The mysterious CEO's endless pampering

Adopting Gu Zitong is not as simple as adopting a cat or dog, where you can just take her home if you like her.

Shen Yanran looked down at his thin face, unable to bring herself to refuse, and it seemed that Li Zhanting wasn't so easy to persuade.

What worries her more is that if this gets back to the old house, things might become even more difficult.

Seeing that Gu Zitong's breathing was steady and that she must be completely asleep, Shen Yanran got up and went to the bathroom.

No sooner had she stood up slightly than her hand was gripped tightly. She wanted to pull it away, but was afraid of waking Gu Zitong.

After hesitating for a while, she finally lay down next to Gu Zitong, tucked the blanket around him, turned off the wall light, and went to sleep.

However, what she didn't know was that the child, who should have been asleep, opened his eyes and, by the faint moonlight, looked at the gentle and beautiful woman in front of him, revealing a happy smile.

He became even more determined to stay by Shen Yanran's side.

The next day, when Shen Yanran woke up, it was already dawn, but she was alone in her hospital bed.

The bed in Shen Yanran and Li Zhanting's house can accommodate three or four people, so she can sleep however she likes.

She sat up abruptly, looked around, and then looked at the ground. Could the child have been pushed to the ground by her?

When Gu Zitong came out of the bathroom after washing up, she saw Shen Yanran looking down at the bed and assumed she was looking for something. "Aunt Yanran, did you drop something on the floor? Let me help you find it."

Upon hearing Gu Zitong's voice, Shen Yanran immediately looked up. "Tongtong, where did you go?"

Gu Zitong slowly walked to Shen Yanran's side, raised her cute little face and asked, "I'm going to wash up, what's wrong?"

Shen Yanran smiled a little embarrassedly, "You've washed up? I thought I was a restless sleeper and accidentally pushed you onto the floor."

Gu Zitong said obediently, "How could that be? Aunt Yanran is as quiet as Sleeping Beauty, not crowded at all."

sleeping Beauty?

This kid is so good at talking. She's already a mother of two and almost thirty. What's there to be so beautiful about?

She was still happy to be praised, "Thank you for the compliment, Tongtong. But why are you up so early? It's only 6:30."

Shen Yanran hadn't gotten up this early in a long time.

Gu Zitong's obsidian-like eyes seemed to suddenly lose their luster as she coldly said, "I'm used to it."

It's true that I got used to it, but it happened even earlier than Shen Yanran said.

Because he had to get up early to do laundry, cook, and clean at his uncle's house, he would either be scolded or beaten if he didn't finish these tasks before his uncle woke up.

A year is enough time to change all his lifestyle habits.

Shen Yanran seemed to have thought of something, and reached out to gently lift Gu Zitong onto the bed. "Then you can get used to taking a nap. Uncle will bring us breakfast later, and then you can get up."

The poor child must have been forced to get up early because of his inhuman uncle.

She originally thought Gu Zitong was no more than seven years old, after all, he was much thinner and shorter than other children his age.

After reviewing the information Li Zhanting had found, I realized he was already eight years old.

He was starving, cold, and couldn't sleep well, so how could he possibly grow taller and fatter?

Shen Yanran suddenly felt that she should put her child's health first.

She tucked Gu Zitong back into bed, then glanced at her phone. She didn't know when her phone had been silenced; she hadn't even received a WeChat message from Li Zhanting.

Shen Yanran clearly remembered that she hadn't muted her phone. Could it be that she accidentally touched it?

Never mind, I need to hurry up and reply to Li Zhanting's WeChat message.

"Why did you get up so early?"

"Didn't you sleep poorly either?"

"Hmm...it's a little unusual, I might have trouble sleeping in a new bed."

"You're probably not picky about the bed, you're picky about me. You're not used to sleeping without me holding you."

Shen Yanran blushed instantly. She was being teased so early in the morning; how annoying! "No way!"

Li Zhanting found typing inconvenient, so he sent a voice message instead: "Okay, I'm not teasing you anymore. Since you're up, I'll bring you breakfast in half an hour."

Shen Yanran was also hungry. "Okay, by the way, I didn't go home all night. Did the two babies cry?"

I wonder if the two little ones missed her since she didn't go back.

Li Zhanting said in a low voice, "Mom doesn't want them anymore, how can they not make a fuss?"

"I didn't abandon them, don't talk nonsense. This is a special situation." After saying that, Shen Yanran looked at Gu Zitong on the bed with some concern, afraid that he would feel pressured if he heard that. Then she walked to the door.

Li Zhanting snorted coldly in dissatisfaction: "So special that you'd abandon your husband and children to spend a night in the hospital with someone else's child?"

Sometimes he really wished his wife wasn't so kind, that she didn't even care about her own family.

"Didn't I ask you for permission last night? Why are you still angry?" Shen Yanran felt that she still needed his help, so she couldn't let him get angry.

Li Zhanting immediately denied it, saying, "I'm not angry. How could I dare to be angry? Even if I were, no one would comfort me."

Shen Yanran pursed her lips. So this man wanted her to coax him.

She cleared her throat and said in a slightly coquettish tone, "Okay, honey, don't be angry anymore, okay? My stomach is growling with hunger. Can you come over sooner?"

Li Zhanting was still pretending to be angry. "You're hungry, so you know to call me 'husband' now?"

Oh dear, why is he acting all high and mighty? Looks like she'll have to use her trump card. "I won't just call you 'husband,' I'll also kiss you, mwah!"

Li Zhanting finally broke down, saying with a mix of helplessness and indulgence, "You... just wait, I'll be there soon."

Shen Yanran immediately replied obediently, "Okay, honey, thank you, honey."

As he had predicted, Li Zhanting arrived shortly.

The fragrant and nutritious breakfasts were placed on the table one by one.

Looking at the lavish breakfast, Gu Zitong seemed to have forgotten what it tasted like.

Shen Yanran ladled a bowl of porridge for him and handed it to him, but he didn't move at all. "What's wrong, Tongtong? Don't just stand there, eat."

As she spoke, she placed another slice of ham, Gu Zitong's favorite food, on her plate.

Gu Zitong carefully picked up the bowl in front of her and waited a while before saying, "I haven't had a hot breakfast in a long time."

His breakfast—no, I should say his only meal of the day—was almost always food that his uncle didn't eat, or food that had expired and was about to go moldy.

He couldn't even eat it with hot water.

My uncle thought that would be a waste of electricity.

Shen Yanran couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness. "Don't think about the past. From today onwards, you'll have hot meals every day and take good care of your health."

Gu Zitong said with a grateful expression, "Yes, thank you, Aunt Yanran."

"Don't be so polite with me, eat up. I'll be relieved if you eat your fill." If Gu Zitong weren't a big kid who could eat by himself, Shen Yanran would have loved to feed him the porridge directly.

Li Zhanting didn't care. He took a freshly peeled egg and put it in Shen Yanran's bowl. "Never mind him. You should eat too."

Shen Yanran looked down at the egg, wanting to give it to Gu Zitong as well.

But as soon as her chopsticks touched the egg, she felt a gaze fixed on her. She looked up slightly and met Li Zhanting's deep gaze.

It's as if to say, "Try giving it to him if you dare."

Shen Yanran really didn't dare. She was thinking of bringing up the matter of adopting Gu Zitong with him later, and she was careful not to make him angry again.

So he picked up the egg and put it in his mouth.

Li Zhanting then withdrew his gaze.

However, Shen Yanran still took care of Gu Zitong for a while, afraid that he would feel embarrassed and not eat enough.

After breakfast, Li Zhanting didn't want to stay any longer, so he stood up and said, "Let's go, I'll take you to work."

Shen Yanran raised her wrist and checked the time. "Okay, we'll leave when the caregiver arrives."

Gu Zitong didn't want Shen Yanran to leave, but he couldn't say so. He had to act obedient and well-behaved, and not cause her any trouble.

The caregiver arrived on time at eight o'clock sharp.

Shen Yanran then left with Li Zhanting.

She thought about it for a long time on the way, but she didn't know how to bring it up with him. She always hesitated to speak.

Li Zhanting had already discovered it, but he didn't ask. He always felt it was related to the brat in the ward, but he just didn't want to get involved.

Shen Yanran got into the car, and only after Li Zhanting started the engine did she hesitantly ask, "If I said I wanted to adopt Tongtong, would you agree?"

Instead of answering, Li Zhanting asked, "What do you think?"

Shen Yanran deflated like a punctured balloon. "You won't."

"Yes, you got it right."

That brat has already taken over his wife for one night, does he want to take over her for the rest of his life?

Of course, he wouldn't agree to the adoption.

Moreover, given his current status and position, adopting a child would present many problems, and he didn't want to create trouble for himself.

But Shen Yanran didn't want to give up so easily. "Isn't there any room for negotiation? Tongtong is very pitiful. If we don't adopt him, he can only go back to the orphanage and wait for families to choose him. Besides, he is already eight years old, and almost no one will be willing to adopt him."

Almost all families who come to the orphanage want children under three years old, so they don't have to feed them or change their diapers, and it's easier to build a bond with them. As they grow up, they will gradually forget that they were adopted.

But after the age of three, a child's memory will be mostly formed. What if they suddenly want to find their biological parents someday?

Therefore, many families will not take this risk.

Furthermore, Gu Zitong has been abused and tormented for over a year, so it's very likely she would refuse to adopt.

His willingness to come to her side now might actually be beneficial to his mental health.

Shen Yanran looked at Li Zhanting expectantly, but he still said coldly, "You don't need to worry about that. I will find a family that is willing to adopt him and has a comfortable life."

The implication is that anyone's family is acceptable, but their own is not.