Chapter 299 This Is the Shelter I Give You
After finishing lunch, Rodolfo was going to take his afternoon nap. Olivia was worried that Bianca might disturb his rest, so she took Bianca home first.
On the way home, Olivia brought up the matter of going to school with Bianca.
She patiently told Bianca, "At the new school, there will be new teachers and new kids. Bianca, you can continue to study well."
But Bianca's expression looked a bit timid, as if she didn't really want to go.
She mumbled to Olivia, "But I don't know them, I'm scared..."
Olivia certainly understood that in a new environment, facing strangers, a child would feel anxious.
So she gently coaxed her, "Don't be afraid. The kids here are no different from those in Emerald City. They can all play with you."
"Really?" Bianca asked, looking up at her.
Olivia nodded, "Baby, if you don't believe me, how about I take you to have a look first?"
Bianca's expression was hesitant. After a while, she reluctantly nodded her little head and said, "Then let's go take a look."
Seeing her agree, Olivia changed direction and took the child to the school Andrew had mentioned.
When they arrived, she didn't take Bianca inside directly.
The two of them just watched from outside.
This school was different from the one in Emerald City.
It wasn't a special school, but a private kindergarten.
Just from the exterior of the building, you could feel the atmosphere of wealth.
But correspondingly, it naturally had excellent facilities and teaching quality.
The place Andrew chose would definitely not be wrong.
And from here, they could just see some children playing on the playground.
Olivia didn't know if her timing was bad, but she happened to see two children inside having a conflict.
One of them was sitting on the ground crying loudly.
Seeing this, Bianca immediately hid in her arms and said to Olivia nervously, "Mommy, that kid is so mean. I don't want to go to school..."
Olivia didn't expect this would scare her, feeling somewhat helpless.
But she didn't want to force Bianca to accept it, so she had to take her back for now.
When they entered the house, Bianca barely spoke, as if she kept thinking about what she had just seen.
Olivia explained to her, "Bianca, don't be afraid. It's normal for kids to have conflicts. When they encounter problems, they might not know how to resolve them, so there will be some arguments. Once they clear up the misunderstanding, everything will be fine."
Bianca said in a sweet childlike voice, "But at the previous school, it wasn't like this. All the kids played happily together!"
Olivia felt somewhat helpless.
At the previous school, all the children had psychological issues. They were usually immersed in their own worlds, and some didn't even interact with others. How could they possibly have conflicts?
But she knew Bianca might not understand all this.
So she changed her approach and continued to guide her gently.
However, Bianca was still shaken by what she had seen and refused to go to school no matter what.
Olivia had a bit of a headache. She couldn't help but poke Bianca's cheek and asked, "If you don't go to school, you won't learn anything, and you'll become a little dummy. What should we do about that?"
As soon as she finished speaking, a deep, magnetic voice came from the doorway. "Why not go to school?"
Olivia looked up at the sound and found that Andrew had arrived.
When Bianca saw him, her previously downcast eyes immediately lit up, and she happily ran over to greet him, "Daddy!"
Andrew was carrying his suit jacket in his hand as he stepped inside.
He was wearing a pure black shirt and dark dress pants, with his sleeves casually rolled up.
The mature man's sexual tension and cool demeanor radiated outward.
Yet on that handsome face, there was a hint of a gentle smile.
Olivia followed Bianca over to him and asked, "Why are you here?"
Andrew didn't treat himself as a guest. He opened the shoe cabinet himself, changed into a pair of shoes, and scooped up Bianca, holding her in his arms.
His alluring eyes lifted slightly as he looked at Olivia and asked, "Am I not welcome?"
How could Olivia dare not welcome him?
She quickly shook her head, took his jacket, and said, "No, I'm just a bit surprised. You're off work so early tonight? Didn't you say work was very busy?"
Hearing this, Andrew chuckled and said, "I came to have dinner with you two. I've already dealt with the urgent matters. What were you two just talking about?"
As they spoke, the group walked over to the sofa.
Yara, with an impeccable sense of timing, brought Andrew a glass of water.
After sitting down, Olivia told him about taking Bianca to see the school that afternoon and how Bianca had been frightened.
After hearing this, Andrew also smiled.
However, he looked gently at Bianca in his arms and asked her warmly, "Bianca, why are you scared? Are you worried about being bullied? Or is it because the kids were mean?"
In front of Andrew, Bianca answered honestly, "Both..."
Andrew patted Bianca's head and asked again, "Then what would make you not scared?"
Bianca pressed her index fingers together, fidgeting for a long time before looking at Andrew with a troubled expression and asking, "Can I not go to school?"
Andrew didn't tell her "no" like most people would. Instead, he said, "You can choose not to go, but running away isn't the right thing to do, and it's not what a brave kid would do..."
This approach didn't trigger any resistance from the child.
Bianca continued to stare at him, listening seriously to what he was saying.
Andrew patiently told her, "Actually, the other kids are just like you—they're all well-behaved and polite. When there are conflicts, they can talk it out. It won't escalate to fighting. If it really gets to that point, teachers will step in to help, just like Mr. White does! And if that doesn't work, you can come to me. If anyone bullies you, I will definitely protect you!"
Bianca nodded as if she understood, but her expression was still troubled.
Andrew smiled and asked, "Bianca, don't you trust me?"
Bianca immediately shook her head and said, "I trust you, Daddy. But if I go to school, will you take me?"
After asking this question, she looked at him with very expectant eyes.
Andrew replied in a gentle tone, "Yes, as long as you become brave and are willing to go to school, I will definitely take you there myself!"
Hearing this, Bianca's expression relaxed, and a happy smile appeared on her face as she said, "Then I'm willing to give it a try!"
Andrew was satisfied and pinched her chubby cheeks, "Good girl. These next few days, let's get you mentally prepared. When you feel ready, I'll personally take you to school!"
"Okay!" Bianca nodded her little head and said happily, "Great! From now on, I'll have both Daddy and Mommy taking me to school!"
Because she was in such a good mood, Bianca even shared this good news with Lightning.
The girl and the dog held hands and spun around in circles.
Olivia watched with a dazed expression.
That was it? It was solved?
Then what was the point of all her talking earlier? It had no effect at all?
She was beginning to suspect that Bianca had deliberately played pitiful just to trick Andrew into taking her to school.
But she had no proof!
Andrew was amused by her expression and couldn't help asking, "Why that look?"
Olivia said helplessly, "She trusts you more than she trusts me. I spent the whole way home trying to convince her, and it didn't work at all!"
Andrew raised an eyebrow, "Jealous?"
Olivia blinked, "Not quite."
"Really?" Andrew didn't believe her. He immediately raised his hand and gently held her chin, examining her.
This action caught her off guard.
Olivia's ears began to heat up, and her voice started to stutter, "Wh... what?"
Andrew's eyes were deep and smiling as he said, "Nothing, I just think you're jealous! But it's normal for Bianca to be like this with me. After all, I was the one who cured her, so she's more dependent on me. That's understandable. Of course, this habit could be adjusted, but I don't plan to make her change."
Olivia was puzzled, "Why not?"
Andrew let go of her, his eyes carrying a deeper meaning as he said, "Because I don't want to have to rebuild it later. That would be pointless."
Hearing this, Olivia suddenly understood for some reason.
He meant that if their relationship changed, he would have to rebuild trust and dependence with the child anyway.
So he didn't want to go through the trouble?
Since he brought up this matter, Olivia took the opportunity to say, "I went to the research institute today and met Mr. McCoy."
Andrew nodded and asked, "Did everything go smoothly? They didn't give you a hard time, did they?"
Olivia shook her head and said, "No, they were all very nice. The senior researchers were also easy to get along with. But I heard from Mr. McCoy that you donated a batch of medical equipment to the institute. Is that the price you mentioned before?"
Andrew wasn't surprised that Olivia knew about this, and he didn't deny it. "Yes, Skyward Corporation has many collaborative projects with the government, including medical ones. On the surface, it looks like a financial loss. But in reality, it builds connections and relationships. When I told you before that the loss wasn't much, this is what I meant! Actually, from a long-term perspective, I'm the one who benefits. First, Skyward Corporation's involvement will deepen future cooperation between both parties. Second, if you continue to work here, this move will also provide you with protection. Although I haven't dealt with them personally, places like research institutes inevitably have some demanding old researchers who are difficult to get along with and will find fault. They strongly opposed the formation of this new team, and they'll likely cause trouble later. But by doing this, if they want to target you in the future, they'll have to consider this factor!"
At this point, Andrew looked at her with determination and said, "Olivia, it was my selfish desire that brought you to Harmony City, so naturally I don't want you to suffer any grievances! I want you to be able to do whatever you want, to fully demonstrate your abilities, and at the same time, have no worries!"