1122 - Chapter 30.1

He also moved his home from M Country back to China, settling into the new house he had bought and renovated half a year ago. Qiao Qiao would also complete her final year of kindergarten domestically, unsurprisingly ending up in the same class as Zhuzhu and Zaizai.

At first, he had considered whether they should be separated, but Chu Beiheng gave him a talking-to, presenting him with two choices: if he ever found himself stretched too thin, would he turn to their family for help, or would he ask Yan Nanchen? The decision was his to make.

In the end, he silently chose Yan Nanchen’s family.

And indeed, things were different now compared to when they were in M Country. There was simply no way he could juggle work and childcare alone. On days when overtime was unavoidable, he had no choice but to entrust Qiao Qiao to Director Duan. Sometimes, by the time he finished work and went to pick her up from Director Duan’s place, she was already fast asleep.

Fortunately, Qiao Qiao adapted well. With her two older cousins to play with, she wasn’t too lonely.

On top of that, the little girl was quite the schemer. She knew that if she called her uncle, he would come find her whether it was taking her to Galaxy Group to see him or to visit Yan Nanchen. In short, she made sure she was never bored.

She was practically on the verge of turning Galaxy Group into her own princess playground.

Perhaps it really was the pull of blood ties. Once she realized Yan Nanchen would play with her, she stopped clinging to her uncle so much. In the first few days after returning, when she hadn’t seen her uncle, she would cry and beg for him, demanding video calls. Now, a single call in the evening was enough to keep her content.

These days, the moment school was out, she’d start chattering about wanting to play with her “good friend Yan Nanchen.”

From the day they returned to the country, there hadn’t been a single day when he wasn’t sharing the same space as Yan Nanchen. During the day, aside from frequently going in and out of Galaxy Research Institute with Yan Nanchen, he also had to deal with Qiao Qiao pestering him to see Yan Nanchen in the evenings.

She was especially obsessed with playing the “summon-on-demand” game.

He had never imagined Qiao Qiao could be this clingy.

And it was precisely this clinginess that forced him into constant contact with Yan Nanchen contact that was undeniably wearing down his resolve. Yet Yan Nanchen never crossed any lines. He was just a responsible father, a courteous suitor.

They saw each other during the day, sometimes at night and most infuriatingly even in his dreams.

Humans were fickle creatures by nature. Most didn’t believe in love at first sight, but the idea of affection growing over time? That was something nearly everyone could accept.

Weekend, Galaxy Group.

The door to the top-floor CEO’s office was wide open. By the floor-to-ceiling window, a pink rug had been spread out, and Qiao Qiao her hair tied into two little buns had already set up shop with her makeup kit, ready for business.

Her goal was clear: she was here to get Yan Nanchen to play with her.

Yan Nanchen, entirely unfazed, took off his suit jacket and joined his daughter on the pink rug, thoroughly enjoying himself more than happy to oblige.

Jiang Yi stood outside the door for a while, his emotions complicated, before sighing and heading to the adjacent CEO’s office. When he pushed the door open, he found Chu Beiheng signing documents with dramatic flair, his pen strokes practically dancing across the page.

This was the same person who had lied about not working today, tricking him into bringing Qiao Qiao over only for him to end up here, signing paperwork while Qiao Qiao was left to her own devices at Galaxy Group.

Chu Beiheng caught a glimpse of the figure at the door out of the corner of his eye. He glanced up briefly before lowering his head again to sign his documents, chuckling, “What’s the matter? Not enjoying some quality father-daughter time next door? Here to watch this corporate drone work instead?”

Jiang Yi walked over to the desk, resting his hands on the edge as he got straight to the point. “Stop always letting her come here. She’ll get used to it.”

“Qiao Qiao wants to see her dad, how can I not bring her? Sure, Piggy and the little one are her brothers, and Ranran and Duan Yizhou are uncles, but none of them compare to her own father.”

Chu Beiheng signed the last document of the morning, snapped it shut with a stylish flick of his wrist, and tossed it onto the desk. Then, capping his fountain pen, he leaned back lazily in his chair and raised an eyebrow at Jiang Yi. “Where Dad is, even a doghouse feels like home.”

“But is it me she’s really looking for?” Jiang Yi massaged his temples, already picturing the traces of Qiao Qiao scattered around the CEO’s office next door.

“Isn’t First Dad still a dad?” Chu Beiheng noticed Jiang Yi rubbing his forehead again. “Heading to the lab with Nanchen later?”

“Yeah. Testing a new sequence today.”

Chu Beiheng knew how eager he was about this. “Don’t push yourself too hard. Career’s important, but health is the foundation. Lately, you’ve been picking up Qiao Qiao really late. When my dad found out, he went straight to Nanchen to ask what was going on. I joked, ‘Why meddle in their love life? Isn’t spoiling your granddaughter fun enough?’ Hahaha.”

“Not funny.” Jiang Yi shot him a deadpan look, then recalled Yan Nanchen’s father approaching him the other day. “Your dad talked to me about this too, two days ago.”

“What’d he say? Anything about Nanchen?”

Jiang Yi shook his head. “No, just told me not to overwork myself. That’s it.”

Chu Beiheng smirked, reclining further. “No mention of fighting for custody of the granddaughter?”

Jiang Yi knew he couldn’t win against Chu Beiheng’s sharp tongue. He stood up, then suddenly seemed to remember something. “I might be back late today. Can you keep an eye on Qiao Qiao?”

Chu Beiheng twirled his pen between his fingers, nodding knowingly. “Got it. Date night, huh? Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of her.”

Jiang Yi stared at him wordlessly for two seconds before turning to leave. “The sequence test might run long, and I’m worried I won’t make it in time to pick her up. And stop buying her more gifts.”

With limited funds, he hadn’t bought a big place after returning to the country. But the toys Qiao Qiao had brought back from M. alone could fill two rooms any more, and the house would be unlivable.

“Deny it all you want.” Chu Beiheng laughed, shaking his head before picking up his phone to text his dear younger brother.

Underground Parking Lot

Jiang Yi took the elevator down first, texting his assistant that he’d arrive at the lab in about half an hour and to have everything ready. But as he stepped out of the elevator, his vision suddenly darkened. His legs wobbled, and he instinctively braced himself against the wall, his face turning deathly pale.

His hands trembled, clammy with sweat.

He’d forgotten to take his meds.

Support