Chapter 47

Chapter 47: Kindergarten Sports Day After the rain stopped, when Lin Meiyan got out of the van, her legs gave way and she nearly fell. Fortunately, Yu Jianghai was quick enough to catch her. Lin Meiyan glared at him. "It's all your fault!" There was still a row of teeth marks on Yu Jianghai's neck. His expression didn't change. "My fault." He admitted it readily enough, which made Lin Meiyan so angry that she twisted his arm again. She looked down at her blouse—two buttons had been torn off at the chest, revealing a patch of fair skin. There was no way she could go back looking like this. "What do we do?" "Wear my suit jacket back." Yu Jianghai naturally draped his suit jacket over Lin Meiyan, covering most of the exposed area. Lin Meiyan ground her teeth, but when she caught sight of the scratch marks on the back of his shirt, she ultimately said nothing. After Yu Jianghai cleaned up the van, she finally got in. But the moment she stepped inside and caught that smell, her face flushed. She said softly, "Yu Jianghai, I don't know how I'll ever face this van again." God knows what the two of them had done in there. Even thinking back on it now made Lin Meiyan's face burn and her heart race. She swore this had to be the most outrageous thing she'd ever done in her life. "A van is just a means of transportation." Yu Jianghai's voice was steady and calm, a hint of amusement in his eyes. "Yanyan, what are you thinking about?" This man had no shame! Lin Meiyan shot him a reproachful look before getting into the vehicle. Yu Jianghai drove her back to Linji. The moment she got out, Lin Meiyan did her best to compose her expression, making sure not to reveal any trace of what had happened! But the instant her shoe touched the bluestone slab at the entrance of Linji, Gu Kaihua spotted her. He immediately scurried over—though his big belly arrived even before he did! "Meiyan, Meiyan, have you learned how to drive yet?" He was quite curious, and even a little reserved about it. If Meiyan hadn't learned yet, he could teach her. Lin Meiyan paused, pulled the suit jacket tighter around herself, and lowered her eyes. "I can get it started now." Yu Jianghai came around from behind her, closed the car door, and added flatly, "She can also stall it." Gu Kaihua couldn't help but laugh. "Isn't that great? Who doesn't stall when they're first learning? I stalled too back then." Ye Qiuju poked her head out from inside. "You treated the gas pedal like the brake and scared Secretary Shen's face white. You still have the nerve to bring that up?" Gu Kaihua immediately coughed. "Wasn't that just because Secretary Shen is a coward?" Ye Qiuju didn't call him out on it, but honestly—he'd nearly scared Secretary Shen to death. Was that really just being timid? Lin Meiyan couldn't help but laugh either. Yu Jianghai stood beside her, and seeing her smile, the tension in his eyes eased as well. But after Lin Meiyan finished laughing, she quickly remembered what had happened in the van that afternoon. Her ears grew hot, and she turned and hurried toward the kitchen. Ye Qiuju saw her walking so fast and found it strange. "Yanyan, what are you running for?" "I'm going to check on the soup." "The soup's on the stove. It's not going to grow legs and run away." Lin Meiyan walked even faster. Yu Jianghai followed slowly behind her. Gu Kaihua watched the two of them from behind and scratched his head. "Can learning to drive really make you act like this?" Ye Qiuju shot him a look. "Mind your own business." "I'm not meddling. I'm just asking." "Not allowed to ask either." Gu Kaihua let out an "oh" and went back to picking vegetables. But as he picked, he muttered to himself, "Something about this driving lesson doesn't seem quite right..." Ye Qiuju watched the way Lin Meiyan walked, looking thoughtful. "Shut up and wash your vegetables." Gu Kaihua: "..." Lin Meiyan practiced driving for quite a while. Every day, whenever Yu Jianghai wasn't busy, she would go out with him to learn—sometimes using the van, sometimes using his Mercedes. To be honest, every time she drove Yu Jianghai's Mercedes, she was terrified. The car was too expensive, and she was afraid she'd crash it. Yu Jianghai, however, was calm about it. "If the car gets damaged, we'll just repair it. This car exists to serve people." Lin Meiyan felt an indescribable emotion stir in her chest. She said softly, "Repairs are expensive, Yu Jianghai." "If learning to drive means we have to pay for repairs, then it's worth it." His tone was utterly casual. Lin Meiyan paused, then put even more effort into her driving practice. Basically, whenever Linji wasn't busy, she'd spend the time driving around. Sometimes the van, sometimes the Mercedes—she just kept practicing slowly. The van was sturdy and could take whatever bumps Lin Meiyan gave it. And after driving the luxury car, getting back into the van gave her a bit more confidence. In the end, she mastered the van first. Once she'd fully learned, she handed the vehicle over to Gu Kaihua. That was just a passing novelty for her—afterward, Lin Meiyan went back to honing her cooking skills. But Gu Kaihua had the van on his mind day and night. It just goes to show that men and women have completely different attitudes toward cars. However, once Linji had the van, things became much more convenient. Especially after taking on the Jianghai construction site project, they could just toss over two hundred meal boxes into the back compartment, making transport much safer. It was easier for everyone. Later on, Lin Meiyan noticed that the meal boxes didn't retain heat well, so she went ahead and bought several large insulated buckets. She poured all the cooked dishes straight into them, sealed the lids, and completely cut off any chance of cooling. These large insulated buckets were incredibly convenient. With them, Lin Meiyan even dared to make mapo tofu. Tofu needs sauce to absorb into it, and before, since it was packed in meal boxes, she worried the sauce might spill. This time, she didn't have to worry. A whole pot of mapo tofu, sauce and all, went into the insulated bucket. When serving at the construction site, they could even ladle the sauce over the rice. Gu Kaihua also said, "With the insulated buckets, we have more options for what to cook each day." Before, they only made dry dishes, trying to avoid any sauce. Now, dishes with sauce were doable too. Lin Meiyan hummed in agreement. "This bucket is for the seaweed egg drop soup." She had Ye Qiuju pour the whole pot of soup in. "Uncle, after you deliver this soup, give it to the workers for free." This— Gu Kaihua was a bit reluctant. "You used seven or eight eggs, plus that big plate of seaweed." "If we give it away for free, aren't we taking a loss?" He was used to doing business now, calculating the cost of even the smallest thing and converting it into money. Lin Meiyan sighed. "Uncle, in business, you can't be too stingy. You have to think long-term, or that's how regular customers leave." If the boss is too cheap, the business won't grow. Gu Kaihua didn't say anything, but Ye Qiuju spoke up. "Listen to Meiyan." "She's right." Only then did Gu Kaihua hum in acknowledgment, loading bucket after bucket of food into the back of the van. Once everything was set, he started the engine, and it rumbled loudly. The neighbors all stood at their doorways to watch. Uncle Wang was envious. "Old Gu, Linji is really impressive now, delivering food by car." Gu Kaihua was modest with his words. "Oh, it's nothing, just a bit more convenient." That's what he said, but sitting in the driver's seat, he held his back straighter than anyone. Ye Qiuju stood at Linji's entrance, tightening his belt for him. "You're delivering food, not parading down the street." Gu Kaihua immediately toned down his smile. "I know." The car drove out ten meters, and he couldn't help waving at the old woman selling vegetables by the roadside. "Selling vegetables?" "Yes, yes, I'm off to deliver food." "Driving to deliver food." Ye Qiuju pressed her forehead, then put her hands on her hips and yelled from behind, "Gu Kaihua!" Gu Kaihua floored the gas pedal and shot off instantly, even making a funny face in the rearview mirror. "Yell, yell, yell." "Can't catch me now, can you?" Hehehe. As long as he ran fast enough, his wife couldn't catch up to scold him! On the last day of October, after Linji closed up, it was time to tally the accounts again. Several ledger books were laid out on the table, and in addition, there was a new ledger specifically for the Jianghai Dicai Phase Two catering. Gu Kaihua flipped through the ledger, and the more he flipped, the wider his eyes got. "Qiuju, come take a look. Did I calculate wrong?" Ye Qiuju took the ledger. She didn't believe it at first either. But as she added up entry by entry, the abacus beads clicking away, when the final number settled, she fell silent too. Lin Meiyan looked at them. "What's wrong?" Gu Kaihua looked up at her, his voice a bit unsteady. "Yanyan, this month... we made way too much, didn't we?" Lin Meiyan took the ledger. The breakfast stall had a net profit of just over thirteen hundred this month, a full three hundred more than last month. According to the previously agreed split, Linji took sixty percent, and her uncle and aunt took forty percent. Lunch and dinner income had also jumped significantly. Among them, the Jianghai Dicai Phase Two catering ledger was the thickest. Every day it just looked like individual meal boxes, but when the numbers piled up at month's end, it was more than anyone had expected. Even after deducting rice, flour, oil, meat, vegetables, coal, fire, water, electricity, and labor, the net profit was still considerable. When all the ledgers were combined, Linji's take for the month was more than double September's. Lin Meiyan stared at the final number, a bit dazed too. It wasn't that she'd never seen money, but most of what she'd seen before was loose change. A dime here, two dimes there, one yuan, two yuan. Back when she ran Linji herself, she was always thinking about costs, about tomorrow's meat money, about rent and utilities, about what to do if business went bad. Back then, in a good month, income was around four hundred; in a bad month, around two hundred. And that was after deducting utilities and costs. But now, Lin Meiyan pressed her fingers on the edge of the ledger, reluctant to turn the page for a long time. "Uncle, Aunt." She murmured, "Linji is truly alive again." Linji's income this month had broken three thousand eight hundred. That's right, three thousand eight hundred in one month!! That matched what they used to make in a whole year. Gu Kaihua and Ye Qiuju were also stunned by the number. "After deducting costs?" "And labor?" Lin Meiyan fiddled with the abacus for a while before arriving at a number. "Net profit is also around two thousand five." Food service might not look impressive, but in reality, the profit margins were high—it just meant the people working were a bit more worn out. The air in the room went quiet. Just then, Yu Jianghai came back from working overtime and casually hung his jacket over the back of a chair. "What's going on here?" "Counting the accounts," Gu Kaihua said. Lin Meiyan didn't hide it from him. She pushed the ledger over. "Yu Jianghai, take a look." Yu Jianghai didn't look at the ledger first—he looked at Lin Meiyan. "Boss Lin, congratulations." Lin Meiyan looked up, her eyes still a little bright. Hearing this, she pressed her lips together. "Thank you, President Yu." Gu Kaihua clicked his tongue. "You two are at home, still calling each other President Yu and Boss Lin—aren't you sick of the formality?" That made Lin Meiyan a bit embarrassed. Ye Qiuju glared at him. "What do you know?" Gu Kaihua muttered, "I don't know much, I only know money." Qiaoqiao immediately raised her hand. "I know too!" Everyone looked at her. Qiaoqiao patted her little tin box and said with all seriousness, "What about my dividends as a minor shareholder?" At that, everyone in the room burst out laughing. Gu Kaihua deliberately teased her. "You're still little. Let Uncle Grandpa keep it safe for you." Qiaoqiao immediately hugged the tin box to her chest. "No need." "Why not?" "Uncle Grandpa will buy meat and eat it." Gu Kaihua: "..." Ye Qiuju laughed so hard she couldn't straighten up. "See, even the kid sees right through you." Gu Kaihua refused to accept it. "When did I ever?" Qiaoqiao thought seriously for a moment. "Last time Uncle Grandpa said he was on a diet, but he ate three pieces of braised pork at night." Gu Kaihua shut his mouth completely. Yu Jianghai sat nearby, watching Qiaoqiao guard her little tin box, and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly. Lin Meiyan counted out the money that should be given to Qiaoqiao—all small bills and coins. Qiaoqiao pressed each one flat, one by one, and put them into the tin box. After she finished, she looked at Lin Meiyan again. "Mommy, can I talk about the important thing now?" Lin Meiyan was taken aback. "What important thing?" Qiaoqiao immediately pulled a crumpled notice out of her schoolbag. She had been holding it in all the way home—Mommy was counting money, so she couldn't disturb her. Now that the money was counted, she could finally take it out! "The teacher said there's a sports meet at the kindergarten next week." "A sports meet?" Lin Meiyan took the notice. On the paper, a few lines were printed in red ink: Simenkou Youeryuan Autumn Parent-Child Sports Meet. Below were listed the events: bouncing a ball, throwing sandbags, big feet with little feet, three-legged race, parent-child relay, and parents' tug-of-war. Lin Meiyan looked at the notice, her fingers pausing slightly. Qiaoqiao's eyes sparkled, but she deliberately tried to act calm. "Mommy, the teacher said both Daddy and Mommy can participate." After saying that, she secretly glanced at Yu Jianghai. Yu Jianghai was also looking at the notice. Qiaoqiao's voice suddenly got much quieter. "Daddy, will you come?" Yu Jianghai looked up. "I'll go." He answered without a moment's hesitation. Qiaoqiao immediately looked at Lin Meiyan. Lin Meiyan smiled. "Mommy's going too." All of Qiaoqiao's feigned calm vanished in an instant. Holding her tin box, she swung her legs on the little stool. "Then our family will have three people at the sports meet." After saying that, she added, "No, it's four people. Is Uncle Grandpa coming too?" Gu Kaihua immediately thumped his chest. "I'm going! Uncle Grandpa will cheer you on." Ye Qiuju also said, "Uncle Grandma will come for an hour too." Qiaoqiao's eyes grew even brighter. She took the notice back, carefully folded it again, and tucked it into the very bottom of her schoolbag. Hiding it as securely as if it were money. Gu Kaihua found it amusing. "A notice—why do you hide it so deep?" Qiaoqiao said seriously, "This is very important." Lin Meiyan and Yu Jianghai exchanged a glance but said nothing. That night, after Qiaoqiao fell asleep, Lin Meiyan secretly took out the notice Qiaoqiao had hidden and looked at it again. After reading it, she teased Yu Jianghai. "Yu Jianghai, do you know how to do these events?" Yu Jianghai took the notice and was silent for a long while. He didn't say anything. Lin Meiyan knew this was a rare thing that Yu Jianghai didn't know how to do. She couldn't help laughing. "If you don't know, you have to learn." "Otherwise, on the day of the sports meet, if the two of us hold Qiaoqiao back and get last place, she might cry from frustration." Kids were competitive, and if they lost the competition, she might end up with a psychological scar. Yu Jianghai paused. "I'll learn." "Learn what?" Lin Meiyan pressed. Yu Jianghai's voice was calm and unhurried. "Throwing sandbags, bouncing a ball." He hadn't thrown a sandbag in years, and as for a ball—he hadn't touched one in at least twenty years. Lin Meiyan smiled softly. "Then I'll learn too." She went over the events on the notice and copied them out separately. The two of them looked at each other, and in each other's eyes, they saw determination! As parents, this was their first time attending their child's sports meet. First place—they had to get first place!! But before getting first place, they had to start with practice. During the day, after finishing up at Linji, Lin Meiyan started making a sandbag. Her sewing skills weren't the best, and in the end, it was Ye Qiuju who helped her finish it during a spare moment. Once the sandbag was done, Ye Qiuju asked with interest, "Do you still remember how to throw a sandbag?" Lin Meiyan really didn't remember. She thought carefully for a moment, then said, "It's fine, I'll learn slowly." "I can understand you learning," Ye Qiuju said with a smile. "Is Yu Jianghai going to learn along with you?" Lin Meiyan hummed in acknowledgment. "He's participating in the sports meet. If he doesn't learn, he'll end up last, and Qiaoqiao will definitely be furious!" So, for their daughter's sake, they both had to learn!! Ye Qiuju couldn't imagine how Yu Jianghai would go about learning to throw a sandbag, but she soon found out. That evening, after Yu Jianghai returned, Lin Meiyan came to him with the sandbag, and Qiaoqiao was with her. "Daddy, do you know how to throw a sandbag?" "It's a group battle—whoever gets hit by the sandbag loses!" Yu Jianghai hummed. "So the more people, the better?" "Right." Yu Jianghai turned to look at Gu Kaihua and Ye Qiuju. By then, Linji had already passed its meal rush. At past eight o'clock, the area outside Linji had quieted down. There weren't many people left. Gu Kaihua rubbed his hands together. "I have to join in too?" "Come on, join us." "Let's do a simulation first." He sounded surprisingly professional—if Gu Kaihua hadn't known they were playing sandbag toss, he might not have recognized it at all. After speaking, Yu Jianghai began arranging the groups. "Uncle, you stand at the front and throw the sandbag. Me, Yanyan, and Qiaoqiao will stand on the opposite side. Auntie, you join in too." Gu Kaihua and Ye Qiuju took their positions as instructed. "Uncle," Yu Jianghai said, "start by focusing your throws on me." Gu Kaihua immediately got excited. "Are you sure? Then I can openly and legitimately hit you?" Who would believe it if he told them? He could actually hit the boss of Jianghai Dicai? Unfortunately, Gu Kaihua celebrated too early. Although Yu Jianghai hadn't played sandbag toss in years, his reaction speed was incredibly sharp. Gu Kaihua threw the sandbag over a dozen times in a row, yet he couldn't even touch the hem of Yu Jianghai's clothes. It was truly remarkable. By the end, Gu Kaihua was panting from exhaustion. "I'm done, I'm done. I'm definitely not throwing anymore." If he couldn't even hit Yu Jianghai, what was the point of continuing? Yu Jianghai stopped, his expression calm. "Then let's try the next event—bouncing a ball." Lin Meiyan had already prepared the ball. She was just a bit surprised. "Yu Jianghai, how do you know how to do everything?" Because when it came to bouncing a ball, Yu Jianghai picked it up instantly too. The ball under his palm seemed as if it were glued to him—it never left his hand. Yu Jianghai thought for a moment. "The core of sports is that all variations stem from the same principle." "As long as you control your strength well, generally speaking, there won't be major problems." Lin Meiyan thought to herself, that statement only suits someone with well-coordinated limbs. If it were anyone else, they wouldn't necessarily get the same result. "Daddy, do you know how to do the three-legged race?" Qiaoqiao suddenly asked. Yu Jianghai paused. Lin Meiyan explained, "It's when three people tie their legs together and walk." Qiaoqiao was startled. "Tied up?" "Yeah." "Will we fall?" "If we don't coordinate well, we'll fall." Qiaoqiao tilted her little head. "Then we need to practice!" Lin Meiyan looked at Yu Jianghai, who hummed in agreement. She went inside to find an old strip of cloth, tied Yu Jianghai's left leg to Qiaoqiao's right leg, and then tied her own leg to Qiaoqiao's other side. Qiaoqiao was sandwiched in the middle, her expression very serious. "Daddy, your legs are too long." "Can you make them shorter?" She felt she wasn't even as tall as her daddy's legs! That was too much! "I can't make them shorter, but—" Yu Jianghai looked down at her, "I'll go slower." Qiaoqiao let out an "oh" and turned her head to find Lin Meiyan stifling a laugh. She immediately puffed up her little face. "Mommy, you can't laugh." Lin Meiyan suppressed her smile. "Okay, I won't laugh." Qiaoqiao pursed her lips tightly and shouted, "One, two, one." The moment the three of them took their first step, everything fell apart. Yu Jianghai's stride was too big, Lin Meiyan instinctively tried to follow, and Qiaoqiao, stuck in the middle, was nearly lifted off the ground by the momentum. "Stop, stop, stop!" Qiaoqiao's little face flushed red with urgency. She looked up at Yu Jianghai. "Daddy, you can't walk the way you normally do." Gu Kaihua stood nearby watching the spectacle, laughing uncontrollably. "Jianghai, you're so impressive when negotiating deals, and you were great at throwing sandbags earlier—how come you can't even walk properly now?" This was blatant schadenfreude! Yu Jianghai shot him a glance, and Gu Kaihua's laughter immediately died down a bit. Ye Qiuju crossed her arms. "If you're so good, you try." Gu Kaihua refused to back down. "Fine, I'll try." But after tying their legs together, before they could even take three steps, Gu Kaihua was already tilting sideways. Ye Qiuju grabbed him. "Are you doing that on purpose?" Gu Kaihua shouted, "I'm not! My leg just won't listen to me." Ye Qiuju sneered. "Your whole body doesn't listen to you." This time, even the neighbors living nearby came out to watch the commotion, and by the end, they were all laughing together. Qiaoqiao was laughing so hard she clutched her stomach. However, after practicing for an entire evening, the family of three finally found some rhythm. Qiaoqiao was in charge of calling out the commands, Yu Jianghai was responsible for keeping the pace, and Lin Meiyan followed Qiaoqiao's lead. At first, they walked all crooked and unsteady, but eventually, they could even manage a little jog. Qiaoqiao was very satisfied with this, and only then did everyone disperse. However, being the responsible person she was, she didn't forget to remind each of them individually. "Daddy, you can't have a meeting on the day of the sports meet." "Mm." "Mommy, you can't cook that day. You need to rest for half a day." "Mm." "Granduncle, don't forget to cheer for me while you're eating." Gu Kaihua was speechless. What kind of image did he have in the child's mind, exactly? Before they knew it, the day of the sports meet arrived. Entering November in Jiangcheng, the weather had turned a bit cooler, but the sky was exceptionally clear. A red banner hung at the entrance of Simenkou Youeryuan, reading "Simenkou Youeryuan Autumn Parent-Child Sports Meet." The courtyard was packed with children and parents. The kids wore all sorts of colorful clothes—some had red hair ties in their hair, others wore little caps. The teachers were busy lining everyone up, calling out names, and handing out number tags, bustling about with great energy. Today, Qiaoqiao wore a little red sweater, her hair tied up in two little buns. Holding Lin Meiyan's hand with one hand and Yu Jianghai's with the other, she puffed out her little chest as she walked into the kindergarten. Xiao Min's Mother spotted them at once and looked a bit surprised. "Oh, Qiaoqiao's daddy really came?" Yu Jianghai nodded, without any airs, his tone calm. "I promised the child." Xiao Min's Mother clicked her tongue in amazement, then turned and swatted her own husband. "Look at him." Xiao Min's Father was bewildered by the swat. "I came too." "You only came after I called you eight times." Xiao Min's Father immediately fell silent. Ding Haohao's mother was also standing nearby. She had often muttered behind Qiaoqiao's back about her not having a father. Now, seeing Yu Jianghai standing beside Qiaoqiao—tall, with long legs and an imposing presence—her expression turned somewhat awkward. She wanted to greet him but didn't know what to say. As for Ding Haohao, seeing how cute and pretty Qiaoqiao looked, he wanted to go up and say hello, but he couldn't bring himself to do it, hesitating in place for a long time. Qiaoqiao didn't notice him at all. Holding Yu Jianghai's hand, she introduced him to her classmates. "This is my daddy." "And this is my mommy." She said it with particular earnestness, as if she wanted to make up for all the times she'd never been able to introduce them before. Even though this wasn't the first time. But Qiaoqiao never tired of it. One little kid looked up at Yu Jianghai. "Your daddy is so tall." Qiaoqiao pressed her lips together and smiled. "Mm." Another child asked, "Can your daddy run?" Qiaoqiao glanced at Yu Jianghai. "Yes." Surrounded by a group of kids, Yu Jianghai's face showed no expression, but Lin Meiyan could tell his ears were a bit red. She held back a laugh. "President Yu, the children are asking you a question." Yu Jianghai looked at her, and Lin Meiyan's smile grew even more obvious. Only then did Yu Jianghai lower his head and say to the child, "A little." Qiaoqiao immediately added, "My daddy is really amazing." Yu Jianghai looked down at her. The little girl's eyes were bright, her face full of pride. Something struck his chest—a sour, astringent feeling, swelling and full. Lin Meiyan stood nearby, watching Qiaoqiao pull Yu Jianghai over to talk with the other children. She tightened her grip on her bag strap. She remembered that Qiaoqiao had also participated in a sports meet last year. Back then, Qiaoqiao was even smaller. The kindergarten had events like "big feet carrying little feet" and races where both mommy and daddy ran together. She had come alone with Qiaoqiao. For some events that required a father to participate, Qiaoqiao would just stand on the sidelines and watch. The little girl said it didn't matter, but she kept staring at other children's fathers, and the envy in her eyes couldn't be faked. After they went home that day, Lin Meiyan bought her a candied hawthorn stick. Qiaoqiao ate it very slowly. When she finished, she said, "Mommy, the candied hawthorn is really sweet." But Lin Meiyan remembered that night, when Qiaoqiao was asleep, her little hand clutching Lin Meiyan's clothes, sobbing in her dreams and calling for her daddy. Thinking of this, Lin Meiyan's eyes grew hot. Qiaoqiao turned back to look at her. "Mommy, what's wrong?" Lin Meiyan smiled. "Nothing." Yu Jianghai glanced at her. He didn't ask, just reached over and took her bag from her hand. Lin Meiyan paused. Yu Jianghai said in a low voice, "I'll carry it today." Lin Meiyan looked at him, and only after a long moment said, "Yu Jianghai, at last year's kindergarten sports meet, Qiaoqiao didn't have a daddy." Yu Jianghai listened, his gaze dimming slightly. He held her hand tightly. "That won't happen again." "It will never happen again." Lin Meiyan gave a soft "mm." Her gaze followed Qiaoqiao as she ran. Teacher Li was calling the students over, and Qiaoqiao's smile was radiant, still turning back to look at them. Lin Meiyan smiled gently. With Teacher Li's whistle blowing, the first event of the sports meet was bouncing a ball. The children lined up in a row, each with a small ball. As soon as the teacher blew the whistle, the courtyard immediately filled with the sound of pat-pat-pat. Qiaoqiao stood in the third row, bouncing the ball with great concentration. Her little face was tense, her eyes fixed on the ball, afraid it might roll away. Yu Jianghai stood at the edge of the field, looking even more nervous than she was. Lin Meiyan looked at him. "It's just bouncing a ball." And this was only the children's round. Yu Jianghai didn't take his eyes off her. "She wants to win." Lin Meiyan couldn't help but laugh. "What child doesn't want to win?" "Then let her win." "That's not for you to decide." Yu Jianghai paused, as if he found the matter somewhat tricky. Although he was the boss of Jianghai Dicai, he couldn't pull strings all the way down to a kindergarten. Making everyone yield to his daughter. Wouldn't that make him a tyrant? Lin Meiyan was thoroughly amused by his expression. "Alright, alright, Yu Jianghai, it's just a competition." Yu Jianghai grunted in acknowledgment, his eyes fixed unwaveringly on Qiaoqiao's bouncing rhythm. When she missed a ball and it rolled away, he frowned slightly, his heart lifting with concern. Yu Jianghai had to admit—even when Jianghai Dicai was signing its initial contracts, he had never been this nervous. Qiaoqiao panicked for a split second too, but quickly picked up the ball and continued bouncing, though she had fallen a beat behind. In the end, Qiaoqiao didn't take first place—she took second. The teacher awarded her a little red flower. Qiaoqiao ran back clutching it, first showing it to Lin Meiyan, then to Yu Jianghai, looking a bit dejected. "Daddy, I didn't get first." Yu Jianghai crouched down. "Second is great too." Qiaoqiao looked at him. "Really?" "Really." Only then did Qiaoqiao break into a smile. "Daddy, you'll get first place later!" "Okay." Xiao Min's mother watched from the side, sighing with admiration. "President Yu is actually pretty good at coaxing kids." Xiao Min's father whispered, "Stop calling him President Yu all the time. He's here today to be a dad, not to be put on display for you." Xiao Min's mother thought for a moment. "That's true." She glanced at her own husband. "Then you'd better be a good dad today too." Xiao Min's father thought to himself, Do I even need you to tell me that? The second event of the sports meet was the sandbag dodge. This was a family group activity where both parents participated. The moment this event came up, Qiaoqiao perked up considerably. She turned to look at Yu Jianghai. "Daddy!" The rest of her words went unspoken. But the tacit understanding between father and daughter reached its peak in that moment. Yu Jianghai stood among the crowd, letting the sandbags fly at him, each one precisely dodged. As the event went on, sandbags were thrown and one by one people were eliminated, yet Yu Jianghai held on to the very end and took first place. Qiaoqiao leaped up with a whoosh, pointing at Yu Jianghai. "Daddy!" "That's my daddy!" She was overjoyed, and immensely proud, her voice practically trying to pierce through the entire sports field. Both Yu Jianghai and Lin Meiyan noticed. They exchanged a glance and couldn't help but smile. "Alright." Teacher Li blew the whistle. "For the sandbag dodge event, Lin Qiaoqiao's daddy takes first place!" Gu Kaihua and Ye Qiuju clapped vigorously from the sidelines. Gu Kaihua shouted the loudest. "Qiaoqiao's daddy is the best!" Yu Jianghai couldn't help but feel a moment of awkwardness at being cheered on like that. Xiaomin was a bit unconvinced. "Qiaoqiao, just you wait—next round, my daddy will definitely beat your daddy!" Ding Haohao chimed in too. "My daddy can beat your daddy too!" Clearly, the competitive spirit among the children had been stirred up as well. Qiaoqiao let out a huff. "My daddy will definitely win." The little expression on her face was absolutely bursting with pride. After saying it, she even exchanged a look with Yu Jianghai, who nodded—which gave Qiaoqiao an unparalleled boost of confidence. The final event was the three-legged race. This time, every parent and child was tied together. It was a family team competition. Lin Meiyan, Yu Jianghai, and Qiaoqiao were one team. Xiao Min's mother, Xiao Min's father, and Xiaomin were another team. Ding Haohao's father, Ding Haohao's mother, and Ding Haohao made up the third team. However, unlike the excited expressions of the other parents, Ding Haohao's father seemed distracted and out of sorts. So much so that the moment the three-legged race began, Ding's father held them back—he stumbled and fell first, and immediately after, Ding's mother and Ding Haohao were dragged down with him. They all tumbled to the ground together. Ding Haohao's family was the first to be eliminated. Qiaoqiao glanced back, but Yu Jianghai said, "Qiaoqiao, look forward. Don't look back." "Daddy's taking you to first place!" Sure enough, Qiaoqiao's attention was instantly diverted. Wedged between Yu Jianghai and Lin Meiyan, her little feet were practically lifted off the ground by their pace, and a surge of bold ambition seemed to rise in her. "I'm going to get first place!!" Her voice carried with tremendous force—even Ding Haohao, who had fallen to the very back, could hear it. Watching all the other children and their parents run off into the distance while his family remained sprawled on the ground, Ding Haohao burst into loud sobs. "I don't want this!" "Get up! I want to keep competing!" "Daddy, it's all your fault—hurry up and get up!" "I want first place too!" He absolutely did not want to come in last. In past sports meets, last place had always been Lin Qiaoqiao's spot. But this time, last place had become his. Ding Haohao refused to accept it. He wailed loudly, crying as he tried to stand up, all while helping his father to his feet as well. Ding's father had lived a life of ease and comfort over the years, gaining quite a bit of weight. This sudden fall had been a hard one—had it been any other time, he would have been howling in pain. But this time, as he fell, it was as if he felt nothing. He looked at his son, who was burning with the desire to win, and said in a low voice, "Haohao, this is the last sports day your dad will attend with you." "What?" Ding Haohao was puzzled. "What do you mean, the last one? Dad, get up quickly! If you don't get up, Lin Qiaoqiao and the others are almost at the finish line." Only Ding's mother sensed something wrong from his words. She even forgot to get up, her face suddenly changing. "Old Ding, what do you mean by that?" Ding's father looked at the parents on the field—each one full of vigor, fighting hard for this sports day competition—while he alone seemed to have aged ten years in the past two months. His face was haggard, his expression weary. "Last night, Factory Director Zhou called me in for a talk. He told me to give back all the money I embezzled over the past two years." Ding's mother staggered. "How could this happen..." She lowered her voice, afraid of being overheard. "What do you mean, embezzled? What do you mean, give it back? Old Ding, isn't that money you earned with your own abilities?" "Why should we give it back?" And if they gave it back, wouldn't the house they bought from Jianghai Dicai, the family car, and all her gold and jewelry be gone completely? Ding's father spoke with difficulty. "But if I don't give it back, I'll have to go to prison." Ding's mother collapsed onto the ground. Around them was the lively sports day, cheerful songs playing over the loudspeakers, yet she felt cold all over. "If you go to prison, what will happen to me and Haohao?" For so many years, she had followed Ding's father, long since spoiled into someone who couldn't lift a finger or tell one grain from another. Of course, the Ding family's wealth had been more than enough to support their extravagant lifestyle. But now, the good days were over. What Ding's father didn't know was that he had already been at his wit's end for some time. His eyes stared blankly at the parents on the field, until finally his gaze landed on Yu Jianghai. His dim eyes suddenly lit up. "Maybe we still have a way—"