The two walked along the corridor behind the church, heading back to the guest accommodations.

Jiang Pinhao noticed Liang Anya was unsettled and escorted her back to the villa where the Liang Family was staying.

The villa was empty; apart from the housekeeper upstairs taking care of Xiaoxiao, Liang Tao and Liang Jue were still at the church and hadn’t returned.

Jiang Pinhao picked up a water cup, went to the water dispenser, poured a glass of plain water, and handed it to her. She gulped it down, sat on the sofa for several minutes, and finally calmed down. Only then did she realize that Jiang Pinhao had quietly been sitting beside her the whole time.

She came back to her senses and placed the water cup on the coffee table. "Mr. Jiang, I’m sorry... I know I shouldn’t have made such a decision on my own, but..."

"It’s fine." Jiang Pinhao interrupted her. He already knew that she must have had no other choice at the time. "But can you tell me what exactly happened?"

Liang Anya hesitated for a moment. Though she didn’t want to say it, given that she had dragged Jiang Pinhao into this, there was no way she could leave him in the dark. So, she had no choice but to explain everything about her history with Si Yuheng, from the very beginning.

Jiang Pinhao stayed silent for a long time, saying nothing. After a while, he raised his head to glance at the tightly closed baby room upstairs. "So, this child really is that Mr. Si’s?"

"Mm." She didn’t want to admit it, but she had no choice but to confess this undeniable fact.

She felt like she didn’t even dare to look at Jiang Pinhao anymore.

The man in front of her was someone she once respected and had secretly admired, but now she was talking to him about the one memory she most wanted to bury.

"What are you planning to do? He doesn’t look like someone who’ll let go easily," Jiang Pinhao asked.

Liang Anya was already feeling exasperated. Now, being questioned by him, her temples throbbed even harder. After rubbing them for a while, she finally said, "I don’t know... This island is Huo Family’s territory, and now it’s Xiaoyi and Huo Shao’s wedding. I believe he probably won’t try anything forceful for the time being. When Dad and Brother return, we might leave the island immediately. At that time, I’ll talk to Xiaoyi. She’ll probably ask the Huo Family to arrange for our family to sneak away."

The more she thought, the more her head hurt.

The peaceful life she wanted had once again been disrupted by that man.

What debt had she owed him in her previous life?

Jiang Pinhao fell silent for a few minutes and then spoke. "That won’t work."

"Hm?" Liang Anya looked at him in confusion.

"Since he’s already found you, even if he won’t act impulsively on the island, finding out where you’re staying now would be easy for him. If he follows you back to A City and keeps pestering you to see the child, what’s your plan then?"

Liang Anya’s head began throbbing even worse, her face filled with despair. "Oh, my god, someone strike me with lightning and kill me already."

Jiang Pinhao said calmly, "How about this—I’ll go back to A City with you all and stay there for a while. If he sees me leaving with you, he’ll be convinced that I’m the father of this child. Even if he follows us to A City, knowing you already have a boyfriend will at least make him hesitant, and he won’t harass you as much."

Liang Anya stared blankly at Jiang Pinhao. He was right.

When she and Jiang Pinhao had pretended in front of Si Yuheng earlier, he probably still had some doubts.

If Jiang Pinhao really returned to A City with her, it might finally dispel his suspicions completely.

Slowly, he would likely back off.

At the very least, with a legitimate boyfriend by her side, Si Yuheng shouldn’t act as recklessly, right?

Excited yet hesitant, she said, "Mr. Jiang, this has nothing to do with you. I don’t want to trouble you or disrupt your work or personal time."

"No trouble at all. It’s summer break at the university now, remember? I was actually planning to visit a coastal city to give a lecture on marine geological surveys, and A City is conveniently located by the sea," he said with a slight smile, cultured and composed.

She swallowed slightly, deeply grateful. "Even so, I still don’t want to disrupt your plans..."

After all, Si Yuheng wasn’t someone ordinary, and she worried that if he got mad, Jiang Pinhao might face trouble.

Jiang Pinhao interrupted her, "Perhaps this isn’t the most appropriate way to phrase it, but I still want to say—it’s natural for me to do this, since you’ve carried feelings for me. Or was what you just said to Si Yuheng completely made up? Did you never truly have feelings for me?"

Liang Anya froze, her face turning slightly red. "No... It wasn’t made up."

The man in front of her, refined and gentle, really had been her dream crush during her school days.

Gentle, handsome, loyal, and kind, with a successful career—he was exactly the type she imagined as her ideal husband growing up.

"Then it’s settled. I’ll head back to pack my luggage. Once your father and Liang Jue return, let them know, and just tell me when you’ve confirmed your departure. Anytime works for me." Jiang Pinhao stood up.

...

The ceremony at the church ended.

When Liang Tao and his sons returned, Liang Anya shared her idea of leaving French Santo Roy Island tonight.

As for the reason behind her abrupt departure, Liang Tao and Liang Jue didn’t bother asking since Jiayi had already informed them about Si Yuheng attending the wedding.

The venue had been crowded today, and Si Yuheng had kept a low profile, so Liang Tao hadn’t seen him personally. But upon hearing the news, he’d been furious and was ready to confront Si Yuheng immediately if it weren’t for Liang Jue holding him back and his desire not to spoil Xiaoyi’s wedding.

Now, hearing his daughter’s proposal, Liang Tao agreed without hesitation. He didn’t want his daughter to have any dealings with that man, nor did he want him to take Xiaoxiao away.

The Liang Family quickly packed their luggage, and by the evening, Jiang Pinhao joined them, waiting for the Huo Family’s arranged plane.

Liang Anya didn’t mention that Mr. Jiang’s trip to A City was to help her deal with Si Yuheng, for fear that it would make her dad worry even more. Instead, she simply said Mr. Jiang was heading to A City for a lecture on marine geological surveys and just happened to be traveling with their family.

...

That evening, a Huo Family assistant came to inform them that the plane would depart in forty minutes.

Jiang Pinhao accompanied Liang Tao in the downstairs living room, chatting.

Liang Anya could tell her dad really liked Mr. Jiang. After chatting for a while, the tense expression on his face even began to relax.

At that moment, the housekeeper from upstairs came downstairs and reported, "Miss Liang, Miss Xiaoxiao is suddenly crying badly; I wonder if she’s hungry again."

"Oh, I’ll go feed her." Liang Anya headed upstairs, entered the baby room, and closed the door.

In the crib, Xiaoxiao was crying so hard her little face was flushed red, gasping for air, holding up her chubby fists and sucking on her thumb.

"Such a little foodie. You just ate, and you’re hungry again already..."

Liang Anya felt her heart ache, picked up her daughter, and gently patted her while pulling her shirt aside to nurse Xiaoxiao. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Her milk supply wasn’t abundant, so Xiaoxiao was fed half breast milk and half formula milk.

But the little rascal preferred breast milk—she would fuss at formula milk but be completely satisfied by breast milk.

This time was no exception. Nestled in her mom’s arms, Xiaoxiao happily sucked on her meal, finally calming down.