ã€ŠYou Forgot Meã€‹


 1 - Marry a stepmother? No Way!

    Chapter 1 - Marry a Stepmother? No Way!

    ¡°She has a psychology degree from the best university in the United States,¡± his mother bragged. ¡°She is kind and beautiful, and she loves children.¡± His mother placed her hand on the back of Gu HeiAn¡¯s. ¡°She would be a wonderful mother for your child and a good wife for you.¡±

    He remained silent, his eyes hooded. His only movement was to keep patting his son¡¯s back. The moment he sat, not five minutes ago, the child had climbed onto his lap and lay in his arms. His son was now clinging to him as fiercely as Zhao JingShi was holding him tight.

    An afternoon apart always threatened to break Zhao JingShi''s heart.

    He was a large and tall man, so the three year old boy laying in the cradle of his arms looking up at him, fit well. Like a large baby. He appreciated holding his son like this.

    He did not appreciate watching his son¡¯s wary gaze while, for the last few minutes, they listened to his mother extoll the virtues of a woman Zhao JingShi had never met before.

    Finding a mother for his son? Finding a wife for him?

    No way!

    Gu HeiAn smiled. Her smile was kind and gentle, a perfect fit for her flawless features. Her hand - delicate with fine boned fingers - lifted slowly, sensuously, to tuck her smooth and silky hair behind her ear. On her fingers, two diamond rings glittered, large and as beautiful as the woman¡¯s face.

    None of the classic beauty on her face could masked the slight calculation in her eyes.

    He, the man leading the Zhao Family Group - attached son or not - was quite a catch for even the richest woman.

    ¡°HeiAn is my childhood friend¡¯s daughter,¡± his mother continued patting their visitor¡¯s hand, gazing at her with adoration. ¡°Jang Lei and I were good friends in high school and she married away to C city. Gu HeiAn looks just like when Jang Lei was young.¡±

    Zhao JingShi had no impression of anything his mother said.

    ¡°It¡¯s time you think about getting a mother for the boy. He will start school soon and -¡°

    ¡°And she is qualified to be my child¡¯s mother?" he sneered. "Do you hand out certificates for that?¡±

    His mother sighed and deflated at the sharp rebuke but it made Gu HeiAn¡¯s back straighten.

    Gu HeiAn''s delicate hand fluttered at her throat, briefly touching the understated diamond necklace there. ¡°Mr. Zhao, I graduated top of my class at the psychology institute in New York. I have been practicing for a few years so I know the delicacy of children without a mother. I have gotten time to know the boy this evening and we got along lovely. I...¡±

    She droned on but he hadn¡¯t listened since the first word of her sentence. He looked down into his son¡¯s eyes. The boy blinked and shook his head.

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    That was all the information he needed.

    ¡°Ms. Gu,¡± he cut across her words on psychology and what children needed to grow into healthy young adults. ¡°My son is not shopping for a stepmother. My son will not have a stepmother. Ever. Don¡¯t waste your time here.¡±

    Did he, himself not grow up in this high and rich society? Stepmothers were rarely good to their husband¡¯s child from another woman. Throw in the large pot of wealth and privilege that came with being the head of a prestigious and large family like their Zhao Family and there would be a stepmother angling to push this son out to make a throne for her own.

    Such a messy thing would not happen in his precious son''s life.

    Gu HeiAn¡¯s lips pursed. Her body trembled. ¡°Mr. Zhao. I have heard all about your son. It is all over the circle both nationally and internationally: since his birth you have taken him to boardrooms, on business trips, and he even grew up in your offices downtown. Who doesn¡¯t know that this famous businessman has his young son sit in on business meetings? The boy doesn¡¯t even have many friends his own age because he spends all his time with you. He needs to go to school, he needs to spend time with children his age and he needs to do things children his age should be doing. You are overprotecting and suffocating him.¡±

    ¡°This is your psychological diagnosis?¡±

    ¡°You have an unhealthy attachment to your son, Mr. Zhao.¡±

    In his arms, his son¡¯s eyes were huge on his cute, fat face. Tiny baby hands clutched desperately at his suit jacket.

    ¡°Mother,¡± he did not look at her, did not notice how both women shivered at the cold drop in his voice. ¡°Every time you claim you want to spend an afternoon with your grandson, I come back to find you introducing a stepmother for him. This is the third time.¡±

    He lifted his head. His mother¡¯s face was white. Gu HeiAn¡¯s turned red. She glanced at his mother.

    ¡°There will not be a fourth,¡± he finished.

    ¡°JingShi,¡± his mother let go of Gu HeiAn¡¯s hand as if it was a hot potato. ¡°JingShi, this is not... I love to see my little grandson but you hardly let him out of your sight. The boy needs a mother and some space to grow.¡±

    Hardly things he hadn¡¯t considered himself. He was unhealthily attached to his son. His child was all he had left of the boy¡¯s mother.

    ¡°You should leave him here with me more often," his mother urged. "I hardly get to see him. One afternoon a month is barely enough.¡±

    ¡°No.¡±

    Zhao JingShi stood, hitching his son on his waist. The boy¡¯s arms clung tight around his neck and he buried his head, stubbornly refusing to look at his grandmother.

    ¡°You have frightened him,¡± Zhao JingShi accused. He ignored the outsider and spoke only to his mother. ¡°He thinks you mean to separate us.¡±

    ¡°Oh, no baby boy,¡± his mother stood with haste. She reached out to pat the child¡¯s tiny back but the little one flinched away. Zhao JingShi also moved to the side.

    ¡°Imposing a stepmother has an 80% chance she will resent him and seek to sow distance between us.¡± Doesn¡¯t a man become a stepfather to his own child the moment he married a stepmother?

    Gu HeiAn made a sound of protest.

    His mother¡¯s hand fluttered at her throat. ¡°You are worried for no reason! I have only introduced you to nice girls.¡±

    He shrugged. He rubbed his little one¡¯s back to reassure him. Children were delicate and should not be present for such conversations. Unfortunately, Zhao JingShi''s own mother spoke about this kind of thing frequently and now there was a shadow in his child¡¯s heart. For this, Zhao JingShi had no care to what he said and who he hurt.

    ¡°I do not agree, Mother. Cease your games or you won¡¯t be seeing my son in the future.¡±

    His mother fell back weakly on the sofa. ¡°Zhao JingShi! You!¡±

    Gu HeiAn reached out to hold her. ¡°Are you alright, Madam Zhao? Mr. Zhao, your mother¡¯s health is...¡±

    ¡°...Just fine,¡± he raised an eyebrow at the theatrics.

    She was his own mother. Did he not know of her antics?

    ¡°JingShi. My grandson!¡± She looked at the boy in his arms with longing. Unfortunately, her grandson didn¡¯t see as he was hiding his face from her in clear rejection.

    Zhao JingShi moved to leave. ¡°You will see us at the Old House for family dinner next weekend.¡±

    "Zhao JingShi! I gave birth to you!" his mother shouted. "You! You!"

    His son''s arms tightened around his neck, his little body stiff. Zhao JingShi quickened his pace. For frightening his child, he could not, at this moment, forgive his own mother.

 2 - Father and Sons Heartache

    Chapter 2 - Father and Son''s Heartache

    The evening was quiet, the sun setting when the pair stepped out the front door.

    Father and son walked down the drive to a Bentayga V8. In the closed tinted windows, their reflections were striking. A tall, powerfully built and extremely handsome man with a small child in his arms. That child looked exactly like himself. Zhao YuShi was the exact copy of Zhao JingShi. Even down to the three piece suit the little guy was wearing.

    Zhao JingShi, prouder than any father, paused in front of the SUV. He glanced at their reflection, glanced at his son, glanced at the reflection again. He squeezed and bounced the boy once. His son frowned in a temper.

    ¡°You¡¯re lucky you have your mother¡¯s eyes," Zhao JingShi teased.

    His mother went through a lot of trouble to give birth to this precious baby and Zhao YuShi had the temerity to look ninety-nine percent like Zhao JingShi.

    Zhao YuShi poked his tongue out, only for a second.

    Zhao JingShi pinched his little nose. He squeezed and pulled until the little guy batted his fingers away. While the little guy made a show of rubbing his delicate nose with eyes full of grievance at his dad, Zhao JingShi went ¡°Humph¡±. He¡¯d been gentle.

    Zhao JingShi gave a blind eye to the theatrics and opened the back door to put the boy inside.

    He bent low to deliver YuShi into his car safety seat and buckle him in. At the same time, small hands reached into his jacket and fished out his wallet. Zhao JingShi tested the buckles and straps on the child safety seat then watched his son rifle through his wallet.

    "You aren''t speaking to me?" he asked. "Are you angry I left you alone with your grandma?"

    YuShi paid him no mind. He was concentrating those little fingers to dig inside the wallet.

    ZhaoYuShi pulled out a small square paper and tossed the wallet carelessly on the car seat.

    "Where is your picture?" Zhao JingShi questioned with slight peeve.

    YuShi was stubborn about ignoring his father. He only had eyes for the picture. The child ducked his head to look closely at the smiling face there, the paper clutched tightly in his little fingers.

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    Zhao JingShi was not a father who didn''t understand. He sighed and straightened from the car. He closed the door and went to the front to get in himself.

    He buckled his seatbelt and his hands grasped the wheel but he didn''t start the car; he looked through the rear mirror. His son''s dark head, full of thick, fluffy hair, was bent so low his chin was almost on his chest. He stared at the picture with such focus and longing that he looked... lonely.

    His child was lonely. Sad.

    His child had never known his mother. Had never met the woman who gave birth to him. Had lived his whole life wondering where his mother was.

    Zhao JingShi rubbed at his own chest. He couldn''t bear his son''s pain. "Dad is sorry, YuShi." His regret was whispered quietly but sincerely. It was loud in the pressing silence.

    YuShi''s head ducked even lower.

    "Because of Dad, you lost your mother."

    His son did not look at him. Zhao JingShi in turn sat gazing at his child''s downbent head. They sat there, both lost in their own loneliness until the sun was completely gone and the orange glow of the sky turned into an inky blue.

    Only then did he, a big man, wipe the slight water on his cheeks and start the car. He forced a smile to coax his child. "Let''s go home, Little Guy. Old Aunt Lin at home cooked your favourite today."

    Small shuffling sounds came from the back. Zhao JingShi twisted around to look. He was just in time to have the face in the picture thrust against his nose. The little guy was leaning forward, his safety straps straining against his little body. He used both hands to hold the picture upright, facing Zhao JingShen.

    The girl in the picture, her almond shaped eyes were full of happiness. Her lips opened in a happy laugh. Her hair ¨C

    "Tell my Mom ''Sorry'' too," his spoiled child demanded.

    Zhao JingShi eased the child''s hands back to see her better. With his eyes, he traced the flow of her hair."XiaXia."

    The words locked inside him, meant for no one''s ears.

    "XiaXia..."

    The picture disappeared into a small fist. Baby hands patted his wrists. "It''s okay, Dad. I will find my mom so you can tell her ''sorry'' by yourself."

    His son ¡ª imperious, too old for his age, and with too good a grasp of vocabulary  ¡ª sat back in his seat. He even moved his little butt around to get comfortable. All the while his mother''s picture was clutched close to his chest.

    "I''ve been taking you to too many boardrooms," Zhao JingShi shook his head.

    Zhao YuShi shrugged. Clear, big brown eyes searched his own. "Are you going to send me away?"

    "You''re only three years old. Where can I send you?" Zhao JingShi kept his tone mild with effort: children could sense when their parent wanted to march back in that house and do some harm.

    "Today''s lady with grandma said you have to send me away so I can learn to play."

    "She is wrong."

    Quickly, Zhao JingShi turned to the front and prepared to drive off. His son could not be allowed to see the sharp danger in his eyes.

    "No one can separate us, buddy."

    On that note, he stepped on the gas and drove. As they passed the house, both of them pretended not to see the door open and his mother - YuShi''s grandmother - waving at them to stop. Beside her stood Gu HeiAn - today''s lady. How many other young ladies did YuShi''s grandmother introduce him to?

    Zhao JingShi quickly met his son''s eyes in the rare mirror and looked at the road. He sneered. "You''re not getting any stepmother. Put all those poisonous thoughts out of your head."

    The boy nodded. He bent his head again to gaze at his mother''s picture.

 3 - Trying to Cheat Him

    Chapter 3 - Trying to Cheat Him

    Their house was on the other side of City B.

    Where YuShi''s grandparents lived was on the outside of the city where houses were large and owners had enough land around to build gardens or ponds or whatever caught their interest. It was a prestigious part of City B.

    It was too far away from City B''s business centre so Zhao JingShi had not lived in the house since he left to attend university more than ten years ago. After he started working at the company headquarters, he bought a temporary apartment close to his office. He only stayed there for three years until he transferred himself to the company offices abroad.

    When he returned to the country he bought an apartment in an exclusive community not far from his office, but also not too close to the congestion and traffic of the city. With YuShi, he had to consider clean air and good environment for children.

    This was why their house was on the other side of the city and it took more than an hour to get home from YuShi''s grandparents house. With traffic, it took at least fifteen minutes extra.

    For their children, parents were usually reduced to designated drivers. Zhao JingShi, employer of thousands of people - among them a few drivers - was no exception.

    While driving he would occasionally look in the mirror to check on YuShi. As the car entered the main part of the city, he watched YuShi''s head jerk up. Little eyes brightened and a pink tongue peeked out to lick childish lips. If the boy wasn''t strapped in securely to his child-seat, his face would be plastered against the car window with how eager he became.

    Zhao JingShen laughed: his son''s feelings weren''t badly bruised after all. He was back to normal.

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    * * *

    Little YuShi was almost drooling.

    He clutched his mother safely to his chest with one hand and the other reached for the car window.

    If he wasn''t so securely strapped in, he could almost touch the glass.

    Unfortunately he didn''t yet figure out how to unlock his seatbelt so he couldn''t escape.

    One day, he promised himself. One day I will be free.

    Food stalls were set up along the street and he could see food. Such delicious food. He licked his lips almost like he could taste it. It was after work so many people were rushing to the stalls to eat food. YuShi liked to look at them and pretend he was eating the food too.

    He risked a glance at his father. Dad never let him eat this kind of food. Dad rarely let him eat any food except what his Nanny Zhu cooked at home.

    YuShi didn''t know what a roadside stall food could taste like, but he could imagine. Delicious!

    Why else would people eat the food with big smiles on their faces?

    "Wipe your drool," Dad said suddenly. "Nanny Zhu at home made fried noodles for you."

    YuShi couldn''t take care of his father right now. On the other side of the window, a man in a white shirt and black pants lifted a skewer loaded with meat. Dark brown sauce fell from the skewer. The man bit into the meat and... YuShi''s tummy rumbled. Loudly.

    "Don''t open your eyes so wide. People will think I don''t feed you."

    But Dad, you don''t feed me delicious food, YuShi cried inside. "If I had a mom, she would buy me delicious food from outside," he decided.

    "No she wouldn''t. Children can''t eat those unhealthy things."

    "Just once?" YuShi asked. "Only one time, Dad?"

    "It''s not delicious."

    His Dad was trying to cheat him. "It looks delicious," YuShi mumbled.

    He watched a noodles shop pass by, a fancy restaurant, a stall with western style burgers, a shop selling potstickers and steamed buns and another shop selling fried noodles. His eyes wide, he took in all of the delicious foods.

    His Dad tossed a handkerchief on his face, blocking his view."Here, wipe your drool."

    YuShi grabbed the cloth off his eyes so he could see the next shop - a famous fast food restaurant - and passed it over his mouth by the way.

    Their car slowed down in traffic. He was a poor child because through the car window and restaurant window, he could only watch other boys and girls eating chicken and sandwiches and french fries and drinking cola.

    Dad never let him have a cola.

    He snuck a pitiful glance towards the front, sticking his bottom lip out when he saw his dad wasn''t looking. He shook his head. "Mom, YuShi is a poor, poor child."

 4 - Itéˆ¥æªš My Mom

    Chapter 4 - It¡¯s My Mom

    ¡°That kind of food is not clean,¡± Dad said. ¡°You already look like a dumpling. If you eat that kind of oily food, you face will get oily and your teeth will fall out. You don¡¯t want to look like an oily fried dumpling do you? What if your Mom found you but she doesn¡¯t like you because you look like an oily fried dumpling?¡±

    YuShi: ¡°...?¡±

    How did he have this kind of Dad?

    ¡°My mom will alway like me,¡± he puffed out his cheeks to show his Dad how angry he was. ¡°I''m so cute, of course she would like me.¡±

    Dad grunted. ¡°Fried dumplings are cute? Why didn¡¯t I know?¡±

    ¡°Of course! That¡¯s why people eat them,¡± he shared his knowledge.

    ¡°Little Fried Dumpling,¡± Dad bullied, ¡°if you eat anymore, you will turn into a Little Fat Pig.¡±

    He blew out air from his cheeks. ¡°Fat pigs are cute.¡±

    ¡°Fat pigs have to be rolled home.¡±

    He shook his head at his silly Dad. And then ¨C he couldn¡¯t care about his father!

    It was his Mom.

    He saw his Mom!

    At one of those roadside stalls, she was biting into a juicy fried chicken leg.

    He opened his eyes extra wide so he could see extra clear and tried to stand so he could get closer to the window.

    His mom was on the other side!

    In a hurry, he straightened his mom¡¯s picture in his hand and lifted it to her face to compare. On the left there was a picture of his mother. On the right, his mother was talking to someone and lifting the chicken leg again.

    Who could care about food now?

    ¡°Mom!¡± He called. Afraid his father would drive the car, he shouted again, ¡°It¡¯s my Mom!¡±

    Outside, his Mom ignored him.

    His Dad moved the car forward.

    Frightened, he screamed, ¡°Stop! It¡¯s my Mom!¡±

    The car stopped hard. YuShi was thrown forward a little and his body jerked against the safety straps. But who could care about that?

    ¡°Dad, it¡¯s my Mom!¡±

    He didn¡¯t want to look away from his mother. It was really her. She looked exactly like her picture. The same hair and eyes and smile. The same skin, the same face. It was her. It couldn¡¯t be anyone else but her.

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    But his dad wasn¡¯t saying anything. His dad wasn¡¯t saying: ¡°YuShi, I¡¯ll go and get your mother.¡± He tore his eyes from his mother - only for a second - to look at his father.

    His dad was turned in his seat, watching him with a face YuShi had never seen before.

    ¡°It¡¯s really my Mom! Look!¡± YuShi was afraid his dad wouldn¡¯t believe him.

    He watched her again but his sight was a little blurry with water and he couldn¡¯t see her as clearly. She was taking off the plastic gloves she used to eat her chicken leg. ¡°My mom came to look for me.¡±

    Dad looked over the street but a group of people crossed the sidewalk. YuShi¡¯s couldn¡¯t see his mother for a minute. He hit his seat, angry that he was trapped and couldn¡¯t go out to find her himself. Hot tears overfilled his eyes and rolled down his face. He tore at his seat and struggled to get free.

    ¡°Daddy! Find my mother! Go and get my mother!¡±

    What if she disappears again?

    He hadn¡¯t finished shouting yet but Dad had already opened the door and was standing outside, looking around. Dad would find her; his dad was tall and could see past those people.

    But the group of people moved away and...there was no Mom. His mother disappeared again!

    ¡°Where is my mom?¡± YuShi screamed.

    Usually he was a good child but how was he feeling now? What could he do now? How could he get his mom back?

    ¡°Mom! Mom! Waaaa!¡±

    ¡°YuShi,¡± Dad was there. His dad opened his car door and was pulling him from his car seat to hug him up. YuShi clung to his father and cried hard, his eyes full of tears and his heart full of hurt.

    His dad was taller and stronger than anyone he knew. In his arms, YuShi almost wanted to bury his head on his dad¡¯s shoulder for comfort but who had time for that. This high up, even while crying out loud, he looked around.

    The street was lively and packed with cars. Their car was stopping traffic. Some cars around them honked horns but Dad didn¡¯t worry about it. They both looked around the crowded street and the outdoor food stall.

    He almost couldn¡¯t see through his tears but he could recognize his mom anywhere. Only, she wasn¡¯t there! She was nowhere!

    ¡°Dad I saw her!¡± He insisted. His words weren¡¯t clear but this was his dad; Dad always understood. ¡°I saw her right over there,¡± he pointed at the table his mother had been eating at.

    The chairs were empty and the table was already cleaned. There was no one.

    ¡°Believe me, Dad. It was my Mom,¡± YuShi kicked his legs. ¡°It was. I promise.¡±

    ¡°Alright. Dad believes you,¡± Dad squeezed him. ¡°She must have gone inside.¡±

    YuShi looked over. The food stall was at the very end of the food street market. Cars weren¡¯t allowed inside so the road went around the actual street and there were more food stalls inside. He¡¯d never been inside that kind of food and market street and so many people were walking in and out of there. It was a crush of people. It was impossible to see his mother in there.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go home, YuShi,¡± his dad hugged him close. ¡°If your mother is in the city, I will find her. If she isn¡¯t here, I will go to look for her.¡±

    YuShi nodded. He couldn¡¯t stop his tears yet but he felt better. Dad never said anything he didn¡¯t mean. Ever.

    Quickly, his dad put him back in the car and they started driving again. YuShi didn¡¯t look outside anymore. He shut his eyes hugged his mom¡¯s picture close.

    Regarding his mom, his dad didn¡¯t hide anything from him. Right there, his dad seriously called his assistant on the hands free.

    ***

    His son¡¯s quiet sobs and sniffles in the back seat made a cold regret grow in Zhao JingShi¡¯s chest. Three years ¨C almost four ¨C he had lived like this. Three years with his family broken and his son in pain when the child thought about his mother.

    Three years that had moved as slow as a blade across his skin. Some days his child was the only thing holding him together.

    The hands free call connected. ¡°President Zhao? What do you need?¡± his assistant was already alert despite the late hour.

    ¡°Check and see: where is Li Xia now?¡±

    On the other side of the call, something dropped heavily. ¡°President?¡±

    ¡°I have reason to believe she is in B City.¡± His son was too smart to recognize the wrong mother. ¡°Find her.¡±

    After a long pause, Assistant Feng¡¯s voice was eager: ¡°Yes sir! I¡¯m on it now.¡± Then, ¡°She came here?¡±

    He didn¡¯t want to talk anymore. He needed to get home and comfort his crying son. ¡°Find her.¡±

    ¡°Yes, President.¡±

    ¡°And deal with the traffic problem on the road. I had to stop suddenly so traffic was held up for a while.¡±

    ¡°Yes President.¡±

 5 - Li Xia, Find Her

    Chapter 5 - Li Xia, Find Her

    That night, after the little guy picked at his dinner and washed up, Zhao JingShi squeezed into his son''s small bed.

    YuShi gave him an eye: "Dad, you have your own bed. Why do you still want to sleep in my bed?"

    This brat...

    "Are you afraid to sleep alone?"

    "Hmm," he agreed. But ''If I wasn''t worried for you, why would I squeeze in this small bed?'' Zhao JingShi eyed his son,"Go to sleep."

    The boy rolled around first. He rolled left and rolled right and finally ended up throwing his short legs on top of Zhao JingShi''s. "Dad! When my mom finds us will she squeeze into my bed too?" He laughed, kicking his feet.

    Zhao JingShi grunted. He cut eyes at his son. "Why would she squeeze into this small bed? Your mom will sleep with me."

    YuShi made a face in protest. He blinked, eyes wide with innocent curiosity, "Why do you want to rob me of my mom?" He turned over on his stomach, putting distance between them. "Don''t talk to me. I''m going to sleep."

    His bad temper lasted for less than one minute. Then he turned his head towards Zhao JingShi and whispered, "Dad, when I wake up, do you think she will find me?"

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    Looking into the child''s hopeful gaze was hard but Zhao JingShi believed in teaching his son not to avoid hard things. He reached over and began rubbing the boy''s back in a gentle but firm motion. In the past, it helped YuShi fall asleep. "Not tomorrow, maybe not the next day," he was truthful. "Wait a little. Dad will find your mother for you."

    YuShi fell asleep dreaming of what his mom''s arms felt like but Zhao JingShen stayed awake long after, waiting for news.

    It was later in the night that the phone''s soft ringtone disturbed him from sleep.

    Groggily, he untangled himself from his child and hurriedly swiped across the screen. As he put the phone to his ear, he left the room quietly.

    "What have you found?" He asked Feng Bo as he walked into his study. The room was dark save for city lights reflecting into the window wall beside a desk. He stood at the window, listening with veiled impatience.

    "Li Xia was to graduate from her university soon," his assistant told him something he already knew. His hand clenched on the glass to help rein his impatience. "Except she ran away from home about two weeks ago."

    His eyes closed. Tightly. "Why am I only hearing this now?" He paid a lot of people a lot of money to look after Li Xia.

    "Sir," Feng Bo talked fast, "her family are keeping it quiet ... er.... likely to avoid drawing your attention. No one currently knows where she is."

    He took a moment to absorb that. "No one knows where she is?" His voice descended to a cold growl. "Dare you repeat that?"

    "We''re looking for her now."

    "She must have entered this country. Did you check the entry logs?"

    "We''re working on it but there hasn''t been enough time yet to tell for sure."

    Zhao JinShi didn''t care how many people he had to rouse from their beds late at night to get the information he needed. "Find her." He shut the phone, unable to contain his emotions.

    He braced his arms against the wall and stood there, watching the city lights and thinking. Only when the sky began to lighten did he return to keep his child company.

    And so, in the morning, the little brat opened his eyes and blinked at him: "Dad, why do you look like a panda?"

    Zhao JingShi: "...." Brat.

 6 - You will go to school

    Chapter 6 - You Will Go To School

    Somewhere in Li Xia''s family tree was an ancestor with green eyes. That person gave Li Xia an eye colour which tried to mix with the usual hazel eyes of her parents. The result was a unique eye colour that was a deep grey-brown with pale green.

    It was quite striking.

    Zhao JingShi looked into those eyes sincerely and with a little guilt, saying, "A few days ago I arranged with the head of the Han Family. The Hans have a very good school from kindergarten to high school.¡± His son, standing between his knees while Zhao JingShi crouched before him, squirmed away. Zhao JingShi caught the boy¡¯s arms to keep him close. ¡°Dad has decided you will go to school tomorrow."

    YuShi''s lips trembled. His eyes turned down. ¡°Dad! I¡¯m so young. How is it you want to send me away?¡±

    Zhao JingShi sighed. He glanced over the breakfast table at the housekeeper and part time nanny for YuShi. The old woman in her fifties, Aunt Zu, pretended she couldn¡¯t see them as she cleared the table. Her face said ¡®You are on your own, sir.¡¯

    ¡°Dad!¡± Small hands framed his face and yanked his head over so he could look into his wayward son¡¯s eyes again. ¡°Look at me Dad. If you want to send me away like that Lady yesterday said, you have to look at me and tell me.¡±

    How did Li Xia give birth to such a son? Li Xia was calm and sweet and a little silly. This boy¡¯s personality was too big to have come from her.

    ¡°Little boy ¨C¡±

    ¡°If I had a mom she would make you treat me better!¡± His son cried. Light tears formed in the little eyes he inherited from his mother. ¡°My mom would make you do better.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sending you away,¡± Zhao JingShi coaxed hurriedly. What he hated to see most was tears of distress in those gray-green eyes. ¡°Listen to Dad for a bit okay?¡±

    YuShi bowed his head to hide his tears. He hurriedly wiped them away with small clenched fists but he nodded. His lips turned down at the sides and trembled even more.

    Zhao JingShi avoided reaching over to hug him. His son was not a girl to be pampered. He needed to be firm with YuShi because one day the boy would grow up and Zhao JingShi needed to be able to toss the whole Zhao Group to him.

    ¡°But Dad, I¡¯m so small,¡± YuShi protested.

    ¡°You¡¯ll be smaller than the others in your class but you are smart,¡± Zhao JingShi rubbed the little guy¡¯s head, proud. ¡°You¡¯re smarter than other children your age.¡± He sighed, ¡°Dad has kept you close all the time but I can¡¯t do that forever. You need to go out and get friends your age.¡±

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    ¡°I have friends my age,¡± YuShi¡¯s mouth firmed seriously. ¡°There is Han HaoRan!¡± He named Zhao JingShi¡¯s friend¡¯s son. ¡°He¡¯s only three years older than me.¡±

    Zhao JingShi pounced the moment his son fell into his trap, ¡°Yes! There¡¯s Han HaoRan. His family owns the school. Little HaoRan also goes to the school.¡±

    YuShi blinked. Some of the water disappeared from his eyes. ¡°Really?¡±

    ¡°Of course! The Han Family owns the school, can Han HaoRan go anywhere else?¡±

    YuShi peered at him curiously.

    ¡°Little HaoRan is in his first year of primary school. His building is different to yours but still close in the same compound. You can see each other during school breaks.¡±

    YuShi tilted his head, thinking.

    Zhao JingShi tightened his trap. ¡°Here,¡± he pulled his phone from his pocket and put it in the boy¡¯s hand. ¡°It¡¯s not too early. Little HaoRan should be getting ready for school so don¡¯t talk long.¡±

    Zhao JingShi had already arranged the time of a call with Han HaoRan¡¯s father, Han LianZhen whose number was already prepared on the phone screen. YuShi only had to press ¡®Call¡¯.

    YuShi took the phone, looked at the number, looked at Zhao JingShi, and looked at the number again. He gave Zhao JingShi a look of ''Dad, you want to fool me.''

    Zhao JingShi kept his face steady, feeling no guilt. He really wanted to laugh; this was indeed his own child.

    He tilted his chin at the phone, prompting the little guy to call.

    ¡°Since you promised to call, I can¡¯t let my friend down,¡± YuShi solemnly and responsibly pressed the call button. He lifted the phone to his own ear.

    No matter how good a model of a cellphone was, in this close proximity, Zhao JingShi could hear the other side of the dialogue.

    ¡°Little YuShi!¡± Han HaoRan directly answered his father¡¯s phone.

    The two middle-men Zhao JingShi and Han YanZhen were ignored.

    ¡°Are you coming to my school today?¡±

    YuShi¡¯s reticence about school turned into: ¡°No, my father arranged for me to go tomorrow. Brother HaoRan, is your class far from mine?¡±

    ¡°No. It is close. I will come to see you at lunch time tomorrow.¡±

    ¡°Good!¡±

    ¡°Little YuShi, don¡¯t worry! This older brother will look after you!¡±

    ¡°Okay! See you tomorrow!¡±

    The pair ended the call at the same time and YuShi looked at Zhao JingShi, his eyes gleaming with excitement. ¡°Okay Dad, I will accompany HaoRan to school tomorrow.¡±

    Zhao JingShi refrained from gloating at the little guy. Children were easy to deceive, even the smart ones.

    However... ¡°Dad, are you sure? What will you do when I am at school? Won¡¯t you be lonely?¡±

    Zhao JingShi: ¡°...¡±

    Son, Dad has a huge company to run. Does Dad have time to miss you?

    He smoothed his precious little son¡¯s head again, proud that his son cared for his old father. ¡°You will only go to school for three days for the week and you will come home every day. Not long. You still have time to accompany this old man to work.¡±

    YuShi nodded seriously. He handed over Zhao JingShi¡¯s phone. ¡°I will go to school and I will also accompany Dad to work.¡± He patted his little chest, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you can depend on me Dad! I will study hard.¡±

    Zhao JingShi¡¯s eye twitched. He tried to keep his face straight. Kindergarten at the Taiji Academy was more difficult than other kindergartens because of the type of students that went to school there. Zhao JingShi himself was an alumni of the Taiji Academy. However, despite an early start on difficult courses, a kindergarten was still a kindergarten.

    In honour of his son¡¯s developing sense of responsibility, he matched YuShi¡¯s seriousness when he nodded once, ¡°In the future, Dad will count on you.¡±

 7 - Taiji Academy

    Chapter 7 - Taiji Academy

    The next morning... Zhao JingShi and Zhao YuShi stood on the street from Taiji Academy. One wore a business suit and one wore a similar Taiji uniform suit.

    Taiji Academy was not in the centre of the city as it needed a large area of land to accommodate a kindergarten, primary school, junior high school, and high school. Each school was small due to exclusive class sizes but the facilities the school boasted was limitless. Therefore, such a compound had several entrances.

    Father and son stood outside the kindergarten entrance holding hands, both at a loss.

    The road around Taiji Academy was busy as students arrived, some on foot but most in cars that quickly drove off. Vehicles weren¡¯t allowed to linger too long outside of the Academy to facilitate efficient and timely pick-up and drop-off of students. However, owing to the Zhao and Han family relationship which extended beyond more generations than they could count, Zhao JingShi¡¯s driver was parked at the curb side and here he stood with his little guy.

    Inside, mothers hugged and kissed their little babies before handing them off to waiting teacher and departing. Fathers stood silently and waited or were directly absent from the scene. Was there any father handing off his son by himself?

    No. Only Zhao JingShi, this single dad.

    One mother caught their eye. She straightened her little girl¡¯s uniform skirt, took her small backpack from the girl¡¯s father and fixed it on her shoulders. Then the girl¡¯s mother kissed her face on both cheeks. The girl¡¯s mother stood and walked a few steps away but ran back and kissed the girl again. The little girl squirmed and made a face, but she stood still for the kisses.

    Zhao YuShi¡¯s hand tightened around the three fingers of Zhao JingShi¡¯s hand he was able to hold on to.

    Zhao JingShi looked down. Zhao YuShi looked up.

    His filial son said, "If my mom were here, she could kiss me and I could hug her and you could be a bystander."

    Brat! Who was the one who raised you?

    YuShi sighed the sigh of an old man who had too much disappointments in his life. "Let''s go. I will cry and you will hug me and we will not miss my mother today."

    Zhao JingShi side eyed his son. This little guy''s vocabulary was too advanced for his age.

    "Where did you get that idea?"

    "I watch the TV with Grandma and Aunt Zu," he shouted enthusiastically.

    Zhao JingShi frowned. They dare expose his clean son to the messy things on TV?

    YuShi tugged on his fingers. "Come on, Dad! The teacher is looking."

    Zhao JingShi glanced over. Now the school yard was mostly empty and the Teacher was free. Beside her stood the Principal. Zhao JingShi nodded to the principal whom he had met earlier, and walked into the school gate, his son trailing one step behind.

    Suddenly the boy wasn''t so eager to start school.

    "Master Zhao," Principal Mu called as they neared. His smile was big. "Welcome." He looked down at YuShi ¨C who was now hugging Zhao JingShi''s leg with big eyes. "Little Master Zhao, welcome to our school," the Principal greeted.

    "YuShi, this is Principal Mu and Teacher Yi," Zhao JingShi introduced.

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    YuShi nodded. "Hello Pincipal Mu. Hello Teacher Yi." He obediently greeted but did not let go of Zhao JingShi''s leg.

    Principl Mu''s and Teacher Yi''s smiles widened, pleased that Zhao Family''s Little Prince had such good manners at such a young age. He was currently the youngest child at their school too. Some students in their halls did not come from families as influential or wealthy as the Zhao and Han families yet had inflated attitudes toward their elders. Principal Mu was pleased to see the Little Big Shot of the Zhao Family had respectable manners despite his status.

    Teacher Yi, a young woman in her twenties crouched down and offered her hand to YuShi. "Hello there, YuShi. I will be your class teacher. Are you ready for your first day?"

    YuShi tightened one arm around Zhao JingShi''s leg and but extended his other arm towards the teacher. "Nice to meet you, Teacher Yi," he repeated what Zhao JingShi had told him to say last night and shook her hand.

    * * *

    As for Principal Mu and Teacher Yi, they were used to the excellent caliber of students that walked through their school''s halls. To enter Taiji, one needed not only money, but family background. The Zhao Family, like the Han family and a few other great families, could said to be the country''s elite of the elite.

    Therefore Principal Mu made a rare appearance to welcome the Zhao Family''s little prince. This was not to curry favour or to show special treatment, but to show respect to the Zhao Family. It would assure them that for the next fifteen plus years, his school would take care of their future heir.

    Why did he pay specail care to the Zhao Family and not the other families'' special heirs? Because the Zhaos and Hans and the few great families they were close with were beasts with long memories. One always ensured they were on the good side of the beast.

    Teacher Yi on the other hand, was a young teacher but the requirements to teach at Taiji Academy were more extensive than in other schools. Aside from looking after the children, her daily duty was to greet them all before class and ensure they were escorted in safely.

    However today, she prepared extra well because she knew Zhao JingShi, the famous head of the Zhao Family Group, would be escorting his son. Who didn''t want to impress a tall, handsome single man who was insanely wealthy and had the power to crush the city with one wave of his hand?

    Zhao JingShi was one of the city''s most eligible bachelors despite mysteriously having a child out of wedlock. His family background, wealth and looks more than made up for the extra child. What''s more, from the time his son was born, the baby accompanied Zhao JingShi everywhere - to work, to business trips, to meetings - and Zhao JingShi took care of the child himself. Which woman did not dream of an excellent dad like that? Before Zhao JingShi, such a father was a myth!

    The whole city knew his illegitimate child was more precious than gold in his father''s palm, so Teacher Yi was one hundred percent certain Zhao JingShi would accompany Zhao YuShi today. She didn''t have lofty dreams of entering the Zhao family, but only to give a good impression to a handsome man. If he remembered her after tomorrow, that was good too.

    She stood and smiled brightly at Zhao JingShi.

    * * *

    Zhao JingShi, a practiced hand at ignoring women, politely avoided his son''s teacher''s too big smile.

    He pried his son off his leg so he could squat in front of him, touch the boy''s hair, and look at his face carefully. "Be good for the teacher today."

    YuShi nodded.

    "At lunchtime, your buddy HaoRan promised to look for you."

    YuShi nodded again. He put small hands around Zhao JingShi''s neck. "Give me a hug for my mom."

    Quickly, he pulled the boy close only for a moment. When they released eachother, he said, "It is only a few hours. Dad will pick you up after school. In the meantime, make some friends and have fun."

    YuShi nodded. "Good bye, Dad."

    "Goodbye, Son."

    At the side, Teacher Yi wiped away a tear at the touching scene. Even the principal wore a sentimental expression.

    Zhao JingShi didn''t think he did anything special.

    He stood and prodded YuShi towards the school entrance. "Go to class. Don''t make the teacher be late."

    Teacher Yi smiled again, "Thank you, Mr. Zhao." To YuShi, she said, "Let''s go to the class, Little YuShi."

    "I will accompany you," Principal Mu interjected.

    Zhao JingShi stopped him. "Principal Mu, this is okay. Let''s not keep you from your work."

    In other words, don''t bring too much attention to a three year old boy going to school. Escorting hims wasn''t necessary.

    Principal Mu laughed, "Of course. I am busy myself. Then," he looked at YuShi, "Zhao YuShi, if you have any problems, tell the teacher."

    "Yes, Principal Mu."

    Principal Mu once again shook Zhao JingShi''s hand and left. As Principal Mu walked away, Teacher Yi murmured "Goodbye" with a blush and began to lead YuShi inside. At the door, the teacher entered first and with a small wave behind his back, his son ran in.

    Ungrateful. Was it so easy to leave his old father? Zhao JingShi shook his head and returned to the waiting car, getting into the back.

    Driver Liu asked, "To the company, sir?"

    "Yes." He pulled up his itinerary on his tablet device. "I have a meeting at 9:00."

 8 - Mom!

    Chapter 8 - Mom!

    YuShi was scraping the walls. His cheek pressed up against a window pane and he sadly watched his own nails drag on at paint.

    Left behind by his cruel father! Dad you lied to me!

    He moved his eyes to look behind. The other children ¨C thirteen of them ¨C were playing in the room. Today there was no arithmetic or learning letters. There was only playing and talking.

    He was so bored! The only thing he felt interest in doing was dragging his nails down the wall beneath the classroom window.

    He wanted to go home! Sitting in his dad''s office would be better than this!

    The girl next to him tugged on a corner of his uniform jacket. "Will you play with me?"

    YuShi stopped scraping and tugged his clothes back. "Ming Ke, I said no," his patience had run off long ago.

    Ming Ke grumbled. "You''re boring!"

    YuShi looked at all the kids around the room. "Uh huh. Go play with someone else." He grew up as a serious person; he helped his Dad at work often. These children only know how to play.

    "You''re not nice," Ming Ke''s eyebrows turned down.

    Another boy walked up. Chen Bo stood near them with his chest puffed out and his hands on his waist. "Is he bullying you, Xiao Ke?"

    YuShi''s face twisted. Dad! Come and pick me up!

    He tried to block them both out. "I don''t want to play! Go away."

    "Then what will you do all day?" Ming Ke asked.

    He took the opportunity to complain. "There is no math sums and no reading..." Actually, his reading wasn''t good.

    "You''re too young for math," Ming Ke informed him.

    YuShi shook his head, "No. At my dad''s office, the teacher sometimes give me lessons."

    "You go to your Dad''s work?" Chen Bo''s eyes were wide. "Wow! I''ve never been to my Dad''s work."

    "Oh." YuShi shrugged. He didn''t know what other children did, but everyday he usually helped his Dad run the company.

    Chen Bo, who spent all his time listening to his mom talking with her friends, pressed himself between Ming Ke and YuShi. He plopped his bottom down, his eyes shining, "My mom said you have to go to work with your dad everyday because you don''t have a mom."

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    ''I have a mom'', YuShi opened his mouth to scream.

    But Chen Bo talked too fast: "What do you do at your Dad''s office? My Mommy said Dad should take me to work too but Dad said ''No''." Chen Bo was a little sad about that.

    "Um - "

    "So what do you do?" Chen Bo wiggled closer.

    On the next side, Ming Ke huffed, "Xiao Bo, I was talking to YuShi!"

    YuShi wedged himself closer to the wall, almost flat against it. It was the first time he was around so many children and he didn''t really know what to do and say.

    Dad, Help me! He screamed in his heart. I want to go home.

    *CLAP* *CLAP* "Children," Teacher Yi called. "It''s time for a break. Let''s go outside."

    YuShi jumped up. So neither Ming Ke or Chen Bo could talk to him, he ran as fast as his little legs could carry him and was the first to run past Teacher Yi.

    Once outside, he ran to throw himself up against the school gate. He held on to the bars hard, wishing to see his dad coming to pick him up.

    Instead, the other children from his class plus the other kindergarten classes played behind him and a Mr. Security came to stand beside him.

    "Child, you should go to play with your friends," the Mr. Security said.

    YuShi ignored him. His eyes glued to the road outside. Dad, where are you?

    "Child?" the Mr. Security said. "I will go and get your teacher." Mr. Security walked away.

    YuShi, uness he could turn himself into a noodle and squeeze through the bars, couldn''t go anywhere. Too bad he was more like a dumpling. He stooped down in the dirt and put his hands on his head.

    So this was what being an abandoned child felt like.

    How long he sat there waiting, who knew?

    The children behind him were noisy but he enjoyed his little quiet place... until...

    ¡°Oh! How cute!¡±

    He looked up.

    She was standing outside the gate, carrying a pink box in her hand.

    YuShi blinked.

    She bent low, coming closer to him, the smile on her pretty face widening into a happy laugh. ¡°How are you so cute, Baby? You¡¯re so adorable!¡±

    YuShi was so surprised he didn¡¯t know what to do. He fell back on his bottom, his mouth falling wide open.

    She bent lower and leaned forward, putting her hand on her knees for balance. A small breeze blew stands of her hair blew towards him and her scent... YuShi didn''t know how to say anything anymore.

    ¡°Aren''t you a sweet little dumpling.¡± She waved at him. ¡°Hello darling.¡± Her voice was gentle and sweet, making him feel warm inside.

    YuShi reached for her, his eyes fulling with water.

    But at the same time, she straightened, ¡°Little baby, don¡¯t be sad. Where is your teacher?¡± She looked around.

    He wanted to shout "Mom!" but when he opened his mouth he was so confused inside and what came out was a loud: "Waaaaaaaaaah!" and a flood of big, snooty tears.

    Not to mention shocking himself ¨C because he wasn''t a little baby ¨C his Mom instantly jumped back, her eyes wide and her face serious. She looked around the playground.

    "Hey!" Mr. Security shouted. His footsteps pounded the ground as he ran towards YuShi. "Hey!"

    Instantly, his mom clutched her box and moved further back, almost stepping into the road. She was scared!

    "Sorry!" She called to him and ran away.

    YuShi was so frustrated he screamed louder. He yelled "Moooom!" but it was too late. He already scared his mom and she ran away down the street.

    He slammed his hands flat on the ground to push himslef up, trying to get to his feet fast. "Mom!" He cried. "Mom, wait for me!"

    Teacher Yi ran over. "Xiao Shi!" The teacher tried to hug him.

    YuShi angrily pushed her arms away to try to run for his mother. "Mom!" He cried harder and fought off Teacher Yi who kept trying to hold him. "I want my mom! Let go! Mom! Mom!"

    Sadly, he was too small and too weak. He was only a little guy, how could he fight Teacher Yi and Mr. Security too? His small hands and legs got tired too fast and Teacher Yi grabbed him up to take him inside.

    YuShi bawled his heart out.

    "Mom!"

 9 - Will You Help Me?

    Chapter 9 - Will You Help Me?

    The kindergarten department of Taiji Academy was in an uproar.

    Specifically Class 1A of the Academy.

    There were 6 classes in the Kindergarten department. Classes 1A and 1B were for children three years old while 2A, 2B, 3A and 3B were for children four and five years old. At six years old, students went on to the Primary School department.

    At the 1A classroom, Teacher Ji and a few other kindergarten teachers uneasily watched Zhao YuShi cry his heart out.

    After bringing him inside, he huddled in a corner away from the other children and cried without shame that children usually had when they cried in front of other children. Not only the adults watched him uneasily, but the other students kept far from him, glancing over occasionally.

    "Why is he still crying?" The security guard who helped Teacher Ji get Little YuShi inside wiped sweat on his forehead with a cloth. He was nervous. "The woman didn''t steal him away, what''s the problem?"

    Little YuShi had excellent hearing. He shot the guard a look of anger that was out of place on his wet face.

    The guard wiped more sweat.

    "Should you call his father?" Teacher Gao from the art department asked. "The incident is a little worrying."

    Teacher Yi nodded, "I want to call his father but Principal Mu advised against it."

    Teacher Gao and Teacher Song, also from the art department, both agreed. Teacher Song said, "I heard his father is Zhao JingShi, the master of the Zhao Family and the man who rocked the business society by taking his baby son to meetings all over the country and abroad."

    Teacher Gao nodded, "My brother''s company does business with the Zhao Group. The word is that the Head of the Zhao family can''t be parted from his son. If he gets to know that something like this happened on the first day he left the boy here, he will think we cannot look after his child and I''m afraid none of us would survive past today."

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    "Zhao and Han have a good relationship. All of us and Principal Mu would be replaced by the end of the day if Zhao JingShen decides it."

    Teacher Song finished speaking and the guard collapsed heavily on the wall, sweating profusely. His legs couldn''t hold him up. "I''m done!" he moaned.

    Teacher Ji reassured them, "I will listen to Principal Mu. I will not call his father now, but sooner or later, he may know. I will explain to him that you protected his family''s heir from a strange woman on the street."

    The guard nodded and went back to his post with a defeated posture. Taiji Academy paid it''s employees extremely well, especially those in the security department. It was school, but safety was the number one priority. The students came from wealthy families which had any number of rivals and kidnapping threats or even death threats. Taiji was established so those families could send their children to school with peace of mind.

    Unfortunately the incident exposed problems in the school¡¯s security team and the ability of teachers to keep and eye on students.

    * * *

    YuShi sullenly looked at the wall, his back to everyone. He was so angry!

    They stopped him from calling his mother and she already ran away!

    He wiped tears from his eyes.

    He wanted to call his father but he had no phone to do it. His father decided there was no need for a phone as he was too young and the kindergarten was a safe place.

    If he couldn''t call his father to get his mother, then he had to get her himself. But how? He was a little boy locked in a room with other little boys and girls and he had no money. His father decided he was too young for money too.

    How to find his mother then?

    "Zhao YuShi," Xiao Ke and Chen Bo quietly came beside him, interrupting his plotting.

    "Are you okay?" Xiao Ke asked.

    YuShi looked at them closely and realized they both were worried for him. They didn''t laugh at him because he was crying.

    "Why are you sad?" Chen Bo asked.

    Zhao YuShi decided they were his new friends. His first little friends after Han HaoRan.

    He turned around completely and waved them closer. When they were near, he whispered... "I saw my mother but she ran away."

    Xiao Ke blinked. He knew she didn''t understand. "Your mother ran away? Didn''t Chen Bo say ¨C"

    Chen Bo quickly knocked her to the side a little so she didn''t finish her words. Zhao YuShi knew what she was going to say... He didn''t have a mother.

    Fresh tears welled in his eyes.

    "Alright! Alright," Chen Bo quickly reached for his hand. "Don''t cry anymore. The other children are laughing at you."

    Zhao YuShi knocked away the new tears. "I don''t know them. I don''t care about them."

    Xiao Ke reached for his other hand. "We will have music class next. Come and sit with us. Don''t cry here."

    Zhao YuShi looked at his two hands, each held by a new friend. He realized something... he didn''t have to plot alone.

    "Xiao Ke, Chen Bo. Will you help me?"

    * * *

    At lunch time that day, Teacher Ye lamanted how wrong she was not to inform the Zhao Family Master immediately when the morning incident happened. Now, the situation was even worse.

    She imagined her head on a block, rolling away from her body.

 10 - I Found You

    Chapter 10 - I Found You

    In a restaurant-caf¨¦ one street away from Taiji Academy, that private school for the wealthy, Li Xia slumped over a table.

    The caf¨¦ was primarily a dessert caf¨¦ during the day and a restaurant at night. Because of the excellent location in the city - though not in the city centre and a little apart rom the main business district - the caf¨¦ offered breakfast, lunch and dinner aside from specializing in desserts. At this moment they weren''t busy but soon the place would be full with the lunch rush.

    She took this moment of peace before the rush to sigh and cry pitifully, "Why did I do that?"

    "Why did you do what?" Su YiWei, her fellow colleague stopped beside the table she was slumped over. "Why do you look like someone killed your pet? When you insisted on moving here with me, I told you it would not be easy. Why did you follow me to this country."

    Li Xia turned her head away.

    While Li Xia and Su YiWei attended the same university abroad, they got to know each other. After their studies finished, Su YiWei had to return to her home country. At the time, Li Xia, who was questioning her own mental health, decided it was a good idea to follow her. Li Xia wasn''t totally a stranger to the country as she had lived here from childhood until twelve years old. Now that she was twenty-three, why not return?

    "It was a good idea at the time," she excused herself.

    Su YiWei snorted. "Sure. Running to another country without telling your parents was a really good idea."

    "I don''t want to join my father''s company. I''m old enough to choose my own job."

    "A comic artist?" Su YiWei turned up her nose. "How can you make any money as a comic artist. Your parents are right to be worried."

    When Li Xia ignored her thoughts on comics, Su YiWei returned the topic to her slumped state. "Two weeks at this job and you regret coming here? Wish you had stayed in that country with your parents?"

    No, not at all. "Remember the little baby I told you about this morning?" She sighed, "Why did I scare him? I should have left him alone."

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    Su YiWei sat on a seat across from her. "Are you still worried? The child likely doesn''t remember you anymore."

    Li Xia didn''t believe that. "I scared him so much that he was crying for his mom. I think the guard at the academy wanted to arrest me." Hours later, her heart still hurt from hearing the baby''s cry. "He''s the cutest baby I''ve ever seen."

    Su YiWei shook her head. "This is the tenth time you''re saying that. He can''t be a baby if he goes to Taiji," she reminded, "he must be at least three years old."

    "His uniform was so cute. He''s this little pudgy dumpling and he looks like he''ll get too fat for his uniform soon." She turned dreamily to Su YiWei, hugging herself tight and imagining the little dumpling in her arms. "His mother is lucky to have a cute little dumpling like that to hug."

    Su YiWei sat watching.

    Then, "Is that child so inspiring that you want to run out and get a baby?"

    Su YiWei was joking. Unfortunately, Li Xia''s answer was, "Yes!"

    "No! No! No!" Su YiWei grabbed a promotional dessert poster from the tabletop and used it to smack Li Xia. "No! What is wrong with you? First you run away from home, then you make my business hire you even though you never worked a day in your life in the service industry, now you want to run off and have a baby? No!"

    She understood that Su YiWei only took responsibility for her safety in a strange country so she didn''t take offence. She grabbed the paper from her friend.

    "You''re crazy. Li Xia, you ¨C"

    "Alright! Alright! I won''t go out and get a baby." Li Xia laughed. "Where can I find one as cute as the little dumpling anyway?"

    "You!" Su YiWei stood and tossed the table menu at her. "Don''t scare people!"

    The lunch chef of the restaurant came out to the front. "Su YiWei, Li Xia, get back to work. The lunch crowd will be here in minutes."

    The two of them hurried to the counter of the cafe, and not a moment later, the door opened. Several women came in and the place became busy. Not long after, when Li Xia was delivering a slice of cake to a boyfriend-girlfriend pair close to the window overlooking the street, she felt a small weight on her leg.

    She stopped walking and looked down.

    Big grey-green eyes stared up at her, shining. The eyes were large in a cute and flawless face that was too beautiful to be on a little three-year old boy. Even his eyelashes were long like a girl''s.

    His tiny little arms slowly wrapped around her leg and he put his chin against her skin.

    Li Xia was in shock.

    The little guy''s arms tightened when she didn''t react to him. His eyes became like they were full of stars and his little smile emerged, the beauty of it making Li Xia''s heart grow so warm.

    "Mom!" He called. "Mom! I found you!"

    Li Xia almost had a heart attack. Little Dumpling, How am I your Mom? I didn''t have time to go out and find a baby yet!

    Her shock was so great that her hand became unsteady and the cake was in danger of falling. She reached out and placed it on the closest customer''s table. It wasn''t the customer who ordered the cake but could she care about that? She only had eyes for the little boy hugging her leg.

    "Little Dumpling," she called. The boy grinned, his face becoming even more beautiful to her. "Little Dumpling, did you run away from school?" And would his parents or teacher mind if she stole the chance to hug him now?

 11 - You Forgot Me

    Chapter 11 - You Forgot Me!

    The little boy laughed widely, causing his plump cheeks to bulge and his small baby teeth to flash in triumph. He nodded, his chin knocking against her when he moved his head. ¡°I followed Mom!¡±

    ¡°Er...¡± Li Xia was at a loss. ¡°Baby, do I look like your mother? Do I have the same face?¡± She touched her cheek and moved her face from side to side so he could see well.

    Children didn¡¯t usually recognize the wrong parent.

    The bright smile dimmed one tenth. ¡°Mom! You are my mom.¡± He shook his head, his hair flying cutely from side to side. ¡°Only you can be her.¡±

    ¡°But...¡±

    The Little Dumpling let go of her leg. That is, his arms let her go, but he leaned his little body fully on her. Little hands dug into his Taji Academy jacket pocket. Li Xia watched him, mesmerized by the serious concentration on this little guy¡¯s face.

    ¡°How old are you?¡± Why did he look like the temperament of an older child but his body was clearly a little toddler. Children were so evolved these days?

    The little guy withdrew his hand from his school jacket and lifted a piece of paper towards her. ¡°This is you,¡± his lips turned down seriously, his little smile gone. ¡°This is my mother.¡±

    Li Xia took the paper. At most, she expected to see her lookalike - someone eight-tenths similar to her at least. However, when she turned the paper over, her knees went weak. This girl in the photo was her. Not a look-alike, just her.

    But she couldn¡¯t recall where she had posed for this photo.

    She held the photo, dazed. She couldn¡¯t even mind the little boy now.

    Did she have a twin her parents never told her about? It was the only conclusion for this matter. A woman who looked exactly like her and who had a toddler son was the only reasoning her mind could make up.

    Below, the Little Dumpling¡¯s arms slipped around her leg again. He didn¡¯t speak or look up at her. He rested his little face against her leg, his little body sagging heavily and she felt something wet on her leg.

    She looked down.

    The little baby¡¯s face was smooth yet sad. His eyes were closed like he was making a solemn wish. And... tears were leaking past his eyelids and into her skin.

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    The poor little guy.

    His little bow lips were moving but what he was saying was too soft for her to catch. She bent her body in half to be closer to him and heard: ¡°Please say you are my mommy. Please say you are my mommy. Please...¡±

    Li Xia¡¯s heart ached for him. He was chanting the words quietly as if saying it enough would make it be true.

    Li Xia, her arms and heart yearning to hug the sad little guy, pushed him away a little. His eyes flew open and he looked up, desolation and hurt on his beautiful little face. Li Xia knelt in the space he created and grabbed him close to her chest in a tight hug: that was a look she didn¡¯t deserve! She only wanted to hug him, not push him away.

    The little guy was stiff in her arms at first, like a plank of wood. In seconds however, his little rotund body melted into hers. His fists clutched at the fabric on her blouse and he buried his head in her chest. His cries weren¡¯t silent anymore, but became louder.

    ¡°Wuwuwuwuwu!¡±

    Li Xia, a little panicked, hugged him closer and began patting his little back. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Little Dumpling. It¡¯s okay, don¡¯t cry.¡±

    How to comfort a crying child? Telling him ¡®I¡¯m not your mother¡¯ wasn¡¯t an option.

    ¡°Little Dumpling, does your mother look a lot like me? What is her name?¡± So I can find her and give you back to her.

    "Not a lot like!¡± Little Dumpling¡¯s whole body shook. His voice was so loud that he was screaming. ¡°Look one-hundred like! No mistake!¡±

    The customers, a group of middle-aged women at the table to the side were disturbed by the commotion and the baby¡¯s loud voice. Someone shouted, ¡°Noisy! Lady, take your child outside if he is misbehaving!¡±

    Another woman from the group added, ¡°We didn¡¯t order this cake. Take it away. Are you going to scam us into paying for something we didn¡¯t order?¡±

    Somewhere across the cafe, a male voice called, ¡°That¡¯s our cake! Lady, did you mistake our order? We¡¯ve been waiting more than ten minutes now.¡± It was the couple at the window who ordered the cake, watching her with impatience.

    The problem became bigger when Su YiWei came out. ¡°Li Xia,¡± Su YiWei and some other restaurant staff gaped at her and the child in her arms. ¡°What is...?¡±

    ¡°He ran away from school,¡± Li Xia said quickly to Su YiWei. ¡°Can you call the school and let them know he is here?¡± No need to ask what school. Taiji Academy¡¯s uniform had no crest, but the gold edges of the jacket was the signature statement of the school.

    ¡°No!¡± The boy wiggled and shouted. ¡°Don¡¯t call. They will take me away! Mommy, don¡¯t you want me?¡±

    ¡®Mommy?¡¯ Su YiWei mouthed. Li Xia shook her head at Su YiWei. She didn¡¯t know either okay, don¡¯t ask.

    Li Xia moved the child a bit so she could see his face and teach, ¡°Little boy, you ran away from the school. This is a bad thing you did.¡±

    Somehow, ¡®You made a mistake¡¯ turned into: ¡°You don¡¯t want me! Wuuu!¡± He screamed and started crying again. ¡°Mommy! You left me! You want to give me away! You don¡¯t want me! Wuuuuuu!¡±

    All heads turned their way. Li Xia could see the customers bending their heads to each other and whispering while looking over. They thought she was a bad mother who abandoned her child!

    Even Su YiWei was looking at her funny. ¡°Li Xia, you have a child?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t!¡± Li Xia hurriedly claimed innocence above the child¡¯s crying. ¡°I¡¯ve never had a child. I don¡¯t remember that!¡±

    The child was in full blown tantrum now, ¡°You forgot me? Mommy!¡± The word ¡®Mommy¡¯ wasn¡¯t said but was a long scream. ¡°I want my Daddy! Dad!¡± The word ¡®Dad¡¯ was also a long scream.

    Li Xia looked around - at the crying and screaming child, the gossiping patrons, the bewildered staff - and didn¡¯t know what to do.

    ¡°Little Dumpling, do you want ice-cream?¡±

 12 - Call My Dad

    Chapter 12 - Call My Dad

    Indeed, little kids were easy to coax. At the word ice-cream, his screams lessened in volume, his eyes opened wide and he hiccuped. He still looked like he¡¯d been wronged and bullied against, but there was a spark of interest.

    While he made effort to calm himself down, Li Xia waited patiently, patting his back to comfort him. After a time, he stopped sobbing, but his little chest heaved and tears were still running down his face. Li Xia reached out and wiped them away with her thumb.

    ¡°I - I want a cake too,¡± he said.

    Was the little boy bargaining with her? Having a tantrum one moment and bargaining for snacks soon after... seems the kid was a con-artist. Humph. She didn¡¯t know anything about raising children but she did know they couldn¡¯t be allowed too much sweets.

    ¡°Baby,¡± she petted his hair to soften her rejection, ¡°you can have ice-cream or the cake but not both.¡±

    The child looked at her for a long time. She was looking down into his pretty eyes so she saw the deep thinking he was doing while he sniffled the last of his tears. This child was so well behaved and cute! Look how seriously he considered his decisions! She wanted to hug him and give him all the cakes and ice creams!

    Finally, small hands wrapped around hers. His brows furrowed. "Ice cream is difficult for me to eat. I choose ice cream."

    "Alright!" Li Xia couldn''t resist one second longer. She bent down and hugged him up. He was so short and cute and sweet, and soft! This adorable child deserved all the hugs! The feelings in her chest was too much to understand and too big to contain. She just wanted to hug this little boy and squeeze him so tight!

    His shorts arms wrapped around her neck as she brought him up, and with flushed cheeks, swollen eyes and a wide grin, he hugged her back. "Mommy!" he yelled. Until sometime later, he wiggled happily, "Mommy, you''re squeezing me too much!"

    Li Xia gave him one last squeeze, "You''re so cute! Of course I must squeeze you!" Her words made the child so happy that he leaned over and gave her a kiss.

    If Li Xia''s heart hadn''t been stolen by this lost child two times this morning - once at the academy and once when he hugged her leg - it would have been stolen at this moment. She, a stranger, took advantage of his parents'' absence and kissed his little cheeks.

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    "Psst! Li Xia," Su YiWei disturbed their two-person world from the side. She and her strange fake son turned.

    Su YiWei gestured with her eyes to look around the place. Li Xia looked around; once again, she''d forgotten this was a restaurant and she was in the middle of work.

    "Move over there," Su YiWei hurriedly motioned to one of the private rooms. The restaurant had an open dining area but was upscale enough to have a few private dining rooms as well. ¡°It¡¯s out of the way. You¡¯re attracting too much attention and it¡¯s bad for business. I''ll handle your work until the parents come over.¡±

    Li Xia nodded. With a soft word of ¡°Thanks,¡± to her friend, she hurried over to one of the unoccupied rooms to get the child away from curious onlookers.

    ¡°I¡¯ll bring the dessert menu. At the back, the manager is calling Taiji Academy,¡± Su YiWei said as she went ahead of them to open the private room¡¯s sliding door. She had been speaking quietly, but her efforts not to draw attention was defeated by a little guy¡¯s yell.

    ¡°Auntie!¡± He shouted. His little fingers gripped Li Xia¡¯s arm with urgency and he was looking at Su YiWei with childish panic.

    Su YiWei: ¡°...¡± Child, who is your aunt?

    ¡°Don¡¯t call my school.¡± He put on a sad face, ¡°I¡¯ll get in trouble.¡±

    At the open doorway to the private room, Su YiWei looked straight at the child. She¡¯d always been a strict person and no cute little face could stop that. ¡°You are already in trouble, Little Friend. You did a wrong thing and made so many people worry about you. Do you think your cute face is going to stop the beating you will get?¡±

    In Li Xia¡¯s arms, the child¡¯s body went stiff with fright. He looked from Su YiWei to Li Xia with hurt and tears in his eyes. Then he buried his head in Li Xia¡¯s neck.

    ¡°Alright, Alright,¡± Li Xia said to her friend while she patted her Little Dumpling¡¯s back to comfort him again. ¡°Don¡¯t scare him, he¡¯s only a little boy.¡±

    With another disapproving glare Su YiWei moved to get the ice-cream menu.

    Li Xia entered the private room and sat at the low table. She lifted the boy to sit at her side, whispering, ¡°Auntie Su isn¡¯t bad. Don¡¯t cry.¡±

    The little con-artist¡¯s tears were already dry. ¡°My Daddy doesn¡¯t beat me.¡±

    Li Xia looked away: Little One, your dad might be angry enough to beat you this one time.

    The Little Dumpling shook her arm. ¡°Mom! Don¡¯t call my school.¡± With big eyes, he explained his logic: ¡°I can call my father myself. You call school, school calls Dad but I can call my Dad by myself.¡±

    In Zhao YuShi¡¯s little head, his thoughts were simple. If the school found him first, they would take him from his mom. If Dad found him first, Dad would take both him and his mom.

    ¡°Mom! Give me your phone. I will call Dad.¡±

    So Li Xia, curious at the thought process of the little strange guy, took out her phone, unlocked it, brought up the keypad and gave it to him. She watched him press numbers with no hesitancy - he knew his father¡¯s phone number very well which was impressive for a child his age.

    Even the best phones on the market leaked sound and Li Xia''s phone was a good brand but not the best brand. She could hear on the other side when the device made only a half ringtone before it connected.

    ¡°Daddy!¡± The little boy shouted, joy on his face and excitement in his voice. ¡°I found my Mommy!¡±

 13 - My Wife and Son

    Chapter 13 - My Wife and Son

    Everyday for the last three years, a baby who grew into a toddler was in his arms or attached to his arm or walking beside him. It got to the point where he couldn¡¯t imagine himself without the little guy. His company employees couldn¡¯t imagine it either.

    When he got out of the car by himself at the office, he felt like he forgot something important. When he walked into the lobby, he fingers of his left hand clenched on reflex, missing the small weight of his son¡¯s hand. His face was the same as ever - displaying facial paralysis - but his heart sighed; he missed his little troublemaker already.

    The little guy¡¯s absense was strange for his employees too.

    In the lobby, everyone rushed to get to their offices but still had time to notice the little guy¡¯s absence. The ladies at the Reception exclaimed ¡°Eh? Where is the cute little boss this morning?¡± The security guards scanned the space around Zhao JingShi hoping to spot the little boy running around. Other employees gave him double takes but minded their business.

    ¡°The company¡¯s grapevine would be lively today,¡± Feng Bo said in a low voice. ¡°They¡¯ll wonder what happened to the little guy.¡±

    The Marketing Manager passed close by and walked with him on the way to the elevators. He didn¡¯t spare him - The Boss - a greeting, and first asked ¡°Eh? President, where is the Little Boss today?¡± while scanning the space around Zhao JingShi, hoping to spot the boy.

    The Planning Deputy Manager and the General Manager were also waiting for the elevator and when they saw him, the General manager asked, ¡°President, where is the little guy? Is he sick today?¡±

    Zhao JingShi questioned the IQ of his upper level managers - if his son was sick was it possible for him, the single father, to be standing in front of them?

    The elevator arrived. He glanced at them all. ¡°School. He went to school today,¡± and entered the elevator first.

    They followed him inside. The Marketing Manager leaned over and said to the Planning Deputy, ¡°The Little Boss stated school today? It¡¯s too sudden.¡±

    The Deputy Manager nodded, frowning.

    The General Manager who had three children between the ages of twelve and sixteen questioned, ¡°Isn¡¯t three years old too young for kindergarten? He should start at four.¡±

    The Planning Deputy went, ¡°Bah! The Little Boss is smarter than my grandson in university. Starting school early is necessary for him.¡±

    The other two nodded and agreed in loud voices. They also looked at the President - praising the Boss¡¯s son was a sure way to keep their positions in the company, or maybe get a promotion!

    Zhao JingShi listened and watched their performance reflected on walls of the elevator. Three black lines almost appeared on his face. Smart? Just because the little guy could speak well and read early? The boy didn¡¯t even know how to tie his shoelaces yet.

    He questioned himself: shouldn¡¯t he teach the boy to tie his shoelace before sending him to school?

    On the top floor he exited the elevator while internally questioning his style as a parent. It was too early to send him off. Zhao YuShi was too young to be without him for so long.

    He paused in the corridor, considered, and then turned around to go back into the elevator.

    Feng Bo blocked his way, arms and legs spread wide. ¡°Boss. The Psychiatrists...¡±

    ¡°What do they know?¡± He scolded. ¡°Do they live wth me or my son?¡±

    ¡°Boss, today is only a test run. If the little guy doesn¡¯t like it, he can stay at home until he is ready to start school again.¡±

    Zhao JingShi never questioned himself in his work and business but as a parent - everyday he wondered if he was doing the best for his son.

    ¡°Boss, the meeting,¡± Feng Bo gestured towards his office. ¡°If you delay too much longer, you will be late.¡±

    It was too strange to be without the little guy. At the nine o clock meeting, he looked at the little chair next to his own. Usually his son sat there listening quietly and writing in his workbook or colouring. Today, the chair was empty.

    The meeting finished just before lunch. Like a ghost, he wandered into his own office - those were Feng Bo¡¯s words. When he sat at his desk, he looked over at the sofa. His little son usually sat there to play or do the work his tutor assigned for him. Now it was empty. Desolate. All the laughter and brightness was gone.

    Everyday, if he was bored he usually teased his child. Today, for the first time, there was no child to tease. Did children have to go to school? Wasn¡¯t home tutoring enough?

    ¡°Boss,¡± Feng Bo at the side had swallowed Zhao JingShi''s black mood all morning. ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much. You did the right thing.¡±

    ¡°Do I really keep him too close? But parents are meant to keep children close. Safe. Who better to protect and care for a child than his parent?¡±

    Feng Bo solemnly bowed his head.

    ¡°He is a child without a mother. He needs extra care from the one parent he has so his little heart won¡¯t be bruised and cause him to grow crooked in the future,¡± Zhao JingShi continued making excuses for himself. When he thought more about it, he got angry. ¡°The Psychologists think they know, but are they in this family? Do they know the truth about my son¡¯s life experience?¡±

    ¡°President, both the child psychologist and the general psychologist said the child must learn to be without you for a while. He needs room to be a child.¡±

    Zhao JingShi scowled. The office wasn¡¯t exactly the place to raise a child in other people¡¯s opinion, but in Zhao JingShi¡¯s opinion, his own child was different; the boy would inherit this very group of companies in a few years.

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    ¡°Psychologists think they know everything,¡± he derided. ¡°They could be wrong.¡± After all, mass education was a recent development. " He complained, "In ancient times children were educated by their parents and home tutors."

    Assistant Feng, who was more than an assistant and more like a right hand man and friend, nodded. ¡°How far back in ancient times do you want to go?"

    Zhao JingShi shot him a look.

    Feng Bo immediately became a ''yes'' man. "You''re right! You''re right! The little guy knows how to talk to people. He just doesn¡¯t have any friends his age, but he¡¯s a lively child who could communicate properly with adults."

    Zhao JingShi chose to hear only the compliment in this criticism. ¡°Of course I am right.¡±

    ¡°Are you going to take the boy from school?¡±

    In truth, he had already given it some thought. ¡°I¡¯ll talk to him first about it. Let¡¯s see what his first day is like.¡± If the little guy didn¡¯t like it, both he and his child could wait another year before starting school again.

    Feng Bo¡¯s phone rang. While he answered it, Zhao JingShi gazed over at the area of his office usually occupied by his son and missed his child. An everyday attachment was difficult to change.

    He remembered when he first brought the child to the office.

    It had been two months after YuShi¡¯s birth and Zhao JingShi had stepped out of depression enough to resume working at the office. At that time, no one knew he had a son. When he walked in to work with the child in his arms the whole office was shocked. It even made news the next day.

    That first day, he''d been too terrified to lay the child anywhere in the office least he forgot the boy if he went to a meeting. What if he became too distracted or became too busy. The solution was to go into the boardroom with the baby.

    His child had been such a good baby that he didn¡¯t make trouble. When the little guy wanted to be fed or changed he would make a little noise but nothing that anyone would complain about. That day and for many weeks after, he held his child in one hand and a pen in the other. Sometimes he would lay the child in a bassinet at the side of his desk.

    The point was, it had been a long time since he, Zhao JingShi, was separated from his child.

    ¡°President,¡± Feng Bo called.

    Zhao JingShi shook off his memories.

    The look on Feng Bo¡¯s face made him sit straight, alert. ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a call from little Han HaoRan.¡±

    Zhao JingShi stood immediately, his body going cold. Little Han HaoRan would only call here if something happened to YuShi and it was urgent enough that Little HaoRan would bypass his own father. ¡°What happened to YuShi?¡± His voice was sharp.

    He knew it was a bad idea to send the boy to school by himself. Psychologists were a bunch of quacks!

    Feng Bo directly handed the phone over.

    ¡°Little RanRan,¡± Zhao JingShi called HaoRan¡¯s familiar name because of the closeness of the Zhao and Han families.

    The six year old said in one breath: ¡°Uncle Zhao, I came to get Little YuShi for lunch but he isn¡¯t here! His friends say he ran away. The teachers are afraid to call you because they say maybe he was kidnapped from the school.¡±

    Fear clouded Zhao JingShi. And anger. But he made an effort to calm himself and temper his voice so he didn¡¯t scare Han HaoRan on the other side. ¡°How long ago?¡± Why didn¡¯t the school inform him immediately? In the case of a kidnapping, every second was crucial.

    ¡°I came here five minutes ago but his friends say he ran off only about fifteen minutes ago.¡±

    Han HaoRan was smart and his family raised him with as much expectation as the Zhaos had for their little YuShi. Zhao JingShi therefore did not waste time to wonder at the boy¡¯s brilliance in investigating or doubt his information.

    ¡°Alright, you did good,¡± he said. ¡°Call your father and tell him everything.¡±

    The school belonged to the Han Group and Han HaoRan was a Han. Han HaoRan¡¯s obligation was to his family first but Zhao JingShi was grateful that their family ties were close and the little boy informed him first.

    He ended the call and spared a moment to consider the possibility of someone kidnapping his child. On the very first day Zhao JingShi let his son out by himself the boy was stolen away? He was finding a few hours of separation difficult. Now that this happened to his child, he felt old, tired, afraid.

    ¡°Get the car,¡± he ordered. ¡°We are going to the school.¡± Heads were going to roll. This was how people protected his child?

    ¡°The car is already waiting,¡± Feng Bo had informed the driver immediately after Zhao JingShi took the phone call.

    Zhao JingShi stepped out from behind his desk but he only made one step before his private phone rang. Only a few people had his private number. His family, his close friends, his son... his son¡¯s kidnapper...

    He fished the phone out of his pocket, glancing at the unfamiliar number as he received the call. It must be the kidnapper!

    He was in a state of fear and expectation, his adrenaline and worry so high that when he heard: ¡°Daddy! I found my Mommy!¡± from the other side, his mind blinkered out and all kinds of feelings came crashing down.

    Zhao YuShi was too happy and excited for someone who worried his father.

    In one instant, his sharp mind pieced together everything. Fear melted into relief, anger overwhelmed him, ¡°You little rascal! I¡¯m going to give you a beating, just see of I don¡¯t!¡±

    * * *

    On the other side, Zhao YuShi who had never been beaten in his life was confused.

    One tiny index finger pressed against the side of his head as he thought about what he did wrong. Nothing! He found his mother. He was a hero.

    And this is what he told his father: ¡°I found my mother. You should praise me.¡±

    * * *

    His father was so angered that he was incapable of saying anything except, ¡°I will beat you! Ran away from school? I will beat you!¡±

    Feng Bo at the side narrowed his brow. How did ¡®My son must be kidnapped!¡¯ turn into ¡®I will beat you!¡¯

    Next, Zhao JingShi heard his son say, ¡°I will give my mom the phone and she will tell you where to pick us up. And Dad,¡± the gloating was obvious in the little guy¡¯s voice, ¡°I am going to eat ice-cream now.¡±

    Ice-cream was the topic of an on-going argument between Zhao JingShi and Zhao YuShi. Hearing his son so happy and taking about ice-cream caused him to relax completely so he could and understand what the boy was saying.

    ¡®Found his mother¡¯? Found his mother!

    ¡°What do you mean you found your mother? Where are you?¡±

    His son didn¡¯t answer because the phone was already handed over.

    ¡°Mister?¡± A voice he could recognize anywhere came across. Zhao JingShi was so surprised that he pulled the device away from his ear so he could look at the screen. The only thing he saw was that unfamiliar phone number.

    ¡°Mister?¡± She asked again.

    Zhao JingShi was speechless. In these last few minutes he felt too many different emotions that he couldn¡¯t process any more. This was system overload.

    After getting no answer, the voice on the other end started a monologue. ¡°Mister, your son wandered into our shop. The shop name is ¡®Piermont¡¯. It is only a few buildings away from Taiji Academy. Your son insists we call you and not the school to pick him up.¡± She said the address and then, ¡°Mister? Will you come?¡±

    Zhao JingShi¡¯s brain was still fried.

    ¡°Mister? Mister?¡±

    After a while of hearing her voice over and over, he was repaired enough to say, ¡°Yes.¡± He took in a deep breath, ¡°Li Xia?¡±

    The voice on the other end gasped. ¡°How do you know my name?¡±

    Zhao JingShi closed his eyes, uncontrolled relief coming over him on top of everything else this morning. Finally, she was found. ¡°I am coming.¡± Her voice helped him regain his strength which his naughty son had robbed him off. He shut off the phone before Li Xia asked any more questions he couldn¡¯t answer.

    In the aftermath, a slow, pleased grin spread over his face. This son of his was naughty but intensely smart and useful.

    * * *

    Feng Bo, who heard one side of the conversation and saw a pleased but calculative smile cross his boss¡¯s face, was struck dumb. What happened in the last five minutes?

    ¡°Let us pick up my wife and son.¡±

    Ah? The boss wasn¡¯t married. However... ¡°Li Xia? You found her?¡±

    Zhao JingShi¡¯s calculative grin widened.

    Feng Bo had to toss a frog into his boss¡¯s pond. ¡°You haven¡¯t married her yet.¡±

    Zhao JingShi¡¯s face fell. ¡°Do you want your monthly bonus?¡±

    Feng Bo put away his sarcasm and swept his arm in the direction of the door. ¡°After you, President.¡± Anything to protect the monthly bonus.

 Extra Scene (1) - New Year at the Ancestral House

    Extra Scene - New Year at the Ancestral House

    On New Year morning, snow fell from a bright grey sky. Snowflakes gently floated down, landing on the courtyard of the Old House ¡ª the Ancestral Estate of the old and Ancient linage of Zhao Family. everything was white.

    Little Zhao YuShi was leaning his elbows on the window, peering outside at the falling snow. He was fascinated.

    Behind, Zhao JingShi sat with the rest of the family at the breakfast table, his eyes only for his son. He was full of a special feeling of content : His little son was only a few years old, where had he seen this sight before? This year might be the first time Little YuShi could remember snow.

    The night before, they, father and son, stayed overnight at the ancestral house to accompany the elders ¡ª Zhao JingShi''s grandparents. His own parents and Zhao JingShen''s wife and parents also accompanied them. On this day, there was a rare lively scene at the breakfast table.

    The Old Man was in a good mood. He served himself some porridge and his eyes fell on YuShi to the side. "Little Boy, come to the breakfast table." His voice was gruff as he said it, with some warmth but also disapproval.

    Zhao JingShi glanced and saw the complications in the Old Man''s eyes when he looked at YuShi.

    His son was excellent, a proper heir for the family, but had one flaw the Old Man, attached to the old traditions, could not accept.

    At the window, YuShi leaned forward to see better and did not obey. He leaned out until his nose touched the cold glass. "Wow!"

    Zhao JingShi''s lips twitched up: His son also had mixed feelings for this grandfather too. "YuShi," he called, least his grandfather tried to discipline Zhao JingShi''s own son. "Come here to eat."

    Little YuShi straightened immediately but his eyes clung to the winter scene outside. He was reluctant.

    "Come over," Zhao JingShi urged. "Dad will take you out to play in the snow later."

    "Really?" The little boy''s body shone with eagerness. "Ok Dad, you promised!"

    "Zhao family men do not say what they don''t mean," the old man grumbled unnecessarily. "Your father will not tell lies to you."

    The Old Lady quickly poked the Old Man in the arm. "You! Why don''t you keep out of their father-son business. Who asked you? It is New Year''s Day, can''t you be nice to the boy?"

    The old man grumbled, his lips hanging down.

    Zhao YuShi pretended he couldn''t hear and tried to climb the chair next to Zhao JingShi.

    Zhao JingShi was sorry for his son. He plucked the boy up and lifted him onto his own lap. "Sit with me." He wrapped his arms around his small, few years old son and tried not to squeeze him too much. He was so full of love and gratitude for this child, he pampered him every day. Only at this ancestral house would his son face injustice and for that, he the father was guilty. "I will feed you today."

    His son snuggled into his arms immediately. He laughed up at Zhao JingShi, his little almond shaped eyes clear and bright. The small scolding just now was immediately forgotten. "Okay! Dad feed me!"

    They both looked over at the table filled with food. "What does the Little Guy want?"

    The others at the table quietly watched as Zhao YuShi in his father''s arms, happily listed everything he wanted and his father fetched the dishes and served the little ancestor himself.

    The old man again broke the silence. "You spoil him too much."

    In the Old Man''s opinion, where was there a man who fetched and served a little child like this? How could this kind of trait exist in the man who controlled the entire Zhao Family Enterprises. Zhao JingShi was raised by the Old Man himself to focus on his work, to be a traditional man who worked outside and left the child raising to women. Everything else should be second to the family and the company.

    Where did his teachings go wrong?

    How could the Old Man watch idly while Zhao JingShi, who had the world beneath his feet and who should be majestic, fork a piece of chicken and personally send it to his son''s mouth?

    Moreover, in a few years that son would inherit all their Zhao Family property and enterprises. Over-pampering like this was bad for character.

    He couldn''t scold the child but he could scold the father! "You are not even married!"

    The little one was startled and glanced at him. Zhao JingShi whom he was talking to ignored him and reached for another dish his son liked.

    When the Little Guy''s eyes fell on the Old Man, for no particular reason, he was more enraged. "If you were married to the boy''s mother for even a day, I can accept it but you were never married and just brought him back. We cannot even say he is a child of an outside room because you don''t have an outside room."

    Zhao JingShi dropped his utensils. The temperature in the room also dropped several degrees despite the excellent heating in the house.

    But who was this old man? Before Zhao JingShi, he was the head of the entire enterprise and he was still the Old Head of the family. Zhao JingShi was his descendant and could not have an aura that beat him, only competed with him. He continued to say:

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    "If it is an outside room, I can accept it because we know what the boy''s mother looks like and her character. But you," he pointed at Zhao JingShi, "you brought him back just like that with no mother behind him."

    If it weren''t for multiple DNA testing the Old Man secretly ordered when the child was brought back, he would even doubt the child belonged to them. But with Zhao YuShi resembling Zhao JingShi ninety-five percent as he grew older, who would not believe they were father and son?

    "My son''s mother would never be an outside room," Zhao JingShi, this hateful young man, said coldly.

    What does this mean? Isn''t it that the woman was not even worthy to be an outside mistress? The old man was so enraged he felt his heart speed increasing. "You rascal!"

    "Alright!" The Old Lady at his side was also enraged. "You old man, what are you scolding the younger ones for? You''re ruining the auspicious day with your outdated nattering."

    The Old Man looked at the woman who accompanied him through more than half his life and deflated at once. He could compete with his grandson but never this Old Woman. He knew his boundaries.

    He took a sip of porridge and looked down into the little boy''s confused eyes. "What are you waiting for? Eat." Such a young child could not understand all his words but his tone and his anger had scared the little guy. The boy was staring in shock, his little grey eyes wide and his mouth slightly opened.

    Zhao JingShi hugged the child tightly, blocking his son''s face with his arm. He rubbed the little ancestor''s hair.

    The Old Man snorted and continued with his food.

    Later, Zhao JingShi squatted outside, watching his son play in the snow. His child was bundled into so many layers by Zhao JingShi himself, that he looked like a little fluff ball rolling around.

    Little YuShi grabbed clumps of new, white snow powder from the ground and jumped, sprinkling it in the air. He laughed as the powder came down over him and bent to do it again.

    Zhao JingShi stayed close, enjoy his son''s laughter and watching his happy face.

    For this child, Zhao JingShi tried to be both mother and father to him, even going so far as to take the child into work everyday. His reasoning was simple: If the child was not in front of him twenty-four hours a day, how could he be assured that he was taking good care of this baby for the baby''s mother?

    The boy''s mother couldn''t do it. Only he could do it.

    Zhao YuShi started gathering snow from the yard. "Dad! Help make a snowman!"

    "Alright," Zhao JingShi walked over to help.

    When the snow was piled high, eighty percent done by Zhao JingShi, his son suddenly stopped and turned to him.

    "Dad, is ''to marry'' important?"

    Zhao JingShi looked down seriously at his little son. The boy couldn''t understand any of what the old man said, but he could still understand the gist of it. Zhao JingShi squatted down to a posture of ''Son, Dad is going to teach you'' and took the boy''s hands, drawing him closer.

    This little guy might not understand anything he said today, but it was never to early to teach children: "Son. ''To marry'' is very important. But the person you marry to is the most important."

    "What is ''to marry''?"

    "Like your aunt and uncle," he explained, referencing his cousin Zhao JingSen and JingShen''s wife. "Like your grandpa and grandma. A man and woman love each other so much they want to stay together for years and years and years."

    Little YuShi''s eyes became larger and larger while he considered for a few minutes. Zhao JingShi remained patiently squatting and admired his smart child''s cute features twisting and turning in thought. This son inherited all of his father''s best physical features ¡ª which was his whole face ¡ª and also his mother''s almond shaped, long-lashed eyes. He was proud of this son and was lucky to get to raise him well.

    "Will I get married too?"

    Zhao JingShi: "......"

    Little child, you can''t just marry anybody.

    Zhao JingShi: "You can only marry one person so you have to be very careful when marrying."

    "I see," the child lowered his eyes to think. When he raised his eyelids again, his eyes were full of brightness, "I can marry someone like my Mom!"

    "Okay," Zhao JingShi laughed.

    "Dad, you miss my mom so much. Why didn''t you marry my mom?"

    If marriage was important, and he cherished this son to high heavens, why did he not marry his son''s mother?

    Zhao JingShi tugged the confused little guy closer and hugged his little round body into his arms. He didn''t dare to look into his son''s eyes.

    He could only confess, "Son, Dad is sorry to you. Dad isn''t good."

    Zhao YuShi, who had been coddled by his old father for all of his life, felt sad for his Dad. He stretched his short arms out and hugged his Dad back. "Dad is alright. Dad has me."

    The Old Man stood at the window, his hands folded behind his stern and straight back. His eyes fixed on the father and son outside.

    The child''s laughter floated into the room, accompanied by his father''s deeper one. The child was lying on his father''s back and they ran back and forth, playing in the snow.

    The Old Man sighed.

    Of course he was proud of his great-grandson. Little YuShi was the eldest great-grandchild. He was smart and already had shadows of the kind of strength and intelligence necessary to lead their Family Empire.

    The child was quick-witted and lively. Sometimes too serious which was to be expected for a child Zhao JingShi raised.

    But the old man had a stone in his heart... it was the child''s unknown mother. How could he be comfortable without knowing where the other half of their future heir''s character and lineage came from? It was not a matter of one little boy and his parents, but a matter of Family Legacy. Little Zhao YuShi was this family''s future, carrying the whole three thousand years of linage on his back.

    Zhao JingShi... the Old Man sighed. That child JingShi was raised strictly and seriously since he was small. He was taught to be cold and calculating, to put his whole self towards the power of the Family Empire as befitting the future Family Patriarch.

    "Where did it go wrong?"

    ¡ª About the time he brought home a son.

    "You Old Fart," the Old Lady walked beside him and sat down. "Why are you sighing at the child again?"

    "Alright, I was wrong today!" The Old Man admitted. Still, he scolded, pointing out the window. "That Zhao JingShi, who does he take after? Everyday he guards his son against us. Can I not be angry?"

    For as long as the boy had been alive, Zhao JingShi have never let him visit their Old Man and Old Lady alone. They had never once seen Zhao YuShi without Zhao JingShi present. "Am I going to eat the child?"

    The Old Lady shook her head. "Old fashioned old man. You always talk about the child''s mother in front of him. JingShi holds the child in the palm of his hand. Will he not be angry?

    The Old Man turned away, his cheeks swelling. "It''s his mistake. He played with an unknown woman outside and brought back a child as his heir. Where is the woman? Alright, he doesn''t want to bring her home ¡ª but what is her name? Who are her family? Who does our Little YuShi belong to?"

    Next to the Old Man, the Old Lady shook her head. Deep in her heart she agreed with his thoughts, but Little YuShi was so cute that she only felt sorry for him having no mother.

    "Enough. These days, you can''t tell young people what to do. JingShi doesn''t want to speak of the child''s mother. Isn''t it enough he has an heir already. Why are you worrying? At most he will get married in the future."

    "Bah!" The Old Man squinted at the Old Lady, his heart full of worry.

    The child''s laughter floated loudly in the room again.

    The Old Man''s voice was full of roughness with a little pity, "Then Little YuShi will only be bullied in the future. That Zhao JingShi raised his child to be a soft persimmon." A stepmother for a precious heir like YuShi was not good for the child. "It is best he has his own mother."

 14 - Eyes like Mine

    Chapter 14 - Eyes Like Mine

    In the small private room at Piermont, the little guy looked at Li Xia and Li Xia looked at the little guy. Her phone was abandoned on the table.

    ¡°How can you say that to your Dad?¡±

    Calling her his ¡®Mom¡¯!

    Li Xia wasn¡¯t stupid. She was new to the city but she could already tell that a prestigious school like Taiji Academy was where the wealthiest of the wealthy sent their children. When the little guy said what he said, his father had to think she, Li Xia, was bribing his son in a nefarious plan to bag a rich man.

    ¡®I¡¯m not like that!¡¯ She could only practice her protest beforehand and hope he believed her.

    She cut eyes at the little scoundrel. This guy was cute but troublesome.

    He blinked three times, his eyes large and round.

    ¡°Eh?¡± Li Xia leaned down a bit. ¡°Little Dumpling, your eyes are the same colour as mine.¡± Her eye colour was slightly unusual, but was often mistaken as plain brown. This close to the little guy, she could see the light grey colour mixed in, and some green.

    The cute little eyes shone.

    Li Xia shook her head, ¡°You¡¯re too young for contact lenses, Baby. How old are you?¡±

    The cute eyes stopped shining, becoming cloudy with confusion. His lips hung down. ¡°What is ¡®contact lenses¡¯?¡±

    Li Xia kept shaking her head. Kids these days sure knew how to get away with things. His father must be indulgent, buying him things to make up for not spending time with him. She reached out and patted his sweet little head, her heart full of pity for this poor, lonely, neglected child. ¡°It¡¯s bad for your eyes. Don¡¯t wear them.¡±

    Zhao YuShi, the ¡®poor, lonely, neglected child¡¯ opened his mouth to say something.

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    At the same time, Su YiWei opened the door. ¡°Ice-cream is here,¡± she walked in with a tray.

    He instantly focused on the items on the tray. His mouth was still opened and in a short time, Li Xia could detect a little bit of drool.

    ¡°Little boy,¡± Su YiWei placed the tray in front of him, ¡°you didn¡¯t say what flavor you like. I¡¯ve brought you three different ice-creams.¡±

    ¡°T-Three flavors?¡± the boy whispered, eyes locked on the ice cream.

    ¡°Strawberry, Vanilla, Chocolate. The three most popular and best tasting ice-creams in the shop!¡±

    ¡°T-Three!¡± the little guy was clearly eager to eat, but he remained frozen.

    Three ice-creams were too much but ... ¡°Don¡¯t you want it?¡± Li Xia patted his head again.

    Suddenly her arms were full of the little boy. He plunged into her side and buried his face, his eyes slightly wet. ¡°Mom! I met you and I can have ice-cream. Mom I¡¯m so happy! It''s so good to have a Mom!¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡±

    ¡°By the way, Li Xia,¡± Su YiWei watched her pat the boy¡¯s shaking back. ¡°There¡¯s a man waiting outside. He said he¡¯s this little guy¡¯s father.¡±

    ¡°So fast?¡± How many traffic laws did the little guy¡¯s father break? Li Xia looked behind her friend to the half opened door but no one was standing there.

    The little guy instantly pulled away from her, hurriedly wiping his tears. ¡°Dad is here?¡± He sniffed and reached out with both arms to hug all his ice-creams, adopting a posture of ¡®protecting the valuables with my body¡¯. ¡°Dad will take away my ice-cream.¡±

    He dragged the tray to the furthest edge of the table from the door and placed it carefully on the floor. He turned his back, hiding the dessert from view. As he took a large first bite of chocolate, he snuck a quick peek back at her. ¡°Mom, you distract him and I will eat. I can eat fast!¡±

    Already, his little face was smeared with ice-cream, causing Li Xia to laugh.

    Su YiWei shook her head. ¡°Such a strange child.¡±

    While the boy ate his ice-cream quickly and greedily, Li Xia stood up. ¡°Is his father coming in? Or is he waiting for us outside?¡±

    ¡°He was right behind me.¡± Su YiWei turned around, curious.¡°I¡¯ll bring him over again. Wait here and look pretty.¡±

    Li Xia: ¡°...¡±

    That advice was... not helpful.

    <hr>

    Extra short story:

    While preparing one chocolate ice-cream for a certain Little Guy, Piermont¡¯s front door opened.

    The customer strolled to the ice-cream counter. ¡°I believe my son is in this shop? The boy ran away from school.¡±

    Su YiWei was dazzled: the shoes were expensive, the coat was expensive, the shirt and tie were astronomically expensive, the watch was limited edition...

    Money! Money! Money!

    Who was she to turn away sales?

    ¡°Yes sir, please wait a moment. He ordered ice-cream. ¡± Su YiWei promptly turned around and prepared two extra ice-creams.

    Then, with the prepared tray in hand and her sales smile across her face, she walked out from behind the counter. ¡°This way, please.¡±

    <hr>

 15 - First Meeting After Many Years

    Chapter 15 - First Meeting After Many Years

    Piermont¡¯s interior decor was modern with glass, romantic lighting and chandeliers. Several supporting pillars were inlaid with mirrors to give an illusion of more light and more space.

    Zhao JingShi stopped in front of one of the mirrors and straightened his jacket. He pulled up his collar, fixed his tie, made sure his hair was combed just right...

    Beside him, Feng Bo guided: "Flick that bit of hair up again, Boss. No, not like that. A little to the left, that''s it. Here, let me."

    This was what Su YiWei saw when she came out to look for Little Dumpling''s dad: Mr. Money stood straight, staring at himself in the mirror. A man who also looked like he was made of money was stuck to his side, fixing his hair, rubbing his face, adjusting Mr. Money''s tie and shirt...

    A lightbulb blinkered on. Su YiWei: This is why the little guy doesn''t have a mom!

    "Ah hem!" She cleared her throat.

    The two men separated and looked over. Not a hint of embarrassment was on their faces. For Su YiWei, it was further evidence of their deep relationship. Yes, this is why there''s no Mom for the Little Dumpling.

    Zhao JingShi didn''t know or care what a cafe staff thought about him. He was focused on meeting his son''s mother.

    "Lead the way," he invited. His voice sounded as steady as the most boring business meeting. No one but him knew the anticipation in his heart.

    "It''s this room right here," the staff gestured at a door to the left of herself. When she saw that he didn''t move immediately, her eyebrows went up. "Are you going in? My friend is inside, looking after your son."

    Behind him, Feng Bo countered, "How do you know we are his relatives? Did you ask for identification? You will let anyone come in and take the child without verifying?"

    "Why verify? The boy called you..."

    Zhao JingShi ignored Feng Bo. Who knew why this assistant took more offence than he, the father, in this matter? Both Feng Bo and the female staff were dust in his eyes at this point.

    He walked past the couple and entered the room by himself. He quickly shut the door with the back of his hand - he wanted his first meeting with her after so many years to be in private and without interruptions.

    There she was, just standing in the room next to the table. Dim light cast shadows on her face, shone on her black hair, made it too dark to see the colours of her eyes clearly. She was slim - still as slender as when he last talked to her many years ago.

    He inspected her forehead, her cheeks, her bare arms, and the skin of her legs beneath the short hem of her skirt. There was a time when he saw her ¨C

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    He consciously cut that image.

    He pulled his gaze back to her eyes. Pure and clean, without any knowledge of him. She watched him - all 185cm of him - as intently as he looked at her.

    "Um..." Eventually, a sound came from her. She loosely clasped her hands - a sign of nervousness. "Are you Little Dumpling''s father?"

    The irony. The first words she said to him were these.

    His lips pulled into a cold smile and he hurriedly turned his face away, squeezing his eyes shut. He felt a wet droplet on the corner of his eye.

    "Mister?"

    He blinked his eyes open and hastily wiped away the tears. When he faced her, he was once more the invincible, emotionless businessman. He was steady and distant but not too cold. "My name is Zhao JingShi. Call me JingShi."

    "Ah?" Her head tilted slightly. "Mr. Zhao -"

    "JingShi," he corrected.

    Her head shook in denial. "We just met," she protested. In their society, people didn''t call each other''s first names unless they were friends and relatives or same-age acquaintances. The family name was more commonly used.

    "We can drop formalities," he tried to be gentle as he persuaded. "You found my naughty son and I am grateful to you."

    She waved her palms in protest, her cheeks turning a noticeable red. "Not at all. I didn''t do anything. He wandered in by himself and made the phone call himself. He''s a smart child," she praised at the end. "You raised a really smart Dumpling."

    She looked at him. He looked at her.

    What to say next?

    "You are ¨C"

    "Li Xia!" She interrupted. "My name is Li Xia. Family name ''Li''. First name ''Xia''."

    He nodded, going along with her introduction. "Li Xia. Let me and my son take you out for dinner to thank you."

    Suspicion entered her eyes.

    Zhao JingShi tried for his most innocent expression. Where am I suspicious? I''m a normal man interested in a beautiful woman. "Miss?"

    Her suspicion grew. "Do you know me?"

    He chose not to hear the question.

    "On the phone you said my name before I introduced myself."

    He chose not to hear that either.

    "Have you been to Country A before?"

    This, he could answer honestly. "I''m a businessman. I''ve been there and to other countries many times."

    She paused. He was watching her so closely that he could see the wheels turning in her head. She''d always been a smart one. "Then," this time she was hesitant. She looked away to the side of the room. She clenched her fists, released, clutched the fabric of her blouse, and turned even redder. A faint sheen appeared on her brow. "Have you ever met me in Country A?"

    Yes. Many times.

    But what he said was, "Sit down." The sweat on her forehead concerned him. "Are you feeling faint?" In one or two big strides, he was by her side, his palm at the back of her waist. His left hand moved to her forehead to check her temperature.

    She dodged, startled. And stepped out of his arms. "Mr. Zhao!"

    Zhao JingShi himself moved backed away from her in half a step, inwardly cursing his own IQ. "Forgive me. I was too familiar."

    "Have you met me before?" She persisted.

    Yes! Yes we have! He nodded imperceptibly. "Let me and my son take you to dinner. I will answer all your questions."

    On her face was written ''opportunistic bastard!'' Her eyes were pure of guile. "No. I don''t know who you are."

    His head flew back; he felt as if she punched him in the throat. Disregarding their past, his name was famous, his family was prominent! At least she should have heard of him!

    "I am Zhao JingShi, the current President of the Zhao Family Group," he advertised himself like soliciting a resume.

    She said nothing.

    "You do know of the Zhao Family Group?"

    She shook her head.

    "One of the most prominent families in this country?"

    She shook her head again.

    He sighed. It couldn''t be helped. He was just going to have to lure her home with him. He put one hand in his pocket and straightened his body. He also turned slightly to the side, striving to show off his tall, fit length and handsome face.

    Confidence settled like a mantle befitting the top leader of the country''s economy. "I''m rich, I am the President of the whole Zhao Group and I''m the current Head of the family and the business." He gestured to the little guy squatting in the furthest corner of the room with his back towards them. "The future boss is there. If you come with us, you will lack for nothing. We are good and kind people and we would like to take you to dinner."

    Li Xia''s eyes became bigger and rounder. Her face said: ''What wrong medicine did you take today?''

 16 - Cute Baby

    Chapter 16 - Cute Baby

    This was a kidnapping in broad daylight!

    Standing at an angle, his body straight and his posture like a model showing off his best side for a photo shoot, the man in front of her was undeniably handsome. He also looked expensive, wealthy and arrogant. The overflowing confidence was almost too much. As for his face, he was the tall, grown up version of the Little Dumpling. This was what the phrase ''peerless beauty'' meant, Li Xia nodded to herself.

    "So you will come with us?" The man urged immediately.

    "No!"

    "You gave a nod. You agreed."

    When he first walked in he gave the impression of a strict, unapproachable, principled person. Then he opened his mouth...

    "Sir -"

    "JingShi," he interrupted again.

    "Didn''t you come to collect your son?"

    They both glanced into the corner. Little Dumpling was focused on eating. He was shoveling the last of the strawberry ice cream into his mouth as if someone was going to steal it in the next second.

    Li Xia couldn''t help thinking too much. "Zhao Family Group you said?" Anything with a ''Group'' behind it was unimaginable wealth and privilege. This was a rich young master, right? Why did he look like he''d never tasted ice-cream? Listening to him, it was only the third time he ate it?

    Zhao JingShi laughed. "My good and smart son!" There was pride in his voice.

    The little boy squatting in the corner froze.

    Inside the little guy''s head: There''s still vanilla left! Dad, why do you have to notice me now? Mom, you didn''t do a good job!

    Zhao JingShi didn''t know his little pride and joy was scolding him in his heart. He called again, "Little Guy, come here."

    Li Xia watched the Little Dumpling reluctantly leave his remaining ice-cream and trot over to his father''s side. His small mouth was in a displeased pout but his eyes shone with adoration. He stood beside his father, his height not even as tall as the man''s knees. Li Xia saw him look up at the man and the pout became deeper.

    The next instant, he hugged his father''s leg like a koala, the messy hand and legs clinging tight. "Dad!" he called.

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    Li Xia wondered: Just how pampered is this little boy?

    This man had wealth dripping off of him, permeating the very air around him. The clothes he wore was moulded to his tall body in an exquisite custom fit. The suit was of quality fabric and cut. It could not be cheap.

    Li Xia''s own experience of occasionally accompanying her father to suit fittings in the past also let her know the average price of such a piece of clothing was thousands of dollars at the least.

    And here was the Dumpling, his hands stained and sticky with vanilla, strawberry and chocolate, gripping the fabric in his little fists. Li Xia watched him rub his mouth on his father''s pant leg too, just after he shouted in his milky, baby voice.

    And this man, Zhao JingShi - he looked down at the boy with pride and adoration. He patted the boy''s head,

    "My good son."

    This was too much! ''Good son''? The boy ran away from school!

    Zhao JingShi reached down and grabbed the boy''s school jacket by the back of the collar. Li Xia, just dumbfounded by the whole series of events, watched him lift the boy like a small backpack until they were almost the same height. Little Dumpling''s short arms flailed to his sides like a chicken.

    When the one big and one small face were side by side, they both blinked at her with identical grins. Zhao JingShi, the certifiable madman coaxed, "Look at this cute baby face. Don''t you want to come with us?"

    Just what the hell was this?

    "How are you holding the child!" Li Xia snapped and reached out for the boy on instinct. She grabbed the boy by his under arms and yanked him out of Zhao JingShi''s hold. This man! How did he raise this child?

    "Does he always hold you like this?" She asked Little Dumpling. Like a backpack and not a little human.

    Little Dumpling nodded happily.

    Li Xia glared at the child''s strange father and hugged the boy to herself.

    The man only grinned at her, so charming that she almost blinked in surprise. Honestly, it should be criminal to be so handsome. "Come," the man glanced at Little Dumpling and reached out for napkins on the table. "Sit down, the child is heavy."

    With tissue paper in hand he moved close to Li Xia, so close that she became aware of her own lack of height next to him, and felt almost crowded. "Let me wipe his hands." He reached for the child''s little fingers and the Little Dumpling reached out his arms to his father, offering them freely.

    "Look at how dirty," there was no end to the happiness and doting in the man''s voice. "You will dirty your mother''s clothes."

    Li Xia started to feel strange. Her mentality had felt strange from the moment this man called her name, but now her body starred to feel strange too. "I''m not his mother," she reminded.

    She might not have spoken, her words falling into an abyss of cotton before they reached the ears of this father and son. The Dumpling let his father clean his finger but his whole body was lax against Li Xia, his little head with the softest hair snuggling against her chest.

    His father was calm in his task, not even moving his brows when she spoke.

    This whole situation was strange.

    "Are you alright?" Zhao JingShi finished wiping and put down the tissue. "Come and sit," he urged again, his hand moving too naturally - once again - to her back. "You look as if you will faint."

    Because all of this was too confusing! She scolded him internally.

    She didn''t resist his help and sat down.

    In her arms, the Dumpling refused to let go. His now clean hands were clutching her blouse, holding tight. He blinked up at her, the kind of adoration he looked at his father was there, as well as something else. Something so pure she couldn''t name it. "Mom!" He called and smiled. He rested his head against her chest again and on instinct, she hugged him tighter. His little voice trembled. "Dad, Mom is hugging me."

    The little guy burst into tears again.

 17 - Older Sister

    Chapter 17 - Older Sister

    Zhao JingShi leaned over to collect his sleeping son.

    The little guy spent the whole time crying on Li Xia - a frightened and alarmed Li Xia. She spent the whole time hugging and patting him on the back. Zhao JingShi just remained quiet and ignored Li Xia''s panicked eyes in the interest of letting mother and son bond.

    He stepped back with the boy in his arms.

    "Why did you let him cry all over me? Why let him call me ''Mom''."

    He gestured with his chin to the table in front of her.

    She picked up the business card, barely glancing at it. She was focused on the little guy like a magnet.

    "That''s my contact. If you want answers¡ª" Li Xia had always been a smart and curious woman "¡ªcall me. It''s my personal number, not the business number."

    "How can you¡ª" She was wide eyed, a small sense horror blooming. "Mr. Zhao, I am a stranger. I don''t know you."

    Zhao JingShi got ready to leave. "If you like, we can do a DNA test. When you''re ready, call me," were his final words.

    It was a shitty situation, but he won''t allow her to hide from him and their son. All he could give her was space. A little ¡ª very minute ¡ª amount of space.

    When he placed his son in the car, the boy''s lashes fluttered over his swollen eyes. "Shh," he patted the guy''s little cheek. The amount of guilt he felt towards his child crippled him sometimes. If it weren''t for his own stubbornness that year, YuShi would have grown up knowing his mother. Li Xia would not have lived apart from them for so long. He, Zhao JingShi would have had a wife.

    <hr>

    It was night.

    Li Xia sat alone in the living room of the small apartment she and Su YiWei shared. Su YiWei was still at work. Li Xia, as a part timer doing a favor for her friend, could leave the caf¨¦ whenever she wanted.

    In the evening, her head was full of the father and son. She could think of nothing else.

    The little boy cried all over her for a long time, breaking her heart and his father''s. When he fell asleep and his father took him home, Li Xia left the cafe. She''d been sitting here ever since. Thinking. The man''s card with his personal contact information remained in her hand the entire time.

    Li Xia ran her thumb across "Zhao JingShi".

    She remembered the look on his face when he saw her for the first time.

    She remembered the Little Guy''s naughtiness. And his tears.

    "If you like, we can do a DNA test."

    What could be more certain than those words?

    But it couldn''t be.

    She couldn''t be that baby boy''s mother. Something like that only happened in movies.

    She''d never been pregnant. Even if she couldn''t remember a pregnancy, her body would have traces. It didn''t.

    Did it?

    She unbuttoned the middle section of her dress.

    The faint line there was thin, almost non-existent. Her skin was smooth and moisturized, without any blemishes. If that line wasn''t a shade paler than the rest of her skin, she''d never even notice it.

    This was a scar from a car accident, not a pregnancy.

    Her mother said it was an accident. Her mother wouldn''t lie to her about a child. It was too fantastical. Too... improbable. Too cruel.

    Still, a niggling doubt about that boy... She should ask her mother. But how to ask? "Mom did you lie to me? I was pregnant but you never told me?"

    She didn''t know for certain that Little Dumpling was hers. She couldn''t call her mom over something like this.

    Zhao JingShi... how to talk to him? He was a mostly a stranger ¡ª even if he kept implying she''d given birth to his adorable child.

    If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    That cute baby was hers?

    She had the urge to hug the Little Dumpling. Right now. If he was hers then what happened? Why wasn''t he with her when she woke up from a coma years ago? Why didn''t she know about him?

    She touched her scar, feeling nothing different from the rest of her skin. Why was she told it was from an accident and not a baby?

    And why, when she woke up, wasn''t her baby with her.

    Li Xia reached over and opened the drawer to get her overseas phone.

    She looked through the contacts until she found one : ''Li Meng (Home)''.

    She pressed the call button, put the phone to her ear. Her heart jumped.

    The phone rang only for half a tone on the other side. As soon as it connected: "Where are you? Do you know how much trouble and worry you caused our family? Are you insane! Your mother and father are out of their minds and your brother-in-law is scouring the country for you. Where are you? Do you know how much money¡ª" Her older sister''s fierce scolding blistered her ear.

    Li Xia blushed slightly. When she left without telling anyone, she thought it would only be a few days before her powerful brother-in-law found out her whereabouts so her parents won''t worry for long. She didn''t run off to do anything illegal. She just needed to think for a while about her future.

    A future that looked nothing like what she''d imagined only this morning.

    "Do I have a child?" she asked directly when her sister paused for breath.

    Li Meng suddenly had nothing to say.

    Li Xia pressed, her suspicions growing. "Did I have a baby when I was in the hospital?" And why didn''t she remember it? "Did you steal my baby and give him away?"

    And who did Li Xia have that baby with? That man¡ª "Do you know a Zhao JingShi?"

    He had to have been Li Xia''s boyfriend before the accident. Because she didn''t remember him and her memory only stopped at 18 when she entered university. It began again at 21 when she woke up in the hospital. Despite the gap between her entrance at NYU and her accident, she''d felt so safe when she woke up. Safe and loved because her entire family was there to take care of her.

    What if!

    What if behind that care was something as ugly as stealing her child. Her suspicion was almost a certainty now.

    She grew up with her sister, so even through the phone, she could understand everything by her sister''s sharp exhale when ''Zhao JingShi'' was dropped.

    "I made a little boy, didn''t I?" Saying those words ... heartbreak and joy both fell over her.

    She had a cute little baby. A huggable dumpling willing to call her his mother. He didn''t reject her for her absence in his life! Her little boy! Her tears, held in because she had been unsure until now, watered her cheeks. "I have a baby?"

    "Where are you?" Her sister was no longer scolding, no longer harsh. She just sounded worried.

    "Why didn''t anyone tell me?"

    "I-"

    "You''re pregnant!" Li Xia was suddenly so angry and her sister was the only one she could yell at. Before she left America, her sister was 4 months pregnant. "You''re going to be a mother. How could you do something like this to me. How could you rob me of my child- "

    Her scolding was too loud and attracted people standing nearby.

    Her sister''s husband was one of those protective types who didn''t like people yelling at their wives. Even if the party yelling was his wife''s sister and was entirely justified.

    His voice cut Li Xia off. "That''s enough." He had taken the phone from Li Meng.

    "Tell me the truth," Li Xia demanded.

    Because Marcus Chang was not a man who lied or who kept things from you if you asked directly. "What do you want to know?"

    In the background, her sister said, "No! Don''t tell her."

    Li Xia ignored her sister, her own certainty becoming solid. "Was I pregnant? Did I have birth while in a coma?"

    "Yes."

    Li Xia slammed a fist into her mouth to stop her sobs.

    "We did much to protect you."

    "From who?" Zhao JingShi?

    "Ask your mother. Your sister''s only part in this was protecting you."

    "From the father of my child?"

    "Yes and no."

    Li Xia laughed, more frustrated than when she''d started the phone call. "Well what can you tell me?"

    "You''ve met Zhao JingShi?"

    "Yes. Was I his girlfriend?"

    "Briefly -"

    "Marcus, shut up!" her sister shouted in the background.

    "Darling, she deserves to know. She''s right.You''re going to be a mother. When this baby is born, you will feel guilty we played a part in keeping your sister''s child from her."

    "So he''s really my baby!" Finally Li Xia got the confession and confirmation she wanted. She felt light headed, saw black spots... felt indescribable anger.

    "WHY?!" She bellowed and sobbed. "Why would you do that to me?"

    Marcus hesitated to answer.

    "At the time it seemed like a good idea," her sister muttered.

    "MengMeng don''t make it worse."

    But sisters listened to no one when fighting. Li Meng: "I had your best interest at heart so don''t make me out to be the bad guy here!"

    "You stole my child!"

    "You were pregnant, brain dead, and twenty!"

    "You bitch!"

    "Alright!" Marcus interjected. "Both of you, enough!"

    "Other bitch," her sister muttered. Marcus had to have sent her ''the look'' because Li Meng muttered "Sorry," silkily like ¡ª she didn''t mean it! ¡ª right after.

    "XiaXia, where are you? We can come to you and explain everything," Marcus said.

    But Li Xia was angry and petty. "Aren''t you a powerhouse or something? You can find me yourself. Piss off!" She ruthlessly pressed the end call button. Several times.

    <hr>

    On the other side, half a world away, Li Meng looked up at her husband. Her little anger at her sister was only a big ball of worry. "What are we going to do? We have to find her. What if she never speaks to me again?"

    Marcus did not roll his eyes at her dramatic thought of her sister never speaking to her again. In the years he''d known them, the two loved fiercely and fought fiercely but never stopped talking.

    But keeping her son from XiaXia?

    And that was only a small part of what went down that year.

    "Don''t worry," he took his wife into his arms. "If Zhao JingShi is near, she''s safe."

    "That man!" His wife scorned. "We have to find her. What if she calls Mom with this?"

    Despite what his wife thought, Zhao Jingshi was a good man and a good businessman. "Where Zhao JingShi is, Li Xia won''t be far." He eyed her pregnant belly. She was four months along. "Are you up for a plane ride?"

    "Yes, of course!" she tottered on her bare heels, excited. "As soon as possible! But what about your business?"

    Marcus liked his sister in law. He didn''t mind dropping everything to ensure her safety. "Don''t worry about that. I''ll make the arrangements."