“Actually…”
Before Huo Chenzhou could finish speaking, the little bundle in his arms threw a fit.
Tangtang grabbed his shoulders with both small hands and shook him vigorously, cheeks puffed out as she shouted loudly, “Not Daddy! Uncle! Tangtang is Uncle’s precious baby!”
Her voice rang out across the supply cooperative hall, and the shoppers nearby all turned to look. Tangtang decided they hadn’t understood, so she pointed a tiny finger right at Huo Chenzhou’s face to emphasize it again.
“This is Uncle! Real uncle! Not Daddy at all!”
A hush fell over the room. Su Xingci stood frozen, her mind struggling to catch up.
Not a father? An uncle?
That faint pang of regret she’d felt about such a fine man having married so young suddenly dissolved. In its place came a quiet, unnameable sense of relief.
She couldn’t explain why she felt so lighthearted; Huo Chenzhou was practically a stranger, after all. What did it matter to her if he was married or had a child?
I must still be shaken up by that scumbag Gu Yuanhang, she thought. Just seeing a decent man makes me hope he’s single too. That’s not right. I need to get a grip.
Su Xingci pulled herself together. Tangtang’s outburst had swept away the awkwardness of moments before.
The most dramatic reaction came from Su Yuanshan.
Old Su had just been sighing about how time waits for no one; now his eyes lit up instantly. He looked more pleased than if he’d been served his favorite braised pork.
“What? An uncle?” He stepped closer to Huo Chenzhou, studying him from head to toe all over again. “I knew it! You never struck me as the sort who’d be good with children.”
“Just the way you were holding her I really thought you’d changed your ways these past few years.” Su Yuanshan gave a hearty laugh and slapped Huo Chenzhou on the arm. “So that means… you’re not married?”
Huo Chenzhou paused, caught off guard by the sudden line of questioning. He supported the squirming Tangtang with one arm and rubbed the bridge of his nose a rare, uncharacteristic gesture with the other.
“Mm,” he said, his Adam’s apple bobbing once. His tone was steady, giving nothing away. “Been busy. Haven’t got around to it.”
A few simple words, dismissing the entire subject of his personal life.
Haven’t got around to it? Su Xingci thought to herself.
With looks like his? Even if he didn’t want to, surely his family would have been pushing him? He’d have been snapped up long ago, even if he were made of wood. How could he still be single?
She glanced up at him instinctively, just as he lowered his hand and met her gaze. He didn’t look away. His eyes were dark and unreadable, fixed steadily on her specifically on the spot where Tangtang had kissed her cheek.
Su Xingci had hurried out that morning without dressing up; her face was fresh and fair. Her skin was naturally soft, and the faint pink mark left by the child’s kiss was still visible. His gaze felt so intense that her cheek grew warm, burning hot all the way down one side of her face. Her heartbeat skipped, and she twisted the hem of her dress in her fingers.
That sense of quiet pressure was back. He seemed so relaxed, almost lazy, but it was there deep in his bones. She looked away quickly, too flustered to hold his stare, and pretended to sort through the things her father had bought.
Why does he look at people like that?
Su Yuanshan hadn’t noticed the charged silence between them. Now that he knew Huo Chenzhou was unmarried, his old matchmaker instincts kicked right back in.
“Busy? There’s nothing wrong with being busy! A man should put his career first!” He rubbed his hands together cheerfully, liking everything he saw. He’d thought Gu Yuanhang was decent enough, but next to this man Gu Yuanhang didn’t compare. Not with his beloved first love and all those ex-girlfriends dragging along behind him.
Huo Chenzhou was different. They knew him inside out, had watched him grow up and most importantly, he was single. Probably hadn’t so much as looked at a woman! That last part was the best part. He liked a man whose heart was simple.
“Still, though… Chenzhou, you’re not getting any younger. If you’re not married, have you ever—”
He never finished. The sound of clicking heels cut him off.
“Huo Chenzhou!”
A woman’s voice called from the entrance, sharp and exasperated. A stylishly dressed woman stormed in, breathless and sweating slightly from hurrying. She spotted the child in his arms and rushed straight over.
“Oh thank goodness! You gave me such a fright!” She snatched Tangtang up and held her tight, as if she might vanish any second. “How could you take her out without telling me? I thought I’d lost her! I was just about to go to the security office and call the police!”
Huo Chenzhou stood empty-handed, not the least bit angry. He simply slipped his hands into his trouser pockets and replied evenly, “I did tell you. You were asleep.”
“As if that means you couldn’t wake me up! Just take her off like that? Do you even know how to look after a child?”
She fussed over Tangtang’s dress, scolding him nonstop all the while. Su Xingci stared, wide-eyed at such ferocity.
Su Yuanshan, however, recognized her at once and greeted her warmly. “Isn’t that Mingyue? My, look how you’ve grown!”
Huo Mingyue stopped short and turned. Seeing Su Yuanshan, her anger vanished instantly, replaced by a bright smile.
“Uncle Su? What are you doing here?” She was Huo Chenzhou’s older sister famous for her fiery temper back in the old compound, and had always got along well with straightforward veterans like him.
“Came to see Xingci,” Su Yuanshan said, nodding toward his daughter.
Huo Mingyue noticed Su Xingci then, her eyes lighting up. She looked her up and down before turning back to Su Yuanshan.
“So this is Xingci? How beautiful you’ve grown!” She grinned. “I honestly thought my brother the wooden block had finally come to his senses and brought a young lady home with him!”