Chapter 255

On the first day of school, Xia Xi personally drove the two children to school to register.

Xia Yue offered to accompany them, wanting to familiarize herself with the place where Youyou goes to school, in case she later gets a chance to pick her up.

Along the way, Xia Yue carefully observed the route outside the car window and kept it in mind.

Arriving at the kindergarten, Xia Xi parked the car, led the two children inside, saw their class teacher Song Laoshi, and introduced Xia Yue to Song Laoshi: "This is my older sister; if she comes to pick up the children later, that's fine too."

Xia Yue slightly widened her eyes, looking at Xia Xi in surprise, her thoughts actually seen through by her.

Xia Xi turned sideways and patted the back of her hand. Xia Yue came to her senses and hurriedly greeted Song Laoshi.

Song Laoshi glanced at her a few times, smiled and nodded: "I've remembered."

After handing the children to the teacher, Xia Xi needed to rush to the company for work. While waiting at the red light, she asked the Xia Yue in the passenger seat: "Are you going straight home, or will you go out for a stroll?"

Xia Yue gazed at the bustling district, squinting slightly: "Let me off at that intersection ahead; I'll wander a bit before heading back."

"That's fine. The weather is nice today; a walk will lift my mood. Further ahead there's a big park with lovely scenery—I used to take Youyou and Zi Heng there on weekends, and the lake even has black swans." After saying this, Xia Xi pointed to the left: "Take that road; over there are large malls where you can browse and buy clothes, cosmetics, skincare products, and so on."

The corner of Xia Yue's mouth twitched slightly—was she being treated like a child?

With ten seconds left on the red light countdown, Xia Xi pulled a card from her bag and handed it to her: "The password is my birthday plus the last three digits of my phone number—easy to remember."

"I have money." Xia Yue pushed her hand away, saying, "You keep it."

With three seconds left on the countdown, Xia Xi placed the card on her thigh: "Being polite with me? How silly. When you were in school, you often gave me pocket money; back then I never thought of being formal with you."

On her birthday, Xia Yue gave her a six-figure bag, which she happily accepted. Now it's just the reverse—we're close sisters; there's no need to quibble over such things.

Xia Yue's nose felt sore; she pressed the back of her hand against her eyelids and turned her face toward the car window.

At the intersection ahead, Xia Xi pulled over to the side and stopped; Xia Yue pushed open the door and got out.

Xia Xi lowered the window, turned her face toward her, and waved: "Stay safe; call me if anything comes up."

"Got it." Xia Yue stood by the roadside, watching her car drive away.

Having had no contact with outsiders for over five years, Xia Yue is out of touch with society; returning to her former life will take some time, but she will strive to overcome it. She needs to find a job, earn money to raise Youyou, support Su Jinru in her old age, and cannot forever rely on Xi Xi—her burden is already heavy enough.

Xia Yue lowered her head to look at the bank card in her hand, put it away, and had no intention of using it.

After a busy morning, during lunch break Xia Xi was eating takeout in the office when she received a message from Xu Yanfeng, who said he wanted to go to the kindergarten this afternoon to pick up the children and asked if she wanted to join him.

Xia Xi naturally refused, then sent him the kindergarten's address and pickup time, telling him to go on his own.

Putting down her phone, Xia Xi gripped the plastic spoon and continued eating the salmon pasta salad in her lunch box.

Xu Yanfeng didn't press the matter; after all, there would be plenty of opportunities later, no need to rush this moment.

At four in the afternoon, Xu Yanfeng left the office and ran into Guan He in the hallway.

Guan He had just stepped out of the elevator, holding two documents that needed Xu Yanfeng's review; seeing him about to leave, he paused, furtively glanced at his wristwatch—it was still early.

Guan He: "General Manager Xu, do you have something to attend to outside?"

Xu Yanfeng gave a slight nod, unable to hide his pleasure in his brows and eyes; though he didn't need to explain his whereabouts to his assistant, he couldn't help saying: "I'm going to the kindergarten to pick up the children after school."

Saying those words from his mouth felt somewhat unreal.

After glancing at the documents in Guan He's hand, Xu Yanfeng added: "There's no way around it—the kindergarten lets out early, so I have to go now or I'll miss it. If there's anything, we can talk about it tomorrow."

Fortunately, the documents weren't urgent, and Guan He expressed understanding.

Xu Yanfeng stopped in front of the elevator, suddenly realizing he had no experience dealing with children—a complete blank in that regard. He called out to Guan He, gesturing for him to come over.

Guan He walked up to him: "What do you need?"

"How can I quickly build a rapport with the children?" Xu Yanfeng earnestly asked for advice.

Guan He was taken aback—he had no children and lacked experience in this area. But since the boss had proactively asked him a question, could he just brush it off? Thinking quickly on his feet, Guan He offered a suggestion: "Buy some snacks and drinks to bring along; kids generally find it hard to resist the temptation of treats."

Xu Yanfeng took the advice to heart; on the way to the kindergarten, he had the driver stop so he could personally go out and buy some food.

Not knowing what the children liked, he simply tossed anything that looked tasty into the shopping cart.

When the cart couldn't hold any more, he went to checkout, filling two large plastic bags, and then went to the beverage shop next to the supermarket to buy two cups of milk tea.

He could be said to have made thorough preparations.

Having lost some time, by the time he reached the kindergarten gate, a number of parents had already gathered to pick up their children.

Xia Yue was among them. She had spent the morning wandering the bustling district but found no suitable job. Having served time, her résumé looked poor; even a modest position was out of reach, and nobody would hire her. Feeling low, she hadn't gone home at noon, called Su Jinru to give a heads-up, grabbed a quick meal at a random eatery, and then continued her job search in the afternoon.

As pickup time approached, missing Youyou, she came to the kindergarten.

A few days earlier, Youyou had still been on winter break; they had spent each day together at home, and she had grown used to the little girl clinging to her. Suddenly not seeing her all day left her feeling a bit unadjusted.

Standing before the kindergarten's main gate, Xia Yue watched the parents eagerly waiting, and only then realized she shouldn't be there—starting today, Youyou and Zi Heng would move with Xia Xi to Xu Yanfeng's residence.

Youyou spotted Xia Yue in the crowd and tugged at Zi Heng's hand: "Is that…"

Youyou pressed her lips together, suddenly unsure how to address Xia Yue; she couldn't call her "Mom," and calling her "Xiao Yue" as before felt a little odd, making her expression turn awkward.

Zi Heng was different; he noticed the man stepping out of a black sedan behind the crowd.

Xu Yanfeng had come straight from the office, naturally dressed in a suit and tie, neat and tidy; added to his tall, straight posture and handsome features, he stood out like a crane among chickens in the crowd of parents picking up children, drawing considerable attention.

Xia Yue also noticed him; compared to seven years ago, he looked more mature, and the sense of distance felt even stronger—she didn't dare meet his gaze, let alone speak to him.

The two had met before; Xu Yanfeng was not unfamiliar with Xia Yue, he gave a slight nod and initiated a greeting: "Here to pick up the children?"

"Yes…" the words slipped out, but Xia Yue quickly shook her head to deny it: "No, I just came to see Youyou."

Xu Yanfeng didn't linger in small talk with her; he glanced toward the group of children behind the fence gate, instantly spotted Zi Heng and Youyou, and his stern expression softened in an instant: "Xia Ziheng, Zhou Leyi."

Song Laoshi eyed the unfamiliar face warily; although the man was tall, handsome, and seemed wealthy, a teacher's duty is to protect the students: "May I ask who you are in relation to Xia Ziheng and Zhou Leyi? I've never seen you before."

Facing the questioning, Xu Yanfeng straightened his posture and declared his identity: "I am the children's father."

He still didn't know that Youyou already knew her origins, and he didn't reveal it.

Song Laoshi furrowed her brows, half-believing, half-doubting. The children's guardianship information listed only the mother, with no slot for a father.

"Wait a moment!" Song Laoshi suddenly recalled: the person who had been arranged last semester to conduct a parent‑child paternity test for Xia Ziheng and Zhou Leyi… according to the principal, was a big boss.

Could it be this very person before her eyes?

Song Laoshi turned around, called the two children over, and asked them: "Is this your father?"

She also feared offending this important‑looking figure, so after asking the child she gave an embarrassed smile and explained to him, "Don't mind, this is our normal procedure—whenever a stranger comes to pick up a child, we always ask the child a few questions."

Xu Yanfeng didn't mind. To ensure the child's safety, this is necessary.

Youyou blinked her big eyes at Xu Yanfeng; she recognized him. When her aunt got married, this uncle had gone to the hotel to bully her mother. Once, he cornered her grandmother in the mall, asking all sorts of questions. The most recent time they met was at her great‑grandmother's funeral.

Youyou fell into reverie and said nothing.

Zi Heng, however, spoke up: "I don't know him; I have no idea who he is."

Song Laoshi: "…… "

Xu Yanfeng: "…… "