Chapter 40: Opportunity

Chapter 40: Opportunity

Ten minutes later

The living room on the ground floor of the Song family villa

Zhou Qian sat on the sofa, legs together, looking proper.

Hearing Song Ji's explanation, he scratched the back of his head sheepishly and said with an embarrassed grin, "So this is Fei Yu's kid, not one you stole, Old Song."

Across from him sat Song Ji, his expression now softer, and Sui Sui, staring at him curiously.

The eldest young master of the Zhou family didn't have many relatives his age, and most of them, like him, were die-hard bachelors, so he knew squat about kids.

He just figured kids all looked alike, and he must've been mistaken earlier.

As for why Fei Yu suddenly had a kid out of nowhere after three years, and why the kid was now living in Song Ji's house, that wasn't any of his business.

Sui Sui wasn't shy. With a rare visitor in the house, the brave Little Meow was super curious.

He gripped the back of the sofa with both hands, his round eyes fixed unblinkingly on Zhou Qian's chin, watching intently.

The Kind Uncle had told him that this uncle, like himself, had his beard enchanted so it was invisible.

He had never seen the Kind Uncle's beard—could he see this stranger-uncle's beard?

Zhou Qian had zero experience with kids.

Now, with Sui Sui's clear, curious eyes fixed on him, he sat up straight, suddenly tense.

Zhou Qian put on his most friendly smile and spoke in a sweet, baby-talk voice: "Sui Sui! Hello there."

"I'm your dad and Uncle Song's friend, Uncle Zhou."

Sui Sui flashed a sweet smile, showing eight teeth: "Hello, Uncle Zhou. I'm Dad's baby, Sui Sui."

He jumped off the sofa, stuck both little hands into the candy box, and grabbed a fistful.

Then, huffing and puffing, he ran over to Zhou Qian on his short legs, raised his hands with effort, and said enthusiastically, "Uncle Zhou, have some chocolate!"

Dad had said that anyone who came to the house was a guest.

When guests come, a polite Little Meow baby should welcome them.

Today, the baby was being very polite too.

Zhou Qian took the chocolate with both hands, feeling touched and flattered.

"Thank you, Sui Sui. Are you hungry? Want some fruit?"

He pulled a bright, ripe tangerine from the bag and peeled a bit of the rind: "This tangerine is from Yunzhou City. It's really sweet. Want to try some, Sui Sui?"

The strong smell of tangerine hit Sui Sui, and he quickly covered his face with both hands.

He burrowed into Song Ji's arms, his voice muffled: "Baby doesn't want it."

Song Ji quickly moved the baby away and explained, "Sui Sui doesn't like tangerines."

Doesn't like tangerines?

Zhou Qian hurriedly stuffed the tangerine back into the bag and pulled out something else.

"What about this? It's also a snack from Yunzhou City. It looks cute, and it's crispy and fragrant. Want to try it, Sui Sui?"

He opened the resealable bag, picked up two caramel-colored round slices, and presented them to Sui Sui as if offering a treasure.

Sui Sui had never seen this snack before. He lifted his head from the Kind Uncle's arms and leaned in to check it out.

Zhou Qian's heart leaped with joy, and he flicked his wrist.

The two small, wavy round slices, shaped like cat ears, dangled gently in front of Sui Sui.

Zhou Qian said in a playful tone, "I heard people in Yunzhou call this snack 'cat ears.' See, Sui Sui, doesn't it look just like a cat's ear? Ha ha!"

Song Ji's expression changed, but before he could stop Zhou Qian, Sui Sui had already heard it all.

The Little Meow looked utterly devastated. He stared at the strange uncle in disbelief, as if he were the biggest villain in the world.

In an instant, tears brimmed in Sui Sui's eyes.

His mouth drooped, and he threw himself into Song Ji's arms, crying his eyes out: "Uncle is bad! Uncle eats kitten ears!"

Seeing tears stream down Sui Sui's face, Song Ji panicked and completely lost his cool.

Instinctively, he picked up the baby, patted his back gently, and coaxed him in a soft voice.

Zhou Qian had only meant to play a little joke on Sui Sui—he never expected this.

Completely inexperienced with kids, the eldest young master was instantly flustered, stammering an explanation to Sui Sui.

"It's called 'cat ears,' but it's not real kitten ears... I-I-I swear on my life, Uncle has never eaten kitten ears!"

Cold sweat poured down Zhou Qian's forehead. He floundered helplessly behind Song Ji, so desperate he was about to swear to heaven.

"Uncle loves cats more than anything! How could Uncle eat a kitten?"

But Sui Sui was crying full force and wouldn't listen to a word.

No matter how Zhou Qian explained, he turned away and refused to listen, only crying even louder.

Sui Sui grabbed Song Ji's collar and sobbed between breaths: "Uncle Zhou eats kitten ears! Uncle Zhou is a big bad guy!"

"Boo hoo hoo! Daddy, I want my Daddy!"

Song Ji's heart broke for the baby. He shot Zhou Qian a look full of reproach, as if he had done something unforgivable.

Zhou Qian's head buzzed, his vision blurred, and his heart sank to the floor.

"Oh no, oh no."

What kind of uncle makes a kid cry like this the first time they meet?

When Fei Yu finds out, he'll be skinned alive.

Zhou Qian was at his wit's end, completely lost.

Just then, a beep came from the keypad lock at the entrance, and the front door swung open from outside.

Zhou Qian's legs went weak, a chill ran down his spine, and a sudden bad feeling hit him.

He turned to his childhood friend for help, his voice trembling: "Could it be..."

Song Ji, who was shaking a small bell toy, trying to distract the baby, also froze at the voice.

At this hour, the only person who could be coming back was—

"Baby, Daddy's home! Uncle picked you up from kindergarten today. Did you miss me?"

A young man's gentle voice came from the entrance.

"Daddy..." Suisui sobbed, his eyes teary as Song Ji carefully set him down.

As soon as his feet touched the ground, he eagerly shuffled out and ran toward his daddy in the doorway: "Daddy!"

The baby's eyes were red, with shiny tear streaks on his face, crying pitifully like a little kitten, stumbling as he ran toward him.

Before Fei Yu could even process what was happening, he reflexively took big strides forward, quickly bent down, and scooped the baby into his arms.

He was heartbroken, pressed his cheek against Suisui's damp little face, and whispered gently in his ear: "Daddy's here. What's wrong, baby?"

Suisui nuzzled his daddy's cheek, wiped his tears with the back of his hand, and sobbed, barely getting the words out: "Bad uncle... ate a kitten."

Zhou Qian, full of guilt, stepped forward to explain, his voice filled with self-blame: "It's all my fault, Fei Yu. Go ahead and scold me..."

Song Ji guiltily lowered his head, his hands clenched tightly at his sides, not daring to look at Fei Yu's expression.

He had boasted that he could take good care of Fei Yu and Suisui.

But the first time Fei Yu let him pick up Suisui alone, he made the baby cry so hard.

How could he possibly have the nerve to ask Fei Yu to forgive him?

After understanding the whole story, Fei Yu blinked and sat down on the sofa with the baby in his arms.

He glanced at the small round snacks in the resealable bag and asked softly: "Baby, are these the 'kitten ears' Uncle Zhou mentioned?"

Suisui covered his eyes, not daring to look, and answered in a muffled voice.

Fei Yu: "Then did Suisui hear Uncle Zhou himself say that these are made from cat ears?"

Suisui hesitated, slowly releasing his hands, his big eyes, still filled with tears, blinking. This time he couldn't give a definite answer.

Fei Yu smiled gently and let out a soft chuckle: "I think it smells just like baby's favorite crispy corn rings?"

He picked up one and held it in front of Suisui's nose: "Baby, smell it. Does it have that sweet and fragrant scent? Doesn't it smell just like a snack?"

Suisui tentatively sniffed.

Catching the scent of the small round snack, he looked up at his daddy in surprise: "It does."

Fei Yu: "Daddy thinks it smells really good too. Now Daddy wants to try one. Does Suisui want to try some?"

Suisui glanced at the 'kitten ears' in the resealable bag, then looked away fearfully, asking in a small voice: "Really? Can I?"

"Of course you can." Fei Yu, right in front of the baby, confidently popped the small round snack into his mouth.

He let out a long, exaggerated "Mmm," and said in an exaggerated tone: "It's delicious. It's baby's favorite tomato flavor. Don't you want to try it?"

Suisui hesitated, looked at his daddy, then down at the small round snacks in the resealable bag.

Finally, he gathered his courage and bravely stuck his hand into the bag.

The crunchy, delicious taste exploded in his mouth. Suisui covered his mouth in surprise: "It's so yummy!"

Fei Yu's eyes crinkled in a smile and he said softly: "Now we understand. These aren't real kitten ears, just snacks that look like kitten ears, right?"

Suisui nodded his head.

Fei Yu then told Suisui to look at Song Ji and Zhou Qian, who were sitting across from him on the sofa, looking anxious.

"Daddy knows that Suisui is very kind. You mistook these for real kitten ears because you were worried about the little kittens, right?"

Suisui bit his lip and slowly nodded this time.

Fei Yu's tone became serious: "But we must not blame others before we know the full story."

"When Suisui usually eats crispy corn rings, you also joke with Daddy, joking that you're eating your own fingers."

"Uncle Zhou shared the snack with you because he likes you. 'Kitten ears' is just the name of the snack, a little joke by whoever gave it that name."

The young man's voice gently filled the living room.

Not only Suisui but also Song Ji, who was across the room, gradually calmed down.

Song Ji's heart felt like it was soaking in warm water, soft and tender beyond words.

The more facets of Fei Yu he saw, the harder it became for him to let go.

"But you thought Uncle Zhou did something bad and didn't listen to his explanation, calling him a big meanie. Baby, have you thought about how sad Uncle Zhou must have felt?"

Fei Yu guided patiently: "If the kids at kindergarten misunderstood Suisui like that, wouldn't you be sad?"

Just thinking about it made Suisui's heart ache so much, and tears were about to spill from his eyes again.

This time, without waiting for his daddy to say anything more, he immediately jumped down from his daddy's arms and ran to Uncle Zhou and climbed onto his lap across the room.

Little Meow looked up at Uncle Zhou, his little hands nervously clenched at his sides, eyes blurry with tears.

He mumbled an apology in a soft, sticky-sweet voice: "Uncle Zhou, I'm sorry, I was wrong. Will you forgive me?"

Suisui's eyes were full of nervous anticipation, his round eyes washed by tears, appearing especially clear.

Zhou Qian's heart melted completely; how could he possibly say no?

He quickly reached out and pulled Suisui into his arms, rambling on that Uncle wasn't mad at all, Uncle was wrong too for joking, and Uncle had already forgiven Suisui long ago.

Seeing the baby gradually calm down, Fei Yu also breathed a sigh of relief and quickly shot Song Ji a meaningful glance.

Song Ji understood his hint and spoke gently: "The chicken soup is almost ready. Is Suisui hungry? Let's go wash our hands and have dinner."

Suisui sniffled, nodded, jumped down from Uncle Zhou's arms, and obediently followed his daddy to wash hands.

Watching the father and son walking hand in hand to the bathroom, Song Ji's tense nerves finally relaxed.

Suddenly thinking of something, he looked at Zhou Qian, a complicated look in his eyes.

He said slowly: "Old Zhou, thanks for your help today. Maybe you should head back for now, and we'll meet up another time, somewhere else."

Zhou Qian was displeased and refused without hesitation: "Well, well, Old Song. We haven't even gotten a cat yet, and you're already rushing me out?"

He knew Song Ji would put love before friendship!

Thinking back, Zhou Qian put on a knowing expression and said firmly, "I see, you just can't stand how close Suisui and I are."

Song Ji hesitated, but couldn't find a suitable reason, so he had to say, "Fine."

Open-plan kitchen

Watching Suisui in the distance playing blocks with Zhou Qian and now laughing after his tears, Song Ji's anxious heart gradually eased.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Fei Yu approaching. His back stiffened and he abruptly lowered his gaze.

After a moment, he moved his lips and apologized hoarsely, "I'm sorry. Zhou Qian doesn't know Suisui's identity, but I... I failed to take good care of Suisui."

"I haven't done enough."

Fei Yu looked at him, the corners of his mouth suddenly lifting into a curve. "Song Ji, do you know?"

He looked into the man's dark eyes and said slowly, word by word, "Suisui only cries in the arms of the person he trusts the most."

Song Ji looked up, stunned.

Fei Yu clasped his hands behind his back, a soft and bright smile in his eyes. "Suisui has never blamed you, and neither have I."

"You've done very well. Taking care of a child always comes with unexpected situations."

"And..." Fei Yu drew out the last syllable, lifting his chin as high as he could, imitating Song Ji's manner, and winked mischievously.

"If you want to court Big Cat, you'd better get used to this quickly."

With that, he quickly walked away without looking back, his earlobes flushed red.

Song Ji watched his slender figure recede, a hint of sweetness rising in his heart, and the corners of his mouth turned up.

It seemed he wasn't completely without hope after all.

At least the Big Cat at home approved of his childcare skills.

At the dinner table

Zhou Qian racked his brains for interesting stories from his research trip to Yunchuan City, trying to cheer Suisui up.

He actually didn't have to stay.

But he had made Suisui so sad just now, and he felt very guilty.

After all, this was Fei Yu's child, his best friend's future stepson, so he wanted to save some face in front of Suisui!

Zhou Qian's face lit up, and the more he talked, the more excited he became. Gradually, he also felt himself getting hot.

"The cats in Yunchuan City aren't afraid of people; they leap over roofs and walls..."

As he spoke, Suisui beside him suddenly looked at him.

Zhou Qian scratched his face in confusion. "Suisui, what's wrong?"

Suisui pointed at his own cheek, puzzled. "Uncle Zhou, your face is red."

Fei Yu looked up upon hearing this, also glancing at Zhou Qian's face in confusion.

But Song Ji's face changed drastically. He grabbed his phone and stood up from his seat. "You're having an allergic reaction. Hurry, let's go to the hospital."

"What's wrong?" Zhou Qian's voice was confused; he still didn't know what was happening. He felt a bit itchy on his cheek and scratched it again.

"What allergic reaction? Old Song, you haven't even gotten a cat yet, have you?"

He laughed nonchalantly, then suddenly pitched forward and collapsed headfirst onto the dining table!

"Uncle Zhou!" "Zhou Qian!"

The dining room was in an uproar.

Author's note: Yubao is really a gentle parent. The journey of raising a child is not always smooth sailing. Song Ji, keep it up.

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Dear readers, Happy May Day!