He even thought that if in the future he were to be alone and single, then he would want to be earning lots of money and have no kids. He would be active in charity. He would donate his excess assets to children who were either seriously ill or poor, but he would never think of adopting.

He had accepted Gong Jie’s terms only out of duty and much helplessness. Not that he really liked Natalia.

“I know you don’t like me very much. Since you don’t like me, I won’t force you to like me. So please don’t force yourself to like me too!”

Natalia smiled as she spoke. “Still, I will live in harmony with you!”

With that, she turned and walked back into the room. He watched her go in silence. Suddenly, he was overcome by a strange sense of helplessness.

…

“How could that be? Didn’t your relationship with Natalia improve significantly during the trip to the amusement park?”

…

Late at night.

On the balcony, the actor was on the phone, leaning back against the railing as he lamented to Yun Shishi. “Perhaps I really don’t have what it takes to be a newbie dad. I’ve tried my best to build a relationship with her, but this child is so sensitive. With just a look, she completely dismissed me as a person. She’s only six or seven, but the workings of her mind are already so exquisite and mature!”

Yun Shishi smiled at that. “In this respect, he’s very similar to Youyou.”

“Are they similar?”

“The boy has always been sensitive and delicate, even as a child. How far could he go? He could tell if someone liked him or hated him with just one look. Natalia is the same.”

The actor sighed helplessly. “I don’t mean to dislike her. It’s just that, you know, she showed up out of the blue. Overnight, I went from being a singleton to a newbie dad. Although I’m just an acting dad, my status had changed so fast that I couldn’t adjust my mentality!”

“I can quite understand that!”

Yun Shishi continued, “But, think about it. You haven’t been through the preparation process. Unlike the one in my family who had been constantly preparing for everything from getting ready for pregnancy to conceiving and nurturing the baby. A man’s paternal nature is actually different from the maternal nature. Motherhood is innate. Perhaps when she’s childless, she feels an inexplicable stirring whenever she sees someone else’s child. On the other hand, for men, some don’t even realize their role as a father until the child is five or six years old. That paternal nature generally awakens later.”

“I want to get to her,” he said sincerely.

“You want to get to her because you promised Alice you’ll work closely with her to monitor this child, right?”

“…”

“When you finally want to get to her because you wish to do it from the perspective of a father wanting to get to his daughter, the child will also be sincere with you.” After a pause, she smiled helplessly and said, “This child, I think, is more vulnerable and sensitive, a little extreme in her thinking even. It’s difficult to get along with her, to get to her.”

“See? Isn’t that right?” The actor pleaded for help. “Then what should I do? I don’t want her to be on the guard against me like I’m a wolf. She says she’s not a sick person, but she doesn’t know her own condition.”

“You may not understand, Hua Jin.”