Chapter 5 Father's Wish
As the project progressed steadily, Lin Ke's workload increased. In order not to reduce the time she spent with her daughter in the evenings, she worked almost non-stop from the moment she left work until the moment she left.
Si Yuming was also busy. She could leave work on time, but he could only get home around eight or nine o'clock at night, and he often smelled of alcohol when he got home.
He would take a shower first, and after showering, he would go to his daughter's bedroom. If Si Xiaotie was still awake by chance, he would naturally take on the task of putting her to sleep.
He used to be away from home a lot, and his return meant he had free time, so Si Xiaotie had no concept of "overtime" or "being busy at work." But now, after a week of this, the little girl started to wonder, "Mommy, why is Daddy always so busy?"
Lin Ke said, "Because my father has things he wants to do and things he wants to do, and he is working hard to realize his wishes."
What is your wish?
What wish? Lin Ke was momentarily lost in thought.
They had never discussed their wishes in such depth, nor had they ever opened their hearts to each other.
But not saying anything doesn't mean she doesn't know.
Since Si Yuming's father left, the Si family has gradually drifted away from the center of power. After the old master Si passed away, the Si family had no one to back them up. So if people don't give you face, you are nothing.
Entropy Group has only been established for about ten years. The old man initially laid the foundation for the group with his personal connections. During Si Yuming's studies abroad, the company was managed by Si Yun. Entropy made steady progress, but it truly took off after he returned to China and took over the group's affairs. Now, Entropy's size is enough to make the old-established groups in Beicheng wary, and it has also secured a place in the southern market.
In recent years, the company has expanded its business, restructured its shares, and gradually built its own core leadership team. During this period, the old man fell ill, and the pressure on Si Yuming was overwhelming.
She then got married in a hurry, and soon after the marriage she became pregnant unexpectedly. During her pregnancy and breastfeeding period, Si Yuming was still often too busy to see her.
In the later stages of her pregnancy, she began to have trouble sleeping all night. He would come home earlier, but he would only stay with her for a short while before returning to work.
He encountered a major company reform while he was in postpartum confinement, so he moved his office into the postpartum care center.
Once Si Xiaotie was a little over one year old and could be cared for by his nanny, he seemed to have no more worries and began to expand his branch company, which took two years.
Lin Ke gently tucked a strand of soft hair from her daughter's forehead behind her ear and said tenderly, "Xiao Tie, you can ask her next time what your father's wish is."
"Hmm!" Si Xiaotie blinked: "What about Mom's wish?"
She answered earnestly, "Mom has two wishes: one is that Xiaotie grows up healthy and happy, and the other is that Mom can stand on a bigger stage."
"Little Tie also has a wish!"
What is it?
"I want to raise a Tyrannosaurus Rex so that it can help my mom fulfill her wish!"
Lin Ke smiled, lifted the blanket and lay down, cuddling her soft, fragrant body. "Then let's wish that our dreams come true. Goodnight, baby."
Si Xiaotie giggled and hid behind her, "Aren't you going to wait for Daddy?"
"I'm not waiting anymore, I'm going to sleep."
......
Si Yuming didn't come home all night.
The next day at the company, Lin Ke overheard gossip in the break room, as usual.
"I heard that the chairman of the Jiang Group passed away last night."
"Oh, really?"
Lin Ke was also startled and looked at the speaker.
"Of course it's true. I saw Assistant Xu's WeChat Moments. He was still at the hospital at 1 a.m. last night. And who would joke about something as serious as life and death? I guess they'll release an announcement later."
"That's it. Assistant Xu is always by President Si's side."
Lin Ke pressed the hot water button, and a muffled gurgling sound came from the water.
The discussion around me was still lively:
"However, Mr. Si still came to work today."
"With the father-in-law gone, Mr. Si, please stabilize the situation."
"Alas, life is unpredictable."
"Then our little princess won't have a maternal grandfather?"
"......"
Lin Ke stopped the cup when it was seven or eight-tenths full, and carefully picked it up to walk out.
She was unaware of this matter and went back to her seat to search online.
Jiang's is not a small business; there are already scattered news reports online, and a few hospital photos have also surfaced.
The tall man in the photo stands out; he's dressed in all black and exudes a solemn aura.
The people around him looked sad, but he alone had clear eyes and was turning his head to tell someone something, as if he was in charge of the overall situation.
She switched to WeChat and swiped down to find a familiar chat window.
My fingertips hovered over the keyboard for a while before I logged out.
Lin Ke turned off her phone, took a sip of water, and got back to work.
Around noon, Shen Wan asked for the reviewed contract documents. I sent her an electronic copy, but she then said she needed a hard copy: "Manager Lin, Mr. Si needs to see it. I have some things to attend to right now, could you please deliver it to him for me?"
Lin Ke paused for two seconds, then replied: 【Okay.】
She never went to the CEO's office, neither as an employee nor as his wife.
The president's office is on the top floor. As soon as you step out of the elevator, you see the distinctive and minimalist "Entropy Domain" logo. Behind the logo is the unobstructed office area, where assistants are busy at their respective tasks.
The receptionist led her inside, and when the door opened, she found that there were quite a few people in the office, including vice presidents and directors from various departments, who seemed to be having a meeting.
The person in the very center raised his eyes slightly before fixing his gaze on the ground.
Lin Ke readily accepted the answer. The man had dark circles under his eyes, showing the fatigue of not having slept all night.
She didn't linger. She stepped forward and gently placed the document on the upper left corner of the table. "Mr. Si, here's the contract you requested."
Just as I was about to turn around, I heard his deep voice: "Let's stop here for now, Manager Lin, please stay."
No one had any doubts, and they all got up and left.
Xu Lin was the only one unsure whether to leave. The next second, the boss spoke again, "Xu Lin, close the door behind you."
Upon hearing this, Xu Lin glanced discreetly at the beautiful woman sitting in front of his desk.
The CEO's office is located some distance from the outside office area, offering a high degree of privacy, and the door is usually left open.
Why are you closing today?
He dared not speculate too much, responded, and left, closing the door behind him.
As soon as the door closed, Lin Ke spoke businesslike: "President Si, the contract sent by the other party is basically fine."
Si Yuming lazily lifted his eyelids to look, then closed them again, leaned back in his chair, and pinched his brow with two fingers.
Lin Ke stood still. Although the door was closed, it wasn't locked, and someone could come in at any time.
She waited for about half a minute, but the person in front of her still kept their eyes closed.
Another half minute passed, and finally, unable to hold back any longer, he said, "President Si..."
The man suddenly chuckled, "It sounds strange to hear you call me that."
"Something's weird," Lin Ke muttered, glancing back at the door before lowering her voice, "If there's nothing else, I'll be going now."
"Why are you leaving? Let me rest for a while."
This sentence was full of exhaustion. Lin Ke stopped talking and let her gaze slide down his closed eyes.
He must have changed his clothes, but he didn't change his tie; it was still the dark green checkered one she had casually picked out for him yesterday morning.
The square Windsor knot was tied tightly, moving gently up and down with the movement of the Adam's apple.
Perhaps suffocating him, the man pulled open his collar with one hand and unbuttoned the first button.
Lin Ke stared at it.
Then, belatedly realizing what was happening, he quickly said, "Don't unravel it! Someone might come in!"
If this continues, she'll never be able to clear her name, even if she jumps into the Yellow River!
Si Yuming's lips curled up slightly, his fatigue dissipating somewhat. "Was Xiao Tie easy to coax last night?"
Speaking of this, Lin Ke was also a little helpless. "I took her downstairs to find a place to bury those two crabs. I comforted a bunch of girls, but she was still sad all night and didn't fall asleep until almost ten o'clock."
At this point, she cautiously asked, "Last night...?"
Si Yuming didn't shy away from the question: "President Jiang passed away due to illness."
"Are you alright?"
"The Jiang family is in complete chaos right now, and Jiang Chengyin's uncles and elders are all eyeing it covetously."
Jiang Chengyin is an only child, so she is bound to be in a difficult situation.
The Si family and the Jiang family have a close relationship, so even if there is no other relationship, it is perfectly reasonable for Si Yuming to do something for her.
Lin Ke nodded and asked gently, "Are you going home tonight?"
"Return."
Si Yuming opened his mouth as if to say something, but a knock suddenly sounded at the door, and then the woman "fled in panic".
He stared at the slender figure that slipped away from the assistant's side, his eyes gleaming again.
Xu Lin, who had just opened the door, caught sight of this unusual smile and was startled.
......
Lin Ke couldn't pick up Si Xiaotie in time in the afternoon, so she asked Aunt Chen to pick him up and buy groceries for tonight so she could cook dinner when she got home.
Auntie's cooking is clearly better, but Si Xiaotie prefers hers. The little girl always eats Auntie's cooking slowly, taking an hour to finish a meal, while Si Xiaotie can finish hers in a few bites or ten minutes.
Si Yuming came home early tonight; she had just started cooking rice when he entered the door.
Si Xiaotie is always happy to see her dad. As soon as she sees him, she runs off her dinosaur rocking chair, shouting, "Daddy's home!"
The man looked very tired, but he still picked up his daughter and said in a gentle voice, "You're back."
After the father and daughter cuddled together for a while, Si Yuming went to take a shower, while the little girl continued watching her animal world.
When he came out again, Si Yuming frowned as he looked at the living room. "Xiao Tie, don't stand so close to the TV."
Si Xiaotie and her dinosaur were less than two meters from the TV. He manually dragged the dinosaur chair to the front of the sofa. The little girl leaned back due to inertia, her eyes still fixed on the TV.
But in the short time she went to get water from the refrigerator, her little legs slid forward along the dinosaur rocking chair.
"Musician..."
Lin Ke interrupted her as soon as she finished cooking a dish, saying, "Just turn up the volume."
Si Yuming didn't quite understand. She explained, "I didn't know that before either. Later, an aunt told me that children can't read, so they can only understand the content on TV by listening to sounds. So if the sound is loud, they don't have to get close to listen."
After Lin Ke finished speaking, she turned around to wash the pot. Si Yuming watched her back for a while, then turned up the volume and dragged the girl back to the sofa. This time, Si Xiaotie did not slide forward again.
At seven o'clock, the family of three had dinner.
Si Xiaotie held a chopstick in each hand, his eyes wide with anticipation: "Mom, can I keep a spider?"
Lin Ke was so startled that she stopped in her tracks as she ladled soup for her, and the "No!" she blurted out stopped at the last second.
She just couldn't understand why her daughter liked snakes, dinosaurs, and spiders when other children liked cats and dogs.
I already politely declined her request to keep snakes last time, so wouldn't it be too much of a blow to her if I refused again now?
Si Xiaotie gestured with his chopsticks with great enthusiasm, "This spider is so big, it can crawl so fast, and it's all hairy."
Lin Ke laughed awkwardly: "Was it on the TV you were watching just now?"
"Yes!" The girl nodded vigorously. "That lady said spiders are good friends of humans!"
Are spiders really humans' best friends...?
Si Yuming suddenly spoke up from the side: "It's not that it's impossible to raise one."
Upon hearing this, Lin Ke turned aside to avoid Si Xiaotie and glared fiercely at him.
Good heavens, she couldn't imagine a giant spider crawling around in her house; she would go crazy!
Then, remembering something, she glared at him again.
She was terrified of these animals that had no hands or feet, or many hands and feet. There was no way Si Xiaotie could have inherited this hobby from her, so there was only one explanation.
He is the culprit.
Si Yuming didn't think much of it, but he could see the fear in her fierce eyes. He smiled and put the peeled boiled shrimp into his daughter's bowl. "Xiao Tie, spiders are poisonous. We can't keep them."
Si Xiaotie's animal world program may not have covered "poison" yet, so for now he can only do whatever his dad says. His little face fell with regret as he said, "Okay then."
Lin Ke breathed a sigh of relief.
She ladled out the soup and handed it to him, saying, "Baby, how about Mommy buys you a little kitten?"
"But I don't want a kitten."
"What about the puppy?"
"don't want."
never mind.
That's the end of this topic; if we keep talking, some unexpected animals might come up.
After dinner, Lin Ke took the child to take a bath, while Si Yuming was responsible for cleaning up the kitchen.
When we lived in a villa, the housekeeper would naturally do all the cleaning and chores. But if the housekeeper wasn't around, he would do the housework and cook. Si Yun said that this was a skill he learned while studying abroad.
After Si Xiaotie finished showering, Si Yuming went to coax Lin Ke to sleep, and Lin Ke began to have some private time.
She finished washing up and prepared to read a book.
An hour and a half later, Si Yuming still hadn't returned.
Lin Ke put on her coat and went out.
The children's room door was ajar. She tiptoed closer and peered inside through the crack in the door.
On the 1.5-meter-tall princess bed, Si Yuming leaned against the headboard, gently patting the shoulder of the still energetic girl in his arms. His expression was tender, a stark contrast to the cold-faced man sitting in the CEO's office during the day.
Si Xiaotie seemed to have thought of something, and looked up at his face to ask, "Dad, what is your wish?"
"desire?"
"Um!"
The man looked up, glanced at the wardrobe in front of him for a moment, and then answered softly, "I hope Xiao Tie and his mother are safe and healthy."
Lin Ke outside froze.
The girl wasn't surprised by the answer at all. "Anything else? Mommy has two wishes too."
Si Yuming lowered his eyes and asked softly, "What is Mother's wish?"
Lin Ke hurriedly pushed open the door and went in, pretending to be angry: "Si Lezhen, aren't you going to sleep yet?"
The little girl, seemingly frightened, hid under the covers, pulling her head over her shoulder. A soft voice came from inside the blanket: "Go to sleep, go to sleep!"
Lin Ke's gaze met the man on the bed for a few seconds before shifting away.
"Go to sleep quickly, Dad has to go to work tomorrow."
"Sigh~ Sigh~ Little Tie is asleep~"
A note from the author:
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