"Hey there, my little princess! Now that's what I call a really warm welcome," Fred remarked happily. He gathered the little girl in his arms and hugged her tightly. Fred was very fond of Joyce. He had taken an overnight flight to S City after hearing from the girl that she had seen her daddy.

  "Hello, Uncle Fred." Compared to his excitable twin sister, Huey was more reserved in greeting Fred. The boy only gave the man a slight smile to welcome him, unlike Joyce, who quickly jumped into Fred's arms.

  "Hey, Huey! I brought you your favorite model toy. Do you want to see it?" Fred announced. He settled Joyce on the floor and dug into his bag for Huey's gift. The boy was usually indifferent when Fred was around, and the man didn't know how to connect with him.

  "Really? Let me have a look!" Huey demanded. He beamed with pleasure as soon as Fred mentioned about his favorite toy.

  "Fred, you know you don't have to get them gifts. You embarrass me when you do that," Annie complained. She felt awkward to see Fred spending money on her children, for Annie's sake.

  "Oh, come on, Annie. We're friends, aren't we? So there's nothing to be embarrassed about. Besides, it's just a little something. Nothing expensive, so don't mind it." Pretending to be exasperated, Fred knitted his brows. He hated it when Annie would stand on ceremony with him.

  "But really, you don't have to bother bringing them presents. And it's not the first time you've done that," she argued. The young mother didn't want to spoil her children, so she usually didn't buy them stuff.

  "Well, forget it," Fred said dismissively. "Uh, don't you think this house is too small for you?" He was looking around and noted that the place was not only small, but its general appearance was unsatisfactory.

  Annie quickly retorted, "Not at all. I like it, and the place is just suitable for the three of us." There was a smile of satisfaction as she answered Fred. While the house wasn't very large, it was completely equipped.

  Suddenly, he felt a tug on his shirt. "Uncle Fred, aren't you forgetting something?" an

  ness.

  Huey snorted in envy. "Hrmph! What an apple polisher!" he snapped. The boy pursed his lips in discontent. Despite his complaints, Huey was envious of his sister. His daddy had never held him in his arms, and he was longing for a warm hug as well.

  "Hey Huey! Come over here so I can give you a hug, too," his father invited. He put Joyce down and opened his arms for his son to come to. Rain had noticed the glint of envy in the boy's eyes.

  There was a hint of shyness in Huey's face, but he eventually walked up to Rain. Once enveloped in his father's arms, an innocent grin replaced the usually stern expression on the boy's face.

  A faint bitter smile crossed Fred's face. He had always been around for Annie's family for years, but Rain quickly managed to captivate the children in just one day, something he was never able to do. He looked downcast now.

  Meanwhile, Annie, who stood between the two men, was faced with an embarrassing dilemma. She never imagined Rain and Fred would appear in her house at the same time.

  "Mr. Xia! What a strange coincidence to meet you here," Fred said in greeting. He wanted to be the first to greet Rain so he could initiate their conversation.

  "Well, I wouldn't call it a coincidence since I am coming back to my home," Rain said aggressively. He had no intention of making any concessions with a perceived rival standing before him.