"I'm here!"
The voice carried across the whole field—loud, ragged with panic, and threaded through with guilt that did not bother to hide.
Every head turned.
PD Xu Cui came into view at a run, Shen Guoxing still asleep in the cradle of his left arm and Mo Yan's stroller pushed ahead with his right hand. Shen Guoxing's head rested against his shoulder without stirring; Mo Yan's stroller rolled with the stubborn stability of something that had already survived worse than a sprint across village ground.
He stopped in front of his secretary hard enough that the stroller rocked once and settled.
Seeing them, Su Wanyan and Mo Xingxue were already moving—steps quick, hands half-raised, the clear intention to reclaim both children and free him from the last of the favor. PD Xu Cui lifted his free hand before they reached him. The gesture was small. The smile that went with it was also small, but it was firm enough that they both halted.
