"Mr. Bian, Miss Ning went to the Hang City Exhibition Center together with her team leader and a colleague, making a group of three."
"According to her team leader, she didn't purchase anything locally, nor did she sell anything..."
Standing in Bian Xun's study, Assistant Zhang observed Boss Bian's dark and profound gaze, asking cautiously, "May I ask if something is the matter?"
The CEO had been under a considerable amount of pressure lately.
Internally, they were pushing forward a massive technological innovation project. Countless upfront costs had been poured into it, leaving outsiders astounded. Externally, the Bian family was jointly besieging the power he held, attempting to carve away more profitable industries and projects from him. Every single matter revolved around money—endless amounts of money.
When Assistant Zhang received Boss Bian's call, he immediately went to verify the information and rushed over to Boss Bian's house.
The young CEO stood by the desk, his expression unfathomable. His gaze was fixed on the screen in front of him. The faint glow flickering in his dark eyes actually resembled the look he had many years ago when he made his first pot of gold in the United States, yet it also seemed steeped in a trace of anxiety over things he could not yet control.
Assistant Zhang was completely baffled.
Could it be that the financial pressure was too great?
Bian Xun's thin lips parted slightly. "It's nothing. Keep observing."
If no one saw her buying or selling offline, that meant it was virtual consumption.
What did she buy? Or what did she sell?
Bian Xun shifted his sitting posture, his brain working rapidly.
If her consumption could bring a ten-thousand-fold expansion, would her investment returns also yield a ten-thousand-fold profit rate?
There was still a certain amount of risk involved. For instance, if she also spent ten thousand times the cost when investing with his card, the profit margin would be drastically reduced.
But even so, a profit difference of ten thousand times was already the most terrifying ratio in the financial industry.
If he could utilize this, he would be the richest man of the century.
Bian Xun slowly stood up from the study. The little kid was currently resting and eating fruit. Bian Xun leaned against the wall, watching Ning Zhitao battle a plate of pineapples as he continued to ponder.
However, utilizing it would not be easy.
Going back to ten minutes ago, he had called Ning Ye, wanting to ask about this matter, but he still felt a certain kind of hindrance.
When she swiped his card, he could neither stop her nor use it to his advantage.
He could only wait and see if God would grant him luck.
Wait, wasn't this basically a God of Wealth?
It had to be said, this added a reasonable explanation to Bian Xun's desire to see her immediately.
He had to treat her like a deity.
Bian Xun pinched the bridge of his nose. Ning Ye was coming back from her business trip today. Once she was in front of him, he would be able to figure it out.
Assistant Zhang walked out from behind him and saw the little kid eating fruit in the living room. Her mother was away on a business trip today, so Boss Bian had to take care of the child all by himself all day.
Could... could he actually do it?
The little kid was currently poking a pineapple with a soft fork.
A child's hand strength was small. As she poked, a piece flew off and landed with a plop onto the CEO's expensive, un-washable wool carpet.
Knowing full well how much of a neat freak Boss Bian was, Assistant Zhang's heart skipped a beat. He hurriedly walked over, bent down to pick it up, and cleaned the floor. At the same time, he skillfully switched his tone to the children's channel mode.
"Oh my, the pineapple flew away! Did Little Taotao hurt her hand?"
Bian Xun: "?"
Bian Xun turned his head expressionlessly, looking at the elite special assistant he hired for a million a year making such cutesy, baby-talk sounds.
It was as if he were broken.
Assistant Zhang's smile became slightly strained, sweat breaking out on his forehead as he felt the CEO's cold, somewhat suspicious gaze.
But boss, you don't understand. When talking to little kids, you just have to lower your intelligence!
With you being so cold, are you even the child's biological father??
Little kids could distinguish adults who shared common topics with them. Ning Zhitao indeed showed great adaptability. Her eyes were bright and spirited as she shook her head earnestly. "I'm fine, Uncle Zhang. The pineapple is in more pain."
Assistant Zhang blinked and clutched his chest.
Oh my, so cute!
At this moment, Assistant Zhang was no longer feeling like he was facing his boss's daughter, but rather looking at someone else's adorable baby. His old fatherly heart was melting.
The CEO, who was excluded from this adorable atmosphere: "?"
Even if he was learning to be a father, he couldn't bring himself to do that.
Bian Xun's handsome face was full of aloofness.
However, he didn't miss a single thing Ning Ye had instructed him to do. Bian Xun executed them strictly, following the correct procedures.
After letting the child finish watching her cartoons and checking the three English words she learned today, he checked the time; it was time to head to her extracurricular class. Bian Xun turned off the TV and turned around with a faint expression to grab his car keys.
Assistant Zhang observed from the sidelines. The CEO currently had no emotions, only a desire to complete his tasks.
Right now, it seemed like Boss Bian was doing okay taking care of the kid. However, he knew very well that his immediate superior had limited patience. Raising a child wasn't a one-day whim. Although little kids looked innocent, romantic, and cute, taking care of their daily lives was extremely exhausting. Over the years, Assistant Zhang had gained deep insights into this by watching his wife.
Taking care of her for a day was fine, but what if the child angered the boss in the future? He wouldn't actually hit the child, would he?
Assistant Zhang was suddenly startled.
Before leaving, he quietly helped the little kid add the 110 emergency police number to her Little Genius smartwatch.
Only then did Assistant Zhang leave, fraught with worry.
Bian Xun: "?"
Did he really look that scary?
Ning Zhitao didn't actually think her father was scary. Because she was in an environment she was familiar with, and the person beside her was someone she knew and felt safe with, her state was very relaxed and content.
"I'm ready, Daddy," she said, carrying her drawing board and little backpack. She had put on her coat by herself and looked up at Bian Xun.
Bian Xun looked down and observed the child. There was no need to carry her right now. It seemed that children's energy levels followed a curve, and this was her energetic period.
Bian Xun reached out his hand, and the little kid grabbed his large hand. The two of them walked toward the underground garage together.
He had to admit, this child was really well-behaved and had a good upbringing.
It was obvious that she had grown up in a happy family before.
Her biological father, the man Ning Ye had fallen for—would he also talk to the kid in such a chirpy, babyish way?
Bian Xun's mood was like the lemon syrup on the pineapple. He placed the child in the child seat in the back row, walked over to the driver's seat, and sat down. With one hand resting on the steering wheel, he asked, seemingly casually:
"What was your previous daddy like?"
Ning Zhitao raised her head and gave it some well-rounded thought.
"He was great! Daddy used to be very gentle," Ning Zhitao's little hands patted the back of Bian Xun's driver's seat with a patter. "But you're not bad now either!"
They were both her daddy, anyway.
Bian Xun didn't make a sound, but his jawline tightened slightly.
After separating from him, she started liking that type?
The image of Jiang Xinghe's gentle and reserved appearance floated before Bian Xun's eyes. In a sour mood where he didn't know who he wanted to kill, he dropped the child off at the entrance of her extracurricular class.
Pulling the car door open, Bian Xun looked down at the little kid. After holding it in for a long time, he expressionlessly softened his voice.
"Come on down."
Since the child was calling him daddy now, he ought to make a change.
If this tone of voice were used in a senior management meeting at Wujiang, the other executives would be weeping with gratitude. After all, CEO Bian was always swift and decisive, never sparing anyone's feelings. Not pointing at someone's nose and cursing them out was already considered merciful; when had he ever treated anyone with such gentleness?
However, little Ning Zhitao shivered.
So scary.
This was different from Daddy's expression when he was actually being gentle.
Instead, he only used this tone when he was truly angry!
Ning Zhitao obediently unbuckled her own seatbelt, hopped out of the car, and racked her brain to figure out what she had done wrong.
She hadn't done anything wrong, had she?
Looking back stealthily, Ning Zhitao trotted into the extracurricular class building with quick, small steps. Boohoo, when is Mommy coming back?
Bian Xun: "?"
When he acted casually, the kid was perfectly happy on her own. Yet when he tried to act gentle, it scared the kid away.
Showing neither joy nor sorrow, Bian Xun crossed his arms and fell into deep thought.
Was he still not gentle enough?
Ning Zhitao attended her class, continuing to complete their secret mission with the teacher, and temporarily forgot about her dad being angry earlier.
When the teacher led them out the door, she suddenly asked, "Taotao, your mom didn't come today. Is that your dad?"
Ning Zhitao looked up.
Bian Xun had arrived punctually to pick up his child, not a minute or a second late.
The tall, slender, handsome, and aloof man twitched the corners of his lips in their direction, revealing what he believed to be a gentle smile.
Ning Zhitao's dark, round eyes widened, and her little hands, stained with crayons, shrank back. Oh no!
Daddy was even starting to give fake smiles!
Did she really do something terrible? No way!
She wasn't the one who killed the pineapple either.
Boohoohoo, Mommy.
Ning Zhitao tried to search for her mother's figure, but unfortunately, her mom was still flying in the sky.
Bian Xun took the child from the extracurricular teacher, asked briefly about how the class went, and then looked down at Ning Zhitao. His tone was even slower and softer. "What do you want to eat for dinner?"
Ning Zhitao clutched her dad's hand and proactively offered, "Carrots and green vegetables."
She really was such a good little kid!
Of course, Bian Xun didn't take her out to eat grass. Instead, he had someone cook at home and prepare a children's meal.
During dinner, Bian Xun proactively put food in Ning Zhitao's bowl and, in what he thought was an amiable manner, asked her what story she wanted to hear tonight.
Reading a bedtime story was his final task for the day.
Once he finished this, he would have successfully completed his mission for the day.
Bian Xun felt that he had roughly mastered the technique of communicating with children. He sat by the bed, his tone so slow it sounded like chanting scriptures. However, the little girl showed no signs of sleepiness, her two dark, grape-like eyes shining brightly.
Holding the picture book from the child's backpack, Bian Xun read from the three little bears to the tiger family, from the monkeys of the Amazon to the elephants of Kilimanjaro. He read the entire book. The kid wasn't sleepy at all, but he was about to pass out.
Bian Xun lifted his dark eyes from the book. Ning Zhitao tried her best to look like she was listening attentively, blinking her eyes.
I'm listening! I heard everything!
Bian Xun pinched the bridge of his nose, his mouth dry.
He finally got up, planning to pour some water for himself and the child. Only after coaxing her to sleep could he go pick up Ning Ye.
However, as soon as he left, Ning Zhitao grabbed her little smartwatch and sent a tearful voice message to her mom.
Ning Ye saw the child's voice message as soon as she landed. Their work had gone smoothly today, the flight wasn't delayed, and they even landed quite a bit early.
It seemed nothing had gone wrong on Bian Xun's end all day, so she had been quite relieved. But as soon as she played the child's voice message:
"Mommy, Daddy seems angry! Come save me quickly!"
Ning Ye stumbled, grabbed her bag, and hurriedly caught a cab.
Angry? Why would he be angry with a child!
...
Forty minutes later, Bian Xun opened the front door, and Ning Ye rushed in, panting heavily.
Bian Xun: "?"
He had just managed to coax the child to sleep; why was she back already?
He should have gone to welcome the goddess of wealth. The corner of Bian Xun's lips curled up.
Ning Ye bypassed him and stood in the entryway, calling out, "Taotao?"
Bian Xun followed closely behind her. He lowered his eyes to look at her travel-worn clothes, noting the U-shaped neck pillow still around her neck, and said in a low voice, "She just fell asleep."
The very next second, the little girl came pattering out of the bedroom and threw herself at Ning Ye. "Mommy—"
Bian Xun: "?"
He had actually failed at the task of putting her to sleep, too.
The CEO, who had taken care of a child for a full day for the first time, fell into a state of self-doubt.
Ning Ye caught Ning Zhitao and checked on the child's condition. Aside from her eyes being a little red from fighting off sleep, everything else seemed fine.
As soon as she saw her mom, Ning Zhitao became lively again.
Ning Ye breathed a sigh of relief, turned to look at the solemn-faced man, and asked, "Are you angry?"
Bian Xun: "? When was I angry?"
Ning Ye: "? The kid said you've been angry all day."
Ning Zhitao poked her head out from behind Ning Ye and nodded, using her mother's presence to embolden herself.
Bian Xun: "?"
Bian Xun gently pulled up the corners of his lips. He walked over, took hold of Ning Ye's wrist, his thumb gently pressing against the soft, warm skin of her inner wrist, and said in a mild tone, "Put your bag down and eat some food first."
Ning Ye suddenly shivered as well.
This tone of his really sounded like he was plotting to murder someone.
The mother and daughter displayed almost identical expressions of panic.
"..."
Ning Ye said earnestly, "Just act normal when taking care of the kid."
Bian Xun remained expressionless: "Oh."
...
Sitting at the dining table, Bian Xun faced the mother and daughter.
His entire house was decorated in cold gray tones; the chandelier over the dining table was the only warm-colored light. Now, its glow melted and scattered downwards, enveloping the adult and the child.
Bian Xun watched quietly for a long time, feeling for the first time that the dining room had truly become a dining room.
Ning Ye took a few quick bites of food and found that it was actually still hot. She asked about Taotao's day and realized in her heart that Bian Xun had basically dedicated his entire day to this, not missing a single thing the child needed to do.
Ning Ye lowered her head and earnestly finished all the food Bian Xun had saved for her, leaving nothing behind. With her stomach full, her anxious heart slowly settled back down.
"In the future, it'll probably just be when I'm on business trips that the child will need to come over," Ning Ye said, her fingertips holding the bowl as she discussed things seriously with him. "Occasionally, when it's inconvenient for me to take time off, I might need your help attending parent-teacher meetings. Also, if the kindergarten has activities specifically for fathers, I might have to trouble you..."
Ning Ye listed them out earnestly.
She didn't feel there was anything wrong with her putting in more effort. For one, the child was closer to her and relied on her more right now; secondly, with the child's father contributing more financially, she felt more at ease.
While she was here seriously dividing the obligations between mother and father, Bian Xun's gaze unconsciously fell on her slightly parted lips. His mind began to ponder: in the future, he might need to switch to a bigger house.
The layout of this single-story apartment was perfectly square, but it had originally been renovated for the purpose of living alone. Despite being hundreds of square meters in size, it only had one master bedroom, one study, and one walk-in closet.
Clearly, it was not suitable for a family to live in.
After finishing her meal, Ning Ye habitually began to clear away her used bowl and chopsticks, but Bian Xun firmly pressed his hand over hers.
This time, he didn't try to use a gentle tone anymore. His dark eyes were calm as he simply said lightly, "Leave them there. Don't move."
Ning Ye said "oh" a couple of times, suddenly feeling a bit awkward.
Living under the same roof, eating at the same table, deciding who washes the dishes after the meal... this feeling was way too much like family life.
But in reality, they were still just exes who had broken up years ago.
Ning Ye uncomfortably picked up her bag. With her slender, pale fingers, she held Ning Zhitao's hand. "Then I'll take the little one back first."
Bian Xun didn't force them to stay. He stood up and grabbed his car keys. "I'll drop you off."
On the drive back to the Xialu residential area, the mother and daughter chattered away in the back seat.
Bian Xun glanced at them through the rearview mirror and suddenly started thinking again.
For a family with a child, it would be safer to switch to an SUV; a sports car was no longer suitable. If they were to take the child out in the future, the trunk would need enough storage space.
The CEO's mind wandered like this all the way to the entrance of their residential area.
Undeniably, he was starting to become a bit infatuated with this feeling of driving the two of them around.
The small interior space of the car felt like the physical manifestation of a group chat name.
He wouldn't care about anyone or anything else anymore.
He was going to force his way into this family.
The car pulled over to the side of the road. The property management uncle already recognized his car and cheerfully held up a QR code. "Handsome, just scan and pay a hundred. I'll watch the car for you no matter how long you park."
Bian Xun familiarly raised his phone, but a head popped out from behind him. Ning Ye looked at the uncle in surprise. "Uncle Liu? You're charging him a hundred no matter how long he parks?"
It was okay to spend the money of a black-hearted capitalist, but it shouldn't be wasted indiscriminately.
Uncle Liu from property management didn't expect a resident of the complex to be in the car. Feeling suddenly guilty, he put away the QR code. "Never mind then, never mind!"
Ning Ye outsmarted the black-hearted property management, successfully protecting the CEO's 100 yuan.
"..." Bian Xun really wanted to praise her.
But he really couldn't bring himself to say it.
Her head poked out from between the front seats. Because she was in a hurry, her snow-white earlobe was only a palm's width away from him. The sweet, fresh scent of her detergent drifted from her neck and collar, blowing into his breath like an evening breeze. Bian Xun's hands resting on the steering wheel tightened slightly.
Immediately after, Ning Ye returned to the back seat and picked up Ning Zhitao's small backpack.
Bian Xun turned his head and took two breaths toward the car window before remembering the most important thing he should ask today.
He nonchalantly turned half his body and asked Ning Ye, "Did anything happy happen today?"
If he could receive ten million on his end.
Then Ning Ye should have earned at least a thousand.
Ning Ye looked up, slightly puzzled. A happy thing?
Aside from making a little money selling stocks, she had also negotiated with Movie Queen Xu today. It didn't seem like there was anything to be happy about.
Bian Xun leaned in closer. His eyes reflected the streamlined dim lights inside the car, shining like hidden stars as he guided her gently. "For example, something related to financial luck."
Ning Ye looked baffled and thought back for a moment. "...Oh!"
Bian Xun's deep black eyes immediately flashed. He stared intently at her opening and closing pale pink lips, his gaze focused, as if trying to pry open the wealth code of the entire earth—
"On the return flight today, the flight attendant gave me a free upgrade to premium economy. My luck was indeed pretty good!"
With a smile on her face, Ning Ye took Ning Zhitao's hand. "Then we'll be going now."
"Goodbye, Daddy!"
Bian Xun: "."
Bian Xun: "Goodbye."
He leaned back against the car seat and raised a hand to rub the center of his brows. A message from his assistant arrived on his phone.
"The analyst reminds you that the company's stock price will begin to fall starting tomorrow."
Bian Xun looked into the distance in silence, watching Ning Ye lead the child into the building's entrance.
Sooner or later, he would pry her mouth open.
Mm.
...
The next day was mid-week, and the kindergarten's parent-child activity day was held as scheduled.
Ning Ye hadn't informed Bian Xun about this.
Recently, there had been some faint turmoil within the group. The stock price had indeed fallen, and the broader market was unstable. The top executives were gathered on the 30th floor, holding intensive meetings. At a time like this, as the person in charge of the Wujiang Group, Bian Xun needed to boost investor confidence, maintain the corporate image, provide strong financial indicators, and stabilize market sentiment.
Ning Ye remembered Xu Lanyi's words: the Bian family was internally besieging Bian Xun to snatch resources. At a time like this, the Xu family was indeed a powerful source of help.
During the parent-child activity, Bian Xun wouldn't actually show up and perform with Gu Zixun, would he?
She didn't mind much, as she already knew the plot in advance, but she was worried that Ning Zhitao would be unhappy.
So she preferred that Bian Xun didn't participate today.
On the other side.
Wujiang Group's executive conference room.
Bian Xun sat in the main seat, twirling a fountain pen between his fingers. He propped his temple with one hand, thinking about something unknown.
Bian Ziwen's family, whom he had expelled, secretly contacted relatives still working at Wujiang. Teaming up with the recently cornered Xinyang Group, they poached a major government-aligned collaboration. It was estimated that this would initially cause Bian Xun tens of millions in losses.
Inside the conference hall, Bian Ziwen sat down smugly. Last time, he had been falsely accused by that cheapskate Bian Xun of touching his personal accounts. This time, he could finally hold his head high.
"Bian Xun, you never thought you'd see this day, did you?"
Bian Xun had been looking at the stock market fluctuations. Upon hearing this, he calmly raised his eyes and suddenly spoke, "I recently obtained a channel with a ten-thousand-fold interest rate."
Bian Ziwen froze.
Bian Xun casually opened his statements and showed him a single deposit of ten million. This kind of deposit with no header and no clear name looked extremely shady! Bian Ziwen believed it immediately.
Bian Ziwen swallowed hard, his eyes revealing the typical excitement of a gambler. "Bro, how did you do it? Can you bring your little brother along? I was just playing around with those guys from Xinyang. I can help you talk to Grandpa..."
Bian Xun put away his phone, his face expressionless. "You actually believed that?"
It was like a bucket of cold water poured over Bian Ziwen's head. "???"
Bian Xun raised his hand and waved it. "Why is a non-employee of Wujiang present here?"
The bodyguards immediately moved out, dragging away the stubborn Bian Ziwen who was shouting, "He really has it!!! He really can make that kind of money!!"
The executive meeting continued. Everyone was worried about the recent issue with the company's stock price.
Many of them held dry shares in the company, and for a moment, discussions broke out everywhere. "The single-day drop is approaching 10%..."
Bian Xun's gaze once again fell on the fluctuating candlestick charts, studying the recent price volatility of individual stocks.
Suddenly, he seemed to understand something. "?"
Bian Xun turned his head and asked Assistant Zhang, "Where is she now?"
He needed to welcome the God of Wealth.
He seemed to be on the verge of becoming the richest man in the world.
...
The parent-child day activities took place after school. By this time, Ning Ye and Ning Zhitao had already finished their painting dance performance.
Today, the kindergarten was newly decorated. The walls were covered with poems and paintings created by the children. Most of the performances by the parents and kids were light and simple, and the atmosphere at the scene was very joyful.
Ning Ye and Ning Zhitao's performance was also very simple.
They each held a paintbrush. While reciting a nursery rhyme taught by the kindergarten, they drew in single continuous strokes, connecting their lines to create a stick figure of Teacher Youzi, and held it up to show everyone.
The brushstrokes were childish, but it featured the iconic clothes and grapefruit hair clip. It was vivid and lifelike; one could tell who it was at a glance.
Teacher Youzi covered her mouth in pleasant surprise and accepted it with emotion. "Thank you, Taotao! Thank you, Taotao's mom!"
However, Gu Zixun and a few little boys next to him started laughing.
"What kind of performance is that? Watch Zixun's!"
Gu Zixun kept looking expectantly toward the kindergarten gate.
His mother had told him that his future dad would show up today!
After craning his neck for a long time without seeing anyone arrive, Gu Zixun got into his mini toy off-road vehicle, turned the steering wheel, and drove off.
The other children had never seen such a performance before. They immediately stood up in awe and envy, their eyes tracking Gu Zixun's car as it zipped around.
Ning Ye was holding Ning Zhitao's hand when a voice slowly drifted over beside her. "Have you heard? The Bian family and the Xinyang Group have joined forces to strike against Bian Xun. A massive amount of Wujiang's funds has been poured into research and development projects. Right now, their capital chain is stretched very tight, and their stock price is volatile. If they suffer a loss this time, the stock price will continue to plummet."
Ning Ye turned her head and saw a disguised Xu Lanyi. Her gaze rested leisurely on her son driving the toy car. "But, did you know? The boss of Xinyang Group is my father's nephew. As long as our Xu family says the word, this matter can be settled."
Xu Lanyi smiled and applauded Gu Zixun as he braked and stopped. "So do you think a successful businessman like Bian Xun would refuse me?"
This was the gap between her and Ning Ye.
The Xu family's olive branch had already been extended, and her wish had been made.
Today, as long as Bian Xun appeared, it would mean her wish had come true. And if Bian Xun didn't appear, how could Ning Ye possibly have the financial resources to compete with her?
Ning Zhitao was listening beside them, completely confused. She whispered to Ning Ye, "Mommy, what is she talking about?"
Ning Ye patted the child's head, her face serene and calm. "She's saying your dad is out of money."
But your future dad is very rich.
With Bian Xun's black card tucked in her pocket, her mindset was very steady.
However, although the future Bian Xun would indeed be wealthy enough to rival a nation, the current him had only recently taken power. He was bound to encounter storms and turbulence, and Ning Ye wasn't sure if he would accept the Xu family's proposal.
Regardless, deep down, Ning Ye still hoped he wouldn't show up today.
If Ning Zhitao saw another child calling her own dad "dad," what would she think?
After finishing his performance, Gu Zixun jumped down from his off-road vehicle and proudly raised his chin among the children.
"Zixun's family really is rich!"
"Zixun's parents must be amazing."
Teacher Youzi noticed the emerging trend of comparison among the children and quickly raised the microphone to say, "Today's performances by all the parents and children were absolutely wonderful. Let's give them a round of applause!"
"But the kindergarten would like to remind everyone here that today's charity donation event for Parent-Child Day is not a competition. However much you donate is a token of your goodwill. Even ten yuan is a contribution!"
Gu Zixun walked back to the audience seats with his hands behind his back. The little boy smiled with a sense of superiority. "Who would only donate ten yuan?"
"Exactly, how could anyone show their face donating only ten yuan?"
The few children surrounding Gu Zixun probably came from well-off families. Even before Parent-Child Day, they had already been comparing how much their parents were planning to donate.
Xu Lanyi calmly brushed off the corner of her clothes.
Children's innocence is exactly what makes them cruel. At their age, they actually had no concept of money. What they were comparing was merely face and the right to speak among their peers.
The parents gradually began to make their donations. Regardless of the amount, they would receive a certificate issued by the kindergarten, stating that 80 percent of the funds would go to children in impoverished mountainous areas, and 20 percent would be used to improve kindergarten facilities.
Most of the parents were residents of the nearby neighborhoods. The living conditions in this area were not bad, but they weren't about to throw money around like dirt for this event.
Most parents donated between two hundred and five hundred yuan. Occasionally, one or two would donate a thousand yuan, which was already considered a lot.
Xu Lanyi handed Gu Zixun a card and said elegantly, "Son, go donate it yourself."
Gu Zixun took the card and walked up proudly with his hands behind his back. A moment later, the director asked in shock.
"One hundred thousand? Zixun, is your family really donating one hundred thousand?"
The surrounding children immediately stood up. "Gu Zixun's family donated one hundred thousand!"
"Oh my goodness! So rich!"
After making the donation, Gu Zixun walked back with his hands behind his back. From the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Ning Zhitao's worried eyes. "Ning Zhitao, do you need me to lend you some money?"
Ning Zhitao clutched her mother's clothes.
Is Daddy really out of money?
Could it be that because she brought that card, Daddy has no money left?
Daddy is bankrupt!
Seeing the worry written all over her child's face, Ning Ye finally realized she shouldn't have just played along with the joke earlier.
Little kids really would take it seriously.
She quickly held her child's hand and told her in a low voice, "Taotao, did you forget what your dad told you? We can donate however much you want today, don't worry."
Ning Zhitao looked like she was about to cry. "Then let's just donate ten yuan, Mommy."
We have no money!
Ning Ye's heart instantly ached, and guilt welled up inside her.
But before she had time to comfort her child, Gu Zixun, who was beside them, suddenly stood up with a look of pleasant surprise and looked toward the distant kindergarten gate.
The man's appearance attracted everyone's attention.
Ning Ye's heart immediately tightened. It seemed Bian Xun had accepted the Xu family's olive branch after all.
She held Ning Zhitao's hand, planning to leave with her child right after donating the money, so she wouldn't have to see an upsetting scene.
Ning Ye walked briskly to the donation counter, scanned the QR code, entered five hundred yuan, and was just about to pay.
Behind her, the man walked over with long strides, completely bypassing the expectant Xu Lanyi and her son. He placed a hand on Ning Ye. "Don't move."
"I will donate."
Ning Zhitao immediately teared up, threw her head back, and cried loudly, "Daddy, stop pretending, you're going bankrupt!"
Bian Xun: "...?"
Ning Ye felt sad watching this. She shook off Bian Xun's hand and forcefully typed in her password, determined to make the donation.
"It's okay, Taotao, we have money."
Bian Xun's temple twitched. This time, he fully stopped her, pulling her directly into his embrace. His lowered gaze was remarkably gentle. "Keep that five hundred for yourself to spend, alright?"
Then Bian Xun turned to look at the director and swiftly pulled out a black card.
"I'm donating five million."
He didn't want to suffer the invisible loss of 4,999,500 yuan in thin air.
"In the name of Ning Zhitao's mother."
Ning Zhitao looked at her dad and slowly opened her mouth wide.
As his words fell.
All the children in the kindergarten exploded in uproar!
