Chapter 12

At this moment, Vice President Liu stared at the child and the toys that seemed completely out of place in Sheng Zexi’s office, unsure of how to express his thoughts. It felt like anything he said would be wrong, but he still wanted to say something. He turned to the assistant beside him and asked, “Where’s President Sheng?”

The assistant replied, “He’s in the cafeteria.”

So, Vice President Liu headed to the cafeteria.

Sheng Zexi had little appetite, so he ate a bit and returned. On his way back, he encountered Vice President Liu.

Vice President Liu was about ten years older than him and had been promoted by Sheng Zexi after he took over. Outside of work, they occasionally joked together. As they met on the road, Vice President Liu couldn’t help but curiously ask, “Why did you bring your child? Is your wife upset at home? Are you in charge of looking after her now?”

Of course not.

If the child hadn’t been troublesome and Sheng Zexi didn’t have his own motives, he wouldn’t have brought her along.

He denied it, saying, “No.”

Vice President Liu wore an understanding expression, but Sheng Zexi ignored the meaningful look in his eyes. He didn’t have time to consider what others were thinking.

When he saw Vice President Liu, Sheng Zexi hadn’t yet realized the seriousness of the situation. It wasn’t until he returned to his office and saw a pile of toys scattered around, along with Nuo Nuo happily riding her toy car, that the gravity of the matter struck him.

During the time Sheng Zexi was eating, Nuo Nuo had a great time playing in the office. However, after he returned, he noticed a slight frown on his face.

He had actually bought this little one so many toys?

She really was quite the shopper.

But now that everything was bought and delivered, what could he say? He decided to let her play for now and planned to have everything sent back in the evening.

With that in mind, he returned to his work. However, with a child in the office, the most noticeable change was the noise level. Nuo Nuo had no concept of keeping quiet for her father’s work, but occasionally, when she noticed him busy, she would cover her mouth and mumble to herself, “Daddy is working, I shouldn’t disturb him.”

But soon enough, she would forget about being quiet.

When Sheng Zexi glanced over, feeling that she was too noisy, Nuo Nuo quickly covered her mouth and said, “Okay, Daddy, I know you’re busy. I won’t disturb you, I’ll speak a little quieter.”

Then her voice would drop, but after a while, it would gradually get louder again.

Sheng Zexi didn’t look at her because she was too noisy and distracting. His focus was strong enough that he could work in either a noisy or quiet environment. He glanced at Nuo Nuo simply to see what was making her so happy.

Children get excited over the slightest things, and Nuo Nuo was no exception. Sheng Zexi thought there wasn’t much to see, yet he couldn’t help but look at her every now and then.

When she was engrossed in playing with her toys, she was well-behaved, not crying or causing a fuss. As a result, many people who entered his office that afternoon, after discussing work matters, couldn’t help but compliment Nuo Nuo: “President Sheng, your daughter is really well-behaved and cute.”

Sheng Zexi certainly didn’t deny that Nuo Nuo was cute, but “well-behaved”? He could only say that others were deceived by her appearance. He wasn’t the type to insist on correcting people’s perceptions of him, so he simply replied with a brief, “Hmm.”

That evening, Sheng Zexi had a social engagement, so around four o’clock, he took the child home.

His office was large and suitable for play, and with people coming and going, Nuo Nuo enjoyed it and was reluctant to go home. As he carried her out, she noticed that the other uncles and aunts in the nearby offices hadn’t left yet and curiously asked, “Daddy, why are you leaving first when the others are still here?”

Sheng Zexi glanced at the little one in his arms and replied, “Because Daddy has more work to do tonight.”

Of course, the others hadn’t finished for the day either, but Sheng Zexi didn’t want to answer any potential questions like, “Why can Daddy leave early while others can’t?”

Hearing her father mention more work, Nuo Nuo patted the little toy in her arms and sighed, “Daddy works so hard!”

Sheng Zexi paused briefly as he stepped into the elevator, then couldn’t help but chuckle. This little one actually thought he was hardworking? He wondered if she understood or not.

After dropping Nuo Nuo off at home, he went upstairs. When he came back down, he reminded Auntie Lu not to let the child watch too much television. Auntie Lu quickly agreed, but once Sheng Zexi left, Nuo Nuo’s favorite TV program started. Although she initially intended to follow her father’s instructions, as soon as she pouted, Auntie Lu couldn’t resist and turned on the TV, saying, “Little ancestor, your daddy said not to watch too much TV. Just watch this, and then you can’t watch anymore, okay?”

While playing with her toy car, Nuo Nuo focused on her favorite show, ignoring Auntie Lu entirely.

Sheng Zexi returned home around ten o’clock. He had a bit of alcohol at the gathering, and his head hurt on the way back. After taking a short nap, he planned to wash up and rest, but as soon as he got home, he saw the doctor examining the little one. Her eyes were red, and she had just cried due to a stomachache.

The doctor explained, “She probably ate too much greasy food. It’s nothing serious. I’ll prescribe some medicine shortly.”

Nuo Nuo had already told her mother that she had eaten a lot of delicious food with Daddy, as kids can’t keep secrets.

Seeing Sheng Zexi come back, Xu Ai couldn’t control her temper and asked somewhat sternly, “Can you pay more attention when taking Nuo Nuo out? A child’s stomach isn’t as resilient as an adult’s.They shouldn’t eat random food from outside.”

Sheng Zexi already had a bit of a headache, and hearing Xu Ai’s harsh tone made him feel impatient. However, he realized he was indeed in the wrong. Even if he had been tricked by the child initially, he acknowledged his mistake and admitted, “I’m sorry. There won’t be a next time.”

He wouldn’t take Nuo Nuo out again.

Seeing that he looked unwell, Xu Ai also recognized that her tone was a bit too harsh. Since she had already reminded him, she didn’t say anything more and continued tending to the little one, though her expression still showed some disapproval.

Sheng Zexi watched for a moment, realizing he couldn’t intervene. After the doctor finished prescribing medicine and confirmed everything was alright, he headed to take a shower.

Just as he got out of the shower and lay down on the bed, he felt a sudden dip beside him. Opening his eyes, he saw Nuo Nuo in her pink pajamas sitting next to him, her big, shiny eyes examining him closely. After a moment, she spoke softly, “Daddy, I ate too much today. I won’t eat that much next time.”

Her gentle tone carried a hint of guilt, and he wondered if she was trying to explain herself because she felt she had caused him trouble.

Sheng Zexi wasn’t feeling well and quietly looked at her before closing his eyes again, expecting her to leave soon. To his surprise, she didn’t leave. Instead, she leaned closer, studying him for any signs of discomfort. After a while, she asked, “Daddy, are you okay?”

Sheng Zexi disliked revealing his vulnerabilities to others, and even though he was feeling unwell, he denied it, saying, “I’m fine.”

“Then why aren’t you talking to me?”

Because you’re a bit annoying.

Sheng Zexi replied, “Because Daddy is tired.”

“Oh, okay.”

He thought she would finally leave, but instead, she lay down next to him, flipped over, and after playing with her little feet for a bit, she said, “Daddy, can I tell you a story? I want to tell you the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.”

Sheng Zexi knew she wouldn’t leave and didn’t expect her to sleep beside him that night. Feeling unwell, he decided to ignore her and focus on getting some rest. However, the more he tried to sleep, the more awake his mind felt, and the soft sound of her voice seeped into his thoughts.

“…Later, Snow White was saved by the little dwarfs in the forest. They hid her in the forest, and…”

As he listened, the voice suddenly stopped, and he opened his eyes to find Nuo Nuo had fallen asleep. She looked quite adorable while sleeping, her chubby face resembling a soft, elastic dumpling, rosy and juicy like a peach.

She hadn’t covered herself with a blanket but lay curled up beside him, telling stories until she had lulled herself to sleep.

Sheng Zexi wondered if she truly sensed that he was unwell or if she felt guilty for what had happened, trying to make it up to him.

At that moment, Sheng Zexi felt that perhaps the praise from others about Nuo Nuo being well-behaved wasn’t entirely wrong. After all, she was indeed behaving well right now.

He silently glanced at her, then gently adjusted her position, straightening her legs to make her more comfortable. He covered her with the blanket.