At five-oh-five, Quan Jiu arrived at the kindergarten entrance. Many children were being picked up by their parents.
The principal, who was bidding farewell to the children and parents at the door, suddenly looked up and saw Quan Jiu.
Although Quan Jiu didn't pick up the children often, her outstanding appearance and the unusual intelligence of her two children, Mimi and Tutu, had made a deep impression on the principal.
She quickly smiled and greeted her, "Mimi's mother, your work isn't as busy lately, is it?"
Quan Jiu smiled slightly and exchanged a few pleasantries with the teacher before seeing her son and daughter run out of the kindergarten with their small backpacks.
"Mommy." Mimi threw herself into Quan Jiu's arms, her smile incredibly charming. Her doll-like face attracted the attention of some of the little boys around them.
Tutu was not to be outdone. He flicked his hair and struck a cool pose, which drew frequent glances from the little girls around them.
Quan Jiu, holding her children by the left and right hands, walked home. As they passed a fruit shop, she saw that the peaches looked good and bought three pounds.
The mother and her two children arrived at the entrance of the residential complex. As Quan Jiu was about to swipe her card to enter, she suddenly caught a glimpse of a gaze. She turned her head and was startled to see Gu Si.
After a moment of stunned silence, Quan Jiu smiled and greeted him, "It's you. It seems we're quite fated. Do you live in this complex too?"
Gu Si looked at the two children beside Quan Jiu. They were incredibly cute, the kind that made it impossible to look away after just one glance, perfectly inheriting their mother's good looks.
"Your children?" Gu Si leaned against the wall, his hands in his pockets. His thin lips were pressed together, and his long, narrow phoenix eyes looked at Mimi and Tutu, appearing heartless and cold.
Quan Jiu hummed in response and took out two peaches from her pocket. "I bought peaches, here are two for you."
Gu Si didn't refuse. He stepped forward, came in front of Quan Jiu, and reached out to take the peaches.
Quan Jiu, as if suddenly remembering, said, "Wait, these are fuzzy peaches."
She took out a pack of tissues from her bag, pulled out two sheets, wrapped the two peaches, and then smiled as she handed them to Gu Si.
"These peaches are delicious," she said, smiling at Gu Si. "Are you here on business?"
Gu Si looked at his rough palm and the peaches wrapped in tissues, and his heart stirred slightly. He squinted at Quan Jiu, raised an eyebrow, and then turned his gaze back to the road, saying lazily, "I was passing by. I happened to see your back and thought it looked familiar, so I came to take a look. I didn't expect it to be you."
Quan Jiu nodded slightly, paused for a moment, and then smiled, "By the way, my name is Quan Jiu."
Gu Si's lips curved, revealing two dimples. His full under-eyes instantly dispelled his heartless demeanor, making him look like a mischievous big kid. "Gu Si."
He extended his hand. "I didn't have a chance to get your phone number last time. I wonder if I have a chance this time."
Quan Jiu chuckled softly and shook hands with Gu Si. "I didn't expect to meet you again last time either." She then gave him her phone number.
The soft touch of her fingertips was fleeting, like a gentle feather, brushing against Gu Si's heart.
He cleared his throat and quickly took out his phone to save the number, then called back. "Mine."
Quan Jiu saved the number on the spot and finally looked in the direction of the complex. "Well... I'll be going now. I still need to go back and cook for the children."
"Okay, take care," Gu Si waved.
Tutu had already opened the door, and the mother and children walked into the complex hand in hand.
"Thanks for the peaches," Gu Si called from behind.
Quan Jiu turned back and smiled brightly. "It's nothing."
After watching Gu Si walk away with a flourish, Quan Jiu turned back again, the smile on her face suddenly dropping, and she fell into silence.
Mimi and Tutu both sensed the change in her mood, but it wasn't a good time to ask. They could only wait until they got home to ask Quan Jiu.
"Mommy, who was that uncle just now? You seemed a little... worried." Mimi was very good at reading people.
Quan Jiu took out a fruit knife and peeled a peach for the two children, cutting it in half. She said nonchalantly, "We've met twice before. It's nothing, don't worry."
The two children knew their mother wasn't telling the truth, but they didn't dare to press further. After all, they were still children, and their mother would definitely not let them worry.
Quan Jiu turned to the kitchen to cook and suddenly remembered something. She said to Tutu, "Tutu, go check on Grandpa's house. His computer is broken, see if you can fix it."
He could take apart a computer? Alright! Tutu immediately dashed towards the opposite door.
Mimi said, "Mommy, I'll go watch my brother," and chased after him.
However, when they reached the door of 1003, Tutu hesitated. By the time Mimi arrived, he said, "Sis, is he back at this hour? Didn't we say he has social anxiety? He should be home twenty-four hours a day. What if we open the door and he's not here? Then we'll have to play by ourselves in an empty room."
As soon as he finished speaking, the door clicked open from the inside.
Chu Rong stood at the entrance, saying gently, "Why are you standing outside the door? Come in."
Tutu looked surprised. "Why are you back so early?" he said as he entered the room.
But as soon as he entered, he exclaimed, "Wow!" and pointed at the room in astonishment, "What happened here?"
Mimi also followed him into the room.
The siblings stood at the entrance of the living room. The high-grade gray texture was gone, replaced by a colorful, childlike decor. It was as if they had walked into the wrong room.
"Uncle, why has your taste become so childish? These mushroom clouds, little rocking horses... haha, it's hilarious. Your taste is so strange, your class has instantly dropped." Tutu squatted on the floor, laughing so hard he couldn't stand up straight.
Chu Rong's expression stiffened. He called out, "Mi Tu."
Tutu's laughter stopped abruptly. He turned his head and looked somewhat stunned. "Huh?"
"Three months ago, a hacker named Mi Tu hacked into the superficial security system of Chu Corporation and gave me two words. Do you know what those two words were?" Chu Rong sat down on the sofa, looking at Tutu with a half-smile.
Tutu looked at Mimi helplessly: Sis, what should I do? I think I've been exposed.
Mimi walked directly to Chu Rong and sat beside him, looking like a precocious child. "Since you know, why are you asking?"
Tutu quickly ran to his sister's side and sat down properly.
Chu Rong paused for a moment before reaching out to stroke the two children's heads, saying softly, "These years, I've made you and your mother suffer. Don't worry, I will be a good father from now on and will never let you suffer any grievances."
Mimi and Tutu thought they were going to be interrogated, but instead, he directly admitted their father-son relationship. Wasn't this a bit too sudden?
"Did Mom tell you about your identities?" Chu Rong asked expectantly.
Tutu shook his head. "Mom never mentioned you or Chu Corporation. It was me... who found out."
Chu Rong felt as if his heart had suddenly dropped, experiencing a moment of weightlessness. After a moment, he smiled and said, "I heated some milk for you."
"You used the cups we drink milk from to do the genetic testing, didn't you?" Mimi leaned back on the sofa, her eyes questioning. "Then how did you know our identities? Also, your behavior makes me quite unhappy."
Chu Rong placed two cups of milk by their sides and looked at Mimi. "Seeing you is like seeing myself when I was young." He had experienced it and knew what kind of extraordinary intellect that was.
Mimi remained silent. Tutu reached out to take the milk, but Mimi's glare made him too scared to move.
Chu Rong sighed helplessly. "The paternity test was just to confirm. Should I snatch you and your mother, or coax you to get you. As for your identities, I can tell you, but you can't tell your mother. I'm afraid she... won't want me anymore."
The industry elite, who commanded great power, uttered such vulnerable words, causing Mimi and Tutu to pause. Regardless, this person was their father.
Seeing that his son and daughter's attitude had softened, Chu Rong said slowly, "I saw you at Xiangyuan Xiaoge."
So that's how it was.
Mimi and Tutu nodded in understanding.
Mimi crossed her arms, looking like a dominant little overlord. "Tell us, what are you planning to do?"
Tutu, emboldened by his sister, also stood up straight.