The man’s Chinese was somewhat awkward, and the initial ecstasy in his dark, heavy eyes had gradually faded, replaced by doubt and scrutiny.
He walked to the table, pulled out a drawer, and reached in to take out a photograph, placing it next to the newspaper in front of him.
In the photograph was a young girl, seated on a brand-new motorcycle, with a radiant smile on her face.
The girl seemed to be about seventeen or eighteen years old, her features bearing an uncanny resemblance to Gan Yuan in the newspaper, except that the girl in the photograph was much younger, her expression more defiant.
And the Gan Yuan in the newspaper had a much more calm and restrained temperament, her eyebrows slightly furrowed, as if harboring many concerns.
He extended his finger, carefully pinching the photograph on the table, his fingertip lightly caressing the face of the girl in the photograph, then his gaze shifted from the photograph to the newspaper.
Pressing his finger against the newspaper, the man’s lips trembled slightly.
"Gaia, is it really you?!"
On the other side of the world, it was already morning.
Gan Yuan and Gan Tang came downstairs together, entering the dining room, but there was no sign of Huangfu Jue.
Standing outside the dining room door was Will, "The Duke had to go out because of some matters. Both of you please have breakfast first, and a doctor will come by later to help you change your bandages."
Gan Yuan responded lightly, and Gan Tang looked up with her small face.
"Uncle Huangfu didn’t have breakfast before he left?"
After the kidnapping incident, the little guy had grown closer to Huangfu Jue, and upon hearing that he went out early, she immediately asked with concern.
"The Duke had breakfast already," Will answered with a smile.
The little one nodded her head in relief and followed Gan Yuan into the dining room. As they seated themselves, Will walked over and placed a small, delicate wooden box next to Gan Yuan.
"Miss Gan, this is something the Duke asked me to give you."
"I don’t want it!" Gan Yuan holding her milk cup, didn’t even glance aside, "Please keep it."
Will explained softly, "These are the keys to your previous house. If you need to get anything, we can send someone to pick it up anytime, everything is still there. If you don’t need them now, I can keep them for you."
Her hand holding the milk cup paused slightly, and Gan Yuan turned to look at the small wooden box on the table.
She had thought it would be a dress he was giving her, but it turned out to be the keys to her old residence.
"That’s great!" Across the table, Gan Tang’s face lit up with joy, "We can bring over my paintings, and the flowers that Mommy planted."
In the rush of leaving with her, the two of them had hardly brought anything with them. Gan Tang didn’t care about the rest, but those paintings were the fruits of his labor, works he had created stroke by stroke.
He had assumed those things had long been discarded by the landlord, so upon hearing from Will that everything was still there, he naturally became delighted.
Putting down her milk cup, Gan Tang stretched out his finger, pinching the small wooden box and placing it beside himself.
"If you really want to thank someone, you should thank the Duke. These are his orders; I’m merely executing them."
It was partly a reluctance to take credit and partly a subtle reminder to Gan Yuan.
Having served at Huangfu Jue’s side for five years, Will had never seen the man show favoritism toward any woman, let alone indulgence . But Miss Gan had never appreciated it, and Will couldn’t help feeling slightly aggrieved on the Duke’s behalf.