"Madam, your husband wants you to take the phone."
A passing servant heard the phone ringing and, happening to be nearby, connected it. She held the receiver, waiting for Shen Meixiu to come and take it.
"Take the call. Explain properly to Dad," Di Mingjue said, his voice laced with mocking irony as he saw her timid appearance.
Some people are like that, only giving up when they reach the grave, clinging to a sliver of hope.
Shen Meixiu glared at him, and the two had clearly fallen out.
"From now on, if you are bullied without having done anything wrong, you don't need to tolerate it. This world isn't just children who make mistakes; adults do too. So, never be timid in anything. Boldly defend your dignity," Di Mingjue said to Xingxing, lowering his head.
He was saying these words on behalf of Ye Ziyu. If Ye Ziyu knew that Shen Meixiu treated Xingxing so harshly, she would surely return every bit of the grievance Xingxing suffered, multiplied.
Xingxing gazed dazedly at the concern in Di Mingjue's eyes, mistaking it for fatherly love. He had never felt such a sensation from Ye Shaoting, even though Ye Shaoting was his nominal father.
Di Mingjue reached out and touched Xingxing, then headed upstairs.
He had come back to get his phone and hadn't expected to find the children being bullied by Shen Meixiu. It was as if fate had deliberately arranged it, making him realize he couldn't just leave the children unattended at the Ye residence.
Coming downstairs, he saw Xingxing still standing in the same spot, unmoving. He instinctively glanced towards Shen Meixiu, who was by the phone.
Shen Meixiu was currently speaking gently and softly to Ye Qianzhi, explaining the recent events. If she hadn't been talking continuously, Di Mingjue would have thought Xingxing's current behavior was due to further criticism from her.
"Don't just stand there. Go and do what you need to do," Di Mingjue said, placing his hand on Xingxing's shoulder.
Glancing at the limp arm on his shoulder, Xingxing greedily leaned closer to Di Mingjue's body.
Previously, he would have jumped away and hidden far away. But now, he wished time would slow down. He wanted to properly feel what fatherly love was like, whether it was like the textbooks described, with broad shoulders that could lift his entire world.
"Do you have something to say to me?" Di Mingjue asked.
Xingxing remained silent, but his eyes continued to look at him.
Di Mingjue was in a hurry to settle the three children. He genuinely had neither the mood nor the energy to pay attention to Xingxing.
He patted Xingxing's shoulder, offering silent encouragement, and then moved away from him.
Xingxing wanted to find out the truth behind his parents' departure himself, rather than relying on others to give him a one-sided account of the matter.
After leaving the Ye residence, Di Mingjue got into his car. He started the engine, and before he could drive away, Qianqian leaned her head over.
"Daddy, Xingxing Gege was also disciplined just now. Why didn't you bring Xingxing Gege out with you when you went in?"
"I am your father, not his. If I had brought him out, I wouldn't have the standing to take him out of the house."
"But if he's alone at home, will he be bullied again?"
Di Mingjue certainly understood Qianqian's concern. Therefore, after returning to the Ye residence and hearing what Shen Meixiu was saying to Xingxing, he picked up his phone and decided to call him.
Now that Ye Qianzhi knew about this, Shen Meixiu probably wouldn't dare to bully him for the time being.
Di Mingjue stroked Qianqian's worried little face. "Don't worry, Daddy already helped settle things for him when I went in earlier, so he won't be bullied for now."
"That's good," Qianqian said, patting her chest like an adult and sighing in relief.
Seeing her wise-beyond-her-years demeanor, Di Mingjue smiled helplessly.