bad daddy

When He Yaning pushed open the door, Xiang Jie was playing with Xiao Zhu.

Two people, one big and one small, sat on the ground with a large piece of jigsaw puzzle pieces scattered in front of them.He Yaning recognized that he bought it for Xiaozhu, but when he took a look at the pieces, He Yaning decisively chose to give up.

He didn't expect this thing to be turned out.What's more, these two people are still very patient, and most of the puzzle has been completed.

Xiang Jie raised his head, saw him, and dropped the puzzle in his hand, "You...you're back?"

He hadn't seen He Yaning for several days.He knew that He Yaning was angry with him.After hitting the wall several times in a row, Xiang Jie didn't dare to deliver food to He Yaning again, for fear of annoying others.As for WeChat and phone calls, he also knew that He Yaning would not reply.

I don't know if it was an illusion, but Xiang Jie felt that He Yaning seemed to have lost weight again.A person who was already very thin, now changed into a lighter spring suit, making him look even thinner.

"Cough." He Yaning cleared his throat, his eyes fell on Xiang Jie's shoulder, and he slid away hastily, "Yeah."

Xiaozhu looked up at He Yaning, said nothing, and continued to work on the puzzle.

"Are you... staying for dinner tonight?" Xiang Jie looked up at the time and carefully asked He Yaning for advice.

"...Well, it doesn't have to be too rich." He Yaning hesitated for a moment, avoiding Xiang Jie's gaze, "Xiao Zhu, come here, Dad has something to tell you."

Xiao Zhu was looking for a suitable position for the jigsaw puzzle in his hand with his head down. Hearing this, he paused, raised his eyes blankly, and looked at He Yaning.

He Yaning still had a calm expression on his face.

Xiang Jie smelled something wrong.

He has been at He Yaning's house for a while, and this is the first time he has seen such a scene.

In his memory and cognition, He Yaning has almost no habit of talking with children alone.After all, Xiaozhu is really a worry-free child. If there is anything wrong, just say a few words casually, and she can listen to it.

The atmosphere suddenly became subtle, Xiaozhu still didn't speak, and lowered his head, as if he was still thinking about where the puzzle in his hand should be placed.

He Yaning just stood there, waiting.Xiang Jie didn't even dare to vent his anger. He didn't know whether to persuade Xiao Zhu to play the puzzle later, or to ask He Yaning to sit down and drink some water.

After an unknown amount of time, Xiang Jie watched as Xiao Zhu threw the puzzle into the box with some disappointment, and stood up.

He Yaning glanced at Xiang Jie, shrunk his neck, slipped into the kitchen consciously, and prepared to cook.

Xiang Jie turned on the faucet and absently washed the vegetable leaves.The sliding door of the kitchen was closed, but he still looked towards the living room subconsciously.

Why did He Yaning come back suddenly?

What is he talking about with Xiaozhu?

Why do you want to send him away?

Xiang Jie washed the leaves of the vegetables in his hands and peeled them off, and was startled by a thought that came to him suddenly.

He Yaning is going to fire him? !

When Xiang Jie thought about it, he felt that it made sense.He Yaning hadn't come back for several days, but his own mother came several times in succession, watering the flowers and checking Xiao Zhu's homework.Xiang Jie thought that his role in this family didn't seem so obvious.

What's more, I still coveted my employer's beauty, and shamelessly begged for a superior position... Xiang Jie turned down the faucet, and the more I thought about it, the more panicked I became.

What should come will always come.During the few days when He Yaning was away, it was a moment of silence before the storm.

Xiang Jie turned on the tap.

He tiptoed to the door and put his ear against it, trying to hear something.

He Yaning looked at her daughter, and reached out to help her straighten her braids. The little girl's hair grew a little longer, thin and soft, like silk—Xu Yingyue had such soft hair.

Xiaozhu's long hair was carefully braided into two braids. He Yaning touched the ends of her hair and asked softly, "Who did the braids for you?"

Xiao Zhu lowered his small head and picked at his fingers, and it took him a long time to say, "Brother."

He Yaning forced the corners of his mouth to smile, although Xiaozhu lowered his head, he couldn't receive his smile, "Did brother take good care of you these few days?"

Of course he was asking knowingly.He knew every move of Xiang Jie.Xiao Zhu tilted his head, stared at him with a pair of bright eyes, and nodded seriously.

He Yaning doesn't know everything.

At least, he didn't know exactly when Xiao Zhu got close to Xiang Jie.In He Yaning's impression, Xiang Jie didn't seem to do anything deliberately to please her.As for Xiao Zhu, although it saves trouble, he has a deep heart and is not the kind of person who gets close to people casually.

Even the phrase "brother" came in a vague way, but it was perfectly natural.

"Xiao Zhu, your father is back." He Yaning gently squeezed his fingers, and the joints made a "click" sound.He knew that his expression was ambiguous, but Xiao Zhu knew who he was referring to.

Xiao Zhu was a little dazed.Her chubby hands grabbed the hem of the skirt, and after a while, she lowered her head sadly, "Didn't he not want me anymore?"

He Yaning was silent.

He didn't know how to explain this to the child. "Father doesn't want you," He Yaning bent down, and told Xiao Zhu as kindly as possible, "He just...has some difficulties."

Xiaozhu is still small.No matter how smart and precocious she is, she is only seven years old.When Xu Yingyue divorced him, she was younger.

But that doesn't mean she doesn't know anything.

"Why are you hiding it from me?"

"Why should I accept a child like this?"

"Do you want her to follow your old path in the future?"

He Yaning stretched out his hand and pinched the center of his eyebrows, the dispute from that year reverberated in his mind again.They were arguing in the living room, and Xiao Zhu was in the bedroom across the door.He Yaning didn't think that she really didn't know anything.

Xiaozhu became silent.

He Yaning held Xiaozhu's hand, "He wants to see you, let's go to the Children's Paradise tomorrow, okay?"

Xiao Zhu looked at him in confusion, "But, what should I tell him?"

Xiang Jie looked at He Yaning, then at Xiao Zhu.It was rare that the dining table at home was full of people, and it was rare that the three of them didn't say a word.

In the past, He Yaning would at least boast that the food was good.

There is something.

Xiang Jie wanted to ask, but dared not.He was most afraid that if he asked, the switch knife would fall, and he would have to pack up and go back to his hometown tomorrow.

"I'll take Xiaozhu out tomorrow, so you don't have to make lunch." He Yaning took a mouthful of soup and brought it to his lips.

"Then...shall I make a bento?" Xiang Jie said casually, "Do you want some snacks?"

"I want it." Before He Yaning could refuse, Xiaozhu opened his mouth first, "I want the cute ones for the bento."

He Yaning glared at Xiaozhu, but the little girl didn't realize it, "I still want to eat cat's ears."

Xiang Jie likes to pour out some snacks at home.What hasn't Xiaozhu eaten?She has long been immune to high-end chocolate candies, but she just likes some weird things Xiang Jie makes.

"Then I'm busy tonight." Xiang Jie looked at He Yaning with a smile, "I'm going on a spring outing."

Spring outing shit.It's not something to be happy about He Yaning not talking and taking the child to see her ex-husband.The damn visitation rights.

"No," Xiaozhu said again, "My father wants to take me to see my father."

He Yaning was drinking soup and choked unexpectedly.

A series of question marks popped up in Xiang Jie's mind.

Holding the water glass, Xiaozhu took a sip seriously, and emphasized the important point again before her own father raised his hand to pat it off.

"Little Bamboo!" He Yaning closed his eyes for a moment, he never realized that the little girl's mouth was so unstoppable.

"Otherwise, brother will be worried." Xiao Zhu pouted and drank the rest of the water, "I'm full."

—He Yaning was divorced.

—He Yaning's previous marriage partner was a man.

—It is estimated that it is still an alpha.

—And this ex-husband is now back.

Xiang Jie bowed his head and took a few mouthfuls of rice.After a while, he heard He Yaning sigh softly.

"Thank you for your hard work these few days." Very official, very polite, standard greetings.

Xiang Jie felt that the shepherd's purse and tofu soup made today tasted pretty good.He drank two bowls in a row, and his whole body and stomach felt comfortable.

"This is what I should do." He answered fluently.

"Tomorrow's bento—" He Yaning said again, "Actually, you..."

"Since Xiaozhu likes it, let's do it." Xiang Jie smiled, "It doesn't matter if you don't eat it. It won't make her unhappy, and you have to coax her for a long time."

Speaking of this, He Yaning couldn't have any objections.

"Alright." He nodded, his eyes fell on the soup bowl in front of him.On the bottom of the bowl were finely chopped shepherd's purse residue.

"Before……"

"that……"

Xiang Jie felt that the matter between him and He Yaning should be discussed carefully, but He Yaning also opened the conversation.The two spoke in unison, and were stuck at the same time, looking at each other.

"You speak first!" Xiang Jieqian gave way.

"Go ahead." He Yaning backed off half a step.

Xiang Jie scratched his head.He has a lot of people-pleasing skills, and for some reason, they all fail in front of He Yaning.He Yaning had left him alone these days, and Xiang Jie was about to give up.

Today it has revived again.

Although it is only a little spark that shines tenaciously.

"Tomorrow... come back early." Xiang Jie murmured for a long time, but only this sentence popped out.He didn't dare to look at He Yaning, let alone say too much.It was a blessing not to be fired, he didn't want He Yaning to hate him anymore.

He Yaning looked at this cramped and cautious big boy, and his tense heartstrings loosened slightly.He didn't intend to delve into the deep meaning of that sentence.

At least that means that someone is waiting for him to come back.Although the other party is nothing to him.

"Okay." He Yaning nodded with a smile, "I will."