Elsewhere, after Si Si’s mom went to buy steamed buns, Si Si hurried after her.
“Mom, don’t leave Si Si behind. Si Si isn’t hungry. Don’t eat spicy food…”
Unfortunately, Wen Mo ran too fast and didn’t hear the little voice behind her at all.
Before leaving, she had told the four little children to wait obediently for her to come back. But Si Si mistakenly thought Mom was running away and didn’t want them anymore.
Si Si was so hungry that his legs felt weak. It didn’t take long for him to lose sight of Mom.
Si Si stood on the busy street, lost.
His little head turned this way and that, but all he saw were unfamiliar faces. His lips quivered, and his eyes reddened.
“Wah… Mom…”
Just as he was about to cry, Si Si bumped into a passerby.
“Child, why are you here all by yourself? Where’s your mom?”
The speaker was a very pretty young woman. She bent down to look at him, her voice gentle.
Si Si lowered his little head, looking heartbroken. “Mom doesn’t want me anymore~”
The kind young woman asked again, “Then where’s your dad?”
At the mention of Dad, Si Si finally lifted his head.
That’s right, Si Si still had a dad!
Mom had said she would bring them back to find Dad. Dad was super rich and would take care of them.
Then they’d never have to go hungry again.
“Si Si has a dad! My dad’s name is Pei Si Jie!”
Si Si didn’t know which characters made up the name, but he’d memorized it because Mom was always repeating the name of their rich dad to them.
“I’m going to find Dad!” Si Si clenched his little fists, his expression serious.
The woman’s expression stiffened.
“Your dad’s surname is Pei? His name is Pei Sijie?”
The only Pei family in all of Kyoto was that top-tier wealthy family.
Pei Sijie’s name appeared in financial newspapers all the time. Almost everyone knew who he was.
And this dirty, skinny little child was claiming that Pei Sijie was his dad?
Si Si nodded hard, his little face especially determined. “Yes, my dad’s name is Pei Si Jie!”
The woman fell silent for two seconds.
She didn’t know whether to believe him or not.
Still, she bent down and picked Si Si up. “I don’t know your dad, but I can take you to the entrance of Pei Corporation.”
If the child’s father wasn’t Pei Sijie, someone would deal with it then.
Si Si obediently got into the car. He leaned against the window, watching the streets race by, his little face brimming with delight.
Si Si was about to find his dad!
Once Si Si brought Dad back, Mom would surely be happy!
Then Mom wouldn’t leave Si Si behind~
…
They arrived at the entrance to Pei Corporation.
Si Si hopped out of the car excitedly and tipped up his little head.
Before him stood a building so tall it was frightening. Its glass walls glittered in the sunlight, and its roof seemed to pierce the clouds.
Si Si craned his little neck until it ached, but he still couldn’t see the top.
Si Si marveled inwardly: Wow, is this Dad’s company?
Dad’s company is so tall and huge! Dad really is rich!
He followed the kind young woman toward the entrance.
But before they could even go inside, a security guard in uniform stopped them.
“Stop! What do you want? This is Pei Group. Unauthorized visitors aren’t allowed in.”
But Si Si wasn’t afraid. He tipped up his little face, his soft, childish voice clear and focused. “Hello, Uncle. I’m here to find my dad!”
The security guard was stunned. “Find your dad? Who’s your dad?”
Si Si puffed out his little chest and spoke each word with great seriousness. “Pei. Si. Jie. Pei Si Jie is my dad.”
The security guard was instantly shocked.
My little ancestor!
Who in the entire Capital didn’t know President Pei’s name? Yet no one dared to say those three syllables aloud.
Not only did this little kid dare to say it, he even claimed to be President Pei’s son?
A newborn calf really doesn’t fear tigers… No, this had to be a scam!
The security guard glanced at the woman beside the child, and his expression instantly turned cold.
A woman shows up with a child, immediately claiming she wants to see President Pei and that President Pei is the child’s father.
He’d seen this classic scam plenty of times.
The security guard frowned and waved them away. “Go on, get out of here! President Pei doesn’t have a son. Don’t try to scam us!”
As soon as he finished speaking, two more security guards came over and blocked the entrance, driving the woman and child away.
“Hurry up and leave!”
“If you don’t leave, we’ll call the police!”
Si Si was pushed back several steps, his little legs stumbling.
He looked up at the security guards’ icy faces. His little mouth was pressed into a tight line, and he felt terribly wronged.
Why won’t they let me in?
Could it be that Dad doesn’t want to see me?
The kind young woman had been driven out too. She stood by the roadside, looking awkward.
From what the security guards had said, President Pei didn’t have a son at all.
She looked down at the filthy little boy and began to have doubts herself.
Could this child… really be making it up?
But she was just an ordinary passerby. She didn’t dare provoke a wealthy family on Pei Group’s level.
She crouched down and hesitantly began, “child… maybe… maybe your dad isn’t here.”
Si Si’s eyes reddened at once. He lowered his little head, his voice muffled. “Dad doesn’t want to claim me. Dad doesn’t love me either…”
Either?
The woman’s heart gave a painful squeeze.
The child had said “either.”
Mom didn’t want him, and Dad didn’t love him either.
She looked at Si Si’s thin little shoulders and filthy little face. In an instant, every doubt vanished, leaving only heartache.
What a pitiful little child.
Just then, a black Rolls-Royce slowly emerged from the company parking lot exit.
Its gleaming body radiated an imposing, aristocratic air that seemed to set it apart from the ordinary world.
The rear window was half open, revealing the man’s striking profile.
His features were exquisitely sculpted, his noble appearance more eye-catching than the car itself.
The man wore a tailored black suit. His features were deep and cold, his aura powerful and restrained, and a chill around him warned others to keep their distance. He was none other than Pei Group’s leader, Pei Sijie.
Si Si glanced over and saw the man in the back seat.
Dad?
That was Dad’s face. He’d seen the photos Mom had looked up on her phone.
Mom had also said that they were miniature versions of Dad, and that if they stood in front of him, he would surely recognize them as his own sons!
With one last shred of hope, Si Si ran toward Dad’s car. “Dad, Dad…”
He ran and called out, but his little legs were simply too slow. He couldn’t catch up with Dad’s car.
Inside the car.
Pei Sijie had his eyes closed, resting, when a soft, childish voice suddenly drifted into his ears.
He abruptly opened his eyes, his dark gaze cold and fathomless.
His thin lips parted. “Did you hear something?”
The assistant, who was also driving, was focused on the road. At the question, he glanced at the rearview mirror.
“President Pei, it’s a woman and a child. It sounds like the child is calling out.”
Pei Sijie’s gaze darkened, and he too turned to look in the rearview mirror.
Sure enough, he saw an unfamiliar woman and a little child. The child was so dirty that his face was hard to make out, and he was stumbling along as he chased the car.