In He Ziwei's eyes, this was a clear sign of her conceding. He was shocked:
This Old Ji really has something going on. When did this happen? He can really keep a secret!
Ji Mingxuan's cold gaze swept over, and he warned sternly:
"Keep your mouth shut."
He Ziwei quickly covered his mouth and said in a muffled voice:
"They said they'll call back in 5 minutes. 2 minutes have already passed. Do you want to take the little fellow down..."
Ji Yichen looked at Ji Mingxuan, his eyes red and looking pitiful:
"Want mommy..."
Far away in E Province, Qi Shiyu was still waiting at the post office. In her small county town, there were only two phones in the post office, making phone calls very inconvenient.
"Daughter, you need to hurry. We're about to close for the day."
Qi Shiyu nodded repeatedly, smiling ingratiatingly at the person:
"I know, just a few minutes, it'll be quick."
Saying that, she glanced at the clock on the wall. Seeing that five minutes were up, she quickly picked up the receiver and dialed the number on the paper.
The other side answered quickly, it only rang twice, and it was connected!
"It's mommy..."
A clear childish voice came from the receiver. Qi Shiyu's face lit up with joy:
"Baby Chenchen, did you find--"
"Comrade, hello, I--"
A cold, deep, and magnetic voice assaulted her eardrums. Those overly cold eyes flashed in her mind. Qi Shiyu's brow twitched, and almost reflexively, she covered her mouth, stopping the curse word that was about to escape her lips. She hung up the phone.
So scary...
Qi Shiyu swallowed, gave 20 cents to the old man guarding the phone, and then rushed off without delay...
Scrambled away!
At the Suburban Beijing Camp, the newly promoted father and son listened to the 'beep, beep, beep' busy signal from the receiver in silence.
After a while--
"Waaah--" the little fellow started crying again, twisting his body and squatting in the corner, drawing circles in the dirt. His voice was choked with sobs:
"Daddy is bad, baby wants grandma, wants grandpa, wants great-grandpa, wants maternal grandmother, wants maternal grandpa, and wants great maternal grandpa... Baby wants to change his surname, baby doesn't want the same surname as bad daddy..."
Thump, thump, thump--
Veins throbbed cheerfully on his forehead. Ji Mingxuan's face darkened. He lowered his eyes and looked in disbelief at the little brat who started crying for no reason and was throwing a tantrum:
He couldn't imagine that in the future, he would have a little crybaby who complained all the time. When did his tolerance level become so high?
Ji Yichen...
It sounded like a boy's name, but with his appearance, his clothing, and his spoiled demeanor...
Ji Mingxuan sighed softly. For the first time, he squatted down, tugged at the little fellow's shoulder, lowered his voice, and said with resignation:
"Let's go back."
The little fellow twisted his body, shook off his hand, and turned away from Ji Mingxuan in a huff, changing his angle.
Before he could even process the fact that his future daughter had found him, he was now facing another problem: The daughter was angry, and quite temperamental...
The 190cm tall man looked at the small figure, troubled. After a moment of thought, he resigned himself to the situation and came before the little fellow, his voice a bit stiff:
"Ji Yichen."
The little fellow, who had just stopped crying, now burst into tears again, his small face filled with grievance:
"You made a mistake yourself, and you still have the nerve to talk back? Why did mommy hang up? Don't you know? Hmph! Baby won't talk to you either!"
The little fellow was bold. After yelling at Ji Mingxuan, he turned again, stubbornly keeping his backside facing Ji Mingxuan.
Ji Mingxuan looked helpless: If he had committed a crime, he wished the organization would judge him, rather than being punished by an unreasonable little female comrade who appeared out of nowhere...
"Old, Old Ji..."
He Ziwei had watched the scene of the cold-blooded killer Ji Mingxuan coaxing a child from the shadows. He shooed away the comrades who might have been eavesdropping and knocked on the door.
Ji Mingxuan looked up, saw the person and the little soldiers peeking from behind him, straightened his clothes, stood up, and curved his lips--
"Waaah-- Uncle He..."
Ji Yichen, the little fellow, cried out first and ran towards He Ziwei.
Startled by the familiar child, He Ziwei quickly extended his arms and hugged the little meatball who was crying his eyes out. He carefully took out a handkerchief and wiped away the tear streaks. He glanced at his friend, who had a headache, and gently patted the little fellow's back, coaxing him:
"Look, who made our Baby Chenchen so upset?"
He had only heard the soldier relay that someone was looking for Deputy Battalion Commander Ji's Baby Chenchen. Seeing the little fellow's braided hair adorned with a hair clip, he automatically assumed it was Baby Chenchen...
The little fellow was 3 years old, an age where gender is ambiguous. Hugging He Ziwei's neck so intimately went straight to He Ziwei's heart, making him incredibly fond of the child.
"Daddy doesn't care about baby at all. He wants to be Wang Jianye's daddy. He's bad, baby doesn't want him as daddy anymore..."
The little fellow said this with a distraught expression, which made He Ziwei feel uneasy. He looked at his friend with clear accusation:
"Old Ji, you can't be serious. We are soldiers, you can't make such a big mistake involving principles..."
Ji Mingxuan couldn't help but hold his forehead: "She's being unreasonable, and you're not using your brain either?"
He Ziwei was speechless for a moment. He knew Ji Mingxuan well; he was an insulator when it came to women. Having such a precious child was already a blessing, and it was impossible for him to have another woman who was so thoughtless...
The little fellow, with snot bubbles, cried:
"Daddy is acting up, daddy is acting up. Daddy scared mommy away, so mommy hung up on him because she was angry!"
"This..."
He Ziwei couldn't help but look at Ji Mingxuan, suddenly feeling a little flustered. What if this Old Ji silenced him later for accidentally overhearing their private conversation...?
Ji Mingxuan's face was stern, and he looked quite speechless. He extended his hand:
"Give the child to me."
He Ziwei couldn't just hand over the child against his will, especially since the little fellow trusted him so much!
He looked at the little fellow inquiringly:
"Look, your daddy knows he was wrong. Do you want to go back with him?"
The little fellow blinked, looked at He Ziwei, then turned to look at Ji Mingxuan behind him. Seeing his outstretched hand, he haughtily turned his head away:
"Hmph!"
"Alright, go back and let your daddy wash you up. Look at what a mess you are!"
He Ziwei chuckled, affectionately pinched the little fellow's nose, and smilingly placed the child in Ji Mingxuan's arms.
The little fellow was now disheveled, with dirt smudged on his face and his clothes wrinkled like preserved vegetables.Fortunately, the little fellow had high a good appearance, with beautiful eyes; otherwise, people might mistake him for a beggar on the street!