The two men were momentarily stunned when they heard this.
Wen Yao only realized her daughter wasn’t on the chair after finishing ordering. When she looked up, she saw her standing at the next table.
The little girl’s manner of speaking reminded her of Xing Yu.
Grandma had said that Xinxin’s temperament was nothing like hers.
When she was little, she was shy and timid. On top of that, she had a tongue-tie and couldn’t speak clearly. Neighbors and relatives often laughed at her, which made her very insecure and quiet.
But Xinxin was different—she wasn’t shy at all, was very bold, and her little mouth was especially talkative.
Before Wen Yao could go pick her up, Wen Xin ran back on her own, climbed onto the chair, and pouted.
“Mom, those two uncles are bad guys.”
Wen Yao glanced at the two men at the next table and recognized them as her university classmates.
“Mm. Next time, don’t talk to strangers, okay?”
Wen Xin nodded obediently.
After the meal, Wen Yao went to a convenience store and bought two lollipops. She unwrapped one for Xinxin, while the other was stuffed into Xinxin’s pocket.
The house they rented was in an old residential area—a one-bedroom, one-living-room unit, just enough for her and her daughter.
Her daughter was currently in kindergarten, admitted through connections.
When it came time for primary school, they would need a house in a designated school district. She had been saving for a down payment these past few years, but housing prices were too high, and she was still far from enough.
Wen Yao carried her daughter into the bedroom, placed her on the bed, and used a dry towel to wipe her damp hair.
At that moment, her teacher called.
“Wen Yao, how did your blind date go today?”
“I’m sorry, Teacher Yu. We’re not suitable.”
“That’s how blind dates are. It’s fine. I have a wide network—I’ll definitely find someone suitable for you.”
Teacher Yu had been her university professor. During the lowest and most helpless period of her life, it was Teacher Yu who helped her.
“Teacher Yu, I’m sorry to trouble you. I’m doing fine raising my child alone.”
“What trouble? Just leave it to me. This time, I’ll personally screen the candidate for you.”
Wen Yao helplessly put down her phone and continued drying her daughter’s hair.
Wen Xin lifted her small face and asked, “Mom, where is my dad?”
Wen Yao paused. “Didn’t I tell you? You don’t have a dad.”
“Mom, I’m already four years old, not a three-year-old anymore. Other people have dads—I do too.”
Wen Yao looked at the seriousness written all over her daughter’s little face. Last year, when she asked for her dad, a bit of coaxing would be enough.
“Xinxin is getting smarter. Mm, you do have a dad. He went to a very faraway place.”
Wen Xin raised her chin proudly. “I even know what Dad looks like.”
Wen Yao asked, “Oh? Then what does he look like?”
Wen Xin thought for a moment. “He has two eyes, one nose, and a mouth.”
Wen Yao laughed. “Mm, you’re right. Let’s dry your hair and go to sleep.”
Wen Xin leaned close to her ear and whispered, “I’ve seen a photo of Dad.”
It was shown to her by Grandma Yu, who said that was her father.
Wen Yao didn’t take it to heart. She had never shown Xinxin any photos of Xing Yu, nor had she ever mentioned the word “dad.”
But now that she was in kindergarten, even if she didn’t bring it up, others would. It was unavoidable.
Rubbing her eyes, Wen Xin asked, “Mom, when will Dad come back?”
Wen Yao paused while tucking in the blanket and said gently, “Mom doesn’t know. Maybe it’ll be a long time.”
“I miss Dad too… at kindergarten…”
Children fall asleep quickly—one second she was talking, the next she was asleep.
Wen Yao could give Xinxin all the love in the world, except a father’s love.
Seeing other children with their fathers, Xinxin couldn’t help but feel envious.
The next day, Wen Yao brought Wen Xin to kindergarten early. She had to rush to work, so she sent her an hour ahead of time.
“Teacher, sorry for the trouble.”
“It’s no trouble. I quite like Xinxin,” the teacher said with a smile. “She has a rich imagination and active thinking. Though she’s a bit mischievous, she’s very smart. Would you like to enroll her in an art class? I can see she really likes drawing.”
Anyone would be happy to hear praise about their child, and Wen Yao was no exception.
“Sure, but I should ask if Xinxin wants to learn.”
Wen Xin lifted her little face. “Mom, I want to learn.”
Seeing that her daughter was interested, Wen Yao signed her up for art classes.
After waving goodbye to her daughter, Wen Yao rushed to the company and clocked in just in time.
As soon as she sat down, a breakfast set appeared in front of her—a cup of soy milk and a sandwich.
“I brought you breakfast.”
She looked up and saw it was her colleague, Zhang Wenbin. She declined politely, “No need, thank you.”
“I already bought it, just eat it,” Zhang Wenbin said before returning to his desk.
Sitting beside her, Yuan Qingmei smiled and said, “Wen Yao, Manager Zhang is pursuing you.”
Wen Yao knew no one was kind to someone for no reason. Hearing that, she picked up the breakfast on her desk, stood up, walked over to Zhang Wenbin, and returned it.
“I’ve already eaten. Thank you, Manager Zhang.”
Without waiting for him to respond, she went back to her seat.
Yuan Qingmei didn’t quite understand. “Since Manager Zhang bought it for you, you should just eat it. Returning it in front of so many people makes him lose face.”
“I didn’t ask him to buy it, so of course I won’t eat it,” Wen Yao said as she turned on her computer and started working.
“Manager Zhang is only eight years older than you. Older men know how to care for people. He also has good conditions—house, car, and he’s a department manager. He doesn’t even mind that you’re divorced with a child. If you miss this, you’ll regret it,” Yuan Qingmei added.
Li Shu glanced at Manager Zhang—barely 170 cm tall, with tightly packed features—and couldn’t help but retort, “That’s not fair to say. What’s wrong with Wen Yao being divorced with a child? Does she have to settle?”
Yuan Qingmei replied, “What do you, a young girl, understand? She’s divorced and has a child—finding a partner is already difficult. Someone like Zhang Wenbin, with a car and a house, is hard to come by.”
When Wen Yao had just joined the company, several colleagues pursued her. To avoid unnecessary trouble, she said she was divorced with a child.
At first, they didn’t believe her. She looked too young and didn’t seem like someone who had given birth.
It wasn’t until she showed them a photo with her daughter that they believed her.
She looked at Yuan Qingmei and said, “I remember you have a younger sister who’s still single.”
Yuan Qingmei nodded. “Yes. What about it?”
Wen Yao smiled slightly. “Since Manager Zhang is so outstanding, wouldn’t it be perfect to introduce him to your sister?”
Yuan Qingmei fell silent, too embarrassed to continue.
Li Shu couldn’t help but give Wen Yao a thumbs-up. Impressive!
Over the past five years, aside from her appearance, Wen Yao’s personality had also changed.
Raising a child alone while single, being too soft would only lead to being bullied. She had no choice but to become stronger.
The Qin family had welcomed a grandson, and the full-month celebration was held on a grand scale. Almost all the prominent figures in the industry attended.
Xing Yu walked into the banquet hall; the celebration was already underway.
Qin Chao spotted him from afar and immediately ran over. “Bro, come on, let’s go next door.”
Next door was a separate gathering Qin Chao had arranged for his classmates. Nearly the entire class had come.
When Xing Yu entered, the classmates greeted him in unison, “Senior!”
Xing Yu nodded and sat down on the sofa.
He Jun handed him a glass of wine. Xing Yu accepted it but didn’t drink.
Unable to hold back his curiosity, He Jun asked, “Senior, Qin Chao said you slept with Wen Yao. Is it true?”
Li Sisi walked over and sat beside Xing Yu, glaring at him. “He Jun, why bring that up? It’s been five years already.”
“Back then, it was Wen Yao who clung to him shamelessly. Otherwise, Senior wouldn’t have paid her any attention.”
Xing Yu, who had been silent all along, suddenly asked, “Has anyone seen her?”
He Jun shook his head. “No. Wen Yao took a leave of absence, and we never saw her again before graduation.”
“I heard Professor Yu arranged her leave.”
Before the celebration ended, Xing Yu left early.
As soon as he left, Li Sisi couldn’t help asking, “Did Senior really sleep with Wen Yao?”
“What else? With my brother’s personality, if it didn’t happen, he would’ve denied it. No wonder every time I went to his dorm, even when he was inside, he kept the door shut and wouldn’t let me in.”
As for what he was doing behind closed doors—no one needed to ask. Everyone present could guess.
“That country bumpkin Wen Yao—how did your brother even bring himself to do it?”
Li Sisi speculated, “Maybe he was drugged? If you’re drugged, anyone would do.”
Qin Chao scoffed. “My brother was in the military. He could withstand that.”
He snorted. “I think Wen Yao must have used some despicable means.”
After leaving the Qin family villa, Xing Yu took out his phone and called Professor Yuan.
“Uncle Yuan, hello. I have something I’d like to ask.”
“Xiao Xing, go ahead.”
“Uncle Yuan, do you have Professor Yu’s phone number? I need to contact her about something.”
Both Professor Yuan and Professor Yu taught at A University, so they knew each other and had each other’s contact information.
“Yes, I do. I’ll send it to you right away.”