Qing Heng says the idiom he wants to teach. And Ming Qiao, sensitive as ever, senses that something feels a bit off. 

He cautiously glances at his mother’s expression, then looks back at the Red Pavilion decorated with lanterns. “Mom…”

Ming Qiao leans over and kisses Qing Heng’s cheeks, his sweet voice gently whispers: “Don’t be unhappy, okay?”

“I’m not unhappy.” With a cool expression, Qing Heng holds his child close and walks upstairs to their room.

Back in the room, Qing Heng immediately takes out a book to begin Ming Qiao’s lessons. Ming Qiao doesn’t know many characters yet, and all the ones he knows are those his father taught him.

Now, with his mom teaching him, Ming Qiao directly feels the difference in education level between his father and mother.

Mom, even when teaching just one character, can draw from a huge amount of knowledge and talk a lot about it.

Dad is a bit different, he can only follow the book, teaching him one word at a time.

As Ming Qiao listens to his mother’s little lecture, his eyes are filled with admiration. He holds his cheeks with his hands, his big round eyes sparkling.

Then his mom explains the phrase “to maintain one’s moral virtuous.”

Ming Qiao: “……” His chubby little face instantly freezes.

He recalls the Red Pavilion he saw earlier, and all the beautiful aunts and uncles inviting people from the second floor! A dad who maintains his moral virtuous shouldn’t be sneaking off to places like that.

“Mom…”

Ming Qiao jumps off his chair with a serious expression, grabs his mom’s clothing, and says sternly in his little voice: “Let’s go find dad!”

“No need.”

Qing Heng has no intention of going, he flips through the children’s book with a calm expression. “The place your dad went isn’t somewhere for kids.”

Ming Qiao’s little face tenses even more. “A place kids aren’t allowed must be a bad place!”

He lets go of his mother’s clothes, turns his small body around, and says: “Mom, wait here, Qiao Qiao will bring daddy back!”

“Come back!” Seeing him head off, Qing Heng stands up and quickly catches up.

He places his hands on the little one’s shoulders, looking down at his face. After a few seconds, he bends down, picks the cub up, and says: “Fine, I’ll take you, but you have to listen and not run around.”

“Okay!”

Ming Qiao nods. “Qiao Qiao will listen!”

With one big and one small out of the room again. Qing Heng glances at the Red Pavilion not far away, looking a bit hesitant.

He doesn’t want to bring his child there. But the little one in his arms is determined and clearly set on finding his dad.

“Qiao Qiao, why don’t you wait in the room—”

“No!” Ming Qiao, not even listening to the whole sentence, shakes his head like a drum. He doesn’t want to wait alone in the room!

“Let’s go, let’s find dad.” He points ahead, his little body shaking with eagerness.

With no other choice, Qing Heng continues to move forward with him. Soon, they arrive at the entrance of the Red Pavilion.

Qing Heng steps in, and a girl inviting guests inside notices him holding a child and smiles as she stops him. “Sir, this isn’t a place for children.”

Her sweet voice sounds enchanting, and can soften one’s very bones. Qing Heng frees one hand to cover the ears of the child in his arms. He raises his gaze, meeting the smiling girl’s eyes. 

The moment she sees his face, a hint of awe flashes in her eyes. “Sir, with your charm, why would you need to come to a place like ours?”

She laughs softly, covering her mouth. “If you’re looking for company, you’ll have people lining up for you.”

One compliment after another, she continues until she no longer wants to let him go, even with the child in his arms. “If you truly want to spend time here, I won’t stop you.”

“Come, I’ll show you upstairs. I’m Qi Jie Er, one of the stars here at the Red Pavilion.”

As she speaks, she reaches for Qing Heng’s arm. Qing Heng steps aside, not letting her touch him.

“Are you avoiding me?” Qi Jie Er’s charming face turns slightly disappointed when she misses his arm.

The little one in Qing Heng’s arms peeks his head out. “No, he’s not.”

The little one widens his eyes and explains: “Auntie, he’s with me.”

Qi Jie Er: “……” She finally notices the little one poking his head out.

Looking closely, she’s even more surprised. “You two look so alike. Are you really mother and child?”

“Yes!”Ming Qiao nods, his voice soft.

“Auntie, you can’t touch my mom, but you can pat me.” He tilts his soft face up, confidently offering it for her to touch.

Qi Jie Er has seen children before, but none as adorable and endearing as this. Unable to resist, she extends her hand. “Come, let auntie hold you.”

“Sure!” Ming Qiao opens his little arms and lets her hold him.

But as she holds him, he blinks and adds: “If you hold Qiao Qiao, then you can’t hold my mom.”

Qi Jie Er laughs at his comment: “Alright, alright, I’ll hold you, and I won’t hold your mom.”

With his sweetness and good looks, Ming Qiao quickly wins her over, and she can’t bear to let him go.

Other ladies, seeing Qie-jie holding a child, gather around out of curiosity. Ming Qiao, seeing more aunties arriving, isn’t afraid. He waves his little hand and greets each one politely.

Watching his cub surrounded by the ladies, Qing Heng wants to step forward, but he’s hesitant, unable to break through the crowd of girls and retrieve the child.

As he furrows his brow, Ming Qiao, surrounded by aunties, turns his little face towards him.

He looks at his mom, gestures with his hands and mouths, “Mommy, go find daddy ah!”

He’s telling Qing Heng to go find his dad and not to worry about him. The aunties are so welcoming, he’s happy to stay a bit longer!

Qing Heng doesn’t feel right leaving him, but seeing how well the women are looking after him, he decides to keep an eye on him while also searching for Wu Ye.

The Red Pavilion has three floors, with the third being the most elegant and quiet. Qing Heng looks up, examining the third floor. Somehow, he has a strong feeling that Wu Ye might be up there.

Whether it’s because of his hidden presence or he’s hidden in a secluded spot, two young waitresses carrying food pass by him without noticing. The two chat quietly, then they mention “master Wu” which catches Qing Heng’s attention.

“Master Wu is so handsome! No wonder the mistress took an interest.”

“It’s my first time seeing the mistress invite a guest to stay, so let’s get these dishes up there quickly and avoid disrupting their meal.”

“Remember, no matter what we see when we enter, we pretend we didn’t see it. I can’t save you if you cross the mistress.”

The girls speak quietly, but with Qing Heng’s sharp hearing, he catches every word. He watches as they head to the third floor, glances back at his child playing with the aunties, then subtly marks the cub to avoid losing him.

With the mark in place, Qing Heng heads upstairs. As he reaches the third floor, his child, surrounded by aunties, asks about his father.

“I saw him when he arrived.” Qi Jie Er replies, frowning. 

“He’s good-looking, just like your mother, I didn’t think he’d be the type to come here although he already has a family.”

Disgusted, she sighs, thinking: “Men aren’t worth much, after all.”

“Auntie, daddy’s good, don’t say that about him.” Ming Qiao picks up on their words, jumping in to defend his father. He believes his father wouldn’t do anything bad, even here.

“Auntie, Qiao Qiao wants to find daddy.”

“Sweetie, he might not want to see you right now.”

Qi Jie Er hesitates. “Why don’t you stay here while auntie checks for you?”

“Take Qiao Qiao too.” Ming Qiao insists, grabbing her hand and looking worried.

Qi Jie Er, unable to pull away from his little grip, reluctantly agrees. “Alright, but keep your eyes closed, and don’t open them until I say so.”

She knows Qiao Qiao’s father was taken to the third floor. The one who invited him there was their boss, Shisan Madame.

The Madame loves good-looking men, and when Qiao Qiao’s father arrived, she immediately noticed him. 

Thinking about Shisan Madame’s character, Qi Jie Er worries she might see something inappropriate, so she warns Ming Qiao in advance.

In her arms, Ming Qiao covers his eyes with his chubby hands, but peeks between his fingers. Qi Jie Er, nervous, mentally prepares herself as she heads up, unaware that Ming Qiao is peeking.

Meanwhile, another figure already waits outside the room on the third floor: Qing Heng. He watches Wu Ye inside, comfortably seated, a look of ease as he leans against a soft cushion.

Shisan Madame, holding a wine cup, can’t seem to get enough of Wu Ye’s aloof charm. She inches the cup closer, her voice gentle and warm.

“Master Wu, if you agree to spend one night with me, I won’t just give you an invitation to the auction… I’ll give you whatever you want.”

“I want to see the invitation first.”

“No way.” Shisan Madame, captivated but not foolish, smiles. 

“Satisfy me first, and then the invitation is yours.”

Watching his blockhead companion nearly sell himself for the invitation, Qing Heng can’t take it any longer. He opens the door.

He strides in, addressing Shisan Madame bluntly, “I need two invitations. You can name your price, as long as it doesn’t involve selling myself.”

“Qing Heng…” Wu Ye, surprised to see him, straightens up. 

“How did you get here?” Wu Ye quickly steps away from the main seat and walks over to him.

“You—you go back. I’ll handle this and get the invitation.”

“How? By selling yourself?”

Shisan Madame listens to the two talk openly in front of her, her gaze narrowing as she looks at their expressions. She has met many men and knows how to read them well. She already knew that the man just came here for the invitation.

She also doesn’t expect true feelings from men—just a bit of enjoyment. But with this situation, the man she wanted to sleep with, already has his eyes on someone else. Ah~ How annoying.

“Well, what exactly do you two take me for?” Her smile fades, replaced by a dangerous glare.