CHAPTER 375: CHAPTER 375: STUNNING

"Sorry, I was thoughtless," Bao Shaojin nodded apologetically.

The man stood tall and elegant, exuding an aura of nobility and aloofness. Yet, at this moment, he had willingly bent his straight back for An Yin’s sake, giving an inexplicable sense of him doing this willingly.

An Ying’s lips moved slightly as she looked past the man’s tall figure to her daughter behind him, "Yinyin, come over here."

An Ying’s tone carried a hint of sternness.

This was quite rare for An Yin since Ms. An always gave her a sense of gentleness and never lost her temper. Her words were always calm and peaceful, nothing like now, where she seemed a bit fierce!

An Yin looked up in panic, instinctively clutching the man’s clothes, too scared to say a word.

Bao Shaojin lowered his gaze, noticing the girl’s slender fingers tugging at him from the corner of his eye, as if his cold, hard heart was being pulled, making him restless. But with the girl’s mother present, he suppressed this stirring feeling and slowly turned aside, "It’s cold outside, let’s go inside."

His tone was gentle as if it could charm the heart. The girl blinked her clear eyes and murmured softly, "Then I’ll go in first."

Bao Shaojin let out a soft chuckle, "Mm."

An Yin slowly released the fabric of the man’s clothes, which she’d wrinkled despite the tidy ironing, showing the girl’s strong grip.

Then, An Yin stepped past the man towards her home’s entrance, purposely ignoring the glance her mother cast at her, she lowered her head and obediently stood in the living room.

An Ying watched their interaction throughout, her expression becoming gloomier.

They say a married daughter is like spilled water. Her daughter wasn’t even married yet but already seemed to belong to another household.

"Aunt An, my sudden visit tonight has nothing to do with An Yin, please don’t blame her," Bao Shaojin said seriously.

"Heh." An Ying was genuinely amused and exasperated, a wry smile crossing her delicate face, "Mr. Bao, perhaps you’ve misunderstood. Yinyin is my daughter, educating her should indeed be my duty."

Bao Shaojin’s deep eyes looked at her, and in the corner of his eye, he saw the girl’s little head peeking out secretly, softening his heart, "This is indeed Aunt An’s family matter. If I’ve overstepped, I apologize."

The man stood casually but exuded an air of superiority.

An Ying wasn’t unreasonable, but seeing her daughter subconsciously hide under the man’s protection tonight left her somewhat disappointed, "It’s late, be safe on the road."

"Thank you, Aunt An."

After Bao Shaojin spoke, he saw the door slowly close. The girl glanced his way with furrowed brows, though the cold around him didn’t seem to affect him, he kept thinking about the girl’s reliance on him earlier.

Not until the hallway lights went out did the man take a deep look at the door and leave.

In the dead of night.

In the living room.

Supported by her daughter, An Ying slowly returned to her bedroom. After lying on the bed, she looked at her daughter standing by the wall with a fearful expression of having done something wrong, which got on her nerves. As she was about to speak, she noticed her daughter was still wearing the man’s long coat, making her throat feel blocked.

"Take off the coat," An Ying said.

Upon hearing this, An Yin panicked, struggling to unbutton and remove the man’s coat, not realizing another matter.

When An Ying saw her daughter wasn’t wearing any underclothes, a complex look came to her eyes. Despite wanting to say something, at this moment, it seemed pointless, "Go to sleep."

It was a long time before An Ying could utter this.

An Yin looked up suddenly, in disbelief.

No criticism? An Yin trembled as she held the man’s coat, suppressing the joy in her heart while retreating, "Then I’ll go to sleep first, Mom, you should rest early too."

As soon as she finished, she was gone in a flash, even thoughtfully closing the room door for her.

An Ying’s eyes drooped, the dazzling light shone on the floor, casting streaks of white light.

In this moment, An Ying couldn’t help but sigh, her daughter had grown up after all, in this world, her daughter now had someone else to rely on besides herself.

Time flies so fast!

Yesterday, she was still immersed in the moments of love, she could not extricate herself, and now her daughter had also fallen in love.

That night, An Ying didn’t sleep well, in her dreams she seemed to return to the past, meeting the man who left a lifelong impression on her!

The next morning.

In a daze, An Yin heard faint voices, she turned over holding the warm quilt intending to continue sleeping, when a familiar voice reached her ears.

"Still not getting up at this time."

An Ying and Aunt Zhang were sitting at the dining table, where there were three bowls of hot noodles with eggs and thinly sliced meat, looking very hearty.

An Yin stretched lazily, mumbling, "Mom, what time is it?" She had slept too late last night, even after An Ying woke her up, she was still half-asleep and didn’t even open her eyes, her words lacked energy.

"Eight-thirty," An Ying replied and then, ignoring the little lazy bug on the sofa, she said to Aunt Zhang beside her, "Let’s eat first, no need to wait for her."

Aunt Zhang was all smiles since the morning, "Okay."

An Ying raised her head and saw the other party seeming overly energetic, she didn’t ask why.

In fact, as Aunt Zhang got ready to make breakfast earlier, she passed by the living room, noticing the long men’s coat left at the end of the sofa. Her steps paused, she crept forward and flipped the inside sleeve cuff of the coat, finding that it had a "Bao" character, delighting her.

All of Mr. Bao’s clothes were custom made at a high-end store, each item had its unique mark.

Since Mr. Bao’s clothes were left here, does it mean he was here last night?

According to Bao Mansion’s rules, every New Year the Bao family always stayed with the old lady at the mansion. Yet Mr. Bao was here on New Year’s Eve, implying he wasn’t at the mansion?

Aunt Zhang’s breath caught, aware of the old lady’s strong controlling nature. If Mr. Bao disobeyed her rules and angered her, it wouldn’t be easy for him in the future!

A worried look appeared on Aunt Zhang’s face.

Returning to her senses, Aunt Zhang picked up her chopsticks and began eating breakfast.

Both occasionally glanced at the sofa’s direction, where An Yin, having grumbled a few words earlier, had drifted back to sleep, and An Ying simply let her be.