Chapter 35: Dad Wants to Watch a Movie with Mom Tonight…

Chapter 35: Dad Wants to Take Mom to the Movies Tonight...

Ji Fuxi returned to his study, sat for a moment, then picked up his phone to search online: "Song Tan Live Stream."

The browser directed him to an app, which required downloading first, taking a little time.

By the time he entered, the live stream was nearly over; he only heard the four participants saying goodbye.

He had no choice but to exit and search for "Song Tan" again within the app.

Numerous highlight clips of the live stream were available, with their popularity steadily rising.

The top result was the introductory segment from the beginning of the stream, where the four main actors shared their first impressions of each other.

The comments section was filled with "shipping" discussions, similar to the trending topics from the previous night.

Ji Fuxi didn't linger and quickly scrolled to the next clip.

A highly popular segment featured Song Chuqing's appearance, with her adorable conversation with her mother clipped out—her voice soft, sweet, and utterly charming.

He listened to it four or five times, then clicked the little heart icon beside it.

The next clip showed his own appearance.

It lasted only about three seconds—Song Tan’s video box was blocked and darkened, followed by everyone hearing his "What’s wrong?" Then Song Tan reappeared, calmly stating, "That was the baby’s daddy just now."

Ji Fuxi had initially returned to the study and missed hearing this line.

Now, a smile played on his lips, his mood uplifted.

He shifted his gaze to the young man next to him.

Mu Xingzhou looked utterly shocked, speechless.

A few seconds later, Ji Fuxi noticed his smile was too wide and lightly coughed before closing the app.

Zhuang Cheng had already sent a message: "Mr. Ji, have you seen the news? How should we handle it?"

After some thought, the man replied, "Let's not deal with it yet. I’ll ask her first."

Zhuang Cheng: "Understood."

...

In the living room, Zhao Geyun paced nervously. "Tell me, what do we do now?"

Song Tan had already calmed down and was methodically packing up her equipment. "What can we do? It’s already happened. There’s no hiding it now. Besides, Xiao Chu’s dad was never a secret, and I never claimed to be single—it was bound to come out sooner or later."

Zhao Geyun worried, "Have you considered how this could affect the show? Without Xiao Chu’s dad in the picture, fans could ship you with the male lead or Mu Xingzhou. But now?"

Some marketing was fine, but the current situation had spiraled beyond control. Given how things had unfolded, this was for the best. Song Tan glanced over and smirked, "What’s the problem? Can’t they ship me with Xiao Chu’s dad instead?"

Zhao Geyun froze.

The man who had just stepped out of the study also paused upon hearing this.

Song Tan saw him and awkwardly turned away, then lightly smacked her own lips—"Big mouth, why did I have to say everything out loud!"

When she turned back, Ji Fuxi had already re-entered the room. Song Tan grumbled, "This is all your fault."

Zhao Geyun protested with a laugh, "I think shipping you two works too—a superstar and a CEO? Definitely shippable. Why not give me some material? I’ll find a gossip reporter to leak some details tomorrow."

"Get lost."

Zhao Geyun laughed even harder, but after her amusement faded, she returned to work matters, having made up her mind. "Since it doesn’t affect you negatively, let it be. Deceiving fans will only backfire in the end."

"Mm." Song Tan agreed. Letting rumors run wild would lead to no good outcome.

After Zhao Geyun left, Song Tan checked her phone, which was blowing up.

The studio group chat, the production group chat, and private messages were all overflowing with 99+ notifications—even Song Zongbo had sent a message asking what was going on.

Just as she was about to reply, Mu Xingzhou called.

Song Tan answered, "What is it, Xingzhou?"

The young man’s voice was quiet on the other end. "That person... was Ji Fuxi?"

Song Tan was surprised. "You know him?"

Mu Xingzhou got his answer from her retort. His eyes lowered. "I know. The car that picked you up was his."

Song Tan pursed her lips and said softly, "Xingzhou, we haven’t announced this publicly yet. Could you help keep it a secret?"

"Sure."

The call fell into an unsettling silence. Song Tan had no idea what he was thinking. "Anything else?"

Mu Xingzhou knew he was crossing a line and that he didn't stand a chance, but he still wanted to ask, "Teacher Song, do you like him?"

Song Tan froze.

She repeated the question in her mind: Do I really like him?

Then she asked herself: Do I like him?

She didn’t know.

The answer had grown increasingly unclear, not as clear-cut as it once was.

Unable to get an answer, Mu Xingzhou pressed on, "Song Tan, do you like him?"

Song Tan snapped out of her thoughts, finally understanding the young man’s unusual behavior. Recalling their interactions during filming, her brows furrowed.

Over the past month, Mu Xingzhou had proven to be a decent person—otherwise, Xiao Chu wouldn’t have enjoyed playing with him. She had treated him as a talented young actor. But now, it was clear Mu Xingzhou had gone too far, including with this very question.

Her voice turned serious. "Xingzhou, why are you asking this?"

Mu Xingzhou gave a weak laugh. "No reason, just curious."

Song Tan didn’t have a clear answer, but she could respond to this: "He’s Xiao Chu’s father. We’ll be living together. Whether I like him or not, that won't change."

"Xingzhou, working with you has been a pleasure. I hope your career takes off from here."

...

At 8 p.m., Song Chuqing came downstairs fresh from her bath, calling out, "Mommy, I’m hungry!"

It was Saturday, and Song Tan had planned to cook herself, having told Aunt Zhou not to come today.

They suddenly had to go live unexpectedly. Right before the stream, Song Tan quickly prepared some dumplings and fruits for Song Chuqing, planning to fix her more food after the broadcast.

Needing to reply to Director Fang, Song Tan turned back and said, "Just wait a little bit longer, Mommy will make you noodles."

Before Song Chuqing could respond, Ji Fuxi walked over. "I'll make it."

Song Tan looked up, surprised. "You?"

"Mm." Ji Fuxi patted his daughter's head and glanced at the woman on the couch. "What would you like?"

"...Just a simple tomato and egg noodle is fine."

"Okay."

Song Tan watched his back as he walked away toward the kitchen, wondering to herself—can he cook?

Truth was, Ji Fuxi couldn't, but he was willing to learn.

He wanted to learn.

Guessing how much for three people, he got tomatoes and eggs from the fridge.

Then he opened his phone to search for a recipe, going over each step three times from start to finish, committing it to memory.

A grown man shouldn’t be incapable of making scrambled eggs with tomatoes.

First, he prepped the ingredients—diced the tomatoes, beat the eggs, and added a pinch of salt for seasoning. He didn’t dare add too much; too salty couldn't be fixed.

After washing the pan, he fired up the stove and followed the recipe to the letter.

Scramble the eggs first—a little oil, medium heat.

Once done, set the eggs aside, then stir-fry the tomatoes until they get saucy before adding the eggs back in. Finally, added a touch of sugar and salt.

Playing it safe, he tasted it after the first seasoning, tweaking it until perfect before plating.

While he was stir-frying the tomatoes, Song Tan brought Song Chuqing to the kitchen doorway.

Ji Fuxi had no apron on, standing rigid in front of the stove with a serious expression, didn't look like he belonged in a kitchen—yet he was indeed holding a spatula, working with careful precision.

It was downright shocking that Song Tan had to confirm softly, "Baby, is that Daddy?"

"Mm, it's Daddy." Four-year-old Song Chuqing wasn’t surprised—it was Daddy, cooking. Grown-ups could all cook, and she would learn when she grew up too.

Song Chuqing squirmed down and ran into the kitchen, wrapped her arms around the man’s leg. "Daddy, is it ready?"

Ji Fuxi looked down. "Not yet, still need to boil the noodles."

"I’ll help! I want to cook too!"

Excited, Song Chuqing took a spoon when Ji Fuxi lifted her up, pretending to help stir the pot.

It was nearly ready anyway. After a bit more stir-frying, Ji Fuxi turned off the heat. "Done."

Next was boiling the noodles. He'd already put water on to boil earlier while stir-frying. Ji Fuxi took a bunch of noodles but hesitated—he truly didn’t know how much to add, so he looked to Song Tan for help.

Getting the hint, Song Tan chuckled and stepped in to assist.

Obviously new at this, Ji Fuxi knew how to make the topping and boil noodles but hadn’t thought about broth. So while he cooked the noodles, Song Tan quickly whipped up a simple broth for three bowls.

Ten minutes later, the family of three sat down to a real meal.

Song Chuqing cheered, "This is noodles made by Daddy, Xiao Chu, and Mommy together!"

"Yes, dig in now."

Song Chuqing picked up a piece of egg soaked in tomato sauce with her kid's chopsticks. After tasting it, she piped up enthusiastically, "Daddy, it’s yummy!"

Hearing this, Song Tan doubtfully tasted a piece of tomato—and was genuinely surprised upon tasting it.

It actually tasted good, with just the right balance of sweetness and saltiness. She couldn’t help asking, "You can cook?"

"No, first time."

"..." Impressive.

After dinner, Song Tan volunteered to wash the dishes while he carried their daughter upstairs to put her to bed.

Around nine, the two met outside their daughter’s room. Ji Fuxi spoke first, "Our livestream's trending now. How do you want to handle it?"

With so much attention earlier, it was inevitable. Song Tan replied, "Leave it. The hype will naturally fade later."

"I didn’t know you were live earlier. Sorry."

"It’s fine. It would’ve come out sooner or later—now’s as good a time as any."

Song Tan looked at him closely, but her thoughts weren’t on the matter at hand. She found Ji Fuxi’s behavior tonight odd—his gaze and actions were off somehow.

So she asked, "What's with the sudden urge to cook?"

Ji Fuxi met her eyes directly, not avoiding the question. Softly, he said, "There’ll be times when the housekeeper isn’t around. Can’t always leave it to you."

Boiling noodles wasn’t a big deal—he wasn’t that pampered. And if they were to spend a lifetime together, this was indeed a skill worth learning.

Over the past two days, he’d taken time to sort through his emotions—confusion, frustration, irritation, and the faint flicker of joy not long ago, culminating in an undeniable longing.

Perhaps he was deeper in than he’d realized.

Ji Fuxi thought maybe he hadn’t done enough before, or perhaps his aloofness had slowed their emotional progress, leaving room for others.

He might not have the vigor and passion of a twenty-year-old, but being close by was his edge.

And he intended to seize it.

...

The next day was Sunday. The local clinic was open in the morning, so after breakfast, Song Tan told Song Chuqing they were going for a vaccination. The little girl’s eyes instantly reddened, but she didn’t dare refuse, looking tearfully at the adults.

Song Tan couldn’t bear that look and handed her over to her father.

Ji Fuxi held Song Chuqing for a while before asking knowingly, "Is it absolutely necessary?"

"..." Song Tan nodded. "Absolutely."

The trending topic was still active, so before heading out, Song Tan bundled up tightly and made sure both father and daughter wore masks.

Ji Fuxi drove, pulling right out of the driveway.

Song Tan held the little one and comforted her, "Don't worry, little one. You've gotten shots before—it’ll only hurt for a second."

Song Chuqing sniffled, "Mm, Little Chu isn’t scared. Little Chu is a brave baby."

"Good girl. After the shot, we’ll go eat something good."

"Can I have pizza?"

Song Tan laughed. "Sure."

At the hospital, Song Tan automatically went to take the child to register, but Ji Fuxi stopped her and took the vaccination records and documents from her hands. "I’ll go. You two sit and wait."

"Okay."

After sitting down, Song Tan watched the man standing in line among the crowd. After a while, she smiled.

She used to bring Song Chuqing for shots alone, but now it was different.

The child’s father had been in their lives for three or four months, and many things had quietly changed. Song Chuqing was no longer a shy baby, and Song Tan no longer had to worry about every little thing—school, meals, bedtime—alone. He had given her so much support. When things came up, she finally had someone to help, no longer a single mother struggling in isolation.

Little by little, Song Tan’s heart had built a wall of security. Facing gossip and malicious rumors again, she stood firmer. The panic inside her slowly faded, and she no longer gotten so nervous she felt sick like before.

Maybe the love wasn’t fully there yet, but having a father had already given them so much.

After registering and paying, they took the form to the vaccination area.

Song Chuqing was trembling with fear. Ji Fuxi sat down with her in his arms, the little girl clinging tightly to him.

The nurse was gentle. "Don’t worry, little one. It’ll be over quickly." She looked up. "Mom and Dad, talk to her a bit."

Ji Fuxi held her securely, exposing her small shoulder for the nurse, and said softly, "We’ll have pizza later. What else would Little Chu like to eat?"

The nurse swabbed her skin with iodine, and the little girl shuddered, started crying. "Waaah… Daddy…"

"Don’t be scared, don’t be scared. Mom and Dad are right here." Ji Fuxi comforted her. "Little Chu is as brave as Aqi. We’re not scared of shots."

Song Tan watched from the side, surprised by the tenderness the man displayed.

The experienced nurse swiftly inserted the needle. At that moment, Song Chuqing’s tears streamed down, and she couldn’t even speak—but she didn’t struggle, only silently clutching at an adult’s clothes with her other hand.

Song Tan felt bad. She bent down to wipe her tears. "It’ll be over soon."

And it was. In just a few seconds, the nurse withdrew the needle. "All finished."

But Song Chuqing’s tears didn’t stop. Her held-back cries finally broke free. "Waaah… Mommy… waaah…"

Ji Fuxi pressed the cotton swab to the injection site and took her outside. Song Tan followed with her little jacket.

"Little Chu was so brave." Once seated, Ji Fuxi wiped her tears, feeling bad too. "It’s over now. We’re done."

The little girl sniffled, her cries gradually easing. "Waaah… I never want to come to the hospital again… I hate the hospital…"

"Okay, we won’t come back."

After holding the cotton swab for a while, Ji Fuxi tossed it away. Song Tan put her jacket on her. "Let’s go."

Song Chuqing reached out, looking pitiful. "Want Mommy."

Song Tan handed the forms to Ji Fuxi and took her daughter into her arms.

The little girl slumped against her shoulder, still sniffling, and whispered, "Mommy, it hurts."

"Mommy knows. You did so well, Little Chu. You’re such a brave baby."

"Mm… Little Chu is a brave baby."

By the time they got into the car, Song Chuqing had finally gotten over her fear of the shot. The family of three went to buy pizza.

They didn’t eat out. Ji Fuxi went to get the order while Song Chuqing, besides pizza, also wanted chicken wings and fries. Song Tan agreed to everything.

Back home by ten, the little girl, now full of pizza and chicken wings, was full of energy again, running around with Aqi.

"Mommy, was I really good today?"

Song Tan, who had been replying to messages, paused. "Yes, Little Chu was super good."

"Kiss." The little girl offered her chubby cheek.

Song Tan cupped her face and gave her a loud kiss.

Song Chuqing then ran into the study, looked up for praise. "Daddy, was I brave today?"

The man, who had been in an international video conference, calmly turned off the camera and muted the microphone, ignoring the bewildered partners on the call. He lifted his daughter onto his lap. "Yes, Little Chu was so brave and so good."

Song Chuqing giggled, looked at the boxes with people on the screen and asked curiously, "Daddy, what are you doing?"

"A meeting."

Song Chuqing didn’t yet understand what a meeting was, but she guessed Daddy must be busy. Considerately, she said, "Then Daddy, work hard, okay? Earn lots of money~"

Ji Fuxi chuckled. "Okay, Daddy will work hard to make money."

"Go Daddy!"

The little girl slid down and ran off again.

By noon, she was sleepy and wanted to nap with Mommy. The two curled up in bed for a nice afternoon nap.

She woke around two and obediently went downstairs to play with puzzles in the living room.

Song Tan came downstairs after 3 and first checked the online news.

After the live-stream "incident," the fan pairing talk had completely vanished. The production team shifted focus toward acting skills, while Ai Jia Entertainment pushed promotions for their new star, releasing clips of Mu Xingzhou’s performances from his school days. The matter was truly over.

But as she scrolled, Song Tan frowned again. Many fans had started speculating about the identity of the baby’s father, sparking a new wave of guesses—some even looking for clues from five years ago.

She stopped reading. There was no way to curb the curiosity of netizens.

Song Tan picked up her tablet and settled on the couch to brainstorm her new script.

Ji Fuxi, who hadn’t napped, came out of the study for water and saw her working. "Use the study if you want."

Without looking up, Song Tan replied, "No need. This is comfy."

The woman had her legs tucked under a fluffy blanket, half-sitting, half-lying against the back of the couch, completely at ease. Ji Fuxi didn’t argue and headed to the kitchen.

The kettle in the kitchen had warm water ready. The man poured half a glass, took a sip, then glanced over. "Little Chu, come here a sec."

The little girl ran over, "What's wrong, Daddy?"

Ji Fuxi crouched down to talk to her, lowering his voice, "Can you do Daddy a favor, Xiao Chu?"

"Sure!"

"Daddy wants to take Mommy to the movies tonight. Can you help Daddy ask Mommy if she's free?"

Song Chuqing's face lit up instantly, "I want to watch the movie too!"

The man shook his head, "Not tonight, just Mommy and Daddy."

"Oh..." Song Chuqing was a little disappointed, but soon she thought of something and clapped her hands over her mouth in surprise, "Daddy, are you going on a date with Mommy?"

Ji Fuxi paused for a moment, then nodded, "Yep."

"Okay then, I'll go ask for you!"

The little girl immediately ran off again.

Ji Fuxi stood up and glanced toward the living room.

Song Chuqing stood behind the sofa, leaning close to the woman's ear with her hands cupped like she was telling a secret.

After listening, Song Chuqing's mother looked up in surprise.

Ji Fuxi kept looking at her, only tightening his grip on the water glass.

A few seconds later, the woman bent down to whisper something into Song Chuqing's ear. After hearing it, Song Chuqing came running back on her short little legs.

Ji Fuxi bent down to scoop up his daughter.

Song Chuqing similarly cupped her little hand and whispered softly into his ear, "Daddy, Mommy said yes."

A small smile played on the man's lips as he kissed the little girl's cheek, "Thank you, Xiao Chu."