Qi Yuan'an was eager to go home with her boyfriend to meet his parents, so she gave her company employees about the same amount of time off as Xiaxia was in kindergarten.
On the contrary, Wei Yutang, as the company's president, was extremely busy at the end of the year and often didn't go home until dark.
When he was at home, Chu Qing liked to stay in his study and draw design drafts. He didn't design jewelry; his first attempt was for a ring.
Wei Yutang did a lot for him, and he was so outstanding that there wasn't much room for Chu Qing to make a difference.
Materially, Wei Yutang lacked nothing; all Chu Qing could give him was his heartfelt sentiment.
As long as her father is home, Xiaxia still likes to sit next to him with a book, as if she has become the clingy little girl who only has her father in her world again.
Chu Qing sent the design drawings to a jewelry store she knew and asked them to make it for her.
With that matter over, he asked the housekeeper to prepare the ingredients for him, and he and Xiaxia cooked a meal together, which they packed in a thermal container to send to Wei Yutang at the company.
While it was being prepared, Xiaxia had already eaten half a full meal under the pretext of helping her father taste the saltiness.
On the way to the company, I kept touching my belly and even chatted with my dad about some gossip.
"Dad, based on my years of experience watching TV dramas, if we go to deliver lunch to you, we're sure to see that little vixen seducing him in his office!"
Xia Xia's overly confident attitude made Chu Qing unable to help but smile.
"The secretaries in your father's company are all over forty years old."
His intention was to tell Xiaxia that it was impossible, but Xiaxia thought that her father was correcting her for not using the right words.
"That... middle-aged vixen!"
Author's Note:
Secretaries: Listen to me, thank you.
Chapter 34
The last time Wei Yutang came home, Xiaxia was still watching a TV series. When Wei Yutang went to turn it off, he happened to see the scene where the female lead went to the office to catch her husband cheating.
The female supporting character sits on the male lead's lap, her hand on his shoulder, and swaggers over to the female lead, saying that she is the mistress of the office.
Such a melodramatic plot would normally not interest either Wei Yutang or Chu Qing, but Xia Xia would find it fascinating, even more so than an animated film.
Chu Qing himself didn't think anything of it, but Wei Yutang brought back all of his secretaries' information that very night.
They are all over forty years old on average, with happy families and marriages. The elevator on the floor where his office is located has a combination lock, so ordinary people can't get in.
Chu Qing is mature and calm, and doesn't like to get jealous or fuss over these little things. The main reason is that Wei Yutang will explain everything clearly before he gets jealous.
"Xiaxia, everyone at Dad's company works very hard. You can't say that."
"Okay then."
Xiaxia has a habit of trying to badmouth her father in front of him, but she always listens obediently whenever her father tries to persuade her, and she is no longer as stubborn as she was at the beginning.
"I know Xiaxia means well, but children should have more happy things in their little heads."
Chu Qing didn't think of himself as an unreliable person, but Xia Xia always seemed to treat him as someone who needed protection, and no matter how he tried to correct her, it was to no avail.
"Wearing Dad, wearing all Dad, makes me super happy every day!"
"Then think about how your father and your dad love you, okay?"
Chu Qing held his little hand and asked, then kissed his forehead, making Xia Xia shyly bury his head in his father's arms and answer in a muffled voice:
Okay~
Wei Yutang had just finished a busy morning at the company and was too tired to ask his secretary to order takeout. He planned to finish reviewing a report first when his secretary knocked on the door and came in.
"What's up?"
"Mr. Wei, the gentleman has brought the young master over."
"Um?"
Upon hearing this, Wei Yutang immediately closed the folder, stood up, and walked out. Just as he reached the door, he saw the elevator doors open.
Chu Qing and Xia Xia were followed by a bodyguard carrying an insulated lunchbox.
Xiaxia mentally reviewed what her father had just said to her in the elevator, ran to her father, and after being picked up, gave him a big kiss on the cheek.
"Dad, you work so hard. I cooked this meal with Dad, and we're eating it together."
Xiaxia had always been quite mischievous in front of him, so this rare show of concern made Wei Yutang very happy. He carried Xiaxia in his left arm and held Chu Qing's hand in his right as they went to the office.
"Okay, you've all worked hard too, coming all this way in such cold weather."
"It's not hard work, delivering food to my father is not hard work!"
The family chef is very skilled, but for Wei Yutang, Chu Qing's cooking always has a very special feel to it.
The food they brought at noon was all gone. Xiaxia lay there, rubbing her tummy, and let out a satisfied burp.
Xiaxia is shy and concerned about his image, so he's often embarrassed to admit things, but he does indeed love his father.
Of course, this is without comparing my father to my father.
Even in winter, Xiaxia still needs to take a nap, which takes longer than before. She lies on the big bed in the rest room, holding her father's hand and letting him pat her.
After finally coaxing him to sleep, Chu Qing went to the desk and helped Wei Yutang tidy up some documents.
"So many?"
Wei Yutang sat in his office chair and waited for Chu Qing to finish before putting his arm around Chu Qing's waist, letting him sit on his lap, and pulling him into his arms.
"Not much, I'll be home to you as soon as I'm done with this."
"Qingqing, this is the first festival we've spent together."
Wei Yutang rested his chin on Chu Qing's shoulder, and with just a slight turn of his head, he could kiss his cheek, an ambiguous yet intimate moment.
"I used to dream of holding you in my arms all the time. Now, do you want to kiss me and see if it's really a dream?"
Wei Yutang's voice was very magnetic, and he would unconsciously lower his voice when he spoke sweet words. Chu Qing turned her head and kissed the corner of his lips.
"Do you think I'm Xiaxia, someone you can just fool around with?"
Chu Qing was rather shy about intimate matters, and after hearing Wei Yutang's words, she lowered her head and defended herself.
"No, Xiaxia's forehead."
"So I'm doing pretty well?"
"Um."
As soon as Chu Qing admitted it, Wei Yutang reached out and pinched his chin, kissing his lips under his shocked gaze.
When Xiaxia is around, they usually avoid many intimate gestures, and they can only be a little more unrestrained when Xiaxia is not around or when she is asleep.
The office wasn't cold in winter because of the heating. Chu Qing even broke out in a sweat after the kiss. Listening to Wei Yutang's soft breathing beside her, Chu Qing's heart beat faster and faster.
Wei Yutang held Chu Qing in his arms, but after a long while he still couldn't suppress his impulse. He took out a pack of cigarettes from the drawer, lit it, and took a deep drag.
In most cases, Chu Qing doesn't really like the smell of cigarettes, and Wei Yutang, knowing this, has already almost completely given up smoking.
He wasn't really addicted; he only smoked one on certain special occasions.
Wei Yutang held the lit cigarette between his fingers, occasionally tilting his head to kiss Chu Qing. The faint smell of smoke wasn't unpleasant under these circumstances; instead, it conveyed a suppressed and unrestrained restlessness.
"If I had known... I would have had the driver take Xiaxia back."
Chu Qing understood the meaning behind Wei Yutang's words. Sensing the movement behind her, she quickly stood up, cleared her throat to cover her unease, and explained in a serious tone:
“If I come here and don’t go back, Xiaxia definitely won’t want me to.”
"Well, I'll just say it."
At noon, Wei Yutang had no interest in work; all he could think about was packing Xiaxia up and sending her back to the villa to clear out the lounge.
His meaning was too obvious; even when Xiaxia woke up and sat in her father's lap, acting spoiled, he was still staring at this little guy who was up to no good.
Xiaxia rubbed her sleepy eyes, snuggled closer to her father, and asked in a muffled voice:
"Why are you looking at me, Father? I know I'm good-looking, but you can't keep looking at me like that."
Wei Yutang quickly shifted his gaze, not wanting to say anything more to him for the time being, even though he was his own son.
Chu Qing didn't go back in the afternoon. He planned to wait for Wei Yutang to come with him. With the father and son by his side, Wei Yutang's work efficiency decreased a lot, but his mood improved exponentially.
On the way home, Xiaxia was playing with her new toy. The lights in the back of the train were off, and she didn't notice that in the darkness, her father secretly held her hand behind her back.
"Why did you suddenly decide to come to the company today?"
"Hmm... Xiaxia misses you."
When Xiaxia's name was called, he turned his head and looked at it. He seriously reflected on it and realized that he hadn't thought about his father at all today.
But because these were her father's words, Xiaxia chose to lie with him through her teeth.
"Mmm, Xiaxia misses you~"
Wei Yutang had long realized that Xia Xia would always follow Chu Qing no matter what happened, so he didn't take his words to heart.
He placed his hand on Chu Qing's shoulder, pulled him closer, stared intently at him, and asked:
"And what about you?"
"Daddy doesn't have time, Daddy misses Xiaxia!"
Xiaxia responded very quickly this time. It's okay for his father and dad to say these things behind his back, but when his dad is in front of him, he's definitely thinking about him the most.
Chu Qing tried to suppress her laughter, but it was still very obvious in her eyes, and she gave a soft "hmm".
Wei Yutang didn't want to go too far in front of the child, so he didn't say anything more. There would always be a time when Xiaxia wasn't around, so he could ask Chu Qing for the answer slowly.
After a busy year-end, the servants in the villa gradually went on holiday. By the time Wei Yutang's company finished its work, it was already past the 20th of the twelfth lunar month.
Not all servants get a day off; some stay because of the high bonuses and red envelopes.
Wei Yutang didn't care about these things before; for him, the New Year was no different from any other ordinary day.
But this year, because he has someone important by his side, even he has started to pay attention to the sense of ritual, and he had the housekeeper arrange for someone to buy everything that needed to be bought long ago.
As the days went by, New Year's Eve finally arrived.
Wei Yutang himself had excellent calligraphy skills, so he asked his butler to prepare paper.