The two men, one deliberately seeking friendship, the other already wishing to know the other to offer advice, naturally found great pleasure in each other's company.
Soon, accompanied by the sounds of "Daddy, Mommy" echoing from the kindergarten, school officially ended.
Under the guidance of their teachers, students from the large, middle, and small classes lined up conscientiously.
As Ye Yun stepped into the kindergarten, Keke spotted him and waved excitedly, shouting, "Daddy!"
Keke's spirited demeanor delighted Ye Yun; he felt his trip to the kindergarten was truly worthwhile.
Ye Yun walked over and gently patted his daughter's head. Teacher Huang, holding the sign for the middle-class one, felt a pang of awkwardness upon seeing Ye Yun.
The incident during the morning parent-teacher meeting had left a deep "impression" of this sharp-tongued parent.
"Teacher Huang, Zhong Xintong's mother injured her foot today. She's coming with me. Did her mother mention it to you?"
"Yes, yes, hurry up and go," Teacher Huang exclaimed, as if seeing a plague god and eager to expel him. She dared not say another word to Ye Yun.
Ye Yun, however, paid little mind to her attitude. After all, she was just Keke's kindergarten teacher.
One didn't learn much in kindergarten. If it were a primary school teacher, he might have been more concerned.
Hearing Ye Yun's words, Keke's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Daddy, you said Aunt Wu injured herself?"
At the same time, the little girl took the hand of Zhong Xintong, who stood beside her looking somewhat lost.
Ye Yun, observing this, smiled.
Truly, a remarkably empathetic little girl.
"It's nothing serious, she'll be fine in a few days," Ye Yun said with a smile, then looked at Zhong Xintong. "Little Xintong, would you like Uncle to take you to see your Mommy?"
"Okay, thank you, Uncle," Zhong Xintong replied, lowering her head. She seemed a little timid speaking to a "stranger" like Ye Yun, lacking the spirited demeanor she displayed at school.
Thus, Ye Yun, holding one child's hand in each, cheerfully walked out of the kindergarten.
At the entrance, they encountered two figures, one adult and one child, preparing to ride away on a bicycle.
Zhao Yuanyang chuckled.
"Brother Ye, I'll be heading back now. Let's get together more often!"
"No problem," Ye Yun nodded with a smile.
Then, they parted ways.
Fortunately, Ye Yun had arrived early today and had parked his car right at the entrance, rather than in the nearby underground parking lot as he had in the morning.
Once inside the car, Zhong Xintong seemed to have lost her usual liveliness and remained silent.
Even though Keke sat beside her, trying her best to engage her in conversation, it was to no avail.
It was clear that her energetic display at school was merely a facade.
Seeing other children with their fathers, Zhong Xintong, a child from a single-parent family, felt deeply inferior and struggled to open up.
At such a young age, if emotional support was lacking, children could easily stray down the wrong path.
Although Ye Yun had no experience raising children in his past life, he had read plenty of books on the subject.
Therefore, before arriving at Wu Ziqiong's home, Ye Yun made a special trip to a nearby supermarket to buy plenty of fruits, snacks, and toys.
His "little padded jacket" clearly understood the situation and, taking Zhong Xintong's hand, invited her to share.
Although Zhong Xintong was hesitant, she gradually began to relax.
Children were children after all; delicious food and fun toys quickly captured her attention.
While it would take time for her to fully open up, Ye Yun could see that a crack had already appeared.
Upon arriving and knocking on the door, it was opened quickly. Seeing Zhong Xintong happily playing with toys, Wu Ziqiong was slightly taken aback.
"I happened to see a toy store nearby, so I bought some toys for the children. Have you packed your things?" Ye Yun asked.
They had agreed in the morning that Ye Yun would handle his business while Wu Ziqiong packed some essential clothing to stay at their place for a few days.
To Ye Yun's slight surprise, however, it seemed her luggage hadn't been packed.
Furthermore, Ye Yun noticed tear tracks on Wu Ziqiong's eyes; she appeared to have been crying recently.
Even the house, which had been clean and tidy in the morning, was still neat now but far less so than before.
It was evident that Wu Ziqiong had tidied up hastily.
"Um… Mr. Ye, I've been thinking. It might be inconvenient to stay at your place. We should stay in our own home. Yes, I'm sorry," Wu Ziqiong said, taking a deep breath, and refused.
However, she also felt apologetic for going back on her word, so her voice became almost inaudible by the end.
Ye Yun looked deeply at Wu Ziqiong.
He knew something must have happened to her.
Otherwise, why would she agree to move in the morning and then refuse in the afternoon?
Even a fool would know something was amiss.
However, Ye Yun did not press the issue.
Wu Ziqiong was an adult and surely had her own considerations.
Moreover, for a divorced young woman, his showing too much enthusiasm might easily attract gossip.
Even if he himself didn't care, he still had to consider the reputations of Wu Ziqiong and Li Mengyao.
"Alright."
Seeing that Ye Yun did not ask for reasons, Wu Ziqiong visibly relaxed.
Ye Yun continued, "Then I'll go down and bring up the snacks and fruits, and buy some groceries. Could you watch Keke for a while? I'll cook dinner for you both."
"Ah? How can that be… Mr. Ye, you've already helped me so much today, I…" Wu Ziqiong started to refuse again.
"You're not feeling well, and the child is still growing. She needs proper nutrition," Ye Yun said softly. "I heard Keke say that Xintong is quite lively at school, but look at her now, so quiet. You need to pay more attention to the child's emotions too."
Wu Ziqiong looked at Zhong Xintong, who was hiding behind Ye Yun.
Indeed, the little girl was clutching Mr. Bear and unconsciously fiddling with her fingers, her eyes looking expectantly at Wu Ziqiong.
Her gaze seemed to convey:
"Mommy, I want to stay with Keke a little longer."
Alas.
Sighing inwardly, though feeling very embarrassed, Wu Ziqiong knew she couldn't disappoint her child again.
Looking at Ye Yun, she said, "Mr. Ye, please add my WeChat, and I'll transfer the money to you."
"We can discuss that later. Keke, will you stay with Aunt Wu and play with Xintong for a while? Daddy is going to buy some ingredients to cook for you, okay?"
"Okay! Okay! Daddy, I want sweet and sour pork ribs, pickled fish, and pot-stewed chicken…" Keke immediately started listing dishes, as if ordering from a menu.
Wu Ziqiong was slightly astonished…
These dishes, how could they be what her daughter loved to eat?
But because she was alone in Jinling taking care of her daughter, the pressure of living was immense, and she hadn't eaten these in a long time…
"No problem!"
Ye Yun smiled slightly and then went downstairs. The market was conveniently located nearby.
Besides buying the ingredients for sweet and sour pork ribs, pickled fish, and pot-stewed chicken, Ye Yun also bought a lot of pre-cooked food for Wu Ziqiong to put in the refrigerator for easy consumption in the coming days.
Then, he bought apples, bananas, dragon fruit, strawberries… as well as snacks for children and adults.
Because he bought so much, Ye Yun had to make four trips upstairs.
Two hours later, a table full of delicious and fragrant dishes was laid out on the round table.
Sweet and sour pork ribs coated in white sesame seeds, pickled fish with hot oil poured over it, and pot-stewed chicken with a deep red sheen…