Although the original owner received a considerable amount of money from Wei Yutang every month, he did not care at all about the child's daily life.
In addition, the original owner was lazy and unwilling to do many things herself. Xia Xia followed the original owner and ate too much junk food and takeout, so now her complexion doesn't look very healthy.
The wardrobe was a mess, and after Chu Qing spent some time tidying it up, she realized that Xia Xia only had a few clothes to wear.
Children this age grow quickly, and Xiaxia's clothes were clearly no longer a good fit. After thinking it over, Chu Qing decided to buy him a few new ones.
"Xiaxia, how about we go shopping this afternoon?"
The child, who was happily tidying up the room with his father, paused after hearing this and then hugged a toy with a conflicted expression.
"Dad, we just asked Father for money the day before yesterday..."
This reminded Chu Qing of how the original owner of the body would say this, implying that Xia Xia should ask his father for money.
At first, the original owner could get money from Wei Yutang every time he asked for it, but later it became difficult to get it. Wei Yutang even refused to answer his calls, and his secretary always made the excuse that he was busy.
But Xiaxia is different. He always answers Xiaxia's calls personally, and he always grants her requests.
Chu Qing walked to the sofa and hugged Xia Xia in her arms.
Xiaxia enjoyed her father's intimacy, nestled in his arms, clutching her toy's paw in a conflicted manner. After a long while, she gritted her teeth and said:
"Don't worry, Dad, I will definitely ask you for money to spend. If you don't give it to me, I will cry!"
After saying that, he climbed out of Chu Qing's arms, found his father's phone, skillfully unlocked it, and dialed the number. This series of actions was so smooth that Chu Qing was stunned.
"Hey, Uncle Li, it's me, Xiaxia! Where's my father?"
Upon hearing this, Chu Qing quickly stepped forward, snatched the phone, pressed the hang-up button, and seeing Xia Xia's frightened expression, ruffled his fluffy head to soothe him:
“Dad plans to go out and look for a job in a couple of days, so Xiaxia won’t have to ask him for money anymore.”
The original owner could rightfully ask Wei Yutang for money, but Chu Qing couldn't, even using the child as an excuse.
"Why? Dad works hard and is tired. When Xiaxia grows up, Xiaxia will go."
The little one hugged Chu Qing's arm, and the words he uttered in his childish voice melted Chu Qing's heart.
Although Xiaxia was just his mission target, Chu Qing always felt a strange sense of familiarity and closeness when she looked at him.
"Because...your father also has his own life to live, and it's not good for us to keep bothering him."
Chu Qing used these tactful words to tell Xia Xia that he planned to draw a clear line between himself and Wei Yutang in the future.
He didn't believe that children needed to grow up in a complete family to be happy, especially given Wei Yutang's dislike of the original owner.
When they don't get along, arguments often occur, and sometimes it's even worse than being raised in a single-parent family.
Xiaxia was reminded of the TV dramas she watched with her landlady by her father's words. A whole host of thoughts flashed through her mind, and her eyes immediately turned a little red.
Just then, the phone next to Chu Qing rang. Xia Xia picked it up and answered it. A familiar, deep male voice came from the phone, speaking with a subtle gentleness.
"Xiaxia, what's wrong? I was in a meeting just now."
Angry, Xiaxia gripped her phone tightly and immediately cursed:
"Don't come looking for Xiaxia and Daddy anymore, you scumbag!"
Author's Note:
Wei Yutang: ? ? ?
Chapter 2
Xiaxia thought about how good his father had been to him today, even taking him to the supermarket. Xiaxia, who was already biased towards his father, now completely clung to him.
The father stayed home to take care of Xiaxia, but he was having an affair.
Wei Yutang had just finished his work when his secretary told him that Xia Xia had called. Even though he knew it was possible that the man had asked Xia Xia to come and ask for money, he still called back.
He didn't like the man who only knew how to ask him for money, but he didn't want Xiaxia to be disappointed in him as her father.
Unexpectedly, after the call connected, I heard Xiaxia cursing at me.
Guessing that the man might have deliberately said something in front of Xiaxia, she lowered her eyes to hide the disgust in them and said:
"Xiaxia, what's wrong?"
"How dare you ask! You scumbag! Don't come looking for Xiaxia and Daddy again."
After saying that, Xiaxia hung up the phone, angrily throwing it aside. She then rushed into Chu Qing's arms, hugged her father, and patted his back comfortingly with her little hands.
"Daddy isn't sad. Daddy has Xiaxia. Xiaxia is worth two of us!"
Chu Qing thought the little guy might have misunderstood something, so she smoothed his hair, which was standing on end in anger.
“Xiaxia, Dad just thinks it would be better for Xiaxia to live with Dad.”
"Yeah, it'll definitely get better, it'll make that scumbag furious!"
As Xiaxia spoke, tears welled up in her eyes. After sniffling, she met her father's gentle and forgiving eyes and burst into tears.
"Waaah, Daddy, Daddy's not sad."
Chu Qing didn't feel sad at all. In fact, he would be very happy if he could use this opportunity to draw a clear line between himself and Wei Yutang.
He patted Xiaxia on the back to comfort him, then glanced at the clock; it was almost time to prepare lunch.
"If Xiaxia cooks with Daddy, Daddy won't be sad anymore, okay?"
Chu Qing's words made Xia Xia feel somewhat useful, and she replied with a tearful voice, "Okay."
The father and son cooked lunch together. Just as it was about to be served, Chu Qing picked up a piece of beef with his chopsticks, blew on it to cool it down, and fed it to Xia Xia.
"Taste it to see if it's salty."
"Hmm, just right!"
The beef, still cooked, was soaked in broth, making it easy to chew yet still satisfying. Xiaxia, who had been eating instant noodles and takeout for a long time, wanted to devour it all in one go.
"Daddy's awesome!"
Chu Qing was quite happy that Xia Xia recognized the results of his hard work over such a long period of time.
"Thank you for the compliment."
After dinner, Chu Qing told Xia Xia to take a nap while he tidied up the original owner's belongings.
The original owner had a great love for all kinds of luxury goods, and would often buy them even if she didn't need them. Her wardrobe was full of brand new, unopened items.
Chu Qing felt that the original owner might have some psychological problems, using crazy shopping to achieve a subtle sense of satisfaction, which had even become somewhat obsessive.
He put the unopened items together, took photos, and listed them on a second-hand trading platform to sell them.
After organizing everything, I checked the original owner's current account balance. If I was frugal, it should be enough for two or three months before I found a job.
The more Chu Qing looked, the more confused she became about how the original owner had managed to live such a life.
He had a winning hand, but he played it terribly. He asked Wei Yutang for money so many times, but now he only has less than 40,000 yuan in his bank account.
After packing and tidying up, the bedroom felt much emptier, and Chu Qing sat there pondering whether she should move to a different place.
Xiaxia is almost old enough to go to kindergarten, which is something we definitely need to consider, plus I'm planning to go out and find a job.
The original owner had average education and little work experience, so the range of choices was very limited.
The rent for the house they are currently living in costs six thousand yuan a month, which Chu Qing feels is a bit expensive.
After waking up, Xiaxia changed her clothes herself, put on socks and shoes, and then came to find her father.
"Finally awake? Come on, Daddy will take you to buy clothes."
Chu Qing had been waiting for a while, browsing suitable houses on her phone. After hearing the door open, she started looking at the house.
The little guy, still a bit groggy from just waking up, looked adorable. He rubbed his eyes and ran towards him, jumping right into his arms.
Xiaxia, who was lying there, seemed to be still asleep. She stood there for a long time before calling out.
"dad……"
"I... I didn't get the money from my father."
After saying that, Xiaxia frowned angrily and muttered, "Bad father."
Chu Qing had never met Wei Yutang before and didn't know much about his personality, but he probably wasn't too bad.
Chu Qing found many of the things the original owner did excessive, and few people could tolerate them.
Aside from favoritism towards kids like Xiaxia, Wei Yutang's level of disgust is the normal reaction.
“Your father gave us a lot of money before, enough for us to use now. Xiaxia, it is true that your father went too far before, it’s not your father’s fault.”
Chu Qing rubbed Xia Xia's head. If he could, he would prefer his child to be free, rather than forced to resent her father under his demands.
To be fair, Wei Yutang treated Xiaxia very well.
"Dad, you're stupid."
Xiaxia sighed, her hands clasped behind her back. The more she looked at him, the more she felt her father wasn't quite right in the head. She said earnestly:
"Dad, why are you so good-tempered? You can't do that. Listen to Xiaxia."
Someone like his father, given his shrewdness, could easily swindle several people at once! Even if his father were sold out, his father would still be counting the money for him.
Looking at this determined young man, Chu Qing really didn't know how to persuade him, so she could only sigh and say:
"Okay, let's go out and buy some clothes first. These clothes of yours are all a bit too small."
"Um."
The boy, who had already made up his mind to never have anything to do with his father again, thought to himself as his father led him out the door that he still had to secretly call his father without telling him.
It's only right that the father should contribute more money since he's taking care of Xiaxia; we can't let him work too hard.
The cunning young man, after being led onto the bus by his father, had reached the peak of his desire to swindle money from his father.
Dad took Xiaxia on a crowded bus, but no one knew who was sitting in the passenger seat of his father's luxury car. Xiaxia loved her father more than her father.
Chu Qing glanced at her phone on the way and found a suitable children's clothing store in advance.
Going out shopping in the sweltering summer heat is hardly a pleasant experience. After getting off the bus and opening the parasol, the stuffy air makes it hard to breathe.
Stepping into a children's clothing store, a blast of cold air hit her face, easing Chu Qing's tense expression. A salesperson greeted her.