Nannan's originally dim eyes lit up upon hearing this.
"My dad?"
Little Nannan asked, her tears silently falling.
The word "dad" was too unfamiliar to her.
There was no father in her memory, but that didn't stop her from longing for one. Every time she saw other children with their fathers, acting spoiled and cute, she felt particularly envious.
Chen Fan patiently explained, "Yes, Uncle knows your dad. The two words on the pendant you wear around your neck were actually carved by Uncle."
"Really?"
Chen Fan nodded emphatically, "Of course, it's true."
Nannan fell silent.
Chen Fan also stopped speaking, waiting quietly.
After a long while, Nannan spoke again, asking, "Where is he? Why doesn't he come to find me?"
"He has... gone to a very, very far place. He'll come back when you're older," Chen Fan initially wanted to tell Nannan the truth, but changed his mind after some thought.
The truth would be too cruel for a little girl.
What she needed now wasn't the truth, but hope.
Nannan looked up, her big, watery eyes gazing at Chen Fan, and asked earnestly, "Uncle, do you know who my dad is?"
Chen Fan's heart ached, and his eyes instantly misted over.
He took out a photo from his pocket and handed it to Nannan. It was the only photo of him and Hu Dongyang together.
"Your dad is a great hero, the most amazing person in the world."
Nannan took the photo from Chen Fan and looked closely at the person in it.
Although it was the first time she had seen a photo of Hu Dongyang, she felt an immediate strong sense of familiarity.
It was a feeling of being connected by blood.
Even from just a photo, she could feel it.
Nothing could sever this familial bond!
Chen Fan fell silent again, knowing that this was a bit too sudden for a little girl and that she needed some time.
After an unknown amount of time, Nannan blinked, and her tears could no longer be held back.
The little girl, who hadn't cried even when beaten, could no longer control her tears. She hugged Chen Fan's neck and sobbed.
Only then did Chen Fan relax!
Cry!
Cry!
Cry to your heart's content!
Only by doing so could she release the pent-up negative emotions in her heart.
Otherwise, these emotions would continue to weigh on her, which would be even more detrimental to her growth.
Chen Fan's arms wrapped around her, lifting Nannan. He said softly, "Come, Uncle will take you home."
"I don't have a home anymore," Nannan said, tears streaming down her face.
"As long as Uncle is here, Nannan has a home," Chen Fan said with a sigh, his voice firm.
"Mm!"
Nannan nodded and looked back at the other children.
Chen Fan saw her worry and said gently, "Don't worry, Nannan. They will be rescued by the soldier uncles, taken to the hospital for treatment, and then reunited with their parents."
Only then did little Nannan feel relieved.
Chen Fan carried little Nannan out of the warehouse and then had Qin Tianyou tend to her injuries and change her into clean clothes.
Fortunately, her injuries were all superficial. They looked serious, but there was no irreversible damage.
While her wounds were being treated, Nannan remained silent, earning the admiration of Qin Tianyou and the others.
Even for battle-hardened veterans like them, applying medication was painful enough to make them wince.
Yet, this five or six-year-old girl could endure it, which was truly astonishing.
As they marveled, their hearts ached even more!
They couldn't imagine how much hardship she must have endured to become like this.
It was simply unimaginable!
Over the next ten minutes, the Raptor team members brought the children out one by one and placed them onto the waiting armored vehicles.
As for the controlled members of the illegal syndicate, they were being interrogated on the spot.
Chen Fan took Nannan into a vehicle and drove to the town center. He had his accompanying team members knock on the door of a breakfast shop and ordered a bowl of noodles with egg.
Little Nannan ate the noodles heartily, tears streaming down her face.
After finishing the noodles, the sleepy girl couldn't help but fall asleep again.
"Heavenly King, the interrogation results are in."
As dawn approached, Qin Tianyou strode to the vehicle.
"Speak!"
"The leader of this syndicate is a guy named Black Snake. You crippled him, and he needs to be rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment."
"As for Aunt Mei, she was in charge of the money within the syndicate and didn't handle the specific operations. She's Black Snake's mistress."
"According to these people, they have two more individuals stationed at the train station with three children."
"In Hangjiang, there are two similar syndicates. Their leaders are named Old Ghost and Crippled Biao, respectively, and they have their own territories. Only Black Snake and Aunt Mei could contact these two."
"..."
No information related to He Yifeng was obtained, indicating that ordinary syndicate members were not at a high enough level to know about He Yifeng's existence.
"Contact the local authorities and take down those two syndicates."
"Check the Silver City Club. Never mind, I'll arrange for someone else to investigate."
"Make sure all those children are settled properly, and no more mistakes are made!" Chen Fan said.
"Yes!" Qin Tianyou snapped a salute.
Chen Fan took out his phone and made a call.
"Two things: investigate the background of the owner of the Silver City Club, and secondly, find the whereabouts or demise of a woman named Zhou Qiaoyun. I need the results as soon as possible."
"Understood, Mr. Chen!" Jiang Tiansheng replied promptly.
After hanging up, Chen Fan drove away.
In the passenger seat, which was lowered, little Nannan was sleeping soundly, but tears still trickled down the corners of her eyes in her sleep.
Upon returning to Villa No. 1, little Nannan had woken up. She appeared reserved and hesitant upon seeing the villa after getting out of the car.
"This is your home from now on!" Chen Fan said, picking her up.
"This house is so big," little Nannan blinked and asked, "Uncle, can I really live here?"
"Of course, Nannan can stay as long as you want!"
Opening the door and entering the house, Su Yingxue and Wang Tingting were having breakfast. They were both surprised to see Chen Fan carrying a little girl.
"Hey, Chen Fan, going out for a night of fun and bringing back your love child?" Wang Tingting blurted out.
Chen Fan frowned slightly and said, "This is the daughter of a deceased friend of mine. She will be my daughter from now on."
Su Yingxue looked at Nannan's ill-fitting, worn, and dirty clothes and said, "The child must have suffered a lot. Come, have something to eat first. Brother Chen, you too, why didn't you prepare any clothes?"
Chen Fan was momentarily stunned; he hadn't thought about these details.
"Alright, don't worry about it. I'll modify one of my outfits for her as a dress. I'll bring back a couple of clothes after work. We can go shopping for more when I have a day off in a couple of days!" Wang Tingting rolled her eyes, looking exasperated.
"Come here, little sister, sit with Auntie. What's your name?" Su Yingxue ignored Wang Tingting and affectionately took Nannan's hand and asked.
"My name is Nannan."
"Your full name?"
"Mom said my full name is Zhou Siyang."
Chen Fan's expression trembled upon hearing this.
Nannan had taken her mother's surname, but her given name was Siyang, meaning longing for Hu Dongyang.
Su Yingxue and Nannan hit it off well. She gave Nannan some breakfast and then took her to bathe.
When she came out after changing, five-year-old Nannan, though appearing slender, was like a delicate porcelain doll, charming and lovable.
Even Wang Tingting, who thought Nannan was Chen Fan's illegitimate child, brought out a pile of snacks to coax her.
Inside Villa No. 1, the atmosphere seemed to have taken on a different quality.