After saying, "They told you to be careful," Little Tong added with a raised finger, "They also said not to let you find out."
Zhong Jin fell silent.
Seriously? Had Qiu Huasheng become this ruthless now?
In the past, Zhong Jin always advised Qiu Sheng not to be too kind-hearted and to toughen up. Never did he imagine that one day, Qiu Huasheng would raise a blade against him—was she really planning to "cut him out and keep the daughter"?
Zhong Jin watched his chubby daughter slurping milk, feeling a pang of melancholy. Your mom’s stance is so firm—how is Dad supposed to join your lives now?
Little Tong finished her milk, handed the sippy cup back to Zhong Jin, then slid off the sofa and steadied herself against his knee.
"Daddy, can I go play?"
Holding the warm cup, Zhong Jin asked, "Where do you want to go?"
Before he finished speaking, Little Tong had already toddled away on her short legs.
"I’ll just walk around and explore," she declared.
Zhong Jin trailed behind her petite figure as she wandered through the villa. When they reached the kitchen, Little Tong clasped her hands behind her back, tilted her head up, and sniffed the air a few times.
Her little face scrunched up in concern. "Daddy, do you really not have any food at all?"
Zhong Jin: "......I don’t eat at home. I usually have meals at the company cafeteria."
The stubborn toddler merely pressed her lips together and heaved a sigh of boundless pity, wholly unconvinced by his explanation.
She then gripped the railing and began climbing the stairs. After just five steps, she had to pause, exhausted. Zhong Jin reached out, hooked his hands under her armpits, and hoisted her up.
Little Tong proceeded to inspect every room upstairs before stopping in the chilly hallway. Tilting her head, she said to Zhong Jin:
"Daddy, I asked Mommy. She said if the house has heating, it won’t be cold. But Mommy also said buying heating costs money. Are you... broke?"
Zhong Jin lowered his head and rested his palm on her round little head. "I have money. I’ll hire someone to fix the heating tomorrow."
Little Tong tugged a jade pendant from under her collar. "Gwandma gave me this. Mommy said it’s super valuable. You can sell it and buy yourself some heating!"
Zhong Jin’s heart twisted with mixed emotions.
For years, apart from the occasional concern from Yu Feiyang, no one had asked how he was doing—whether he was hungry, cold, or struggling.
Touched as he was, he also felt like a failure of a father. Here I am in my thirties, unable to manage my own life, and now a three-year-old is worrying about me.
Gently, he tucked the jade pendant back into her clothes. "I really do have money. You don’t need to fuss over grown-up problems."
Little Tong puffed out her round belly, nodded with authority, and declared, "Then I’ll come check tomorrow night."
Zhong Jin: "......Okay."
"Alright, bye-bye!"
Without warning, she waved, and her pudgy little figure began flickering like a fading hologram.
Panicked, Zhong Jin called out, "Wait—don’t tell anyone you visited me tonight." If Qiu Sheng had already warned him to "be careful," she’d surely interfere if she found out he’d met their daughter in secret. Then he’d really never see Little Tong again.
"Okay, okay!"
The child’s form flickered once more before vanishing entirely.
Back at her grandmother’s villa, Little Tong was midway up the stairs when Qiu Sheng came down looking for her.
"Sweetheart, were you ‘patrolling’ again? Do you want milk?" Qiu Sheng asked.
Little Tong let out a milky burp and waved her off. "No, I’m so full already."
Qiu Sheng frowned. "Who gave you milk?"
Little Tong clapped both hands over her mouth, hunched her shoulders, and scuttled back to her room like a guilty puppy. By the time Qiu Sheng followed, the child was already under the covers, fake-snoring into her pillow.
Unaware of her daughter’s stealthy escapades, Qiu Sheng noted the guilt but figured a toddler couldn’t cause too much mischief in the villa. She let it slide.
Lately, Qiu Sheng had mostly gone barefaced, her signature black hair worn straight and makeup-free, with only sunscreen applied before outings.
But today, for a friend’s son’s birthday party, she’d put on a full face of makeup.
Little Tong, her hair loose, leaned against the vanity, watching as Qiu Sheng applied lipstick. The child puckered her lips. "Mommy, I want some too!"
Qiu Sheng dabbed a faint smear on her daughter’s lips and demonstrated: "Press them together, like this."
Little Tong clumsily smacked her lips, then shoved her face toward the mirror, admiring her glamorous new look.
When Qiu Sheng put on earrings, the girl gasped. "Mommy, I want sparklies too!"
From her doll-clothing supplies, Qiu Sheng dug out resin clip-ons and let Little Tong pick a pair from her jewelry box. The child pointed to crystal drop earrings, so Qiu Sheng detached the original hooks, replaced them with clips, and fastened them onto tiny earlobes.
Now sporting lipstick and "sparklies," Little Tong didn’t even wait for her hair to be styled before racing off to flaunt her look, earning praise from Grandma and Uncle.
She even video-called Auntie Du Xin using Qiu Sheng’s phone: "Auntie, look at me!"
Du Xin blinked, baffled, until Qiu Sheng mouthed earrings and lipstick behind the camera.
"Wow!" Du Xin gasped. "Little Tong, you’re wearing lipstick and earrings? You’re so pretty!"
The girl struck a pose, pinky raised. "I’m very bootiful," she confirmed.
Once Qiu Sheng finished her own makeup, she styled Little Tong’s hair into twin cat-ear buns and dressed her in a lavish velvet-and-sequin princess gown.
Earrings gleaming, pearl clutch in hand, Little Tong sashayed off to the party with all the grace of a tiny socialite.
The birthday banquet was held at a five-star hotel’s buffet. When Qiu Sheng introduced Little Tong to her friends, they swarmed her in shock:
"Since when did you have a daughter?!"
But Qiu Sheng had always been low-key, and her long absences from social circles weren’t unusual. Plus, as one friend shrugged, women have uteruses—kids don’t require men these days. The group, respectful of boundaries, marveled briefly before moving on without prying.
Extricating herself from the small talk, Qiu Sheng scanned the ballroom for Little Tong.
All the other children were familiar with one another; her daughter was the only newcomer, and Qiu Sheng worried she might feel out of place.
She found Little Tong by the floral arch, clutching her pearl purse while chatting with a group of kids. Qiu Sheng hovered behind them, eavesdropping.
Little Tong stood primly, hands clasped around her bag, belly pooched forward as she announced:
"Hello, I am one Zhong Yuntong."
The other children took turns introducing themselves.
Little Tong opened her small leather bag again and took out some chocolates, handing one to each of the children nearby: "Let's all eat chocolate together!"
So the kids huddled together, munching on the chocolates—these elegantly dressed little dolls now had teeth and mouths smeared black.
A girl in a tulip skirt suggested, "Let's dance!"
Under her lead, the children joined hands and formed a circle, dancing together. Little Tong noticed a little boy sitting alone in the corner, watching them. She ran over, pulled the shy boy into the group, and made him dance with them.
Seeing this, Qiu Sheng felt relieved. Qiu Chen always called Little Tong a "social menace," and it seemed there was some truth to it.
Not long after Qiu Sheng walked away, Little Tong came running back in a fluster, asking, "Mommy, mommy, I need a Goose Tong watch! The kids want to keep in touch with me."
After questioning her carefully, Qiu Sheng learned that her chubby little one had successfully made friends, and they all wanted to exchange contact details so they could arrange playdates later.
But since Little Tong didn’t have a kids' watch yet, Qiu Sheng used her own phone to save all the children's numbers, promising them that once Zhong Yuntong got her own watch, she’d contact them right away.
As soon as the party ended, Qiu Sheng took Little Tong to buy a kids' watch. Since she was still too young for complicated functions, they settled on a simple one.
After patiently teaching her how to use it, Little Tong clutched the watch, sitting in her car seat, fiddling with it intently.
She called Qiu Chen, swinging her little feet and frowning as she instructed,
"Hey, Boss Qiu, please buy me milk. Thank you."
Whatever Qiu Chen said in response must have displeased her, because she suddenly raised a finger and scolded sternly,
"I'm very busy. Don’t talk nonsense with me."
Qiu Sheng burst out laughing—she could just imagine Qiu Chen’s exasperated yet helpless expression on the other end of the line.
They were staying at their city home that night, and Little Tong spent the whole evening playing with her new watch, calling everyone she knew. She even awkwardly chatted with her new friends from earlier, ending each call with,
"Had so much fun! Let’s talk again next time, okay?"
Since the watch was waterproof, Qiu Sheng allowed her to take it into the bath. That made bathtime much smoother—while Qiu Sheng washed her, Little Tong "washed" her beloved Goose Tong watch. They each had their task, and both were completed successfully.
In the middle of the night, Little Tong woke up for her usual patrol.
She stood by the bed and nudged Qiu Sheng, who mumbled sleepily, barely opening her eyes. "Sweetheart, do you need to pee? Want me to go with you?"
Little Tong waved her off. "No."
Seeing Qiu Sheng fall back asleep, she poked her nose a few times. When there was no reaction, she quietly slipped into the walk-in closet.
First, she dug out Qiu Sheng’s lipstick and smeared it on until her mouth was a bright red mess. Then she took out her diamond earrings from the jewelry cabinet and put them on. Finally, she returned to the bedside table, strapping the kids' watch onto her wrist.
Once fully prepared, Little Tong gradually faded from sight, entering another space. She navigated effortlessly until she appeared in Zhong Jin’s villa.
Ever since Little Tong started visiting nightly, Zhong Jin’s home had undergone some major changes.
First, the heating system—broken for years—was finally fixed.
Even the repairman was baffled. "It was just a small part, a few hundred bucks. Why’d you suffer through the cold for so long?"
Zhong Jin, too embarrassed to admit he’d just been lazy, lied, "I was away. The house was empty."
The repairman frowned. "Mr. Zhong, I work in this neighborhood. I see your car coming and going every day. When were you ever away?"
Zhong Jin: "..."
With the heating fixed and the lights on, the house suddenly felt warm and inviting.
Zhong Jin tied on an apron and went to the kitchen, pulling out fresh beef ribs. He washed them, blanched them, added spices, and let them simmer in a clay pot.
Back in the living room, he turned on the TV and picked a movie. Soon, the rich aroma of meat filled the air.
It had been a long time since the house felt like a home.
Not long after the ribs finished cooking, Little Tong appeared in the kitchen, sniffing the air excitedly before running toward Zhong Jin.
"Daddy, I want meat!"
Zhong Jin, who’d been napping under a blanket on the sofa, startled awake. Even though he knew Little Tong could pop in anytime, it still caught him off guard.
Sitting up, he got another shock when he saw her crimson, lipstick-smeared mouth.
Little Tong waddled over on her short legs, propped herself against his knees, and tilted her head up. "Look, I’m so pretty."
"I put on lipstick, and see my earrings?"
Zhong Jin forced a compliment. "Very pretty."
Then he coaxed her, "How about we wash off the lipstick first, then eat?"
The mention of food made her cooperative. She let Zhong Jin wipe her face clean.
He ladled out a bowl of beef soup to cool and placed a rib on a plate in front of her.
Little Tong stood by the coffee table, her round belly pressing against the edge as she clutched the rib with both hands. She took a big bite, grease smearing her cheeks, and swayed her diamond earrings in approval.
"Yummy."
Then she made a suggestion: "Next time, buy me a baby high chair so I can sit properly."
Zhong Jin, gnawing on a bone himself, paused to wipe his hands with a wet wipe. He pulled up several high chairs on his phone and showed them to her.
"Which one do you want?"
Still holding her meat, Little Tong pointed at one in a garish mix of bright red and green. "I like this one."
Zhong Jin nodded earnestly. "Great choice."
And so he ordered the ugliest high chair on the page, leaving both father and daughter perfectly satisfied.
After eating, Zhong Jin carried Little Tong to the bathroom, standing her on a stool as he brushed her teeth with a new kids' toothbrush.
He pinched her soft cheek. "Hurry back now. Mommy will worry if she finds you gone."
Little Tong nodded, her body slowly turning transparent.
Zhong Jin returned to the sofa, looking at the empty bowls and leftover bones on the table. The image of the chubby little girl lingered in his mind.
A strange feeling—she’d just left, but he already missed her.
At this moment, Little Tong reappeared by the fireplace. She swung her legs as she walked toward Zhong Jin, raising her wrist to show him her new watch:
"Daddy, let’s add each other as friends. I can call you."
Zhong Jin and Little Tong exchanged phone numbers. The child fiddled with her watch, head bowed, while Zhong Jin urged her again, "Hurry back."
Suddenly, Little Tong looked up, planted a kiss on Zhong Jin’s cheek, and flashed a big smile:
"Okay, bye-bye."
After the child had completely left, Zhong Jin stood frozen for a long moment before finally getting up to clear the dishes.
Having eaten meat at Zhong Jin’s place the night before, Little Tong wasn’t hungry in the morning and couldn’t stomach breakfast.
She propped her head up with one hand, idly stirring the congee with her spoon, as if counting each grain of rice.
Seeing her lack of appetite, Qiu Sheng picked up her favorite egg dumpling and offered it to her: "Sweetheart, eat this."
Little Tong picked up the egg dumpling, took two bites, then set it back down. She looked up at Qiu Sheng and said,
"Mommy, please carry me down. I’m full."
Qiu Sheng frowned at the barely touched breakfast, worried. This was the first time since Little Tong had come into her life that she’d had no appetite. Qiu Sheng guessed the child must have overeaten at the birthday party the day before and was now suffering from indigestion.
She recalled her own childhood, when she’d often had stomachaches from overeating. The nanny who took care of her back then would buy her a bowl of fermented mung bean juice to drink.
The juice was a natural probiotic, good for relieving bloating and aiding digestion. Qiu Sheng figured a little wouldn’t hurt—better than forcing medicine down her throat.
So she had Little Tong hop onto her balance bike and took her downstairs.
Right outside their neighborhood was a shop that sold fermented mung bean juice. Qiu Sheng ordered two bowls—one for herself and one for Little Tong.
Having never tried it before, Little Tong curiously scooped a spoonful and took a sip—only to immediately spit it out. She grabbed Qiu Sheng’s hand in alarm:
"Don’t drink it, don’t drink it! It’s spoiled!"
Qiu Sheng coaxed her, "It’s not spoiled, sweetheart. It helps with digestion. Since you ate too much yesterday, this will make you feel better."
Little Tong shook her head vigorously. "I don’t want it. I feel fine already."
Seeing her refusal, Qiu Sheng didn’t force it. "Alright, if you really don’t want it, we’ll go see a doctor later."
After a moment of silence, Little Tong lowered her head, mustered her courage, and took a big gulp of the juice. She swallowed with effort, then opened her mouth wide for inspection:
"Mommy, look, I drank it."
Knowing the child was avoiding the doctor, Qiu Sheng teased, "Then drink two more sips. If you do, we won’t go."
Grimacing, Little Tong clutched the bowl with her chubby little hands and downed two more mouthfuls.
As they left the shop, Little Tong glided on her balance bike, covering her mouth as she whispered to Qiu Sheng:
"Mommy, I know what to wish for next time I blow out my birthday candles."
"Oh? What is it? You don’t have to wait for your birthday—Mommy can grant your wish now."
Little Tong looked up eagerly. "Mommy, I want this mung bean juice shop to go out of business."
Qiu Sheng facepalmed. "That’s not a wish I can make come true, sweetheart."
"Ugh." The child sighed in disappointment.
Whether it was the juice or simply time digesting the beef ribs from the night before, by lunchtime, Little Tong had regained her appetite.
She mixed her food together, shoveling big spoonfuls into her mouth, even picking up fallen grains of rice from the table to eat.
Qiu Sheng had told her multiple times not to eat food that had touched the table.
But Little Tong insisted, "We can’t waste food!"
Eventually, Aunt Liang took to scrubbing the child’s high chair spotless before every meal.
Between spending evenings with Daddy and keeping up with Mommy during the day, Little Tong was running low on energy. After lunch, she crawled onto the couch, tilted her head, and dozed off.
When she woke up, she found herself in Qiu Sheng’s bed, with Mommy asleep beside her.
Little Tong wriggled out from under the covers, slid down the edge of the bed, and tiptoed to the floor.
She glanced back at Qiu Sheng—still fast asleep—then snatched her smartwatch from the nightstand and sneaked into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her.
Standing by the toilet, she tapped away at her watch until a call connected—to Qiu Chen’s voice.
Little Tong quickly waved her hand. "Not you. Bye-bye."
She kept fiddling until she finally dialed Zhong Jin.
"Daddy, long time no see!" she whispered excitedly, covering her mouth.
Zhong Jin’s cool voice came through. "Where are you calling from? Where’s Mommy?"
"I’m in the toilet room. Mommy’s sleeping."
There was a pause—probably him deciphering "toilet room"—before Little Tong barreled on:
"Daddy, did you miss me?"
"Did you make lots of money today?"
"Be happy, Daddy!"
Before Zhong Jin could reply, she waved at her watch. "Bye-bye!" and hung up.
After the call, she peeked back into the bedroom—Qiu Sheng was still asleep—then slipped out and wandered to the kitchen, where Aunt Liang was prepping dinner.
Little Tong tiptoed over, hands on the counter, and announced loudly, "Auntie, I want milk!"
Aunt Liang warmed a bottle, tested the temperature on her wrist, and handed it over, letting her drink in the living room.
Propped against a large cushion, Little Tong crossed her legs and gulped down half the bottle in seconds.
Still craving more, she unscrewed the cap, sticking her tongue inside to lick the residue off the sides.
Her tongue was too short.
So she pressed the entire bottle opening to her lips and sucked hard—but nothing came out. She yanked the bottle away.
With a sharp pop, the suction finally broke free. Oblivious to the impending disaster, Little Tong tossed the bottle aside, picked up a picture book, and lounged back to flip through it.
It wasn’t until Qiu Sheng emerged from the bedroom, yawning, that she noticed something odd.
She crouched down, rubbing her thumb over the dark ring around Little Tong’s mouth. "Sweetheart, what did you get all over your lips?"
Little Tong shook her head nonchalantly. "I drank my milk."
The dark ring around her mouth wouldn't rub off no matter how hard Qiu Sheng tried, and she began to panic. She called toward the kitchen, "Aunt Liang, come take a look!"
Aunt Liang rushed out with her hands still wet from the kitchen. Seeing the color around Little Tong’s mouth and the discarded milk bottle nearby, she said knowingly,
"It must be from sucking on that bottle. It’ll fade in a couple of days."
Qiu Sheng picked up the bottle and examined it closely. "Can sucking on this really turn your mouth like that?"
Skeptical, she pressed the bottle to her own lips and took a few hard pulls. When she tried to pull it away, her eyes widened in horror.
Little Tong crawled over, propped herself up on Qiu Sheng’s arm, and—with the expertise of experience—grabbed the bottle with both hands. Summoning all the strength in her chubby little body, she gave it one mighty yank.
Pop!
Aunt Liang: "...No wonder you two are mother and daughter."
