15
Ning Ye looked at Bian Xun with a baffled expression.
The man's cold and quiet eyes held a complex look, as if hiding a helpless sense of compromise and acceptance.
A question mark popped up in Ning Ye's mind. After pondering for a moment, she understood his gaze.
Was he really that heartbroken over a ten-thousand-yuan voucher?
Ning Ye thought back. Up until now, she had never swiped his card for anything over ten thousand yuan. She had even chosen a 24-month installment plan for the TV this time, which was already incredibly frugal.
What a black-hearted capitalist.
Bian Xun: ...?
Ning Ye grumbled inwardly. Just then, a burst of noise broke the silence within the ecological park.
The mixed, shuffling footsteps and conversations of adults crossed the entrance, followed immediately by the excited, chattering voices of young children, sounding like a flock of birds flying in.
The kindergarteners here for their autumn field trip had arrived.
The appearance of the children brought life to the originally cold, tech-heavy park. As they were led in one by one by their teachers and parents, they looked up at the dome overhead and the surrounding landscapes, immediately letting out a chorus of oohs and aahs.
Wow! Look at that!
Bian Xun habitually furrowed his brows.
He hated noisy children, just as he hated barking dogs and meowing cats.
Ning Ye secretly observed him. The annoyance in those cold, indifferent black eyes was so obvious.
Back when they were together, Bian Xun hated kids. If they ran into a child selling flowers on the street during Valentine's Day, he would expressionlessly buy all the flowers for Ning Ye, and then tell the child to quickly get lost.
On Qixi Festival that year, because they encountered way too many flower-selling children in one night, Ning Ye ended up holding almost a thousand roses in her arms. It sounded quite romantic, but in the end, because that day wasn't a Friday, she walked around holding the roses for ages, and they never took the next step.
Bian Xun was just that cold and crazy.
Yet, such a person would, in the future, have such an adorable daughter with her.
Ning Ye sighed.
It was just a pity that the current Bian Xun was still Bian Xun, and he had even become someone else's male lead.
She only hoped that even if her dog of an ex-boyfriend wanted to play the loving father with someone else, he wouldn't hurt her child.
She stood back at her booth. Some children and parents were already coming over to look around, and Ning Ye began to diligently explain the parameters and performance.
The layout inside the park was massive and complex, divided into a flower and bird zone, a rainforest zone, an autumn scenery zone, and a winter scenery zone. Each scene was adapted to integrate different smart home products, offering both fun interactivity and visual appreciation value.
Ning Ye's booth was quite far from the entrance. She could not help but look in that direction, wondering if Taotao had come in yet.
Today was a joint autumn field trip for the junior, middle, and senior classes of Xialu Kindergarten. Children accompanied by parents could explore on their own, while the rest followed the teachers.
Teacher Youzi was holding hands with Ning Zhitao and Gu Zixun, as these two children were assigned to her. Zhang Sijie and her mother were also walking through the venue with them.
As soon as she entered, Ning Zhitao looked around excitedly, her cheeks flushed red. Wow, so many flowers, so pretty! Do mommies and daddies usually work here?
Zhang Sijie also nodded excitedly. I wonder which tree my daddy is under.
Teacher Youzi found the little girls' childish words adorable. She squatted down with a smile and said, Your moms and dads work in the Wujiang Group building. This is the park they created.
The two little girls instantly went, Wow!
Gu Zixun, who was standing to the side, let out a snort and glanced at them with a strong sense of superiority.
From the moment he walked through the door, he had not shown such a sheltered, inexperienced reaction.
Ning Zhitao and Zhang Sijie could only see the flowers and trees here, but his focus was on the technological products integrated into them.
Before coming, his mother had specifically instructed him that he must behave well today. If he performed well enough, he would be able to meet his future father.
At this moment.
Xu Lanyi was elegantly sipping red wine at home, her earphones connected to the live audio at the park. Her trusted assistant was also on the scene.
The young master has entered the park and is with Ning Zhitao and the others. Boss Bian is also here, but we haven't seen him yet.
Mmhmm, Xu Lanyi smiled calmly.
Through the earphones, she had already heard what the other children were focusing on, as well as Zixun's insights into the tech products.
Let Zixun get along well with the little girls. Xu Lanyi raised her wine glass.
She knew that for today's autumn field trip, Ning Ye would try every means possible to be present.
But she would soon realize the gap between children raised under different educational backgrounds.
When Ning Ye saw the warm and loving scene between her son and Bian Xun, she would inevitably think, My daughter is his biological child, and What right does her son have? Once she developed this twisted mentality, her resentment would grow deeper, and her actions would further expose her true nature.
But in reality, regardless of whether they were biological or not, to the current Bian Xun, they were all completely unfamiliar children with whom he had no emotional foundation.
Under such circumstances, naturally, the child who was smarter and performed better would be the one to catch Bian Xun's attention and win his favor.
On this point, Xu Lanyi had used countless resources to cultivate Zixun. Many famous teachers could not be hired even with money, and the cost of all this upbringing was absolutely beyond what Ning Ye's financial capabilities could provide.
Ning Ye must be relying on the fact that her daughter was Bian Xun's biological child. That was her biggest trump card.
But what if her, Xu Lanyi's, son was a little genius?
Bian Xun would definitely look at her son in a new light.
...
Inside the park, Gu Zixun was already talking logically and clearly about the technological knowledge he understood.
It had to be said that his performance was indeed eye-catching. The Wujiang employees at the surrounding booths smiled in surprise, Little boy, how old are you? How do you even know all this?
Nowadays, the artificial intelligence industry was developing rapidly, and Wujiang was at the forefront of the industry. The smart products displayed in the park incorporated various emerging technologies, and Gu Zixun could actually name a thing or two about each of them.
Teacher Youzi also looked at the four-year-old boy in surprise, clapping her hands in admiration. Zixun, even the teacher does not know the things you are talking about. You are amazing.
Gu Zixun smiled proudly. This is nothing. I know even more.
Since he was little, he often could not go out because his mother had to hide him at home. But whatever he wanted, his mother would buy and bring home. Therefore, Gu Zixun even had an astronomical telescope and a simulation car at home, which was completely incomparable to other children.
Teacher Youzi exchanged a glance with Zhang Sijie's mother next to her. The maturity level of this child, placed among a group of kids who were still babbling, was honestly so clever that it felt a bit abrupt.
Teacher Youzi did not know whether this was a good thing or a bad thing. She could not help but look at Ning Zhitao, who was squatting on the virtual lawn playing with an automatic sprinkler robot. Her chubby little back looked like a sprouting bamboo shoot.
Taotao was also smart and clever. When she answered questions in class and spoke, her thinking was very clear and articulate. It was evident that her parents must be highly educated people who put their hearts into educating their child.
But at the same time, Taotao still retained the innocence and charm typical of a child her age. She was so soft and adorable that it was hard not to like her.
Ning Zhitao and Zhang Sijie were having a great time playing when Gu Zixun's condescending voice sounded from above them.
"You only know that it sprays water, but do you know what temperature the water from this robot needs to be to dissolve the floor detergent and sterilize the floor?"
"Let me test you," Gu Zixun said, resting his hands on his hips.
Ning Zhitao, with her back to him, really didn't want to listen. She glanced at Zhang Sijie and realized she was almost falling asleep from listening.
So Ning Zhitao quietly shifted her bottom, politely facing Gu Zixun with the back of her head.
Gu Zixun didn't care at all whether they wanted to listen or not. He continued to explain the mechanics of the robot vacuum, attracting a growing crowd to watch this little genius.
This four-year-old child indeed displayed an intelligence far beyond his peers.
"So impressive."
"Is this kid only four or five?"
"Could he be a child prodigy?"
Xu Lanyi heard everything clearly through her earpiece, the pride in her eyes self-evident.
At the scene, Assistant Zhang, standing not far away, withdrew his gaze and couldn't help but sigh in admiration, "This child is really smart."
As he turned around, he saw that CEO Bian's gaze was indeed also fixed on that child.
Assistant Zhang thought to himself that a top-tier elite like his boss, who had extremely high academic qualifications and focused on research and development, would always appreciate intelligent people, even if he generally disliked children.
Bian Xun's cold, dark eyes watched the little boy who loved science so much. After a moment, his quiet gaze radiated outward from the boy, scanning the surroundings as if searching for something.
Assistant Zhang couldn't help but be curious and asked in a low voice, "CEO Bian, what are you looking for?"
Bian Xun finally spoke faintly, "Where are his parents?"
Assistant Zhang was secretly startled. Could it be that the boss admired this child's intelligence so much that he even wanted to meet the parents? Was Wujiang Group already starting to recruit future tech research and development personnel from the age of four?
Assistant Zhang suddenly felt a wave of secret regret that his own daughter wasn't a genius.
Then he heard the CEO's low, magnetic voice sound out indifferently:
"Find his parents and ask them if they are willing to donate a hundred million to support their child doing scientific research at Wujiang."
Assistant Zhang: "??"
Bian Xun thought of the pile of science enlightenment books that someone had delivered to his office, along with the father-and-son handicraft assignments, and felt a surge of annoyance.
He indifferently shifted his gaze away from the child. "Once you find this kid's parents, mark them. In the future, push our products directly to their family to buy."
"...Understood." Assistant Zhang stood petrified on the spot.
Thank goodness his child wasn't a genius.
...
Bian Xun inspected a few booths, returned to the open area in the middle of the park, raised his hand, and pinched the bridge of his nose.
Actually, his purpose for appearing here had already been fulfilled. He had confirmed Ning Ye's card-swiping pattern. Although he couldn't directly stop her in the future, he could intervene artificially.
But for some reason, he felt like he still had unfinished business.
The area was swarming with kindergarteners, their incessant noise causing layers of impatience to well up in his chest.
That preachy little boy and his group had also made their way to the central area.
This time, he seemed to have gotten into an argument with another child.
Bian Xun really wanted to throw him out.
But precisely because of this, Bian Xun, who hadn't noticed the other children around the boy, followed the sound and found him arguing with a little girl who had a perfectly round little head from the back.
The girl was also four or five years old, wearing light red carrot-style overalls over a white polka-dot blouse, her hair tied up in two little buns.
For some reason, Bian Xun actually found her silhouette somewhat familiar.
The two children had now walked to the smart door booth in the park. The set there was divided by a Wujiang smart password lock; outside the door was a winter scene, while inside was home decor.
Their argument centered around the password lock.
"Fingerprint passwords and facial recognition are the safest!" the little boy pointed at the door and said stubbornly.
"You are right, Gu Zixun, but my daddy's password lock is also very safe. He doesn't use his finger or his face, and no one will ever know what his password is."
The little girl, with her back to Bian Xun, spoke in a crisp, loud voice. When she mentioned her dad, her tone was soft and sweet but very persistent.
Gu Zixun hadn't expected another child to question him. He had learned far more than the others; how could he be wrong?
Especially since... he caught a glimpse of a figure from a distance. The figure was tall, upright, and imposing, exactly like the photo his mother had shown him!
Gu Zixun crossed his arms, his tone somewhat mocking, "Who says your dad's password is safe? As long as someone knows your family's social connections, your home isn't safe at all!"
The little girl put her hands on her hips, her round cheeks pulled tight. "I won't allow you to talk about the Happy Home like that."
"My daddy and mommy were college classmates. My daddy said the password he set is something only mommy can understand. It's their secret code. No one else knows it."
Thinking of this, Ning Zhitao then remembered that her daddy and mommy didn't live together anymore and didn't use secret codes either. A hint of disappointment revealed itself in her grape-like eyes beneath thick, long eyelashes, but she still stood stubbornly with her hands on her hips.
Gu Zixun snorted, "If your dad gets old or forgets, the password is lost. But faces won't be, and fingerprints won't be!"
Many people gathered around to watch. Most of the Wujiang employees were just there for the entertainment. Xu Lanyi's assistant fanned the flames from within the crowd: "Well said! This little boy is too smart!"
Sure enough, the little girl had nothing more to say.
Swayed by the crowd's rhythm, the bystanders also began to feel that this little boy was exceptionally articulate and that his reasoning skills were truly unlike a four-year-old's.
Through the earpiece, the corners of Xu Lanyi's lips turned up, and she clapped for Zixun from a distance.
But Ning Zhitao wasn't out of words; she was just poked in her little heart by that sentence. Because she remembered that her daddy really seemed to have forgotten and didn't recognize her anymore. A thin layer of mist covered those big, round eyes.
On the other side, Ning Ye had just finished her booth work, organized the data, and submitted it to the backstage before hearing that some children were arguing over there.
Her heart suddenly skipped a beat.
In just this short amount of time, the plot had started?
Although Taotao didn't have the personality to argue with people, the plot required her to be the control group to the female lead's son. She wouldn't be bullied, would she?
Ning Ye immediately dropped everything in her hands and followed the sound all the way over.
The entire park was divided into several sections. Ning Ye weaved left and right before she finally saw the gathering crowd from a distance.
Standing in the middle were indeed Taotao and another little boy.
That must be Xu Lanyi's son.
Teacher Youzi stood in the middle looking anxious, holding a child's hand in each of hers, trying to get them to shake hands and make up. "Babies, you can't argue here."
Ning Zhitao always listened well to Teacher Youzi and obediently offered her hand.
But she felt a bit wronged in her heart. She didn't understand; this was clearly her daddy's company.
Ning Ye's heart suddenly felt blocked. She pushed through the crowd and walked in.
Ning Zhitao was ready to "shake hands and make peace," but just then, Gu Zixun swatted her hand away. "You don't understand anything at all, I don't want a sister like you!"
Even Teacher Youzi didn't expect this. Ning Zhitao staggered backward a couple of steps. At that moment, a surge of nameless anger flared up in Ning Ye's heart, but she was too far away to reach her falling daughter.
Just then, Ning Zhitao's back bumped into a person.
A dark black suit jacket, long and neat trousers draped over shiny leather shoes, and a faint, cold sandalwood scent slowly wafting from the hem of the clothes—he caught the backward-falling girl.
Like a little grape bumping into Bian Xun's leg.
The surroundings suddenly fell silent.
Ning Ye's footsteps could only halt.
Oh no.
Bian Xun glanced at Gu Zixun, who had a face full of admiration opposite him, but there was no sign of the ice melting; instead, he looked at the surrounding Wujiang employees.
"Do none of you understand the product as well as a child? Do you need him to explain it all the way?"
All the employees immediately shuddered in fear and quickly realized what was going on.
They didn't know what happened just now; they had suddenly gotten immersed in the comparison between the two children, as if they had to determine a winner—in fact, the knowledge the little boy spoke of was still simple and superficial in the eyes of adults.
The little girl huddled by the edge of Bian Xun's trousers and stood up straight.
Bian Xun never looked down at her; his cold expression was as placid as an ancient well.
His original intention was just to prevent a child from falling in the park, to avoid parents causing trouble.
But when a strange child actually pressed against him, creating unfamiliar physical contact, he still visibly furrowed his brows.
Ning Ye clearly saw his impatience and also guessed that Bian Xun was just trying to avoid an accident in the park.
The man resolved the incident in a few words, looked coldly around, and asked, "Where are her parents?"
After Bian Xun asked this question.
The little girl looked up at him.
Bian Xun's brows knitted together, and he finally looked down coldly.
Their eyes met.
Bian Xun's dark pupils suddenly contracted.
...
In that instant, Bian Xun had a very absurd thought.
Did the childhood Ning Ye time-travel to this moment?
Too similar.
The little girl in that old, yellowed photo and the little girl in front of him were almost eighty percent similar. The slightly round, dark eyes, the folds of the double eyelids, the shape of the nose—they were almost exactly the same.
The only difference was that the clothes the childhood Ning Ye wore were old and unraveled, the colors dull, and her skin was slightly sallow due to malnutrition.
The little girl in front of him, however, was raised very well by her parents. She was a bit plumper than little Ning Ye, her skin was fair and rosy, and her hair was a well-nourished dark black.
But they were just too similar...
So much so that within that second, he had an even more absurd thought.
Could this be Ning Ye's daughter?
But in the moment of his distraction, he immediately dismissed his own thought.
This little girl looked to be over four years old, no more than five at most. If she were Ning Ye's daughter, then she would have had to get pregnant, give birth, and raise her shortly after they broke up.
Only then could she have a child this big.
So, it was impossible.
As various thoughts flashed through his mind, Bian Xun's gaze returned to its calm state.
He was certain this was a stranger's child.
Ning Zhitao looked up at the familiar face, her eyes lighting up little by little. She opened her mouth, wanting to call out to him, but then she suddenly remembered something and quickly pursed her lips, holding her breath.
On one hand, it was to stop herself from calling him Daddy; on the other hand, she was acting out of pique to see if her daddy really didn't recognize her anymore.
So her cheeks puffed up like a little balloon being blown up, the two soft and squishy cheeks looking very cute, and her dark, shiny grape-like eyes looked at him full of expectation.
Bian Xun, however, only looked away coldly after carefully observing her. "Are the child's parents still not here?"
The little balloon instantly deflated.
Ning Zhitao hadn't wanted to cry when arguing with Gu Zixun just now, nor had she wanted to cry when Gu Zixun shoved her and she almost fell.
At this moment, however, tears began to pool in her eyes.
This daddy was completely different from the daddy she knew.
To her, the daddy from last month would still bend down and lift her high into the sky.
Although her daddy made her learn many things, those things were actually quite fun. Her daddy's work wasn't as busy as her mommy's, so it was always her daddy driving to pick her up and drop her off.
Although he didn't let her eat desserts, her daddy would always buy her many little dresses, shiny big diamonds, and colorful little bags.
Her and her mommy's wardrobes were entirely filled with things her daddy had bought. Her mommy said those things were too expensive, but her daddy would smile and pull her mommy into another room to whisper.
She and her mommy had lived very happily together this past month, and she thought seeing her daddy would be the same.
But her daddy's eyes and tone of voice were completely different from before.
He really didn't love her, nor did he love her mommy anymore!
Ning Zhitao started to sob.
In the distance, Ning Ye immediately felt sad as well.
Before Bian Xun saw his daughter, she had actually wondered if Bian Xun would show a hint of favoritism toward his own biological child. Even if he hadn't experienced the process of raising her at this moment, a blood connection was always different.
Just like when Ning Ye found the child—although it was very absurd, she still couldn't bring herself to ignore the child and brought her home.
Facts proved that Bian Xun would not.
She knew that Bian Xun's current cold demeanor would make the child very sad!
Bian Xun found it very tricky: "..."
He hadn't done anything; he was just standing there expressionlessly, and this child suddenly started crying.
Children really were the most troublesome things.
His attitude certainly couldn't be called gentle, but when he looked down and saw this little person, who looked just like Ning Ye did in her childhood, sobbing, he actually felt quite uncomfortable in his heart.
It was like seeing the Ning Ye from many years ago crying.
In Bian Xun's nearly thirty years of life, he had no experience coaxing children, nor did he think he needed this skill.
So he just coldly and stiffly coaxed, "Stop crying."
It sounded like an order.
The soft little girl trembled, and then "Wah—" cried even louder.
Bian Xun: "..."
Ning Zhitao was heartbroken, wiping all her sad tears on Bian Xun's knees, leaving two sad eye-shaped stains on the dark gray fabric.
Like two despairing grapes.
She decided from now on to call her daddy "Uncle"!
Bian Xun looked at his wrinkled knees and closed his eyes.
He really wanted to say something harsh, but for some reason, he couldn't get the words out.
Teacher Youzi walked over at Ning Ye's signal and led Ning Zhitao away.
The little girl had now bravely accepted reality, just like she had previously accepted that her daddy was dead.
Anyway, her mommy recognized her, and her mommy still loved her!
Ning Zhitao bravely raised her hand to wipe her tears, and Bian Xun's gaze suddenly paused.
Her cuff was lifted a bit, faintly revealing a bit of a watchband.
It looked very much like Bian Xun's Little Genius smartwatch.
Driven by some inexplicable impulse, Bian Xun asked aloud, "What is your name?"
Ning Zhitao's sobbing, which had just stopped, immediately started again. Daddy really didn't recognize her.
Sniffling and whimpering, she mumbled her name.
After the wronged, pouting little girl walked away, Bian Xun slowly furrowed his brows.
Lychee Candy?
Who came up with such a terrible name?
...
When this farce finally ended, Bian Xun looked around, subconsciously searching for Ning Ye.
That child from just now left him feeling somewhat unsettled.
Why would there be a child who looked so much like her?
Could it be a relative of hers?
But after scanning the area, Bian Xun couldn't find Ning Ye anywhere.
His brow twitched, and he suddenly strode toward the exit of the park.
Ning Ye had just finished comforting her child. Ning Zhitao had nestled in the crook of her neck, acting aggrieved for quite a while. It wasn't until her mother promised to watch three episodes of cartoons with her that night, let her eat a chestnut cake, and tell her a bedtime story before sleep, that she finally returned to the kindergarten looking radiant.
Children recovered so quickly, but adults could not.
Although the plot deviated from the original novel's description, the final result was still the same: her child had cried.
When Ning Ye held Taotao, she actually felt a kind of desolation she had never experienced before.
What did the two of them, mother and daughter, have?
Not a lot of love, just a lot of money.
As Bian Xun walked briskly out of the park, he caught sight of her back as she walked resolutely toward some agency booths across the street.
Because of the autumn field trips for primary and middle school students, many agents introducing children's extracurricular classes had gathered outside the park. Ning Ye walked straight toward the drawing class that Taotao liked the most.
Xu Lanyi had actually reminded her.
A child could do without a father, but couldn't do without the cultivation that money could buy.
Ning Ye chose the most expensive extracurricular class at ten thousand yuan a semester. She took out her phone, scanned the QR code, and smoothly proceeded to the payment page.
For her child, was ten thousand yuan expensive?
Whenever she thought of Taotao's aggrieved look, Ning Ye felt that nothing could compensate for it.
Buy it.
The agent suddenly looked behind her. "Miss, someone is looking for you."
Ning Ye selected her black card for payment.
The agent said, "He's running."
Ning Ye acted as if she hadn't heard, keeping her head down to enter her password.
The agent added, "He's quite handsome, too."
Ning Ye was on the very last digit of her six-digit password.
The agent started, "He..."
Just as Ning Ye was about to press the final digit, her wrist was suddenly grabbed. A familiar scent enveloped her from above, and burning fingertips branded her skin. The man's voice was calm but laced with heavy breathing.
"I'll pay."
"?"
No matter what it was, Bian Xun closed his eyes, scanned the code, and paid in an instant.
Only when the transaction was secure did he dare to look at the price.
One step later, just one step later.
A hundred million down the drain.
President Bian, your daughter is going to start calling you uncle ^^
