Hard work after winning the lottery

Zhou Yanjin squatted down.

This movement instantly brought his tall figure to the same level as the children.

"I didn't," he said, his voice unconsciously softening.

Erbao clearly didn't believe it. He stretched out his chubby little hand and pointed at the corner of Zhou Yanyan's mouth.

"You didn't even smile."

Zhou Yanjin fell silent.

For many years, he hadn't known how to laugh from the bottom of his heart.

At this moment, Erbao took out a piece of candy wrapped in candy wrapper from his pocket and handed it to Zhou Yanjin.

"Uncle, have some candy."

He said, "My mom says that if I eat a piece of candy when I'm unhappy, it will make me feel sweeter."

Looking at the candy that was still warm from being held in the child's palm, Zhou Yanjin felt a gentle touch on the softest part of her heart, as if something had gently bumped into it.

He reached out and took the candy.

His fingers, unintentionally, touched Erbao's warm and soft fingertips.

A strange, tingling warmth spread from my fingertips to my entire body in an instant.

Seeing this, Sanbao stuffed the toy car he had been holding into Zhou Yanjin's other hand.

"The toy car...for Uncle."

Thus, the Zhou family president, feared throughout the business world, was now squatting under the eaves of a farmhouse courtyard, holding a piece of fruit candy in one hand and a toy car in the other, surrounded by three adorable little dumplings.

The scene was strangely harmonious.

This scene was also witnessed by Hua Yun, who was not far away and pretending to hang clothes to dry.

Her movements froze instantly.

Under the sunlight, the man's tall figure squatted patiently, and the lines on his usually stern face seemed to soften considerably.

And her three babies were completely unsuspecting, surrounding him.

Da Bao was telling him stories about Ultraman, Er Bao was explaining to him what flavor the candy was, and San Bao was teaching him how to drive a toy car.

The scene was as heartwarming as a painting.

A painting she wouldn't even dare to dream of.

Hua Yun's heart felt as if it had been gripped tightly by an invisible hand.

A bittersweet feeling, panic, and a touch of emotion that even she herself was unwilling to admit...

A mix of complex emotions surged within her, threatening to overwhelm her.

Just then, Zhou Yanjin seemed to sense her gaze and slowly raised his head.

His gaze passed over the heads of the three children and precisely met her eyes in mid-air.

Those deep eyes no longer held the same aggressive scrutiny as they had the night before.

Instead, it carried a complex emotion that she couldn't understand.

It's as if it's saying: Look, what separates us isn't thousands of mountains and rivers, but just these few steps.

Hua Yun's heart skipped a beat.

It was as if all my pretense had been seen through.

She almost fled in panic, averting her gaze and turning to rush into the house.

"Mother!"

Si Tao's clear shout made her stop in her tracks as she tried to escape.

She saw Zhou Yanjin stand up.

He held Erbao's hand with one hand, and with the other hand, he actually picked up Sitao.

Da Bao followed him around like a little shadow.

And so, he walked towards her, step by step, with her three children in tow.

Those steady footsteps once again struck her tense nerves.

This time, however, he was no longer alone.

He exploited her most fatal weakness and launched the gentlest, yet most irresistible... all-out offensive against her.

Zhou Yanjin remained silent.

He simply and gently put the three treasures he was holding down.

Then, he handed the toy car that Sanbao had stuffed into his hand, along with the fruit candy that Erbao had warmed up, to Huayun.

His fingertips inevitably brushed against her palm.

Touch and then leave.

But it was as if an electric current had instantly surged through her limbs and bones, freezing her completely.

"Mom, Uncle said he's not unhappy."

Erbao tilted his little face up and said it like he was showing off a treasure.

"Uncle also drove the car very fast!"

Sanbao added, his little voice full of admiration.

Even the usually reserved Da Bao tugged at Hua Yun's sleeve and whispered, "Mom, Uncle will tell Ultraman stories."

The children's clear voices, like tiny hammers, pounded on Huayun's fragile defenses.

She looked at the children's faces, so full of unreserved affection and dependence, and then at the man in front of her.

My heart felt like it had been soaked in lemonade—sour, astringent, and throbbing with pain.

What could she say?

She couldn't say anything.

He could only squeeze out a few dry words from his throat.

"……Thanks."

These two words, as light as a feather, exhausted all her strength.

Zhou Yanjin gave her a deep look, his eyes seeming to say: We'll settle our score later.

He didn't press her any further. He turned around, walked back to the corridor, and sat down next to Zhou Yinchuan again.

It was as if the silent confrontation just now was just an illusion.

Hua Yun breathed a sigh of relief, but her body swayed as if she were exhausted.

She quickly squatted down, holding one child in each arm, and hugged the three children tightly in her arms, as if trying to draw warmth and strength from them.

This seemingly ordinary yet turbulent scene was completely witnessed by the two old men.

Hua Mutou saw his granddaughter's hard work and the children's innocence and cuteness.

But in the eyes of Zhou Yinchuan, a seasoned veteran, everything had changed.

His gaze was as sharp as a hawk's.

He watched as his grandson, who had always been indifferent to everything, unusually showed extraordinary patience towards the three children.

That wasn't just ordinary affection from an elder to a younger person.

Rather, it is a kind of... cautious, clumsy, wanting to get close yet afraid of disturbing.

Zhou Yanjin's gaze only fueled his suspicions.

When he looked at the three children, his cold features would unconsciously soften.

When he looked at Hua Yun, his gaze became incredibly complex, like a deep sea hiding too many unknown secrets.

This is definitely not normal.

Zhou Yinchuan picked up his teacup and took a sip of the scalding tea. The heat rushed into his stomach, but it couldn't suppress the growing cloud of doubt in his heart.

Afterwards, Hua Yun made an excuse to go help out at the sheepfold and practically fled.

Zhou Yanjin was busy with several project calls and went to a corner of the courtyard to handle official business.

As soon as the two young men left, the atmosphere in the courtyard immediately relaxed.

Zhou Yinchuan put down his teacup, looked at his old comrade-in-arms beside him, and began to speak as if it were a casual conversation.

"Old Hua."

"Hmm?" Hua Mutou was puffing on his pipe when he heard this and looked up.

"Yun'er has had a really tough time these past few years," Zhou Yinchuan sighed, his tone full of the感慨 of someone who's been through it all. "It must have been tough for her to come back alone with three children."

When his granddaughter was mentioned, a look of heartache appeared on Hua Mutou's face.

"That's right. When she first came back, she was so thin and small, it looked like she would fall over in the wind."

Following his lead, Zhou Yinchuan subtly steered the conversation toward the topic he most wanted to know.

"This child's father... is also a heartless person."