My Youth Began With Him

When the twins got up to have breakfast on the next morning, they saw Lu Yan wasn't at the table.

Little Bean stood up and walked upstairs.

"Little Bean, where are you going?" Huo Mian stopped her.

"I'm going to tell Auntie that breakfast is ready… If she's not busy today, I want her to take us skating and to get ice cream."

"You don't have to go up. Little Bean, your auntie… left."

Huo Mian felt lost when she said those words.

"Left? Where did she go?" Little Bean was puzzled.

"She didn't say."

"Um… When will she come back?"

"She didn't say. Your auntie has things to do," Huo Mian explained patiently.

Pudding had been eating a sandwich; hearing that their auntie was gone, she lost her appetite instantly and looked sad.

Three seconds later, Little Bean burst into tears and ran upstairs.

"I don't believe it. Mom, you must be colluding with Auntie to trick my sister and me… I don't believe it. I want to go and see Auntie."

"Little Bean…" Huo Mian stood up.

Qin Chu put a hand on her shoulder. "You're pregnant and it's not easy for you to climb the steps. I'll go and check up on her."

Qin Chu followed Little Bean upstairs.

Little Bean ran to Lu Yan's bedroom and pushed open the door, yelling, "Auntie, lazy bones. It's time to get up."

She saw the room was empty, and the bed was tidy as if no one had slept in it.

Glancing around, she saw Lu Yan's personal things were gone.

Feeling sad, she cried even harder.

"Auntie, where are you? Don't hide from me; I don't like to play hide-and-seek in the mornings. Come out, or I'll cry…"

Qin Chu walked up, squatted down, and picked up Little Bean.

He wiped her tears gently and said, "Little Bean, your auntie went home. She only came to visit us and can't live here forever. You must accept reality."

"I know, but why didn't she say goodbye to us?"

Little Bean couldn't accept that their auntie had gone without telling them about it.

"Your auntie has an emergency issue with her business abroad, so she left last night. Since you and Pudding were asleep, she didn't want to disturb you and left without saying goodbye to you. But she told your mom and me to say goodbye to you."

"Really?" Little Bean looked doubtful.

"It's true."

"Okay… I believe you, Dad." Hearing her dad's explanation, Little Bean calmed down.

"You can't cry. If you cry, your sister will feel sad, so will your mom…and the baby in your mom's belly. Then everyone in our family will be sad."

"Mr. Old Qin, hearing your words, I suddenly feel like I'm very important in this family," Little Bean said solemnly with big bright eyes.

"You've always been important in our family."

"How about my sister?"

"She's as important as you."

"How about when our brother is born?"

"You and your sister will still be the most important people," Qin Chu promised.

Hearing her dad's words, Little Bean felt much better.

Holding his neck, she begged, "Dad, can we not go to school today? I know all the things they teach in school. It's a waste of time to go there."

"Then what do you want to do? Play at home?" Qin Chu was exasperated.

"No. I want to go to Aunt Lingling's shop and play with Boyuan. He's been sick lately and Aunt Lingling lets him stay home."

"Okay, Daddy allow it."

"Mr. Old Qin, you're so good. I love you so much."

"Thank you for your compliment, Miss. Little Qin."

Joking with each other, the father and daughter walked downstairs.

After breakfast, Huo Mian went to the hospital while Qin Chu drove the kids to Zhu Lingling's shop; he left some bodyguards there to protect them.

Arriving at South Side, Huo Mian was about to attend the meeting when Shen Mingxi came to see her.

"Huo Mian, I want to talk to you." Shen Mingxi's face looked pale; it seemed something had happened.