The maidservant hurriedly followed with the gift box in hand, "Princess, please slow down!"
Huangfu Jue reached out and took Gan Tang’s small hand while lifting his left hand toward Gan Yuan, and as soon as she rested her arm on his, he turned to whisper to her.
"Don’t be nervous, just be yourself."
Gan Yuan smiled and nodded.
The two stepped into the hall to see a young girl in a light yellow dress descending the staircase.
At the age of blossoming beauty, she was of similar height to Gan Yuan but appeared even more slender, with a naturally rosy complexion that many women couldn’t achieve with all their makeup, and a pair of sparkling golden eyes that were clear and sprightly.
Although Huangfu Jue had mentioned his sister before, Gan Yuan could not help but be astonished at Chongchong’s beauty when she finally saw her in person—even as a woman herself.
The girl was... too beautiful, and moreover, it wasn’t just her beauty, she truly seemed like a fairy that had fallen to earth from heaven.
"To send me such a big bowl of dog food early in the morning, big brother, aren’t you overdoing it?" Chongchong teased, stopping in front of them and then reaching out her hand to Gan Yuan with a beaming smile, "Hello, sister."
With a simple "sister," she exhibited her intelligence and emotional intelligence.
Calling by name would be distant, calling sister-in-law would be inappropriate at this time, the title "sister" was both intimate and wouldn’t embarrass Gan Yuan.
"You’re even more beautiful than I imagined," Gan Yuan did not skimp on her praise.
Chongchong laughed generously, "To be complimented by such a beauty is an absolute honor. If it weren’t for the fact that he’s my brother, I wouldn’t mind being ’bent’ by you!"
With a single sentence, both girls burst into laughter.
Both were no ordinary individuals and of course, had enough experience in judging others; a brief exchange was all it took to see that they liked the same type in one another—not pretentious or overly delicate, but witty and measured.
Huangfu Jue looked at his sister with a mix of responsibility and helplessness, but Chongchong nonchalantly shrugged her shoulders and winked at Gan Yuan, "It’s okay, they don’t understand Chinese."
"Aunt Chongchong, what does ’bending’ mean?" At the side, the little one asked, looking up.
"SORRY!" Chongchong stuck out her tongue, "I forgot, we have this little underage Chinese-speaking guest here."
Crouching down in front of Gan Tang, she began with a smile,
"It seems I underestimated you, you’re more of a sweet talker like your Uncle Xiaoqi. Since you already know my name, there’s no need for introductions," she said, extending her hand solemnly to the young child, "Hello, Xiaotang."
The little one extended his small hand without shyness and shook hers.
Watching how he interacted with others, Chongchong’s appreciation for Gan Yuan grew.
These were the people, the child she had raised; being able to educate such a young kid to this extent was no simple feat—her brother’s choice was indeed excellent.
"So... would you like your aunt to take you on a tour?"
The little one immediately nodded.
"Then what are we waiting for!" She quickly grabbed his little hand, "We’ll excuse ourselves first, see you in a bit!"
"Princess, your gift."
The maidservant reminded from the side.
"Oh, I almost forgot," Chongchong lightly slapped her forehead, "I was too excited to see our little handsome guy."
She took the gift box from the maidservant and handed it to the young child with a smile.
"Even if you don’t like it, pretend that you do, otherwise, your aunt will be very unhappy, you know!"