Chapter 59
The interest rate for commercial loans over five years is 4.8% this year, the interest rate for private loans is 14.6%…
“Yan… Yan Yan…” Wei Chengli felt like his head had been hit by the precise figures, down to the decimal point, he felt a bit dizzy.
Cheng Tingyan looked at Wei Chengli, confused.
“That… that interest rate… How… How do you know it so clearly…” Wei Chengli didn’t want to ask, but his mouth had a mind of its own. Even though he was so shocked that he started stammering, he still wanted to ask.
Cheng Tingyan froze, her ears turning red, the blush spreading across her cheeks.
“Yan Yan.” Wei Maomao, who was also stunned by the precise figures, spoke up softly.
“Don’t ask.” Cheng Tingyan covered the little chubby bunny’s mouth with her hand.
She had slipped up, she couldn’t answer anymore, but she also didn’t want to lie to the little chubby bunny.
Her cool fingertips pressed against her lips, a slight tremor betraying her determination.
Wei Maomao understood, her fists clenching.
Hadn’t Cheng Tingyan earned enough for medical expenses after participating in two seasons of the show and filming commercials? Wasn’t a commercial loan enough, did they have to resort to private loan interest rates? Unbelievable!
“Yan Yan…” Wen Dongyu spoke hesitantly, taking a step back to avoid being covered again. “Don’t you think something’s wrong? Mom and Dad said they’ll always love me… but it’s all borrowed…”
Wen Dongyu didn’t know what he was saying either. It seemed that, thinking about it carefully, love and borrowing could coexist. But why did he feel so sad, his heart so empty, his legs so weak, and his body so cold, as if he was being blown by the winter wind, whenever he thought about love and borrowing together?
Cheng Tingyan understood, but she couldn’t answer this question either…
“Is it… like you don’t want your toys to be given away… they also don’t want to give you their money?” Cheng Tingyan tried to answer, and the more she spoke, the more fluent she became. “Thinking this way, no one is wrong, everyone is just protecting their own property.”
Cheng Tingyan’s last few words hit Wei Chengli like a bolt of lightning.
It was here, the feeling of being struck by his own thunder.
Wei Chengli quickly stood between the babies, separating them, he couldn’t let them continue this dangerous discussion.
“First of all, Dongdong…” Wei Chengli reached out and ruffled Wen Dongyu’s hair. “I think there might be a misunderstanding between you and your dad. No dad… Cough… Never mind. Anyway, that, don’t be sad, I’ll talk to your dad this afternoon, okay?”
“Then can I sleep with you tonight?” Wen Dongyu grabbed Wei Chengli’s hand.
The topic had been diverted for so long that Wei Chengli almost forgot the reason for this whole conversation. He chuckled wryly. “You still remember that?”
“Daddy.” Wei Maomao took a step forward and tugged on Wei Chengli’s pant leg. “Let him sleep here…”
Some issues, if not addressed, might always cause discomfort, but they might also not become so serious. Wei Maomao now suspected that she was the catalyst that made Wen Dongyu more assertive and Wen Xiang so angry that he said the word “borrow.” Looking at Wen Dongyu’s pitiful, helpless expression, it was just lending her dad out for a night, let him borrow, no interest required.
Wei Maomao agreed readily, but Wei Chengli snorted in displeasure.
What was going on, wasn’t it said that children were possessive of their parents, how come his own child was so generous!
Despite his displeasure, looking at Wen Dongyu looking up at him with pleading eyes, Wei Chengli finally sighed. “I’ll talk to your dad later and ask him. If you both agree, then you can sleep here.”
Wen Dongyu nodded obediently, then turned to Wei Maomao and exclaimed, “Boss! You’re the best! Love you!”
Wei Chengli: ??? Who was the one who agreed just now?
Children were truly…
Wei Chengli, unable to complain, turned and gently patted Cheng Tingyan’s shoulder. “Yan Yan…”
Cheng Tingyan listened quietly.
Cheng Tingyan’s previous statement was a bit skewed, Wei Chengli wanted to offer some comfort. But looking at the adorable little girl staring at him quietly, he tried and tried, but couldn’t bring himself to say that parents wouldn’t refuse to spend money on their children or raise them just to protect their own property… After all, with the Cheng family’s complicated situation, it was hard to say.
“Forget it, it’s okay.” Wei Chengli gave up and turned to look at his own child.
Huh? As soon as Wei Chengli shifted his gaze to Wei Maomao, he quickly looked back at Cheng Tingyan.
Was it his imagination, or did the little girl look a bit disappointed after he said “it’s okay”…
But when he looked again, Cheng Tingyan was back to her quiet demeanor.
He must have been mistaken…
Wei Chengli lowered his head and pinched the little chubby dumpling’s face. “As for you, behave yourself.”
Wei Chengli wasn’t stupid, after listening to their conversation, he roughly understood where the initial crack in the Wen father and son’s relationship had appeared. Although the existence of the conflict itself had nothing to do with them, the fact that it was exposed was probably related to them. But since they were on live broadcast, Wei Chengli couldn’t directly lecture the little rascal, he could only pinch her face as a subtle hint.
But perhaps because the feel was too good, and Wei Chengli’s mind was preoccupied with how to talk to Wen Xiang later, he accidentally… mmm, didn’t pay attention, and pinched her a few more times.
Then, he felt a chill on the back of his hand.
“Uncle Wei, Maomao is very well-behaved.” Cheng Tingyan, after enduring for a while, couldn’t help but reach out and stop the hand that was pinching the little chubby bunny’s face, which was turning a bit red.
Wei Chengli, startled by the chill and the sudden touch, felt goosebumps rise on his back.
Was the issue now whether the little chubby dumpling was well-behaved or not? It was why her hands were so cold in the middle of summer!
“Yan Yan.” Wei Chengli released the chubby cheeks, touching the back of his hand to Cheng Tingyan’s other hand. “Why are your hands so cold?”
“I’m always like this, it’s okay, Uncle Wei.” Cheng Tingyan smiled sheepishly, then reached out to touch the little chubby bunny’s reddened cheeks. Just in time, her cool hands could soothe them.
Wei Chengli, seeing Cheng Tingyan’s small gesture, was speechless.
What was going on with this child, so considerate, making him look like a bad stepfather…
But Wei Chengli didn’t know that he wasn’t even considered a stepfather. The one firmly labeled as the bad stepfather by the viewers in the live broadcast room was Cheng Feiying.
“Seriously, even I, an office worker, don’t know these loan interest rates, how does Yan Yan know them so clearly…”
“Allow me to be a bit dark, from expired snacks to compressed biscuits, from thirty-something yuan allowance to knowing loan interest rates so clearly, could it be that Yan Yan is also living on ‘borrowed’ money? Is Cheng Feiying also a weirdo like Wen Xiang?”
“Truly, ‘new mother, new father,’ this saying is spot on!”
“Heh, it’s not just a dark guess. Didn’t you notice, when Wen Dongdong was recounting Wen Xiang’s words, about how the money in the family was earned by his parents, and the things they spent on him and gave him were all borrowed, both Director Wei and CEO Mao were shocked, but Yan Yan wasn’t, she was very calm. What does that mean? It means she’s used to it, it means that parents ‘lending’ money to their children isn’t unusual for her!”
“Right, I also noticed that! Director Wei and CEO Mao seemed stunned for a while after hearing that. But Yan Yan was just… calm, like she’s seen it all…”
“No wonder Yan Yan was so calm when she said those shocking words to Wen Dongdong later, about how it’s normal and not wrong for parents to refuse to spend money on their children to protect their own property. Maybe that’s how she’s been living! So she thinks Wen Dongdong is just like her, nothing to be surprised about.”
“Seriously, the person above, don’t say Cheng Feiying is a weirdo like Wen Xiang, it’s obvious Cheng Feiying is much worse! Wen Xiang initially said those things out of anger, although his anger lasted a bit too long, I think he mainly wanted to regain control over Wen Dongdong’s finances, not necessarily demanding repayment. Of course, I’m not defending Wen Xiang, his controlling behavior as a parent is truly unacceptable. But! Seeing Yan Yan, I think if she’s living on ‘borrowed’ money, it’s not just being verbally borrowed out of anger like Wen Dongdong, but actual debt, right?”
“Hard to believe… Honestly, although everyone’s analysis is well-founded, I still can’t believe it. Yan Yan is only six years old, she’s his biological daughter… Even though Cheng Feiying seems to favor Rongrong a bit, and has a bit of a temper, he’s not that kind of person, right? How much does it even cost to raise a child… Cheng Feiying films several dramas every year, occasionally appears on variety shows, even a small amount from his earnings would be enough for Yan Yan to live comfortably, why would he need to ‘borrow’ money from her?”
“Right, I think we should base our judgment on facts. We shouldn’t make assumptions and overanalyze a child’s experiences and thoughts just based on their reaction to certain words or the knowledge they possess.”
“The problem is, I don’t see Yan Yan living comfortably at all, all I see is a big, bold ‘miserable’!”
…
Zhang Jin, scrolling through the comments in Cheng Tingyan’s live stream, seeing the screen filled with the word “miserable,” felt a growing headache.
Although reluctant, he still chose to call Bai Lei.
Air-conditioned room, chilled watermelon, sweet desserts.
Bai Lei, leaning lazily on the sofa, eating and drinking, listened to Zhang Jin’s rambling on the phone with indifference.
After a while, the voice on the other end of the phone finally stopped.
“Just this? I thought it was something serious.” Bai Lei said nonchalantly, wiping her mouth with a tissue. “It’s just a few viewers watching the live stream, let them speculate all they want.”
“Why are you being so…” Zhang Jin hesitated.
“What, so indifferent?” Bai Lei sneered. “You’re quite funny. Last time, when I posted the video promptly, you said I was anxious, that I was being defensive, that it wasn’t necessary. Now that I’m ignoring them, you think I’m not proactive.”
Zhang Jin rubbed his temples. “This time is different.”
“How is it different?” Bai Lei casually picked up a TV remote and played with it. “I’ve figured it out, although I don’t know why that brat dared to mention those things, she still doesn’t have the guts to say it clearly.”
“She’s already said enough. Commercial loans, private loan interest rates, is that something a normal six-year-old can accurately say? You…” Zhang Jin was interrupted by Bai Lei’s sneer.
“Heh, why not? Information spreads so fast nowadays, even I can say things like ‘All living organisms in the animal kingdom are heterotrophic eukaryotes composed of cells,’ what’s wrong with her mentioning interest rates?” Bai Lei, looking at the muted TV, read a line from the documentary’s subtitles, then continued, “Did they personally witness us making her sign IOUs? Did they see the IOUs? The viewers are just speculating, talking nonsense. It’s vague, just like you said, it’s just a matter of hiring some trolls, a few waves of attacks and it’ll pass.”
IOU: I owe you: a written promise to pay back a debt
Zhang Jin gripped his phone tightly. “So you really made Yan Yan sign IOUs?”
“Heh, are you stupid or am I stupid, she’s only a few years old.” Bai Lei sneered.
“You made Liu Qiongfang sign the IOUs?” Zhang Jin laughed in exasperation. “Yan Yan earned the money, and you turn around and lend it to her mother? How could you…”
Bai Lei scoffed. “Oh, what’s wrong, why are you so worked up? Is it because Liu Qiongfang didn’t tell you? Aren’t you good friends, go ask her yourself.”
After throwing out the last sentence, Bai Lei hung up the phone. Remarriage was truly troublesome, surrounded by people connected to the ex, so annoying.
Zhang Jin, staring at the disconnected phone, was so angry that his head was burning.
They hadn’t said that when they fought for custody back then!
The world’s joys and sorrows were not interconnected. Some were burning with anger, while others… were chilled by anxiety.
Speaking of Wei Chengli, he was urged by the little chubby dumpling to pour her a glass of hot water. But when he came back, she took the glass and immediately handed it to Yan Yan, even asking if her hands were warmer now.
Truly… Even a five-star dad was just a tool!
But Wei Maomao had no time to pay attention to the suddenly self-pitying old father. Wei Maomao knew that Cheng Tingyan’s body would get cold when she was nervous. Earlier, when she wanted to continue asking about the interest rate, she was covered by Yan Yan, feeling the coolness of her fingertips, knowing it was something she didn’t want to talk about, so she immediately dropped the subject.
But the problem was, that was quite a while ago, why were her hands still so cold?
Wei Maomao was a bit worried. Cheng Tingyan’s palm was holding the glass, while the back of her hand was being covered by her chubby paw.
Wei Chengli watched for a bit, unable to bear it any longer, and went to tidy up the bedroom. He estimated that there was a sixty percent chance Wen Dongyu would be staying over tonight, he had to see if there was a way to hang a curtain between the two beds while he had time.
The old father went to the bedroom, Wen Dongyu went to the corner to feed the pig pet snacks. Wei Maomao rubbed the back of Cheng Tingyan’s hand, which was still cold after holding the glass for so long, feeling anxious, she mumbled to herself, “Why isn’t it warming up…”
Why wasn’t it warming up… Of course, it was because Cheng Tingyan was still nervous.
This nervousness had nothing to do with the interest rate or anything else, it was about the words she wanted to say but couldn’t bring herself to utter.
Wei Maomao, blinded by her concern, had been focused on warming her hands for so long that she finally noticed Cheng Tingyan’s conflicted expression, her lips pursed as if she wanted to say something but couldn’t.
Asking a question didn’t necessarily guarantee an answer.
Wei Maomao carefully probed for a while before finally getting a response from Cheng Tingyan, “Wen Dongyu hasn’t had the mush yet, I… have…”
This… Wei Maomao suddenly felt like she had fallen into a ditch, a generation gap she had never experienced with Yan Yan.
A child’s train of thought, was it really this erratic?
“So?” Wei Maomao gave up on deciphering and decided to continue asking.
But Cheng Tingyan pursed her lips and refused to speak, even turning her head away, avoiding eye contact.
Wei Maomao didn’t know if it was her imagination, but she felt the hands under her paw… even colder?
“Yan Yan, you’ve had the mush! Was it the mush Uncle Wei made?” Wen Dongyu came over, his face full of curiosity.
Cheng Tingyan nodded.
“Wow! That’s amazing! Why didn’t you tell me earlier!” Wen Dongyu said with his mouth full, tilting his head. “Then were you just telling Boss that you’re better than me?”
“… “ Cheng Tingyan shook her head.
“What are you eating?” Wei Maomao, hearing the crunchy sound, glanced at Wen Dongyu’s puffed-up cheeks, she felt like she had heard that sound from another mouth earlier…
“Piggy biscuits, whole wheat, Boss, want some?” Wen Dongyu held up the bag in his hand.
As expected.
“… “ Wei Maomao was speechless. “Those are pig snacks! You can’t eat them!”
“They’re quite good.” Wen Dongyu turned to Cheng Tingyan, offering the bag. “There’s no mush now. Let’s compete with this. If you eat it, I’ll admit that you’re as good as me.”
“Who wants your recognition… Yan Yan, don’t eat it…” Wei Maomao, exasperated, released Cheng Tingyan’s hand, snatched the bag, felt that there weren’t many left inside, poured them all out, and stuffed them into the pig’s mouth.
“There are also piggy dried fruits.” Wen Dongyu pointed at the bag on the table. “We got a lot from the mystery boxes last night, Yan Yan, let’s compete with Xixi in eating piggy dried fruits!”
“Pig snacks, humans can’t eat them!” Wei Maomao reiterated, she had to control herself not to grab Wen Dongyu’s collar and shake him.
Ahhh… What was going on today, first Yan Yan said something she couldn’t understand, now Wen Dongyu couldn’t understand what she was saying!
Cheng Tingyan, after figuring out who Xixi was, shook her head awkwardly. “I won’t compete with you. Maomao is right, pig snacks are for pigs, humans might get a stomachache if they eat them.”
“Right, stomachache!” Wei Maomao seized the key point, pointing at Wen Dongyu’s belly. “You’ll get a stomachache, diarrhea. You’re five years old! You don’t want to accidentally poop your pants, do you?”
Wen Dongyu, imagining the scene, cowered.
Wei Maomao, finally having subdued the troublesome child, breathed a sigh of relief. But she didn’t expect that some prophecies… could backfire.
Wen Dongyu, giving up on the pig snacks, still remembered Cheng Tingyan’s earlier words, he said with envy and longing, “Yan Yan ate the mush, so she’s part of Boss’s family now. When can I eat the mush!”
Wei Maomao thought that based on Wen Dongyu’s understanding, Wei Chengli would probably never cook mush again in his life.
“It didn’t work even though I ate the mush…” Cheng Tingyan mumbled, lowering her head.
Wei Maomao: ???
“Why didn’t it work? It’s mush! Wang Zhizhi said if you eat it, you can join Uncle Wei and Boss’s family!” Wen Dongyu said with certainty.
“You didn’t eat it, but you’re still staying here tonight…” Cheng Tingyan whispered even softer.
“What? Yan Yan, speak louder, I can’t hear you.” Wen Dongyu leaned closer.
Wei Maomao heard it.
She finally understood what Cheng Tingyan meant by “Wen Dongyu hasn’t had the mush yet, I… have…”
How… adorable!
Wei Maomao looked at the six-year-old Yan Yan’s slightly flushed cheeks, awww~~~ So cute!
Don’t laugh, don’t laugh, Wei Maomao warned herself to stay composed, not to startle Yan Yan’s sensitive heart.
“Cough, cough…” Wei Maomao coughed twice, suppressing her laughter, and said seriously, “Right, Wen Dongyu hasn’t had the mush, how can he stay here toright(tonight)… “ Ah, she misspoke because she was too nervous.
Wen Dongyu: ???
“No, no, I mean, Wen Dongyu hasn’t had the mush, he’s sleeping here tonight. Yan Yan, you ate so much, you’re much, much better than him…” Wei Maomao spread her arms to exaggerate, then saw Yan Yan, who had been looking down, secretly glance up at her, cute~~~
Wei Maomao, trying to hold back her laughter, didn’t dare to say anything more in front of this cuteness, and quickly continued, “Then Yan Yan has to sleep here many, many more days than him, then it’ll be okay!”
Then, Wei Maomao saw Cheng Tingyan raise her head, her eyes sparkling with joy.
But before Wei Maomao could say anything else, the sparkle in her eyes dimmed, the smile fading.
“My dad won’t agree.” Cheng Tingyan bit her lip, she had been too greedy, thinking too much.
“I’ll ask Uncle Wei to talk to your dad.” Wen Dongyu said, about to go to the bedroom to find him.
“No need.” Wei Maomao stopped Wen Dongyu. “I’ll talk to him.”
Wen Dongyu: ???
Cheng Tingyan: …
Wei Chengli was still in the bedroom, calculating the distance to install the curtain rod, when he heard rustling sounds behind him. He turned around and saw a chubby something rolling out…
“Maomao, what are you doing, running so fast!” Wei Chengli called out.
There was no response from outside.
Wei Chengli waited for a bit, feeling the outside was too quiet. He walked out of the bedroom, worried.
The living room… was silent, only a few staff members who were filming him remained.
Wei Chengli looked outside again, the rain had stopped, but the ground was wet.
Had she gone out to play? Wouldn’t she get wet…
Truly a child.
Wei Chengli shook his head helplessly and went back to the bedroom, but as he entered, he felt something was wrong.
After looking around for a while, Wei Chengli finally realized.
Eh? Where was his pillow?
The rain had stopped, Cheng Feiying felt the house was too stuffy, he took a rag and went out to wipe the water off the deck chair in the courtyard, planning to lie down for a while.
But just as he bent down to wipe, the rag in his hand fell to the ground, startled by the loud banging on the door.
Plop, the rag landed in the puddle on the deck chair, splashing dirty water all over Cheng Feiying’s face.
Cheng Feiying had a bad feeling…
He really didn’t want to open the door!
When Cheng Feiying opened the door and saw the little fatty, and the pillow she was holding above her head, a sense of resignation washed over him.
“Uncle Cheng! I’m sleeping at your house tonight!” Wei Maomao held up the pillow high.
“Maomao, Uncle’s house doesn’t have enough beds.” Cheng Feiying held the half-open door, not even wanting to let the little fatty in.
“Ah… But I promised Yan Yan that we would sleep together…” Wei Maomao said with feigned disappointment, but she still held the pillow high, not letting go. “It’s okay, we can squeeze! I can sleep in a very small space, and I’m very quiet, my dad won’t come over!”
“… “ Cheng Feiying’s scalp tingled when he heard the last sentence.
That Wei Chengli, freeloading meals was one thing, but freeloading sleep…
But thinking about it, that guy… seemed to be attached to his daughter like glue…
“You want to sleep with Yan Yan.” Cheng Feiying pretended to consider, then asked, “Does your house have enough space for you to sleep together?”
“Yes. But I’m afraid Uncle Cheng will be scared sleeping alone!” Wei Maomao shook the pillow.
“No, no, no… Uncle has Rongrong. Your dad is so attached to you, he probably can’t sleep alone. How about this, let Yan Yan go to your house and sleep with you tonight.” Cheng Feiying suggested kindly.
“Hmm…” Wei Maomao pretended to consider.
“Yes, go to your house and sleep. You’re too young, your dad will be worried if you sleep outside. Yan Yan is older, she can take care of herself, we’re more at ease.” Cheng Feiying tried to persuade her. He was truly afraid that his house would be crowded with people tonight, so he gently pushed Cheng Tingyan into the courtyard and said kindly, “Go, Yan Yan, get a pillow.”
“Okay…” Wei Maomao tried to maintain a slightly disappointed and reluctant expression, but she was sneering inwardly.
She had him!
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