Sophia Shaw just gave him a faint nod in greeting.

She stepped past him.

Jenson Forrest followed her. "It’s getting late. I’ll take you home."

"That’s not necessary!"

"It’s mainly for Lil. She has quite a few questions for you."

Only then did Sophia Shaw stop and look at him.

Jenson Forrest said, "I was with Lil for her eye appointment. Today’s examination took a while, so we’re just now finishing up."

"I see." Sophia Shaw didn’t understand why he felt the need to explain.

’Still, if he hadn’t explained,’ she thought, ’I would have assumed he was here to see Cedric Grant.’

Hearing that Lillian Forrest was there for an eye exam, Sophia Shaw couldn’t help but slow her pace.

She couldn’t stop herself from asking with concern, "Were there any results?"

"The doctor hasn’t given a definitive answer yet."

"Oh."

Sophia Shaw hoped that Lillian Forrest would be able to recover.

"Sophie!"

Downstairs, Lillian Forrest was in a car coming out of the underground garage.

Hearing Sophia’s voice, she called out excitedly and reached a hand out toward her, feeling her way.

Sophia Shaw walked over and took it.

"Sophie, hurry and get in. We can have Uncle Warren drive your car back for you."

Sophia Shaw gave the keys to the driver, Uncle Warren, and told him the address.

Uncle Warren drove off.

Jenson Forrest was driving himself.

"Lil, didn’t you have a lot of questions for me? What are they?" Sophia Shaw asked as soon as she got in the car.

"Huh?" Lillian Forrest froze for a moment.

Jenson Forrest, who was driving, said, "Those difficult problems you mentioned to me several times. Sophie’s here now, so you can ask her."

"Oh, right."

Lillian Forrest rattled off several problems she couldn’t solve.

Sophia Shaw answered them for her, one by one.

By the time she finished, the car had arrived near Sophia Shaw’s place.

Uncle Warren had parked her car on the side of the road.

Sophia Shaw didn’t want anyone connected to Vincent Grant to know her new address, which was why she had given them this location.

"Lil, Mr. Forrest, goodbye."

Lillian Forrest waved to her.

Not until Sophia Shaw got into her own car did Lillian Forrest wipe the sweat from her forehead.

’Thank goodness I managed to think of a few problems on the spot,’ she thought. ’Otherwise, today would have been so embarrassing.’

"Brother, do you like Sophie?" Lillian Forrest asked bluntly.

Jenson Forrest neither denied nor confirmed it.

Lillian Forrest stuck out her tongue playfully. "It’s okay if you admit it. Sophie is a wonderful person. I like her too."

"I’m not worthy of her," Jenson Forrest said in a low voice.

"What?"

Lillian Forrest didn’t hear him clearly.

"It’s nothing." Jenson Forrest sat up straight. "Lil, I’m going to be very busy for a while, so I won’t have much time to take care of you."

"Sister Lane will help you with anything you need, and if you miss me, just give me a call."

"What are you going to be busy with?" Lillian Forrest asked curiously.

"A new project."

"Okay."

Lillian Forrest knew her brother had already sacrificed so much for her, so she did her best not to hold him back.

A few more days passed in a flash.

The May Day holiday arrived.

Lead Aerospace was also closed for a few days.

Sophia Shaw took advantage of the time off to take Bun back to the Shaw family home.

Leah Evans also came to the Shaw house for the holiday.

There weren’t many of them, but the house was lively and bustling.

With crowds everywhere for May Day, Yancy Shaw decided against a long trip. Instead, he rented an RV and took the whole family, young and old, to the well-known Grand Coast nearby.

It was a newly developed seaside recreational area, meticulously planned by the government, with a calm, azure sea on one side and a lush green lawn stretching along the coast on the other.

Many people brought their own cooking gear, setting up tents on the lawn and starting up their pots to make food.

They arrived early and snagged a great spot.

June Evans was in charge of watching the two children, Yancy Shaw set up the tent, and Sophia Shaw and Leah Evans set out the tables and chairs and took inventory of the food.

Grandma followed them around cheerfully, lending a hand from time to time.

Seeing beads of sweat on Sophia Shaw’s forehead, she took out a handkerchief to wipe them away for her.

"Auntie, me too!" Leah Evans pleaded playfully.

Leah Evans stuck her face right in front of Grandma, who chuckled and carefully wiped her sweat as well.

Before long, wisps of steam began to rise from under their little canopy.

After a hearty meal, they fed both Chloe and Bun their milk.

The adults then brewed tea by the stove and chatted.

Leah Evans couldn’t sit still and clamored to go collect seashells.

Sophia Shaw and June Evans had to look after the children, so Leah had to go by herself.

She was gone for no more than ten minutes before she returned.

Her face was visibly dark with anger.

"What’s wrong, little miss? Who got on your nerves this time?" June Evans asked, looking at her.

Leah Evans opened her mouth, glanced at Yancy Shaw and Grandma, and said nothing.

June Evans never could manage her younger sister, so she didn’t bother with her, letting her sulk.

She just pushed the double stroller and took Bun and Chloe for a walk.

Yancy Shaw sipped his tea and listened to Grandma talk.

Only then did Leah Evans lean close to Sophia Shaw and say, "What rotten luck! I just ran into a couple of ghosts!"

"Those two shameless people, it’s like they planned it. They just had to show up here too."

The moment Leah Evans finished speaking, a man, a woman, and a child appeared in the distance, pushing a stroller.

The one pushing the stroller was the child.

He pushed it meticulously and steadily.

From time to time, he would even adjust the little blanket for the baby in the stroller and wipe its drool.

People nearby saw this and couldn’t help but give him a thumbs-up. "Wow, look at this big brother! He’s amazing, taking such good care of his little sibling."

The little boy lifted his head with a hint of pride, only to accidentally meet Sophia Shaw’s gaze.

At first, Cedric Grant thought he was seeing things. It wasn’t until he saw Yancy Shaw and Grandma that he realized it was a chance encounter.

He stopped in his tracks.

An uncomfortable expression crept onto his fair face.

His fingers fidgeted helplessly on the stroller’s handlebar.

Meanwhile, Vincent Grant and Joanna Sherman, who were behind him, clearly hadn’t noticed them and were deep in conversation.

They were walking close together, talking so intently that they didn’t even notice Cedric had stopped.

Sophia Shaw had long since accepted Cedric Grant’s attitude and had already made things clear with him, so she didn’t feel any particular emotion.

She calmly looked away, pretending she hadn’t seen them.

"Isn’t that Vincent and Cedric?"

Grandma had seen them too and nudged Sophia Shaw.

Only then did Vincent Grant notice the presence of Sophia Shaw and her family. After a brief pause, he pulled Cedric Grant over with him.

"Grandma, hello."

"Uncle."

Yancy Shaw gave a noncommittal grunt, clearly not welcoming Vincent Grant—especially not when he saw him with Joanna Sherman.

Grandma, however, warmly took Cedric Grant’s hand. "Your mom must have told you we were here, right? You two are late! We’ve already finished all the good food."

Grandma assumed that Vincent Grant and Cedric Grant had already made plans to meet Sophia Shaw.

"Great-Grandma," Cedric Grant called out awkwardly.

Vincent Grant smiled. "We already ate before we came."

"If you’ve eaten, then have some tea."

Sophia Shaw thought Vincent Grant would surely make an excuse to leave, but to her surprise, he pulled Cedric Grant down to sit with them.

Joanna Sherman didn’t come over, walking off on her own.

Yancy Shaw silently passed Vincent Grant a cup of tea.

Grandma stuffed a handful of longans, red dates, and other small snacks into Cedric Grant’s hands.

Leah Evans was disgusted by the two of them but couldn’t show it to their faces, so she got up to find June Evans.

Sophia Shaw didn’t feel right leaving, so she kept her head down and remained silent.

She picked up chestnuts from a small dish and roasted them by the tea stove, constantly turning them with a pair of tongs.

"Mom," Cedric Grant called out softly to Sophia Shaw.

Sophia Shaw didn’t want to respond, but she also didn’t want the matter of them cutting ties to be revealed in front of Grandma. She picked up a roasted chestnut with the tongs and placed it in front of him. "Have a chestnut."

Seeing Sophia Shaw’s cold expression, Cedric Grant felt a pang in his heart. He picked up the chestnut and held it tight in his palm.