Bo Qin’s smiling face suddenly turned cold, the smile gone, and his whole person looked somewhat frightening. Jian Dan hung her head low, "Uncle Qin, I’m not trying to pry into your affairs. If you don’t want to talk about it, then let’s not."
The young girl buried her head, her eyelashes trembling, looking pitifully adorable as Bo Qin sighed.
"Jianjian, look up at me."
Jian Dan quickly wiped away her tears and looked up. Her tearful eyes were clear and slightly misty, and the corners of her eyes were a bit red.
"Jianjian, do you think I would get married without telling you?"
Jian Dan shook her head; after all, it was his private matter. She had no right to ask so much, and it wasn’t certain that Bo Qin would tell her.
Seeing Jian Dan’s expression, what else could Bo Qin fail to understand? He sighed, put down the fork and spoon he was holding, and reached out to ruffle her hair, "You, why are you so honest?"
"Jianjian, let me tell you again, we are a family. I will take care of you until you get married, so even if I were to marry, I would introduce you to the person;
Besides, hearing such big news from others, does it count?
If it doesn’t count, then there’s no need to worry about it. Uncle Qin knows you’re afraid that I’ll stop looking after you, but Jianjian, you need to trust me."
Jian Dan raised her head, looking at him very earnestly, and nodded almost imperceptibly, "Mhm."
After comforting Jian Dan, Bo Qin sat back down to continue his breakfast. She had little appetite and ate sparingly. It was always this way; whenever there was something on her mind, she couldn’t eat.
It was a waste of Lin’s good cooking.
After a moment of silence, she asked Bo Qin, "Uncle Qin, can I bring my classmates here? On the weekends or some other time when you’re not around, it wouldn’t disturb your work. I’ve told them about how great Lin’s cooking is, and they’re all envious and want to come over and play."
"What of it?" Bo Qin didn’t think it was a big problem. He was often not at home, and it was good to have friends and classmates for company.
"If you want to have a get-together on the weekend, or bring friends over to play, that’s all fine. Uncle Qin doesn’t object to these things. But one thing, is it possible not to stay out late and come back at night?"
It’s dangerous for girls to be out too late, and he felt that his niece didn’t have the ability to protect herself and shouldn’t be playing outside alone for too long.
Jian Dan agreed without hesitation.
After eating, Bo Qin had to go to the company. His work schedule didn’t differentiate between weekends and weekdays, he was very busy, often traveling, and there was hardly time for a proper meal. From this, one could see his regard for Jian Dan; otherwise, he would not squeeze out time to be with her.
He also promised to have a meal with her every weekend.
The family elders knew about his adopted friend’s child, but they didn’t ask much. During the holidays, Bo Qin’s mother asked him to bring the young girl over for celebrations, but Bo Qin always declined.
That’s because Jian Dan went back to Huifeng City for the New Year’s, which was her home with her father, of course, he would arrange for someone to accompany her.
Jian Dan walked him to the door, "Uncle Qin, will you come back tomorrow?"
Bo Qin, with a folder in his hands and his suit jacket draped over his arm, stood in the entrance changing his shoes and replied, "Not tomorrow. I have to travel to Australia on business tonight. There’s an emergency there that I’ll probably have to take care of for a week. This week, you need to eat properly. I agreed to you visiting your classmates and also agreed to you inviting them over.
But you also have to keep the promise you made to Uncle Qin, and not go out playing by yourself, understood?"
Jian Dan nodded and watched him leave.
Secretary Zhou came to pick him up. After they drove away, Secretary Zhou saw Jian Dan still standing at the door and chuckled, "President Bo, Little Jian Dan seems very reluctant to let you go. Every time I come here to pick you up for a business trip, she stands at the door for a long time."
Bo Qin hadn’t noticed before, but upon hearing this, he turned to look and indeed saw Jian Dan still at the door. He couldn’t help but smile, "She’s the child I raised."
In other words, isn’t it normal for her to be reluctant to part with me?
Secretary Zhou just laughed, not saying a word. He wanted to say that their interaction didn’t seem like that of a niece and uncle at all.
But he dared not say it.
Zhao Linlin finding Jian Dan here was completely unexpected. She hadn’t imagined that the house next to her cousin’s was Jian Dan’s. She was planning on freeloading a meal at her cousin’s when she got off the car and saw a back figure that resembled Jian Dan; she hurriedly called out.