan nodded: "Go ahead."

Before Shi Ying could say anything more, Shang Nian dragged her upstairs.

Shang Nian's room is a typical princess room, with pink and tender colors everywhere, and filled with plush toys and dolls.

Shi Ying's eyes lit up the moment she saw it.

Nobody knew that she also liked princess rooms!

Shang Nian let go of her hand, ran to the windowsill, and pulled out a small sketchbook. Shi Ying leaned over to look: "What did Nian Nian draw?"

Shang Nian turned to a page and pointed to the top.

Shi Ying exclaimed in surprise, "A little rabbit? Niannian drew it so well!"

Shang Nian handed the picture book to her.

"For me?"

Shang Nian nodded.

Shi Ying took it and flipped through it. The drawings were all whimsical and imaginative. She forgot where she had seen it, but it said that autistic children usually have rich inner lives.

Shang Nian is perhaps like that; because he cannot speak, he expresses his thoughts through painting.

She closed the sketchbook and hugged it to her chest: "I have to take it home and keep it safe. This is the debut work of a young painter. When Nian Nian becomes a great painter in the future, this will be very precious."

Shang Nian shyly hid in her arms.