Chapter 127
Summer and loaded Liangpi(cold noodles) were the perfect pairing!
After finishing a bowl of Liangpi overflowing with the love of the little babies, Wei Chengli leaned back in his chair, rubbing his belly with satisfaction, and turned to look at the little chubby dumpling next to him, who had also just put down her chopsticks.
Tsk, tsk, tsk, what was that on her chubby cheeks… sesame paste?
She ate quite fast, but she was truly messy…
Wei Chengli chuckled, getting up to grab a tissue from the table.
But in the time it took him to grab a tissue, when he turned back, there was… nothing left for him to do.
Yan Yan…
Wei Chengli looked at Cheng Tingyan, who had just folded the handkerchief she used to wipe the little chubby dumpling’s face and placed it on the table, then picked up her chopsticks and continued eating her Liangpi, he could only wipe his own mouth with the tissue, hiding his embarrassment at being a step too slow.
Yan Yan’s actions, as smooth and swift as an assembly line, he truly… felt ashamed of his own inadequacy.
Cheng Tingyan didn’t have much Liangpi left in her bowl, she finished it in a few bites.
Wei Chengli saw that Cheng Tingyan’s cup was empty, just as he was about to refill it with lemon water, the little chubby dumpling next to him spoke up.
“Yan Yan, close your eyes.”
How should he put it, later, Wei Chengli thought, he should have also closed his eyes when he heard those words. Oh, and his ears too.
When it came to the little chubby bunny, Cheng Tingyan was always very obedient, she closed her eyes when asked to, opened her mouth when asked to.
Wei Chengli watched as his chubby baby manipulated Yan Yan with a single command, then threw a… candy? into her mouth.
It looked familiar, Shen Jianghe had given one to each dad earlier, he didn’t eat it, he was planning to save it…
“Mmm? Didn’t you say you already ate your two pieces?”
“Hehe.”
“It’s very delicious, why didn’t you eat it? Did you eat the other one?”
“I did.”
“… You didn’t eat it, did you?”
“I ate it.”
…
Wei Chengli, looking at the two little ones’ mushy interaction, touched the candy in his pocket. Hmph, this wouldn’t expire, he would save it and take it back for his wife. Bad baby, no candy for you!
Unlike the envious Wei Chengli, the viewers in the live broadcast room, who had been angry at the hateful Cheng Feiying for the entire noon, finally got a taste of sweetness.
“Hahaha, when Yan Yan ate the first piece, she asked CEO Mao, and CEO Mao lied to her, saying she had already eaten her two pieces, I knew CEO Mao wouldn’t lie to Yan Yan without a reason.”
“I’m dying of laughter, CEO Mao even saved one piece, I wonder if Yan Yan will still be so obedient if CEO Mao asks her to close her eyes and open her mouth next time.”
“Yan Yan always listens to CEO Mao, she’ll probably still listen next time, hahaha!”
“How can the three-year-old CEO Mao be so sweet! My five-year-old nephew, whatever snacks he has, he immediately stuffs them into his mouth, let alone saving them for other children, even his parents can’t have a bite…”
“I’ve been trying to repair my lungs, which were damaged by Cheng Feiying’s mental attack this noon, that kind of mental attack truly… Yan Yan has suffered so much, she needs to eat more candy to recover. Our CEO Mao’s candy must be very sweet, I feel like I’m also being sweetened, sob, sob, sob.”
“Don’t even mention Cheng Feiying, he truly has water in his brain, only he himself doesn’t know, everyone else can see the rivers and lakes in there… Even Director Wei couldn’t stand it and directly confronted him this time. Remember on the first day, when our CEO Mao spoke up for justice, Director Wei was still on Cheng Feiying’s side, saying ‘Children watch too many cartoons, they’re too immersed in their roles, they’re just being childish,’ he even apologized to Cheng Feiying.”
“Speaking of which, hahaha, Yueyue, say more if you can, push your dad’s hand away, and say the rest out loud! We all want to hear it!”
“How should I put it, a child’s growth is truly inseparable from their family. The other babies all showed their stance by sharing their food, but Cheng Rongrong… Of course, a three-and-a-half-year-old baby might be afraid to support her sister because of their volatile dad. But from the past few days, I think Cheng Rongrong probably thinks Cheng Feiying is right…”
“Just my personal opinion… I think all the babies this season are adorable! And so sensible! Of course, except…”
“Right, except… I don’t know if it’s my imagination, but I always feel like she’s a bit… well, you know. It’s like, she clearly doesn’t genuinely like Yan Yan, but she always clings to her, always tries to control her, it’s like, ‘I’m being nice to you on the surface, but if you don’t give me your whole heart, you’re being fake’… It feels manipulative.”
“Exactly! That’s it! I hope Cheng Rongrong can change her ways after she goes to school and learns more, otherwise, it’ll truly…”
…
White coat, IV drip, the rattling sound of a trolley, the smell of disinfectant, and…
The man on the hospital bed in the distance, his face gaunt, but his eyes still so bright.
Bai Lei cautiously took a step forward, then another, and another.
“Live a good life, you’ll encounter your own miracle.” The man said softly.
Bai Lei’s chest tightened, she rushed towards the bed.
“No…”
Bai Lei sat up abruptly in bed, the voice from her dream echoed in reality, along with the lingering pain in her heart.
Looking at the familiar bedroom wall across from her, Bai Lei’s panicked and sorrowful expression gradually faded, returning to calmness.
This dream, Bai Lei had already dreamed it countless times, she had learned how to quickly return to reality after waking up. Many times, she knew it was a dream even while dreaming, she would even subconsciously slow down her actions to prolong the dream. But it was useless. Usually, after hearing those words, the dream would end.
Those were the last words the man said to her before he died, even in her dreams, her subconscious knew it meant the end.
Even though Bai Lei couldn’t remember how many times she had dreamed this dream, every time she dreamed it, the feeling of exhaustion, as if her entire being had been drained, never lessened.
Bai Lei rubbed her chest, leaned back against the pillows, and picked up a tablet, preparing to check on the live broadcast.
But as soon as she opened it, she was greeted with a screen full of negative comments about Cheng Rongrong, she sat up in anger.
What was wrong with these people?
Bai Lei, who had just gone back to sleep after eating breakfast and lunch, was now fuming, she started browsing online, catching up on the events she had missed.
What “rolling her eyes and looking disdainful when the teacher asked Cheng Tingyan to demonstrate during the dance practice,” did she have to keep a straight face, were her eyes not allowed to move while dancing?
What “bossing her sister around, then being called out by CEO Mao,” shouldn’t a six-year-old sister help her three-and-a-half-year-old sister dry her hair? Should she be helping a random stranger instead?
What “Yueyue teaching Rongrong how to be a human,” wasn’t it Cheng Rongrong who tried to gossip with Wen Jiangyue, then Wen Jiangyue just showed off her knowledge?
And… Cheng Feiying lecturing Cheng Tingyan, what did it have to do with Cheng Rongrong? Was she supposed to imitate Cheng Tingyan’s bad manners and talk back to her dad?
What was wrong with these people? Were they all crazy!
Bai Lei threw the tablet aside, picked up her phone, found the contact for hiring online trolls, and typed furiously. Without even waiting for a reply, she transferred a sum of money.
Seriously, if she didn’t show her claws, they would think she was a sick cat.
And those paper tigers…
Bai Lei scrolled through her recent contacts, annoyed.
That Zhou Wanning, she was the one who actively contacted her, wanting to join forces and pressure the program team. But after that Wen Xiang spouted nonsense on the show and tricked his child back, she immediately gave up. And Yao Mang, her husband, Wang Qingchuan, was being treated so badly by the program team, but she refused her offer of help without even discussing it, she was too cowardly, it was pointless.
One after another, they were all useless!
And that program team, why did they have to do a live broadcast? They had planned it so well, even if there were any issues, they could still manipulate it during editing, but now with the live broadcast, it was like this!
Since it was like this, then no one should have it easy!
Bai Lei switched back to the online troll’s account and sent another message.
Venting without immediate feedback wasn’t very satisfying.
Bai Lei, who was so angry that she was sweating even in the air-conditioned room, got up and took a shower, her anger finally subsiding a bit.
But for some reason today, the man’s words, “Live a good life, you’ll encounter your own miracle,” didn’t fade away with her regaining her composure, they kept echoing in her mind.
Those words, which were supposed to be comforting, never brought her any comfort.
Back then… she even found them amusing.
The person she loved was dead, what miracle could she possibly encounter, a ghost?
But…
She did encounter one.
Before the substitutes became boring, before her life turned completely gray, she truly encountered an interesting miracle.
Bai Lei stood in front of Cheng Rongrong’s bedroom door, her still damp right hand slowly reached for the doorknob, but just before she pressed it down, she stopped.
The unlocked doorknob made a soft click.
Forget it, things hadn’t reached the worst point yet, there were other ways.
Life was just like this, if she revealed everything too early, it wouldn’t be interesting anymore.
Bai Lei gave up on taking a shortcut and called Zhang Jin instead.
Zhang Jin, lying on the bed, listlessly watching the live broadcast, saw the name on his phone screen and didn’t want to answer at all.
What was the point? Let her do whatever she wanted, after the show, if he was lucky, he might get to play the most annoying villain in a drama, if he was unlucky, he wouldn’t even get a minor role. This broken tree, which couldn’t bear fruit anymore, Zhang Jin didn’t have the energy to cater to his wife.
The name lit up, then dimmed. Lit up, then dimmed… It repeated.
Zhang Jin was speechless, if she had this much patience, she could do anything, but she had to use it to pester him.
He finally answered the call, he had planned to just give her a few perfunctory responses, but Bai Lei’s rapid-fire speech and her unbelievable demands made him sit up from his lying position. He really wanted to ask her, “Are you crazy?”
Of course… he didn’t ask directly. After all, Bai Lei was a fierce fighter, there was no need for him to offer himself up to be attacked.
But Zhang Jin still couldn’t help but interrupt her tactfully. “You want to meet her? Are you okay?”
…
While Wei Maomao was sound asleep, in a place unknown to her, some gears started turning, creaking, moving in a direction she had never seen or heard of before.
Some babies slept like piglets, while some dads truly… couldn’t sleep.
Wei Chengli regretted not cherishing the time they spent in the village, who would have thought that after changing locations, he wouldn’t be able to find a chance to talk to the little rascal alone without being live broadcasted.
Were they… still walking on that path? Did they have any other plans? He had a few ideas, how should he tell them…
Ah, he was losing his hair from worry.
Nap time was both short and long.
Whether they had a good rest or not, the afternoon activities would still arrive as scheduled.
The afternoon activity was for the dads and babies together. Since they were at Shudian, they naturally had to visit the largest film and television base in the country.
Before they set off, the program team thoughtfully delivered… new clothes to the well-rested little babies.
The dads, who knew nothing about this, went downstairs early at the agreed time, then waited for a while, and finally… they saw their brand new babies.
Ancient costume babies!
Wei Chengli looked at the little chubby dumpling, wearing a pink ruqun, who appeared at the top of the stairs, he clutched his chest.
So cute!
He would buy a hundred of these dresses for the little chubby dumpling when they got back!
The old father’s eyes were filled with stars, he got up and went to the foot of the stairs to welcome her.
But the baby in the dress…
“Yan Yan, do you still like me?”
“Of course I like you.”
“But I’m wearing pink, which you don’t like.”
“You look very pretty in pink, cute! I like you no matter what you wear.”
…
Wei Chengli, walking to the bottom of the stairs, before he could even hug his baby, he was bombarded with the two little ones’ sweet nothings: “… “
Wei Maomao, focused on subtly badmouthing the Cheng family, didn’t notice her old father’s complicated expression, she just held Cheng Tingyan’s hand and said, “Yan Yan also looks good in everything. You don’t like pink, you’re not happy wearing pink, the program team is so good, they gave you a light green dress, you’re happy. I like Yan Yan to be happy~~~”
Wei Chengli: “… “ Tsk, she was that direct? Why not just say that the pink dress Yan Yan wore on the first day was deliberately chosen by the Cheng family to make her unhappy!
“Dad.” Wei Maomao, having reached the last step, looked up at Wei Chengli.
“What…” Wei Chengli, finally noticed by his baby, couldn’t help but humph. “As long as you’re happy.”
“What are you talking about, Dad?” Wei Maomao asked, confused, she patted Wei Chengli’s leg. “Dad, you’re blocking the way.”
“… “ Wei Chengli stepped aside, speechless, watching as the little chubby dumpling’s rough actions made the soft pink dress flutter slightly.
Annoying little dumpling, she didn’t look like a soft, chubby little princess at all! She wasn’t cuter at all!
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