Chapter 224 - I Am Their Father

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

At the amusement park. Qiu Tong fulfilled her promise and brought the children out for an outing.

Qiu Xingyuan and Little Yu helped to build a temporary tent for them to rest in. Qiu Tong set out the cutlery needed for their picnic and washed it before placing it on the lawn. The sight of the whole family coming together made the surrounding children cast envious gazes.

Ye Luan, who had come with them, sat alone in the shade of a distant tree. He was frowning and had his head buried in his knees, as if he had something on his mind.

Qiu Tong saw that he looked very lonely. She picked up two cups of hot milk tea and sat down beside Ye Luan.

“Why? Do you miss home a little?”

After Qiu Tong brought Ye Luan back, she never asked about his family situation.

She felt that those were Ye Luan’s private matters. If he wanted to talk about it, he would naturally take the initiative to tell her. She did not wish to keep probing.

Ye Luan shook his head. He held the milk tea with both hands and looked at Qiu Tong hesitantly. “Auntie Qiu, I’m keeping something from you.”

“But… I promised Daddy to keep it a secret. I can’t tell anyone.”

Ye Luan trusted Qiu Tong. He rubbed his fingertips in frustration and subconsciously rubbed the part of his skin that was over the chip.

Qiu Tong stroked the top of his head gently. “Since you promised Daddy, you have to keep your word!”

“I took care of you and brought you home because I wanted you to be happy, not because I want you to do anything for me!”

Qiu Tong hugged Ye Luan and patted his back.

Ye Luan felt a surge of warmth in his heart. However, three resentful gazes were staring at them from a distance.

Qiu Xingyu pursed her lips and tugged at Qiu Xingqiao. “Mommy has been very concerned about Brother Ye Luan recently!”

“I saw them whispering in the living room last night! Mommy brought us out today to play but her attention is all on him.”

Qiu Xingyuan tugged at the tent rope as he pondered with a complicated expression.

After a while, he suddenly said to Qiu Xingqiao, “Invite him to play football with us.”

Qiu Xingqiao shook his head vehemently. “I don’t want to!”

Qiu Xingyuan rummaged through his bag for a soccer ball. His gaze landed on Ye Luan as he said in a mild tone, “Only when our relationship with him gets better will she spend more time with us!” Qiu Xingqiao and Little Yu suddenly understood and nodded. The two of them ran over to invite Ye Luan to join.

Qiu Tong was pleased to see that the children were close. She carried Little Yu back to the tent to prepare the ingredients for dinner.

In the distance, three boys were playing soccer harmoniously. With the sunset, it was a beautiful scene.

Qiu Tong was cutting potatoes with a knife when Little Yu, who was beside her, stood up nervously. “Brother is fighting with them!”

Qiu Tong was shocked. The blade grazed her fingertips. She looked up and saw a few boys in the distance pushing each other. She hurriedly ran over.

“Say that again if you dare!”

Qiu Xingqiao gritted his teeth and growled. The boys, who looked to be a few years older than them, snorted coldly and retorted indignantly, “I told you! You’re all illegitimate children. You don’t have a father!” The boys smirked and made funny faces.

Qiu Xingyuan looked at them coldly. “That’s better than having a father, yet still having no one to teach you manners!”

One of the boys waved his fist toward the Qiu brothers.

Ye Luan, with his thin figure, stood out from behind. He blocked the other party’s fist, his eyes filled with determination. “Don’t bully them.”

The boy shook off his hand in disdain. “You don’t have either a mother or a father. You’re just a pitiful worm picked up by the Qiu family! Are you going to stand up for them now?”

“You really know how to ingratiate yourself to them!”

The boy’s hurtful words made Ye Luan’s face darken, but he still protected Qiu Xingyuan and Qiu Xingqiao without retreating.

Qiu Xingyuan stared at Ye Luan’s back profile and retorted after a moment of silence, “He’s my brother. Who said he doesn’t have parents?”

“Yes! Not only does he have parents, he also has siblings! You’re the pitiful one!”

When Qiu Xingqiao heard his elder brother’s words, he immediately expressed his stance firmly.

Ye Luan didn’t expect them to say that. His eyes surged with emotions.

Qiu Tong stopped in her tracks when she heard this.

The mother of one of those boys rushed over. She knew that her child was in the wrong, but she still defended him. “My son did not speak any untruths. He is just a child. How dare you attack him?”

Qiu Tong saw that the other party was so unreasonable. She planned to persuade her children not to fuss with them.

A pair of strong hands rested on her shoulders and Jin Yang’s deep voice came from beside her ear. “He’s so young and already knows how to spread false rumors. As his mother, if you continue to indulge him, he will just end up making bigger mistakes in the future!”

The boy’s mother doubtfully sized up Qiu Tong and Jin Yang. “You are?”

Jin Yang smiled gently at the Qiu siblings and said firmly, “I’m their father.”

Thump!

Qiu Xingyu threw herself into Jin Yang’s arms with red eyes. Qiu Xingyuan and Qiu Xingqiao also looked away and rubbed the corners of their wet eyes with the backs of their hands.

“With me around, no one can bully you all..”