Chapter 160: Dad will take you to find Mommy

Chapter 160: Daddy’s Taking You to Find Mommy

Fu Cheng was gone again.

Zhi Zhi only noticed his absence from the head of the dining table when she sat down for dinner.

The cheesy mashed potatoes, specially prepared by Uncle Butler, instantly lost their appeal. Sitting in her high chair, a small spoon in hand, Zhi Zhi’s gaze kept drifting to the empty seat.

Her brothers had taught her the rule of no talking during meals or at bedtime, and Zhi Zhi had learned well. Though she occasionally got her bib messy, she mostly kept her head down and ate obediently.

Fu Jingyi had deboned a piece of tender, braised rib and was about to place the meat in his sister’s bowl when he noticed her eyes constantly darting toward their father’s seat.

The smile on her little face faltered, making her look somewhat forlorn.

After placing the meat in her bowl, Fu Jingyi set down his chopsticks, drawing the attention of Fu Yuchen and the others.

“What’s wrong, Zhi Zhi? Don’t you like dinner tonight?”

Normally, Zhi Zhi ate at a decent pace. Like her brothers, even when she ate quickly, her movements were never crude.

But tonight, the food in her little duck bowl was barely touched.

Fu Yuchen wiped his mouth, frowning as he murmured, “Did the milk you drank earlier make you lose your appetite?”

He hadn’t made much milk, and by the time they got home, she should have been hungry.

Why was she eating so little now?

Seeing their sister refuse to eat, the three Fu brothers also lost their appetite.

Fu Jingyi lifted Zhi Zhi into his arms, gently removing her bib. “Zhi Zhi, are you missing Daddy? Don’t worry, Daddy just went out tonight. He hasn’t gone far. You’ll see him again when you wake up tomorrow morning.”

Zhi Zhi hadn’t seen Daddy when she woke up that morning.

Now it was so late, and Daddy still wasn’t home.

Having grown accustomed to being by her father’s side, Zhi Zhi felt a pang of sadness, which was why she couldn’t eat.

Fu Yuchen and the others understood. Fu Siyuan voiced the question that was also on Zhi Zhi’s mind:

“It’s been a whole day. Where did Dad go?”

Surely he hadn’t gone back to the desert alone again?

Fu Siyuan still remembered the heart-wrenching sight of his sister crying so hard. The memory still made his heart tremble.

The lotus root he held with his chopsticks snapped in half. Fu Siyuan took a deep breath, his eyes silently asking his elder brother if it was truly what he suspected.

Had their father gone back to the desert?

Fu Jingyi shook his head with a light chuckle. “Father said he went to prepare a gift for Zhi Zhi. He’s been gone all day, so who knows what he’s up to.”

“Zhi Zhi, if you’re worried, how about we video call Daddy?”

At this, Zhi Zhi’s eyes widened instantly. “Okay! Call Daddy~”

She couldn’t eat without seeing Daddy.

More than her brothers, Zhi Zhi was deeply attached to her father.

Though the three boys knew that their sister’s initial reason for coming to the Fu family was because of their father, they still felt a twinge of jealousy.

After all, they were the ones who spent every day with her. Dad was the one who was always running off and causing trouble—so why did their sister prefer him?

*Beep… beep… beep…*

When the video call connected, Zhi Zhi, who was leaning on the table, only saw a black screen.

After a moment, a familiar voice finally came through the phone.

“Zhi Zhi? What’s wrong?”

Hearing her father’s voice, Zhi Zhi’s wilting spirits immediately revived.

She actively reached out, grasping the phone with both hands, and whispered into it, “Daddy, when are you coming home? Zhi Zhi misses you.”

A low chuckle seemed to come from the other end, followed by the sound of an engine revving. “Zhi Zhi, how about we skip school tomorrow? Daddy has a surprise for you.”

At the word “surprise,” even Fu Yuchen, who usually stayed out of such matters, looked up.

Earlier today, he had promised Fang Yu and the others that he would take his sister to school tomorrow.

Now, not only did he have to contend with Fu Yuchen, but even their father was getting involved?

All he wanted was to keep his sister by his side—why was it so difficult?

Hearing that her father had a surprise for her, Zhi Zhi’s little face instantly broke into a wide smile. “Daddy, what is it?”

The engine noise was so loud that Fu Cheng’s words were almost inaudible.

But Zhi Zhi, holding the phone close, still heard her father clearly.

Daddy said, *“Daddy’s taking you to find Mommy.”*

Her eyes welled up, and Zhi Zhi scrunched her face to keep from crying out loud.

She clutched the phone tightly and murmured, “But Mommy isn’t here~”

Mommy had said she would come to pick Zhi Zhi up and take her home, but Mommy had never said when.

She missed Mommy so much too.

The engine noise diminished, until the sound of an engine shutting off echoed from the Fu residence’s entrance. The three Fu sons looked up from the phone screen to see their father, clad in motorcycle gear and holding a helmet, walk into the house.

His hair slightly tousled from the helmet, Fu Cheng looked at his astonished daughter, extended his hand, and smiled, “Zhi Zhi, are you full? It’s time to go find Mommy.”

Zhi Zhi immediately scrambled out of her brother’s arms.

Freshly bathed, she wore a knee-length chiffon dress. As she pattered along, the light fabric of the skirt billowed, making her look like a little butterfly flitting through flowers.

“Daddy!”

Clutching his legs tightly, Zhi Zhi looked up, her eyes shining with startling brightness. “Really? Daddy’s taking Zhi Zhi to find Mommy?”

Fu Cheng chuckled, crouching down. He gently stroked his daughter’s freshly dried, soft hair. “It’s true, but we might not find her. Do you still want to come with Daddy?”

“Mm! Zhi Zhi will go with Daddy!”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Zhi Zhi nodded in agreement.

Fu Cheng burst into laughter at her response, scooped his daughter up with one arm, and planted a loud kiss on her cheek. “You truly are my good girl! Uncle Zhang, get the car ready!”

Fu Cheng had left on his motorcycle that morning, but now that he was taking his daughter out, he certainly couldn’t ride it again.

Tossing the helmet onto the entryway cabinet, Fu Cheng, holding his daughter, had just finished changing his shoes when he looked up to see his sons staring at him intently.

“What are you all looking at me for? Don’t you have work or school tomorrow?”

Fu Jingyi gave him a forced smile. “If you’ve fully recovered, shouldn’t the Fu Corporation be handed back to you? Dad, I’m also a student—I still have my studies to complete.”

He also wanted to find a university nearby in the country, so he could take his little sister to school with him!

Fu Yuchen and Fu Siyuan spoke in unison, “We can take a day off!”

Fu Yuchen had just started school today, but with his fast and precise data analysis skills, he had completed a week’s worth of calculations in a single day.

Taking one day off certainly wouldn’t be an issue.

Fu Siyuan had just finished his monthly exams, and tomorrow was when the results would be announced. The teacher would surely go over the key points from the test papers.

But those key points were child’s play to him. With his grades, taking a day off was no big deal.

Fu Cheng had originally planned to go upstairs and change, but hearing his sons’ words, he raised an eyebrow and chuckled. “Well then… let’s all take a day off and go out together!”

The three Fu sons stood up in unison, saying, “Thanks, Dad!”