Squeak squeak squeak.
Dong dong ding.
The musical sound that came after the clockwork turned brushed gently across the room, like the first ray of morning sunlight, slowly fishing Chu Kai out of the ocean of dreams.
He lazily stretched, using one hand to rub his eyes which still carried a hint of sleepiness, while his other hand instinctively groped for the soft and warm little body beside him.
“Good morning, baby.” Chu Kai’s voice carried the hoarseness and gentleness of just waking up.
He opened his eyes, wanting to give Chu Zhuo a morning kiss, but discovered that the little fellow was already neatly dressed and sitting on the bed playing with toys.
“Daddy, kiss!”
Hearing Chu Kai’s voice, Chu Zhuo immediately put down the cookie music box in his hand, pounced into Chu Kai’s arms like a cheerful little bird, tightly wrapped his small hands around him, and kissed his cheek a few times, leaving a few wet water-stain prints.
“Good baby.” Chu Kai rubbed Chu Zhuo’s round head, recalling Zhu Xinqing telling him last night to spend these few days properly accompanying Chu Zhuo and not to go to the company.
The cleaning job at the company where Zhu Xinqing worked was something Chu Kai had requested himself.
Ever since he agreed to open and manage Chu Zhuo’s account, he and Chu Zhuo had been going to the company much more frequently.
After filming videos with nothing else to do, Chu Kai didn’t want to stay idle, so he helped with the cleaning, which also counted as a job.
Chu Kai kissed Chu Zhuo’s forehead, reaching out to grab the phone on the bedside table while asking, “Did Big Aunt help you change your clothes? Have you washed up?”
“Yes, washed. Auntie also fed me food.” Having not seen Chu Kai for a long time and feeling that yesterday’s closeness wasn’t enough, Chu Zhuo replied while vigorously burrowing into Chu Kai’s body, his twitching nose constantly sniffing the familiar scent on Chu Kai.
“Really.” Chu Kai’s tone also became cute and vivid, “Baby is truly amazing and great.”
Hearing the praise, Chu Zhuo’s spirit surged, and he began to chatter endlessly, sharing his adventure from the past few days with Chu Kai: “I made friends with Daddy’s friend and many, many friends. All my answers were correct. We completed our task and got fragrant fish. Yan Dad and I sold flour.”
After Chu Kai finished washing up, Chu Zhuo was still talking to the open bathroom door.
“Going out to play with the children made you so happy.” Chu Kai interrupted the excited Chu Zhuo and carried him toward the living room.
He placed Chu Zhuo in the baby high chair to sit and went to the kitchen to make a simple breakfast to eat.
Approaching ten o’clock, he planned to finish cooking at noon, take a nap with Chu Zhuo, and then take Chu Zhuo to the company to find Zhu Xinqing.
Past one in the afternoon.
Watching Chu Kai pack food and pastries into an insulated box, Chu Zhuo released the pacifier he was biting and softly pleaded, “Daddy, next time you go on an adventure, baby wants to go too.”
“Want what?” Chu Kai raised his eyes to look at Chu Zhuo, hoping he wasn’t asking for a pear.
If not for fear of being discovered by Chu Zhuo, he would definitely make this little fellow Chu Zhuo account for eating two pears in three days of recording the show.
“Love meal,” Chu Zhuo looked at the insulated lunch box, slightly pouting and lowering his eyes, “Yan Dad is so pitiful, he only has stir-fried tomatoes with eggs to eat. I promised to bring a love meal for him to eat.”
“Alright. When you go on your adventure next time, Daddy will make it for you.” Chu Kai said, holding the bag containing the lunch box and fruits while scooping Chu Zhuo into his arms. “Now let’s go deliver food to Big Aunt first.”
Chengying Entertainment Company, 26th Floor.
As soon as the elevator doors opened, a group of young people dyed with different hair colors and wearing personalized clothes were standing at the entrance.
It was a temporarily formed boy band managed by Zhu Xinqing.
“Hey, isn’t this Little Lingjiao?” The man dyed with yellow hair shouted loudly.
“Shouting what!” A teammate with milk-gray hair punched him. “Just finished getting scolded by Sister Qing, still want to get scolded!”
“Brother Chu,” Jian Xia wiped his milk-gray bangs and cleared a path for Chu Kai, “Sister Qing is waiting for you.”
“Thank you.” Chu Kai, accustomed to the scene of these twenty-something youths fooling around, smiled lightly and carried Chu Zhuo toward Zhu Xinqing’s office.
It looked like this group of kids had pissed Zhu Xinqing off again.
The office door was open, so Chu Kai walked straight in.
“Good little Zhuo,” Zhu Xinqing put down the documents in her hand and opened her arms toward Chu Zhuo, “Let Big Aunt give you a hug.”
After sending Chu Zhuo into Zhu Xinqing’s embrace, Chu Kai efficiently tidied up the desk, opened the lunch boxes, and carried Chu Zhuo, who was softened and dazed by Zhu Xinqing’s cuddling, over to the sofa.
Sitting at the corner of the sofa watching Chu Zhuo play with toys, Chu Kai looked toward Zhu Xinqing, who had already started eating, and asked, “Sister Qing, aren’t Jian Xia and the others training intensively for the talent show? Why did they make you angry again?”
Zhu Xinqing picked up a piece of potato with her chopsticks, sighed, and said, “These little cubs insist on going against me. The song they chose for their initial talent show stage clashes with the song of Minghuang Entertainment’s boy band. When told to change it, they refuse! A bunch of stubborn mules!”
“If it were any other company, fine. They sing and dance well, so they might gain a little minor popularity. If they sing badly, at worst they go the notorious route. But Minghuang Entertainment belongs to the Yan family, are they people to mess with?”
Zhu Xinqing poured all her grievances out, and upon realizing she mentioned the Yan family, the chopsticks in her hand paused in mid-air.
Yan Chi belonged to Minghuang Entertainment, and he was not someone to mess with either.
“Xiaokai,” Zhu Xinqing’s tone softened, “regarding this variety show, what are your plans?”
“He didn’t recognize me.” Chu Kai helped Chu Zhuo retrieve a toy car that had rolled to the other corner of the sofa, asking back, “If we withdraw, will the penalty money be a lot?”
Zhu Xinqing didn’t answer, merely resting her chopsticks gently on the lunch box.
“Then we won’t withdraw.” Chu Kai pinched Chu Zhuo’s small hand and said, “Our little Zhuo likes adventure games, right?”
Ever since Chu Zhuo and the children in the variety show had blended together into a group, he had made this decision. He didn’t want to destroy the friendship Chu Zhuo had finally managed to obtain.
“That’s right.” Chu Zhuo replied, holding the toy car and flying it through the air. “Whoosh! Yan Dad lifted me up high.”
From last night until now, Chu Zhuo had mentioned Yan Dad many times.
The degree of Chu Zhuo’s fondness for Yan Chi was clear in Chu Kai’s heart, and Zhu Xinqing could guess it as well.
Zhu Xinqing walked from beside the desk to Chu Kai’s side and comforted him, “Xiaokai, just consider it leaving a wonderful growth memory for little Zhuo. Once we get through this period, it will be fine.”
“Yeah, after the show ends, little Zhuo can also go to kindergarten.” Chu Kai nodded, though his mouth pouted downward.
Zhu Xinqing pulled out a gift box from behind her and shook it in front of Chu Kai’s eyes, “A gift for little Zhuo.”
The brand and name printed on the gift box indicated it was a children’s smart watch.
“He doesn’t need it.” Chu Kai pushed it back. “He’s only three and a half years old, he can’t use these yet.”
“He’ll use it when he goes to kindergarten.” Zhu Xinqing shoved the gift box into Chu Kai’s hands and walked toward the desk. “Just consider it my kindergarten admission gift for little Zhuo.”
To prevent Chu Kai from declining again, Zhu Xinqing raised her voice and said, “Little Zhuo, come look at the watch Big Aunt bought for you. Do you like it? It’s a watch that can contact other children!”
“Really?” Hearing this, Chu Zhuo put down the toy car in his hand and tilted his small head to search for the watch.
“Right here.” Chu Kai placed Chu Zhuo on his lap to sit and accompanied him to unwrap the gift box.
Chu Zhuo had seen electronic watches before. Xiaoxiao from the apartment complex wore one on her wrist and even used that watch to make video calls to other children.
“Do you like it?” Seeing Chu Zhuo gripping the watch, Zhu Xinqing asked again.
“Like it, like it, thank you auntie.” Chu Zhuo’s eyes glowed, looking at the watch strap one second and pressing his finger onto the screen the next.
“Daddy will help you.” Seeing Chu Zhuo acting like a headless fly wanting to light up the screen but failing, Chu Kai stepped in to help.
After turning it on, Chu Kai first added his and Zhu Xinqing’s contact information, set up functions like synchronized location tracking and emergency contacts, and then put the watch on Chu Zhuo’s wrist.
He raised his wrist to touch Chu Zhuo’s watch and patiently explained, “Tapping another child’s watch will make you friends. By adding friends this way, little Zhuo can make phone calls with the children.”
Watching Chu Kai’s demonstration, Chu Zhuo’s round eyeballs rolled around, and he nodded thoughtfully.
Imitating Chu Kai’s appearance, he tentatively tapped Chu Kai’s wrist a few times before his mouth curved up into a smile, and he said happily, “Great, I want to become good friends with Brother Xiaoyu, Sister Chenchen, Brother Zhouzhou, all of them, all the children, and make phone calls too. I also want to become friends with Yan Dad. Call Yan Dad and invite him to eat a love meal.”
Hearing the words Yan Dad, Chu Kai’s expression involuntarily turned unnatural.
He held down Chu Zhuo, who was bouncing around randomly on the sofa, and gently reminded him, “You cannot become friends with Yan Dad, he is an adult.”
“Don’t adults have watches?” Chu Zhuo wrinkled his cute little eyebrows and asked with a face full of confusion.
“Right.” Chu Kai answered with difficulty, then added. “Yan Dad is very busy. Aside from the time you spend on adventures, you cannot disturb him at other times.”
“Okay.” Chu Zhuo pouted his little mouth, a trace of disappointment flashing through his eyes.
He sat back down on Chu Kai’s lap, looked at the watch on his wrist, and softly murmured, “Turns out adults don’t have watches and can’t make friends with children.”