16
After paying, Bian Xun let out a faint breath through his thin lips.
Only then did he lower his head under the agent's back-and-forth, highly suggestive gaze to look at what exactly he had just bought.
Little Crayon Children's Painting Hobby Class.
Ten thousand yuan per term.
Bian Xun: "...?"
His dark eyes slowly shifted to look at Ning Ye beside him.
Ning Ye looked calm, but the shock in her eyes hadn't faded.
What in the world was worth Bian Xun running for? And running over just to pay?
The strands of hair falling over the man's forehead were slightly messy, his usually immaculate suit and shirt had a few more wrinkles, and a faint flush showed on his cold, pale neck. His imposing aura of authority had even dissipated a bit.
Was it really necessary?
Did he know I was swiping his card?
Ning Ye's heart tightened. She had been observing him these past few days; having bought so many things during the Double Eleven sale, logically, they should have randomly appeared around Bian Xun by now. But he hadn't made a move, so she didn't know if he had received them or not.
However, on second thought, even if he knew she was using his card, would he really run over?
What was ten thousand yuan to him?
Was it worth sacrificing the dignity of a young CEO to run all the way here?
Therefore, Ning Ye leaned towards the possibility that he still didn't know. Otherwise, given his stinginess, he would have stopped her long ago; or worse, reported her straight to the authorities.
Bian Xun did not explain.
In truth, he couldn't explain.
His breathing returned to its clear, steady rhythm, but his eyes darkened bit by bit as if soaked in water.
Her spending on children-related items had increased again.
"Who did you buy this for?" Bian Xun's voice was low and probing.
Ning Ye paused, steadied her nerves, and looked up: "I bought it for myself. I want to take the class."
Bian Xun chuckled lightly, disbelief evident in his eyes, carrying a trace of cold mockery.
Were all those children's products she bought before also for herself?
Ning Ye kept her back straight, her voice clear: "Because I never got to experience these things in my childhood, so I want to raise myself all over again."
There was nothing wrong with that statement; raising Taotao was just like raising her childhood self.
These words weren't spoken with much emotion, but they genuinely erased the mockery from Bian Xun's eyes.
Bian Xun recalled the image of a young Ning Ye from an old photograph. Poor, malnourished, with nothing but four bare walls and the little motherly love she had. And even that bit of love had quickly vanished.
Their families of origin were two black holes lying between them—his family was one, and hers was too.
The years of discomfort in Bian Xun's heart once again welled up with a subtle ache.
Of course, he wasn't someone who could be easily fooled.
Were all those things she had bought with his card recently really for herself?
Bian Xun frowned, tapping his fingertips against the table, unconsciously exuding the aura of a superior presiding over a meeting.
"You want to learn drawing, so you sign up starting from the children's level?"
Ning Ye replied neither haughtily nor humbly, "I have money to burn, is that a problem?"
A certain someone whose money was actually being burned: "?"
Bian Xun's gaze fell on the delicate and beautiful face before him. Their eyes met in a long silence. Only the agent beside them was repeatedly blinded by the handsome man and beautiful woman, unable to figure out their relationship and merely enjoying the gossip.
Suddenly, the handsome man spoke faintly, "I saw a child who looked a lot like you today."
Upon seeing that child, Bian Xun undeniably had a fleeting moment of fantasizing about a family.
If it was a child like her...
Ning Ye's gaze remained unchanged; she knew Bian Xun would definitely pay attention. The plot had constantly been pushing Ning Ye to bring Ning Zhitao to his door to solidify her role as the greedy supporting female character who would sell her daughter for glory and wealth, serving as a foil to the female lead.
But Ning Ye had no need to do so, nor did she want her child to become cannon fodder in the protagonists' story.
Xu Lanyi was determined to get Bian Xun and was eyeing him like a tiger watching its prey. As for her and Bian Xun, their ties should have been severed long ago.
Ning Ye nodded at Bian Xun's pitch-black eyes and handed him the agent's price list for the hobby classes. "Such fate? Then you might as well buy a term of classes for that little girl too."
Bian Xun: "?"
Her reaction showed no abnormalities, but doubts still lingered in his mind.
It wasn't until he inexplicably swiped another ten thousand yuan to buy a class that Bian Xun snapped back to reality, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Add it to her course hours."
Turning around, the children on the autumn outing in the park were gradually leaving with their parents. Many of them had that crystal grape charm swinging on them.
The agent excitedly opened the card: "You really are a good husband! A good father!"
Bian Xun remained expressionless, but surprisingly, he didn't refute it.
...
Meanwhile.
As soon as Gu Zixun got home, he threw off everything he was wearing and threw himself onto the living room floor, rolling around and crying.
Xu Lanyi had already learned of the entire situation at the scene through her assistant's live updates. Although Zixun's over-the-top performance had caused Bian Xun's dissatisfaction, her assistant told her that Ning Ye's daughter was directly scared to tears by him on the spot.
She must have deliberately let her daughter argue with Zixun to attract Bian Xun's attention, wanting to see how he would react upon seeing his biological daughter.
But the assistant noted that President Bian's expression at the time lacked any tenderness, indicating that the child hadn't left a good impression on him.
Xu Lanyi hugged her son, her expression still composed and confident.
Old Master Bian was getting on in years and had been drawing up his will in recent years. Although Wujiang Group was already completely under Bian Xun's control, the division of the Bian family's assets remained a turbulent undercurrent.
Without an heir, Bian Xun's seat of power would be unstable.
And Xu Lanyi, whether as a popular star or the eldest daughter of the Xu family, could offer him the strongest support.
"We can appropriately release some news now," Xu Lanyi lifted her chin toward her assistant.
"Yes, boss."
She patted Gu Zixun on the shoulder.
Today's autumn outing was just a prelude; the upcoming kindergarten parent-child activity next month was the main event.
Ning Ye probably didn't know yet that many of the parents at Xialu Kindergarten were either rich or aristocratic. This parent-child activity wasn't just to showcase the interaction between children and parents; it also had a very important purpose: charitable donations.
Eighty percent of the funds raised from the event would be donated to children in impoverished areas, while the remaining twenty percent would be used to improve the diet and play equipment for the children in the kindergarten.
One shouldn't underestimate the competitive psychology of kindergarteners, nor the secret comparisons among parents. It could be said that the donation amount represented the child's face.
So, what would Ning Ye do?
Her only source of wealth to beg for was Bian Xun, but would Bian Xun spend this money on her?
It was truly something to look forward to.
...
Ning Ye happily secured two terms of Little Crayon classes and quickly signed her child up.
She wasn't anxious about next month's events, but she did have a pressing issue at hand.
This weekend, her department was going to the outskirts of Beijing for a conference. Though called the outskirts, it was actually so far it was almost out of the province, requiring a high-speed train ride of over forty minutes.
Rushing home right after the conference was definitely unrealistic. For one, there was wrap-up work after the agenda ended, and the train station was quite a distance from the hotel hosting the conference. By the time she hurried home from the hotel, it would be midnight.
After thinking it over, Ning Ye's eyes lit up. She pinched her child's face, "Little Grape, I'll take you with me."
In the past, senior colleagues at the company would do this: since travel expenses could be reimbursed, a king-size bed room was enough for two or three people to sleep in. They only needed to buy train tickets for their family members at their own expense.
This way, the family could go out and have fun together while saving money on a hotel.
Ning Ye thought it was a viable plan. Having her child by her side would give her much more peace of mind. She scrolled through the messages in the work group chat. Not all colleagues from the wider department were attending this conference. The highest-ranking leaders participating were the department director and another vice president; a certain top boss was not going.
Since Bian Xun wasn't going, it meant this had nothing to do with the main plotline. She and Taotao could just enjoy themselves.
The most important thing was that it was a hot spring hotel.
When the time came, she could take Taotao to soak in the hot springs.
That was the good thing about raising a daughter. They could play together, go to the restroom together when out and about, and change clothes together without any inconvenience.
Ning Zhitao had long since cast her sadness about seeing her father to the back of her mind. She bounced on the new sofa, "Really, Mom! Am I going on a business trip too?"
With a smile in her eyes, Ning Ye nodded with a serious face.
"Yes, Ms. Tao."
Ning Zhitao cheered with joy.
Having made her decision, Ning Ye submitted a travel request in the company's backend system and bought a high-speed rail ticket to the suburbs of Beijing. By submitting it directly through the system, she didn't need to pay out of pocket.
After the ticket was issued, Ning Ye switched to her usual ticketing app, filled in her child's ID information, and bought Taotao a ticket for the same train, which cost 28 yuan.
She planned to see if there were any solo travelers sitting nearby so they could swap seats, allowing the two of them to sit together.
Seeing that both tickets had seat assignments, Ning Ye felt a little happy.
This was her first time taking the little one on a long trip!
Ning Zhitao's face was flushed with excitement; it had been a long time since she went out with her mom.
"This time we don't need Dad—we don't need that uncle!" Ning Zhitao put her chubby little arms on her hips, looking very proud.
Ning Ye nodded, though she didn't want the child to feel like her father didn't want her.
"Even though your dad doesn't know Taotao right now, he still bought Taotao two semesters of drawing classes."
Ning Zhitao thought about it for a moment and obediently raised her hand: "Then I'll just keep calling him Dad."
Ning Ye couldn't help but laugh.
The little girl sat on the sofa and daydreamed for a bit, her voice soft and sweet: "The last time we went out to play, Mom and Dad took me to watch the grand military parade."
Ning Ye raised an eyebrow. A military parade?
That wasn't an annual event; it only happened in special years.
This made Ning Ye suddenly realize something.
She knew the child had time-traveled from the future, but she seemed to have never asked exactly which year she came from.
She had always assumed that since the child was so big, she must be from the distant future.
Ning Ye couldn't help but get curious and followed up on the child's words: "So Taotao, what was the parade we watched commemorating?"
Ning Zhitao was indeed a smart little kid. She could memorize the door passcode to every one of Bian Xun's houses, so she answered her mother's question effortlessly.
"It was to commemorate the 85th anniversary of the great victory of the resistance!"
A child couldn't articulate the specific name of the historical anniversary, but the number "85th anniversary" was spoken very clearly.
Ning Ye paused.
Then she suddenly jerked her head up.
Wait, this year is the 80th anniversary, which means the child came from five years in the future?
But she is already four years old now.
A bolt of lightning suddenly flashed through her mind. Ning Ye's pale cheeks flushed red, and her whole body grew hot.
Does that mean the child was... this year...??
Or even in the near future...?
...
High up in a downtown skyscraper, a charge had just been made on Bian Xun's bank card.
The CEO, dressed in black silk pajamas, leaned back loosely on the sofa by the window.
He glanced at the 28,000 yuan bill on his phone. After dodging a 100 million yuan charge, he was now numb to this kind of money.
At his fingertips were the latest financial statements. Currently, several major projects of the Wujiang Group were running well, and an engineering project from the year before last was due for payment collection, all involving hundreds of millions.
The noble and aloof CEO remained expressionless.
Good thing he could earn it.
Bian Xun's sharp, cold black eyes half-closed. This 28,000 yuan charge should be for a train ticket, with a random multiplier of 1,000.
Her division was going to attend an artificial intelligence sharing forum this weekend, and the high-speed train from the city to the suburbs was exactly 28 yuan.
Bian Xun scoffed softly and put down his phone.
Two seconds later, he suddenly picked his phone up again.
When submitting a travel request through the company's backend, there was no need to pay; it was directly reimbursed through the company's accounts.
Then who did she buy this ticket for...?
Bian Xun suddenly sat up straight. The gaze beneath his bangs grew sharp, and his fingertips slowly tightened.
He suddenly remembered that the new sofa she bought was also a two-seater.
The size of the TV screen wasn't meant for a single person either.
The capacity of the underwear washing machine was a 3-liter family model.
The CEO's heart suddenly felt suspended in mid-air.
That night.
The streamlined arc of a Maybach appeared in the night once again.
It stopped steadily at the entrance of Xialu residential compound.
The car window rolled down, and Bian Xun expressionlessly took the initiative to scan the property guard's QR code. The guard cheerfully and familiarly said, "Just ten bucks today is fine, handsome."
Bian Xun remained silent.
If someone's bills could be reduced by a factor of 10, he would no longer have any financial pressure.
His wrist rested on the steering wheel, his fingertips tapping the leather surface.
At the same time, in the same place, Bian Xun suddenly recalled the little girl he had seen in the compound while waiting at the gate a few days ago.
Wasn't she the child who looked exactly like Ning Ye, the one who bumped into his leg in the industrial park?
It seemed that the little girl lived in this compound, which meant her parents also... Bian Xun's eyes narrowed slightly.
Then he lowered his eyes and scoffed at himself, feeling that he was indeed being overly suspicious.
The primary and kindergarten schools that came to Wujiang Group for autumn field trips were open to the nearby area anyway, so it wasn't surprising that she lived here.
Assistant Zhang's family also lived in this compound.
This time, Bian Xun didn't wait outside the gate. Instead, he called Assistant Zhang out, who brought the CEO through the compound's access control.
At this hour, Assistant Zhang still had his daughter's cartoon hairclip on his head, his hair tied in a little braid. It was a stark contrast to his usual elite appearance in the company, making him feel very embarrassed.
Bian Xun chuckled inwardly.
In the future, even if he had children, he could never be this devoid of a bottom line.
Letting Assistant Zhang return to his family life, Bian Xun's slender figure in a thin black overcoat paced around the compound. His gaze swept over the warm yellow windows, the lights of thousands of homes.
As he walked, he pulled up Wujiang's backend system.
Ning Ye hadn't updated her address in her employee file, but she had used a voucher to order that smart sofa, filling in her latest delivery address.
The CEO lowered his eyes, then raised them, finding her building entrance under the dim night lights.
Just as he took a step forward, he saw a familiar figure jump out of the doorway.
Ning Ye's face was flushed red.
She was holding a garbage bag that wasn't even full yet.
At this moment, Ning Ye looked dazed, with a bit of sweat breaking out on her forehead and neck.
Taking out the trash wasn't the main point; she mainly came out to get some fresh air.
Since the child had already time-traveled here, first of all, she definitely wouldn't have to give birth. This could be seen from the plot's description.
What the original novel required was an already four-year-old child, so she could form a pair of boy-girl twins with the female lead's son.
Without having to give birth, it was essentially like Ning Ye becoming a mother completely pain-free.
But the problem was, even if their grown-up child from the future had time-traveled here, the current mom and dad still had to make the baby first, right?
If she and Bian Xun didn't do "that" at the exact time Ning Zhitao was supposed to be conceived... wouldn't that mean Ning Zhitao would cease to exist?
Would she disappear?
Ning Ye paced in an anxious circle under the streetlight.
Even though she knew perfectly well that in the future they must have done this and that to have a baby.
But this matter was suddenly dragged right in front of her eyes, incredibly close.
It was as if countless Friday nights suddenly overlapped in a damp, crowded rush before her eyes, instantly pulling Ning Ye back into past sensory memories.
Yet they were clearly still broken up, and both found each other highly displeasing to the eye.
Their past conflicts remained unresolved, and the reasons for their breakup still existed.
How did it just...?
The girl's slender figure was bathed in the autumn night light. The pale glow pierced through her thin clothing, tracing her delicate, undulating curves, while her expression shifted between solemnity and a startled blush.
This sight fell into the eyes of a man standing in the distance.
After coming out to cool off for quite a while, Ning Ye finally calmed down.
Since things had come to this, there had to be a way.
She had just decided to go back and figure out a countermeasure when she looked up and suddenly saw the male lead of her recent thoughts standing not far away.
The man wore light clothing and had dark hair. Beneath his sharp, cold bone structure were deep, flawless facial features. His slightly narrow, elongated eyes locked onto her with a calm gaze, exuding an icy yet profound sense of affection.
Why was he here??
Ning Ye's mind buzzed, and a secret sense of shame dyed her porcelain-white, peach-like cheeks a faint pink.
She was worried he had come to collect a debt, yet also terrified he would discover the child's existence. Either way, for her current situation, neither was a good thing!
Ning Ye made a prompt decision: slipping away was the best policy.
She was quite familiar with the terrain of Xialu Neighborhood, so she planned to take a detour and use a small path to return to her apartment building's entrance.
But the man behind her followed her like a handsome ghost, sticking to her like a shadow.
She ran, he followed.
She hid, he searched.
Seeing her reaction, Bian Xun felt the cold dampness in his heart grow stronger. Was she really hiding a man in her house?
Otherwise, why was she panicking so much?
Ning Ye was practically terrified of him, entirely unsure why Bian Xun was being so persistent tonight.
In the end, she didn't even dare to take the elevator, turning to the side of the building and taking the stairs back home.
Opening the door and shutting it in one smooth motion, she leaned against the door, panting heavily. She raised a finger and made a "shh" gesture at Taotao, who was curiously poking her head out.
Taotao immediately and obediently covered her little mouth.
He couldn't possibly know the address of her newly rented apartment too, could he?
Facts proved that the dog of a boss really did know.
The young CEO soon stood at the elevator doors of this floor. Looking handsome and noble as he stood in the ordinary residential building with four apartments per floor, he raised his eyes and found her door.
Ning Ye: "!"
She didn't know if it was because she had just learned about that matter, but she had the illusion that he was going to bust the door open and get right down to business.
Help, the child is still at home!
Bian Xun's gaze was deep and dark.
He had a faint intuition, feeling that he had to go to her house to take a look—
This home had something to do with him.
His leather shoes stepped onto the tiled floor, and the hallway's sensor lights flickered on. He carried a certain almost instinctive urge.
He approached.
Suddenly, his phone lit up with a bill—
8.5 million had been deducted.
Bian Xun's footsteps stopped. "?"
Ning Ye leaned against the door. Stimulated by him, she remembered that next month's rent hadn't been paid yet, so she hurriedly paid 8,500. She had already split her own portion earlier, and she used Bian Xun's card to pay the rest. Only after paying did she breathe a sigh of relief.
Based on the average rental and sales prices nearby, Bian Xun immediately guessed what this money was for.
It was 1,000 times the rent.
The CEO hadn't had a large sum of money deducted for several days.
Now he was well-behaved.
He felt comfortable.
Bian Xun finally stopped his life-threatening pace, and he realized his relationship with this home:
A monthly rent of 8.5 million, paid by him.
"?"
