When Chu Qing heard a crisp sound coming from the coffee table, she froze on the spot. It took her a while to come back to her senses. She realized that it was probably too late and her head was too foggy from staying up so late.
Fortunately, tomorrow is the weekend, so he doesn't have to take Xiaxia to school. Chu Qing turned off the light and lifted the blanket. As soon as he lay down, the little one snuggled into his arms.
Wei Yutang appeared in their lives more and more frequently. No matter what excuse Chu Qing made to avoid contact with him, she couldn't change the reality as long as she didn't want to break off relations.
Although Xiaxia usually complains about her father, Chu Qing can tell that Wei Yutang, her father, also holds a significant place in her heart.
This child's hypocrisy isn't a new phenomenon.
Wei Yutang admitted that he used despicable methods, taking advantage of Chu Qing's good temper and soft personality to slowly invade his life.
He had a good grasp of the balance, like boiling a frog in lukewarm water; he believed that one day he would be able to bring the child home with him.
...
That day at the kindergarten gate, Xiaxia saw her familiar father waiting there, and her little face immediately fell.
Leaning against his father's neck, he asked softly:
"Isn't Dad coming to pick me up today?"
"Yes, your dad's been busy with work, so he asked me to pick you up. What's wrong? Don't you want to see me?"
Wei Yutang carried him on the sidewalk. He was tall and looked like he was carrying a baby when he was holding a kindergarten child.
Xiaxia feels quite comfortable whenever her father holds her, and she has a sense of security that is different from that of her father.
As long as the topic doesn't involve his father, he's also his father's sweet little darling.
"I like it, but I miss my dad a little. Dad works so hard. Father, aren't you tired?"
Xiaxia has big eyes, and her eyelashes are long and curled, just like Chu Qing's. She looks incredibly cute when she blinks innocently.
With that soft, childlike voice, he slowly uttered words of tenderness. Wei Yutang couldn't help but smile slightly as he patiently answered each question one by one.
“I’m not tired, your dad has to work harder.”
Many people who have met Xia Xia say he looks a lot like them, but Wei Yutang thinks he looks more like Chu Qing.
Xiaxia, who inherited the best qualities of both of them, made Wei Yutang realize for the first time how wonderful the continuation of bloodlines is.
"Tonight's homework is for us to make lanterns, Father. Do you know how?"
Lanterns? Wei Yutang had never actually tried making one, so he chose to answer truthfully:
"I don't know how, but we can try doing it together."
"Okay~ I'll go home after I finish my homework, then Dad won't have to tutor me tonight~"
Xiaxia sat happily in her father's lap, then gently tugged at Wei Yutang's ear, drawing his attention to her. She asked in a low voice:
"Um?"
“Father, have I told you that you are amazing right now?”
"You can say it now."
On the way back to the villa, Wei Yutang checked the messages in the kindergarten parents' group chat; it was a craft assignment.
Let the children make a lantern out of waste materials, and teach them the importance of recycling.
The intention was very good, but unfortunately some parents in the group have started to complain, implying that they are too busy with work to do these things.
"Father is awesome!"
Xia Xia hugged Wei Yutang's neck happily and acted coquettishly, twisting and turning as if she had endless energy.
"Thanks."
Wei Yutang thanked him and found a plastic bottle at home. He cut it up and covered it with a pretty piece of paper.
He has long, slender fingers and is very serious about this matter. He assures himself that he has never been this focused when working.
It was just a kindergarten assignment, but I held Xiaxia's hand in mine and accompanied him as he slowly completed the project.
When it came time to color it, Xiaxia even drew an eye on it.
"Father, quickly take a picture and show it to Dad."
Xiaxia happily held up the lantern and handed it to Wei Yutang.
Wei Yutang readily picked up his phone, adjusted it to the perfect angle, took two photos, and saved them to his phone, but did not send them to Chu Qing.
Chu Qing hadn't had a proper rest for a long time because of the design draft, and Wei Yutang was afraid that the message he sent would disturb his thoughts.
"Father, how was it? Did Dad praise me for being great?"
Xiaxia desperately needed her father's approval, hoping he would praise her for being so smart as to finish her homework before going home.
"He hasn't replied yet; he's probably busy."
Wei Yutang put his phone aside and took Xiaxia upstairs to the toy room, wanting to play with her for a while.
He usually says that spending time with his child means spending time with his child, putting all his thoughts and energy into playing with Xiaxia.
As Xiaxia was being led by her father, she accidentally glimpsed a photo frame inside a room through a crack in the door that wasn't fully closed.
"Is that Daddy?"
Wei Yutang followed his gaze, took a step forward, grasped the doorknob, and pushed the door open.
"Do you want to see photos, or play with toys?"
"Hmm... let me think about it."
Xiaxia thought about it carefully in her mind. Her father, that stingy man, might not be willing to show her the photos next time they came, but the toys would definitely be all hers.
He was the only child in the family, and no matter how much his father bullied him, he would never take the toys from the other children.
"I want to see the photos!"
"bring it on."
Wei Yutang bent down and picked him up. The room was filled with photos, and he would often come over to tidy and clean them himself.
From the group photo in high school to the photos of the reunion in college, there were many more photos of Chu Qing and him together.
Holding Xiaxia, he walked over step by step, watching Chu Qing in the photo gradually mature from her initial youthful appearance.
It was as if Xiaxia had participated in that part of his life, a life in which he never appeared, in this special way.
Xiaxia has always been very interested in anything related to Chu Qing. At the very end, there was a photo of Chu Qing standing on the podium holding the trophy.
Gold sequins fell on him, and his eyes seemed to sparkle with the brightest stars.
"My dad is so handsome..."
After hearing this, Wei Yutang gave a soft "hmm". He remembered that quite a few people had pursued Chu Qing back then, and he would get jealous several times a day.
When young and impetuous, the way to deal with jealousy is often strong and straightforward. The rental house they rented outside the university was bought by Wei Yutang, and every now and then they would have a housekeeper come over to clean it.
It seems that they are trying to hold onto that past time in this peculiar way.
After hearing her father's agreement, Xiaxia turned to look at him, sighed helplessly, and said:
"It's like being rooted up by a pig."
Wei Yutang's forehead veins throbbed at those words; he should have known that nothing pleasant would come out of this little devil's mouth.
"But Father, you didn't include me in the wedding photos because you didn't take any, so why am I not included in this one either?"
The main subject in most of the photos is Chu Qing, taken by Wei Yutang. Occasionally, he will also appear. The more Xia Xia looks at the photos of the two of them, the more her eyebrows furrow.
There's a father, there's a father, but what about Xiaxia?
“Xiaxia was too young to take photos back then. If you want to take photos again, we can do so together after your dad finishes work.”
Wei Yutang's tone was calm, so the usually clever Xiaxia didn't think much of it.
Xiaxia really wanted to be in these photos, so she nodded without any hesitation and even took the initiative to take the job.
"Okay, I'll go talk to Dad about it."
Wei Yutang reached out and patted his shoulder, speaking with a serious expression:
"Then this task is entrusted to you."
Okay~
Xiaxia didn't think too deeply about it, assuming that her father's intention was to send her because of her good relationship with her father.
He even felt a little pleased inside, realizing that his father knew Xiaxia was the most important person in his father's heart.
After working for more than a month, Chu Qing finally submitted her work, which she was satisfied with.
While preparing to take a break, he learned from a colleague that those people who used to bully him at his previous company are no longer able to make it in this industry.
I just don't know who did this, managing to completely dismantle all the connections behind him.
Others may not know, but Chu Qing could vaguely guess that the only person who could use such methods to vent his anger behind his back was Wei Yutang. He couldn't think of anyone else.
Xiaxia had been mostly looked after by Wei Yutang lately, and Chu Qing wanted to bring him back as soon as she finished her work so she could cook him a big meal to make up for it.
Qi Yuan'an knew that Chu Qing had worked hard, so he readily granted him a few days off so that he could rest at home before coming back to work.
Chu Qing had just taken her things downstairs when she received a call from Xia Xia's kindergarten teacher.
"Are you Wei Xia's father? Wei Xia hit another child at kindergarten and made him bleed. We're at the hospital right now. Would it be convenient for you to come over?"
Chu Qing asked about the specific hospital, walked to the roadside, hailed a taxi, and went to the kindergarten to pick up Xia Xia.
Unlike her usual lively self, Xiaxia stood there with her eyes red and swollen.
Seeing her father approach, tears welled up instantly, and she cried out in a voice trembling with sobs:
"dad……"
Xiaxia felt wronged on one hand, and on the other hand, she was afraid that her father would scold her and think that she was a naughty child who hit people.
Chu Qing walked over, hugged Xia Xia, and patted his back to comfort him:
"Don't cry or feel wronged, Daddy's here. Daddy's here. No matter what happens, Daddy can solve it."
Xiaxia buried her head in her father's arms and sobbed, crying her heart out until she had released all her emotions. Only then did she lift her head and whisper, choking back tears, "..."
"I... I was naughty, I hit the other kids."
Chu Qing held his small hand that was trying to rub his eyes, wiped away his tears with a tissue, and coaxed him gently in a low voice.