Shen Huaiyue and his wife, Chen Jiao, were carrying out an extremely dangerous undercover drug enforcement mission at the border at the time.  

Just before the incident, they had successfully executed their final operation, seizing hundreds of kilograms of opium and dismantling the drug cartel’s stronghold, achieving a major victory.  

However, they soon faced brutal retaliation from the remaining drug traffickers.  

Somehow, the traffickers had discovered the location of their safe house and stormed in with explosives, killing over a dozen narcotics officers on the spot.  

Then, they kidnapped Shen Huaiyue and Chen Jiao.  

Along with them, their young daughter, Shen Duzhou, was also taken.  

The couple had just completed their mission, and their superior, who had been secretly caring for their child, had arranged for them to reunite with her. No one could have anticipated that this would inadvertently plunge the child into danger as well.  

Upon receiving the news, the police and local armed forces immediately organized a rescue operation.  

By the time the rescuers found them in the traffickers’ hidden lair deep in the mountains, the scene was already engulfed in raging flames. The couple, severely injured, lay unconscious beneath the rubble.  

Yet, in their arms, they still tightly shielded a little girl in a white dress, covered in blood—Shen Duzhou.  

After the fire, all personnel involved in the operation tragically lost their lives.  

Shen Huaiyue and his wife were left in a vegetative state, hovering between life and death.  

The only survivor was three-year-old Shen Duzhou.  

Heartbroken, Shen’s elderly parents brought the child back to City B and raised her themselves.  

This year, Shen Duzhou reached the age to start elementary school. But with the elderly couple in poor health, having fallen ill several times, they could no longer manage her care. Yet they couldn’t trust just anyone with her.  

Shen Huaichuan then volunteered to take the child into the military base and raise her himself.  

Zhou Qiqi was a sensitive soul by nature—even watching Boonie Bears: The Big Shrink could move her to tears. After hearing this tragic story, she was already sobbing uncontrollably, her voice choked with emotion as she said,  

“So this little girl is your second brother and sister-in-law’s child?”  

Shen Huaichuan’s eyes flickered slightly, but he remained silent, as if still lost in memories.  

Zhou Qiqi turned her gaze out the window.  

Under the large tree, the little girl in the black dress still crouched quietly on the ground, motionless as a statue. She didn’t make a sound or fuss, her well-behaved demeanor heartbreaking to witness.  

This was clearly the behavior of a child who had suffered severe trauma.  

The sight reminded Zhou Qiqi involuntarily of when she was five years old.  

On the day her parents divorced, she had also sat alone under a big tree in her family’s courtyard, lost in thought.  

Inside the house, her parents had shouted and hurled accusations at each other, each refusing to take her. Their cruel words were like sharp knives, stabbing her young heart over and over.  

A wave of sorrow washed over her. She pushed Shen Huaichuan resentfully, her lips trembling as she tearfully scolded him,  

“Why didn’t you tell me earlier?!”  

“I thought you knew.”  

Shen Huaichuan sounded both helpless and speechless. He had explicitly asked Zhou Qiqi the night before whether she understood his family situation, and she had said she did.  

“Of course I didn’t know! You didn’t explain it clearly. If I’d known earlier…”  

Zhou Qiqi still blamed Shen Huaichuan entirely. Between sobs, she pounded his chest with her fists, venting her frustration.  

She had eaten well today and had plenty of energy to spare.  

But before she could finish her sentence, her small fists were caught in Shen Huaichuan’s large hand.  

Caught off guard, she stumbled forward a step. When she looked up, she met his deep, fathomless gaze, cold and dark as a still pool.  

“The marriage report has already been submitted. It’s too late for regrets. If you have any concerns, we can discuss them.”  

He added, “Zhouzhou is very well-behaved and quiet. I’ll take care of her. She won’t be much trouble for you.”  

One of the reasons Lin Yao had refused to marry him was because she didn’t want to take on the “burden” of raising Shen Duzhou.  

The distance between them was so close that they could almost hear each other’s heartbeats. Shen Huaichuan’s breathing was unsteady.  

Zhou Qiqi’s heart raced wildly, like a panicked deer darting in chaos.

She didn’t quite understand what this feeling was—only that it left her inexplicably flustered. Hurriedly, she pulled her hand free and averted her gaze from Shen Huaichuan’s intense stare, stumbling over her words in panic.  

“I… When did I say I regretted anything?”  

If the child had been Shen Huaichuan’s own, she might have hesitated. She might have even had second thoughts.  

But now that she knew the girl’s tragic past and saw how she was now, her heart ached with nothing but compassion.  

“What I meant was, if I’d known earlier, I would’ve told you to bring her home sooner!”  

At her words, Shen Huaichuan’s eyes gleamed like stars piercing through darkness, so bright it made Zhou Qiqi’s skin burn.  

She quickly changed the subject, planting her hands on her hips in mock indignation.  

“Speaking of the child—why hasn’t she been home these past two days?”  

“Don’t tell me you’ve been neglecting her?”  

“Of course not.”  

Shen Huaichuan shook his head lightly and walked to the bedside cabinet, pulling out a file folder. Inside was a medical report.  

“Mutism?”  

Zhou Qiqi fell silent as she read the diagnosis. Shen Huaichuan continued explaining.  

“When they found her in the fire back then, she managed to say her name—’Shen Duzhou’—to the rescuers before passing out. After she woke up, she never spoke another word.”  

The elderly Shens had taken her to every major hospital, but all tests showed her physical health was completely normal. The doctors had no viable treatment plan.  

After all, she was only three years old. Prescribing medication recklessly carried too much risk.  

As a last resort, the elderly couple turned to traditional Chinese medicine—acupuncture and moxibustion therapy.  

After Shen Duzhou came to the military housing area with Shen Huaichuan, they even found a retired military doctor, Old Zhang, to continue her treatment.  

Dr. Zhang, whom Shen Huaichuan had once saved, took her case very seriously. His home was near Haiziwan Elementary School.  

Whenever Shen Huaichuan went on missions, he would leave the child with them for care and treatment.  

“Each treatment requires five consecutive days of acupuncture. I pick her up on the sixth day.”  

Besides mutism, Zhouzhou also suffered from severe insomnia. She only slept better after moxibustion, so he never picked her up at night during treatment.  

He had left for his mission five days ago—today should have been the sixth day.  

But when he dropped her off this time, Dr. Zhang had to leave town for an errand, so the schedule was pushed back a day.  

They agreed he’d pick her up tomorrow instead.  

This man’s way of raising a child is so rough!

He could just leave her with someone else for days without a second thought.  

And from the tone of his voice, he didn’t even see anything wrong with it.  

Zhou Qiqi mentally scoffed, but outwardly, she just nodded and pressed on.  

“And Director Zhou…?”  

“When I’m busy, Director Zhou usually helps take care of Zhouzhou. If I don’t pick her up on time, she’s the one who does it.”  

Qiqi pursed her lips. “Well, I guess she’s not that bad, then.”  

Shen Huaichuan chuckled softly at her grumbling, pouting expression—like a child herself—and gently squeezed her shoulders in reassurance.  

“She’s all sharp tongue but soft heart. She overthinks things, gets stuck on rigid logic, but she doesn’t mean harm. She probably misunderstood something. I’ll talk to her.”  

Zhou Qiqi nodded and repeated, “Alright, but just so we’re clear—you’re the one taking care of the kid. Not me.”  

As a lifelong single, she had no clue how to raise a child. At most, she could cook enough to include the girl’s portion.  

“Okay.”  

Shen Huaichuan agreed.  

When they stepped outside, he gave a concise explanation of the situation.  

Zhou Qiqi hadn’t known about Shen Duzhou before, but now that she did, she was willing to accept her.  

Zhou Shuhua’s impression of Zhou Qiqi was far from favorable—she still suspected something was off—but she was fair-minded.  

She knew how to separate issues.  

Hearing Shen Huaichuan’s explanation, she realized her mistake. Her expression instantly turned awkward as she met Zhou Qiqi’s eyes and offered a straightforward apology.  

“I misunderstood. I’m sorry. I apologize for my attitude earlier.”