Chapter 3 Not Yet Married, Yet Blessed with Three Little Ones

For a moment, An Yan felt as though her mind couldn't keep up.

"Are you from Uncle Xia's family? That can't be right—I remember his daughter's name is Xia Cui-cui," Lin You, recalling something from Zhu Yan's words, turned to ask.

"I'm indeed not Xia Cui-cui, but I am the real daughter of the Uncle Xia you’re referring to," An Yan replied.

Lin You nodded, his expression unchanged. "My name is Lin You, and I'm the commander of the first battalion here. The marriage was arranged by our elders. Originally, you were promised to my younger brother, but he later became involved with another woman and had a child. That's how you were promised to me instead."

Listening to Lin You, An Yan felt a bitter helplessness rising in her chest. Was this not the height of melodrama?

But what choice did she have now?

"How old are you?" Lin You inquired.

"Eighteen... almost nineteen," she responded.

"Not yet nineteen? I'm thirty. Are you sure you've thought this through? If you’re unwilling, I can send you back."

If she’d heard those words before arriving, she might have been secretly delighted. But now, hearing them aloud, An Yan hesitated. Go back? But to where? Both her adoptive and biological parents felt like strangers to her.

At least the man before her seemed more sincere and responsible than any of them. Staying might actually be the better choice.

Before she could fully process her thoughts, Lin You spoke again, "There's something else I need to tell you—I have three children."

An Yan felt the scales within her heart tip. "So, you’ve been married before?"

"No, I've never been married. The three children aren't mine by blood—they're my brother’s. After he and his wife met with misfortune, the family registered the children under my name."

An Yan breathed a sigh of relief. As long as he wasn’t divorced, that was fine.

"Oh, I see. So if I stay, Nuannuan will have to call me 'Mom'?" She recalled how Lin Nuannuan had just called her 'Sister' and almost laughed at how quickly relationships could change in this household.

"Take your time. There's no need to rush your decision," Lin You continued. "Also, I want to be clear: I don't intend to have more children. To me, these three are my own."

This point didn't bother An Yan; in fact, she was a little pleased. Becoming a mother painlessly—what could be better?

She nodded happily. "Don't worry. If I choose to stay, I’ll treat the children as my own."

Lin You glanced at her, surprised by her ready acceptance. "I have no other requirements. As long as you're good to the children, that's enough. I’ll handle everything else. As for the wedding, think it over, and if you have any requests, let me know."

An Yan nodded again. "Let’s do the wedding your way. There’s no need to concern yourself with my family back home; you can ignore them."

Lin You was silent for a moment, but didn't object. Pointing inside, he explained, "There are three rooms in the house. The middle one is mine, the right is for Xiao Zhe and Xiao Zhuo, and the left is Nuannuan’s."

An Yan’s arrival had been so sudden that Lin You hadn’t prepared anything.

"Xiao Zhe? Xiao Zhuo?"

"Lin Hongzhe and Lin Hongzhuo. They’re at school right now."

An Yan made a sound of acknowledgment. Judging by their names, they were boys. She silently hoped they’d be as well-behaved as Nuannuan.

"For now, you can stay with Nuannuan. If you'd prefer your own room, I can have the boys squeeze in with me. Just tell me if you need anything, and I’ll get it for you."

"No need. This is fine. I’ll share with Nuannuan—we've already bonded," An Yan replied, kissing the little girl’s adorable cheek. She’d wanted to do that earlier, but being under the impression Nuannuan was Zhu Yan’s daughter, she’d held back. Now that she knew otherwise, she had no such reservations; this was her daughter now, and she intended to show her affection.

Lin Nuannuan wrapped her arms around An Yan, radiating a sense of mother-daughter closeness.

Lin You gave a slight nod. "I need to go to headquarters. I’ll come back to take you to the dining hall for dinner."

An Yan nodded. "Don’t worry about us, go ahead. Nuannuan, say goodbye to your father."

The little girl mimicked An Yan, waving her hand. "Goodbye, Daddy," she piped in her childish voice.

Lin You gave An Yan a long look, said nothing more, and strode away.

The moment Lin You left, Zhu Yan could no longer hold back, her voice icy. "Listen to me, An. I don’t care where you come from—you can forget about marrying him!"

This time, An Yan didn’t argue. Zhu Yan’s willingness to help Lin You care for the children made her feelings for him obvious.

An Yan had no desire to snatch away someone else's love; that would make her seem petty. But on closer thought, Zhu Yan must have been looking after the children for a long time, and if Lin You hadn’t chosen her, there had to be a reason.

Watching Zhu Yan’s angry departure, An Yan sighed, then turned to Lin Nuannuan. "Nuannuan, say goodbye to Auntie Zhu."

"Goodbye, Auntie Zhu," the little girl said obediently.

An Yan picked up Lin Nuannuan and carried her back to the house.

Nuannuan’s room was not large—the smallest of the three. The bed was pushed against the wall, with a wooden railing on one side.

"This man’s quite handy," An Yan mused, running her fingers over the railing. Her mind drifted back to Lin You’s face, and she felt a flush creep over her cheeks.

"Sister, I want more candy," Nuannuan said.

"Nuannuan, you can’t call me 'Sister' anymore," An Yan replied gently.

"Then what should I call you?"

"Call me... 'Mom.'"

The word felt foreign to Lin Nuannuan, and to An Yan as well. She had crossed into this world, everything so sudden—her environment, her marriage, even motherhood all thrust upon her in haste.

Seeing the little girl hesitate, An Yan simply scooped her up. "Never mind. Call me whatever you like."

She opened her suitcase and took out a plush rabbit, handing it to Lin Nuannuan, who gleefully perched on a stool to play with it.

It had been the original owner’s favorite toy, packed at the last moment, and now it finally had a purpose.

With Nuannuan occupied, An Yan set about organizing her clothes. The suitcase contained only the original owner’s purchases—brightly colored garments. She glanced around; there wasn’t a proper wardrobe for these 'fancy' clothes.

An Yan remembered seeing a wardrobe in Lin You’s room earlier. Gathering her clothes, she walked into the next room.

It was as simple and tidy as the others. The bed was neatly made, the blanket folded into a perfect square. Every item on the desk was meticulously arranged.

"Could he be obsessive-compulsive?" An Yan muttered. Opening the wardrobe confirmed her suspicion—everything was sorted by type, folded with precision.

She felt a chill run down her spine.

Carefully, she set Lin You’s clothes aside and hung up her own. Instantly, the monotonous wardrobe seemed to bloom with spring colors.

Meanwhile, in the An family home, Xia Cui-cui stared at her birth parents, the hatred in her heart growing ever more twisted...