If he didn’t stand by Luo Shuyan’s side, who would? If he himself were to praise the aunty for such deceitful acts, who else would stand up for Shuyan?

Luo Shuyan noticed that the atmosphere was tense. She instinctively stood in front of Shen Yan and covered his mouth with her hands. She explained where he was coming from, “Aunty Shen, Shen Yan didn’t mean to be impolite. A character in a cartoon we were watching said something like that. Please don’t blame him, he’s merely…”

He was worried that if everyone liked Aunty Qin and if Shuyan’s father got together with her, everyone would think that Luo Shuyan was the problem if the aunty were to mistreat her.

Shen Yan was a sensitive child, and since she was in a similar position as him, he was willing to look out for her.

To be fair, Shen Qingruo knew where her son was coming from. However, her son was young and passionate, whereas she’d already gone through the difficulties of the real world. She believed that they should maintain a respectful distance from others; who were they to judge the Luo family?

Luo Tianyuan smiled gently. He took the rubix cube from Shen Yan and carefully taught him how to play. After that, he said, “Shuyan and Shen Yan are smart children. I only knew this saying in junior high, you’re way smarter than me. How about this, to celebrate your increase in vocabulary, shall we have steak at the steakhouse tomorrow?”

……

…………

By the time the children were done with their homework, Luo Tianyuan had to go out for a while. So, Shen Qingruo took the opportunity and used taking out the trash as an excuse. She wholeheartedly apologized, “Tianyuan, please don’t take what Shen Yan said to heart. He was merely worried that Miss Qin wasn’t being genuinely nice to Shuyan. Don’t worry, I’ll lecture him properly later, my child really lacks politeness.”

Luo Tianyuan took out his car keys and thought for a moment. He smiled and said, “No need, Shen Yan is a boy with few words. If you were to scold him, what should we do if he becomes even more quiet? Plus, who knows, maybe children are better at reading adults than we are.”

Shen Qingruo was shocked. “What do you mean?”

Luo Tianyuan didn’t answer her question. Instead, he said, “Yutong and I are university mates. We used to be close, but she has some misunderstanding with me due to Shuyan’s birth mother. I’ve explained myself to her, but I’m not sure if it really registered in her mind. Anyhow, I don’t think we are suited for each other.”

Shen Qingruo could read between the lines. Luo Tianyuan and Miss Qin used to be a thing, but they fell apart in the end.

Luo Tianyuan kept things simple, but his message was clear. Since they didn’t manage to get together in the past, there was no way it would work out now.

“Is that so?” Shen Qingruo smiled and said, “Little Yan cherishes Shuyan a bit too much. He doesn’t have many friends, and he doesn’t have other childhood friends. Ever since we moved to this city, he’s become a lot more outgoing than before. He just doesn’t know how to express himself properly. He definitely cares about your daughter, to him, Shuyan is his only friend.”

“Mn.” Luo Tianyuan agreed. “It’s the same for Shuyan. She’s a smart kid, and she can socialize well with anyone. Yet, to be honest, she doesn’t have many friends she can confide with. Hence, I did have ulterior motives when I sold that apartment to you. Since I’m always busy with work, I hope that you and Shenyan can be with her. I feel much better with you all around.”

Meanwhile, Luo Shuyan was observing Shen Yan while she pretended to be studying.

He was a child prodigy, and did very well academically. He was also a diligent learner and great in all things he did. With that, will he cry in secret after being scolded by his mother?

She rested her arms and head on the table and sneakily looked at him.

Shen Yan suddenly looked up. There weren’t any noticeable emotions on his face, and he didn’t seem sad either.

“Have you finished your homework?”

“Ah.” Luo Shuyan exclaimed, “I still have one question to finish.”

“So, why are you looking at me instead of doing your homework? Are the answers written on my face?” Shen Yan impatiently said.

“Hehe.” Luo Shuyan laughed and took out a piece of chocolate and passed it to him. “Should I not have been happy about the new coat?”

But, it was her father who brought the coat back for her. She didn’t know what her father’s relationship was with Aunty Qin, so as a polite child, she figured that she should wear it since her father accepted it from Aunty Qin in the first place.

Shen Yan didn’t want to answer her question.

He’d met quite a few people who treated him well but had a negative change in attitude when his mother wasn’t around.

For example, when they used to live in the capital city, one of his teachers liked his mother. He would always find reasons to flirt with his mother, and he frequently bought toys for Shen Yan as well. He seemed to like him very much, or so Shen Yan thought.

However, one time, his neighbors happened to call his mother over to their place momentarily and he was left with the man. Shen Yan was thirsty but he couldn’t reach for the water, so he went to the teacher for help.

The teacher looked very annoyed. Though, he must have thought that since Shen Yan was very young, he wouldn’t be able to remember anything. However, not only did Shen Yan remember the annoyance in the man’s face, he could also remember the hatred he showed.

Why does he hate him? He didn’t do anything wrong.

Everyone said that the teacher was a good man, and that he was kind towards Shen Yan. Thus, his neighbors encouraged his mother to marry the man.

However, not long after, they moved to Ning City.

He felt very happy and he wasn’t sure why.

He understood where Luo Shuyan was coming from. No one would like a child that their significant other had with someone else; people who liked his mother and people who liked Uncle Luo would hope that him and Luo Shuyan didn’t exist. Yet, here they were.

He wasn’t sure what he wanted to do, but he knew that no matter what happened, even if Aunty Qin or Aunty Song were to become Shuyan’s stepmother, he would stand by her side if they were unkind towards her.

“Mn.”

When Luo Shuyan saw Shen Yan nodding, she thought about it and said, “Alright, I won’t wear it again.”

Shen Yan begrudgingly said, “Whatever, wear it if you want.”

Luo Shuyan wasn’t a calculative person, but he was.

He would look out for her.

——————–