Chapter 1
"Attention passengers: International Airlines flight ZD229 has been delayed due to weather conditions. Please wait for further notice for the exact departure time."
The hall erupted in a cacophony of noise, instantly drowning out the announcements. Some passengers stood up agitatedly, arguing back and forth with customer service staff.
This is the third delay today.
The sun was shining brightly outside.
The man sitting at the far end of the rest area crossed his legs elegantly and continued talking on the phone without being disturbed.
Secretary Wu glanced at the man's wristwatch for a moment, then looked away, holding up her tablet and waiting respectfully.
"...In short, you have to go on that blind date today, or we'll sever our mother-son relationship."
Huo Junyan didn't even raise an eyebrow, just grunted an "Mm," and there seemed to be a surprised sound on the other end before the call was disconnected.
Secretary Wu ignored him, handed over the tablet, and continued to report on the work progress.
Huo Junyan caught it casually, revealing his wrist bone. The secretary glanced at the time on the watch face and saw that it was a notch slow; the time had just been announced over the loudspeaker.
Seeing that President Huo wasn't looking at the tablet, I stopped my report and followed his gaze—
A tiny, milky-white ball of a child weaved and frolicked through the crowd, as if treating these restless, chaotic steps as his playground. Two slightly older children followed behind the little ball of a child.
Several children suddenly appeared before them, chasing each other around their seats.
It was obvious that the slightly older children looked alike and were siblings, one on the left and one on the right, surrounding the little milk ball.
Seeing that there was nowhere to retreat, Tuanzi quickly threw the toy fragment in the opposite direction and turned to climb onto Huo Junyan.
Secretary Wu noticed a footprint on his impeccably ironed bespoke suit and hurriedly looked around.
I didn't see the child's parents.
While the siblings were picking up toys, the little dumpling used Huo Junyan's arm as a rope, grabbed the watch chain, and nimbly slid down from the side.
All of this happened so suddenly that Huo Junyan instinctively braced himself with his hands, unsure of what to do.
Thud!
The watch strap broke, and the watch fell to the ground.
Secretary Wu suddenly stood up, his mind going blank for a moment.
Having served as Mr. Huo's secretary for two years, he knew very well how much Mr. Huo cherished this "cheap" watch.
Even though his office is filled with several collectible luxury watches, he only wears them occasionally during important negotiations, like bargaining chips.
This watch, which is inconsistent with his status and whose time is no longer accurate, is almost always on his person.
When he was first promoted, Secretary Wu treated Assistant Gao to a lavish French meal to advance his career, and gleaned two pieces of information from the experience:
I've worn the watch for two or three years;
He was suspected of being dumped by his ex-girlfriend.
He pressed further, asking if the watch was a gift from his ex-girlfriend. Assistant Gao smiled but remained silent.
Another time, while delivering coffee, he said, "...They've been dead for years..." without any context, and the video call had already ended. As he put down the coffee, he caught a glimpse of President Huo stroking the watch, his eyes filled with sorrow.
Who is "ta"?
Dead?
Secretary Wu pieced together these scattered pieces of information and imagined that the watch was a gift from his ex-girlfriend, and "she" refers to his ex-girlfriend, who was his deceased white moonlight.
There is no solution.
"He ran away! Chase him!"
The older sister noticed the little boy's feint and shouted as she chased after him, with her younger brother close behind.
Secretary Wu squatted down to pick up the watch, but President Huo gently stopped him with his hand. He could only stand aside and watch President Huo bend down to pick it up.
Tuanzi nimbly dodged the airport cleaning cart and ran into the VIP lounge. The siblings followed her in, knocking over the "Under Renovation" warning sign at the entrance.
Huo Junyan remained in a half-squatting position for nearly ten seconds.
It felt like even longer than ten minutes.
Secretary Wu was nervous and uneasy, keeping a close eye on the group of little dumpling. "Hey, hey," his voice startled Huo Junyan, who looked up and stood up.
Through the glass of the VIP lounge, the three little ones were climbing the metal frame used for renovation.
It was lunchtime, and there were no construction workers at the site.
Just as Secretary Wu was about to notify airport security, Huo Junyan strode into the renovation area.
The little dumpling, oblivious to the dangers, stood on a half-person-high decorative shelf, waved its two short arms, and leaped down.
Huo Junyan lifted the baby forward, caught the little one, then tilted back to deflect the force, falling onto the plastic-sealed renovation materials, where the baby landed steadily in his arms.
"Wow……"
The younger brother, who had climbed halfway up the mountain, suddenly burst into tears. Secretary Wu, who had followed him in, rushed to hug him and discovered that the wire had caught on his clothes.
He took the child down, but the younger brother continued to cry.
The commotion alerted airport staff and construction workers who rushed to the scene.
The man carrying a suitcase, squeezing in front and cursing, was the siblings' parent.
The older sister, standing on the decoration rack, saw her father's anger, pouted, and also burst into tears.
For a time, the VIP room was even more lively than the lobby.
The parents took the children down and asked the siblings who had bullied them.
? ! !
Convicted without a word.
The older sister immediately looked at the little dumpling and said he had stolen her toy. The younger brother pointed at the little dumpling and cried uncontrollably.
Huo Junyan had no intention of participating. He was about to hand the little dumpling to the airport staff when the little guy turned around and buried his face in his shoulder, clearly wanting to cling to him.
The siblings' father glared angrily, and when he met Huo Junyan's gaze, he instinctively looked away. He himself was puzzled. He turned to accuse the airport of being irresponsible and of having no safety measures at the construction site, which nearly caused his children to have an accident. He threatened to pursue legal action and demand compensation.
Fearing liability, the construction workers argued, "There are warning signs at the door. Why don't the parents keep a close eye on their children? ... There's only half an hour for lunch. If we take turns eating, we won't be able to finish the project."
The next sentence was an explanation to the airport staff.
Huo Junyan didn't say a word, and carried the child out of the renovation area with one hand.
The little dumpling perched on his shoulder, making faces at the siblings who had stopped crying. Immediately, a piercing wail came from behind them. Huo Junyan turned around in surprise, and everyone's expressions were quite varied.
Airport staff, fearing to escalate the conflict, rushed to appease the siblings and calm the irritable man. In the end, they reluctantly offered him a discounted annual pass for flights, and only then did the man leave with the siblings, satisfied.
Huo Junyan wanted to put the child down, but his knee had been hit earlier and was now hurting more and more.
The little dumpling clung to his collar and wouldn't let go. Secretary Wu stepped in to help, but the little guy just whimpered and they didn't dare to use too much force.
"Hello, is there anything else you need?"
Huo Junyan held the little dumpling up, "Here you go."
The staff member took the child, completely bewildered!
The little dumpling twisted its body, demanding to be put down, and then looked up at Huo Junyan.
Secretary Wu briefly explained what had happened.
"Stars? Stars..."
A middle-aged woman ran up the escalator, saw the little boy, rushed over, grabbed him, and scolded him for running around. The little guy twisted his arms hard, but the woman wouldn't let go. The little boy couldn't break free, and his tender little face turned red.
Huo Junyan frowned almost imperceptibly, took a small step back, and felt a sharp pain in his knee.
Secretary Wu noticed something was wrong and quickly helped him sit on a chair while calling for an ambulance.
"...They're renovating inside, so you parents need to keep a close eye on your children. Thank goodness for that gentleman, otherwise the children would have been in danger. He was injured in the process. This matter..."
Before the staff member could finish speaking, the middle-aged woman scolded the little boy and dragged him to Huo Junyan to apologize.
“This child is very naughty and likes to run around,” the middle-aged woman said apologetically, noticing a dark brown stain seeping through the knee of Huo Junyan’s light gray trousers. “Are you bleeding?… Xingxing, don’t move around, quickly apologize to your uncle.”
She grabbed the little boy's arm and pushed him to apologize.
"Can't you give people a break? ... I'm so sorry this child has caused you trouble. I hope you don't mind."
The little dumpling's dark grape-like eyes welled up with tears, its little mouth pursed, and it stubbornly refused to lower its head, struggling even more fiercely.
"Let go." Huo Junyan's face was extremely ugly.
Secretary Wu had already taken out his phone to take pictures.
As a secretary, you must be observant, take initiative, and speak on behalf of your boss.
"Are you the child's parent? This is child abuse. I'm calling the police."
Seeing that the middle-aged woman was still tightly gripping the child's arm, Secretary Wu directly reached out and pulled her away, saying, "Let go, let go, let go."
Staff and security personnel gathered around. The middle-aged woman continued to ramble on after letting go, saying that the child would run around and that she was the parent.
After breaking free, the little dumpling didn't run away, but instead hugged the arm that the woman had gripped and breathed heavily.
Anyone with eyes could see something was amiss.
Even the man who had just been so irritable rushed over and took his daughter down from the decoration shelf, cursing as he checked on the child.
The little dumpling looked to be four or five years old, with a cute, chubby face. When taking care of such a young child, you usually have to follow the child's movements and not use excessive force to drag them.
When holding a kitten or puppy, if it struggles violently, a normal person would let go first and then lure it with food.
Airports are most afraid of situations like children getting lost.
The staff exchanged quick glances, and security blocked their path, poised to act at any moment.
The middle-aged woman clearly realized she had been misunderstood and hurriedly explained that her child's name was "Shen Xinghui" and that he was in the middle class at "Anhua District Street Kindergarten," while producing the kindergarten pick-up and drop-off card as proof.
Secretary Wu glanced at Huo Junyan, then squatted down and asked the little boy, "Little friend, is what she said true? Do you know her?"
The little dumpling pursed its lips and pouted, its tiny hands constantly tugging at the arm, turning its little face in the opposite direction from the middle-aged woman.
The staff became wary:
"What is your relationship to the child?"
"Parents," the middle-aged woman said sternly, somewhat annoyed, "Xingxing, what's wrong with you?"
"I just checked, the kindergarten you mentioned is operating normally today. What are you doing bringing your child to the airport?"
"You're not the child's mother, are you? Can you provide the child's parents' contact information?"
The middle-aged woman hesitated and couldn't explain herself clearly, only repeatedly emphasizing that she was the head of the household. Only when pressed did she admit that she was the nanny.
Security personnel asked her to provide the contact information for Tuanzi's parents. The nanny gave conflicting answers, sometimes saying she was at the airport to see them off, sometimes saying she was picking them up, her statements were inconsistent.
Airport medical personnel arrived, and Secretary Wu helped Huo Junyan into a wheelchair.
The little dumpling suddenly ran up to him, took a candy out of her pocket, and said, "Uncle, here you go."
Huo Junyan: "I don't eat candy."
The little dumpling took back the candy, turned its head to make way, indicating that it didn't care.
Suddenly, her eyes lit up, and she pointed with her little hand: "Mommy."
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