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Chapter 14.2
On their way back, they unexpectedly ran into Sheng Zexi.
At that moment, Cheng Yao was walking behind Xu Ai, with Nuo Nuo nestled in her mother’s arms. When the little girl suddenly saw her father, everyone paused for a moment, and it was Nuo Nuo’s voice that broke the spell.
“Daddy! What are you doing here? Are you here to play with me?” she asked, waving happily.
Her father had said in the morning that he wouldn’t come. Hmph.
Sheng Zexi’s cold gaze swept over the people behind Xu Ai before walking over and picking up his slightly dirty little girl. “Daddy came here to meet some friends for work and happened to see you.”
There was still a long way to go home, so Nuo Nuo was happy to be carried by her father instead of her mother. After all, her mother had held her for a while, and it was tiring. But Daddy, with all his strength, didn’t make her feel as tired.
The shiny sand stuck to Sheng Zexi’s suit, and he glanced down before continuing to hold his daughter. The little girl was thrilled to see him and, clutching the cute doll from her aunt, mysteriously said, “Daddy, I bought you a toy! You’re definitely going to love it!”
A toy?
As soon as Sheng Zexi heard the little one mention a toy, his interest immediately waned. He didn’t care for children’s toys, but since there were people present who shouldn’t be here, he still didn’t mind playing the role of a good father. He put on a look of interest and asked, “What toy?”
“You’ll know soon enough. Anyway, you’ll definitely like it,” Nuo Nuo said confidently.
The little girl’s teasing demeanor was indeed adorable. If it weren’t for Zhao Lili and the others nearby, they might have genuinely believed that Sheng Zexi would like whatever toy Nuo Nuo had picked out.
Walking to the hotel, Xu Ai led Nuo Nuo into their room. She didn’t intend to let Sheng Zexi come inside, she wanted him to focus on his work. Sheng Zexi did have friends around, but he didn’t want to meet them. Just as he was about to go downstairs to stretch his legs, Nuo Nuo popped her head out and called to him, “Daddy, wait! I’ll wash up quickly, and then I’ll show you the gift!”
Sheng Zexi paused, his foot halfway down the stairs, and replied, “Okay.” He then thought about going to the window for a smoke but realized Nuo Nuo might not like that. In the end, he set the cigarette pack back down and looked at the messages in his work group instead.
While he was focused on the messages, a cold voice interrupted, “I heard President Sheng was away on a business trip for six months and didn’t come back. Now that he’s here, is he trying to put on an act of deep affection?”
It was Cheng Yao.
However, Sheng Zexi didn’t regard him seriously. He turned back, his deep gaze landing on Cheng Yao with a chilling tone, “This is my family matter. What does it have to do with you? Are you living under our bed? You know exactly how it is between us.”
“On the contrary, why are you pretending to be so sentimental when you’re not even with your good sister?”
Sheng Zexi scoffed and started walking towards the stairs.
Cheng Yao couldn’t help but clench his fists at Sheng Zexi’s contemptuous demeanor. Even knowing they would divorce in a year and that Sheng Zexi would end up with nothing, he still felt anxious.
This man didn’t care about Xu Ai or their child, so why did he deserve to be with her?
He was waiting, waiting for the day they would get divorced. He would never again miss the opportunity to be with her. He would cherish her properly.
After taking a moment to calm himself, Cheng Yao turned around and saw Mu Ting standing behind him. She looked at him with a solemn gaze, reminding him, “Cheng Yao, Xiao Ai is married. No matter what happened to them, you were the one who couldn’t escape the cause of their affair. You also insisted on protecting the person who drugged Xiao Ai, although she was later sent abroad. But you know, belated affection is the most laughable thing, right?”
Cheng Yao’s expression shifted dramatically.
Mu Ting walked away expressionlessly.
She knew that Xu Ai and Sheng Zexi had a poor relationship, but other than that, Xu Ai had little to worry about. As the lady of the Sheng family, not many dared to offend her. Compared to many who had neither love nor money, Xu Ai lived a life free from worry. The two didn’t need to love each other deeply; maintaining a superficial peace was sufficient.
**
Xu Ai was unaware of the confrontation outside. After Nuo Nuo entered the room, she took some clothes and began to bathe her little girl.
Once they finished bathing, just as she was about to dress Nuo Nuo, the little one wrapped in a big towel dashed off to dig through the things they had bought today to find the gift for her father.
After rummaging for a while, Nuo Nuo finally emerged with a box in hand. With a serious expression, she told her mother, “This is for Daddy.”
Yes, it was a toy for Daddy, Xu Ai knew.
She picked up a nearby outfit to dress Nuo Nuo. While slipping on the sleeves, she teased, “You only bought a gift for Daddy? What about Mommy? Did you forget?”
Nuo Nuo genuinely forgot. She had given her mother plenty of gifts in the past but rarely got anything for her father. Today, she only remembered to buy something for him. She promised, “Mommy, after this, I’ll buy you one too. What do you want?”
Xu Ai had only been joking, but upon hearing the little one’s promise, she smiled and said, “Alright, alright. You don’t have to buy Mommy a gift. Being good is the best gift you can give me.”
After some delay, Nuo Nuo finally got dressed and rushed out, but she didn’t see her father anywhere. The little girl’s small head filled with a big question mark: “Didn’t I say to wait for me, Daddy? Where did he go?”
She turned to urge her mother, “Mommy, call Daddy. Honestly, I told him to wait for me. If he doesn’t, I won’t give him the gift later.”
Trust me, your Daddy doesn’t want that gift either.
I wonder what expression Sheng Zexi will have when he sees the toy Nuo Nuo got him.
Xu Ai chuckled and sent Sheng Zexi a message. He quickly replied, “I was on the phone downstairs. I’ll be up soon.”
Xu Ai responded, “No need, we’re coming down.”
Since they were on the second floor, there was no need to take the elevator. Xu Ai took Nuo Nuo down the stairs, where they encountered Sheng Zexi.
Nuo Nuo, beaming with joy, held out the toy she had brought for her father. “Daddy, this is for you!”
From a distance, Sheng Zexi spotted what she was holding. It was a child’s toy, and his interest faded instantly. However, seeing how happy Nuo Nuo was, he reluctantly took it from her. But when he saw the contents inside, he was momentarily stunned.
He hadn’t expected Nuo Nuo to gift him this.
Many years ago, he had eagerly anticipated the bus and truck models.
Opening the dusty memories, he recalled that before turning ten, he had experienced a brief and beautiful childhood. Before all those dreams shattered, he had wished for his father to bring back a set of these limited-edition toys after a business trip. However, what his father brought back instead was the news of his parents’ marriage falling apart.
Because he went abroad for a trip, he ran into the woman he once loved most. She was divorced, and there was a possibility for them again.
After that, Sheng Zexi’s life turned into chaos, and the toy he wanted had gone out of production after that period.
Years later, he had been searching for the same toy but to no avail. In his junior year of college, he encountered a toy collector who claimed to have a set. The collector said he could show it to him.
However, when they went to see it, the set had been lost after a child in the collector’s family secretly played with it.
The collector was furious and had everyone looking for it, but it was nowhere to be found.
From that moment on, Sheng Zexi completely gave up on hope and ceased his search.
Unexpectedly, many years later, something he had longed for in his childhood transcended time and unexpectedly landed in his hands through his daughter.
He still remembered that at the time, there were only a hundred limited sets, each with a serial number. His father had a friend who was close to the owner of the company that produced the toys, so he had reserved a set for him.
But later, his father could no longer remember this matter.
After turning ten, there was no longer a place for Sheng Zexi in his father’s eyes. The once obedient son seemed to have become a stain on his life.
“Daddy, do you like it?”
Nuo Nuo’s words pulled Sheng Zexi back from his distant memories. Looking at the little girl’s expectant face, he suppressed the complex emotions in his heart and said, “Mhm.”
He gazed at the child’s eyes, sparkling like stars, as he held the box containing the toy. His fingers curled slightly around it.
Though it wasn’t the same as having it back then and wasn’t something he needed anymore, receiving it now wasn’t a bad thing. At least, he didn’t reject it.
**
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Ayalee[Translator]
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