Music played inside the venue, and the voices of the employees below were loud.

Koukou’s voice was soft, so nobody heard what the little master said.

Everyone tried to guess based on his mouth movements.

“I think I got it, it seems like he’s calling for Daddy!”

“Daddy? Why would he wave and call Daddy to us?”

“Could he be saying he needs to poop?”

And then this person was besieged.

How could their little master, so cute and soft, ruin the atmosphere by talking about needing to poop?

Have you ever seen a baby waving excitedly and saying they need to poop?

“Maybe he’s trying to express: Look, this is the kingdom my daddy has conquered. But because he’s still so young, he can’t express it clearly, so he can only excitedly say Daddy, Daddy to cheer for Mr. Gu’s greatness!”

“… “

Everyone surprisingly found this quite reasonable.

They discussed below, and those above couldn’t hear them.

Gu Yanqing heard Koukou saying bye-bye to everyone and couldn’t help but pat his silly son’s head, lifting him up early and teaching him to say, “Not bye-bye, it’s hello everyone.”

Koukou was a bit puzzled why waving changed to saying hello everyone, but since Daddy said so, he waved to the people nearby again, saying, “Hel-hel-hello everyone.”

It was the first time many people saw their boss so gentle.

Gu Yanqing was usually serious in the company as the boss, rarely smiling or joking, and many people were afraid of him.

Now, Gu Yanqing was completely the warm-hearted dad, wasn’t he?

Moreover, holding the little master like this, their facial features really resembled each other.

This little master would definitely grow up to be as outstanding as his father.

Koukou waved his hands more vigorously in response to the waves of applause and noise, continuing until the end of the red carpet.

Gu Yanqing carried him aside to rest, and the little guy’s cheeks were red and he was panting heavily from exertion.

Qiao Wanqing took the bag containing Koukou’s things from the assistant who had been carrying it for her, and she took out Koukou’s water bottle from inside, handing it to him.

Koukou murmured as he drank nearly half the bottle of water.

The temperature here was kept quite low, and Qiao Wanqing felt a bit chilly even in her off-shoulder dress.

But Koukou’s forehead was dotted with tiny beads of sweat, showing just how excited he had been.

Qiao Wanqing took out a tissue to wipe his face, smiling and saying, “Darling, you really stole the show.”

Koukou handed the small bottle back to Qiao Wanqing, took a deep breath, and said, “Tired!”

“You put in so much effort, of course you’re tired,” Gu Yanqing, who had just been holding him, could feel how excited he was.

He pinched Koukou’s little nose and asked, “Are you happy?”

“Very happy,” Koukou smiled broadly.

Qiao Wanqing teased him, “How much happy?”

Koukou opened his arms wide and made a big circle with them, saying, “Th-this much.”

Other staff members and some guests who had come specifically to see Koukou were also amused by his antics.

After Gu Yanqing and the others finished the red carpet, more guests and dignitaries arrived, and soon everyone had taken their seats.

The evening’s program included speeches from the CEO after the red carpet, followed by dinner.

Since it was a casual banquet, each department in their company had prepared a performance, and there were also activities like raffles throughout the evening.

Gu Yanqing was busy tonight, so Qiao Wanqing went back to her room to change into a simpler dress to take care of Koukou.

The dress had also been prepared by Gu Yanqing.

Though not as formal as an evening gown, it was a light purple-pink knee-length off-shoulder design, resembling a mini cocktail dress style.

It matched her hairstyle well and allowed for easy movement, in case she needed to go on stage or handle Koukou.

She hadn’t thought about it, but Gu Yanqing had thought of everything.

“I might not be able to stay at the table the whole time. If someone offers you a drink, just say you can’t drink,” Gu Yanqing whispered to Qiao Wanqing after they were seated, leaning close to her ear.

Qiao Wanqing wasn’t good at drinking and easily got flushed, so she definitely didn’t want to embarrass Gu Yanqing by getting tipsy at such an event.

She nodded and replied softly, “Got it.”

“And if anyone starts acting out of line or gets too drunk, just hint that you’re expecting,” Gu Yanqing continued.

“…Get lost!”

Koukou heard them whispering quietly and felt like he was disappearing while sitting in his mom’s lap.

This made him unhappy.

He started kicking his feet.

The shoes he wore matched his little suit—small, black shoes that were soft and light.

After a few kicks, Koukou kicked off his shoes.

“Shoes, shoes~” Koukou giggled.

Qiao Wanqing saw his mischievous eyes and knew he was doing it on purpose.

She said, “Baby, it’s not polite to kick off your shoes, you know?”

“Hmm?” Koukou tilted his little face up, looking at her innocently as if he didn’t understand what she was saying.

“It’s rude to take off your shoes in front of others, especially during meals,” Qiao Wanqing patiently explained to him.

Although he might not fully understand, she knew that repeating her words would eventually get through to him when he misbehaved.

“Hmm?” Koukou continued to act innocent, blinking his big watery eyes at her.

Qiao Wanqing patiently pointed to his little feet again, trying to simplify her words, “Can’t take off shoes randomly, outside.”

“Hmm?” Koukou still seemed puzzled.

Qiao Wanqing couldn’t help but smile at how he was pretending not to understand.

It wasn’t that he didn’t understand—he sometimes did this deliberately.

Sometimes he understood perfectly well but chose to act innocent for some reason.

“Look at your son, he’s so naughty,” Qiao Wanqing complained angrily.

Gu Yanqing picked up his son’s shoe and helped him put it back on.

He smiled gently and said, “He just doesn’t want to understand. When Yuan Yuan was younger, he was like this too. As he grew older, he became more sensible.”

“What a little troublemaker!” Qiao Wanqing pinched Kouko’s little foot as he put his shoe back on.

“Trou-ble-mak-er,” Kouko mimicked her with a soft and silly look.

Qiao Wanqing couldn’t stay mad at him anymore.

Everyone’s attention was on the boss and his family, watching them whisper to each other.

They all admired how loving the boss and his wife were.

Some were curious about where the boss’s wife, Miss Qiao Wanqing, came from.

Those who knew about the city’s high society had never heard of a Miss Qiao Wanqing here before.

She must be from out of town, maybe from X City.

So she seemed unfamiliar to many.

But Gu Yanqing was usually very low-key. No one had ever seen him close to any woman.

Rumor had it that he had been away from the company since spring this year, and people speculated that he was in love during that time.

“Wang Assistant, don’t you stay by Boss Gu’s side every day? Please share some gossip!”

Wang Xiao, who had been deliberately placed far from the main table where the banquet seating was arranged, silently listened to their gossip while keeping a calm demeanor.

When they suddenly mentioned him, he felt conflicted.

He hadn’t been friendly toward Qiao Wanqing, who wasn’t exactly pleasant either—silly and mischievous.

He never expected her to succeed and become Mrs. Gu.

Wang Xiao didn’t think he did anything wrong in this matter.

He didn’t know what Qiao Wanqing was like now, but her past behavior was truly despicable.

If he had to do it all over again, he would probably still feel the same way.

So Gu Yanqing didn’t pursue Wang Xiao for his mistakes.

Now that Qiao Wanqing was basically the boss’s wife with no escape, it was a matter of winners and losers.

No matter how wrong she might be, she would be his boss’s wife in the future.

He could only keep his distance and try not to bother her.

“The boss always keeps his personal and professional lives separate. I never get involved in his personal affairs,” Wang Xiao said.

“But haven’t you heard any gossip?” the other person persisted. “The boss has been away from the company a lot in the past six months. Is he going back to X City to see his wife?”

“He’s here in our city. He’s just shifted his focus from the city to the countryside!” Wang Xiao replied casually. “I don’t know.”

“… “

After everyone had settled into their seats, the banquet began.

The host made some opening remarks and then invited the company’s boss, Gu Yanqing, to speak.

Just moments ago, Gu Yanqing, who was helping his son Koko put on his shoes after they had been kicked off, now transformed into Mr. Gu, dressed impeccably, and walked to the stage.

He took the microphone from the host, tested the sound, and calmly said, “Hello, everyone.”

As soon as he stepped up, like a school principal, the room gradually quieted down. Within seconds, it was almost silent.

Kouko, who had just been fidgeting with his shoes, suddenly heard his father’s amplified voice echoing through the banquet hall.

He froze, even his little feet stopped moving, as he looked around to find where his father was.