CHAPTER 76: CONCERN

"She already has that instinct," Yuanfeng said calmly, clicking to another camera angle. "It’s called danger awareness."

Before Xue Zheng could retort, Yuanfeng’s phone chimed. An alert flashed.

Ding!

New Document Received: Chi Corporation– Joint Project Proposal

Immediately, Xue Zheng’s expression turned serious. "That’s what I came to talk about."

Yuanfeng didn’t even open the file.

He pressed reject without a second thought.

"No."

Xue Zheng’s jaw dropped. "No? You didn’t even— You rejected it without reading?"

Yuanfeng leaned back, an immovable mountain of calm. "There’s no need to read something I already know the answer to."

"But this is a huge opportunity! The Chi family rarely collaborates with outside corporations. This is major—"

"It means showing my face."

"And so?" Xue Zheng spread his hands. "You’re the president. People know you exist."

"But they don’t know my face," Yuanfeng said quietly.

Silence blanketed the room.

This was the side of him few saw: the paranoid, protective father who built his world carefully, refusing to expose a single crack that might let danger seep in.

"To work with the Chi family," Yuanfeng continued, "I’d have to attend meetings. Appear in public. Journalists would dig. Competitors would pry."

He looked at the monitor again, at Huaijin laughing with Mu Yansheng over a silly hand game.

"If my identity as CHRONOS’s true head leaked, do you know how many families would come at us?"

Xue Zheng sighed. "Yes. They’d target you, as well as her."

"Exactly."

Yuanfeng’s expression shuttered.

He had clawed his way into the business world through sheer force, leaving behind a bloody trail that few dared to mention. His network, his money, his influence, none of them were entirely clean.

If people learned who his daughter was—

He didn’t want to imagine it.

But Xue Zheng wasn’t done.

"Yuanfeng... even if you’re doing all this for her, you realize what you’re missing, right? Something important?"

"...What?" Yuanfeng muttered.

"A mother," Xue Zheng said flatly.

Yuanfeng stiffened.

"You’re giving her everything except the most basic need. Kids need both parents."

He didn’t answer.

He couldn’t argue.

He knew it. He’d always known it.

He watched Huaijin on-screen, surrounded by other children, yet somehow always standing slightly apart, a little quieter, a little more self-contained.

She was cheerful and polite, but there was a hint of loneliness that she thought she hid well.

He saw everything.

And it broke him a little every time.

Xue Zheng sighed again. "Look. You’re a great dad. But she’s growing up. She’s reaching the age where she needs someone to talk about things you can’t talk about."

He paused.

"Xu Meilin is still willing, you know."

A cold wave washed over the office.

"No," Yuanfeng said immediately.

"I knew you’d say that." Xue Zheng crossed his arms. "But you know it’s true. She could be a stable option."

"Huaijin doesn’t like her."

"That’s because you didn’t let them get close."

"And it’s because I didn’t force anything on her," Yuanfeng said sharply. "I will not bring a woman into the house without my daughter’s permission. That’s final."

Xue Zheng stared at him for a long moment.

"...You really are hopeless."

"I am responsible."

"Hopelessly responsible."

"That still sounds better than forcing a marriage."

Before Xue Zheng could retort, both men froze as the monitor displayed Director Tang gently shaking Huaijin’s juice box for her.

Huaijin looked embarrassed.

But Director Tang looked euphoric.

The staff was laughing.

Yuanfeng’s face darkened. "Why is that old man shaking her juice box? That’s my job."

"...You’re actually jealous of a mere director."

"He’s too close."

"She’s a kid."

"He’s too close."

Xue Zheng stared at him, horrified. "Bro, he’s sixty!"

"That’s irrelevant."

"I’m leaving," Xue Zheng muttered, standing up. "Before you say something completely insane."

He left, muttering to himself.

***

Back at the filming set...

Huaijin sat on her small chair in the waiting area, fiddling with her microphone. The children around her were all lively and excited for the next game segment.

Chi Yuanying was flipping through a picture book, chattering about dinosaurs, while Liang Lingzhi was trying to braid Su Mingtong’s hair.

Chen Mo was assembling a small robot with serious concentration. And Mu Yansheng was sitting quietly, glancing occasionally at Huaijin with a shy smile.

They were all normal children.

Meanwhile, she...

Her fingers curled slightly.

She didn’t know how to explain it, but sometimes, she felt older than her peers. Her mind worked faster, her intuition was sharper, and emotions, hers and others’, felt more transparent than they should for someone her age.

The production assistant tapped her shoulder.

"Huaijin, the next segment is the talent showcase. Do you want help setting up?"

"I’ll be okay," she replied with a soft smile.

She always performed well. She always impressed people. But she never told Father what she really felt about filming, about being around other kids, about the quiet envy that stirred in her when she saw mothers come to pick up their children at school.

She shook the thought away.

Today was supposed to be fun.

But before she could stand, Liang Lingzhi leaned over curiously.

"Huaijin-jie, is it true your dad is really handsome?"

Huaijin blinked.

"...Who said that?"

"Director Tang!" Liang Lingzhi exclaimed proudly. "He said your dad is so handsome, even he would turn gay if he were younger."

Director Tang, not far away, choked on his tea.

Huaijin covered her face with both hands.

Why was this her life?

Back in the office...

A message popped up on Yuanfeng’s screen:

Miss Huaijin’s segment: Talent Showcase starting now.

Yuanfeng leaned forward unconsciously.

But instead of excitement, something else gnawed at the edges of his heart.

His friend’s words lingered.

’She needs both parents...’

He had never forgotten that. But every potential partner, every attempt, every introduction, they all ended the same way.

He couldn’t bring them home.

Not because he was picky.

Not because the women weren’t suitable.

But because Huaijin would look up at him with those innocent, trusting eyes, and he—