Because I Cannot Hurt You

Because of you, I realized the error I was going to make, Xinyi thought. If I hadn't held you at that time, Siying wouldn't be here today.

She smiled at Jun. "It's a little hard to explain. But just know that I am really grateful to you. I am really glad that I got to meet you."

The corner of her eyes stung in tears and she pinched his cheeks. Jun touched his chin. "Strange. But if you say so, I will take the credit."

She laughed. "You have grown so big already."

"Of course. I am four years after all."

She ruffled. "Thank you for helping Siying. You came at the right time like an angel."

Jun smiled in pride but tried to be modest. "It's nothing. It was my responsibility as the older one among us."

Jian and Nian looked at him, stupefied.

What had taken over our brother? Why is he acting such a charmer?

Yunru laughed and ruffled Siying's head. "You scared your Uncle there, buddy." 

Siying lowered his head. "Sorry, Uncle."

"Good boy. You promise not to leave like that again, right?"

Caihong pulled his ear too and glared at him.

"Owwie!" Siying painfully rubbed his ear. "I am not so kind-hearted like Xinyi. So I will definitely scold you. Don't ever run away like that again!"

He nodded hard. "Siying promise not to go."

Xinyi softly smiled and wiped her tears.

Yunru glanced at Xinyi and shook his head. "Oof sis. Siying is fine. You can stop crying now."

Xinyi pursed her lips and hit him.

From a corner, Xiaosi was watching all the drama and looked at them in disdain. His gaze fell on Nana and he narrowed his eyes.

Zhiyuan was a little confused by the sudden change in her behavior when she hugged Jun. But then he thought that it must be because of Siying. Jun saved Siying after all and the fear of losing him was real.

Nana sighed and said, "I didn't know that Siying is Han Xinyi's son. I would have already called her much had I known."

Zhiyuan blinked his eyes. "Again? Have you met each other before?"

Nana beamed. "Oh yes! We did meet before. It was almost four years ago. At that time, I had just given birth to my third son, Jun. Actually, Jun is ten months older than Siying."

So that means Xinyi met her when she was pregnant…

"I see."

"Yes. I think she should be pregnant around that time, considering Jun and Siying's ages."

He nodded.

Nana glanced at Xinyi and smiled. "I am glad. She looks really happy now."

"Happy now? I don't understand."

"I mean at that time, she seemed really sad for some reason. When we met, it felt to me as if something was weighing on her mind. She looked anxious and distressed, but after we talked a bit, she seemed much better. But at that time, she was concerned and worried about something."

Zhiyuan was taken aback by this. This was something he didn't know. 

"Hehe at that time Jun was a baby but I clearly remember that he was attached to her just like today," she chuckled. "She got so emotional that she cried. It is understandable though. Holding a small baby in your arms is a special feeling."

Zhiyuan smiled. "I have to agree. I felt just the same when I held Siying for the first time."

But somewhere in his heart, it bugged him to know that Xinyi seemed distressed according to Nana. 

What was she thinking? Why was she sad?

He stared at Xinyi with questions swirling in his mind.

"Why are you standing so close to my wife?"

He was startled as a cold voice suddenly snapped him out of his thoughts. He turned and blinked his eyes.

"Liu Jinhai."

Nana brightened. "Jinhai! Nuo!"

Jinhai threateningly narrowed his eyes while carrying his daughter, little Nuo, in his arms. Nuo chirped seeing her mother. "Mama!"

She flailed her hands towards her and Nana happily picked her. Jinhai's gaze turned gentle as he saw Nana and he warmly smiled. "En."

Then it turned as icy as the Arctic as he faced Zhiyuan. His brow twitched in annoyance as he saw the distance between Nana and Zhiyuan. "Stand closer to your wife, not mine."

Zhiyuan looked at him speechlessly. "What? Isn't this just normal?"

Nana was stupefied. "Jinhai!"

She coughed and quickly said, "Just ignore him."

Jian and Nian jumped to their father's side. "Dada!!"

He glanced at them and simply hummed, making them grimace. "Not fair! You dotingly held Nuo in your arms and you didn't even say hello to us!"

Jinhai cruelly said without an ounce of emotion. "You are not my daughters. If you could change your gender, I will surely hold you in my arms too."

"..."

"..."

Jun walked up to his father and seriously said, "Dad. The guards would have told you about my heroic deeds today of saving an innocent child from getting kidnapped."

Jinhai raised his brow. "Your point?"

"I deserve a prize."

"What do you want?"

"The new PlayStation," he pushed his spectacles up.

Nian was stunned. "You bookworm want a PlayStation?"

"Playing is also a form of learning."

Jinhai calmly said, "If I may point out, the guards beat up the men, not you. They did the actual work of disarming them."

Jun's mouth twitched. There goes my chance to butter up!

"But you were alert and fearless, so I will grant it this time."

Jun's eyes glinted in happiness and he smirked. "Thanks, Dad."

Jian and Nian whined. "We want it too!"

"Become my daughters first."

"Gender is not in our control!" They exclaimed.

"Well then. Bad luck."

!!!

Unfair. This world is utterly unfair, they sobbed.

Xinyi smiled. "I see. So she is your daughter."

Nana nodded. "Yes! She is our only daughter, Liu Nuo. She is two years old."

Xinyi waved her hand in front of her and smiled. "Hello."

Nuo brightly smiled. "Hello!"

Xinyi said, "She really resembles you so much, especially her brown eyes."

Nana sheepishly smiled. Nuo's gaze fell upon Siying and she curiously blinked her eyes. She flailed her body. "Down."

"Okay."

Nuo eagerly trotted to his side and hopped in excitement. "New fweind! Me Nuo!"

At first, Siying hid behind Xinyi, feeling shy. Xinyi smiled. "You don't have to feel shy, Siying."

Siying pursed his lips and came out, still holding onto Xinyi's leg. "I am Siying."

"Be Nuo's fweind?" She brought her hand forward.

Jinhai's gaze darkened.

Siying shyly smiled and raised his hand to shake hers, but Nuo was suddenly pulled behind. Nana fumed. "Jinhai! What are you doing?"

"No need to shake his hand," he coldly said.

Nuo pursed her lips in disappointment. "Nuo be fweind with Siying."

He smiled. "You don't need to be friends with him."

Zhiyuan was dumbfounded.

"What do you mean by that?"

Nana lacked tears to shed. 

Here comes the overprotective father.

Nuo heavily furrowed her brows. "Fweind with Siying. Siying is cute! Like a pwince! Me his pwincess!"

The temperature suddenly dropped to below freezing point. The thought of his precious being someone's princess made his blood curl in anger. He glared at Siying. "Stay away from her!"

Nana was exasperated.

Siying blinked his eyes in confusion. "You talk like Uncle Liang. Uncle Liang scolds Siying always when I play with Leina."

Zhiyuan almost burst into laughter, but he somehow controlled it. Xinyi nudged him and glared at him.

Don't laugh!

Jinhai's face darkened even further. Zhiyuan cleared his throat and said, "Liu Jinhai. We thanked your wife already. But Xinyi and I would like to thank you again for helping Siying."

Jinhai shot a deadly glare at him and he gritted his teeth. "If you want to thank me, then take your son out of here."

"..."

How overprotective can one father be? They are just kids after all.

But Zhiyuan got his answer right after that.

Jun stepped up towards Xinyi and asked, "By the way, do you have a daughter?"

Xinyi blinked her eyes. "No. Only one son. Siying."

"Tch," he openly clicked his tongue.

She coughed. "A-any problem, dear?"

"Indeed. But it will only resolve when you give birth to a daughter. So when you do, don't forget to call me. I will leave my number with you."

"Huh?" Xinyi and Zhiyuan were stunned. Xinyi curiously asked, "Why do you want me to call you?"

"Isn't it obvious? I will claim her as my wife."

Nana choked up in her throat and she coughed hard. Jinhai raised his brow and nodded in appreciation.

Xinyi widened her eyes and Zhiyuan looked at him, stunned. He stared at Jun until his eyes began to sting. Yunru laughed hard while Caihong couldn't help but chuckle too.

Xinyi felt at a loss of words. But Zhiyuan wasn't. His jaw clenched in irritation. "Excuse me?"

Jun raised his head and looked at Zhiyuan. "Yes, future father-in-law? Any concerns?"

Zhiyuan marveled at this child's audacity.

Father-in-law!?

"What did you just say?"

"Call me when your daughter is born. I will claim her as my wife."