Summer vacation arrived.
The children, who hadn't gone out with their mommy for a long time, were eager to see the underwater world.
Jiang Nan Fang had planned the trip, discovering an aquarium in Shangcheng that perfectly matched their expectations. So, they all took a plane to Shangcheng.
On the plane, Ge'er and Tian Tian's beautiful and cute appearance attracted the attention of all the passengers, who eagerly greeted them.
Overwhelmed with excitement, Ge'er accidentally knocked over the juice she was holding.
Her pure white dress was instantly stained with a patch of orange-yellow.
The flight attendant offered to take Ge'er to the restroom to clean it, but Jiang Nan Fang declined, saying they would change clothes after landing.
A cotton dress stained with juice wouldn't come clean, so they decided to discard this outfit.
Upon landing at the airport, Tian Tian wanted to stay with her mommy.
Jiang Nan Fang instructed the two boys to wait by the restroom door, watch the luggage, and not wander off, as they would return immediately after changing.
The two little ones sat on the luggage, bored, and took out their digital toys to play.
Rui Rui was watching an educational video when he discovered something peculiar.
"Didn't they say hot expands and cold contracts? Why did this person pour hot water into a plastic bottle and it shrunk?"
He showed the video on his hand to Jing Yu.
Although they considered themselves knowledgeable, Jing Yu couldn't answer his question.
They watched the video again, and Jing Yu reminded him.
"If you can't figure it out, just ask Baidu. I don't know why either."
The two neat and refined little boys were about to turn to Baidu.
Suddenly, a pair of dull, large feet appeared in their view.
"Plastic bottles contain polyethylene and polypropylene. Their constituent materials are high molecular materials in a stretched state."
When exposed to water above 80 degrees Celsius, they soften, lose their structural support, and the molecules, under stress, retract, causing shrinkage."
A man suddenly provided the answer for Baidu.
Not only was it a man's voice, but it was a very familiar one.
They quickly looked up, their faces turning towards the person in front of them.
He had long hair, a scruffy beard, and wore sunglasses, obscuring his features.
In this hot weather, he was wearing a wrinkled black windbreaker.
He looked nothing like their daddy, not even remotely similar.
But that voice!
They immediately thought of Zhan Bei Jue.
"Daddy, is that you? Are you back?"
"You're finally back, Daddy, we missed you so much!"
That's right, Zhan Bei Jue was back.
He was there to participate in a chase game show introduced by Shangcheng, carrying a worn-out duffel bag.
But at this moment, he didn't recognize his children.
He had just come to use the restroom, saw the two little ones pondering a question beyond their knowledge, and instinctively answered it.
He didn't expect that his answer would lead to trouble.
The two boys hugged his legs, shouting "Daddy!"
Zhan Bei Jue didn't squat down. Instead, he first pushed his glasses up and then pushed them off his legs, saying with a blank expression.
"Little ones, you can say anything, but you can't claim just anyone as your father. Don't you even know what your own father looks like?"
He spoke fluent English with no accent.
Rui Rui and Jing Yu, seeing that he had rejected them, exchanged glances and were simultaneously bewildered.
What was going on?
His voice sounded exactly like their daddy's, but he wasn't their daddy?
Could there really be two people in the world with such similar voices?
After speaking, Zhan Bei Jue went into the restroom with his duffel bag.
The two boys looked at the entrance of the women's restroom, hoping Jiang Nan Fang would come out soon.
However, before Jiang Nan Fang emerged, Zhan Bei Jue came out first.
Without paying attention to the two children whose gazes were fixed on him, he strode away with his duffel bag.
As his back grew further away and disappeared at the hall entrance, Jiang Nan Fang, with her two daughters, finally came out.
"Why did it take so long? Mommy, we think we just saw Daddy!"
"What?"
Caught off guard by this statement, Jiang Nan Fang's hair almost stood on end.
"Really? Where? Where is he? Where did he go now?"
"It was just very similar, but it wasn't him. His voice sounded a lot like Daddy's. Mommy, do you think there are really two people in the world with exactly the same voice?"
"Mommy, we miss Daddy so much, when will he ever come back?"
Jiang Nan Fang's eyes anxiously scanned their surroundings. She missed Zhan Bei Jue too, and wouldn't miss an opportunity to see anyone even slightly resembling him.
"Do you really think that person looked a lot like Daddy? Where did he go now?"
Rui Rui pointed towards the exit.
"Let's go and see!"
Jiang Nan Fang pulled Ge'er and Tian Tian, instructed the two boys to lead the way, and the five of them rushed to the hall entrance.
Just as a taxi arrived, Zhan Bei Jue negotiated the fare and pulled open the door to get in.
Not seeing his full face clearly, as he lowered his head to enter the car, Jiang Nan Fang caught sight of his full beard and that tattered duffel bag.
She was instantly disappointed.
He looked nothing like Zhan Bei Jue.
He was a person with severe潔癖 (cleanliness obsession), and no matter when, even when drunk, he wouldn't allow his appearance to be even slightly disheveled.
But the man in front of her looked like a vagrant, completely unkempt.
How could he be like him?
Jiang Nan Fang sighed and stopped in her tracks.
She comforted the children and herself.
"Daddy will return when the time is right, don't miss him too much."
"Let's go, aren't we going to the aquarium? We'll drop our luggage at the hotel first, and then we'll go right away."
The mother and five children went to the aquarium to pass the time, while Zhan Bei Jue checked into a budget hotel.
When the boxing gym owner sold the copyright, he had informed the investors in Shangcheng to guarantee a spot for one contestant.
Zhan Bei Jue was to register his details with the program team.
The hotel had been booked in advance by the investors, so he went straight to his room with the key card.
After putting down his luggage and resting for a while, he took a taxi to the television station.
Jiang Nan Fang kept the children entertained until past three in the afternoon before leaving the aquarium.
Having been mentally stimulated for most of the day, the sudden relaxation left the children exhausted, and they were drowsy on the way back to the hotel.
Jiang Nan Fang told them, "Go back to the hotel and sleep properly. Mommy has something to attend to and needs to go out. I'll be back when you wake up, okay?"
They all knew that Jiang Nan Fang had a friend in Shangcheng named Ke Teng, who was hospitalized due to illness. Mommy had been eager to visit him.
She had made many preparations before coming to Shangcheng.
The children nodded in agreement.
After settling the children, Jiang Nan Fang also took a taxi directly to the television station.
This was because she had already found out in advance.
Ke Jingyu's media company was currently preparing to develop a new variety show, and today was the day for signing a cooperative contract with the television station.
Ke Jingyu would be present in person.
She hadn't seen Ke Teng in a long time.
She didn't want to remain in this ambiguous stalemate with Ke Jingyu any longer.
She intended to approach him proactively and clarify things.