"Aunt Zhuang," Yun Ya sat down across from her, politely nodding and smiling.
Zhuang Xiyue looked at the delicate and pretty little girl sitting in front of her, whose noble and elegant aura was heartrending. How could such a good girl not be her own daughter?
Zhuang Xiyue once again felt a pang of regret in her heart.
If she couldn’t be her daughter, she could be coaxed into becoming her daughter-in-law. Gege liked her so much, and the two were only three months apart in age, which was no problem at all.
As for Yan Song, she had automatically dismissed him. This kid had loner tendencies; he bullied Yun Ya when they were kids, so how could he be tolerated when grown?
Yan Song: ...Is this really my mom?
With a small scheme in mind, she looked at Yun Ya with even more affection and gently asked, "Yun Ya, did you come by yourself?"
Yun Ya shook her head and pointed to a black sedan parked by the roadside, "The driver uncle drove me here."
Zhuang Xiyue saw a black Buick parked by the roadside and nodded inwardly. She wasn’t comfortable with Yun Ya going out alone and had wanted to send someone to pick her up, but Yun Ya had directly refused. Zhuang Xiyue didn’t want to attract the attention of the Yun Family, so she let it be.
"Yun Ya, what would you like to drink? Order anything you want, my treat," Zhuang Xiyue pushed the menu toward Yun Ya, then suddenly remembered that Yun Ya was only five years old. How many characters could she recognize? She had become muddled. For some reason, when facing Yun Ya, she always tended to forget her age.
Unexpectedly, Yun Ya took the menu seriously and began to look it over. Her long eyelashes fell like butterfly wings, and each slight tremor made Yan Song’s little heart beat faster.
Yun Ya pointed to the Cappuccino, "This one."
The shock in Zhuang Xiyue’s eyes flashed by as she stared into Yun Ya’s eyes, "Yun Ya, can you recognize all the words here?"
Yun Ya sweetly smiled, "Yes, Teacher Jiang even praised me for being smart. I learn everything once I’m taught." Her eyes were as innocent and pure as any five-year-old girl’s.
It was rumored that the Ji Family Little Princess was a child prodigy, and seeing her now, it was clear these claims were not unfounded; Yun Ya indeed possessed rare intelligence.
Yan Song had been sitting beside Zhuang Xiyue the whole time, occasionally looking out the window, occasionally glancing at Yun Ya, and behaving uncharacteristically well-behaved.
Yun Ya chose to ignore Yan Song and turned to Zhuang Xiyue, "May I know why Aunt Zhuang has asked to see me?"
Zhuang Xiyue looked into the little girl’s clear eyes and suddenly said, "Yun Ya, would you like to be my daughter?"
Yun Ya was taken aback.
She knew Aunt Zhuang liked her very much but hadn’t expected her to go so far as wanting to take her in as a goddaughter.
Zhuang Xiyue, holding Yun Ya’s slightly cool little hand, said with gentle eyes, "Yun Ya, Auntie will love you just like my own daughter. If you are willing, you will be the Yan Family’s little princess."
Ever since returning from Yun Shu’s banquet, this thought had been fermenting in her mind.
She had wanted to engage in a child betrothal, but there were too many uncertainties, and she feared that Yun Shen and Yun Shu of the Yun Family would cause trouble. Besides, Yan Ke was still young, and she didn’t want to bind him with a child betrothal. She was hoping for a relationship that would naturally develop from childhood friendship.
Thinking of the future, Zhuang Xiyue’s heart swelled with excitement she could barely contain.
Yan Song frowned. Did he want another sister?
If it was Ji Yunya, he could reluctantly accept it; she was certainly better than that fool, Yan Ke.
Seeing Yun Ya’s hesitation, Yan Song suddenly felt displeased. What? To become his sister required consideration? This spoiled brat, she truly didn’t know her place.
Yun Ya indeed hesitated. She knew what position the Yan Family would hold in Jiangzhou in a few years, and being the Yan Family’s goddaughter would bring her many benefits—at the very least, Yun Shen and Yun Shu would have to think twice before crossing her. For her own private interests, she wouldn’t refuse.
But looking at Zhuang Xiyue’s affectionate and expectant gaze, she suddenly felt a sense of guilt; from the very beginning, she was simply using her, exploiting a woman’s affection to achieve her own ends.
But what of it? Yun Ya said to herself, reciprocity is mutual; she would be a well-behaved and excellent daughter in return for her, just like Ji Lanyi had been. Her existence had long surpassed being simply a daughter, more like a commodity with a clear price tag. The better the daughter, the more proud the mother would be, a glory that no amount of money could buy.
Reassuring herself with these thoughts, Yun Ya softly said, "I’m willing."
Zhuang Xiyue was overjoyed, tightly grasping Yun Ya’s hand, "Good child, from now on you are Zhuang Xiyue’s daughter, and no one else can bully you. We’ll choose an auspicious day to announce it to the world, and let everyone know how beautiful and well-behaved my daughter is."
That palm was so warm; Yun Ya felt a stir in her heart and lowered her eyelashes.
The coffee was served, and Zhuang Xiyue wanted to add sugar to Yun Ya’s cup, "It’s not good for children to drink coffee, too bitter. It tastes much better with sugar."
Yun Ya let Zhuang Xiyue add two big spoonfuls of sugar to the coffee, "But Aunt Zhuang will only allow you to drink it this once. Coffee contains caffeine, which isn’t good for the body if consumed in excess, and too much sugar can lead to cavities."
Zhuang Xiyue went to the restroom, and before leaving, she instructed the two not to wander off, leaving just Yun Ya and Yan Song alone together.
Yan Song snorted disdainfully through his nose and looked sideways at Yun Ya, "You must be feeling quite smug right now, having stolen my mom and dad, and wanting to be my sister. But we’ll have to see if you’re up to the mark." He spoke with a look of disdain.
Yun Ya gently stirred her coffee, watching the whirlpools form, and lightly laughed, "Is Brother Yan scared now? But what to do, I’ve already agreed to Aunt Zhuang, so even if you don’t like me, you’ll have to put up with me for a lifetime."
Inevitably, their lives were once again intertwined, but Brother Yan, I hope you guard your heart well and don’t fall in love with me again.
Otherwise, you will be wounded all over again. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ NoveI-Fire.ɴet
No, this time, it would be beyond redemption.