Qiao Ci pulled Zhou Ye to sit down, smiling at her parents, "Dad, Mom, Zhou Ye is a bit timid, don't scare him."
Timid Zhou Ye was utterly bewildered. What had he done to make his wife think he was timid?
"I don't think he's timid at all. After kidnapping my daughter, he disappeared for three years without a word," Qiao Dad said sarcastically.
Zhou Ye was at fault in this regard and immediately stood straight, calling out to Qiao Dad and Qiao Mom with the same address Qiao Ci used, "Dad, Mom, hello."
Hearing him call his father so affectionately, Qiao Dad was stunned. Only when he realized Zhou Ye had blurted it out due to nervousness did he let him off, "Mm, sit down."
Zhou Ye sat down obediently like a primary school student, not daring to spread his legs wide, and unsure of where to put his hands.
Seeing how nervous he was, Qiao Ci took his hand, as if to say, "Don't be afraid, I'm here."
The nervousness in Zhou Ye's heart instantly vanished as if it had disappeared. He resumed about half of his usual sitting posture and felt much more relaxed.
Heh heh, with his wife here, he wasn't afraid.
Seeing his daughter protecting him, Qiao Dad felt even more annoyed.
Qiao Mom reached out and patted his back. Qiao Dad immediately felt soothed. He cleared his throat and asked, "Uh, that, you, how old are you?"
Zhou Ye immediately sat up straighter and replied obediently, "Dad, I'm 22 this year. My name is Zhou Ye."
"Mm," Qiao Dad's expression remained stern, and he continued to ask, "Who else is in your family? Relatives, for example."
He had investigated Zhou Ye before and remembered that she had no parents and her maternal grandmother had passed away, so he changed his question to relatives.
"There's just Ah Ci and me. No particularly close relatives," Zhou Ye glanced at Qiao Ci, his eyes overflowing with affection.
Qiao Dad was quite satisfied with his simple interpersonal relationships.
As for money? Their family wasn't short of it. As long as the child had good character and treated their daughter well, that was more important than anything else.
Therefore,
"You weren't with my daughter for these past three years. For the next three years, are you planning to continue letting my daughter sleep alone?"
Zhou Ye had considered this question long ago. He replied sincerely, "During these three years, I thought of Ah Ci every moment. Especially after returning this time, I realized that nothing is more important than her. Therefore, I have applied to my superiors. After the end of this year, I will be transferred to logistics, and then I can accompany Ah Ci more often."
"Another year?" Qiao Dad's face was creased with displeasure, seemingly unsatisfied with his answer.
"Mm," Zhou Ye nodded solemnly. This was the best treatment he could possibly apply for.
Sensing Qiao Dad's unhappiness, Qiao Mom quickly appeased her husband and continued to ask Zhou Ye, "Are there any dangers during this year? Will it, endanger your life?"
Zhou Ye fell silent.
Qiao Dad and Qiao Mom also fell silent.
At this moment, Qiao Ci spoke up, "It's okay, Dad, Mom. Zhou Ye will come back safely."
Because I will protect him~
Her words did not reassure Qiao Dad and Qiao Mom. They only looked at Zhou Ye and said, "We know you work for the country, and the danger level must be quite high. We have no right to ask you to give up your dreams and leave the military, but we have one request for you, and we hope you can understand."
"Please tell me," Zhou Ye appeared to be all ears, his expression extremely serious.
Qiao Mom glanced at Qiao Dad and voiced a request that might seem excessive to Zhou Ye: "We hope that before you finish your dangerous career, you and Xiao Ci don't consider having a baby."
Zhou Ye: ...
Actually, even if they didn't say it, he would have been careful. It was just that last night he was too excited, cough cough...
He wondered if it would be successful on the first try~
He looked at Qiao Ci, feeling a little guilty.
At this moment, Qiao Ci said, "Dad, Mom, I promise you."
Anyway, it wouldn't happen in the small worlds, so Dad and Mom were completely worrying for nothing.
As soon as Qiao Ci finished speaking, Qiao Mom looked at Zhou Ye. Seeing no sign of dissatisfaction in his eyes, she finally felt at ease.
This was for both of them.
Of course, if a baby were conceived, they wouldn't be the bad guys. They would just raise the child. They could afford to raise a little one.
They were just afraid of tiring their daughter.
Moreover, babies would only grow up healthy in a stable environment. They hoped that both of them could participate in the entire process of raising the child, rather than one person struggling alone.
With everything discussed, Qiao Dad stood up.
"You haven't eaten yet, right? There's food prepared downstairs for you to have something to eat. After the guests leave, we'll prepare a sumptuous dinner for you."
Zhou Ye immediately stood up with him, his posture more upright than during military training, and replied loudly, "Okay."
Qiao Dad smiled, considering him an honest child with no hidden motives. His daughter had good taste.
After Qiao Dad and Qiao Mom left, Zhou Ye held Qiao Ci's hand and followed them out of the room.
As soon as they stepped out, they encountered the handsome and refined face of a middle-aged man.
Zhou Ye looked at the man, a flash of surprise in his eyes.
Looking at this man, he seemed to see his older self. From his eyebrows to his nose and mouth, they looked as if they were carved from the same mold.
Zhou Batian looked at Zhou Ye, also in a daze. Was this the seed he had left behind?
Zhou Ye merely gave him a indifferent glance and turned to leave.
"Wait, young man."
Hearing him try to detain him, Zhou Ye felt a little impatient. However, seeing that he was in military uniform and not wanting to cause trouble for Qiao Ci's parents, he could only stop and ask, "Yes?"
"You, what is your mother's name?" Zhou Batian hesitated for a long time before finally asking.
"My mother has passed away, and I'm afraid it's not convenient to mention her name," Zhou Ye did not want to say more.
"Was your mother named Yu Lan?"
Zhou Batian's voice came from behind him again.
From the moment he asked this question, Zhou Ye was certain that this was likely his father, whom he had never met.
If it were in the past, he might still have had fantasies about his father. But ever since he had Ah Ci, he felt his life was complete. Whether he had a father or not was no longer that important.
He was already 22 years late, was there any point in returning?
Moreover, judging by his attire, he didn't seem like someone who couldn't afford to eat or raise a child. So, it could only be due to grievances and enmities.
He didn't want to get involved in unknown troubles and implicate his wife.
"No."
Since his mother had not waited for this man in her lifetime, so be it.
After all, she was already dead, and he, an innocent child, had already suffered what he had to. Even if this person wanted to compensate, he didn't need it.
He was very happy now and would continue to be happy. He didn't need the icing on the cake of kinship.