Chapter 8: Why Does a Child-Miser with Billions Hesitate?

8

The smartwatch is brand new; the protective film is still on.

Its appearance was entirely uninvolved by human intervention, much like an item that suddenly appears in a game.

It was as if it were a supernatural force.

Are there supernatural elements involved in those recent mysterious bills?

Ning Ye glanced at the watch several times, and while examining it, she knew it wasn't safe to stay any longer, so she quickly grabbed her shopping bag and slipped away quietly.

How terrifying! I feel like my ex-boyfriend is the kind of person who would send the child to a research institution if he knew the child was from the future...!

We really need to stay away from them.

Bian Xun's dark eyes narrowed slightly as he watched her deliberately take a detour, his fingertips finally landing on the childish watch strap on her wrist.

"Check the serial numbers of these forms to see if you can find the seller."

"Yes," Assistant Zhang replied.

Bian Xun did not turn on the watch rashly, but instead had it sealed in an evidence bag and sent for testing.

Supernatural powers? If we could discover some unknown cutting-edge technology, that would be an unexpected bonus.

Ten minutes later, Assistant Zhang contacted the technical department to retrieve the evidence. "A detailed report will be issued after work tomorrow, and the technical department will set up a special project to compile it for you."

Bian Xun nodded, his eyes lowered in thought.

This was the first time that the opponent was a complete and elusive void, and trying to pinpoint their location was like searching for a needle in a haystack.

But children's watches...

Combined with the 6-year-old thinking book that suddenly appeared earlier.

Bian Xun's eyes were deep and dark.

If the other party is a group, then they are professionals in the relevant field.

If the other person is an individual... then it's very likely that they are a mother.

Even if it's out of resentment towards the rich, why was he chosen?

…

Ning Ye's vacation is over.

Although there were eight days, it seemed to disappear on the calendar in the blink of an eye. On the last day of the National Day holiday, the morning rush hour in the whole city was filled with a deathly atmosphere.

Ning Ye felt a surge of happiness the moment she opened her eyes.

This was the first time she returned to work with a sense of happiness, because today she didn't have to rush to the subway station, didn't have to stand upright for more than twenty stops in an environment of close contact with other people, and then rush into the company at the last minute.

She can see the kindergarten as soon as she walks out of the building, and the company gate is 800 meters away.

So happy.

At this moment, the Maybach speeding along the road was blocked on the main road in front of the group's entrance.

The man in the back seat was still wearing a well-fitting suit, resting his forehead on one hand, looking out the window with a calm expression, noticing that there were children in several cars around.

Through the car window, the toddlers were screaming, crying, and resisting going to school. The car's excellent sound insulation prevented the sounds from reaching Bian Xun's ears, but after watching for a moment, he frowned.

Kids are indeed the most troublesome things.

Assistant Zhang also noticed this carefully and explained in a low voice, "Parents of Xia Lu Kindergarten also drive on this road, which can cause traffic jams during the start and end of the school term. We apologize, but we will plan our routes better in the future and try to avoid these congested areas with the children and their parents."

To the boss, children are the epitome of chaotic creatures; they cry and laugh at will, creating noise and disorder, and he shows no pity or respect for them.

Once, Assistant Zhang and her boss attended a forum abroad. Westerners have a strong sense of family. They saw the CEO's youngest son at the forum. It's no exaggeration to say that even Assistant Zhang, who has children, thought he was incredibly cute and looked like a little angel.

The boss merely glanced at it indifferently, showing no reaction whatsoever, only finding the little boy annoying.

Bian Xun watched the traffic crawling along amidst the sea of ​​parents with a nonchalant expression, then suddenly asked, "Don't you need to take your child to school?"

Assistant Zhang smiled modestly: "The child's mother did it for her."

When the topic of family came up, Assistant Zhang's expression softened with warmth.

Bian Xun remained expressionless, showing no intention of understanding.

Relationships don't need to end with children. He has no interest in children and doesn't want to experience them.

In the Bian family, the birth of each child represents a different kind of benefit; there's one more person to share the money, and one more person to fight for power.

Children are vulnerable and noisy, yet they receive a fleeting, false sense of affection from everyone. Once they reach an age conventionally considered adults, this affection recedes, revealing the cold, hard reality of the entire family.

Through the car window, the father was driving, while the child and mother sat in the back. After crying their hearts out, the child was finally put on a backpack by the mother and held comfortably in her arms. The father in the front seat turned around and made some promises, and the child stopped crying and smiled.

How boring.

He looked away.

He could never do that.

…

"Mom, today is the first time you've taken me to school! Dad always takes me before!"

Ning Zhitao was wearing a new dress her mother had bought for her; the pale yellow hem resembled a tiny flower bud in the early autumn morning. Ning Ye had also put thick stockings on her, draped a white lace-trimmed cardigan over it, and she carried a small, round backpack. Her chubby arms and legs made her look like a delicately carved porcelain doll, incredibly cute.

"Really? Your dad... Bian Xun takes you to school every day?" Ning Ye couldn't imagine Bian Xun leading a little kid to school. He's so aloof, wouldn't he scare the other kids?

"Yes, Dad watches me go to kindergarten every day before going to work, because Mom gets late, but he doesn't!"

Ning Ye: "..."

This is what a heartless boss is like.

However, it must be said that from the child's detailed descriptions, Bian Xun does not seem to be a bad father. He picks up and drops off the child, attends parent-teacher meetings, and takes care of all the family expenses. Although I haven't calculated it carefully, he must have devoted a lot of time to his family.

Unfortunately, the future has already changed from the moment the child unexpectedly traveled through time.

Ning Ye took half a day off today to go to the kindergarten to complete all the procedures and pay the fees, and also to observe the school facilities and cafeteria.

Ning Zhitao didn't feel any pain about going to school because she is a very outgoing and studious person who loves making friends. And today, her mother took her to school, which made her even happier.

They walked directly from the residential area to the kindergarten, where the entrance was indeed blocked by a swarm of people, with various loudspeakers blaring and the annoyance of adults returning to work.

This is where the advantage of staying near the entrance becomes apparent. Ning Ye, holding Ning Zhitao's hand, quickly entered the kindergarten and found the teacher who was there to greet them.

The other party was surprised by her young age. Upon learning that she worked at the headquarters of Wujiang Group, they were very polite and even mentioned that one of their students' fathers worked for Wujiang Group.

Ning Ye didn't think much of it. It's normal to have several colleagues' children. The group is so big and has so many employees; they might not even know each other.

"You must be Tao Tao! You look just like your mother!"

"Thank you, teacher. I think so too!"

Ning Ye watched from afar, and whether it was due to her mother's filter or not, she felt that Ning Zhitao seemed to have a kind of magic that made her hard to dislike. The reception teacher quickly smiled, charmed by her cuteness, and squatted down to ask her which kindergarten she had attended and what she had learned before.

Ning Ye took her and the teacher to visit the kindergarten, including the classrooms, music and physical education room, computer room, small auditorium, and playground. The situation was basically the same as what the aunties in the neighborhood had described. The teacher also showed her photos of their three meals a day in the week before the holiday. They were not fancy, but nutritionally balanced and varied.

The tuition fee is 800 yuan per month, and the meal fee is 264 yuan per month, which is considered relatively high among public kindergartens. If Ning Ye has to bear the cost of the next two years of middle and senior classes on her own, it will naturally be a considerable expense.

But since she has taken on the task of caring for the child, it is reasonable for the child's father to cover the expenses.

Fortunately, it's only been less than a month since school started, so Ning Zhitao won't have too much trouble integrating into the new class.

Ning Ye completed the enrollment procedures with her documents. She filled in her information in the "Mom" section and hesitated in the "Dad" section. She originally wanted to leave it blank, but then she thought it would make it seem like the child didn't have a father, and would people laugh at her? After thinking about it, Ning Ye simply made up a name for someone who also worked at Wujiang Group and had the same degree from Jinghua University. The teacher didn't suspect anything at all.

Then she applied for a parent account on the kindergarten's official website. The previous period for centralized payment of fees had already passed, and after the finance department approved it, she could pay the fees separately on the official website.

With the matter basically settled and the teacher being very patient, Ning Ye decided to leave her child here.

Ning Zhitao, who was very excited before leaving, was now a little deflated and kept holding onto her hand.

For some reason, this scene suddenly reminded Ning Ye of the empty and heartbreaking feeling she had when her mother left. But the difference was, she was now the protector.

Ning Ye crouched down to be at eye level with the child and held her hand: "Tao Tao, I'm in that building up ahead, only 500 meters from here. I can be there in just two minutes. If anything happens, you can call me, okay? Anything."

Ning Zhitao touched her watch. She knew how to send a voice call to her mother. She tilted her head and pondered for a while before finally relaxing. Little Radish followed the teacher to the classroom, looking back every few steps.

...

When Ning Ye entered the company, she realized it was just past ten o'clock. Being close by was so convenient; she had already taken too much of her half-day off.

When Sister Zhou saw her, she waved enthusiastically, "Didn't get up this morning? I struggled to get up too."

Ning Ye smiled but didn't say anything. The emails that had been piling up for eight days were piling up. She quickly started working, but occasionally her mind would wander, and she would check the kindergarten's official website account on her phone every now and then.

Although I know it's impossible, I'm inexplicably worried. She hasn't paid the fees yet, will her child be bullied?

She spent the morning in a departmental meeting and replied to numerous emails, including one from a small game company she had worked with at the branch office, inviting her to visit.

Before we knew it, it was noon. The heavy, lifeless atmosphere of returning to work after the holiday was finally dispelled by the desire to eat. The souls at each workstation slowly returned to their places and began various chats and gossips.

"Hey you guys know what? The boss called a meeting with the tech department all morning today."

"Was it that thing that happened during the holidays?"

"Not a word has leaked out yet; the secrecy level is too high."

The group couldn't find anything interesting in the gossip, so Sister Zhou looked around, lowered her voice, and started to spill the beans.

"I heard from the marketing department that Xu Lanyi signed on as our group's spokesperson because she has connections with President Bian's family."

Wujiang's other cutting-edge products have long production cycles, and this time the main focus of the new product launch is the audio-visual business segment - AD600 Cloud Sound Pro, an innovative intelligent adaptive noise-canceling headphone. It is appropriate to ask a female celebrity from the film and television industry to endorse and promote it.

"Really? What's the relationship between the boss and the big-name actress?" the others asked in hushed tones.

"Is it true that she's coming to our company the day after tomorrow? Will the boss personally greet her?"

Clearly, despite their fear, everyone was still eager to hear about the boss's scandalous affairs.

Zhou Jie was surrounded by several colleagues. Ning Ye didn't want to get involved, but Zhou Jie held her arm and she was forced to get caught up in the gossip about her ex-boyfriend.

It's... a little awkward.

She tilted her head and noticed a boy standing a short distance to her side, who wasn't participating in the conversation, walking quietly alongside her.

She glanced at him and vaguely recognized him as a male colleague from the same department—fair-skinned and handsome—before politely looking away.

Sister Zhou, however, caught this glance with remarkable accuracy. Like an old fox, she looked around and saw four or five male colleagues from different departments walking towards the cafeteria with them. They seemed to be listening to gossip, but in reality, their attention was subtly focused on Ning Ye.

They had just walked through the lobby downstairs to the cafeteria on the basement level when the elevator doors on the first floor opened.

The people around immediately bowed and made way, all falling silent.

"General Manager Bian."

"Hello, Mr. Bian."

The man was aloof and expressionless. His tall, slender figure, encased in a suit, stood out from the crowd. His indifferent black eyes swept over the crowded midday head and precisely focused on the young girl surrounded by a group of men.

Like a jasmine flower surrounded by filth.

"Where did Xiao Ye go for the holiday?" Sister Zhou threw the question to Ning Ye. Sure enough, all eyes followed. Only the boy next to Ning Ye was the quietest and most reserved. That was Jiang Xinghe from the group next to them, Xiao Jiang.

Ning Ye was suddenly called upon. She looked up and revealed a fair face with delicate features. She told the truth, "I didn't go out to play. I've been moving and packing."

A boy named Chang Qi, who was in front of Sister Zhou, immediately chimed in, "That must be tiring. Did you carry it yourself? Why didn't you ask anyone for help?"

Ning Ye didn't want to say more, "Well, no rush, just move it yourself at your own pace."

Chang Qi's eyes lit up. This sentence revealed a clear message: the beautiful woman who had caused a sensation in the department as soon as she turned around was still single.

To be honest, female celebrities certainly pique our curiosity, but they're ultimately very distant from us. It's the ordinary beauties we see all around us who truly capture our hearts.

Chang Qi wanted to say something, but Sister Zhou had already taken Ning Ye's arm and led her to the other side of the cafeteria window. When they found a place to sit down, the quiet boy from before was sitting not far away.

Sister Zhou smiled and waved, "Xiao Jiang, come sit with us."

Jiang Xinghe glanced at her and the young girl next to her, and after confirming that Ning Ye didn't seem uncomfortable, he took his plate and sat down diagonally opposite them.

"Sorry to bother you." The tone of her voice was also very clear.

Sister Zhou's gaze darted around a few times. She knew Chang Qi from earlier; he'd dated three people at the company and wasn't a good person. But Xiao Jiang was different.

"You two haven't officially met yet, have you? Xiao Ye just joined the company not long ago, and she doesn't know everyone yet. You two can add each other on WeChat," Sister Zhou said with a smile.

She was so engrossed in the joy of bringing together good boys and girls that she didn't notice a rare figure appearing at the cafeteria entrance in the distance, which immediately caused a stir.

Ning Ye didn't see it either; she wasn't really interested in adding private contact information.

Although she is indeed still single.

However, she is an atypical single woman.

Sister Zhou smiled and said, "I remember Xiao Jiang's family is very well-off, right? They own a private children's hospital. Xiao Ye, you're too young to understand the value of that..."

Ning Ye suddenly looked up.

Then the two sides exchanged contact information smoothly.

As Ning Ye was adding a note to the other person's contact information, a dark figure strode over from the dining table, his leather shoes landing with a heavy thud.

He did not stay beside her.

A long leg slung out from under straight trousers, and a radius of silence seemed to automatically open around him. All eyes were fixed on him, their gazes filled with shock, and the rice spoon fell to the ground.

Why is the boss in the cafeteria?!

Ning Ye looked down and made a note for Jiang Xing, then habitually refreshed the kindergarten's official website. The tuition fees probably hadn't been approved yet, but it was already lunchtime for the children, and the payment option for meal fees was now open.

Ning Ye was afraid they wouldn't feed Ning Zhitao, so she quickly clicked the link to pay the fee.

While waiting for the page to redirect, she finally looked up.

Someone stood out conspicuously in the noisy crowd.

Like a cold moon reflected in a still pool, untouched by dust and devoid of grains, its eyes are desolate and cold.

Sister Zhou was scanning the room with her eyes, lowering her voice as she said, "Although the food at our company is pretty good, it's amazing that the big boss is leading by example in being so frugal!..."

Ning Ye was unaware of this; all she knew was that she was using his card to pay for the child's meals.

Ning Ye finally breathed a sigh of relief after successfully paying 264 yuan.

Looking up again, the president, who was about to swipe his work card at the window, stopped.

Three dishes and one soup, 2.64 million.

Bian Xun's fingertips paused a second before touching the card, his gaze calm. Assistant Zhang stepped forward, "What's wrong, Mr. Bian? Is there a problem?"

What's the problem?

Are those four zeros invisible to everyone else?

Bian Xun suddenly realized that it seemed only he could see the prices after inflation.

In full view of everyone, in the huge restaurant, hundreds of employees were watching him.

With a net worth of billions, why hesitate?

The president remained expressionless.

In the end, they paid the full amount for a plate of stir-fried kale, braised taro chicken, and vinegar-dressed lotus root slices, all for 660,000 yuan.

A note from the author:

----------------------

The current Bian Zong: Hates all children.

Later, Mr. Bian said: I am the father of your child.

[Sprinkling flowers] I'll be updating at this point for now, and I'll be giving away 50 RMB red envelopes