The anticipated reunion in big beauty Pei’s imagination: father and son embraced, crying tears of joy. Lu Qin expressed gratitude to him for giving birth to such a son.
The actual reunion:
Lu Qin probably felt that Pei Rong was a spendthrift, destitute, and law-breaking wastrel. In a few days, he might have even added the charge of ‘not knowing how to raise a child.’
Pei Rong inexplicably felt embarrassed, as if losing face in front of an ex-boyfriend. He quickly hung up the phone, his toes rubbing against the white sheets.
Since he sent the child back, he shouldn’t seek trouble for himself anymore, lest he be driven to frustration.
He lay on the recuperation bed, deciding to withhold one ice cream from Pei Dundun next summer.
***
Lu Qin was stunned, unable to believe it. “Do you know what it means to be in jail?”
Pei Dundun’s eyes flicker with clarity. “It means being arrested by the police and having a criminal record.”
He suckles on the milk, looking up at Lu Qin: Did he seem like he didn’t understand?
A criminal record... How serious could it be for a one-and-a-half-year-old to understand it so clearly?
Lu Qin was in turmoil. He shouldn’t have left Pei Rong alone. If he had found him earlier, could he have used his connections to get a better lawyer for him?
When Pei Rong went to prison, hadn’t he discovered the pregnancy yet? So, he couldn’t apply for probation for minor offenses with less than three years’ imprisonment?
Or was it that men couldn’t apply for probation when pregnant? Or perhaps Pei Rong didn’t dare to use that reason to apply? After all, he was a public figure.
Lu Qin touched the patches on Pei Dundun’s coat, feeling a sharp pain in his heart, as if a piece had been gouged out. His voice trembled. “Were you doing well in prison?”
It must be tough there. The food was bland, and Pei Rong, being lazy and uncooperative, couldn’t earn any work credits to improve his life. That’s why the child was no stranger to eating meager meals and leftovers.
Pei Dundun spoke truthfully, “Baby doesn’t know.”
Lu Qin closed his eyes. “You were too young back then.”
Pei Dundun, sensing his curiosity, generously shared his experience. “You can recruit little brothers in jail.”
Lu Qin thought of the gangs and factions in some prisons, the pain evident in his eyes.
Pei Dundun looked at Lu Qin eagerly. “Do you also feel sorry for my dad?”
In his understanding, there was no concept of an intimate relationship between two fathers; there was simply one father and his relationship with the other father.
If Daddy Lu also felt sorry for his dad, he would like Daddy Lu a little more.
Lu Qin closed his eyes slightly. “Hmm.”
There was no use regretting what he did or what he didn’t do in the past. After all, he could no longer changed what had happened.
Pei Dundun stood up, throwing himself into Lu Qin’s arms. “Then I like Daddy Lu.”
Such a sensible child. Lu Qin felt a pang of heartache again. He took out a freshly washed and dried coat worth tens of thousands. “Come, let’s change clothes and have dinner.”
In a while, his parents, who were attending a banquet in the neighboring city, would also arrive. Upon seeing Pei Dundun’s patched clothes, they would surely start lecturing him again.
Pei Dundun clutched the special agent badge on his chest, unwilling to take it off, proudly saying, “No, my dad made this for me.”
Lu Qin pursed his lips. Before today, he never imagined Pei Rong doing needlework himself. What kind of life had forced him to become like this?
There were too many things he couldn’t imagine.
In the end, the coat wasn’t changed. Lu Qin helped Pei Dundun change his inner clothes and pants.
When he rolled up the little guy’s short sleeves, he paused when he saw a paler spot where the clothes had covered, indicating it had been exposed to less sun.
He thought he was already fair-skinned enough, but he hadn’t realized that some of it was tanned, completely resembling Pei Rong.
Was Pei Dundun basking in the sun every day?
Lu Qin couldn’t help but ask, “Where do you live with your dad?”
This time he had to find Pei Rong, even if he had to dig three feet underground. Secretary Gao had sent back a picture of Pei Rong disguised as a deliveryman. If he didn’t know that Pei Rong couldn’t possibly show up to deliver packages, he would have almost overturned all the logistics companies in the city.
Instead of searching blindly, it was better to ask the Xiao Dundun if he remembered.
Pei Dundun finally displayed the qualities of a special agent, promising not to disclose the address. He lowered his eyes and said, “Dad and me, we often move.”
Sometimes they lived in their own house, sometimes at Uncle Jiang’s.
So it was reasonable for the child not to remember.
Lu Qin asked, “Why do you often move?”
Clearly, Pei Rong had money to buy stocks. Could it be that they were being evicted by the landlord? Or did they really run out of money after the stocks plummeted? Moving again and again with a child?
Pei Dundun counted on his fingers, expressing regret. “The first time, Dad said there were too many weeds at home. The second time, there were many mice at home. Dundun felt it was fine, but Dad said it wasn’t acceptable.”
The living environment in those places was quite terrible!
His son was really well-behaved; he didn’t mind the poverty of the home, and he didn’t mind his father’s lack. Lu Qin secretly decided that he wouldn’t let Pei Rong and the little child live in such a place again.
Lu Qin’s heart burned like fire for a moment, realizing he hadn’t asked for the location, so he said, “Where did you live the last time you moved?”
Pei Dundun shook his head, not knowing what to say.
Lu Qin was somewhat regretful, but the little child was already quite cooperative. He, as the CEO of a large corporation, couldn’t rely on his son for everything.
Lu Qin scolded himself as useless, then pointed at Pei Dundun’s wristwatch phone and said, “Do you miss Daddy? Do you want to call Daddy Pei Rong?”
He hadn’t paid attention to the child’s watch before; it was only just now that he realized it wasn’t an ordinary watch. It had powerful functions, at least capable of making phone calls.
Pei Rong couldn’t cut off all contact; the little child could definitely get in touch.
Secretary Gao said the number he tried to call was always off, so the number stored in the watch should be a different one.
Pei Dundun: “Daddy said I can only call him when I’m alone.”
Lu Qin: “...”
It seemed Pei Rong had made sufficient preparations before feeling reassured about letting Pei Dundun come over.
He respected Pei Rong and Pei Dundun, so he couldn’t break their father-son agreement. If Pei Rong got angry, or didn’t answer Pei Dundun’s call, and Pei Dundun cried, he would be the one with the headache in the end.
Abandoning all fantasies, he prepared to dig three feet underground. (T/N: Luo Qin was saying that he was prepared to search for Pei Rong thoroughly.)
