Chapter 60.1

Since the last time when An An was bullied at kindergarten, Li Xiao has been a bit uneasy.

After that, he went to the kindergarten every day to pick up An An. Instead of going home after picking her up, he would take An An to various extracurricular classes to see what she liked.

His social circle had expanded, and he knew that children from wealthy families often engaged in other activities after school— such as piano, dancing, horseback riding, and taekwondo. He had previously mentioned this to Jiang Rou, but she said that An An was still too young and should play more in these years. She suggested that when An An got a bit older, they could consider her interests and learn other things.

Li Xiao had agreed at that time, feeling that An An’s carefree daily life was indeed wonderful. He hadn’t been that happy as a child; she had food, drinks, and playmates, and with both he and Jiang Rou doting on her, she had no worries. But things had changed. An An’s nature was too gentle. Even when someone bullied her, she would praise them as if they were formidable. If it wasn’t for the pain, she probably wouldn’t retaliate.

What if she got bullied again in the future? He and Jiang Rou might not always be around.

Thus, Li Xiao sought out some instructors who taught taekwondo and judo to children.

He took An An to check them out daily to see which one she liked and pick one for her to learn.

Initially, An An was very happy, she thought that her father was taking her out to play. But when she saw that the activities involved fighting, she became scared and tried to hide to the side—clutching her father’s clothes and wanting to leave.

Li Xiao was puzzled. He couldn’t understand when he was at An An’s age, he was so fierce, but now, he ended up with such a docile and gentle daughter.

After much thought, he concluded that An An had taken after Jiang Rou.

Eventually, Jiang Rou suggested that he take An An to find a fencing instructor. The sport of fencing, with its special outfits, was less intense and might be better for An An. Additionally, fencing could help strengthen her body and achieve the goal.

Li Xiao had never heard of fencing before but decided to look for an instructor. He indeed found a well-known one, who was from the port city and had once represented the country in the Olympics. Although he hadn’t won a medal, he was quite impressive.

He was now a fencing coach at a club that offered a variety of activities, including food, entertainment, and dedicated training areas. The club was large and operated by several wealthy second-generation individuals. Li Xiao had been introduced to it by a friend. When he took An An there, the coach was training several children.

There were also older kids practicing on their own nearby.

The children, who were about the same age as An An, seemed to be enjoying themselves. Two of them were playfully fighting as the coach spoke, creating a pleasant atmosphere.

Seeing the people in white outfits, An An seemed less afraid. Even when she saw the older kids wielding swords and attacking each other, she didn’t back away but watched with curiosity.

And so, An An became a little fencer.

Every Tuesday and Thursday, after school, An An went to the club to practice fencing for two hours. While Jiang Rou and Li Xiao couldn’t yet discern the results, it seemed that An An was enjoying herself immensely.

On the way home with Jiang Rou, An An would shout “peep peep peep” happily—providing her own sound effects.

Bouncing along, she looked up excitedly and said to Jiang Rou, “Mommy, I’ll be better than Xiao Li Feidao in the future. I will protect you and Daddy—”

Jiang Rou smiled knowingly. Recently, the television has been airing Xiao Li Feidao, which An An loved to watch.

“Well, thank you, An An.”

“You’re welcome~”

—o—o—o—

In mid-March, there was a crisis in Chang Yong’s family.

It was Dong Mingming who first informed Jiang Rou about it. Jiang Rou had been living at her own house and was not very close to her classmates. Although Dong Mingming had changed majors and left, they still met up for lunch regularly.

Dong Mingming shared the news during one of their lunch meetings. She knew Jiang Rou’s husband had previously worked under Chang Yong and had heard Jiang Rou mention Chang Yong’s wife, so she decided to tell Jiang Rou about the situation.

“Wasn’t your husband’s former boss named Chang Yong? The one who made his fortune through his brother-in-law? I don’t remember the exact name, but it’s this person. His brother-in-law is in trouble now. It seems like some of the company’s commercial secrets were stolen. Now several real estate giants are teaming up to take them down. It looks like they’re finished.”

Jiang Rou looked up in surprise and asked, “What’s going on?”

Dong Mingming shook her head. “I’m not too sure. Our family doesn’t do business with theirs. I only heard this from friends. Anyway, it seems like they’re being targeted, but they also have their own issues. Otherwise, how could things have fallen apart so quickly? Apparently, their company started having problems around New Year. At first, they were secretly selling off land, and now they’re aggressively selling stocks. Their assets have severely shrunk. They’ll probably have to declare bankruptcy soon.”

She shook her head: “Such a big company and now it’s all over. Dong Chenglei, that old fellow, is so scared that he’s been conducting strict checks in the company, afraid that there might be an insider.”

Dong Mingming was now involved with her family’s company and had started secretly training her own team. She was no longer indifferent to what happened in the circle; she sought to understand everything, even if it had no direct connection to her.

She had learned this from Jiang Rou’s husband, as she noticed that even when Jiang Rou’s husband was just an assistant under Chang Yong, he seemed to know a lot about the circle. These seemingly trivial details sometimes played a significant role. At least now, Dong Mingming wasn’t completely in the dark about the people in the circle; she had a clear sense of what to say and what attitude to adopt.

Jiang Rou hadn’t expected that the problem with Chang Yong’s brother-in-law’s company would arise so soon. It had come several years earlier than in the previous lifetime.

—o—o—o—

In the afternoon, when Li Xiao came home, Jiang Rou couldn’t resist asking him about the matter.

Jiang Rou was cooking in the kitchen when he returned. The final dish was just being put into the pot. Li Xiao was carrying a dish of braised food, which he had bought from a shop he passed by.

An An was sitting on the sofa watching TV and as soon as she smelled the aroma, she immediately jumped off the sofa and ran over excitedly, “I want to eat.”

Li Xiao said curtly, “Go wash your hands.”

When he had entered earlier, An An didn’t spare him a glance, but as soon as she saw that he was carrying food, she ran over immediately.

An An obediently went to the kitchen to wash her hands. She was aware of her short stature and dragged a small stool over.

After washing her hands, she ran back to the living room, climbed onto the stool, and reached for the braised pig’s trotter.

The pig’s trotter was sliced into pieces, and there were sauce packets on the side. The little one skillfully bit open the sauce packets and poured the sauce over the pig’s trotter.

She took a piece and put it into her mouth, then picked up another piece, intending to give it to her mother.

However, her movements weren’t as fast as her father’s. Li Xiao tasted a piece himself and took two more pieces to the kitchen, placing the meat by Jiang Rou’s lips.

Jiang Rou looked down at the meat by her lips, gave him a gentle smile, and opened her mouth to eat it.

Li Xiao also smiled slightly, dipped his fingertips into some sauce, and then put his finger into his own mouth.

Then, he went to the kitchen to wash his hands and get some dishes for the meal.

An An who was at the kitchen door saw this scene. She puffed up her cheeks in displeasure and stuffed the meat in her mouth to eat by herself.

—o—o—o—

During dinner, Jiang Rou asked about the situation with Chang Yong’s family.

Li Xiao nodded, “I heard about it too. Chang Yong’s brother-in-law was taken away by the police this afternoon. Bankruptcy is imminent.”

“The real estate industry is inherently competitive. His brother-in-law was quite a powerful figure with numerous assets. If he falls, others will profit greatly. Don’t you think those people would collaborate? The business world is like a battlefield, constantly changing. Bankruptcy happens often; it’s not something to be overly concerned about.”

Jiang Rou frowned, “What about Zhao Yun?”

Li Xiao’s face showed a moment of complexity upon hearing the name.

Jiang Rou was curious, “What’s wrong?”

Li Xiao served some vegetables into her bowl and casually said, “After Zhao Yun divorced Chang Yong at the beginning of the year, she took the child abroad for a vacation. I heard she still hasn’t returned.”

Jiang Rou fell silent for a moment.

Li Xiao shook his head, “Don’t overthink it. We shouldn’t jump to conclusions about things we haven’t seen with our own eyes. Maybe she just felt too sad staying in the country and wanted to see something different.”

Jiang Rou glanced at Li Xiao, noticing how cautious he had become. It was reassuring to know that he was careful and unlikely to be deceived by others.

—o—o—o—

After dinner, Fu Fei suddenly called Li Xiao. Li Xiao was washing dishes in the kitchen, so Jiang Rou answered the phone and put it to his ear.

On the phone, Fu Fei seemed very agitated, “Damn, the news that Chang Yong’s brother-in-law was taken away by the police has already been printed in the newspapers. Who knows who leaked it? Now, everyone who could flee from the company has run away. I just called a former colleague, and he’s preparing to leave as well. The wages for this month might not be paid. He doesn’t want to work for nothing.

Do you have any money? Hurry up and make use of the opportunity. There’s a piece of land in Yinshan that hasn’t been taken yet. Go bid for it quickly. Don’t you want to start a company in the future? I checked that land last year; it will definitely develop in the future.”

Fu Fei was in design, and he had a good grasp of every piece of land in Province G.

Li Xiao hurriedly said, “I’ll check.”

Fu Fei was even more in a hurry, “Check what? Just get the money. I’ve already driven over. Prepare two hundred thousand. I’ll take you to find someone. I’m telling you, once your company is up and running, leave a floor for me to use as a studio.”

“It’s a simple request.”

Li Xiao didn’t even finish washing the dishes. With his soapy hands, he rinsed them under the faucet roughly, not caring whether they were clean. He rubbed his hands on his clothes and ran straight to the room.

Li Xiao was still holding the phone, and Fu Fei’s cursing could still be heard, seemingly stuck in traffic.

Li Xiao was rummaging through the room, and said: “Jiang Rou, where’s the savings book?”

An An, in the living room, had stopped watching TV and became curious. She ran to the door of the room to peek at her father.

Jiang Rou, who kept the savings book, saw how Li Xiao was in a hurry. So, she quickly ran back to the room to hand it to him.

Over the years, Li Xiao had earned quite a bit of money, and Jiang Rou had kept it in several major banks. Fearing it might not be enough, Jiang Rou gave him more than half of their savings: “Take a bit more.”

While saying this, she also found a large bag for him, thinking it would be useful for him to carry the money from the bank.

Li Xiao carefully placed the savings book into his clothing pocket, then stuffed the rice bag under his arm, bent over to put on his shoes, and said, “You guys go to bed early tonight. Don’t wait for me. I don’t know when I’ll be back.”

Jiang Rou held An An and reminded him, “Be careful on the road.”

“Okay.”

Jiang Rou closed the door, and An An, still curious, asked, “Where is Daddy going?”

Jiang Rou patted her head and said, “Daddy has some business to take care of. He’ll come back tonight.”

The little one suddenly thought of something and asked excitedly, “Does that mean I don’t have to do my homework?”

Li Xiao, worried that she might watch too much TV every night, had given her homework. These days, it was memorizing poems. Li Xiao would teach her a line, and she would repeat it. The little one had a good memory—Initially, Li Xiao asked her to memorize two poems. When he found that she learned them after reading twice, he increased it to five poems, reviewing the ones from the previous days.

Jiang Rou decisively said, “No, tonight Mommy will teach you.”

The little one pouted and clung to Jiang Rou’s clothes, whining, “I want to watch TV.”

Jiang Rou, looking troubled, said, “What should we do? Daddy is very strict, and Mommy can’t beat him. If Daddy says An An has to memorize poems, Mommy can only listen to him.”

The little one shook her head, “That’s not true. Mommy is lying. Daddy listens to you.”

Jiang Rou denied it, “No, it’s clearly Mommy who listens to Daddy. If you don’t memorize, Daddy will ask about it tomorrow morning, and I won’t be able to help you.”

The little one pouted.

After a moment of thought, she finally obediently went to get her book.

—o—o—o—