TIL - 4

In the morning, as soon as Shen Cheng arrived at the office, he received a call from the nanny saying that Yiyi had choked while learning to swim. The doctor had seen her and confirmed she was fine, but she had been crying continuously, so Shen Cheng couldn’t focus on work.

Yiyi’s full name was Shen Naiyi, Shen Cheng’s daughter.

Shen Cheng’s wife, Han Bailu, was still filming in Guangzhou, so Yiyi was being looked after by Shen Cheng and the nanny.

Yiyi was squatting behind the door, clutching a bear-shaped biscuit, her face stained with tears. She wouldn’t even look at Shen Cheng as he entered, seemingly upset about something.

The nanny apologized profusely: “I’m so sorry, Mr. Shen, it’s my fault. I should have stayed by her side.”

“It’s alright.”

The nanny was young, in her early thirties, majoring in early childhood education and holding a nutritionist certificate. Her voice was also very gentle, conditions that Shen Cheng prioritized, making her entry into the Shen family quite smooth.

She treated Yiyi very well, even better, one might say, than Han Bailu, her biological mother.

She was also the first nanny who had no designs on Shen Cheng, following the dismissal of two nannies who did. Of course, it was also possible that she simply hadn’t yet.

Yiyi, seeing Shen Cheng, looked up, her small eyes red again, and her mouth pouting, looking as if she had suffered a great grievance.

Shen Cheng knelt down, holding her small “buns” (hands), his tone, usually indifferent, softened slightly with a hint of warmth: “Unhappy?”

Yiyi’s tears fell continuously, and she remained silent.

Shen Cheng had a way of dealing with her habit of not speaking and throwing tantrums. “You poured the bear-shaped biscuits into the pool, so other children could pick them up and eat them. Are you even more wronged than those children?”

Yiyi’s pout deepened.

The nanny’s mouth slightly opened, a hint of surprise in her eyes. Shen Cheng actually knew what had happened. Then she thought, how could he not know? Her impression of him was that he never said the wrong thing, was always thoughtful, and had at least two contingency plans ready.

Shen Cheng led her by the hand to her room, let her watch him fill her small bathtub with water, then poured an entire box of bear-shaped biscuits into it, telling her: “Eat them all, and I’ll allow you to treat your friends like this again next time.”

Yiyi watched the bear-shaped biscuits floating in the bathtub. Her tears, which had been falling sporadically, now began to pour down, and she burst into loud sobs.

Shen Cheng then, in front of her, picked up the small biscuits one by one into a plate and handed them to the nanny.

After crying for a long time, Yiyi realized Shen Cheng wasn’t comforting her and slowly stopped crying, only her shoulders and small chest still heaving.

Seeing her calm down, Shen Cheng knelt down again and wiped away her tears: “Girls shouldn’t cry. Tears are the most worthless thing; they only make people think you’re easy to bully.”

Yiyi pouted and nodded softly: “Daddy... I’m sorry...”

Shen Cheng smoothed her stray hairs: “You don’t owe Daddy an apology. You owe your little friends an apology. Remember to apologize when you see them next time.”

Yiyi responded very softly: “Mm...”

After resolving Yiyi’s issue, Shen Cheng handed her back to the nanny and then said to her, “I don’t want the same thing to happen a second time.”

The nanny pursed her lips, adopting an apologetic attitude: “I’m very sorry for causing you trouble.”

Shen Cheng nodded slightly and bid her farewell.

After Shen Cheng left, the nanny finally let out a sigh of relief. She still carried the scent of church incense, which now permeated the air, as if mocking her overestimation of herself and deriding her little cleverness used in the wrong place.

Shen Cheng liked the scent of James Heeley’s Incense Church, but he didn’t like that scent being worn by anyone.

He left home and returned to the office, finishing the work he had planned for the morning before lunch. However, this lunch was later than usual.

Han Bailu learned about Yiyi in the afternoon and called to reprimand the nanny.

It was indeed the nanny’s oversight, so even though she felt some psychological and physiological repulsion towards the words, she didn’t argue back and simply accepted it all.

Han Bailu then called Shen Cheng, her tone much better this time: “Yiyi choked on water.”

Shen Cheng multitask, calmly replying: “Mm.”

Han Bailu said: “This film is almost finished. Once it’s done, I can spend time with her.”

Shen Cheng continued with his work: “No need to rush. She’s not very close to you anyway. Your value in accompanying her is far less than the nanny’s.”

Han Bailu had nothing more to say and was about to hang up.

Shen Cheng suddenly spoke again: “Lu Xingchuan and off-site financiers Liang and Guo conspired to illegally manipulate two stocks, earning over eighty million yuan. The CSRC has launched enforcement cooperation, assisting the police in investigating, and it will be exposed as early as next week.”

Han Bailu’s spine suddenly felt cold, and she remained silent for a long time.

Shen Cheng continued in a casual tone: “You know I have influence, and perhaps I could help him resolve these troubles. But I just don’t know if you’re willing to acknowledge your relationship at this time.”

Han Bailu didn’t dare to hang up, nor did she dare to speak, her breathing held in one place.

Shen Cheng was not in a hurry; he could wait for her to speak.

Lu Xingchuan was the boss of Han Bailu’s previous management company. The two had started an ambiguous relationship when Han Bailu first participated in a trainee audition. Even after Han Bailu coincidentally married Shen Cheng, the two never lost contact.

Han Bailu knew Shen Cheng was aware, but he had never said anything, and she tacitly avoided bringing it up. She even thought Shen Cheng would remain silent forever.

She was wrong.

She whispered: “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Shen Cheng had given her a chance: “Since you don’t know him, then I won’t save that person.”

Han Bailu was about to say ‘wait’ when Shen Cheng already hung up. She tried calling him back, but he wouldn’t answer. She quickly called Lu Xingchuan, and when she heard the automated female voice on his phone say ‘The number you dialed is currently switched off,’ her heart sank.

*https://www.google.com/search?q=hpo8.com

Shen Cheng finished his work and instructed his secretary to buy a honey crater cake; Yiyi liked it.

As the secretary was about to go buy it, he called her back and said, “Two portions.”

The secretary nodded: “Understood.”

Shen Cheng left work around 6 PM. As soon as he got into the car, just as the driver was about to greet him, he spoke first: “Tsinghua.”

“Understood.”

As they neared the East Gate, Shen Cheng saw Wen Huo through the window, right outside the Crystal Barbecue restaurant. He said: “Stop the car.”

The driver pulled the car over to the side of the road.

Shen Cheng picked up the cakes, got out of the car, and hadn’t walked two steps towards Wen Huo when a young man wearing a mask and work clothes ran towards her, handing her an ice cream cone with a smile and speaking to her.

Wen Huo also smiled at him, then stuck out her tongue and licked her ice cream cone.

Shen Cheng stopped, stared at the scene for a while, showing no reaction, and seemingly unaffected in his mood. Finally, he just turned around, got back into the car, and calmly said: “Go home.”

The driver dared not ask anything, nor had he ever asked anything. He simply nodded: “Understood, sir.”