I married my best friend's dad in a whirlwind romance, only to find out he'd secretly love

Lu Zhiyao grabbed Qiao An'an's hand. "An... no, calling her 'Mom' makes me sound old. Let's call her 'Step-Mom' instead."

"Mom, from now on you can rest assured that Da Ming and Dad are very loving. If anyone dares to say anything, I'll be the first to deal with them. Don't worry, you're absolutely precious in our family, and we'll never let you suffer any injustice."

The moment Qiao An'an heard her stepmother call out "stepmother," her heart skipped a beat.

"Yaoyao, don't call me that, I...I'm scared..."

Calling someone "stepmother" is kind of scary.

Lu Yanzhi laughed out loud, "You can call me whatever you want from now on. Let's have breakfast first, are you hungry?"

The breakfast on the table was almost cold.

Lu Yanzhi naturally fed Qiao An'an.

The movement was natural and fluid, directly targeting Lu Zhiyao without any attempt to avoid her.

Qiao An'an looked at them, her nose tingling, but her heart filled with sweetness.

Lu Zhiyao drank her milk while watching the two of them, becoming happier and happier as she looked at them.

"Dad, you're so cunning! You've managed to trap such a wonderful girl like An'an."

Lu Yanzhi looked up at his daughter and said in a calm tone, "Okay, you're not allowed to bully your stepmother in the future."

"That goes without saying."

Lu Zhiyao's eyes darted around.

"Dad, is there something you've forgotten?"

Lu Yanzhi didn't even look up. "What?"

Lu Zhiyao made arrangements carefully, "Now that you're officially a couple, shouldn't you pick a date to visit your uncle... no, I mean your grandparents, and get engaged first?"

Qiao An'an choked and coughed instantly.

got engaged?

Is it that fast?

She blushed instantly.

Lu Yanzhi looked at her and smiled, "Slow down, no one's going to take it from you."

Qiao An'an blinked. "That's too fast..."

She glanced at the man, then immediately lowered her head. "Isn't getting engaged too soon?"

Lu Zhiyao, however, remained tight-lipped, "What's the rush? What if you get kidnapped before things are settled?"

Looking at the shy expression on the person in front of him, Lu Yanzhi felt a surge of tenderness in his heart.

He pulled her into his arms, his voice gentle, "Whenever you want, we'll do it. Both sets of parents meet, we propose, we get engaged, and we get married."

We'll take it one step at a time, without skipping a single step. Let me know when you're ready, and then we'll proceed.

Qiao An'an looked up into the man's deep eyes, which held only her, and her heart calmed down.

"good!"

Lu Zhiyao smiled and said, "Alright, I'll listen to you, but you're not allowed to be kidnapped by someone else."

Lu Yanzhi suddenly looked up and stared at Lu Zhiyao.

"I didn't approve your leave, nor did I receive your application. How did you get back?"

Lu Zhiyao's heart skipped a beat. Oh no, they're going to settle scores later!

Then, as if struck by a sudden thought, she looked at Qiao An'an with a smug expression.

"Dad, if I hadn't come back this time, how long do you think you would have kept this a secret?"

As she spoke, she felt a little guilty, "I haven't even complained about you running off with An'an, and you're already holding a grudge against me."

Qiao An'an was both amused and exasperated by these words.

Lu Yanzhi raised an eyebrow.

Indeed, he had to thank his daughter; her sudden return made things much smoother.

But as soon as she got back, she started fighting with him over the baby...

"Now that things are done, have breakfast and go back to training," Lu Yanzhi said in a cool tone.

"Dad, you're kicking me while I'm down!"

Lu Zhiyao exploded upon hearing this. "Grandma has decided that I can rest for three days. I'm not going back; I want to spend these days with An'an."

Lu Yanzhi glanced at her indifferently, his eyes carrying a warning.

Lu Zhiyao understood; they were annoyed that she was disturbing their time together, so she immediately shut up.

She looked at Qiao An'an, then at her father. She didn't want to go back to training, but the thought of them having time alone together made her compromise.

"understood."

After saying that, she leaned close to Qiao An'an's ear and whispered, "An'an, I'm going back to training. I won't disturb your time together."

But if my dad bullies you, just call me, and I'll come back right away to stand up for you.

Upon hearing this, Qiao An'an smiled.

Lu Yanzhi sighed helplessly, "I'm too busy doting on her to think about it."

"You're an old cow eating young grass, of course I have to pamper you."

"Lu Zhiyao!!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Zhiyao immediately shut up and lowered her head to eat her breakfast.

After breakfast, Lu Zhiyao reluctantly carried her bag.

"An'an, after I finish training, I'll definitely take you shopping."

"Okay." Qiao An'an smiled and waved.

Soon, Lu Zhiyao got into the car and left.

Now only the two of them were left in the villa.

Seeing her reluctant expression, Lu Yanzhi patted her head and said, "I'll take you back to the Lu family this weekend so you can see her."

Just then, Lu Yanzhi's phone rang.

He picked up his phone, glanced at it, and chuckled softly.

Qiao An'an looked at him, "Who sent it?"

"Yao Yao".

As Lu Yanzhi spoke, he handed his phone to her.

The message read: "Dad, I want to be a big sister!"

Then came another cheering emoji!

A smile flickered in Lu Yanzhi's eyes; he hadn't expected his daughter to be so sensible.

Qiao An'an blushed instantly as she looked at the message.

"Yaoyao is really..."

Lu Yanzhi hugged her and said, "I'm already thirty-two. Other people's children are already in elementary school."

Qiao An'an was both embarrassed and annoyed. "But I'm still young!"

Lu Yanzhi said seriously, "Sweetie, I won't let you suffer any injustice."

Meanwhile, Lu Zhiyao, who was in the car, was holding her phone, looking excited and smug.

She's such a good friend and a good daughter!

At this moment, Qiao An'an leaned against Lu Yanzhi's chest, listening to his words and Lu Zhiyao's acceptance, her face filled with tears of happiness.

She discovered that what she had once carefully avoided could actually bring her such happiness.

She was cherished by him, who held her in high esteem, and his family genuinely accepted her, so she no longer had to be afraid.

Lu Yanzhi lowered his head and kissed away her tears, his voice gentle, "Sweetie, don't cry, it breaks my heart!"

"I'm just so happy," Qiao An'an said, her phone alarm ringing. She glanced at it, "I have to go to work."

"Okay!" Lu Yanzhi affectionately stroked her cheek. "Let's go to work."

This time, Lu Yanzhi escorted Qiao An'an directly to the door of the design department's office before returning to his own office.

Throughout the journey, Lu Yanzhi held her hand the whole time, and Qiao An'an felt the envious gazes.

In the past, she would definitely have wanted to hide, but now, Lu Yanzhi gave her the confidence to accept it.

Qiao An'an had just sat down at her workstation and started working.

Meanwhile, Lu Yanzhi was in his office, looking at Zhao Dong, giving instructions word by word.

"Find a few planning companies to create proposal plans. Do it quickly, and choose the best venue."

Zhao Dong paused for a moment, somewhat surprised.

He knew the CEO was love-struck, but this was happening way too fast.

They just officially announced their relationship, how come they're already preparing to propose?

Although inwardly amazed, he remained serious and earnest on the surface.

"Okay, I'll arrange for someone to make a plan right away."