017 Who is the Flower Peacock?
Xiao Liwei was a man of responsibility; he vowed to take charge and marry Wu Zhen.
When the parents met, Wu Zhen’s heart sank—Xiao Liwei’s family was utterly poor.
Yet when she saw Li Yifeng, she thought at least she could leverage Xiao Liwei to connect with wealthy people.
She had expected Xiao Liwei to use the Li family’s influence to gain some benefits, but to her surprise, Xiao Liwei was stubbornly principled and never took advantage of the Li family.
She wanted the Lis to pull strings to help her own family, but Xiao Liwei refused.
After many such refusals, Wu Zhen grew disappointed, though the child had already been born.
The only upside was that through the Li family, she met some wealthy individuals.
As she mingled with those affluent wives, Wu Zhen’s inner turmoil deepened.
She clearly was no less attractive than they were, so why was she stuck marrying the ordinary Xiao Liwei?
Xiao Liwei was a workaholic, but whenever he was home during his free time, he devoted himself to his wife and child, diligently handling all the household chores.
Yet Wu Zhen remained dissatisfied.
Wu Zhen cheated, involved with a wealthy man.
Unable to demand a divorce, she resolved that only Xiao Liwei’s death could free her.
Once, when Xiao Liwei was on a mission, Wu Zhen bribed someone to knock him unconscious.
Xiao Liwei, experienced as he was, could have escaped.
He should never have died in that fire.
After Xiao Liwei’s death, the wealthy man grew bored and abandoned Wu Zhen.
Who would want a woman who killed her own husband? He was only playing around.
Since then, Wu Zhen used Xiao Duoduo to scout for rich men.
When she saw Shen Zhihan step out of a multi-million luxury car, she targeted him, never imagining this time she would be the one crushed by her own stone, facing severe legal punishment.
Li Changsheng became more cautious and arranged a kinship test between Xiao Duoduo and Madam Xiao, only to find they were not blood relatives, ruling out any familial connection...
*
Shen Zhihan did not want An An to be studied like a monster, nor did he want her to be the center of unwanted attention that would disrupt her normal life.
He promised An An once again, “This matter is only to be told to Daddy.”
“Daddy, I know.”
When Shen Zhihan and An An arrived, Zhou Haochen was already anxiously waiting at the door.
Shen Zhihan opened the car door and lifted An An into his arms.
An An cradled a kitten in her arms.
Shen Zhihan’s good looks were well known in their circle.
The little girl in his arms was irresistibly adorable.
She was fair-skinned, with eyes like black grapes—deep and bright.
Her eyelashes were remarkable—long, dense, and slightly curled.
Too cute!
He was utterly enchanted.
Zhou Haochen’s gaze was fixed solely on An An as he stepped forward, arms open wide, “Baby, let Uncle hold you.”
An An looked at Zhou Haochen warily and shrank closer into Shen Zhihan’s embrace.
“Daddy, who is this peacock?”
After saying this, An An immediately covered her small mouth, a little embarrassed.
Ah, the truth slipped out—because Little Li had kept saying “peacock, peacock” upon seeing Zhou Haochen, she had brainwashed An An.
Zhou Haochen was not annoyed in the slightest.
Today he was dressed flamboyantly: white pants, a floral shirt, a pink blazer, sunglasses hanging on the shirt, and a thick silver snake necklace around his neck.
“Oh, little darling, are you complimenting Uncle’s looks? Between him and me, who’s more handsome?”
Without hesitation, An An answered, “My daddy is the most handsome!” Not even pausing for a second.
Zhou Haochen felt as if an arrow had pierced his heart.
Impossible—he was always good with kids.
Zhou Haochen had peach blossom-shaped eyes and was always smiling; people called him a smiling tiger who attracted admirers because of his friendly face.
Shen Zhihan was handsome but always wore a stern expression; kids who looked at his face too long might have nightmares.
“Little darling, I suggest you take another good look. Really think it over—touch your conscience and tell me, who’s more handsome, Uncle or your daddy?”
An An answered seriously, “Of course Daddy is more handsome. An An has no conscience. Auntie says An An has no conscience, and that conscience is very bad.”
Hearing this, Shen Zhihan corrected her, “An An has a conscience. But you don’t have to have one for that woman. From now on, don’t call her Auntie. She’s a bad person, unworthy of being your aunt. Come on, let’s go get some hamburgers.”
Zhou Haochen quickly chimed in, “Wait, you really have a daughter? Who gave birth to her? Where did you find this daughter? Tell me, so I can go find one too.”
An An corrected him, “Uncle, Daddy didn’t find me, I found Daddy.” She looked so proud and pleased.
Zhou Haochen couldn’t help but laugh.
Shen Zhihan replied, “Yes, I was found by An An. She kept pestering me to be her dad. I had no choice but to reluctantly agree.”
An An blinked—was that really so?
She almost couldn’t recall the details of that day—who had started it all?
Never mind, as long as Daddy was happy, she wouldn’t argue. Daddy’s happiness was what mattered most.
*
“I see. Your name is An An? I’m Zhou Haochen. Little An An, don’t follow Shen Zhihan anymore, come with me. I can be your daddy too. Take me home as your dad, okay? Uncle has two big brothers—you can play with them!”
Zhou Haochen’s eldest brother, Zhou Zexi, had two sons—twins who were currently in middle kindergarten and very mischievous. His sister-in-law often called Zhou Zexi to complain.
Zhou Haochen thought to himself, who wants troublesome sons? Only sweet, obedient daughters.
Shen Zhihan was so lucky to just pick up a daughter on the go. He admitted jealousy was turning him ugly.
An An asked in a childish voice, “Will the brothers hit me? Will they take my toys? Will they call me a bastard? Will they say I’m trash nobody wants?”
She asked seriously, and Shen Zhihan’s heart tightened instantly.
Those few words revealed all about An An’s experiences in Lihua Village.
The smile faded from Zhou Haochen’s face as he instinctively glanced at Shen Zhihan.
No wonder Shen Zhihan could take her in—An An must have grown up abused.
His nephews, despite their mischief, would never bully other children; otherwise, they’d face family discipline.
Zhou Haochen answered sincerely, “No, they won’t. The brothers will play with you, give you treats, bring you gifts, and chase away bad guys if anyone bullies you.”
“Good. Then I can play with the brothers.”
“Does that mean you agree to let me be your daddy?”
An An immediately shook her head, “Then I won’t play. I only want Daddy HanHan.”
A faint smile curved Shen Zhihan’s lips. Zhou Haochen’s jealousy surged anew, infuriating him—but it felt good!
Inside the private room, Zhou Haochen had prepared a table full of child-friendly delicacies—truly a paradise for kids.
There were many flavors of hamburgers, countless cupcakes and sweets, and drinks.
An An’s eyes lit up; she swallowed hard but obediently stayed in Shen Zhihan’s arms.
Zhou Haochen also arranged a child’s dining chair. “Princess An An, please sit.”
Shen Zhihan asked An An to put down the kitten, while Zhou Haochen sent someone to prepare fish for the little cat.
Shen Zhihan took An An to the private room’s restroom to wash her hands.
He squeezed some soap onto her hands for her to rub and create bubbles, rinsed them under the faucet, then used the hand dryer to dry them.
An An placed her hands under the dryer, her face full of wonder: “Wow, that’s amazing!”