Feng Yuan’s damp, round eyes stared at Li Ting without blinking, trying to awaken a shred of self-awareness in him.
But clearly, self-awareness was something Li Ting simply did not have.
“Dr. Ge, I won’t bother you any longer.”
Li Ting picked up Feng Yuan, got up from the chair, and bid Dr. Ge farewell.
Dr. Ge was an old family doctor who had known them for a long time. When Li Ting was little, he had even served as the Li family’s private doctor for a while.
Later, when the Li children grew older, he returned to work at the hospital run by the Li family in their home country.
Li Sheng, Li Ting, and the other children of the Li family all respected him quite a lot.
After saying goodbye, Li Ting carried Feng Yuan out of the hospital.
Feng Yuan had gone through both check-ups and wound treatment at the hospital, which took quite some time. By the time they came out, the sun was slowly setting in the west.
Li Ting hadn’t brought Feng Yuan to the car to go home.
He typed a few words into his phone: What needs to be done when taking care of a child.
He would rather search online than bother reading the memo Li Sheng had sent.
The signal at the hospital entrance was fast.
Li Ting’s search page quickly filled with recommendations.
【Must-do activities when taking care of a child. See how many you’ve done?】
【Bookmark this: Great places to take your child, all tried and tested!】
【A newly opened amusement park on Jiangbei Road, super fun. Come quickly if you want to take your kids!】
A flood of suggestions appeared. Li Ting picked a few of the most popular ones to look through.
After checking the recommendations, he glanced at Feng Yuan.
At this moment, Feng Yuan, with his little swollen head, looked both miserable and pitiful.
Li Ting put away his phone and explained the childcare plan he had just drafted to him.
“It’s five o’clock now. We’ll go to the outdoor amusement park and play for an hour, then have dinner.”
“After dinner, I’ll take you to the indoor amusement park for a bit. When we’re done playing, we’ll go home to bathe and sleep.”
“At the amusement parks, you can play whatever you want. And at dinner, you can order whatever you want to eat.”
As soon as Li Ting finished speaking, Feng Yuan’s previously listless little face instantly lit up.
His eyes sparkled, like they were filled with tiny stars. “Little Uncle, can Yuan Yuan have ice cream?”
Li Ting: “Yes.”
There was a cold drink shop right next to the hospital. Li Ting carried him and went to pick out ice cream.
“You can only get one.”
“Okay! Yuan Yuan wants the big one.”
“That’s fine, too.”
Li Ting let Feng Yuan choose just one flavor, then paid for it.
The shop’s large signature ice cream cone was held by Feng Yuan with his two chubby little hands. He hadn’t even taken a bite yet, but he already felt like he was going to melt from happiness.
“Little Uncle is really the best!”
Hugging the ice cream, his mouth was even sweeter than the treat itself. “Yuan Yuan loves Little Uncle the most!”
Li Ting listened to his rainbow-colored praise with a face that looked like he didn’t care at all.
But his hand conveniently reached the counter at the cold drink shop and added a large lollipop to the purchase.
Feng Yuan: “!”
Feng Yuan looked at the big lollipop and felt happy again.
With the same mouth that had just licked the ice cream, he smacked a few kisses on Li Ting.
“Little Uncle, you are the bestest uncle in the whole world!”
Feng Yuan’s rainbow-colored praise kept going.
After buying the large lollipop, Li Ting went next door and bought him a small backpack to hold the lollipop.
It was a yellow chick-shaped backpack and even came with a little yellow chick keychain.
Li Ting temporarily put the keychain inside the backpack and helped him put the small backpack on.
With the backpack on, Feng Yuan no longer wanted to be carried by Li Ting.
He waddled along on his short little legs, happily walking by himself along the roadside.
The city’s largest outdoor amusement park wasn’t very far from them.
By the time Feng Yuan finished the last bite of ice cream, they had arrived at their destination.
“Sir, the amusement park will be closing in an hour. Do you still want to take your child in?”
Entry to the amusement park required tickets. One ticket allowed a full day of play.
At this time of day, buying tickets was obviously not very cost-effective.
Li Ting didn’t care about cost.
He bought adult and child tickets and held Feng Yuan’s little chubby hand as they went in.
“Wow.”
As soon as Feng Yuan entered, he was stunned. “This place is even bigger than the mall!”
The last time Feng Yuan went to a mall amusement park, the difference in size compared to this outdoor amusement park was significant.
Li Ting glanced at all the attractions, then let go of Feng Yuan’s little chubby hand and lifted his chin. “Go ahead, see which one you want to play on. I’ll go with you.”
Feng Yuan pointed with his little chubby hand at the giant swinging ship.
Li Ting took him over there.
The staff member next to the giant swinging ship looked at little Feng Yuan and gave Li Ting a look as if he were dealing with someone mentally challenged. “This child is so small. Do you really think he can ride this?”
Li Ting: “……”
Li Ting’s expression darkened at the question.
He looked down at the little one by his legs, then looked up at the swinging ship in the air.
It seemed like this really wasn’t suitable for him.
Feng Yuan realized he couldn’t ride the giant swinging ship either. He grabbed two of Li Ting’s fingers and shook his head.
“Little Uncle, let’s go on that! I saw some kids sliding on it!”
Feng Yuan picked a new target. This time, the rainbow slide.
The long rainbow slide swooshed down in an instant. Just looking at it seemed fun.
Feng Yuan was too small and needed a parent to hold him while sliding.
Li Ting carried him and went down the slide again and again.
Feng Yuan pressed against Li Ting’s chest, his tiny voice nearly shouting as they slid down. By the time they reached the bottom, he was giggling uncontrollably.
“Again! I want to go again!”
Feng Yuan loved the rainbow slide so much that he had already gone down it about ten times, and he still wasn’t satisfied.
If Li Ting hadn’t noticed the time and steered him toward other attractions, he could have kept going.
Besides the rainbow slide, they also rode the pirate ship.
The outdoor amusement park had more space, so the attractions were more varied.
By the end, Feng Yuan didn’t want to leave at all.
Li Ting carried him and, as the staff politely asked them to move along, hummed softly to Feng Yuan: “You’ve only played a few things and you’re already so reluctant to leave? Truly, you’ve never seen the world.”
“You like playing these things so much, I’ll have someone build you an amusement park. Then you can play whatever you want anytime.”
Feng Yuan: “!”
Feng Yuan: “Really?”
Li Ting: “Mm, really. I, Li Ting, always keep my word.”
Feng Yuan: “!”
Feng Yuan’s little face became even more excited. His eyes sparkled as he looked at Li Ting and asked eagerly, “Then, Little Uncle, when will you build an amusement park for Yuan Yuan?”
Li Ting: “……”
Li Ting’s handsome face suddenly stiffened.
He had forgotten one thing when he made that promise—
Most of his assets had been scammed away before he summoned ghosts.
When he summoned ghosts, the cash he could mobilize went in once again.
Now, he wasn’t short on daily expenses, but building an amusement park seemed a bit difficult for the moment.
Li Ting quickly calculated his current wealth. Although he didn’t have much left, he didn’t show any hesitation in front of Feng Yuan.
“To build an amusement park, you have to buy the land first. Let me see where I can buy some land for you.”
“Buying land is complicated, so don’t worry or rush.”
Li Ting managed to delay the amusement park topic with just a few words.
Near the amusement park was a snack street.
The vendors on the snack street were gradually setting up their stalls, and the number of people on the street was increasing. The aroma of food wafted over, catching Feng Yuan’s attention.
“Little Uncle, let’s eat!”
Feng Yuan squirmed in his arms, twisting his little body so Li Ting would carry him to eat.
Little Uncle had said that for dinner, he could eat whatever he wanted.
Li Ting had been to crowded places like snack streets before.
However, past memories of those experiences were not pleasant for him now.
He suppressed those memories and started strolling through the snack street from the beginning.
Barbecue stalls were the most numerous on the street.
The oversized meat skewer that Feng Yuan chose was almost as big as him.
After taking a few bites of the meat skewer, he spotted takoyaki, Fuding pork slice soup, fruit sticky rice cakes, spicy roasted pig trotters, fruit-flavored ice jelly…
“So many delicious things!”
Feng Yuan’s little hands gripped the large meat skewer. His mouth watered almost uncontrollably.
He had never in his life eaten so many tasty things!
Seeing how much he liked everything, Li Ting bought a portion of each for him.
Although Feng Yuan could eat, he knew he couldn’t finish so much by himself.
His eyes darted around. In the next moment, a sweet smile appeared on his little face as he fed Li Ting the large meat skewer he didn’t want to eat.
“Uncle, you eat it.”
Feng Yuan was a thrifty little one who never wasted food. To save room and try a bit of everything delicious, he softly shared all his food with Li Ting.
Li Ting ate the leftovers from him. The corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
By the time they had strolled the entire snack street, Feng Yuan was completely satisfied and content.
That afternoon, he had eaten an enormous ice cream, played on the rainbow slide many times, and even rode the pirate ship on the water.
Now, he had also eaten a whole lot of different snacks.
Feng Yuan was extremely satisfied with the day’s activities so far.
He was too full to walk on his own.
So at this moment, he wrapped his little hands around Li Ting’s neck, letting Li Ting carry him to the car.
“Little Uncle, next time, you have to take Yuan Yuan again, okay?”
Hugging Li Ting, Feng Yuan didn’t forget to remind him to take him along next time.
He had never been so carefree with either of his dads before today.
When he was with his Dad, his Dad didn’t have money, so he couldn’t have many snacks.
Later, when he was with his Big Daddy, he had money to support him, but he still wasn’t allowed big ice creams or lots of street snacks.
And things like the rainbow slide at five in the evening, which could blow on him with the wind, or the pirate ship that could get his clothes wet. Forget about even thinking about those!
Compared to his Big Daddy, little Feng Yuan, though fond of his Big Daddy, simply couldn’t resist Uncle Li Ting.
His small face pressed against Li Ting, speaking to him softly and fluffily, carrying that unmistakable childlike scent that Li Ting couldn’t help but notice.
Li Ting wanted to tug at his face to make this clingy little one sit properly, but the words that came out of his mouth were different.
“If you want me to take you to play again, you have to behave a little.”
“Remember, I don’t—”
Li Ting had meant to say, “I don’t like you.”
But before the last few words could escape, Feng Yuan rubbed his soft, dough-like cheek against him.
Li Ting swallowed the words he had meant to say.
By the time this little clingy one finished rubbing against him, any chance to say what he wanted had already lost its mood.
The car sped along the road.
Feng Yuan didn’t sit still for a moment. He was sometimes leaning in Li Ting’s arms, sometimes resting his head on Li Ting’s leg.
After being tossed around like this all the way home, Feng Yuan touched his round little belly, which felt like it hadn’t digested anything at all, and frowned.
Even though his tummy was so full, he didn’t feel like going to the bathroom at all.
He was starting to feel a little nauseous.
“Yuan Yuan, time for a bath.”
Li Ting, who was filling the bathtub, called Feng Yuan after pouring in a full tub of water.
Hearing him, Feng Yuan’s little face scrunched up even tighter.
“Yuan Yuan already took a bath!”
“That was during the day. Now it’s bedtime, so you need another one.”
They had been out all afternoon, going to crowded places, so now that they were back, he definitely needed a bath.
Li Ting’s stance on bathing was the same as Li Sheng’s—non-negotiable.
Feng Yuan, trying to suppress the nausea, focused all his energy on refusing the bath, firmly rejecting Uncle Li Ting.
Li Ting, however, just as firmly overruled his refusal.
The big one and the little one were still at odds with each other.
Li An, who had already located this property, was sitting in a car and would arrive in at most half an hour.
Li An was the Li family’s long-time steward. Aside from the matriarch, he was the person Old Master Li trusted most.
Within the Li household, he only answered to Old Master Li and Old Madam Li. For the other young masters and young ladies, he showed respect outwardly. But when conflicts arose between the old and young generations, he always sided with the former.
When he was young, Old Master Li had saved him. He had carried that debt of gratitude his entire life and repaid it in full.
Wherever he went, he went as though Old Master Li was there with him.
At the small villa, everything appeared calm. But the calm was precarious.
Meanwhile, in the neighboring city, Feng Yuan’s two dads hadn’t had a chance to think about him.
Feng Qi, struggling with his frail, sickly body, had been working in the studio until nightfall.
He told himself that his work attitude and results hadn’t wasted anyone’s effort, nor had they squandered the wages paid to him.
During the shoot, he could see the astonishment in the photographer’s eyes.
But after he finally finished, the promised twenty thousand yuan was not paid to him immediately.
Brother Liu, who had brought him to work, said he would settle the payment after dinner.
Feng Qi was exhausted.
At this moment, he didn’t actually want to follow Brother Liu to dinner. He just wanted to get his money, find Li Sheng, and then rest.
But Brother Liu didn’t relent.
“Feng Qi, it’s only twenty thousand yuan. Why are you in such a hurry? I’m taking you to a banquet. You do know it’s high-end, right? Just one bottle of wine there easily costs more than this.”
Brother Liu rambled endlessly about the luxury of the banquet.
Feng Qi hadn’t received his money yet and didn’t want to cause a scene, so he endured it and went to dinner with him.
At the banquet, quite a few unfamiliar faces tried to strike up a conversation with him.
Feng Qi ignored them all.
He didn’t even raise his head.
Sitting on a chair in the corner, he was chatting with Li Sheng on WeChat.
Yuan Yuan’s Dad: “So noisy.”
Li Sheng: “I’m near you. Do you want me to pick you up?”
Li Sheng knew he was at the banquet at this moment.
Yuan Yuan’s Dad: “No, you focus on your own things.”
Yuan Yuan’s Dad: “I’ll see you after the banquet ends, once I’ve got the money.”
Li Sheng: “Mm.”
Li Sheng: “Did you drink any of the wine at the banquet?”
Feng Qi: “Guess.”
Feng Qi: “A lot of people came over asking me to drink.”
Those two words from Feng Qi suddenly darkened Li Sheng’s eyes.
Just as Li Sheng, keeping a calm face, was about to stand up, Feng Qi sent a third message.
“I didn’t drink. I smelled something in the wine that seemed to make people feel warm.”
This time, Li Sheng didn’t reply. He got up immediately.
Just as he got up and started heading out, Feng Qi was blocked by Brother Liu on the other side.
“Feng Qi, do you know how many of the people who just asked you to drink are extremely important? You shouldn’t have refused them.”
“If you refuse them, they’ll lose face. In the future, you won’t have any chance to make it in this industry.”
Feng Qi just smiled at Brother Liu’s intimidation, completely unbothered.
“If they don’t want me to make it, then I won’t make it.”
He said lightly, “At worst, I’ll go pick up scraps.”
He might as well join his Yuan Yuan in the scrap-picking business. It wasn’t impossible.
“Feng Qi, don’t joke around. Don’t get mad at me. I’m only doing this for your own good.”
“Look at your face. I can guarantee that as long as you appear on camera, you’ll absolutely go viral! When that happens, the money you earn each day won’t just be ten or twenty thousand; you’ll make at least a million.”
After scaring him, Brother Liu quickly painted a big picture of opportunity for Feng Qi.
With this move, his true purpose finally became clear.
“Here, go to this place and have a proper talk with the people inside.”
Brother Liu handed him a card, lowering his voice as he said, “You wanted your payment, right? Go there and you’ll get it.”
Feng Qi looked at the card.
Although it was meant to hold his wages, it wasn’t a bank card. It was a room key.
There was a note on the card:
Boling Hotel, 1701.
Feng Qi stared at the card for a few seconds, then reached out and took it.
Seeing him take the card, Brother Liu finally relaxed.
“Feng Qi, just trust me. I’ll make sure you go viral.”
Brother Liu smiled broadly, watching Feng Qi pocket the card and head out.
The Boling Hotel was a five-star hotel right next door.
Holding the card, Feng Qi stepped outside. Sure enough, he saw Li Sheng waiting at the entrance.
He raised an eyebrow and tossed the card to him.
“Brother Liu said to let me in to get my payment.”
Li Sheng held the room card, his knuckles tightening unconsciously.
He almost crushed the card in his grip.
A cool breeze brushed past the entrance.
Feng Qi coughed lightly twice. Before a third cough could escape, a suit jacket was draped over his shoulders.
It was Li Sheng who had put it on him.
“You don’t look well. Go rest in the car for a bit.”
Li Sheng, his expression calm, finished draping the jacket and then guided him to the car, letting him get in to rest.
Feng Qi didn’t refuse his arrangement.
The temperature inside the car was comfortable, and there was even a bowl of lightly sweetened porridge.
Sitting in the car, Feng Qi looked at Li Sheng, who had no intention of getting in. He rolled down the window, tilted his head back, and asked, “Where are we going?”
Li Sheng replied expressionlessly, “Boling Hotel, 1701.”
Wasn’t someone waiting in that room to pay Feng Qi his wages?
He was going to see how exactly this payment was going to be handled.
