{Wouldn’t you like to come over for a hug? 2}

Qian Xu was truly uncertain about all this. She never inquired about Shen Qi’s whereabouts, and Shen Qi never reported to her. She knew they were “dating,” but most of the time they didn’t have the intimacy of a couple. After not seeing each other for a long time, they even felt a bit awkward when they met.

Two months ago, Shen Qi got his first funding from Silicon Valley, rumored to be in the nine digits.

At that time, Shen Qi deliberately contacted her once and gave her and the children a sum of money. The amount was not too much or too little, exactly fifty thousand US dollars. Qian Xu calculated in her heart that with this money, she probably wouldn’t have to worry about expenses for the next few years.

Qian Xu hesitated for a moment, but in the end, she still accepted the money.

She had indeed thought about refusing out of pride, but unfortunately, she came from an ordinary family. She came to Ohio for school because Ohio University gave her a full scholarship. She didn’t have extra money to spare for the vanity of rejecting such a generous offer.

But Qian Su accepted the money, and a flicker of doubt flashed through her mind.

If it weren’t for that illusory shadow, reflecting the unrealistic future, Qian Xu would never have broken her existing life. However, perhaps her life wasn’t as stable as she imagined it to be in the first place—

It was easy to tear open a hole.

Through that mottled gap, she had to admit the natural and irreparable barrier between herself and the two children.

She thought if that moment of confusion hadn’t happened, everything would have remained the same.

Perhaps, she could still deceive herself.

But Qian Xu found that she couldn’t go back to the past. Even if she walked through the established routine with a calm face, arranged the children’s reading assignments and washing, and finally had her usual leisurely moment alone.

She scrolled through short videos from China for a while, but accidentally stumbled upon a video accusing men of being scumbags, wondering if it was just hype or genuine emotion.

However, she quickly swiped past that page, fearing that if she lingered too long, she might become just as unlucky.

Shen Qiyue ran from her princess bed to Qian Xu’s room, silently climbed onto Qian Xu’s bed.

Her two little feet were covered in a layer of unknown dust.

“I want to hear a story from you.”

After the annoyance passed, Qian Xu remained calm, her voice steady, without a hint of emotion. “What kind of story do you want to hear?”

“I want to hear a story about a princess in a snowstorm encountering danger…”

Suddenly, Shen Qiyue didn’t pester Qian Xu for a fulfilling story as usual. Instead, she stood eagerly by the window, her hands pressed against the glass, calling out affectionately and excitedly for her father.

“Dad’s back!”

Shen Qiyue was not the only one who was overjoyed, Shen Qunian also seemed to have prepared for this, and did not change into his pajamas, but purposely greeted his father, Shen Qi, with a delicate little bow tie.

At times like these, Qian Xu always felt joy for the happiness of her children, and sweetness for the rare reunion. But tonight, for some reason, she had a nagging feeling—

It was a feeling she had never experienced so strongly before.

Shen Qi entered the room.

He hugged Shen Qiyue, who rushed into his arms, and then gently stroked Shen Qinian’s forehead.

In the intimacy, the young father looked refined and handsome, while the innocent children’s eyes were full of innocence.

The reunion of father and daughter, father and son, was always warm and fulfilling. However, who could guarantee that these two children wouldn’t grow up to resemble the figures in the illusion? She wanted to truly assess, to ask the children about their views on Cheng Shuangyi. But, with Qian Xu’s upbringing, she couldn’t bring herself to ask.

She believed that asking such questions would be disrespectful to the birth mother and would also undermine her own confidence in her efforts.

She glanced at the man in the center of the scene. No matter where he came from, even if he emerged from a snowstorm, he still stood tall like a pine tree, his cool demeanor seemingly untouched by the outside world—

It was precisely this ethereal quality that made her agree to this unreasonable request.

Three years ago, he found her and asked if she was willing to take care of his children for a while as he had to go to New York. Qian Xu almost immediately agreed without much thought.

It was evident, Qian Xu couldn’t help but self-mock, that she was also someone who valued appearances.

The cost of living in Ohio was not low, and finding a suitable babysitter to take care of the children was also costly in terms of energy and effort. Qian Xu silently took on the responsibility, never asking for any compensation, doing her best to provide for the two children’s needs, keep them entertained, and be their companion through the long years… This was also the reason why Qian Xu was still mocked by her friend Yan Li to this day.

Qian Xu tried hard to recall, and it was clear that his meticulous appearance was just the same as when they first met—

Except, his previous melancholy had disappeared completely.

What remained was a man with sharper edges, with a sharper gaze deep in his eyes.

He took off his black gloves, revealing a slender and well-defined hand, as if summoning someone from a higher position, Shen Qi curled his lips. “Aren’t you coming over for a hug?”