"Yes, about the child," Fu Hengzhi said. "Send him to Mom's. I'll go explain Xiao Fan's background to her this afternoon."
"..." Zhou Zhou was thinking of taking things slowly, finding a part-time housekeeper to help look after the child first, and then gradually revealing the child's existence to the elders later. However, Fu Hengzhi decided to handle the matter today with great efficiency.
"Are you sure you're okay? What are you going to say?" Zhou Zhou looked at Fu Xiaofan, who was four years old and sitting diagonally across from her, needing three cushions under his bottom to reach the table. She was a little worried. "I'm not too worried about Mom and Dad... As for Grandpa and Grandma, aren't they going to stay at Mom and Dad's place tonight?"
"Yes, you don't need to worry about that." Fu Hengzhi handed Fu Xiaofan a tissue to wipe her mouth, and said to Zhou Zhou, "I'm here."
"..." Although these words were reassuring, Zhou Zhou could already picture Fu Hongjiang getting so angry that his face turned red and he cursed Fu Hengzhi for being ridiculous.
"This is utter nonsense!"
Fu Hongjiang rarely goes to the company, and as soon as he arrived, he had his son invite him to his office to inform him of this important matter.
"This is utter nonsense! Utter rubbish!!" Fu Hongjiang, sitting in the CEO's seat, was red-faced and furious, roaring at Fu Hengzhi with a booming voice, "You and Zhou Zhou have a four-year-old son! You really dare to say that! Tell me the truth! Where did the child come from!"
"We were raised in the incubation ward back then."
"Bullshit!" Fu Hongjiang slammed his fist on the table in anger. "I even looked into the same-sex fertility ward when your mother wanted a grandson. The same-sex fertility law clearly states that anyone under the legal age of twenty is not allowed to have a child! Fertility wards in various places are state institutions, and the child is only four years old! Excluding the three years of embryonic development, you fucking tell me how you and Zhou Zhou, who were nineteen and eighteen years old respectively, managed to escape the law and raise a child!"
Fu Hongjiang was so angry that his chest was pounding like a fan. Looking at his son's silent appearance, he snorted coldly. But the next second, Fu Hengzhi took out a pre-recorded video.
"Dad, this is your grandson, Fu Xiaofan." Fu Hengzhi handed over the phone, not even looking up, and remained extremely respectful.
Fu Hongjiang pressed the play button on his phone, and a childish voice came from it.
"Hello Grandpa and Grandma~ My name is Fu Xiaofan~ I am four years old this year~ I wish Grandpa and Grandma good health and a long life~" Fu Hongjiang watched the short video of more than ten seconds over and over again with a frown.
Fu Hengzhi observed Fu Hongjiang's expression, and the next second, Fu Hongjiang spoke.
"Tell me the truth." Fu Hongjiang handed the phone back with a complicated expression and said, "Did you help Zhou Zhou clean up this mess? This child looks exactly like Zhou Zhou when she was a child. Could he be your biological son?"
“No, the child is both ours,” Fu Hengzhi said. “Back then, when I went to tutor Zhou Zhou, we developed feelings for each other and impulsively signed the gestation pod agreement.”
"You fucking let go..."
“I’m not talking nonsense.” Fu Hengzhi interrupted Fu Hongjiang’s scolding and raised his head to say firmly, “After same-sex marriage was legalized, the country introduced fertility wards in order to increase the birth rate. The first draft of the fertility ward trial law did not require both parties to be twenty years old. They only needed to be adults to sign the agreement.”
In fact, after Zhou Zhou was discharged from the hospital last time, Fu Hengzhi returned to the Fu family's old house and heard that Duan Yun wanted to have a grandson. So he looked up information about same-sex fertilization chambers. There was such a preliminary method, but the promotion area was limited to certain cities. Moreover, at that time, very few same-sex couples dared to be the first to conceive a baby because they were not sure whether the technology was risky.
But something is better than nothing. All that's needed is to prove to Fu Hongjiang that the preliminary examination method exists. Besides, the fact that Fu Hengzhi tutored Zhou Zhou is indeed true. Back then, the college entrance examination policy required candidates from all regions to develop comprehensively. Zhou Hongping and Yang Peixue were literature professors, while Zhou Zhou was severely unbalanced in his subjects. The two literature professors weren't particularly good at science subjects to begin with, not to mention that the question bank had been changing rapidly over the years. After Fu Hongjiang and Duan Yun learned about this, they didn't hesitate to push their son, who had just entered university, to the exam, saying that while he still had the knowledge in his mind after the exam, they should give Zhou a good tutoring session.
"If you still don't believe me, you can take Fu Xiaofan and me to do a paternity test."
In fact, on his way to the company this morning, Fu Hengzhi had already taken his own hair and Fu Xiaofan's hair to a private hospital for testing. It wasn't that he didn't believe Zhou Zhou's words last night, but mainly it was for Fu Hongjiang's sake, just in case.
"Dad," Fu Hengzhi said softly when he saw Fu Hongjiang remain silent, "Do you believe me now?"
"Since you two have a child, why are you unwilling to get married?" Fu Hongjiang could even recall the neglect his grandson, whom he had never met, had experienced growing up. He slammed his fist on the table and roared, "You had a fight? Does arguing mean the child has to suffer?! You've really hidden this well all these years!!"
Fu Hengzhi was once again subjected to a barrage of scolding from Fu Hongjiang. Fu Hongjiang berated him for a long time, but seeing that he did not retaliate, his voice gradually subsided.
"Alright, it's come to this, there's no other way." Fu Hongjiang frowned, looking at his son with a complicated expression. His son had always been his pride and joy, but he had actually done this behind his back. Even though it came from the other man, Fu Hongjiang was still skeptical. "Where is the child now?"
"Zhou Zhou took her to the mall to buy clothes."
"You only recently brought the child here? Where were they being raised before that?"
"The Zhou family's old house."
"You guys are really something!! You really know how to hide things!!" Fu Hongjiang started to get angry again, "Your Uncle Zhou and Aunt Yang's bodies are barely cold, and you still dare to pull this stunt!!"
"..." Fu Hengzhi remained silent with his microphone off.
“Don’t tell your mother about the child yet. Let me talk to her about it.” Fu Hongjiang said, his brows furrowing as if he remembered something. “Also, your grandparents are coming this afternoon… You should also prepare for the blind date.”
[Author's Note: Zhou Zhou: !!! !!! !!! !!! ]
Chapter Ninety-Three: In the end, it was all for naught.
===================================
With Fu Hengzhi gone, Fu Xiaofan no longer needed to pretend to be a four-year-old child and openly reveal her true nature in front of Zhou Zhou.
"Dad, don't drive that BMW anymore, it's everywhere in J City. Let's drive this Rolls-Royce instead, it's a limited edition from early last year, much more high-profile!"
"Dad, let's go to that big shopping mall in the CBD, there are so many brands there!"
"Dad, could you please change your clothes? Even though you're handsome, what if the mall won't let us in if you're wearing loungewear?"
The car had just started moving when Zhou Zhou heard this and braked suddenly, causing the car to lurch violently. Fu Xiaofan immediately covered his mouth and shut up, pretending to be his son.
Zhou Zhou looked at him with a dark face. When Fu Hengzhi was around, this guy was incredibly sweet, calling everyone "Daddy, Daddy, kisses, hugs." But as soon as Fu Hengzhi left, this guy started complaining about this and that.
Seeing that he was starting to act subservient, Zhou Zhou didn't bother with him. She glanced at him and said indifferently, "Can't you get rid of this bad habit of being extravagant?"
"Why change it? The Fu family has plenty of money." Fu Xiaofan had barely finished speaking when she covered her mouth under the other person's piercing gaze, stammering and trying to escape the stare with a cute act, "Daddy, raising a four-year-old like me doesn't cost that much~"
"Heh." During this time since transmigrating into the book, Zhou Zhou has basically not had any major expenses other than paying off the money he owes to Xiao Zhao and Ye Misheng. He has managed to save up nearly 100,000 yuan on his own during this period. Before he could even enjoy the money, he had to spend it all on this son who suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
Zhou Zhou restarted the car, took control of the steering wheel and drove away from the residence. He looked ahead and reminded the other person, "You're a mature kid now. Don't cause trouble when we go to the mall later. My entire net worth is only about 100,000. I'll allow you to spend 30% of it."
"Only 30,000?" Fu Xiaofan was unhappy, pouting and shouting, "I can buy a few clothes and it's gone, why are you so stingy? Doesn't my dad give you over a million in allowance every month?"
“A man should be independent and refuse to live a life of dependence.” Zhou Zhou never intended to spend Fu Hengzhi’s money unless there were special circumstances. He glared at his good-for-nothing son beside him. It was obvious that the son had asked Fu Hengzhi for money a lot when he was in his body.
Fu Xiaofan huddled in the passenger seat, head down and silent, muttering something Zhou Zhou couldn't quite hear, but judging from the other's expression, it certainly wasn't anything nice.
In the end, they went to the largest shopping mall in the city's CBD. When they parked in the open-air parking lot outside the mall, Zhou Zhou saw Fu Xiaofan standing there dumbfounded.
"Daddy, hug me~" As soon as they got out of the car, Fu Xiaofan snuggled into Zhou Zhou's arms, acting all cute and spoiled.
Zhou Zhou was wearing a black mask and a black baseball cap. His long neck and bright black eyes made it clear that he must be a handsome man with a lot of money and resources.
Many socialites leaned over to look in this direction, and when they saw the handsome man picking up the child, they couldn't help but sigh, "How come handsome men either stay at home or get married young?"
"Dad, all those older brothers and sisters are staring at you like crazy! Look how much trouble I've gotten you out of!" Fu Xiaofan grumbled, sitting on Zhou Zhou's arm. "Wouldn't you be willing to spend more money on your sensible and well-behaved son?"
"Fifty percent of my assets, no more." Zhou Zhou was stubborn but soft-hearted. Fu Xiaofan was both coquettish and eager to take credit. Although he was a system, he was still a child, not to mention he had Zhou Zhou's face from when he was a child.
"...Fifty percent is fifty percent." Fu Xiaofan pouted and muttered. It's better than nothing. It's already fifty percent, so how far is it from one hundred percent?
Zhou Zhou frowned as he pulled out any item from any shop in the mall, wondering how brand recognition could increase the price tenfold.
At first, Zhou Zhou followed Fu Xiaofan's instructions, going into each store to take a look and buy one or two items. However, when she was paying by card, Zhou Zhou looked at the four children's short-sleeved shirts and shorts in the small bag in her hand and questioned her life choices.
Four pieces of clothing combined don't even have as much fabric as one of his jackets, yet they charged him 38,000 yuan! !!!
Zhou Zhou hadn't spent money in a long time. Although she was expecting to spend money like a VIP, her heart still ached when she saw her card balance drop from six figures to five figures in an instant.
"Daddy~ Let's go to the next one~" Fu Xiaofan was beautiful and had a sweet tongue, winning over all the shop assistants in just a few minutes. "Goodbye, ladies~"
"Goodbye~" The cashier waved to him with a smile, and said to Zhou Zhou, who looked like a celebrity, "Sir, your son is so cute."
"Thank you, we'll be going now." Zhou Zhou smiled, then turned around, his expression changed, and he quickly took a few steps, picked up the bouncing Fu Xiaofan, and said through gritted teeth, "Let's go, baby, Daddy will carry you."
Fu Xiaofan struggled twice but couldn't break free, and watched as she was being pulled away from the international children's clothing brand store in front of her.
In the end, Zhou Zhou spent another seven thousand yuan to get three pairs of bear-themed underwear, a children's basketball uniform, and two pairs of children's sneakers for little Fu Xiaofan—and they even included socks! This was, in Zhou Zhou's opinion, the most profitable shopping experience in this mall. "Sigh, in other ordinary malls, you could get several outfits for less than a thousand yuan," Zhou Zhou sighed, leaning against the elevator wall in the empty elevator, where only the father and son were present.
"..." Fu Xiaofan looked up at Zhou Zhou, who was carefully examining the exquisitely packaged box in his hand. His chubby little face twitched, both angry and aggrieved. He shouted in his childish voice, "You're unfair! You're unfair! These clothes of mine only cost 45,000 yuan in total, why do you spend 55,000 yuan on a tie for Daddy?!"
Zhou Zhou carefully put the tie box back into the bag, glanced at him strangely, and said, "Your daddy is my husband. It's no problem for me to earn money for him to spend."
"I don't care, I don't care! Everyone is equal! I'm your son! I want 55,000 too! I want it too!" Fu Xiaofan said as he sat on the elevator floor, intending to use the tantrums that children usually throw.
Zhou Zhou let out a "yo" and stood aside, amused, watching him roll around on the ground. The next second, the elevator stopped on the third floor with a "ding".
"Oh!" The woman, who was carrying large and small bags and was about to walk in, saw the child rolling around and couldn't find a place to stand for a moment, and exclaimed in surprise.
Zhou Zhou's attention was entirely on Fu Xiaofan. Upon noticing someone outside the elevator, he immediately scolded, "Xiaofan, stand up and stop making a scene."
Then, turning to the person about to come in, he said, "Sorry, the child is throwing a tantrum. You... oh? It's you."
The person he met happened to be the white-collar worker in the pink suit who had helped him in the underground parking lot that day. Today, she was wearing a lace chiffon blouse and a black A-line pencil skirt, with her long, flowing waves making her look charming.
The other person didn't seem to realize what was happening. She walked into the elevator, smiling and looking Zhou Zhou up and down. It wasn't until Zhou Zhou took off her mask that she suddenly realized and said "Oh."
"Hey handsome," the girl smiled. "We meet again. How's your injury?"
"Thank you for your concern, everything is fine now." Actually, the two's unexpected meeting was quite awkward, since they had said they would thank the other person last time, but there had been no news since.
The elevator reached the first floor, and two adults and a child stepped out. Zhou Zhou's fingertips twirled uncertainly.
"Is this your son? He's so cute, how old is he?" The white-collar worker walked alongside him and noticed the little boy beside him peeking at her. She smiled at him with her red lips and asked.
The question was clearly directed at Zhou Zhou, but Zhou Zhou didn't react immediately. Fu Xiaofan then answered, "Xiaofan is four years old~"
“Oh, this is my son, Fu Xiaofan.” Zhou Zhou then responded, gave the other party an apologetic smile, and finally made up her mind, “I haven’t had a chance to thank you for what happened last time. There’s no time like the present. Are you free now? I’ll treat you to lunch.”
If a man asked her out like this normally, no matter what his reason was, his ultimate goal would definitely be to seduce her. But this man had a child with him. The white-collar woman smiled and said, "Okay, then I won't be polite. How about that tea restaurant outside? I think they allow children in there."
"good."
The three entered the tea restaurant, and the waiter who greeted them thought they were a family of three and almost led them to the family private room. It was the white-collar woman who spoke up and asked for a window seat, a seat she preferred.
After ordering, Fu Xiaofan sat quietly next to Zhou Zhou, staring at the table. She seemed well-behaved and sensible. The white-collar woman rested her chin on her hands and looked at the two people in front of her, who looked similar in appearance. She smiled and said, "You look so alike~ I saw you so young the other day, I didn't expect you to already have a child."
"Yes." Zhou Zhou smiled. He really didn't want to say much about the child; it was all too sudden.
"My name is Zhou Zhou. May I ask your name?" Having a name makes it easier to address you.
"Xie Ying." Xie Ying smiled. "You look vaguely familiar, and I think I've heard your name before."
“I used to work in the entertainment industry.” Zhou Zhou stood up apologetically. “Excuse me, Ms. Xie, I need to go to the restroom first.”
"Please go ahead." Xie Ying's demeanor was quite refined, unlike that of an ordinary white-collar worker; she seemed more like a socialite.
Zhou Zhou left her seat, leaving only Fu Xiaofan and Xie Ying. Xie Ying stared at Fu Xiaofan folding his napkin and teased him with a smile, "Little one, where's your mom?"
Fu Xiaofan looked up at her, blinked her round eyes, and shook her head, saying, "I don't have a mother."
Xie Ying thought he was from a single-parent family and was regretting that she had said the wrong thing, but then the other person immediately said, "I have a daddy."
"Oh, I see." Xie Ying nodded thoughtfully. So it was a child born to a same-sex couple. She then teased him, "So, which of your two dads do you think is the most handsome?"
"Dad is the most handsome." Fu Xiaofan nodded. "Because I look like Dad, I should look like him when I grow up. Yes, Dad is the most handsome!"
"Hey?" Xie Ying chuckled for a long time. Fu Xiaofan's quiet, wise, and mischievous nature was simply endearing.
'Ding-ding-'
Zhou Zhou's phone on the table suddenly lit up, obviously a call had come in. Fu Xiaofan reached for the phone, but his legs were stuck in the child seat. He tried a couple of times and was about to give up when Xie Ying got up and handed him the phone.
"Thank you, pretty lady~" Fu Xiaofan said while answering the phone, "Hello~ Daddy~ Daddy went to the bathroom. We're eating out, and there's a pretty lady there, someone Daddy knows~"
"Whose call is that?" Zhou Zhou had just arrived when he saw Fu Xiaofan holding his phone and talking to him. Worried that he might say something inappropriate, he quickly took the phone from him.