Sunday, at the aquarium.
When Yan and Zhu Jue arrived, they imdiately regretted their decision as they took in the sight of the crowd ahead—families with children and elderly in tow.
"We shouldn’t have co to the aquarium on a weekend," Yan muttered.
"But—" Before she could finish, Zhu Jue chid in with the next line.
"Well, we’re already here."
"Yeah, and we promised," Yan said, watching parents carrying their kids as she wiped the non-existent sweat from her forehead. Since they were already here, there was no turning back.
The two had never been to this aquarium in Bin City before. Though aquariums were generally similar across the country, it was still a decent place to visit.
"Where are they?" Yan glanced around, her eyes scanning the crowd. If there was one thing she excelled at, it was spotting people with halos—those distinctive, glowing signs above their heads.
Lin Fan’s golden halo, marked with four characters, should have been easy to spot even in this sea of people.
Zhu Jue checked his phone. "Fan Ge says they’re in the family express lane and told us to et them inside."
Yan looked ahead. The family lanes were packed, a dense mass of people where even the halos were obscured. Fan Ge and the others were probably buried in the crowd.
The two entered through the regular lane, swiftly scanning their tickets to get in—only to find that the others were still stuck in line.
Zhu Jue’s lips twitched. "They’re still queuing."
Yan facepald. In a place dominated by families with kids, the regular entrance had turned out to be faster.
"There they are! I see them!" Yan finally spotted the golden halo and imdiately tugged Zhu Jue along.
"Wait—no, that’s not right!"
Yan’s expression froze. "Two."
At that mont, Lin Fan was waving at them while holding a child, his halo unmistakable. But the young girl clinging to Lin Lu’s arm also had a clear halo above her head.
Lin Fan was accompanied by a nanny helping with the child, while Lin Lu had a young woman by her side—barely an adult, with facial features resembling hers. Both were dressed in white coats, making them look almost like sisters at a glance.
[Lin Anran]
This was the first ti Yan had seen a halo bearing a person’s full na. She blinked in surprise.
"Jue Jue, didn’t Fan Ge and Lu Jie say their daughter’s na was Lin Anran?"
"Yeah, Lin Anran. Nickna An’an."
Yan’s grip on Zhu Jue’s hand tightened. She shot him a aningful look.
Two halos, combined with Yan’s question, made Zhu Jue instantly grasp her implication.
The "little sister" wasn’t actually a little sister!
Amazing!
"Won’t this ss up the tiline?" Yan murmured in confusion.
"What are you two whispering about?" Lin Fan asked.
"We were just saying you shouldn’t have taken the family lane," Yan quickly replied.
"Exactly," Zhu Jue nodded.
As they spoke, Yan and Zhu Jue’s attention shifted to the little girl in Lin Fan’s arms.
This was their first ti seeing Lin Fan and Lin Lu’s child.
"She’s about a year old, right?" Yan asked.
The little girl had tiny pigtails, wore a light down jacket, and had big, curious eyes like black grapes. She was absolutely adorable.
"Eighteen months. She’s walking faster now, hitting her language explosion phase, and picks things up quickly," Lin Fan said, his voice dripping with affection.
"Daddy, down! Down!" Little An’an squird in his arms.
"Good girl, An’an. This is your—" Lin Fan hesitated over the title.
"Call them Auntie and Uncle," Lin Lu interjected.
She pointed at Yan. "Auntie."
An’an opened her tiny mouth and obediently chirped, "Auntie!"
Yan reached out to hold the little girl’s hand. Compared to an adult’s, it felt like a miniature toy—soft, pudgy, and utterly heart-lting.
"Auntie’s here! An’an is so smart, such a good girl!" Yan imdiately clapped in encouragent.
"Uncle," Zhu Jue leaned in, smiling at the child.
"Unco!"
"Yep, Uncle’s right here," Zhu Jue replied warmly, grinning despite the mispronunciation.
"This is my... cousin, Lin Anning. Just call her Ning Ning," Lin Lu introduced the young girl still clinging to her arm, pausing slightly before the word "cousin."
Yan studied "Lin Anning." Aside from her large, fluttering eyes, there was little resemblance to the one-and-a-half-year-old An’an.
But upon closer inspection, there was sothing in her brows that mirrored Lin Lu—a budding grace.
"Sister Yan, Brother-in-law," she greeted them first.
Yan thought to herself, The titles are probably off, but given the situation, we’ll just roll with it.
"Nice to et you. Should we head in? It’ll get crowded soon," Yan said, taking Zhu Jue’s hand and leading the way toward the aquarium entrance.
By now, An’an had wriggled free and insisted on walking by herself, toddling forward step by step.
Lin Fan, blissfully oblivious, walked ahead of his daughter, guiding her at a slow pace while keeping her from running off. Behind her, the nanny followed closely.
Lin Lu and "Lin Anning"—or more accurately, Lin Anran—walked arm in arm, watching the scene ahead. They looked like sisters, yet also like mother and daughter.
Yan’s lips moved subtly as she whispered to Zhu Jue, "I think... Lu Jie might know."
Zhu Jue nodded silently.
Based on what Lin Fan had previously told them, this "little sister" had gone through phases of erratic behavior—like a teenager rebelling, even attempting self-harm—and had a habit of secretly observing Lin Fan and Lin Lu.
It was likely that "Lin Anran" had only just arrived as "Lin Anning" at that ti.
But how old was she really? From Lin Fan’s descriptions, she did seem like a teenager.
Yan pondered. A teenage daughter traveling back to... what, over a decade ago?
Was there a reason? A purpose?
She exhaled. A biological daughter, but was this Lin Anran Lin Fan’s child from before his "rebirth," rather than little An’an now?
The group of seven entered the aquarium. Once indoors, the crowd thickened, and Lin Fan scooped up his daughter again, beaming as if he didn’t feel the slightest bit tired.
Lin Lu held the aquarium map and turned to the young couple. "Yan, we’ll be busy with the kids. Feel free to explore on your own—don’t worry about us."
As she spoke, she shot Lin Fan a pointed look. Her clueless husband didn’t seem to realize that unmarried couples and married-with-kids pairs didn’t mix well on outings. Ever since they had a child, everything revolved around her. Kids had limited energy—they’d fuss to go ho after a while—but their friends shouldn’t have to cut their day short too.
Especially when... he had specifically ntioned wanting the young couple to befriend Anran and "help her adjust."
Lin Lu was seriously considering telling her silly husband the truth: That’s your actual daughter.
But looking at Lin Fan now—who spends his days grinning foolishly while holding their child, carrying her whenever possible, letting her ride on his shoulders and tug his hair every day, utterly smitten to the point of spoiling her rotten—Lin Lu couldn’t fathom how such a rift could later grow between their daughter and him.
Even with her, a mother so young, their daughter remained tight-lipped, yet clung to her relentlessly every day.
Though she didn’t understand how her future daughter had ended up assuming the identity of her cousin, one thing was certain: no matter what, no matter how old she beca—even if, in this tiline, they appeared to be close in age—as her mother, she would always love her child.
Yan and Zhu Jue exchanged a glance. "No worries, we’ve got nothing planned today anyway. It’s our first ti eting little An'an—might as well spend more ti with her," Yan said with a smile. If they left now, who knew what irreversible ss might happen?
Zhu Jue watched Lin Fan, who was practically glowing with pride as he doted on his daughter, and couldn’t help but feel a pang of envy. Yan, anwhile, scanned the aquarium, her eyes lingering on the many children around, yet she still found An'an the most adorable of them all.
Such a precious little thing—she almost wanted to steal her!
As the group headed toward the underwater tunnel, Yan overheard Lin Fan casually bossing Zhu Jue around.
"Zhu Jue, take so photos for us. It’s my first ti bringing my daughter to the aquarium."
"So? Isn’t my girl the cutest? The prettiest? The smartest? She eats well, grows strong—just perfect," Lin Fan bragged, his face alight with pride.
"Adorable, gorgeous, brilliant. How about letting us be her godparents?" Zhu Jue suggested.
"Absolutely," Yan chid in. Who wouldn’t want a sweet, cuddly little girl like her?
Lin Fan scoffed. "You two are really out here eyeing soone else’s kid? That’s up to your sister-in-law and An'an—I don’t get a say."
Zhu Jue nudged him further. "Think about it: our whole dorm squad. One shout from her in the future, and she’ll have one dad plus five goddads backing her up."
Lin Fan walked on, cradling his daughter, deep in thought. "I’ve got military buddies too, you know."
"Imagine when she’s all grown up," Zhu Jue pressed.
At that, Lin Fan paused. "You’ve got a point."
His roommates were all exceptional—unlike him, the "special case" who’d scraped by, they’d earned their places through sheer rit. Picturing his daughter twenty years later, calling on five godfathers who’d beco industry titans, the idea of godparenthood suddenly seed brilliant.
"Then we’ll have to prepare gifts—we’ll make up for it next ti," Yan said cheerfully. They’d ssaged too late the night before, left too early today, and the mall hadn’t even opened. Normally, eting a friend’s child warranted a proper present.
"In that case, you’ll be her first godparents. No more ‘Auntie’ and ‘Uncle,’" Lin Lu added with a soft laugh.
Just then, Zhu Jue took little An'an from Lin Fan’s arms, holding her with surprising expertise.
"Not bad, Zhu Jue. Impressive," Lin Fan praised, relieved to see his daughter comfortable in his friend’s hold.
Yan, however, sensed eyes on her—not Lin Lu’s, but Lin Anran’s.
Lin Anran walked arm-in-arm with her mother from eighteen years ago, watching the man who now doted on her younger self, and the freshly minted "godparents" just assigned to her childhood counterpart. She stayed silent, unsure what to say.
She’d co back to tear her parents apart.
Yet sohow, so much was different from her mories.
A father who’d left the military early for campus life.
A father who showered her mother with affection, his world revolving solely around his wife and child—no parade of won angling to be her stepmother, no endless drama.
And her mother—young, vibrant, a figure long faded in her recollections.
Even these brand-new godparents left Lin Anran dazed as she moved forward.
If this was all just a beautiful dream… should she be the one to shatter it?
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