Eternal happiness
At 7:15 a.m., the sunlight had just climbed onto the windowsill of the master bedroom, and Zong Heng's arm was still wrapped around Xu Ying's waist.
"Whoa—!!!"
A deafening wail suddenly erupted. Zong Heng jolted awake, instinctively trying to sit up, but Xu Ying groggily grabbed the hem of his pajamas: "...Sleep for another five minutes..."
"dad!!!"
This time it was a scream choked with sobs, followed by the sound of heavy footsteps. The bedroom door was flung open, and a little cannonball dressed in a dinosaur onesie rushed in and pounced on the bed.
"My little sister bit me!" Three-year-old Zongye raised his chubby little arm, revealing two neat rows of tiny teeth marks that were already turning red. Tears welled in his eyes as he burrowed into his father's arms, "It hurts!"
Xu Ying instantly regained her senses.
Zong Heng scooped up his son to check his injuries, his face darkening. "Where's Zong Qing?"
"In...in the toy room..." Xiao Ye sobbed as she complained, "She stole my Optimus Prime..."
Xu Ying quickly stopped her husband, who was about to explode: "I'll go check." Just as she was about to get out of bed, she heard the sound of small, quick footsteps in the hallway.
Zong Qing, carrying a Transformer toy bigger than her head, leisurely strolled into the bedroom. The little girl, wearing pink bunny pajamas and with her hair all messy from sleep, immediately flashed a sweet smile upon seeing her parents awake: "Good morning!"
He looked just like a little mouse that had stolen some oil.
Five minutes later, the family of four gathered in the toy room.
The crime scene was a mess—half of the block castle had collapsed, colored crayons were scattered all over the ground, and the most important piece of evidence, "Optimus Prime," was being held tightly in Xiao Qingqing's arms, with suspicious drool marks on its plastic joints.
"Explain." Zong Heng squatted down to look his daughter in the eye.
Little Qingqing blinked her big eyes, her thick eyelashes fluttering like little fans: "Brother won't give it to me..."
"So you bite people?" Xu Ying gently pinched her daughter's little face.
The little girl immediately pouted, her eyes welling up with tears: "Want to play..."
Zongye, hiding behind his father, suddenly poked his head out: "She stole my toy car yesterday!"
"No!" Xiao Qingqing immediately retorted, "My brother took my Barbie first!"
"That's my construction vehicle!"
"mine!"
Seeing that the two little ones were about to start arguing again, Zong Heng rubbed his temples and said, "Shut up."
The room fell silent instantly.
Xu Ying carried the two children to sit on the sofa, while Zong Heng moved a small chair and sat opposite them, looking like a serious judge.
"Zong Qing," he asked in a deep voice, "why did you bite your brother?"
The little girl looked down and played with her fingers: "I want Optimus Prime."
"Is biting someone right?"
"wrong..."
"Then what should we do?"
Little Qingqing secretly glanced at her father's expression and whispered, "Let's discuss it with my brother."
Zongheng nodded and turned to his son: "Zongye, what should you do when your little sister wants to play?"
The little boy pouted: "Share."
"Very good." Zong Heng held out his hand. "Now give me Optimus Prime."
Xiao Qingqing immediately hugged the toy tightly and looked at her father warily.
"Three seconds." Zong Heng began counting down, "Three, two..."
"Waaah—" the little girl suddenly burst into tears, "Daddy's bad!"
Zong Heng: "......"
Xu Ying's shoulders trembled as she tried to suppress her laughter.
Final verdict:
1. Zong Qing must apologize to her brother and hand over Optimus Prime for one day as punishment.
2. Zong also wants to share half an hour of playtime with his younger sister.
3. Neither of them had ice cream today.
Little Qingqing cried and hiccuped, but still walked up to her brother, sobbing, and said, "I'm sorry..."
Xiao Ye looked at his younger sister's flushed face and suddenly reached out to wipe away her tears: "You can play for ten minutes."
Zong Heng raised an eyebrow: "Not half an hour?"
"Twenty minutes!" Xiao Ye immediately changed her mind, looking at her father warily, "No more than that!"
Xu Ying finally couldn't help but laugh out loud, and was glared at by Zong Heng.
At the breakfast table, the two little ones were still secretly arguing over "ownership of Optimus Prime".
"Dad! My sister is glaring at me!"
"Mom! My brother kicked me!"
Zong Heng put down his coffee cup and said expressionlessly, "If you keep making noise, you'll all have to stand in the corner as punishment."
The world is quiet.
Xu Ying quietly took her husband's hand under the table: "You've worked hard, Judge Zong."
Zong Heng grabbed her fingers with his own: "You have to make it up to me tonight."
"Dream on," Xu Ying laughed, pulling her hand away. "You're on night shift tonight—Qingqing said she wants to tell you a story in the middle of the night."
Zong Heng: "......"
Sunlight streamed through the French windows, illuminating the noisy family. Little Qingqing secretly poured milk into her brother's cereal, while Xiao Ye was about to add salt to his sister's juice. Meanwhile, their parents were engaged in a silent battle over "who will put the baby to sleep tonight."
This was the kind of ordinary yet lively morning that Zong Heng had always longed for.
At 10 p.m., Zong Heng had just finished a multinational video conference and walked into the bedroom rubbing his temples, only to find Xu Ying frowning at her tablet.
"What's wrong?" He walked over and hugged his wife from behind.
Xu Ying waved the notice in her hand: "Tomorrow is the kindergarten's parent-child day; at least one parent is required to attend." She turned to her husband, "But aren't you supposed to be meeting with Mr. Zhao from the M Group to discuss a collaboration tomorrow?"
Zong Heng glanced at the notice; it had "Mom and Dad, I love you" scrawled in colored crayons, signed with two small handprints. His eyes softened: "Cancel it."
"Huh?" Xu Ying's eyes widened in surprise. "Wasn't that project something we'd been discussing for a long time?"
"Send the vice president over." Zong Heng had already taken out his phone to send an email. "Xiao Ye said yesterday that she hopes I can participate in their 'Dad Carrying Baby Race'."
Xu Ying couldn't help but laugh out loud: "President Zong, are you sure you want to wear a bespoke suit to the kindergarten sports day?"
Zong Heng raised an eyebrow: "Is there a problem?"
"No," Xu Ying shook her head, suppressing a laugh, "I'm just worried about putting too much pressure on the other dads."
8:30 a.m.
"Dad! Your tie is crooked!" Xiao Ye stood on tiptoe and pointed at Zong Heng's tie in a serious manner.
Zongheng squatted down so his son could help adjust it. Little Qingqing, standing nearby, was jumping up and down impatiently: "Me too! I want to tie it for Daddy too!"
Xu Ying smiled and picked up her daughter: "Qingqing, would you like to help Daddy with his bag?"
So when the family of four appeared at the kindergarten gate, Zong Heng held his son, whose tie was askew, in his left hand, and hugged his daughter, who was tightly clutching her briefcase, in his right hand, with Xu Ying following behind, her shoulders shaking from trying not to laugh.
"Hello, Mr. Zongye!" Class teacher Ms. Lin greeted him, blushing. "This is today's activity schedule..."
Just as Zong Heng was about to put his daughter down to take the form, Xiao Qingqing suddenly clung tightly to his neck: "No! Daddy, hold me!"
The scene became somewhat awkward for a moment.
Xu Ying quickly came to the rescue: "Teacher Lin, give it to me." She took the form and whispered to her husband, "Looks like you're going to be the 'kangaroo dad' today."
In the classroom, the small stool was far too low for Zong Heng. His long legs were bent over in huddle, his knees almost touching his chin. Xiao Qingqing sat on his lap, and Xiao Ye was close to him, the two little ones looking proud.
"My dad is the best!" Xiao Ye shouted to the child next to him.
"My dad can fly airplanes!" another little boy retorted.
Zong Heng raised an eyebrow: "You really have."
Xu Ying pinched him under the table: "Don't take it seriously with a child."
When it was the parents' turn to introduce themselves, Zong Heng stood up: "Zong Heng, father of Zong Ye and Zong Qing." He paused, then added, "My occupation is... being their father."
All the parents laughed, and the serious atmosphere instantly relaxed.
"Next up is the 'Dad Carrying Baby Race'!" the principal announced through a megaphone. "Dads, please bring your little ones to the starting line and get ready!"
Zong Heng took off his suit jacket and handed it to Xu Ying, then rolled up his shirt sleeves. Xiao Ye excitedly climbed onto her father's back: "Go, Daddy! We have to win first place!"
Little Qingqing stamped her feet anxiously, shouting, "Me too! Me too!"
Xu Ying picked up her daughter: "This is your brother's and dad's project. How about Qingqing and Mommy are the cheerleaders together?"
The competition was about to begin, and the six fathers took their positions. The other fathers were all dressed in sportswear, but Zong Heng stood out in his business attire.
"Ready—Go!"
At the sound of the whistle, Zong Heng shot off like an arrow. Xiao Ye cheered from his back, "He's flying!"
Halfway through the run, Xiao Ye's shoe suddenly fell off.
"Dad! My shoes!"
Zong Heng slammed on the brakes and, to the astonishment of the other fathers, turned back to retrieve his shoes. This delay left them as the last ones standing.
"It's alright," Zong Heng lifted his son up a bit, "Hold on tight."
In the final twenty meters, Zong Heng suddenly accelerated. Xu Ying, watching from the sidelines, could clearly see that his running posture was at the level of a professional athlete, and the range of his long strides was something other fathers could only dream of.
"The Muneya family ranks first!"
Xiao Ye jumped down excitedly, holding up her gold medal and running towards her mother and sister: "I won! Daddy's the best!"
Little Qingqing ran to Zong Heng: "Daddy, hug me!"
Zong Heng picked up his daughter with one arm and took the bottled water Xu Ying handed him with the other, tilting his head back to drink a few mouthfuls. Beads of sweat slid down his Adam's apple, and Xu Ying suddenly heard several mothers around her exclaim in quiet surprise.
"What are you looking at?" Zong Heng whispered in her ear, his voice low and menacing. "I'll let you look all you want when we get home."
Xu Ying blushed and pinched him: "The children are here!"
The kindergarten prepared a parent-child lunch. Little Ye insisted on feeding her dad, saying, "Dad, you worked so hard in the competition!"
Zong Heng looked at the rice ball that was handed to him, with his son's little handprint still stuck on it, and ate it without changing his expression.
"Is it delicious?" Xiao asked expectantly.
"tasty."
Little Qingqing copied him, stuffing her own carrot into her father's mouth: "Daddy, eat!"
So, in full view of everyone, the powerful CEO Zong had his mouth stuffed full of food by two children, his cheeks puffed out like a hamster.
Xu Ying quickly took a picture to commemorate the moment: "President Zong, this expression could be a meme of the year!"
After the event, the two little ones were so tired that they fell asleep in their strollers. Xiao Ye was still clutching his gold medal tightly in his hand, while Xiao Qingqing was holding the plush toy that had been given away at the event.
"Are you happy today?" Xu Ying asked softly.
Zong Heng looked at the two sleeping children's faces and smiled slightly. "Mmm."
"What about Mr. Zhao..."
"It doesn't matter." Zong Heng held his wife's hand. "We could never have too many days like this."
As the sun set, the long shadows of the family of four stretched across the ground. Little Ye murmured in his sleep, "Daddy's the best..."
Zongheng bent down and kissed his son's forehead, then his daughter's cheek, and finally placed a kiss on his wife's lips.
"go home."
At 1:47 a.m., the security alarm in the children's room suddenly went off.
Zong Heng woke up almost instantly, his years of vigilance allowing him to react even faster than Xu Ying. He grabbed his phone from the bedside table; in the monitor, Xiao Qingqing was tossing and turning restlessly in her crib, her little face flushed.
"Xu Ying," he gently nudged his wife awake, "Qingqing isn't acting right."
Xu Ying groggily opened her eyes, and upon seeing the surveillance footage, she immediately became alert: "She has a fever!"
The two rushed to the nursery without even putting on slippers. The moment they opened the door, Xiao Qingqing's faint cry pierced Zong Heng's heart like a needle. He rushed to the crib and placed his palm on his daughter's forehead—it was frighteningly hot.
"At least 39 degrees Celsius," Xu Ying said, already holding up her ear thermometer. After a beep, the number jumped to 39.3. "We need to go to the hospital immediately."
Without a word, Zong Heng wrapped his daughter in a blanket, his movements gentle yet swift. At that moment, Xiao Ye, in the next bed, was also awakened, rubbing her eyes and sitting up: "Daddy...my little sister is crying..."
Xu Ying knelt down and touched her son's forehead, then breathed a sigh of relief: "He doesn't have a fever. Honey, you take Qingqing to the garage first, I'll put a coat on Xiao too."
Zong Heng nodded, but as he turned around, his son grabbed the hem of his pajamas. Xiao Ye, still sleepy, looked up and said, "I want to go too... to protect my sister..."
Three minutes later, a black Maybach sped out of the villa area's driveway in the early morning. In the rearview mirror, Xu Ying was gently comforting Xiao Ye, who was drowsy and swaying but insisted on coming along.
"Mom, will my little sister be alright?"
"Yes, the doctor will help."
"Can I give my teddy bear to my sister?"
"Of course, Xiaoye is such a good girl."
Zong Heng looked at his wife and children in the mirror and pressed the accelerator harder.
Pediatric emergency rooms are always overcrowded, even at 2 a.m.
Zong Heng stood in front of the triage desk, holding his daughter, his voice trembling with anxiety: "Three and a half years old, high fever of 39.3 degrees Celsius, no convulsions but very poor mental state."
The nurse looked up at the handsome man who had casually put on a suit jacket over his pajamas, and then glanced at the gentle woman behind him who was holding the hand of a sleepy little boy. She understood immediately—they were new parents who had been terrified by their child's fever in the middle of the night.
"Take your temperature first." She handed over an electronic thermometer.
Xu Ying took the arms and handled them skillfully, while Zong Heng constantly adjusted his position in holding his daughter to make the little one more comfortable. Little Qingqing nestled softly against her father's shoulder, her burning little face pressed against Zong Heng's neck, each soft sob causing his brows to furrow even more.
"Still 39.3," Xu Ying said worriedly, looking at the thermometer. "Could it be the flu? Some children were absent from kindergarten today..."
Zong Heng immediately took out his phone: "I'll have my assistant contact a private hospital."
"No need," Xu Ying pressed his hand down, "We have more experience treating children's fevers here."
Xiao Ye, who was sitting on a plastic chair in the waiting area, suddenly sneezed. Xu Ying quickly squatted down to check on her: "Are you cold?"
Xiao Ye shook his head, but snuggled closer to his mother. Seeing this, Zong Heng took off his suit jacket and wrapped it around his son, leaving himself in only a thin nightgown.
"Zong Heng..."
"I'm not cold."
Half an hour later, it was finally their turn. In the examination room, as soon as the young female doctor took out the tongue depressor, Xiao Qingqing burrowed into her father's arms in terror.
"No...no..." Zong Heng's arm muscles tensed as his daughter protested with a sob in her voice.
The doctor smiled and said, "Dad, hold the child tighter, I'll be there soon."
Zong Heng took a deep breath, turned his daughter around, and held her firmly in his arms: "Qingqing, be good, Daddy's here."
When the cold tongue depressor was inserted into his daughter's mouth, Xiao Qingqing's heart-wrenching cries made Zong Heng's forehead veins bulge. Xu Ying could clearly feel her husband's body stiffen like a stone, so she quickly placed her hand on his lower back to gently comfort him.
"The tonsils are inflamed and swollen to grade II," the doctor said, putting away his instruments. "We need to do a blood test to confirm the type of infection."
Upon hearing the words "blood test," Zong Heng's expression turned even more grim.
At the lab window, Xiao Qingqing seemed to sense something was wrong and clung tightly to her father's neck, refusing to let go.
"No injection! Daddy, save me!"
Zong Heng's voice was hoarse with heartache: "Could we... try a different approach?"
The nurse said helplessly, "Such a young child can only have blood drawn from a fingertip."
When the nurse grasped his daughter's small hand, Zong Heng could clearly feel his palms sweating. Little Qingqing's heart-wrenching cries echoed in the blood-drawing room; every second felt like a slow, agonizing torture.
"Zong Heng," Xu Ying suddenly grabbed his wrist, "your hand is shaking."
He then realized that his right hand was trembling uncontrollably. This man, who had once been decisive and ruthless in the business world, was now panicked because of a drop of his daughter's blood.
"Okay, okay," the nurse finally let go, "hold the cotton swab for five minutes."
Zong Heng immediately pulled his sobbing daughter into his arms, gently patting her back. Little Qingqing's tears and snot smeared all over his expensive silk pajamas, but he didn't care, only continuing to kiss the top of his daughter's head: "Qingqing is the bravest..."
Suddenly, he felt a small tug from behind. Zong Heng turned around and saw Xiao Ye standing on tiptoe, trying to see his little sister in his arms, her face full of worry.
"Don't cry, little sister," Xiao Ye said, taking out the teddy bear she had been clutching. "Here, have your teddy bear..."
With tears in her eyes, Xu Ying captured this scene on camera: a tall husband holding his youngest daughter in his arms, with his son, who was just over his waist, standing beside him; the shadows of the three of them blended together under the pale lights of the emergency room.
The test results showed it was a viral cold. At four in the morning, Xiao Qingqing finally got an IV drip and fell into a deep sleep in her father's arms.
Only the four of them remained in the IV room. Xiao Ye was curled up asleep on his mother's lap. Xu Ying gently patted her son's back, but her gaze remained fixed on her husband.
Zong Heng stared intently at the IV drip, checking his daughter's hand for swelling every few minutes. The dark circles under his eyes were particularly noticeable under the light, and his expensive silk pajamas were wrinkled beyond recognition; he looked nothing like a business elite.
"Honey," Xu Ying called softly, "you should get some sleep too."
Zong Heng shook his head, his voice very soft: "When I was a child, whenever I had a fever, there was always only a nanny at home."
Xu Ying's heart skipped a beat.
"Once, her fever spiked to 40 degrees Celsius," he continued, gently running his fingers through his daughter's hair. "My dad was at a conference overseas, and he said on the phone, 'This little illness won't kill you.'"
Xu Ying reached out and covered the back of his hand.
"So I want Qingqing and Xiaoye to know," Zongheng looked up, his dark eyes shining brightly in the light, "that when they're sick, their parents will always be there for them."
Xu Ying suddenly remembered the day she gave birth. When the nurse brought the two newborns to her, Zong Heng's first words were, "How is Xu Ying?" This man, who appeared cold and domineering to outsiders, reserved all his tenderness for his family.
As dawn broke, Xiao Qingqing's fever finally subsided. Zong Heng carefully handed his daughter to Xu Ying, then picked up the sleeping Xiao Ye.
On the way home, the two little ones slept soundly in the back seat. Xu Ying dozed off by the window, and Zong Heng gently tucked her head onto his shoulder.
While waiting at a red light, he turned to look at the three sleeping faces beside him and suddenly felt—
All those all-nighters working on documents, canceled meetings, and wrinkled suits were all worth it.
——
Xu Ying was away on a business trip for three days, leaving Zong Heng to take care of the child alone.
During the video call on the first night, Xiao Qingqing cried uncontrollably into the phone, crying, "I want my mommy..."
Zong Heng awkwardly wiped away his daughter's tears: "Daddy's here."
"I don't want Daddy! I want Mommy!"
Zong Zong suffered a severe blow.
The next day, he brought his two little darlings to a company meeting. The executives stared in disbelief as their usually decisive and efficient president gently pushed the stroller with his foot while approving documents.
Xiao Ye suddenly raised his hand: "Daddy, I need to pee!"
Zong Heng immediately stood up: "The meeting is suspended for five minutes."
When he returned, he found that Qingqing had spilled coffee on the important contract. Zongheng took a deep breath: "It's okay, Dad will print another copy."
On the third day, Xu Ying returned home early. As soon as she opened the door, she saw a tent set up in the living room, where Zong Heng and the two children were "camping". Xiao Ye was wearing a paper Indian headdress, Xiao Qingqing had cat whiskers painted on her face, and Zong Heng's tie was tied around the neck of a teddy bear.
"Mom!" The two children rushed over.
After kissing each of them, Xu Ying looked at her exhausted husband and asked, "Did you miss me?"
Zong Heng pulled her into his arms, his voice hoarse: "I'm dying to see you."
On a weekend morning, Xu Ying was awakened by a ticklish sensation on her face. Opening her eyes, she found Xiao Qingqing gently brushing her nose with a feather, while Xiao Ye was lying on the other side, chuckling to herself.
"Mom's such a lazybones!" Qingqing giggled.
Xu Ying hugged the two little ones tightly: "Who taught you that?"
"Dad said this will wake Mom up!"
Zong Heng brought in breakfast, looking completely innocent: "I didn't say anything."
Xu Ying grabbed a pillow and threw it at him: "Zong Heng!"
Sunlight streamed into the bedroom, and the two children jumped on the bed. Zong Heng smiled as he dodged his wife's playful attacks, suddenly feeling that life couldn't be more perfect than this.
He walked over and hugged his wife and child.
"I love you," he whispered in Xu Ying's ear.
"I love Dad too!" the two children said in unison.
Xu Ying smiled and kissed everyone on the cheek: "We'll be together forever."
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