Chapter 90: Film Emperor (10)

It was rare for Tong Jianxu to go out alone with his daughter, and he didn’t bring his assistant this time.

Cloud Restaurant was one of the high-end restaurants in S City. It only served members and required reservations.

The space was large and the guests few, many of them being wealthy elites or celebrities. Even as a film emperor, Tong Jianxu could eat in peace here, without worrying about obsessive fans or stalkers. Even if someone liked him, most were reserved enough not to disturb.

The father and daughter sat together. Aside from a plate of prawns Tong Jianxu specially ordered, the rest of the dishes were custom-made by the chef using the freshest and most delicious ingredients of the day.

Since it was just the two of them, each dish came in small portions. The plates were decorated with child-friendly, playful designs, and the desserts were crafted with extra care.

It was worth its high price.

Qian didn’t have the typical problem kids did with eating; watching her eat was always a joy.

Tong Jianxu didn’t let the chef handle the prawns. He put on gloves and peeled them himself, occasionally saying something to his daughter:

“Qian, let Daddy have a bite. Daddy’s hands are busy peeling shrimp.”

“I’m thirsty, but it’s hard to grab the cup with gloves on. What should I do?”

In front of Qian, there were chopsticks, a spoon, and a fork to make it easier for her to eat. While eating her own food, she also had to serve her troublesome dad.

After a few times, the child blinked her round eyes at him and was no longer willing to help.

Tong Jianxu sighed dramatically, pretending to be upset. “Alright, Daddy will finish peeling the shrimp and eat by himself. It’s okay if the food gets cold—Daddy doesn’t mind.”

Qian then picked all the star-shaped carrot slices meant for decoration and forked them onto his plate.

Looking at the plate now filled with colorful veggies and garnish, Tong Jianxu kept his smile steady.

“Qian is amazing. How did you know Daddy wanted to eat vegetables?” He even put on a surprised expression.

A server came over and whispered something.

Another guest dining in the restaurant was a fan of his and wanted to come say hello, if he was okay with it.

When people came over, Tong Jianxu naturally switched into his public persona—graceful and elegant in expression and demeanor, gentle yet distant. Not even the pile of shrimp shells in front of him could take away his celestial aura.

Soon, a young girl in a white dress with a pearl handbag walked over.

She looked well-off. Though clearly happy to see Tong Jianxu, she wasn’t overly excited. She spoke with him politely, asked for an autograph, and left satisfied.

Other than that, the father and daughter had a very pleasant meal.

Qian couldn’t finish the dessert, so Tong Jianxu ate the rest. He didn’t mind that she had already eaten some—he scooped up the rest bit by bit with a small spoon.

Having eaten a lot of prawns, Qian smacked her lips and requested, “Daddy, I want yogurt.”

When she said yogurt, it meant the exact kind she usually drank—nothing else would do. Fortunately, the restaurant’s service was excellent. Even though they didn’t have it, they quickly went out and bought it just for her.

Once the yogurt arrived, Qian opened a bottle and drank half in no time.

Tong Jianxu said, “Didn’t you say you were full? Why are you drinking so much?”

“I’m too full for prawns, but I can still drink yogurt,” Qian explained seriously. “One stomach is for food, and the other is for yogurt.”

Tong Jianxu patted her round belly. “Don’t overdo it or you’ll throw up.”

After they finished and were about to leave, Tong Jianxu said, “Daddy’s going to the bathroom. Wait here for a minute, okay?”

Qian nodded. She sat alone on the chair, swinging her legs, sipping the last of her yogurt slowly through a straw.

But after she finished the entire bottle, Daddy still hadn’t come back. She started getting restless. Taking the other unopened bottle of yogurt from the table, she got down from the chair on tiptoe and walked in the direction her dad had left.

She hadn’t gone far when she saw a man sitting near the glass wall.

A man in a black suit sat alone at a table, holding a glass of red wine in one hand, his head turned as he stared blankly out at the city nightscape.

That familiar profile stirred many memories in the little girl.

She remembered—that was her very first dad.

But he didn’t look exactly like the one in her memories. The old dad used to have slightly longer hair that reached his ears and was always a mess in the mornings. When it was too hard to fix, he would use hair spray to tame it—young Zaiye had actually cared a lot about his handsome image.

But now, his hair was cut extremely short, and he looked fiercer.

She stood at a distance for a while, hesitating, then finally ran over.

He was still lost in thought and didn’t notice her.

Qian placed one hand on the table and pushed the yogurt toward him with the other, bumping into his elbow.

Finally, the man snapped out of it and looked over with a slight frown.

That expression—it was the same annoyed look he always had. Every time she dawdled or fumbled, and he carried both his and her backpack, ready to take her to school, that was the exact look he gave her.

And it always came with a: “Zai Qian! What are you dragging your feet for?! Not going to school today? I’m leaving without you!”

But now… this dad didn’t recognize her anymore.

Qian pouted but still pushed the yogurt closer and said, “It’s for you.”

Old Dad didn’t say anything. He just stared at her and didn’t take the yogurt.

“Qian, how’d you get over here?” Tong Jianxu had run into an investor in the bathroom and got held up chatting. When he finally got free and returned to the table to find his daughter missing, he panicked—thankfully, he quickly spotted her standing beside someone else’s table.

He guessed she’d disturbed someone, and when he saw the man glaring at his daughter, he felt a little annoyed.

“President Zai? Sorry to bother you, this is my daughter,” Tong Jianxu greeted politely.

He’d recognized the man—Zaiye, CEO of Wild Gaming, one of the biggest game companies in the country.

But since Zaiye wasn’t part of the entertainment industry, and they’d never worked together, Tong Jianxu didn’t really know him.

“Qian, let’s go. Time to go home.”

Tong Jianxu took her hand and led her away, but he quickly noticed that she kept turning back to look at President Zai.

She’d been so happy after eating earlier, but now her mood was a little down.

Thinking of the yogurt she’d left on Zaiye’s table, Tong Jianxu wondered—was she upset because she didn’t get her yogurt back?

He gently coaxed her, “I’ll take you to buy new yogurt right now, don’t be upset anymore.”

The child shook her head, snuggled closer to him, and rested her little head on his leg, refusing to walk properly.

Tong Jianxu had no choice but to pick her up and ask, “What’s wrong? Why are you upset? Did Boss Zai scold you just now?”

“No.”

“You know Boss Zai? Why did you go bother him?” Tong Jianxu had a suspicion in his heart.

Sure enough, the child rubbed her head against his shoulder and muttered, “I know him. He’s my… Wild Daddy.”

He tried to ask more, but couldn’t get any further answers.

Tong Jianxu didn’t keep pressing. But once they got home, he called his agent.

Feng Yu, his agent, had been busy lately lining up good collaborations for him. When she answered, she started by cheerfully congratulating him on his award.

Tong Jianxu cut straight to the point: “Sis, help me look into the CEO of Wild Games, Zai Ye.”

“Wild Games? Why are you suddenly looking into him?”

“Qian knows him. I suspect she met him before she came to me. Maybe we can start from here to uncover her past.”

Meanwhile, Zai Ye left the Cloud Restaurant, his mind still replaying the conversation he had overheard while chasing after them.

A wild, unbelievable thought kept circling in his head.

He furrowed his brows all the way to the company, returned to his office still frowning, and didn’t even notice someone entering until Assistant Zhang called him a few times, snapping him back to reality.

“Boss, it’s after hours—did you come back to the office because there’s something urgent?” his assistant Zhang Qinghe asked seriously.

It was already after work, and yet here he was, having unknowingly come back while deep in thought.

Zai Ye rubbed his forehead. “No, nothing urgent.”

“Well, if there’s nothing, I’ll head off then. You should go home early too,” Zhang Qinghe said and turned to leave.

“Wait a second.” Seeing she was about to leave, Zai Ye called out again, “Do you know Tong Jianxu?”

Zhang Qinghe thought for a moment. “The Film Emperor who’s been trending recently?”

Because he was suddenly revealed to have a daughter, Tong Jianxu had made the trending topics several times. Even someone like Zhang Qinghe, who usually didn’t care about entertainment news, had overheard her colleagues talking about it.

“Yeah, that’s him. Look into his background, and also his daughter—whether she’s really his, and where she came from,” Zai Ye said.

Technically, this wasn’t part of an assistant’s job. But Zhang Qinghe was exceptionally capable. Besides Wild Games, Zai Ye also owned a children’s clothing brand and a plush toy company, both of which she managed.

A top graduate from a prestigious university—smart, capable, and well-connected. Without her, Zai Ye wouldn’t even have time for blind dates.

As always, Zhang Qinghe gave a crisp and professional response: “Understood.” She didn’t ask a single question.

She knew she wasn’t supposed to ask, but that didn’t mean she shouldn’t think. She recalled how her boss had never successfully matched with anyone through blind dates. She also remembered some juicy industry gossip—some CEO had allegedly taken a male celebrity as a lover.

As soon as she left the office, she pulled out her phone and made a call.

“Hello? Senior, it’s me, Zhang Qinghe. Mm, how have you been? Yes, I actually wanted to ask you something. What’s the current protocol for ‘sponsoring’ male celebrities? Any dos and don’ts I should know about?”

Being a great assistant meant anticipating all possibilities. Always stay ahead of the game.

Zai Ye, who felt like he hadn’t explained clearly enough, stepped out to call her back—only to overhear that sentence about “sponsoring male celebrities,” and his expression instantly twisted.

“Assistant Zhang.”

Zhang Qinghe turned and saw her boss’s dark expression, but didn’t flinch. She kept her usual serious face, hung up the call, and walked back to him.

“Just in case. I’m making preparations,” she said.

Zai Ye: “There is no ‘just in case.’ I told you to look into Tong Jianxu because of his daughter.”

Zhang Qinghe: “So what you’re saying is, Boss, you’re not interested in the Film Emperor—you’re more interested in his daughter?”

Zai Ye: “Something like that.”

Zhang Qinghe was silent for a moment, then suddenly said, “Boss, sponsoring a celebrity is just a moral issue. But if you’re interested in a child… no matter how much you’re paying me, I’ll have to call the police.”

Zai Ye: “……”

He had never been this speechless in his life… No, wait, the last time he was this speechless was a few years ago.

Zai Ye pressed a hand to his throbbing temple. “I used to have a daughter named Qian. You should know that.”

Assistant Zhang nodded. Of course she knew—her boss’s children’s clothing brand was named QIAN. The reason she was working late tonight was because she had just come back from that branch company.

“Today, I saw Tong Jianxu’s daughter. Her name is also Qian. I think she looks a lot like my daughter. There might be a connection between them.”

With no one else he could really talk to, Zai Ye found himself telling his capable assistant a little more than usual.

There wasn’t really any solid evidence—just a gut feeling. Not very convincing.

“I see. Understood.” Zhang Qinghe kept a straight face, still not asking anything.

Once she left the office, she made another phone call.

“Hello, junior? I need a favor. Can you refer me to two psychologists? Ones who specialize in trauma and delusional disorders.”

Zai Ye, who had followed her out to maybe explain more after all: “……”