Transmigrated into a wealthy family's stepmother, I raised the villain into a sweet child.

Zhou Yanqian hugged Zhou Linxu's neck tightly.

Startled, she exclaimed, "Dad, are you trying to kill me?"

"What do you mean by 'death'?" Zhou Linxu pinched his butt: "Don't talk nonsense, spit a few times."

Zhou Yanqian said "oh" and spat three times.

Zhou Linxu then picked him up and carried him out, closing the door behind him. "Let's go upstairs for some barbecue skewers. Don't you love barbecue skewers the most? Xiaoxi said that Grandpa is also very good at grilling skewers, and you can learn from Grandpa later."

"How can Grandpa do everything?" Zhou Yanqian couldn't help but exclaim. "He's simply amazing!"

"You'll be amazing in the future," Zhou Linxu said. "As long as you study hard and improve every day, you'll be a genius baby of the Song, Zhou, and Jin families."

Zhou Yanqian was flattered by the praise, but when the topic came up, he asked, "Dad, I haven't met Mom's maternal grandparents yet."

"Your maternal grandmother has passed away, and your maternal grandfather... he lives abroad and won't be returning to China." Zhou Linxu asked, "Why are you suddenly asking about this?"

"I just suddenly remembered," Zhou Yanqian said. "You haven't answered my question yet."

Zhou Linxu couldn't help but wonder, how did this matter come full circle again?

He asked, "If you don't want to be my son, whose son do you want to be? Don't talk nonsense, I'll have Xiao Xi slap your little face."

"Mommy won't hit me," Zhou Yanqian said. "But I'm not like you! I noticed before that my eyes are round, and Daddy's eyes are round too."

His mother's eyes were also beautiful; they were almond-shaped eyes, unlike his own.

He asked that last time, but now it just seems so strange.

Once you delve deeper into this matter, Zhou Yanqian always feels there are many suspicious points.

"Because you were made of dough," Zhou Linxu said. "Big eyes look good, so I made you big eyes."

Zhou Yanqian straightened up helplessly, pinching Zhou Linxu's cheeks with both hands: "Dad, do I look like an idiot?"

"I think so," Zhou Linxu said. "People are all different. My uncle and I look alike, so it's normal for you to look like him, isn't it?"

Zhou Yanqian carefully examined Zhou Linxu's face and thought, "That's really... true."

Zhou Linxu didn't rush to take him upstairs. Instead, he sat down at the bottom of the stairs, let Zan Zan sit on his lap, and patiently asked, "Zan Zan, why did you suddenly ask this question? Don't you want to be Daddy's son anymore?"

Zhou Yanqian said, "I just saw a picture of my dad and I was curious!"

What else is meant by "a son who doesn't want to be his father"?

He was originally Zhou Linxu's son, so how could he choose whether or not to be one?

Zhou Yanqian felt there was a loophole in Zhou Linxu's words, but his clever mind hadn't yet figured it out.

Zhou Linxu said, "Zanzan, you just haven't grown up yet. When you grow up a bit, you'll look more like me, because my eyes were round when I was little too."

As he spoke, he looked at Zan Zan's little face and couldn't see anything unusual.

Zhou Linxu recalled that it must have been when the photos were just being shown that Zanzan had been looking at Song Lanqing and Zhou Jinming's photos for a while.

Zan Zan is smart, but he didn't expect Zan Zan to be this smart.

That's true; you might not notice it if you just look at it on its own.

However, when the three of them are together, it's obvious to anyone with eyes that Zan Zan is their child.

Zhou Linxu was prepared to be Zanzan's father for life, but Zanzan's question made him hesitate.

This isn't the first time Zan Zan has asked this type of question. Is my decision really... the right one for Zan Zan?

"So you two were hiding here all along."

Jin Xi's clear voice rang out in the stairwell.

The father and son looked up together and saw Jinxi coming down with big oranges and big lychees.

Jinxi quickly walked over to them and asked, "What little secrets are you talking about? Can I listen in?"

"We didn't talk about secrets." Zhou Yanqian leaned on Zhou Linxu's shoulder. "Mommy, why did you come to see us?"

"The watermelon juice is ready. I'm coming down to see if you've finished taking the photos." Jinxi raised her hand and placed it next to his cheek. "Grandpa's lobsters are also ready. They smell so good. I wanted to try one, but Grandpa wouldn't let me. He asked me where Zanzan was. He wanted Zanzan to be the first to taste it."

Zhou Yanqian said, "Because I just talked to my grandfather about it."

"I see!" Jinxi said, "Since there are no secrets to share, let's hurry upstairs. If you don't want to be the first to taste it, then I'll go up first?"

Zhou Yanqian immediately shrank off Zhou Linxu's lap: "I'm going up right now!"

After saying that, he stomped upstairs.

Before the orange and lychee fruits even started playing, they immediately followed their little owner up there.

Jinxi said helplessly, "Walk slowly, walk slowly."

Zhou Yanqian responded with an "oh" without turning his head, but his steps didn't stop.

Jinxi went to look at Zhou Linxu, who was still sitting on the stairs: "Let's go."

Zhou Linxu hummed in agreement and extended his hand: "Please, lend me a hand."

Jinxi sighed helplessly, "How old are you? You still need someone to help you get up."

Even though he said that, he still extended his hand.

Zhou Linxu looked at his hand, which was suspended in front of him, and slowly clenched it.

With a little effort, Jinxi pulled him up.

She asked, "Why do you look so unhappy?"

"It's nothing," Zhou Linxu said in a low voice. "Should we go check on the small room?"

Jinxi looked at Zhou Linxu's expression, nodded, and was about to withdraw her hand, but Zhou Linxu grabbed it tightly and led her towards the small room.

Their palms were pressed tightly together. Jinxi glanced down at them, but ultimately did not pull her hand away.

The two entered the small room, and Zhou Linxu then released Jin Xi's hand and closed the door behind him.

Jinxi walked to the table and looked at the two picture frames placed together: "They're all set up."

Zhou Linxu walked to her side and said softly, "Praise yourself for arranging it."

Jinxi originally wanted to adjust the position of the photo, but when she heard Zhou Linxu say this, she withdrew her hand.

She asked, "Then why are you suddenly unhappy?"

"I'm not unhappy," Zhou Linxu said. "I'm just a little melancholy. He just asked me again why he looks so much like my uncle."

Jinxi's gaze fell on the photo frames that were placed there. She could make sense looking at just one photo, but when she looked at them together, she could see the shadow of Zanzan on both faces.

Especially Zhou Jinming's eyes.

She managed to fool them last time, but children always have to grow up.

You can fool a three- or four-year-old, but you can't fool them anymore once they get a little older.

With the two photos displayed like this, given Zan Zan's personality, she'll probably come down to look at her mom and dad every few days. As she grows older, she'll find herself looking more and more like them.

Moreover, in the original novel, there is no mention of displaying the photo frame, and even the relocation of the grave was something Zan Cheng did only in his later years.

However, her arrival brought this matter to a head.

Jin Xi asked, "What are your thoughts?"

Zhou Linxu looked confused: "I don't know."

If he really knew, the Zan Zan matter wouldn't be so difficult to handle.

Jinxi said, "There are only two possible outcomes. Either we find a suitable time to tell him the truth, or we keep it a secret and deny it to the death when he asks."

Yes, there are only these two possible outcomes, but Zhou Linxu is conflicted because he can't predict Zanzan's reaction when she finds out.

But Zhou Jinming is also a loving father. The father and son should not be separated by lies, and the father should not become a father and the son should not become a son.

Even if this lie is a kind lie.