Eating Melons in the Police Station

Qiu Sheng returned with some red bean cakes, only to find Little Tong throwing a tantrum, arms crossed, pouting, and turning the back of her head towards Wen Hechang.

Seeing her mother return, Little Tong immediately reached out to hug Qiu Sheng's leg, shouting loudly, "Mom, I want to go home, Mom."

"What's wrong?" Qiu Sheng handed the red bean cakes to Wen Hechang to hold, bent down to pick up Little Tong, "What's the matter, baby? Are you tired? Or do you want to sleep?"

Little Tong hugged Qiu Sheng's neck, burying her head in her hair, and said loudly and clearly, "I don't want him to be my dad. I want to go home and find my dad. I want Zhong Jin."

Qiu Sheng immediately realized what had happened.

She gave Wen Hechang a meaningful look, first patting the child's back to soothe her,

"Okay, okay, we'll go home now. Mom promises you, your dad is only Zhong Jin."

Qiu Sheng didn't look at Wen Hechang again, carrying the child and walking out.

The food street was getting more and more crowded. Qiu Sheng, holding the child, was walking against the crowd, and her sunglasses were even knocked off by the crowd, but she didn't have time to pick them up.

When she encountered particularly crowded places, Qiu Sheng would shout loudly, "Please make way, I'm holding a child, don't squeeze the child, thank you."

People around, seeing a tall and slim beauty holding a heavy-looking chubby child, would naturally step aside to make way for her.

Hearing people discussing her, Qiu Sheng couldn't care less; she needed to leave this place with Little Tong immediately.

Wen Hechang tried several times to catch up and help carry Little Tong, but Qiu Sheng brushed him off each time.

She shouted sharply, "Don't touch my child."

Wen Hechang was so frightened that he immediately withdrew his hand.

In his impression, Qiu Sheng had always been very gentle. The former design director of their company was very picky, and when Qiu Sheng worked with him, the design director often gave her a hard time, but Qiu Sheng always managed to resolve these conflicts with a stable mood.

This was the first time Wen Hechang had seen her so angry.

She didn't even seem like the goddess he remembered.

Qiu Sheng took a taxi home with Little Tong, and Wen Hechang also quickly took another taxi to follow behind.

She entered the elevator, and Wen Hechang followed her in.

Afraid of scaring the child, Qiu Sheng didn't dare to do anything drastic. She only prayed in her heart that Zhong Jin was already home by now.

Arriving at the door, Qiu Sheng entered the password on the electronic lock, opened the door a crack, and heard no sound inside, indicating that Zhong Jin wasn't home.

She put Little Tong down on the ground, letting the child walk in by herself.

Qiu Sheng turned to block the door, lowering her voice to Wen Hechang, "What nonsense did you just tell the child?"

Wen Hechang had never seen Qiu Sheng with such a look in her eyes, like a mother leopard protecting her cub. He felt that Qiu Sheng might have misunderstood something, raised his hands, and took two steps back,

"Qiu Sheng, I mean no harm at all. I just want to take care of you. A woman alone with a child in a foreign land must be very hard. I just don't want to see you suffer so much."

Qiu Sheng almost laughed in anger, "Who told you I'm alone with a child in a foreign land? What are you imagining?"

Little Tong was now standing by the coffee table, holding her sippy cup and drinking water in big gulps. She had just eaten a meat pie at the food street and was a bit thirsty.

After drinking, Little Tong put the cup back on the coffee table.

Like a little cat, she slipped to the door, pressed her eye to the crack, and saw her mother standing outside talking to that brother. She heard her mother say,

"Zhong Jin just went to work, he'll be back soon."

That brother said, "You don't have to lie to me, there's no trace of a man living in your house. You don't have to pretend in front of me."

Little Tong quietly left the door and ran back to her room, rummaging through the drawer of her bedside table to find her children's watch.

She dialed the first contact.

Zhong Jin's voice quickly came through, "Little Tong, where's Mom? Why isn't she answering the phone?"

Little Tong pressed her mouth to the children's watch and whispered, "Come back quickly, someone who wants to become you is outside."

"Who wants to become me? Where's Mom?"

"A brother, he wants to become you."

Zhong Jin was silent for a moment, then immediately asked, "Is the brother you're talking about the one who let you ride on his back yesterday?"

"Yes."

Zhong Jin, "Are you at home now?"

"I'm at home by myself, they're outside."

"Wait at home, don't run around. I'm downstairs, I'll be right back."

Zhong Jin had just walked out of the parking lot, originally planning to go to the fresh supermarket to buy groceries. After hanging up the phone, he changed direction and walked into the building.

Just stepping out of the elevator, before seeing anyone, he first heard a voice,

"You say Senior Zhong Jin is also in Haishan, then call him out. I'll leave as soon as I see him. If I don't see Senior Zhong Jin, then don't refuse my offer to take care of you and your daughter. I really can't bear to see you work so hard, and I also really like Little Tong. I know you don't like me, I won't force anything. Just consider it as me being shameless, as me wanting to give unilaterally."

Zhong Jin, with one hand in his pocket, strode over, "Who wants to see me?"

Wen Hechang turned his head and saw a tall man in uniform, walking towards him with a displeased look.

Wen Hechang, "...?"

Even against the light, he recognized this figure—tall, slim, and straight. Back in high school, his deskmate had once drawn a silhouette of Zhong Jin as a flag bearer, and girls from other classes had come to borrow it for tracing. He had a deep impression of this figure.

Zhong Jin walked over, standing next to Qiu Sheng, and complained affectionately, "Why didn't you invite Manager Wen in for a sit when he came?"

Then he extended a slender hand towards Wen Hechang, "Manager Wen, long time no see."

Wen Hechang glanced guiltily at Qiu Sheng, who silently took a step back, giving him a look that said, "I told you he'd be back soon, you didn't believe me."

Under Zhong Jin's sharp gaze, Wen Hechang extended his right hand and shook his.

As their hands clasped, Wen Hechang felt a sharp pain in his finger joints. He instinctively tried to pull his hand back, but the grip didn't budge.

Zhong Jin stared at him for two seconds, then said in a deep voice, "I'll take care of my own child, no need for Manager Wen to be shameless... to trouble yourself."

Only then did he suddenly release his hand.

Wen Hechang instinctively shook his sore hand.

Zhong Jin, "Sorry, being a cop, I have a bit of a strong grip."

"It's... it's nothing." Wen Hechang also explained, "Senior, there might be some misunderstanding here, my intentions were good, I..."

"I know your intentions were good, but this kind of persistent approach, better not start it next time, or you might get arrested as a stalker."

Zhong Jin directly cut him off, stepping aside, "Manager Wen, would you like to come in?"

What seemed like an invitation was actually a polite way to ask someone to leave.

Although Wen Hechang was a few years younger than Zhong Jin, he had started his entrepreneurial journey early. Despite his somewhat rash handling of the situation, he still understood the nuances of social etiquette.

He bid his farewell as gracefully as he could.

Zhong Jin turned around and spotted a pair of dark eyes peeking through the crack in the door. He waved his hand outward, and the child kneeling behind the door immediately stood up and let him in.

*

Back at home, Zhong Jin stood at the entrance, changed his shoes, and loosened his tie with one hand before heading into the walk-in closet.

Qiu Sheng sat on the sofa, hiding her face behind a magazine while sneaking a glance in his direction.

She quickly pulled out her phone and sent Zhong Jin a text: *I can explain this. Let’s not argue in front of the child, okay?*

“Zhong ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‍Yuntong, come here,” Zhong Jin called out from the closet, ignoring Qiu Sheng’s message.

Little Tong rode her tricycle over, her chubby little feet in panda toe socks sliding across the floor. She stopped at the door, poking her head in. “What?”

“Go tell your mom I’m going out to buy groceries.”

“Got it, Dad.”

Little Tong pedaled her tricycle back to the sofa. “He said he’s going out for fried chicken, ice cream, and a sausage.”

Zhong Jin, now changed, walked out and pinched Little Tong’s cheek. “Is that really what I said?”

Without another word to Qiu Sheng, he opened the door and headed downstairs.

Little Tong rubbed her pinched cheek, then drove her tricycle over to the sofa. She pressed the wheels against the sofa, flipped herself onto it, rolled around, and finally flopped onto Qiu Sheng’s lap.

She looked up and asked, “Is Daddy mad?”

Qiu Sheng patted her head reassuringly. “Yes, he’s mad, but don’t worry. I’ll calm him down. I’ve got experience. You don’t need to stress.”

Little Tong rolled over, her face now close to Qiu Sheng’s, and held up a finger, generously sharing her wisdom.

“Hide something he likes under the blanket. When he finds it, he’ll be happy again.”

Qiu Sheng propped her chin on her hand and thought for a moment. “He used to love guns, but now he loves you the most. Maybe I should hide you under the blanket.”

The little girl giggled. “No, don’t hide me! I’d pass out.”

Qiu Sheng picked up her phone and started typing a message to Zhong Jin. Meanwhile, Little Tong climbed off her lap and rode her tricycle away.

*Wen Hechang came over yesterday to check on the progress of the project, so I let him into the house. He even played with Little Tong for a while. I thought you were in a meeting, so I didn’t want to bother you. That’s why I didn’t tell you he was here.*

*Today, we ran into him by accident outside. I have no idea why he suddenly said those things. I know it must have upset you, and I’m really sorry about that.*

*But thank goodness you came back in time. This house really can’t function without you.*

Qiu Sheng sent three messages in a row, but Zhong Jin didn’t reply. She buried her face in her hands and sighed. Even after the divorce, he’s still such a jealous guy?

After about ten minutes, there was still no response.

Qiu Sheng picked up her phone again and sent another message: *To make up for the hurt this caused you, I’ve decided to give you 100,000 as compensation.*

Zhong Jin replied instantly: *Seriously?*

Qiu Sheng: *Of course not. I just wanted to make sure you saw my earlier messages.*

Zhong Jin didn’t send any more messages after that. When he returned from grocery shopping, he carried a bag of ingredients into the kitchen, his face stern. He shut the kitchen door and started cooking, the sounds of chopping and sizzling filling the air. Once the food was ready, he called out, “Zhong Yuntong, tell your mom to come eat.”

Little Tong rode her tricycle to the dining table and announced loudly, “She said she’s not eating.”

Qiu Sheng immediately jumped up from the sofa. “Who said that? I’m eating! Daddy’s cooking is so delicious, of course I’m eating. I’ll have two bowls.”

She winked at Little Tong, signaling her to pile on the compliments.

Little Tong caught on right away and gave Zhong Jin a thumbs-up. “Daddy’s cooking is the best in the world.”

Zhong Jin’s lips almost twitched into a smile, but he quickly suppressed it, clearing his throat and pretending nothing had happened.

After dinner, “Director Zhong” continued to maintain his cold demeanor as he cleaned up the kitchen before retreating to his bedroom.

Qiu Sheng approached him politely. “Do you have a meeting this afternoon?”

Zhong Jin replied, “Zhong Yuntong, tell your mom I don’t have a meeting this afternoon.”

Little Tong pedaled her tricycle over urgently and, with a serious expression, relayed the message to Qiu Sheng, who was standing right there: “He said we’re going to the amusement park this afternoon and riding the little train.”

Zhong Jin glanced at her but said nothing, heading straight into the bedroom. When he lifted the blanket and found a pink duck bubble gun hidden underneath, he couldn’t help but smile.

Little Tong, hiding outside the door and watching secretly, covered her mouth and giggled when she saw her dad finally smile.