"Uncle Ouyang Yunjian, will you be my mom's husband?"
Ouyang Yunjian's chopsticks froze mid-air. He looked at Chenchen's eager little face. He wanted to say no, but couldn't bring himself to. Smiling, he said, "Uncle will think about it. Come on, Chenchen, eat your noodles before they get cold."
He thought he could casually brush it off and that a child would forget soon enough, but Chenchen wasn't easy to fool.
"Uncle Ouyang Yunjian, you said you'd think about it the last time in your office too, and now you're still thinking! How long are you going to think? I'm already getting anxious for you. What if some other man steals my amazing mom away?"
"Pfft…" Ouyang Yunjian burst out laughing at Chenchen's worried expression. He reached out and ruffled her hair. "This is a big deal, so I have to think it through carefully. I'll give you an answer once I've figured it out, okay?"
"Then can you give me the answer on my birthday?" Chenchen pressed on, clearly worried about her mother's future.
Thinking her birthday was still more than a month away and that she might forget by then, Ouyang Yunjian nodded. "Alright."
"Let's pinky swear, Uncle Ouyang Yunjian."
"Okay."
"Pinky swear, hang it high, a hundred years no changing…"
Ouyang Yunjian never imagined he could eat so much.
One big bowl of noodles,
plus all the broth,
and he finished everything—
not even a drop left!
Staring at the empty bowl in his hands,
he suddenly felt a bit lost—
"Where am I? Who am I?"
He glanced up from the bowl and saw the little girl across from him grinning from ear to ear.
His face flushed slightly. "What are you laughing at?"
"Uncle Ouyang Yunjian, let me ask my mom to make you another bowl!"
His face turned redder. He quickly shook his head. "No, no! I'm full!"
"Chenchen, let's get back to reading your picture books."
He had to shift his focus away from the hand-pulled noodles—if he didn't, he might actually want a second bowl.
"Yay, let's read! We were at the part where Elsa goes to rescue Anna. Anna is so naughty. She doesn't even have magic! If Elsa and Kristoff hadn't gone to save her, the fire would've burned her up!"
"Chenchen," Ouyang Yunjian said softly, "Anna isn't naughty. Elsa is her sister, and when her sister was in danger, Anna was worried and rushed in to save her. Even though she doesn't have magic, she has love in her heart. Do you understand what that means?"
Chenchen blinked her big eyes. "Uncle Ouyang Yunjian, what does 'rushed in' mean?"
"'Rushed in' means to throw yourself into something without thinking about your own safety. It also means to bravely charge forward, not caring about your life."
After hearing his explanation, Chenchen lowered her head as if digesting the words.
A moment later, she looked up again and said to him,
"One night, my mom told me that she would save me no matter what. She said even if it cost her life, she'd still save me."
"She thought I was asleep, but I wasn't. I heard everything."
"Uncle Ouyang Yunjian, is that what 'rushing in' means?"
Ouyang Yunjian's nose tingled with emotion. He nodded firmly. "Yes, that's exactly what it means."
As he spoke, an image surfaced in his mind—
last year, in the hospital room,
that woman holding her daughter's tiny hand right after a bone marrow aspiration, biting her lip so hard it bled from the pain of watching her child suffer.
That was the first time he realized just how deep a mother's love could be. And from that moment, Su Zhu's image had quietly taken root in his heart.
But back then, Su Zhu had a husband. He never allowed himself to entertain any thoughts—only respect. Respect for a mother.
It was hard to tell whether Chenchen had done it on purpose,
but all the books she picked were long picture books filled with lots of words.
Halfway through, it got too dark and the mosquitoes started buzzing,
so the two of them moved to the living room.
By the time Ouyang Yunjian finished reading the last book, «Ahu and Aqiu», it was already ten past eight.
Chenchen was curled up in his arms, drifting off to sleep.
Su Zhu had come by once in between to bring them some water and a plate of fruit.
Worried Ouyang Yunjian might have other plans, Su Zhu offered to take Chenchen back to the noodle shop,
but he refused.
He told her he had the day off tomorrow and could go home a bit later, urging her to focus on her work.
"Alright, we're done. Feeling sleepy?"
"I'll carry you to bed, okay?"
Chenchen nodded sleepily without saying a word.
Carrying her to the bedroom, Ouyang Yunjian tried to lay her down in the small bed,
but she clung tightly to his neck and wouldn't let go.
"Chenchen, let go now. Lie down and sleep, okay?" His voice was soft and gentle.
Chenchen shook her head with her eyes closed and murmured, "I don't want Daddy to leave."
Thinking she was missing her dad, Ouyang Yunjian was just about to explain when Chenchen spoke again.
"Uncle Daddy, don't go… I'm scared."
Hearing her call him Daddy for the first time,
Ouyang Yunjian trembled slightly.
Instead of resistance or discomfort, her calling him Daddy filled him with warmth and a strange surge of joy.
It was odd—she wasn't even his child.
In his arms, Chenchen's delicate brows furrowed slightly.
Her little hands clutched tightly onto his clothes, as if she was dreaming.
Looking down at the little girl nestled in his arms,
Ouyang Yunjian felt an overwhelming wave of tenderness.
Chenchen was the very first child he had treated after becoming an attending physician.
He clearly remembered when she was just one year old.
At first, both parents accompanied her to appointments,
but gradually it became just Su Zhu.
Chenchen was unusually well-behaved—never crying or fussing.
For the past two years, Ouyang Yunjian had overseen her treatment and follow-ups.
At least twice, he had pulled her back from the brink of death.
The most critical time, she stayed in the ICU for three whole days.
You could say that Ouyang Yunjian had given her a second chance at life.
And maybe that's why Chenchen was especially attached to him.
Watching Chenchen grow up bit by bit,
Ouyang Yunjian's feelings for her had naturally deepened beyond that of an ordinary doctor to his patient.
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。