Oh no! My yandere school beauty is so clingy!

Upon hearing this, Shen Yu's expression visibly paused for a moment.

Lin Anran was so shocked that her eyes widened slightly, and she even stopped gently patting the baby's back, staring at Zhang Shuyu in astonishment...

"ah?!"

Before the two could process what she had just said, Zhang Shuyu turned to look at Lin Anran, who was holding the child, her eyes filled with an almost humble plea, and her voice became even softer:

"Excuse me... sister, could you... be the child's mother?"

Lin Anran was completely stunned. She subconsciously uttered an "uh..." and looked at the baby in her arms, then at Zhang Shuyu, unsure of what to say.

"But...aren't you the child's mother?"

"Yes, I am." Zhang Shuyu nodded, but then her eyes dimmed, and her voice carried a deep weariness and helplessness.

"But...I don't want to...find her a stepfather...but I also don't want her to be a child without a father..."

She didn't finish her sentence, but the meaning was already very clear.

She didn't want to experience another bad relationship and had no interest in thinking about such things anymore.

Shen Yu understood what she meant.

She just wanted to give her child a seemingly normal and complete family status.

The point is to have him and Lin Anran as the child's nominal parents, giving them a legitimate status so the child won't grow up feeling inferior or experience any other problems...

He nodded, interrupting Zhang Shuyu before she could finish her more difficult words, his voice calm and firm:

"Okay, I understand... I promise you."

Lin Anran quickly understood Zhang Shuyu's meaning.

Being nominally the baby's mother was nothing to her; it was just a bit of an accident.

Looking at Zhang Shuyu's cautious and fearful manner, she felt a little uncomfortable.

After a while, the little one probably had enough of being in Lin Anran's arms, or maybe he missed his mother, and started whimpering and wriggling.

Lin Anran then carefully returned the baby to Zhang Shuyu.

Zhang Shuyu took the child and immediately bent down to gently coax him. The natural affection she showed was undeniable.

Shen Yu looked at her holding the child, hesitated for a moment, and then said:

"Since you've decided to raise the child yourself, then... that job at the restaurant probably isn't suitable for you anymore, right? It's unlikely you can work as a waiter while raising a child. Besides, the restaurant owner probably wouldn't agree to it."

Zhang Shuyu's body stiffened slightly, and she tightened her grip on the child.

She knew, of course, that if she took care of the child herself, she would definitely lose her job.

She can't carry her child to work every day; if the child cries, fusses, or is hungry, she simply can't take care of them.

But without this job, she and her child...

She lowered her head and remained silent.

In the cramped rented room, the air seemed to grow even heavier because of the silence.

After a long while, Shen Yu's voice rang out again, breaking the silence:

"Take a break from work... stay home and take good care of the children, rest for a while, and... take care of your health."

Zhang Shuyu raised her head and looked at Shen Yu, her eyes filled with disbelief and a hint of panic:

"How can that be... How can I..."

Her voice faltered; the words "live on" and "raise children" stuck in her throat, unable to be uttered, and she dared not say them.

She hasn't received her salary this month, and her meager savings were completely depleted by pregnancy and childbirth...

Shen Yu looked at her face, which had turned deathly pale, but his tone remained unchanged; he simply stated the facts:

"I'll give you living expenses... Anyway... I don't think you need much money."

He spoke very directly, even a little too bluntly, but that's the truth.

The dilapidated rented room, her faded clothes, and the way she almost exclusively ate vegetables during the meal... all said it all.

After speaking, Shen Yu turned his gaze to Lin Anran beside him, his eyes carrying a questioning tone, as if seeking her consent.

Lin Anran met his gaze and nodded calmly.

That's Shen Yu's own money; she won't interfere with how he spends it.

Moreover, she knew that Shen Yu was right; most of the living expenses given to Zhang Shuyu would probably end up being spent on the baby.

Zhang Shuyu opened her mouth, her voice slightly hoarse:

"But I... I'm fine, I can still do things... it's just the child..."

Shen Yu nodded, his tone leaving no room for argument:

"Yes, for the sake of the child, don't be too stubborn. This is the time when she needs her mother the most..."

He paused, looked at Zhang Shuyu's tightly pursed lips, and continued:

"I'll give you living expenses. You can stay home and take care of the children, and take this opportunity to rest and recuperate."

Shen Yu paused, glanced at Lin Anran, then looked back, seemingly pondering something, and continued:

"We...we'll be going to university in about a month. We haven't decided on the city yet. You'll come with us and stay near us. I'll find you an apartment, and when you feel better, you can look into flexible part-time jobs nearby that will make it easier to take care of the kids. When we don't have classes, we can occasionally help you look after the kids too."

Shen Yu's words were very practical and comprehensive, taking into account almost all the difficulties she could think of, and even paving part of the way for the future.

As Zhang Shuyu listened, her mind was buzzing.

Looking at Shen Yu's calm face, and then at Lin Anran standing quietly beside her, she felt not joy, but a more complex and unsettling emotion...

This is too unreal.

It's so beautiful...it's almost unreal.

This man, who suddenly appeared tonight claiming to be her brother, suddenly barged into her dark and struggling life. He not only delivered the child to her unharmed but also promised to take care of her and the child, even planning their future...

If this is the girl who has just left the orphanage, full of hope as she searches for her family, the girl who still holds the purest illusions about kinship, and who has a cheerful and lively personality...

If you met Shen Yu, if you met such a "family member", you would probably jump for joy, cry and rush over to hug him, feeling that God has finally opened his eyes.

However, after experiencing deception, abandonment, the fear of pregnancy and childbirth alone, the heart-wrenching separation from her own flesh and blood, and the numb labor and financial hardship of the past few months in the restaurant... she is no longer the person she used to be.

Those vibrant, passionate, and easily trusting and dependent impulses have been worn away almost completely...

Now, faced with Shen Yu's seemingly unreserved "goodness," she felt not only bewilderment but also an almost instinctive fear and doubt.

It all happened so fast, so easily, like a dream that could end at any moment.

She dared not accept the call, afraid that if she did, her dream would shatter, or that a deeper, unbearable price might lie hidden behind it...

Zhang Shuyu swayed her body, patted the child in her arms, lowered her head, and whispered:

"Could you... tell me about... your parents first?"