Halfway through the meal, the children started running around the room.

They took down the red balloons arranged on the table and chased each other with them in hand.

The little niece stood lonely by the door, watching eagerly.

Song Liang waved at her.

It turned out he had hidden a golden balloon early on, and now he presented it to her like a treasure.

Xiao Yun took the balloon but didn't walk away.

She climbed onto an empty chair next to Song Liang and whispered something in his ear.

The elders laughed, "Song really likes children. You two should get married next year and have a child of your own."

She asked again, "Whose child is this?"

My mom said, "This is Yuting's child. It's a pity, her parents divorced, her dad went to jail, and she has a two-year-old brother."

She proudly added, "But I plan to introduce Mr. Zhu to Yuting. Once they're married, he will treat Xiao Yun just as well."

The more she talked, the more absurd it became, and my mom's old habit acted up again.

I kicked her, but she didn't notice, still rambling on about Mr. Zhu being forty-eight years old and his wife dying of cancer last year.

Song Liang suddenly glared at my mom.

There was an unmistakable disgust in his expression.

I was shocked, and my chopsticks made a "snap" sound as they fell under the table.

In an instant, he changed his demeanor, lowering his head gently and coaxing, "Have some more to eat, Xiao Yun. You need to eat well to grow tall."

He didn't look at me throughout, focusing entirely on taking care of the little girl beside him.

Xiao Yun loved shrimp, so he patiently peeled half a bowl for her.

In truth, Song Liang hated peeling shrimp the most, hated the feeling of juice soaking his hands, and hated the lingering fishy smell that wouldn't wash off.

The little niece grew sleepy while eating, rubbing her eyes incessantly.

Song Liang embraced her, letting her rest against his chest.

He did all this very naturally, without any hint of reluctance or impatience.

As the gathering dispersed, Xiao Yun had become quite familiar with him, holding his hand and asking him to leave together.

Everyone laughed, "Uncle can't leave with you. He and Aunt are family."

However, the little girl held onto Song Liang's hand and refused to let go.

My cousin forcefully pulled her daughter's hand away.

The little girl cried out loud.

Song Liang squatted down, hugging her tenderly, "Good girl, we'll play together next time."

Then, he took out his phone, looking casual.

"Sister, let's exchange WeChat. Xiao Yun can send me voice messages anytime."