After returning home with the child, her ex-husband knelt down and gently coaxed her.

The funeral was held three days later on a sunny day.

The funerals for Li Chunfang and An Yucan were very simple. In the cemetery, Lu Xiyan, dressed in a solemn black suit, stood tall and held a black umbrella.

Under the umbrella, Anning held Li Chunfang's urn. The urn, including the ashes, weighed less than four or five pounds, but Anning felt so heavy that her hands ached and she could barely hold it.

Little An Xuan, dressed in black, stood next to her, holding An Yu Can's urn in his hands. He held it carefully with both hands, not daring to be negligent in the slightest.

He looked up and asked, "Mom, how did Uncle, who's so big, manage to hide in this little box?"

Anning stared at the handsome black-and-white photo of the boy on the tombstone. After a few seconds, she said in a hoarse voice, "Uncle fell asleep, so he shrank."

"Does falling asleep make you shrink?" Xiao Anxian looked at her own hand, then at Anning's. "Is Grandma asleep too?"

"Yes, Grandma is asleep too."

"Will Grandma and Uncle wake up again?" he asked in his childish voice. "Will Grandma take me to the amusement park again tomorrow?"

An Ning's eyes were red and her breathing was slightly heavy.

She blinked her long eyelashes, trying to make out the tombstone in front of her. "Grandma and Uncle will sleep for a very, very long time. They may not wake up until Xianxian grows up."

"Oh, I see..." The little one looked a bit disappointed, but didn't make a fuss. He said sensibly, "Then I'll be good and won't disturb Grandma and Uncle's sleep, so they can have sweet dreams."

An Ning gave a slight smile. "Xuanxuan is such a good girl."

Lu Xiyan looked down at the corners of her moist eyes, where tears were welling up. She clearly wanted to fall, but she held them back.

The staff were warming the grave, and little Anxian watched their movements intently, then couldn't help but ask, "Mommy, are Grandma and Uncle scared sleeping here?"

An Ning choked up, unable to speak.

Lu Xiyan met his clear and innocent eyes and explained gently, "No, your grandmother and your uncle live together. They will protect each other, so you won't be afraid."

"Grandma will protect Uncle, and Uncle will protect Grandma." Little Anxian looked at him with a smile. "Then, handsome uncle, you will protect Mom, right?"

"Yes." Lu Xiyan's gaze fell on An Ning, meeting her eyes. His gaze was gentle, as if he were answering An Xuan, or as if he were making a promise at the graves of Li Chunfang and An Yucan.

"I will protect your mother, and I will protect you."

"I'll protect Mommy too!" Little Anxian smiled brightly, "When I grow up, I'll help Mommy drive away all the bad guys!"

The ashes were laid to rest, and the funeral was concluded with three kneelings and nine kowtows.

Anning looked at the two black and white photos on the tombstone for a few long moments.

She looked up at the sunlight streaming down her face; it was August, yet the air was bitterly cold.

She asked Lu Xiyan to take An Xian home first, saying she wanted to stay here for a while.

Before leaving, Lu Xiyan reminded her with concern that he would come to pick her up and to call him if anything happened.

An Ning nodded obediently and gave him a slight smile.

Lu Xiyan turned around with An Xian in his hand, and after taking two steps, An Ning called softly from behind.

"Western banquet! Western banquet!"

When Lu Xiyan turned his head, the little guy next to him also turned his head sharply.

"Mom, is your name Xianxian?"

An Ning stood in the cemetery, but her gaze was fixed on Lu Xiyan, and she gave him a smile.

In the golden sunlight, her smile was pale yet beautiful.

Anning gently called his name, her eyes crinkling with laughter. Her gaze shifted downwards, landing on the small hand he was holding.

"Xianxian, be a good girl." She smiled gently. "Remember what Mommy said, be obedient."

The little one nodded emphatically, "Mommy, I'll be waiting for you at home."

Lu Xiyan looked at the little guy, then at An Ning.

After confirming that Anning wasn't talking to him, he gently instructed, "Wait here for me, I'll come pick you up in a bit."

Anning nodded, and only looked away when she saw the two figures, one big and one small, slowly walk out of the cemetery path and get into the black car in the distance.

As she lowered her eyes, tears fell.

......

The black car slowly drove forward and left the cemetery.

Lu Xiyan, sitting in the back seat, turned his head and asked, "Are you sure your mother just called you, and not me?"

"Mommy was calling me!" The little one tilted his head back, smiled, and revealed a row of tiny teeth. "She was calling for Xianxian."

"Xianxian?" Lu Xiyan frowned slightly. Why did he hear "Xiyan, Xiyan" instead of "Xianxian"?

At this moment, the driver couldn't help but laugh and chime in, "Second Young Master, this child's name, Chad, sounds a bit like yours."

Lu Xiyan asked, "You think so too?"

"Yes, the little one's name is Xian, Xian." The driver softened his tone. "Your name is Xi Yan. Saying Xi Yan twice, Xi Yan Xi Yan, isn't that just Xian Xian?"

The driver was talking cheerfully, but the man in the back seat suddenly frowned.

Western banquet.

String?

Just as he was pondering whether it was a coincidence, the little guy next to him suddenly sat up straight, as if he had discovered a new continent, "Handsome uncle, are you called west Yan?"

"What, didn't your mother tell you?" Lu Xiyan turned her head and smiled, reaching out to pinch his cheek. "After all this time, you don't even know my name?"

The little guy was even more shocked, "Your name is Lu Xiyan!"

"Yes." Lu Xiyan found it amusing. "My name is Lu Xiyan."

Suddenly, the little guy's eyebrows turned red, and he looked aggrieved. "Lu Xiyan! You're Lu Xiyan! You're the person my mom calls out for every day when she cries!"

"Wah—" He suddenly burst into tears, large tears rolling down his face, as if he had suffered a great injustice.

"You are my father! My father's name is Lu Xiyan!"

Just as Lu Xiyan was about to comfort him, his back suddenly stiffened, and his whole body stiffened as if he had been electrocuted.

"W-what, what, I'm your father?" The usually composed man suddenly stammered, looking at his crying child. "Who told you that? Did your mother tell you I'm your father? Don't you not know your father's name?"

"You're my dad! My dad's name is Lu Xiyan! You're my dad!" The child cried loudly, looking very pitiful.

He didn't know about the adults' problems; all he knew was that his mother cried out this name every night, and that name was his father!

In an instant, Lu Xiyan felt a panic he had never experienced before.

You can't believe everything a three-year-old says, but suddenly a strong thought popped into his head—he really is his father?

Just as he was racking his brains for ideas, the little guy cried out, "You're my dad! Mommy said we're going to celebrate Daddy's birthday!"

Suddenly, there was a "bang" in my head, and something snapped off.

Lu Xiyan's deep eyes suddenly stared at the child's beautiful, prominent features, which were covered in tears.

He gasped for breath, and countless fragments exploded in his mind, piecing together a scattered yet somewhat clear answer.

She said she wanted to give him a birthday present!

I'm allergic to shrimp! I don't eat egg yolks!

Even someone as dense as Jiang Yao unconsciously remarked that the child looked like him.

Western banquet! Western banquet!

String!

They've been separated for four years, and he's three years old!

Pregnancy... separate pregnancies!

Yes, she got pregnant right after they separated, that makes sense!

They all match!

In an instant, Lu Xiyan felt as if his heart was about to explode, and the blood in every capillary of his body was screaming and boiling!

"Turn around! Head to the cemetery!"