Chapter 86

Ji Chenbiao went over it again and again in his mind but still couldn’t figure out who that man was. The frustration and suffocating sense of helplessness from being unable to remember made his brows furrow tightly.

He casually set the photo aside and picked up the rest of the materials.

Since he had spent a lot of money on this, naturally, the detective had only mailed him the most important stuff. There was a whole stack of photos capturing that man’s daily life.

In most of the photos, the man was dressed in a black suit. Ji Chenbiao, who had seen plenty of the world, could tell the man was doing quite well for himself.

In private settings, he occasionally wore a coat.

Judging by his appearance, he seemed to be about the same age as Ji Chenbiao. He clearly kept up with his fitness, had a well-maintained figure, and carried both the elegance of a mature man and none of the signs of aging.

Unfortunately, whatever charm the man had was completely undermined once Ji Chenbiao remembered that this was the very person rumored to have had an ambiguous relationship with his sister.

There were a few letters in the package that Ji Chenbiao didn’t bother to open. Since he couldn’t read anyway, he just gathered everything up and stashed it in a drawer. He planned to bring it to the shop tomorrow and ask someone to help him go through it.

His shop kept him very busy, and the strangely familiar face in that photo quickly faded from Ji Chenbiao’s mind.

Ji Chenbiao was well aware that the current growth phase of the shop was crucial. He could only feel at ease if he was there overseeing things personally.

Thankfully, Dadan had someone to look after him, so Ji Chenbiao didn’t have to worry too much on that front—otherwise, his energy would’ve never been enough to cover everything.

With Mr. Zhou’s support, the shop gradually got on the right track. Meanwhile, Dadan had officially become a kindergartener. Carrying his little backpack, he seemed to have matured overnight.

But only seemed.

Every time he was outside, he looked mature and steady. But the moment he got home, he’d kick off his shoes and ask why his milk powder wasn’t ready yet.

The kids in the lower kindergarten class were still quite young, and many had bad habits picked up at home that needed to be corrected. So, in terms of actual academics, they didn’t learn much.

Ji Chenbiao knew nothing about early childhood education, so he simply followed the teacher’s instructions to the letter—just like his sister used to do.

Even when the assignments were tedious and boring, Ji Chenbiao would patiently accompany Dadan to finish them.

One day, after school, Dadan picked up a bunch of leaves on the way home. When Ji Chenbiao came back from work and saw the mess of leaves all over the table, he didn’t scold him for bringing “trash” into the house. Instead, he asked curiously:

“Dadan, why’d you put the leaves on the table?”

Dadan, who was lying there drawing, looked up when he heard the question. He was sitting on a stool a little too high for him, with his feet dangling off the edge, swinging back and forth.

“It’s homework. The teacher told us to make a picture using leaves.”

He explained in his babyish voice, already having sketched out a rough design on the paper. All that was left was to glue the leaves on.

Whether it was due to talent or not, Dadan had always been great with his hands. He didn’t even need Ji Chenbiao’s help—he could handle these kinds of assignments all by himself with ease.

“Artwork? How do you do that? Can you teach Daddy?”

“Sure!”

Dadan answered brightly. Their homework collaboration entirely depended on Ji Chenbiao pretending he didn’t know how to do it. Then, helpful Teacher Dadan would enthusiastically come over and teach him, step by step.

If someone else were watching, they might not even be able to tell whose homework it was.

Dadan had Ji Chenbiao hold a large leaf for him while he carefully used scissors to trim it into the right shape, then glued it onto his sketch.

“Daddy~ look.”

Even as a work-in-progress, the picture was already stunning. Ji Chenbiao would’ve never guessed that ordinary leaves could come together to form something so beautiful.

Originally, their lives should’ve ended the moment they fell from the trees, but now, it was as if they’d been given a new life on paper.

In that moment, Ji Chenbiao seemed to grasp the deeper meaning behind this assignment.

“It’s beautiful.”

He didn’t hold back on praise at all. Dadan, pretending to be modest, gave a small nod.

“Mm.”

But in those eyes, it was as if starlight was sparkling, and though he was keeping a straight face, his joy practically reached from ear to ear.

“It’s really beautiful.”

Ji Chenbiao repeated, and when he saw Dadan’s ears turn red from shyness, his smile deepened.

“Daddy’s gonna go make dinner now. Teach me the rest of it next time, okay?”

“Okay.”

Without his dad around to “mess things up,” Dadan’s efficiency noticeably improved. In no time, he had finished the assignment and stuffed it into his backpack.

When it came to crafts like these, he almost always got first place. Even kids from other classes loved coming over to admire his masterpieces.

On the surface, Dadan always seemed humble, acting like it was no big deal. But deep down, he was beaming with pride.

This little show-off attitude of his wasn’t just amusing to Ji Chenbiao—his teachers and classmates at kindergarten felt the same way.

At first, Ji Chenbiao had been worried that bringing Dadan from that tiny mountain village might make it hard for him to fit in at school.

But Dadan proved him wrong in just one week.

It wasn’t just Ji Chenbiao who liked him—so did everyone else. There was something magical about Dadan, some strange charm that made people take a liking to him instantly.

And thanks to the transition period with his earlier interest class, Dadan was already used to this kind of lifestyle. He didn’t need any time to adjust. He was practically a dream to manage.

Meanwhile, Ji Chenbiao’s shop was doing better and better. Recently, he heard that the landlord was planning to sell the property.

Due to a cash flow issue, the landlord wanted to sell off this well-located storefront to raise funds. Since the lease hadn’t expired yet, and Ji Chenbiao had been introduced by Mr. Zhou, the landlord gave him a heads-up in advance and reassured him that there was no need to worry—the lease would be honored even under new ownership.

The landlord’s intention was to put Ji Chenbiao’s mind at ease, but it actually sparked a new idea in Ji Chenbiao’s mind.

Real estate prices were skyrocketing everywhere, and this shop sat in a prime location. It was easy to see that buying it would be a safe and profitable move.

If possible, Ji Chenbiao wanted to buy the place himself.

After carefully crunching the numbers, he realized that while the shop had made good money over time, most of it had been spent on investigating the truth about the past.

The money he had left wouldn’t be nearly enough to buy the shop—unless he used the earnings from when Dadan had helped Mr. Zhou pick raw jade stones.

Although housing prices were still climbing, no one could predict when the bubble might burst.

Every investment carries the risk of potential loss.

If the money had been earned by Ji Chenbiao himself, that would’ve been one thing. But it wasn’t—it was money that Dadan had earned through considerable risk and difficulty. Ji Chenbiao had originally planned to keep it safe, so Dadan could use it freely once he grew up.

Today, Ji Chenbiao deliberately closed his shop early and personally went to the market to buy a few of Dadan’s favorite dishes.

His cooking skills had been a disaster at first, but after all this time and practice, they had improved quite a bit.

From this, Ji Chenbiao had drawn a conclusion: as long as you’re willing to practice, there’s nothing you can’t do well.

In the beginning, Dadan would scrunch up his little face whenever he heard his dad was cooking. But now, he would cling to his dad’s leg, eagerly asking when he’d cook again.

After spending the whole afternoon preparing, Ji Chenbiao personally went to the kindergarten to pick Dadan up.

When school was over and Dadan saw that it was his dad waiting for him, he jumped up with joy and turned around to proudly show off to his good friend at kindergarten:

“See, I wasn’t lying—my dad is really handsome!”

Even little kids can be competitive. Whenever they talked about their parents during break time, Dadan was usually very reserved—except when it came to this. He couldn’t wait to use every flattering word he knew to describe his dad.

This unusual enthusiasm naturally made the other kids very curious about Dadan’s dad. But the thing was, his dad rarely came to pick him up from school.

With their curiosity left unsatisfied, it was as if there were ants crawling in their hearts.

Dadan lifted his chin and threw himself into his dad’s arms. Ji Chenbiao noticed his son’s little urge to show off and immediately picked him up with one hand.

The other kids gasped, their stifled “wow”s filling Dadan with pride.

On the way home, Ji Chenbiao didn’t put Dadan down.

A few days ago, during a gathering with Mr. Zhou, the latter had joked that he should carry his kid as much as he could while he still could—otherwise, he’d regret it when the day came that he couldn’t.

At the time, Ji Chenbiao hadn’t thought much of it. But now, as he lifted Dadan into his arms, he suddenly realized the boy had gotten quite a bit heavier.

Though Ji Chenbiao was in good shape—one of the few things he remained confidently proud of no matter what—seeing how fast Dadan was growing still stirred something complex in his heart. In that hazy moment, he truly felt how quickly time was flying by.

This was the first time Dadan had experienced this kind of treatment. He clung to his father’s neck and swayed all the way home with smug delight.

Once home, Ji Chenbiao set him down and turned to put his backpack away in the study—only to find little Dadan standing there with an extremely serious expression.

His chubby little face was all tense, making him look quite adorable. Unable to resist, Ji Chenbiao leaned in and gently pinched his cheek.

“What’s wrong, Dadan?”

“Daddy, are you going to find me a stepmom?”

“Huh? No. Why would you think that?”

Ji Chenbiao was baffled. He did have something important to discuss with Dadan today, but it wasn’t that. He hadn’t even considered it.

The shop had been busy lately, and there hadn’t been any progress on his sister’s situation either—he had no time or energy to think about such things.

More importantly, he was shocked by how Dadan had come up with such an outrageous idea. He couldn’t help but wonder if someone had said something in front of him on purpose.

“Daddy, I heard it from the kids at kindergarten.”

“What did they say?”

Once he confirmed it wasn’t someone trying to set him up with a date talking nonsense to Dadan, Ji Chenbiao let out a long sigh of relief. Holding Dadan in his arms, he sat down on the sofa, ready to patiently listen.

“Chubby said his dad used to be really mean to him, but recently he’s been super nice. It’s because his dad wants him to accept the idea of getting remarried.”

“At first, Chubby was so happy when he heard his dad was taking him out for fried chicken.”

Dadan’s tone didn’t waver at all when he said this, but Ji Chenbiao could tell just how upset that kid must’ve been.

He’d been so thrilled, thinking his dad was finally paying attention to him—only to realize it was all just to get him to accept a new stepmother.

“Daddy, are you going to find another lady to be my mom too?”

Dadan looked up at Ji Chenbiao, eyes full of worry.

He didn’t want to be the kind of kid who lied, so he admitted outright that he didn’t want a stepmom.

“No.”

Ji Chenbiao shook his head gently and helped tidy up Dadan’s messy hair.

“Daddy has a lot on his plate right now, so he’s not thinking about finding someone to be your mom. Besides, Daddy doesn’t think Dadan needs a mom right now, right?”

“Mm.”

Dadan nodded lightly. He was terrified of having a new woman come into their lives.

He had a mild form of obsessive need for order and loved his life to be neatly arranged. Anything that might disrupt his peaceful routine made him anxious.

He worried the new auntie wouldn’t like him. He also feared that if Daddy had another kid, he wouldn’t get all the attention anymore.

“If Dadan doesn’t need a mom right now, then Daddy won’t think about it.”

When Ji Chenbiao had adopted Dadan, he’d already thought through a lot of things.

No matter what happened, Dadan’s opinion would always matter.

“Really?”

Dadan still wasn’t quite convinced. He’d seen too many adults lie to kids. Even though his dad had never deceived him, he still harbored a little distrust.

“Really.”

“Then… why did you suddenly come pick me up today and carry me all the way home? You said I was heavy just last week.”

At the last part, Dadan pouted in protest.

Ji Chenbiao hadn’t expected a casual comment to weigh on the kid’s mind for so long. He rubbed his temples helplessly and explained:

“I only said that to get you to drink less formula—it wasn’t because you’re really heavy.”

Last weekend, Dadan had already had two bottles of formula but was still eyeing a third.

It wasn’t that Ji Chenbiao was stingy with the milk—he just worried it might upset Dadan’s stomach, or that he’d get tired of it if he had too much in one go.

“Really?”

Dadan shot him a skeptical look. If he’d known it was just about that, he wouldn’t have quietly gotten sad about it.

“Mm, really.”

“Then, Daddy, what did you want to talk to me about today?”

As long as it wasn’t about finding him a new mom, Dadan was willing to talk about anything else.

“It’s just… the landlord of our shop is planning to sell the property.”

Ji Chenbiao first brought it up to Dadan in a somewhat tactful way. After hearing it, Dadan instinctively widened his eyes.

“The shop’s gone?”

In the little guy’s eyes, if the landlord was selling the property, it meant their shop was going to be gone too. Just the thought of that possibility made Dadan so anxious he stood right up.

Seeing that his dad was still sitting there, he gave him a little shove, frustrated.

“Dad, aren’t you worried?”

“I’m not.”

Ji Chenbiao gave a helpless little cough and patiently explained to Dadan:

“Our shop is still here, don’t worry. Even if the landlord sells the property, the shop will still be here.”

“The reason I’m telling you about this today is because I want to buy the shop.”

Even though the landlord had always been a nice person, the property wasn’t his, after all. Deep down, there was always a bit of uncertainty, always the worry that they could get kicked out at any moment.

“Buy it.”

Dadan relaxed upon hearing that—so long as the shop wasn’t going to be gone, it was fine.

“But Dad doesn’t have quite enough money right now.”

“Then we’ll sell jade!”

As he said this, Dadan even took out the piece of jade hanging from his neck and tried to shove it into his dad’s hand.

That extravagant attitude of his, like he was ready to go all in just to help his dad buy the shop, made Ji Chenbiao smile helplessly. His son always seemed so impulsive with whatever he did—whether that was good or bad, who knew?

“No need to sell jade, Dadan. Do you remember what I told you before? Every time you found jade, that uncle gave you a reward?”

“Mhm.”

“I’ve been saving that money for you this whole time.”

“Use it! Dad, Let’s spend it all!”

Dadan didn’t hesitate in the slightest. He was already willing to part with the necklace around his neck for money—why would he care about some savings he didn’t even know he had?

“You really want Dad to use it? What if the house loses value later?”

The reason Ji Chenbiao was so hesitant was exactly that. He kept thinking, if he lost all that hard-earned money his kid had made at such a young age, he’d feel too guilty to bear it.

“Even if it does, the shop’s still there.”

Dadan didn’t quite understand what Ji Chenbiao meant by value. To him, if the money got turned into a shop, then the shop was theirs. It would always be there, and nothing would really change.

Even if the house value dropped to the bottom, they’d still own a shop.

“You’re right. Guess Dad didn’t think this through enough.”

Dadan’s words were a wake-up call for Ji Chenbiao. He’d been too focused on the potential value loss, completely overlooking the fact that if they weren’t planning on selling, they wouldn’t actually lose anything.

Having a shop meant a steady stream of income.

No matter how you looked at it, it wasn’t a loss.

“Go ahead and spend it, Dad. And stop telling me about this kind of stuff in the future.”

Dadan ran off to his study to do homework. He’d thought it was something super important—but in the end, it was just about this, and he’d gotten worked up over nothing.

“Alright.”

The landlord just wanted to fill a financial hole quickly. If not for that reason, there was no way he’d let go of a property that was steadily appreciating in value.

Since he had to sell it, better to sell it to someone like Ji Chenbiao, who was familiar and straightforward.

Ji Chenbiao quickly completed all the paperwork. Dadan’s savings were now down to less than a third. Looking at the number, Ji Chenbiao suddenly felt a sense of urgency.

He still needed to start saving money for his son again to feel at ease.

Dadan continued to grow day by day. Kindergarten life was full and colorful, and the teachers were incredibly professional. Dadan was becoming more and more outstanding under their guidance.

Ji Chenbiao’s shop was thriving, too. Even though he said he ran it alone, Mr. Zhou would occasionally lend a helping hand.

For instance, if some unexpected issue was likely to come up, Mr. Zhou would give him a heads-up in advance.

Most people around knew Ji Chenbiao was under Mr. Zhou’s protection, so even those envious of his business success didn’t dare cause trouble with Mr. Zhou around.

Every Chinese New Year and summer break, Mr. Zhou would usually make a trip to Myanmar to bring back the best goods.

Dadan was used to tagging along. In kindergarten, he’d received a very clear education about gender identity, and now he had started resisting wearing wigs. Every time, it took Ji Chenbiao a long time to convince him.

It wasn’t so bad during Chinese New Year. Dadan just had to wear the curly wig and a brightly colored puffer jacket—he could tolerate that. But summer was harder.

In summer, Dad wanted him to wear a little dress.

No matter how cute or pretty the dress was, it couldn’t ease the sadness and dissatisfaction in Dadan’s heart.

In the blink of an eye, Dadan graduated from kindergarten. The kindergarten had a policy that allowed for direct admission into elementary school, and the education resources were excellent.

The first thing Dadan did after becoming a first grader was to come home and ask his dad why he couldn’t read.

Ji Chenbiao had been very busy the past few years. He now had three branch stores in Shancheng. In front of Mr. Zhou, he was no longer someone who could only barely get by because of Dadan.

He had a talent for business, and he’d caught a lucky break at the right time.

He had money on hand and invested in whatever made money, without a hint of hesitation. And his investment instincts were incredibly sharp—every project he put money into was a guaranteed success.

Eventually, even Mr. Zhou began investing in the same projects alongside him.

Ji Chenbiao wasn’t unaware of how inconvenient it was that he couldn’t read. He just truly didn’t have enough time. He’d only just managed to learn how to write his own name, so he could sign documents.

“Dad, why… why can’t you read?”

Faced with his son’s blunt question, Ji Chenbiao froze. He didn’t know how to answer. Scratching his head, he finally said:

“Well, when Dad was your age and should’ve been studying, he didn’t go to school. He went up the mountain to herd cattle. So now he can’t read.”

“Dadan, you mustn’t follow in Dad’s footsteps, okay?”

He reached out and ruffled Dadan’s hair, genuinely hoping his son could live a better life than he did.

“But Dad, can’t you learn now?”

Dadan tilted his head, curious. He thought his dad was so smart—he could definitely learn!

“Well… I just don’t have the time right now.”

Even Ji Chenbiao couldn’t tell if that was the real reason, or just an excuse.

Back when he was a bright kid himself, he didn’t have the patience to study. Now that he was an adult, was it still possible to learn? What if people laughed at him?

Dadan sat on the sofa with his arms crossed and a pout on his face, looking very upset. Ji Chenbiao, helpless, leaned over and tried to ruffle his hair again.

“What’s wrong, little ancestor?”

“I don’t care, I want you to learn how to read and write!”

“Alright, alright, I’ll learn.”

After his son got angry, Ji Chenbiao agreed almost without hesitation.

“Really gonna learn?”

Dadan gave his dad a skeptical look, and Ji Chenbiao gave a soft “mm” in response and repeated,
“Really gonna learn.”

Even Ji Chenbiao himself didn’t really want to admit it, but the truth was that he wanted to learn too. As someone who’d experienced it firsthand, he knew just how troublesome it was not to be literate, especially when it came to doing business.

He’d just always been too concerned about saving face to admit it. Afraid of being laughed at, he kept hesitating, overthinking, and never knew how to deal with it.

Now that Dadan had said this, it was like a weight lifted off Ji Chenbiao’s shoulders.

“You have to show me so I can check.”

“Okay.”

That very day, Ji Chenbiao went to ask Mr. Zhou and found out that someone his age could still go to night school. There were quite a few people like him who only realized now how inconvenient it was not being able to read and wanted to learn.

Once he confirmed he wasn’t the only one, Ji Chenbiao no longer felt any psychological burden.

After that matter was settled, another issue began to nag at him.

Back when his son was in kindergarten, he started criticizing Ji Chenbiao’s lack of craft skills—the DIY projects they did together were never pretty.

Now that he was in elementary school, he was complaining that his dad didn’t know how to read and wanted him to hurry up and learn.

What would happen when he got to middle school, high school, or university?

What if one day his son became a scientist—he couldn’t end up being mocked for not being able to build a spaceship, right?

With everything that had happened so far, Ji Chenbiao thought, honestly, that didn’t seem entirely impossible.

He glanced over at little Dadan, who was sitting at the desk bobbing his head while reciting his homework, and shook his head with a sigh. He decided it was best to expand his business now, while Dadan hadn’t grown up to be too impressive yet.

By then, he could at least use being too busy as an excuse to save face, so he wouldn’t be totally embarrassed in front of his kid.

Ji Chenbiao’s learning ability wasn’t bad. As an adult, he had better self-discipline than kids. Even if he wasn’t as smart as he used to be, his discipline more than made up for it.

Plus, with a super capable son pushing him to keep up, he didn’t dare slack off even if he wanted to. His progress was practically lightning-fast.

The one thing Ji Chenbiao was truly thankful for was that the school he attended didn’t have too many quizzes and tests.

What kind of dad has to worry every day after his kid gets home, wondering if there are test papers needing a parent’s signature?

…

Ever since Dadan started elementary school, Mr. Zhou only asked him to go to Myanmar with him once a year during the Lunar New Year.

Now, Mr. Zhou’s business had flourished—he was among the top jade traders in the country.

Geographically, Shancheng had no real advantages. When Mr. Zhou was just starting out, nobody thought much of him.

By the time they realized what was happening, he’d already become someone no one dared mess with.

These days, Mr. Zhou no longer needed Dadan’s help like he did in the beginning. He had plenty of raw jade materials and had already made a name for himself internationally.

He didn’t even need to be as hands-on anymore, and had a lot more free time.

On the flip side, Ji Chenbiao was now like Mr. Zhou was back when they first met.

His business was growing rapidly, but there wasn’t much outside help he could rely on. The only one who could help, really, was little Dadan—but he was still a student and couldn’t assist all the time.

Besides, Ji Chenbiao felt that as a grown man, if he still had to depend on his son for every little thing, that would be way too embarrassing.

The good karma he earned from saving Mr. Zhou’s child back then was still paying off even now.

The path Ji Chenbiao was on now was the same one Mr. Zhou had once walked. Whenever he hit a rough patch, Mr. Zhou never hesitated to offer guidance.

When Ji Chenbiao’s business started gaining momentum, many people expected some drama—they thought, There’s no room for two tigers on one mountain. There’s no way Mr. Zhou will tolerate him rising under his nose.

But to everyone’s surprise, Mr. Zhou never once tried to suppress him. In fact, he helped wherever he could.

Even now, though Dadan wasn’t that little kid who could be picked up and carried off by just anyone, both Mr. Zhou and Ji Chenbiao still didn’t want anyone knowing about him.

When people started speculating about their relationship, Mr. Zhou had someone leak the story that Ji Chenbiao had once saved his child.

He saved someone extremely important to me—my own son. Helping him out a bit now is the least I can do. That was how Mr. Zhou saw it. And he was a man of deep gratitude—he paid back even the smallest kindness a hundredfold.

Anyone who knew Mr. Zhou’s character wasn’t surprised by how seriously he took repaying favors.

Dadan went to what was arguably the best elementary school in Shancheng, and his grades were consistently at the top of the class.

Ji Chenbiao had always been curious—his family’s financial situation wasn’t bad. Dadan had never experienced those hardest, leanest years.

If you thought about it, the worst time for them was just after they left that little mountain village. But Dadan had still been young then, too young to remember much.

So why was he so obsessed with money?

No matter what you bought him, he would always make sure not to waste it—because money had been spent on it.

Even with school, he always said he wanted to get good grades so his dad’s tuition money wouldn’t be wasted.

It’s not that Ji Chenbiao didn’t want Dadan to do well, he just didn’t fully understand that motivation.

Lately, Ji Chenbiao had been busy opening a new branch. His business had grown well—so much so that he wasn’t satisfied staying in Shancheng anymore. It was time to expand.

Once the new shop was settled, he checked the time. It was still early—only 3 p.m.

It took about an hour to get from his store to the school, so it was just about right to pick his son up.

It had been a long time since Ji Chenbiao last picked Dadan up from school, so he was excited. After closing his laptop, he practically skipped out the door.

When Dadan saw that familiar car, he instantly knew it wasn’t the nanny picking him up today.

He was wearing his school uniform, his chubby little face still as cute as ever. The baby fat hadn’t gone away, and with age, his features had only grown more refined—like Nuwa’s most prized masterpiece.

Even in a crowd, he stood out instantly.

After getting in the car, Dadan casually tossed his heavy backpack to the side.

“Dad, how come you have time to pick me up today?”

“Work wasn’t too busy today. Plus, there’s something I really wanted to ask you.”

“Hmm?”

The car started moving, and the driver pulled up the soundproof divider in front.

“Do you maybe have some misunderstanding about our family’s financial situation?”

Ji Chenbiao didn’t like pretending to be poor in front of his child, nor did he want to create a sense of insecurity in Dadan because of this. Using deception to coax the boy would be extremely disrespectful.

“Huh?”

“We’re not poor, really not poor.”

Ji Chenbiao thought Dadan hadn’t quite understood him, so he simply laid it out clearly.

Dadan drooped his head and pouted a little, seemingly unhappy with his father’s statement. Seeing this disgruntled look, Ji Chenbiao reached out and gave his shoulder a gentle push.

“What’s wrong? You don’t believe me?”

“I do, but Daddy, Auntie’s matter still isn’t resolved.”

The reason Dadan always felt they couldn’t spend money recklessly was exactly this. Until the truth about what happened to Auntie was uncovered, he felt he had to make sure every bit of money his dad spent was worth it.

If Dadan hadn’t suddenly brought it up, Ji Chenbiao had actually long since pushed the matter to the back of his mind.

After a brief silence, his tone wasn’t as forceful as before. Instead, he reached out and gently ruffled Dadan’s fluffy hair. This child always had a way of unintentionally hitting the softest spot in his heart.

“You’re right. It’s about time I took a trip to Haicheng myself.”