After being reborn, the aloof female CEO became a paranoid.

At this moment, he really wanted to tell Xu's mother his true feelings: he could no longer love Xu Xinran as deeply as before.

But looking into his mother's expectant and loving eyes, and at her undisguised admiration for him, he swallowed his words back.

“Auntie, I…” He hesitated, and finally could only hide his inner struggle with a bitter smile, “I just… need time to adapt to this change.”

Upon hearing this, Xu's mother gently patted the back of his hand, her eyes full of trust and encouragement.

"Xiaoyu, your aunt knows you have your reasons. But based on what I know about Xinran, she's very serious about you; she's just not good at expressing herself. Give her some time, and give yourself some time too, okay?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yu smiled, but his heart was in turmoil.

Xu Xinran's true feelings?

He sneered; her betrayal in his past life had etched an unhealable wound into his heart. But now, faced with his mother's expectations, he could only hide his emotions.

"Auntie, I..."

"Xiao Yu, you don't need to rush to answer me. You can take your time to think it through. Let's let things take their course, okay?"

Let nature take its course?

Zhou Yu thought to himself that these four words were both a relief and a constraint for him.

But he knew this wasn't the time to dwell on such things. He looked up at Xu's mother and reluctantly agreed, "Auntie, I will."

Just then, the announcer's voice came from the stage, interrupting their conversation.

"Next up, please welcome our contestant Xu Shangchuan!"

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Xu's face immediately lit up with a smile: "Oh dear, it's Xiao Chuan's turn! We must applaud properly, otherwise this kid will throw a tantrum again."

After the competition, Xu Shangchuan, holding his medal, ran up to Zhou Yu with a smug look on his face, as if he wanted to trample the whole world under his feet.

"Brother, look! I came in first place, wasn't that amazing!"

He held his head high, his eyes gleaming, his face full of anticipation for praise.

Zhou Yu accepted the medal, gently stroking it, his eyes full of affection: "Yes, our Xiao Chuan is indeed the best. This first place is well-deserved!"

Upon hearing this, the little guy was overjoyed and clung to Zhou Yu's sleeve, his little head already starting to think about how to get a reward.

"Um... bro, could I..." He leaned closer, feigning mystery, and whispered, "Given how hard I've worked, could you give me a little reward?"

As he spoke, he made a small hand gesture, his eyes gleaming with cunning.

Zhou Yu saw right through his little scheme and teased him on purpose, "Oh? What kind of reward could make our champion so excited? How about I give you a big hug?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Shangchuan's eyes widened immediately, clearly dissatisfied with the "reward".

He glanced furtively at the dessert shop not far away, his eyes unconsciously revealing a longing.

Seeing this, Zhou Yu smiled and deliberately dragged out his words: "But... since you've worked so hard, I'll reward you... with a dessert."

As he spoke, he bent down, picked up the little guy, and strode towards the dessert shop.

This scene made Xu's mother, who was standing to the side, unable to suppress her laughter.

Watching the interaction between Zhou Yu and Xu Shangchuan, a warm feeling welled up in her heart.

This child seems to genuinely like Xiaochuan and respect himself. Perhaps, as time goes by, he will gradually accept Xinran and integrate into this family.

As soon as Zhou Yu and Xu Shangchuan entered the dessert shop, his phone received a message from Xu Xinran...