Slacker Second Gen C15

Chapter 15: School Tyrant 15

Yu Qian’s new identification was finally delivered into Zai Ye’s hands. Her name was officially registered as “Zai Qian.”

Before registering her name, Zai Yan had specially called to request that the child’s name be changed, to follow the family tradition and have him, as the grandfather, choose the name.

However, Zai Ye didn’t agree and rejected the request. Zai Yan felt that Zai Ye was being unreasonable and got angry, but Zai Ye couldn’t be bothered to explain further.

When he first saw the child, her name was already Qian. She had nothing except for that one name. Therefore, it could not be changed.

Along with the identification, there were also the results of an investigation into the child’s background. As for Yu Qian’s biological mother, nothing was found. Even the traces of her life over the past two years were missing, as if she had appeared out of thin air.

“If nothing can be found, then forget it. No matter what happened, she’s my daughter,” Zai Ye told Secretary Zhuo, who had brought the documents. “Tell my dad to stop investigating.”

“Okay, I’ll relay the message to the boss.” Secretary Zhuo glanced at the little girl sprawled on the sofa, flipping through a comic book, and absentmindedly pushed up his glasses. “Also, the boss plans to host a banquet for Miss Qian, introducing her to relatives and business partners.”

Zai Ye’s tone was filled with irritation as he crossed his arms. “What’s he up to now? Tell him it’s unnecessary.”

Since his parents divorced and he grew older, Zai Ye had a big argument with his father and insisted on moving out of the house. A few years ago, he would still go back home during the New Year for the so-called family dinners, but later, he didn’t even want to return for the New Year, and the relatives at home hadn’t seen him, the eldest young master, in a long time.

Secretary Zhuo hesitated, then spoke carefully, “Young Master, I think the boss just wants to get closer to his granddaughter.”

Zai Ye snorted, “I’m afraid he’ll teach my daughter bad things”

Secretary Zhuo cleared his throat and softly added, “Young Master, you should still attend the banquet. The boss is not only introducing Miss Qian to others but also intends to give her shares in the company. If Miss Qian doesn’t go, the things that belong to her might be taken by others.”

Zai Ye glanced at him. The relationship between him and Secretary Zhuo was better than with his father, as in the past, whenever he caused trouble, it was Secretary Zhuo who dealt with it. When he ended up in the hospital, it was Secretary Zhuo who hired caregivers and visited him, almost like an uncle watching him grow up.

Secretary Zhuo shouldn’t have said this, but he said it out of personal concern, hoping to remind him.

Zai Ye sighed, “Fine, I’ll take Qian to the banquet.”

At that moment, Zai Ye suddenly understood why, when his parents divorced, his mother, Wen Ling, had insisted on fighting for so many things for him. He actually didn’t care about his father’s companies, nor did he care about the title of eldest son that the illegitimate child had worked so hard to get. If he did care, he wouldn’t have stayed away from home all these years, living the way he did.

He could disregard it, but when he thought about how the things that belonged to his daughter might be snatched away, he became furious. No one could take what belonged to her.

After Secretary Zhuo left, Zai Ye looked at the child on the sofa. She had already fallen asleep, her face squashed against the book, drooling slightly.

Zai Ye had now become quite adept at lifting her head with one hand to wipe away the drool, replacing the book she was using as a pillow with a small cushion.

While she was sleeping on the sofa, Zai Ye sat cross-legged on the floor in front of her, wearing headphones and playing a game.

After two rounds, Zai Ye, deeply focused, suddenly felt an “attack” on his back. He turned around to find the little girl had rolled over on the sofa, kicking him.

He gently put her little foot down, but shortly after, he felt something else bumping into his back. Glancing back between the gaps of his game, he saw that she had now leaned her head against his back.

The new sofa was indeed softer than the old one, but not as large, so the child had little to block her from rolling off.

On weekends, Zai Ye would give Aunt Wu a day off, so it was just the two of them at home. Yu Qian slept until dusk, and Zai Ye spent the afternoon playing games on the sofa. When he felt something moving behind him, he said, “Go wash your face. We’re going out for dinner.”

“Mm…” The child obediently crawled off the sofa and went to the bathroom.

Zai Ye watched her messy hair as she headed to the sink. He couldn’t help but put down his phone and follow her. Watching her skillfully pull out the stool and wash her face, she even used a small comb to tidy her hair.

“Wait, apply some face cream.” Zai Ye stopped her as she was about to jump off the stool.

The face cream was something his mother, Wen Ling, had insisted on getting for her, along with various other lotions and shampoos. Wen Ling particularly liked buying things for the child, often sending large bags of products.

He gently pressed his hand on the back of her head while rubbing the cream into her face in circular motions. He could cover her whole face with just one hand.

“Done.” Zai Ye finished, feeling the scent of children’s cream on his hands.

Noticing that some of her hair at the back of her head was still messy, he brushed it a few more times. The child’s hair was soft and fine, unlike his own, which was coarser.

Once the grooming was done, the child grabbed the comb and, with a crisp voice, said, “Comb hair.”

Zai Ye sighed, “It’s already done. Go look in the mirror.”

The child tugged at him, and only then did Zai Ye realize she wanted to comb his hair. He squatted down so she could pretend to comb through his hair. After she was done, his hair was even messier, but he didn’t mind.

They left to find something to eat.

On weekends, he would take her to eat whatever she wanted, usually something unhealthy. Afterward, they’d walk around the streets.

In the past, Zai Ye would wander the streets at night or hang out with his friends and subordinates, sometimes with no particular purpose, just passing time. There were always many people, but he still felt bored. Now, it was just the two of them, and that sense of aimlessness was gone.

When he was out with the child, he couldn’t afford to zone out, as she might wander off without him noticing.

Zai Ye held her hand, matching her small steps as she walked slowly.

They met people walking dogs, and the child, not knowing fear, stopped to stare at the big dog. At this time of night, there were many people walking dogs near the park, and when the dog owners saw the cute child watching, they would smile and say, “It’s okay, you can pet it. It’s very well-behaved and won’t bite.”

The furry big dog perked up its ears and wagged its tail, looking at the child who was about the same height, approaching with great enthusiasm. The child, with her round eyes, stretched out her hand and gently petted it, and they had a friendly exchange.

After this happened a few times, Zai Ye couldn’t help but feel that he and these dog walkers were alike. They were walking “fur children,” while he was walking a “child.”

Because he had the cute child with him, he found himself unexpectedly more popular. In the past, when he walked alone, people didn’t approach him, and if he walked with his subordinates, people would actively avoid him.

In the park, many parents were playing with their children. Zai Ye had never explored this park before, since it was filled with children, and he wasn’t interested in them.

But now, he suddenly felt like he was one of them.

There were people selling glowing trinkets in the park, and many children had light-up windmills or glow sticks.

“Glowing!” The child tugged at his hand, trying to drag him over.

Soon, Yu Qian was holding a glowing magic wand-like item in one hand, and there were two glowing butterfly decorations in her hair, which Zai Ye had bought for her.

The two glowing butterfly wings swayed as the child moved her head, and when she grew tired of playing, her head leaned on Zai Ye’s shoulder, and the butterflies stopped moving.

The day before the banquet at home, Secretary Zhuo brought a pile of things, including a dress and accessories for the child.

Zai Ye took a quick look at the dress. It was pretty, but the shiny gemstone crown in his hands was heavy, and he felt that it was utterly unnecessary. He preferred the ten-dollar glowing butterflies he had bought in the park.

“Do you want to wear it?” Zai Ye casually placed the crown on Yu Qian’s head. It seemed too heavy, and as she tilted her head, the crown fell off with a loud clink.

Zai Ye picked it up and tossed it back into the box. “Forget it, don’t wear it.”

Along with it came his own suit, but Zai Ye didn’t wear it. He still wore his T-shirt, casual pants, and sneakers, and took Yu Qian, in her beautiful little dress, to the car that Secretary Zhuo sent to pick them up.

At home, things were lively. Relatives, business partners, and even Zai Yan’s illegitimate son, Zai Shengyu, and his mistress, Su Xi, were there.

When Zai Yan divorced Wen Ling, everyone thought he would quickly marry his mistress or someone else, but for some reason, he didn’t remarry. Some people speculated that it was because he still cared about Wen Ling and didn’t want to remarry out of guilt.

Zai Ye found this disgusting. If he couldn’t let go, why had he done that in the first place? If he truly felt guilty, why let his mistress move into the house and let his illegitimate son socialize in the circles?

As soon as Zai Ye and the child appeared, they became the focus of attention. Even though Zai Ye’s outfit was out of place, no one mentioned it. Everyone was praising the child for being cute.

People who had been talking with Zai Shengyu earlier also came over to Zai Ye, their expressions much warmer than when they were flattering Zai Shengyu. Zai Shengyu, who was dressed in a formal suit, was two years younger than Zai Ye and handsome, but his expression was currently not very pleasant.

When Zai Ye wasn’t around, Zai Shengyu was the only young master here, highly respected. But once Zai Ye returned, he was quickly ignored.

Zai Shengyu adjusted his expression and walked over. “Bro, you’re here. Is this my little niece?”

Zai Ye completely ignored him. Zai Shengyu took a deep breath and reached out to tease the child. “Little baby, who is your mommy? Why didn’t she come with you?”

His words caused the people around, who had been praising the child, to fall silent. Zai Ye’s gaze finally landed on him.

Zai Shengyu felt a sense of satisfaction in his heart. Everyone knew this child’s background was unclear, and she didn’t have a mother, but no one mentioned it. Now that he had pointed it out, the atmosphere became awkward.

Zai Ye took the wine glass from someone nearby and splashed it on Zai Shengyu’s face. “If you don’t know how to speak, then shut up.”

He looked at his father’s mistress, who had hurried over. “Su Xi, take your son downstairs to change his clothes. After that, stay in the room and don’t come out.”

Zai Shengyu was trembling with anger. “You… you have no right!”

Su Xi glanced at Zai Ye’s expression and quickly pulled her son along. “Alright, stop talking. Let’s go.”

After the mother and son left in an embarrassed state, the crowd finally remembered just how rebellious this eldest son of the Zai family was. He didn’t even care about his father’s dignity, let alone that illegitimate younger brother.

For a moment, no one dared to praise the child again. Holding the child in his arms, Zai Ye walked through the crowd. Every time he returned here, his mood soured.

Noticing the child in his arms looking up at him, Zai Ye ruffled her hair gently.