Chapter 17 "To me, is it a responsibility?"...

This wasn't Si Xiaotie's first time visiting her father's company, but the last time was so long ago that she couldn't even remember.

Anyway, my dad's company has a lot of older brothers and sisters, and my dad's office is really big.

Her father took her in the elevator for a very long time before they finally arrived. The older children outside seemed very happy to see her and greeted her warmly.

Although Si Xiaotie still missed Yuanyuan, her mother said she couldn't be impolite, so she grinned and waved to her older brothers and sisters with the hand that her father wasn't holding.

Upon arriving at the office, she sat on the high, dark sofa. Her father was talking to one of her older brothers, "Xu Lin, please take care of her and make sure she doesn't run around."

Upon hearing this, Si Xiaotie pouted in dissatisfaction, "Xiaotie won't run around!"

Si Yuming patted her head and said, "Be a good girl and wait here for Daddy."

"Um!"

After the boss left, Xu Lin looked at the delicate three-year-old girl in front of him and didn't know what to do.

Mr. Si usually doesn't need to accompany him after get off work, but the driver said that recently Mr. Si has been leaving get off work early to pick up his daughter, who is the incredibly beautiful girl in front of him.

He thought of pouring her a glass of water, but struggled with what to call her, so he could only ask, "Your name is Xiao Tie?"

"Yes, brother."

The little girl's soft, sweet voice calling him "brother" touched Xu Lin's heart. "Little Tie, would you like some water?"

"No, thank you, brother." Si Xiaotie looked up and asked, "Brother, have you seen my mother?"

Mom? President Jiang?

President Jiang was supposed to be having a meeting here this afternoon, but he didn't attend, so he shook his head and said, "No."

"Can I call my mom?"

"sure."

Xu Lin unlocked his phone for her, and the little girl skillfully tapped the dial pad, muttering as she dialed phone numbers: "13XXX..."

After a few rings, the call connected. The girl put the phone to her ears with both hands and called out in a wronged tone, "Mom."

Since the speakerphone wasn't on, Xu Lin couldn't hear what was being said on the other end of the phone, only the girl's voice sounding slightly tearful:

—I gave my gift to Yuanyuan, and she really liked it.

—Yes, Dad is here to pick me up.

But I still can't bear to part with Yuanyuan.

—Mom, when do you get off work? I miss you.

—Using an older brother's.

—Dad went to work.

—Yes, I'm at Dad's company now. Mom, where are you?

After saying something on the other end, the little girl quickly handed over the phone, which had just been hung up. She seemed a bit better, saying, "Thank you, brother."

Xu Lin roughly understood and comforted her, "It seems your mother just passed away."

"Hmm." Mom also said she wasn't there, and Si Xiaotie looked up at her again, "Brother, I want to drink water again."

"Okay, okay, I'll go pour it for you right away."

......

At the same time, the panicked woman hung up the phone and immediately got up and walked out to the office area. She strained her ears and, sure enough, heard some conversation.

"It's up there, oh my god, it's so pretty, that little face is so delicate and pretty."

"Didn't President Jiang just leave? Didn't you run into him?"

"The person left half an hour ago."

"So it seems that President Si went to pick up his child and was then suddenly called back to work?"

"That's quite possible. I didn't realize our CEO was such a family man."

"Isn't that right? With President Jiang out building his career, President Si has to become a stay-at-home husband, doesn't he?"

Lin Ke is now indifferent to all of this. On the other hand, Jiang Chengyin, as "Mrs. Si," has shielded her from a lot of gossip, and she should be grateful to her.

But why did Si Yuming bring Xiao Tie to the company? Was he really suddenly recalled?

Just as I was thinking, a message popped up on my phone: "[Want to go to the old house together later? Xiao Tie is upstairs, you can take her there first, I'll probably be a while longer here.]"

She typed back: 【Tell her to wait for you, I'm leaving now.】

Si Yuming: [Okay.]

She returned to her desk, finished the last bit of work, and then packed her things to leave.

But when the elevator doors opened, Lin Ke was stunned.

Who else could that little person sitting in Xu Lin's lap, giggling, be but his own daughter?

With two colleagues blocking her way, Lin Ke retreated in a second and moved to a spot where she couldn't see the elevator.

I'm sorry, baby, we can't recognize each other at this time and place.

But no one expected that Xu Lin would carry the child straight out of the elevator. She had no choice but to cover her face with her bag and quickly run back to her office.

A child's voice came faintly from behind, "Hey, I think I see my mom."

Lin Ke was so frightened that her soul almost left her body.

Xu Lin peeked inside and said, "You must be mistaken. Your mother isn't here."

Okay.

A commotion broke out in the office as colleagues who hadn't yet left work saw Assistant Xu carrying the little princess down and boldly went up to strike up a conversation.

Ma Chanchan was also very excited, "Sister Ke, it's President Si's daughter! Let's go see her too."

"You go."

"Then I'll head over there. I heard she's especially pretty and cute."

"ah......"

Xu Lin brought her down because the little girl wanted to see her father. He remembered what President Si had said and was a little hesitant, but Si Xiaotie promised that she would only see her father from afar and then held his hand and acted coquettishly, so he hesitated and agreed.

General Manager Si was having a meeting at the project department on the 23rd floor. It should be in the conference room right now, but there were so many people gathered around that Xu Lin was worried that the little girl would be frightened. But when he looked over, the little girl was smiling and greeting everyone. There was no trace of the grievance and sadness she had shown when she was on the phone with her mother just now.

The entrance to the office area was bustling with activity. Lin Ke hid her face completely behind the partition, afraid that Si Xiaotie would notice her with just a glance. Given her small voice, a loud shout of "Mom!" could probably bring the entire entropy domain to a standstill for two minutes.

The conversations of the young female colleagues could be heard intermittently coming in from the doorway.

—Baby, what's your name?

—My name is Si Lezhen.

How old are you?

—I am three and a half years old.

Wow, you're three and a half years old!

—Yes! I'm a big kid!

......

After a while, Xu Lin finally carried the child to the conference room.

Lin Ke quickly went downstairs and drove away from the company.

......

The meeting didn't end until after six o'clock. Si Xiaotie didn't go back to the president's office. Instead, she waited on the sofa outside the meeting room on the 23rd floor, holding the tablet that Xu Lin had prepared for her and watching Animal World. Her big eyes were fixed on it without moving.

But as soon as she saw her father, she immediately dropped her tablet and rushed over to him. Si Yuming picked up his daughter, and Si Xiaotie eagerly shared, her little face beaming with excitement: "Dad, do you know what the largest animal in the world is?"

Company executives and partners followed behind. Some of them had never seen President Si's daughter before, and they curiously looked at the little one in the man's arms. They were also quite surprised to see the man, who had been cold-faced at the meeting, now looking so gentle.

Si Yuming didn't interrupt her, and cooperated, asking, "What is it?"

The little girl gestured with her two small hands, making exaggerated expressions as she spoke, "It's a whale! It's this big, this big! The TV host said it's over thirty meters long, bigger than many, many elephants."

"Oh, it's a whale! Now Daddy knows." Si Yuming patted her, gesturing for her to greet the people behind her. The little girl then noticed there were people behind her father. Her beautiful, fearless eyes narrowed into slits, and her voice was soft and sweet, "Hello uncles and aunties, I'm Xiao Tie, my daddy's baby~"

The uncles and aunts in their thirties and forties were all beaming with joy, and some even affectionately touched the little girl's face.

After exchanging greetings, everyone dispersed. Si Yuming, carrying Si Xiaotie, was the last to leave. The father and daughter spoke, "Have you seen your mother?"

"No, Mom said she's not here."

Thinking of Lin Ke's possible panicked expression, Si Yuming smiled, "She ran away."

"Then let's go after her!"

"Let's go."

Listening to the conversation between the two people behind him, and seeing the smile that rarely appeared on President Si's face, Xu Lin sighed deeply once again.

It takes more than 20 minutes to get from the company to the old house, and by then it will be completely dark.

Knowing that his younger sister was coming, Qin Mancheng waited at the door in advance. When he saw the car drive in, his eyes widened, but his good upbringing prevented him from showing too much excitement. He waited until his uncle led his sister to him before politely greeting them: "Uncle, Xiao Tie."

Si Xiaotie was overjoyed to see Qin Mancheng. He shook off his father and went to take his brother's hand, asking, "Brother, is my earthworm still here?"

Qin Mancheng had no idea about earthworms, and upon hearing this, she shuddered again. She patiently explained to her sister, "The weather has been cold these past few days, so earthworms hibernate in the soil."

What does hibernation mean?

The two children chatted as they walked, “Hibernation means resting in winter and then coming out again in spring.”

"Little Iron needs to hibernate too!"

"Humans do not hibernate."

The girl said regretfully, "Okay then."

Once inside the house, the girl saw her mother and ran over to her, nestled in her arms, and asked sweetly, "Mommy, did you miss me?"

Unexpectedly, the thought of this little bomb suddenly appearing at the company terrified her. Lin Ke smiled gently, "Yes, baby, have you missed Mommy?"

"I think this big." The little girl spread her arms and tried to draw a big circle.

"It's so big!"

"That's right."

After chatting for a while, Si Yun came downstairs, and the little girl hugged her aunt again, "Auntie, did you miss me today?"

Si Yun pinched the girl's chubby cheeks and smiled, "Auntie misses the baby so much."

Looking at the girl's lively eyes, she felt a little downcast.

Qin Mancheng is already seven years old, and the company is gradually stabilizing. She wants to have another daughter, and wants a cute little girl like Si Xiaotie to accompany her. However, every time she mentions it to Qin Ru, he is unwilling, saying that he is too busy with work and has no time to take care of her and the baby.

Si Yuming approached and glanced upstairs. "Where's my brother-in-law?"

Si Yun's smile faded. "She said she'd be back later."

As lunchtime approached, the door was finally pushed open, and Qin Ru, dressed in a neat Zhongshan suit and wearing glasses, put down his bag and came in, greeting the person inside: "It seems to have gotten colder today, it's a bit chilly outside."

Then she went to the living room, patted her son's head, and asked with concern, "Xiao Tie, you look so beautiful today?"

"Yes!" Si Xiaotie proudly showed off the dinosaur on her yellow sweater. "It's a Triceratops that likes to eat grass, and my mom bought it for me!"

"It's so beautiful."

Si Yun, who was helping to serve the food in the kitchen, called out, "Okay, come and eat."

The two children ran over, while Lin Ke lagged behind. She glanced at the refined man heading to the bathroom to wash his hands, and then at the woman in the kitchen, where everything seemed normal. A pang of sadness struck her.

She met the eye of the person next to her, and Si Yuming mouthed "It's okay" before shaking her hand.

Nothing much changed at the dinner table. Si Xiaotie chattered away, Qin Mancheng was well-behaved and serious, Lin Ke ate quietly as always, and Qin Ru and Si Yuming didn't have much in common, but at their age they could always find something to talk about.

The woman opposite him drank alone and didn't say much, only smiling when Qin Ru leaned close to her and whispered something.

Halfway through the meal, Qin Ru suddenly said to Si Yun, "Next month is our wedding anniversary. How would you like to celebrate? Should I take a few days off and take you and Manman on a trip?"

Si Yun seemed taken aback for a moment, "You have time?"

"There's always room if you squeeze in; the college isn't too busy lately."

Si Yun couldn't remember when the family of three had gone out together. She looked at her son sitting next to her and saw a little bit of expectation in his eyes.

Qin Mancheng resembles her father more, both in appearance and personality. Influenced by her father, she loves learning and research, and has been a little professor since childhood.

His father has always been his role model.

Si Yun patted her son, suppressing a pang of sadness in her heart, and smiled faintly: "I don't know if I'll be alright next month, we'll see."

"That's fine too." Qin Ru picked up a piece of chicken leg for her and said gently, "Eat more, you've lost weight."

Si Yun looked down at the chicken leg meat without saying a word. After a moment, she picked it up and ate it, her movements slow, deliberate, and extremely elegant.

Lin Ke looked quietly at everything, which seemed no different from usual, her heart filled with mixed emotions.

After dinner, Si Xiaotie and Qin Mancheng played for a while, and the family of three left around nine o'clock.

The couple, who were tired from playing, had already fallen asleep on the train. After boarding the train, they remained quiet and did not communicate.

As they neared their destination, Lin Ke finally couldn't help but ask, "What about my sister?"

"They probably already know."

"Then why...?"

Why can we still eat and live like this so naturally, as if nothing has happened?

She knew she had to take care of Qin Mancheng, but what about Si Yun herself?

And Qin Ru, Lin Ke simply couldn't imagine what kind of mentality he had to pretend to be so calm in front of his wife and children.

Is he still human?

After arriving home and settling Si Xiaotie in, the couple took a shower and lay down on the bed. Si Yuming tried to hug him, but was refused.

The woman turned her back, her voice icy, "No."

"What's wrong?"

It's nothing, I just feel that the concept of "love" might not even exist in the world. People are just using it as a name for their behavior for a certain period of time, and once they stop persisting, "love" disappears.

Lin Ke asked him softly in the darkness, "Si Yuming, you said that my sister and brother-in-law entered into marriage with love and ended up like this, so what if there was no love?"

Si Yuming paused for a moment, then replied, "Love will transform into responsibility. In the end, marriage is not maintained by love, but by responsibility."

Is that so…? Lin Ke bit her lip and asked, “To you, it’s a sense of responsibility?”

Because of his grandfather's haphazard matchmaking, he bore the responsibility of marriage; because of an unplanned pregnancy, he took on the responsibility of fatherhood.

Yeah?

The atmosphere was somber, the air seemed stagnant.

"Lin Ke..."

Lin Ke felt a little uncomfortable, picked up her pillow and got out of bed, saying, "I'm going to sleep with my daughter."

She thought that Zhang Man might be right.

Si Yuming reached out and pulled the person back, explaining in a low voice, "That's not what I meant."

"Then what do you mean?" Lin Ke was quiet for a moment, then said seriously for the first time, "I think a marriage without love can't last."

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Author's Note: Here it is, as usual, a small red envelope!