021 An'an Is a Genius

After finishing her breakfast, An'an returned to her picture books. Shen Zhihan went to his study to work. Now that he had a daughter to support, he naturally had to work hard to earn a good living.

Grandpa Shen wandered over and heard An'an murmuring to herself. She was reading a book he had just finished reading with her. Seeing her recite the words perfectly, Grandpa Shen was overjoyed. He pointed to a line and asked, "An'an, do you recognize these words? What do they say?"

An'an read them out fluently: "Of course I do! Great-Grandpa, you read this to me twice, and Papa read it to me twice too, so I remembered."

Upon hearing this, Grandpa Shen shouted excitedly, "Shen Zhihan, get out here! Quickly!"

Thinking something major had happened, Shen Zhihan, ignoring the video conference he was holding with an overseas client, rushed over in a panic. "Grandpa, what’s wrong with An'an?"

Grandpa Shen pointed to the passage An'an had just read: "Did An'an never go to school before? This little darling is a genius! I only read these words to her twice, and she already knows all of them."

Shen Zhihan felt a surge of excitement, but his expression remained calm. An'an was indeed a genius; she could even understand animal language. If he mentioned that, Grandpa Shen would probably be shocked to death.

Shen Zhihan crouched down and flipped to a random page. "An'an, do you know these words?"

An'an nodded vigorously. "Of course, Papa. Let me read them to you..."

"A genius! Another genius is about to emerge from the Shen family!" Grandpa Shen was thrilled. "An'an, do you want to go to school?"

School? An'an’s eyes lit up. "I do! Will there be lots and lots of other children to play with?" She had once snuck into a village kindergarten and watched the teacher lead the children in reading, sliding down slides, and playing games like Snake and Eagle Catching Chicks. She had been so envious.

"Yes, lots and lots of children."

"I want to go! I want to go!" An'an’s eyes sparkled. "Papa, can I go?"

Shen Zhihan immediately instructed Yu Feng, "Find a few kindergartens for An'an right away."

"Papa, can I go tomorrow? Is that okay?" The little girl was decisive; she wanted to do what she set her mind to immediately, without any hesitation.

For Shen Zhihan, this was no trouble at all. "Yes."

"Pinky promise." Fearing that Shen Zhihan might change his mind, An'an immediately reached out her small hand to hook pinkies with him.

Grandpa Shen chimed in, "I want a pinky promise too."

Shen Zhihan began making arrangements for the kindergarten. He had originally thought that since it was already the end of May and An'an had just arrived at the Shen family, he would let her settle in before sending her to school next semester. But since An'an was so excited, he would let her go.

Grandpa Shen volunteered, "An'an, I’ll teach you how to write your name. Zhihan, has An'an’s residency been registered? What is her formal name?"

An'an’s eyes widened. A formal name? She didn't know what that was, but it sounded very impressive.

Shen Zhihan coughed lightly. "Her name is Shen Nian'an."

Shen Zhihan had selfish reasons for choosing this name: *Nian'an*—to cherish An'an. If it weren't for her, he wouldn't even have a skeleton left by now.

An'an finally understood, and she was quite clever. "So, I use my formal name at school, and Papa and Great-Grandpa call me by my nickname at home? 'An'an' is my nickname, right?"

"Smart!" Grandpa Shen gave her a thumbs-up. The kitten meowed as well, as if praising her intelligence.

"Great-Grandpa, teach me how to write Papa’s name," An'an said, leaving everyone stunned.

Grandpa Shen felt a warmth in his eyes and replied, "Alright, I’ll teach you."

Shen Zhihan pursed his lips. Grandpa Shen glared at him jealously. Why couldn't his own children have been this wonderful? Oh, wait—he didn't have any daughters at all.

Grandpa Shen taught An'an how to write her name and Shen Zhihan’s. An'an learned quickly, and in no time, she was writing them quite well.

"Great-Grandpa, what is your name?"

Grandpa Shen was taken aback. It had been a long time since anyone had asked him that; everyone just called him "Old Master." It had been over a decade since his wife passed away, and no one had called him by his name: Guoxing. His father, a patriot, had given him that name in the hope that if the country prospered, the people would be safe.

Grandpa Shen carefully wrote down his name: Shen Guoxing.

"Great-Grandpa, your name is beautiful and so grand! Does it mean the prosperity of the country?"

Grandpa Shen patted her head affectionately. "Yes, that’s right. You’re truly a smart little darling."

An'an said, "Then my name, Nian'an, can also mean to cherish the peace of the country. I want to be someone who contributes to the country when I grow up."

Grandpa Shen smiled. "That’s wonderful! Our little An'an has great ambitions." Patriotism, he thought, must be cultivated from a young age.

Seeing the two getting along so well, Shen Zhihan returned to his study to work. Yu Feng, highly efficient, soon sent over the information for several schools. Shen Zhihan selected three. One was not only internationally oriented with bilingual education but also focused on Chinese traditional culture; the design of the school, down to every brick and tile, showcased the aesthetics of Eastern architecture. The curriculum included things like cooking and weaving. The school also had a gardening program, allowing children to learn about crops, cultivate plants, and harvest fruits. The campus was vast, with its own orchards and vegetable plots.

Shen Zhihan believed that knowing several foreign languages was crucial so that, when An'an grew up and pursued a professional career, she could consult original source materials and books directly without limitations.

Having already made up his mind, Shen Zhihan handed the information to An'an. "An'an, I’ll introduce these three schools to you first. See which one you like, and we’ll go visit it. If you can’t decide, we’ll visit all three and you can make up your mind then."

"Okay! Papa, can I look through them first?"

An'an flipped through the documents. She couldn't read the words, but she could understand the pictures. Yu Feng had compiled plenty of photos showing the school's scenery, architectural design, facilities, and even photos of the children’s activities.

An'an studied them very seriously, her little mouth pursed, her brows furrowed in concentration. The kitten curled up against her arm, also looking intently at the pages. Every now and then, the kitten would meow, as if offering an opinion, and An'an would respond with a series of "mm-hmms."

An'an chose the Wen'an Bilingual International Kindergarten. Having learned to recognize her own name, she pointed to the "An" character: "Papa, the 'An' in this school’s name is just like mine. I like this school. Can I go there?"

"You can. Then we’ll go to Wen'an."

"Yay! Papa, I’m so happy! You’re the best." The little girl hugged Shen Zhihan’s neck and kissed his face. She was becoming increasingly used to physical affection with him and had even started to act spoiled.

Grandpa Shen told himself he wasn't jealous at all. But that was a lie!

Just then, Shen Zhihan’s phone rang. A business partner was visiting that day to sign a contract. It was a deal that had been in discussion for a long time, but due to unforeseen circumstances on the other side, it had been delayed until now.

Shen Zhihan looked at An'an and said to Yu Feng, "I’m going over now. You handle the reception for Mr. Fu."

When Grandpa Shen heard he was going to work, his eyes crinkled with joy. "Go, go, hurry off to the office. I’ll take care of An'an."

Shen Zhihan knew exactly what he was up to, but Grandpa Shen was going to be disappointed. Shen Zhihan picked An'an up and said gently, "An'an, do you want to go to work with Papa?"

Grandpa Shen began frantically signaling to An'an, "An'an, why don't you stay home with Great-Grandpa? I’ll buy you candy and have the chef make you some delicious homemade ice cream."

Shen Zhihan didn't stop him. Given his status and position, more and more people would try to get close to him through An'an in the future. This meant that the temptations An'an would face would only increase. He wanted to see how she would handle it.

Grandpa Shen knew how to handle her; after all, An'an was a little foodie.

An'an swallowed hard, but no amount of delicious food was as important as being with her father. She gave a sweet smile. "Great-Grandpa, you can have it yourself. I want to go to work with Papa. I want to be with him."

A child’s world is simple; her parents are her everything. An'an had finally found a father who accepted and loved her unconditionally; she didn't want to be separated from him for anything. Besides, since Shen Zhihan had offered to take her, and he wasn't bothered by the trouble of bringing her along, she chose to stay by his side.

Grandpa Shen glanced at Shen Zhihan. If Shen Zhihan had a tail, it would probably be wagging in the air.

In the next moment, An'an asked innocently, "Papa, what is 'work'? Is it edible?"