Chapter 10

Cheng LiQi lay on the bed while her mom blew her hair dry. Her eyes glanced at the clock on the wall from time to time. When the minute hand pointed at ten, she patted her mom’s hand.

Cheng Jinlan turned off the hair dryer and asked, “What’s up?”

“Mom, go take a shower. I’m going to call Shen ChuQi at eight as promised.”

Cheng Jinlan smoothed her hair and looked into her distinctive black and white eyes, hesitating over what to say.

“Mom, I’m fine now,” Cheng LiQi thought her mom was still worried about her. “You took me to the amusement park, let me eat my favorite fries and hamburger, and even let me have a tiny sip of coke. I’m very happy now, extremely happy.” She stretched out her little arms to show how happy she was.

The best part was that she now knew the Shao Corporation was very close. Auntie Shen said they didn’t even need to take a plane, just a car ride and whoosh they would be there. Does that mean she could whoosh over to see him?

Cheng Jinlan laughed at her words. “Even extremely happy, you can only have fries and a burger once a month. The coke today was an exception. Next time you can only have a tiny, tiny sip.”

Cheng LiQi pouted. “I know, Mom.” She shook Cheng Jinlan’s arm impatiently. “Mom, go shower quickly. It’s almost time for my call with Shen ChuQi.”

“Can’t your mom listen to your call with Shen ChuQi?”

“No, Shen ChuQi and I are going to talk about secrets that only the two of us know,” she suddenly remembered something. “Mom, can I use your phone to call? My watch is charging.”

“Of course,” Cheng Jinlan handed over her phone. “Should I dial your Uncle Li’s number for you?”

“Shen ChuQi is with her mom. I’m calling Auntie.” Cheng LiQi could dial it herself. She glanced at the clock again. The minute hand was past eleven, almost twelve. She was getting anxious. “Mom, it’s almost time.”

Cheng Jinlan indulged her, pinching her earlobe. “Okay, Mom’s going to shower and won’t listen to you and your good friend’s secrets.”

Cheng LiQi watched her mom leave the room and close the door before unlocking the phone password. She took a small slip of paper from under her pillow and pressed the numbers one by one. Then she patted her chest, took a deep breath, and hit dial right as the long minute hand struck twelve.

But the “beep” rang for a long time with no answer. Cheng LiQi rested her elbows on her knees and her chin in her hands. Was he still busy or already asleep? They had agreed on eight o’clock. He'd said he would wait for her call.

Shao ChengZe's phone buzzed but he gestured for the meeting to continue.

The people on the big screen found it odd. It was the first time the boss hadn't muted his phone during a meeting. Stranger yet, he paused the meeting but didn't answer the call, just let the phone vibrate on the table as he stared at the screen in a daze.

Little A felt something was off. This was clearly a woman calling. If it had been a man or work call, his boss wouldn't have reacted that way. He was hesitating whether to answer. Little A had thought his boss was always firm and decisive, never knew the meaning of hesitation.

Turns out he did know, just hadn't met someone who made him hesitate.

Cheng LiQi waited five minutes before deciding to call again. If no one answered this time, she wouldn't call anymore. He had promised but didn't keep his word, just like her big uncle. Her mom said that was called breaking a promise. Even if he bought her ten gifts in the future, she would have to think hard about whether to forgive him.

The buzzing rang out again. This time the boss didn't pause the meeting. Little A continued reporting while cocking an eye and ear to try and see who was calling his boss through the big screen.

"Wrong," Shao ChengZe said.

"Hmm?" Little A was confused. What was wrong? Wrong number?

"The numbers you gave are wrong," Shao ChengZe told the others. "Take five. Let Little A wake up his brain. He's out of it today."

Little A lowered his head to check his files. Oh right...he had made a mistake even though the boss was the one out of it. But he was still the boss. Little A was about to compliment him when he realized they had been muted. The boss and the vibrating phone on the table were both gone.

Shao ChengZe went out to the balcony and answered just before the call went to voicemail. He put the phone to his ear but didn't speak.

"Hello, is this Shao ChengZe?"

The voice was as tender and childish as this morning, only without the nasal tone and brighter instead.

Shao ChengZe grunted in acknowledgment.

"Do you remember me? In Auntie Shen's car this morning, I said I would call you at eight tonight. That's me." "Mm."

"Were you busy earlier? I called at eight but you didn't answer."

"In a meeting."

So he had been in a meeting. He wasn't breaking his promise. Cheng LiQi immediately decided to forgive him.

"Is your meeting over now? Did I interrupt you?"

"It's over."

"Great! Does that mean we can talk for a long time on the phone?"

Mom took really long showers. She could keep calling until Mom finished showering.

Shao ChengZe: "......"

He switched ears. "No, only ten minutes. I have another meeting soon."

Oh, he was very busy, like Grandpa who was always in meetings.

Still, ten minutes was okay. Cheng LiQi lay on her stomach in bed. "Do you know my name?"

"Don't know."

Cheng LiQi was puzzled. Why didn't he know her name when Auntie Shen knew Shen ChuQi's? If he was her dad, shouldn't he know her name?

Cheng LiQi suddenly knocked her little head in realization. Of course he wouldn't know her name since he hadn't met her yet.

"I'm Cheng LiQi. You can call me Little LiQi. My mom is Cheng Jinlan." Cheng LiQi held her breath after speaking, even her long lashes stopped fluttering.

"Mm."

Mm, just that. No crying? Auntie Shen had cried buckets when she met Shen ChuQi.

Cheng LiQi was confused again. Was he really her dad? But...Big Uncle had said men couldn't cry. He was the same age as Big Uncle so he was a grown up man too. Is that why he didn't cry?

Cheng LiQi asked again, "Do you know my mom?"

Shao ChengZe didn't want to answer that question. "Why did you call me?"

Cheng LiQi asked back, "I can't call you?"

...Were all kids' minds this quick nowadays? She looked so young. Why did she talk like a grownup? Shao ChengZe wanted to end this call. "Does your mom know you called me?"

"She doesn't know. This is a secret between us that I can't tell Mom."

"......Why did you call me?"

Of course it was because she wanted to know if he really was her dad and if he would be a good dad.

Cheng LiQi thought for a bit. "I think your voice is really nice. Could you tell me a bedtime story?"......

Shao ChengZe didn't understand children's logic.

"....Where's your mom?"

"My mom's in the shower."

"....You...."

Shao ChengZe had wanted to ask where's your dad, or failing that, your uncles, grandparents, the auntie helper. Anyone could tell her a bedtime story. It didn't have to be him.

"I don't know any stories." Shao ChengZe declined.

How could he not know any stories, Cheng LiQi asked. "Don't you know Snow White?"

"Don't know." "The Princess and the Pea?"

"Don't know."

"Thumbelina?"

"Never heard of it."

Cheng LiQi thought some more. "What about Doggy and Teddy Wrestling?"

"Never heard of it either."

"Little Tadpole Finding Mama?"

Shao ChengZe could sense her bright tone start to dim. He scraped a finger over his brow. Felt a helplessness he couldn't control. Though the words weren't out yet, he already regretted them. "I only know Journey to the West."

Ahhhh Cheng LiQi's eyes lit up. Looks like all boys liked Monkey King.

"I like Monkey King too." Cheng LiQi flipped over in bed, hugging her teddy bear and pulling up her blanket. "Okay, you can start."

......He had only said he knew it, not that he would tell it to her.

"Shao ChengZe? Are you still there?" Cheng LiQi didn't hear anything after waiting a while.

After a few seconds of silence, Shao ChengZe's thin lips parted. "Here."

"I'm ready. You can start."

......Shao ChengZe lightly cleared his throat but still couldn't get his voice to come out.

He gazed at the distant lights, not quite understanding what he was doing right now. Why was he letting this little girl lead him by the nose? She wanted him to tell a story so he had to? She wasn't anything to him. They weren't even niece and uncle. He'd never told anyone a single bedtime story in his life.

"Why did Monkey King make trouble in Heaven?" Cheng LiQi started prompting.

After a few more seconds of quiet, Shao ChengZe's lips moved. "Because Monkey King...."

Listening to the flat voice from the earpiece, Cheng LiQi thought, he really didn't know how to tell stories, just like Grandpa. As Grandma would say, hard as a rock without any feeling. Were people who were always in meetings emotionless? Oh well, she would just have to accommodate him since she was used to accommodating Grandpa.

Cheng Liqi listened for a while, then made little noises, "Ah~~~", "Oh, I see~~~", "Wow!!!", "What happened next?"...

Under such exaggerated interjections, Shao Chengze tried to end the story several times but couldn't. He could only continue. When he got to the part about Sun Wukong returning to Flower Fruit Mountain, Cheng Liqi suddenly thought of a question, "Can I call you again tomorrow?"

"I'm busy tomorrow."

"What about the day after tomorrow?"

"I'm...busy the day after tomorrow too."

"What about three days from now?"

Shao Chengze felt that if he gave another negative answer, she could keep asking until next year.

"Not sure yet."

"Then I'll call you at 8pm three days from now. If you're busy, you don't have to pick up. But if you're free, you have to answer my call!"

"Okay."

"Alright, keep going with the story." Cheng Liqi patted the belly of the teddy bear as her eyelids grew heavy.

...He had clearly said he only had ten minutes.

Little A and his buddies had been waiting for several five minute intervals. Little A had sobered up several times, but his boss still hadn't returned. So that call must have been from a woman. Looks like they wouldn't be having the meeting tonight. He waved his hand for everyone to log off and go wash up and sleep.

Cheng Jinlan gently knocked on the door first. Hearing no response, she entered the room. The little one on the bed had fallen asleep, her head leaning against the teddy bear's arm. Her hair was strewn across the pillow messily. The blanket only covered up to her belly, askew. She would occasionally mumble in her sleep, having just drifted off.

Cheng Jinlan helped tuck her in properly again, and planted a kiss on her flushed cheeks. Her gaze fell upon the still-timing phone screen next to the pillow.

She picked up the phone, "Hello, is this Little Seven? Cheng Liqi has fallen asleep."

Shao Chengze was just about to hang up when his hand froze.