Heartbroken.

Xu Lin brought the little girl to Chu Qingchan’s door and knocked. Chu Qingchan hurried to open it, and when he saw Peony sitting on Xu Lin’s shoulder, he was taken aback.

“Who’s this child?”

“Found her. Just located her mother, but she got a call and left again, so I’m watching her for now.”

“You really are kind-hearted.”

“My big brother is so gentle!” the little girl said with a smile, a lollipop between her lips.

“What’s your name?” Chu Qingchan reached out and touched her cheek.

“Peony~ My mom calls me Ye Jiangli.”

“Is Peony your nickname?” Chu Qingchan thought for a moment. He and his sister never had nicknames; they were always just Chu Qingchan and Chu Fengyi.

“Not just a nickname. Jiangli is another name for Peony,” Xu Lin replied casually. The little girl’s eyes widened.

“Big brother is amazing! Mom said most people don’t know that. You must be one of the special people!”

“Who taught you to say that? Haha, alright, come inside.”

Xu Lin led the little girl inside. The bed was covered with clothes, as if someone was deciding what to wear.

“Peony, is there anything you’d like to eat?”

“I want… cake. But Mom won’t let me have sweets.”

“Your mom’s right. Eating too much sugar makes your teeth hurt—worse than injections.”

“When you change teeth in a couple of years, what if they grow in black, and big bugs live inside them? How scary would that be!”

“Really?”

The little girl immediately felt her mouth, took the lollipop out, and handed it to Xu Lin. “You eat it instead.”

Xu Lin smiled helplessly at the lollipop, wet with saliva.

“You can have a little. Just eat some, and remember to eat your meals, lots of veggies and fruits, okay?”

“Mm, I understand.”

Chu Qingchan, sitting on the bed and sorting clothes, watched Xu Lin chatting with the girl and couldn’t help but smile. He was so gentle with children.

And his way with kids wasn’t just lecturing—he truly guided them, gently and wisely.

If one day, he had children of his own… Suddenly, a vision appeared in her mind: Xu Lin playing games with their child in the living room while she cooked in the kitchen.

“No, no… Leaving aside me and Xu Lin, I don’t think I’ll ever become a virtuous wife and loving mother who can cook delicious meals.”

“What are you mumbling about?”

“Nothing!”

Xu Lin then sat on the sofa and began telling stories to the little girl, who nestled in his arms, listening intently.

He spoke for over half an hour, singing her a few children’s songs as well.

After all that, Xu Lin felt his throat go dry. The little girl looked up at him.

“Big brother, are you tired?”

“No, just a bit thirsty.”

“I’ll get you some water.”

“I can do it myself.”

“Alright.”

Xu Lin poured himself a glass of water and took out the business card given to him by the little girl’s mother.

“Feidu Sports Co., Ltd., Chairman, Ye Qinleng.”

“She’s the chairman… Wait, isn’t it usually the case that when someone crosses into a new world, they end up with a CEO wife? But the timing here is all wrong.”

He joked to himself, then searched the company on his phone and found it was quite sizable.

Established twenty years ago, it was a sports brand making shoes and clothes, mostly shoes.

But recently, with foreign brands flooding in, the domestic market was squeezed, not to mention local competitors rising.

Feidu was barely surviving, relying on fans now in their forties and fifties. It had to seek transformation.

Coincidentally, the old chairman had just passed away, and his granddaughter had taken over, fighting for the company’s future.

She expanded new production lines, brought in professionals and new technology, invested heavily in collaborations and endorsements, and ramped up marketing.

If she failed, the company would vanish. If she succeeded, Feidu could reclaim its place among domestic brands.

According to the news, in half a month, Feidu’s first new shoe would launch after its reboot. The pre-sale data looked promising—at least the company would survive this round.

“A young, beautiful chairman—it’s almost surreal. But it seems Feidu does survive in the future.”

He never paid much attention to shoe brands, buying whatever looked decent. But he had bought Feidu shoes before, so the brand probably continued.

There were no photos or details about Ye Qinleng online—just information about her grandfather, with a brief note that the chairman had changed.

“Big brother?”

“Coming.”

“Peony, are you hungry?” Chu Qingchan finished sorting clothes and sat beside her.

“A little.”

“Shall we take you out for a meal, or order something in?”

“Either is fine, but Mom said I shouldn’t go out…”

“Xu Lin, let’s take her out to eat. We’ll be back soon, and the sister who brought us here said there’s a great little restaurant nearby.”

“Sure, but I should ask her mom. It’s not right to just take her out.”

“Alright.”

Xu Lin dialed the number on the business card. After a few minutes, a sweet female voice answered, “Hello, this is Feidu’s special line. How may I help you?”

“I’d like to speak to your chairman. I’m Xu Lin, and I want to take her daughter out for a meal.”

There was a pause, then the woman replied, “Sorry, I’ll contact Ms. Ye immediately.”

The call didn’t disconnect. After about half a minute, the woman’s voice returned, “Ms. Ye says it’s fine. I’ll give you her number so you can contact her directly.”

“1XXXXXXXXXX.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Goodbye.”

“Let’s go eat. Your mom said yes.”

“Okay!”

They left the room, and Xu Lin knocked on Chu Fengyi’s door. A blonde girl with spiral twin ponytails soon came out.

“What is it?”

“We’re going to eat.”

“Oh.”

“You’re just going like that?”

“I look good like this.”

“Alright, but aren’t martial artists usually into simple styles and clothes? You’re the opposite.”

“Everyone needs a hobby. These clothes and accessories were gifts from one of my investments. There’s only one set like this in the world.”

“I’ve always thought limited editions are just gimmicks. Even if it’s unique, so what?”

“Being unique is important in itself. When you’re rich, you’ll understand.”

“Who knows? I’m just an ordinary guy. You invest in clothing brands?”

“I’ve invested in over a dozen. Lately, I’m especially optimistic about Feidu.”

“Hmm? You invested in Feidu?”

“What’s wrong?”

“This girl’s mom owns Feidu.”

“Oh… That unusually curvy woman? What a coincidence.”

“Unusually curvy?” Chu Qingchan looked at them, puzzled. Xu Lin quickly cleared his throat.

“Let’s go, my treat today.”

“What do you mean, unusually curvy?” Chu Qingchan pressed.

The little girl chimed in, “Are you talking about my mom? She’s really fat, and big sister has no meat at all.”

Chu Fengyi froze, her face turning ashen, unable to retort a single word… how heartbreaking!