"You still ask why? You want to take Xiaxia's dad away, but Xiaxia doesn't want to give him up."
Upon hearing Xia Xia's words, Wei Yutang almost instinctively wanted to refute them. How could he possibly have any feelings for Chu Qing now?
All the impressions Chu Qing left on him were so bad that he couldn't help but frown whenever he thought of Chu Qing's name.
"I won't fight you for it."
"Huh? Really?"
Upon hearing that he wouldn't compete with her for her father's affections, Xiaxia found her father much more agreeable, but she was still a little uneasy and reached out her hand to Wei Yutang.
"Pinky promise, I'll be a puppy if I lie."
"good."
Chu Qing finished cooking the dishes and brought them to the dining table one by one, noticing that Wei Yutang was still sitting on the sofa.
Although he had mentioned before that he had eaten before coming, Chu Qing still couldn't bear to have Wei Yutang watching from the side, so she spoke up:
"Come on over and have some more to eat."
"good."
Wei Yutang subconsciously agreed, but the little guy, who had just relaxed, tensed up again and ran to the dining table to take the seat next to his father.
"Didn't you just eat so many crayfish? Are you hungry again?"
"Um."
There were only three dishes on the table: stir-fried greens, tomato and egg soup, and stir-fried pork. The portions didn't seem very large.
Given Wei Yutang's status, he had been to most of the slightly famous restaurants, but Chu Qing's cooking skills were still somewhat inferior to those of the top chefs.
But there was always a unique feeling of home in this meal that unexpectedly softened a corner of Wei Yutang's heart.
Xiaxia had eaten so many crayfish that he was already quite full, and Chu Qing noticed this, so she didn't serve him much rice.
This child has always been very easy to take care of. When picking up food, he didn't miss any meat or vegetables. After finishing the meal, he even ladled out half a bowl of soup and gently blew on it to cool it down.
Wei Yutang saw the shrimp he had peeled earlier still untouched on the plate on the table, picked it up, and placed it in front of Chu Qing.
He remembered that Chu Qing had always peeled the fruit for Xia Xia, but he himself had never had a chance to taste it.
"Um?"
Wei Yutang's actions made Chu Qing look up at him with some confusion in her eyes.
"I didn't mean anything by it, I just thought you didn't eat much."
After saying this, Wei Yutang gripped his chopsticks tightly, feeling inexplicably that his behavior was like trying to cover something up, especially since the first sentence didn't seem to have any other meaning.
His fingertips turned slightly white from the force he exerted, and he forced himself to appear calm and composed.
Okay, thank you.
Chu Qing didn't refuse his kindness. After tasting it, she felt that her cooking skills were not bad, except that the lobster was a little fishy when it was cold.
The man, who had just finished eating, couldn't resist getting a second bowl of rice after finishing his first. In the end, he ate all three dishes.
Xiaxia sat there with her chin propped up, staring at her father with a worried expression on her face.
As her father went to hang up the laundry, she waved to Wei Yutang and asked in a low voice:
"Father, are you going bankrupt?"
"Huh? Why are you suddenly asking this?"
Wei Yutang's company has been doing well lately, and they've even established a partnership with a well-known foreign company. He couldn't understand why Xia Xia suddenly asked about this.
"I thought you were starving outside. I'm just glad you didn't go bankrupt."
Xia Xia patted her chest reassuringly, leaned back in her chair, and stared at her father. While Wei Yutang was still confused, she frowned and urged:
"Father, my dad works very hard cooking, aren't you going to wash the dishes?"
If it weren't for the fact that he's too young to wash dishes without having to stand on a stool, and that his dad says the kitchen floor is slippery and unsafe, Xiaxia would want to help.
Only after being reminded did Wei Yutang stand up to clear the table.
After Chu Qing finished hanging up Xia Xia's clothes that she had changed into, she hurriedly went over and snatched the bowls and chopsticks from Wei Yutang's hands.
In his view, Wei Yutang was a guest here, so there was no reason for a guest to help with housework.
"I'll do it."
When Chu Qing took the bowl and chopsticks from Wei Yutang, their hands inevitably touched in order to hold them more firmly.
Perhaps because Chu Qing had just hung up the clothes, the slightly cool touch of his fingertips on Wei Yutang's hand made Wei Yutang's hand stiffen slightly.
It felt as if an electric current was spreading from where the two people were in contact, but unfortunately, only Wei Yutang could feel this subtle sensation.
When Chu Qing came to her senses, she had already gone into the kitchen, leaving Wei Yutang standing there alone facing Xia Xia's angry face, his disdain for her was very obvious.
"You do the washing, I'll clean it. It seems like we're missing a dishwasher. I'll have my secretary bring one over another day."
Wei Yutang stood by the sink, waiting to take the bowl from Chu Qing's hands. He glanced around the kitchen and realized that many things were still missing.
"Need not."
Chu Qing refused in a low voice. The original owner had never cooked before, and the kitchen was more like a decoration. After he arrived, he found that there were indeed many missing appliances.
But he'll be moving away from this place with Xiaxia in just a few days, so it's not worth buying anything more.
I saw the new house on my phone; it's much smaller than this one, and the kitchen doesn't have enough space to fit a dishwasher.
Besides, it's not much trouble to wash it yourself.
Maybe I can consider it when I've saved up some money and can afford to move to a bigger house.
Xiaxia has a habit of taking a nap, but today she stayed in the living room trying to stay awake, and kept staring at her father.
Having made up her mind, Xiaxia would not sleep until her father left.
Whether it was his father's occasional unintentional revelation of wanting to take his father away, or his father's harsh attitude when he called his father using his phone, Xiaxia was on guard.
The former feared that her father would be taken away after she woke up, while the latter feared that her scumbag father would bully her father.
Although Xiaxia is still young, she feels that she is also a little girl who can protect her father.
Chu Qing finished tidying up the kitchen and came out. He saw Xia Xia sitting on the sofa, nodding her head. He sat down next to her and hugged her, his voice low and filled with tenderness.
Why aren't you asleep?
Normally, Xiaxia doesn't need anyone to coax him; he'll change into his pajamas, go to bed, cover his tummy, and go to sleep on his own. Chu Qing only needs to go over and check if he's kicked off the blanket because he's too hot.
I didn't expect that Xiaxia would still be sitting here at almost 1:30 today.
"Um, Xiaxia, protect Daddy."
Xiaxia was so sleepy that she could barely keep her eyes open, but she was still muttering to herself.
"How about protecting Daddy after you wake up?"
Chu Qing picked him up and walked to the door of Xia Xia's room. She turned her head and gestured to Wei Yutang to help open the door.
Even the most determined child can't resist the onslaught of sleepiness.
Furthermore, it was his beloved father who persuaded him, and he agreed in a muffled, childlike voice.
"good……"
Good afternoon, Dad.
"Mmm, Daddy, kiss Xiaxia."
Seeing his dazed little face, Chu Qing earnestly agreed to all of them.
"Good girl."
"Okay, good afternoon, Xiaxia."
A light kiss landed on Xiaxia's cheek, making her happily reveal her dimples. After covering her stomach with the blanket, he emphasized one last thing.
"Xiaxia, be good. Daddy will only kiss Xiaxia, not the father."
"Never kiss him, he's bad, a scumbag."
Author's Note:
Xiaxia: Liars are dogs (with certainty)
Wei Yutang: ?
I'm sleepy, goodnight~
Chapter 5
Wei Yutang liked Xia Xia very much. He liked her because she was good at both himself and Chu Qing. In addition, she was very smart, and the occasional word "father" could make him completely forget his fatigue at work.
But he still couldn't understand how the label of "scumbag" had suddenly been put on him.
He has always maintained a clean reputation and disliked the media's sensationalism. He has never been involved in any scandals, and his secretary quickly deals with any gossip fabricated by unscrupulous media outlets.
The reason he didn't refute Chu Qing's questions before was simply because he felt that given their identities, he didn't need to explain to him.
When Chu Qing walked out of Xia Xia's bedroom, she found that Wei Yutang had not left yet and was standing there, seemingly waiting for her.
Without Xiaxia around, it was inevitably a little awkward when it was just the two of them alone.
Chu Qing's ears began to burn as she thought about how the original owner continued to harass Wei Yutang under various identities after their breakup, displaying possessiveness and other behaviors.
"What did Xiaxia mean by what she just said?"
Wei Yutang could assure him that he simply wanted to inquire about the reasons, so that he could explain in a timely manner if he had done something wrong or if he had been misunderstood.
For some reason, he didn't want the person in front of him to misunderstand.
"I'm not quite sure either."
If it weren't for the fact that Wei Yutang was indeed good to Xia Xia, Chu Qing wouldn't want to get too involved with him, since her main task was simply to raise Xia Xia.
"My recent partners are still the same few as before. They are married, have stable relationships with their partners, and have no bad habits."
Lost in her own thoughts, Chu Qing was startled when she heard Wei Yutang's deep voice beside her. She looked up and met his dark eyes, asking in confusion: