Hard work after winning the lottery

Upon hearing this, Hua Yun's heart sank, almost leaping out of her throat.

What is he going to do?

Should he deny it?

In front of the child, how could you completely shatter the fragile hope she had painstakingly built up over the past few days?

A chilling panic gripped her instantly.

However, Zhou Yanjin's next words made the whole world explode in her ears.

He paused, speaking each word slowly and clearly, with an undeniable firmness.

His gaze swept over the three small faces, each with a different expression, and finally, he spoke, word by word, with unwavering conviction:

"Because, I am your father."

He paused for a moment, as if afraid the children wouldn't understand, and then added four more words, completely eliminating any ambiguity or speculation.

"My biological father."

Boom—!

These few words, though seemingly light and airy, possessed a power a thousand times greater than Si'an's earlier statement.

It was no longer a depth charge, but a real bomb, which was detonated in a small room.

Hua Yun's breath was instantly stolen.

She instinctively reached out a trembling hand and covered her mouth tightly to prevent the scream from escaping.

Her heart was pounding wildly in her chest, each beat striking her ribs and making her eardrums ring.

How could this be...?

Why would he choose this time...?

Is this a way of laying the cards on the children in a way that is almost cruel and direct?

She was completely unprepared.

How will the children cope with this sudden truth?

An eerie silence fell over the room.

The triplets reacted very differently.

The most lively Si Tao blinked her big, grape-like eyes, her little face filled with confusion and bewilderment.

His little brain seemed to be struggling to process the logical transition between the titles "Uncle Zhou" and "Dad," and for a moment, it completely crashed.

The eldest son, Si'an, had a flash of great shock in his precocious eyes, which was quickly replaced by a complex and indistinguishable emotion.

He pursed his lips tightly, remaining silent, but stared intently at Zhou Yanjin with his obsidian-like eyes, as if scrutinizing him or confirming his identity.

The one who reacts most directly is always Si Tao, whose mind is the most innocent.

He tilted his head, and in his clear eyes there was no shock or doubt, only the innocence and logic unique to children.

He looked at Zhou Yanjin and blurted out in a childish voice:

"dad?"

He first called out tentatively, and seeing Zhou Yanjin's gaze soften even more, he seemed to have confirmed something.

The little guy frowned slightly, as if he had encountered a huge problem, and continued to use his innocent logic to throw out a question that struck straight to the soul.

"You're our father? Did you go out and make a lot of money before?"

Zhou Yanjin's heart was struck by the soft, sweet voice of "Dad," and a wave of tender warmth was rising within her. But then, her youngest son's words were like a bucket of ice water poured over her head.

All that could be heard was Si Tao continuing in her clear, childlike voice, tinged with a hint of grievance, yet filled with pure curiosity, as she asked:

"Why have you been making money for so long without coming back to see us?"

"I don't even know what you look like!"

There wasn't much complaint in the little guy's tone.

A five-year-old child does not yet have a deep understanding of abandonment and resentment.

That was more like the purest form of incomprehension.

It's like asking why the sky is blue or why the sun shines—it's natural and spontaneous.

But it is precisely this pure innocence, this self-righteous questioning, that is most hurtful.

It was like a soft yet incredibly sharp knife, piercing Zhou Yanjin's heart with ease, without a trace of smoke or fire.

Then, without any mercy, it stirred violently.

Zhou Yanjin's body, which was squatting there, froze instantly.

He felt as if his heart was being gripped tightly by an invisible hand, the pain making it almost impossible for him to breathe.

A strong, uncontrollable sour feeling suddenly shot from my chest to the tip of my nose.

Before my eyes, my youngest son's innocent, slightly aggrieved face seemed to be starting to become blurry.

Make big money...

Yes, in a child's world, the only simple and understandable reason for a father's long absence from home is perhaps to make a lot of money.

But what can he do with all the money he earns?

Can we buy back those five years that were left blank?

Can it make up for the lack and longing children feel for the role of their father during countless days and nights?

No.

Nothing.

At this moment, the ruthless and invincible CEO of the Zhou Group, for the first time, crumbled before the innocent gaze of a five-year-old child.

He saw that after Si Tao finished asking her question, her clear eyes remained pure, without resentment or hatred, simply waiting for an answer.

He also saw Sile beside him, who had been silent the whole time, her little face also filled with the same confusion. Clearly, the question her younger brother had was the same one she wanted to ask.

What made his heart clench the most was his eldest son, Si'an.

From the moment he entered the room until now, apart from the initial shock, the child's face has remained expressionless.

He didn't ask questions as innocently as Si Tao, nor was he as clueless and bewildered as Sile.

He sat quietly on the mat, his dark eyes, so similar to his own, as calm as a deep pool, staring intently at him.

There was no ecstatic joy in those eyes like a child seeing their long-lost father.

No.

Not a single bit.

There was something there, but it was a scrutiny that was completely out of place for someone five years old, a calm vigilance that bordered on indifference, and... a faint, well-hidden distance.

It was as if Zhou Yanjin was not a father who had been lost and found, but a strange intruder who needed to be rigorously evaluated and was full of uncertainty.

Zhou Yanjin's heart was stung again by that gaze.

He forcibly suppressed the turbulent emotions surging in his chest, forcing himself to temporarily bury the guilt and bitterness that threatened to overwhelm him deep in his heart.

He took a deep breath and refocused his gaze on his youngest son, Sitao's, inquisitive face, every pore of which seemed to be trying to release tenderness and apology.

His voice, due to his extreme restraint, had a barely perceptible hoarseness.

"I'm sorry, Tao Tao."

He spoke those three words with utmost solemnity, as if swearing an oath to a god.

"Dad...Dad didn't know you existed before."

These words were like a belated key, finally unlocking the biggest mystery in the children's hearts.

Looking at Si Tao's seemingly understanding but not quite, Zhou Yanjin felt an overwhelming pang of heartache. He continued to explain in the simplest and most straightforward language.

"It's Dad's fault. Dad missed so much time and didn't get to be there for you as you grew up."

He dared not speak in too complicated a way, for fear that the children would not understand, and also for fear that he would lose control of his emotions.

"Dad didn't intentionally go off to make a lot of money and never come back..."

His voice grew softer and softer, carrying a profound sense of powerlessness.