Eating Melons in the Police Station

Little Tong leaned against the coffee table, gnawing on chicken feet, her face and hands covered in grease. Seeing her parents staring at her, she impatiently urged,

“So, is there really a child outside or not?”

Qiu Sheng glanced at Zhong Jin, silently asking with her eyes, “Is it really okay for the child to hear all this?”

Zhong Jin calmly swallowed a sip of beer and said, “Go ahead and tell her. She’s already heard all sorts of nonsense at the police station—stuff much more intense than this.”

After a pause, he added, “It’s good for her to hear more. That way, no one can ever fool her in the future.”

Qiu Sheng thought to herself, “You’re planning way too far ahead.”

Little Tong urged again, and Qiu Sheng finally cleared her throat and said, “I don’t know if there really was a child or not. We never talked about it again after that.”

Zhong Jin and Little Tong both let out disappointed sighs.

Seeing their reactions, Qiu Sheng kindly added, “But later, Tu Xiaoxiao got divorced.”

Zhong Jin took another sip of his beer. “Then it’s probably because they found out there was a child outside.”

Little Tong tossed the messy chicken bones into the trash can and, with her greasy little hands, scurried over to Zhong Jin. “Let me have a sip.”

“Kids can’t drink alcohol,” Zhong Jin said, raising his glass higher. “And keep those greasy hands away from me.”

The little chubby girl carefully avoided Zhong Jin’s pants and the sofa, then ran over to Qiu Sheng to whine, “Mom, I’m thirsty.”

Qiu Sheng wiped her hands and face clean with a wet wipe, stuck a straw into a yogurt, and handed it to her.

“Here, drink this.”

The child hugged the yogurt, clinked her cup with Qiu Sheng’s, then walked over and did the same with Zhong Jin. She then plopped down on her own little leather sofa and took a big sip of yogurt.

“Watching drama is so fun.”

Zhong Jin chuckled. “If you love drama so much, you should become a police officer when you grow up. You’ll get to see drama every day.”

Little Tong put her hand to her head in a mock salute. “Yes, ma’am!”

Zhong Jin finished the last of his beer, leaned back on the sofa, and stared off into space for a moment. Then, as if remembering something, he shook his head. “Actually, don’t become a police officer. It’s tiring and dangerous.”

Qiu Sheng added, “Our Little Tong will definitely grow up to be very beautiful. But don’t become a celebrity either. Even if a talent scout approaches you, don’t join the entertainment industry.”

The child lounged comfortably on her little leather sofa, slurping her yogurt. “Okay, then I’ll just be a celebrity police officer.”

Zhong Jin sighed, “...You just have to go against everything we say, don’t you?”

Qiu Sheng pressed her slender fingers to her temples, worriedly thinking, “Is she already entering her rebellious phase?”

In the early hours of the morning, before dawn, the door to the master bedroom was flung open. Little Tong, wearing the floral-themed autumn pajamas Qiu Sheng had made for her, rushed in and dashed straight to the bathroom.

Zhong Jin squinted, lifted his head to look, then lay back down to continue sleeping.

Little Tong came out of the bathroom, walked over to Zhong Jin, and pinched his nose.

Zhong Jin grunted and woke up. “What’s wrong?”

Little Tong hugged his head, resting her chin on his face, and whispered, “I didn’t make it to the bathroom in time... I peed a little in my pants.”

Zhong Jin sat up. “It’s okay. You drank too much yogurt last night. I’ll get you some clean pajamas.”

After changing into clean pajamas, Little Tong didn’t go back to Qiu Sheng’s side. Instead, she climbed onto Zhong Jin’s bed, pulled the blanket over herself, and said, “I’m sleeping here.”

Zhong Jin, who had been about to get up for his morning run, saw Little Tong sprawled on the bed and decided to lie back down and stay with her a little longer.

“Why didn’t you go to Mom when you wet yourself? Do you like me more?” Zhong Jin gently brushed the hair out of her face. It had grown longer and was now easier to tangle while sleeping.

Little Tong rolled over, turning her bear-like back to Zhong Jin. “Because I didn’t want to disturb Mom. She needs to sleep well.”

Zhong Jin’s smile faltered. “...Just go to sleep. Stop talking.”

*

This year, the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays overlapped, giving everyone an eight-day break.

Aunt Liang was taking her mother back to their hometown for the holiday, so she had taken a few days off.

After just two days of Little Tong being home for the break, Qiu Sheng said to Zhong Jin with a worried expression, “I really hope she goes back to school soon.”

Zhong Jin replied, “I’ll take her to the police station with me today.”

The next day, Zhong Jin had to attend a meeting at the city bureau, so Little Tong had to stay home with Qiu Sheng.

The moment Qiu Sheng realized she’d be alone with the child all day, a look of utter exhaustion crossed her face, while Zhong Jin, free of childcare duties, looked completely relaxed.

It was as if the couple had forgotten how fiercely they had fought over custody just two months ago.

Qiu Sheng was working at her sewing machine in the studio when Little Tong, having finished her daily quota of cartoons, kept coming in to bother her.

She tossed a yogurt onto Qiu Sheng’s worktable. “Open this for me.”

A little later, she came in with a stainless steel bowl on her head. “Mom, look! My new hat!”

After finally shooing her away, Little Tong returned again, this time draping a piece of white gauze over her head. She declared solemnly, “I’m getting married. Bye-bye.”

Qiu Sheng had no choice but to put her work aside and play along with the pretend wedding game.

Little Tong played the bride, while Qiu Sheng had to play multiple roles: the bride’s mother, the bride’s father, the groom, the groom’s parents, grandparents, and even friends like Xiang Zimo and Miao Yueyue.

By the time the little troublemaker was satisfied, Qiu Sheng’s meager acting skills were completely drained, and she was too exhausted to continue working.

Qiu Sheng lay half-dead on the living room sofa when she saw Little Tong, clutching her stomach and sneaking out of the bedroom, then quickly crawling into her “dog hole.”

It didn’t take a genius to figure out she’d probably stolen some of Qiu Sheng’s makeup or jewelry and stashed it in her little hideout.

Qiu Sheng was too tired to care. She thought to herself, “As long as she doesn’t bother me, I’ll pretend I didn’t see it.”

Closing her eyes, Qiu Sheng felt a deep sense of admiration for Zhong Jin. He managed to work, take care of the child, exercise daily, prepare three meals a day, and still pay attention to Little Tong’s education and emotional well-being.

If there were a Nobel Prize for parenting, he’d definitely be a contender.

And kindergarten teachers, who had to take care of so many children at once, truly had a noble profession.

Qiu Sheng was lost in these thoughts when suddenly she heard Little Tong’s panicked cry,

“Help! Mom, help!”

She opened her eyes and immediately sat up, only to see Little Tong stuck in the trash can, her chubby little bottom wedged firmly inside. Qiu Sheng sighed in relief.

Finally, after lunch, Little Tong went down for a nap, and Qiu Sheng got a moment to rest. She pulled out her phone and searched for nearby children’s play areas, planning to take Little Tong out in the afternoon to kill some time.

After taking a taxi to the mall, Qiu Sheng spent 100 yuan to let Little Tong loose in the kids’ play zone.

She bought herself a coffee and sat outside the play area, keeping a close eye on Little Tong to make sure she didn’t cause any trouble.

For example, just moments ago, Qiu Sheng had noticed a little boy licking the plastic balls in the ball pit. His mother, absorbed in her phone, hadn’t noticed.

When the boy was about to shove an entire ball into his mouth, Qiu Sheng quickly stepped in and alerted the mother.

The boy’s mother seemed to recognize Qiu Sheng, her expression flickering with surprise, but she only thanked her and didn’t say anything else.

Qiu Sheng returned to her seat, faintly hearing the mother whisper to a friend over her phone,

“I ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌‍think I just saw Qiu Danhua at Twin Plaza.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Qiu Sheng saw the woman pointing her phone in her direction, likely taking a photo. Her heart began to race, her body stiffened, and the hairs on her arms stood on end.

Previously, when she was cyberbullied, many candid photos of her that she had never seen before flooded the internet. Haters relentlessly attacked her appearance, magnifying every tiny flaw on her face, subjecting her to a public trial online.

During that time, she was too afraid to sleep. The moment she closed her eyes, her mind would be filled with a barrage of hateful comments.

It was the trauma from that period that made her react so strongly whenever she noticed someone taking candid photos of her now.

Her phone, tucked inside her bag, suddenly vibrated.

Qiu Sheng was startled, her palms sweaty. She fumbled several times before finally managing to pull out her phone.

When she saw that the call was from Wen Hechang, a faint sense of disappointment flickered in her heart.

Steadying herself, she answered the call, “Hello.”

Wen Hechang’s voice was as cheerful and sunny as ever. “Qiu Sheng, I just landed at Haishan Airport. Are you free to meet tonight?”

“You’re in Haishan?”

“Yeah, I’m here for some business and suddenly remembered you’re in Haishan too. Thought I’d reach out and check on your work progress while I’m here.”

“I might not be free tonight. I’m out right now. Do you want to come over?”

“Sure, send me the address.”

Qiu Sheng sent her location to Wen Hechang.

When she turned back, she noticed the woman who had been secretly taking photos of her earlier was now casually scrolling through her phone, as if nothing had happened.

Her son was still chewing on a foam ball nearby.

This time, Qiu Sheng didn’t remind her.

She glanced over at Little Tong, who was bouncing high on the trampoline and waving energetically at her. Qiu Sheng gestured for her to be careful.

Less than an hour later, Wen Hechang, carrying a backpack, found Qiu Sheng at the mall.

Wen Hechang was actually a junior from Qiu Sheng and Zhong Jin’s high school. When they were seniors, he had just started his first year.

Back then, they didn’t have much interaction.

However, during college, with his family’s support, Wen Hechang started a business, initially representing a BJD doll brand. Two years later, he launched his own brand.

Qiu Sheng, being a seasoned collector of various dolls and skilled at making doll clothes and accessories, was introduced to him by a mutual acquaintance.

Occasionally, Qiu Sheng would design doll clothing samples for Wen Hechang’s company, and he would pay her market rate. They had maintained a professional relationship ever since.

At first, Qiu Sheng only vaguely sensed that Wen Hechang might have feelings for her.

For instance, he would speak to her in a particularly gentle tone, almost doting. When he traveled for work or leisure, he often brought her small gifts—thoughtfully chosen but not overly expensive, making them hard to decline.

It wasn’t until after Qiu Sheng and Zhong Jin divorced that Wen Hechang confessed his feelings, but Qiu Sheng turned him down immediately.

To Qiu Sheng, he was just a junior three years her junior, and at most, a business partner.

She rarely shared personal matters with him. Even when she got divorced, he only found out through mutual friends.

So, all he knew was that Qiu Sheng was in Haishan, assuming she was there for a leisurely getaway. He had no idea she had a daughter.

Wen Hechang’s usual style was casual and bright—T-shirts, knee-length denim shorts, short-cropped hair, a backpack, and a pair of aviator sunglasses.

When he spotted Qiu Sheng, he jogged over with a smile, revealing two adorable little canines.

Qiu Sheng stood up and waved at him.

“Why are you sitting in a kids’ play area?”

Qiu Sheng tucked her hands into her coat pockets and gestured toward the playground. “Waiting for my daughter.”

Wen Hechang’s cheerful smile froze. “You’re kidding, right? Since when do you have a daughter?”

Qiu Sheng turned and pointed to a little girl with a tiny ponytail in the play area. “That one, my daughter.”

Then she called out, “Little Tong, don’t crawl into that tunnel. Your head might get stuck.”

The chubby little girl obediently backed out, holding onto the railing, and flashed a big smile at Qiu Sheng.

“Mom, I’m thirsty.”

Qiu Sheng picked up a Mickey Mouse water bottle from the table, walked over to the railing, and handed the straw to the child.