The silent tension in the room was broken by a waiter who knocked right on cue.
After receiving Jiang Yuchi’s response, a man dressed like a medieval butler entered, carefully carrying Yu Buying’s exorbitantly priced doll. Behind him followed the kindergarten principal and a photographer.
Most of the time, Jiang Yuchi was quite easygoing and did her best to cooperate with everyone. She had even prepared herself to flash a polite, fake smile for a photo with Madam Jiang and Jiang Zhixin, should they prove to be the buyers.
But as things stood, the prospect of putting on this show with Jiang Zhiyi was truly nauseating.
She grabbed her bag and stood up. With a sharp look, she signaled for Jiang Zhiyi to stay put, then turned to the principal and forced a smile. "I have an urgent matter to attend to, so I must be going."
The kindergarten principal was a sharp-eyed, shrewd little man. He sensed immediately that the atmosphere between Jiang Yuchi and Jiang Zhiyi was off, but since the money was already in his pocket, he looked at Jiang Yuchi as if she were a guardian angel.
If she didn't want to participate in the photo shoot, what was the problem?
Besides, if she wouldn't cooperate, wasn't Jiang Zhiyi still there? Jiang Zhiyi, the eldest son who had left the Jiang Group to strike out on his own four years ago, hadn't made a public appearance or given an interview since establishing his own firm. It seemed today would be a success after all.
The doll with Yu Buying’s button eyes was placed with great solemnity inside a transparent crystal box. Jiang Zhiyi picked it up, his expression dazed.
In truth, the doll wasn't particularly distinctive. For a six-year-old like Yu Buying, just getting the hair and button colors right was impressive enough; one could replicate it in minutes with the same materials.
The only thing that gave it any real distinction were the four letters crookedly embroidered on the hem of the doll’s dress:
Ruby.
Yu Buying’s English name.
During their college years, Jiang Zhiyi had imagined countless times that he and Jiang Yuchi would have a daughter.
A daughter as adorable as a doll.
As he held the doll up for the photographer brought by the principal, he heard a crisp, clear voice call out from just beyond the half-open door.
"Mommy!"
Jiang Yuchi had just stepped outside when she ran into the brother and sister pair, who were peeking in. Upon seeing her, Yu Buying cried out in excitement.
"Why didn't you stay in the room and wait for me?" She pulled the two children into a secluded corner, crouched down, and gave each of them a gentle pat on the head.
"Mommy, I wanted to see who bought my doll!" After all, this was her labor of love!
As soon as she finished speaking, Yu Buying kicked her little legs and tried to run inside, only to be grabbed by her brother, Yu Buqi.He had always been incredibly enthusiastic about needling Yu Buying, and he immediately crooned in a theatrical, operatic tone, "My dearest little sister, do try to use that ornamental little brain of yours and think—why exactly were we just left behind in that room?"
Seeing that Yu Buying was about to blow her top, Jiang Yuchi quickly crouched down to rub the little girl’s cheeks and explained, "It was Mommy's ex-boyfriend."
Ex? Ex-boyfriend? The little girl’s mouth fell open in shock, her watery eyes full of confusion.
Yu Buqi said with a look of resignation, "Ms. Jiang, shouldn't you have used a white lie or told them it was just some irrelevant person to brush it off at a time like this?"
Perhaps that really would have been better... Jiang Yuchi realized belatedly. Maybe because she hadn't personally raised the two of them from infancy, their relationship felt more like that of equals and friends than the traditional parent-child dynamic.
Was it really inappropriate to talk about ex-boyfriends in front of children?
Sensing her mother's dilemma, Yu Buying immediately leaned in affectionately to console her, "Don't be nervous, Mommy. I have an ex-boyfriend too; it's nothing unusual."
!? No, wait—did this six-year-old just say something absolutely scandalous?
Yu Buqi clutched his forehead in agony and weakly defended his sister, "If you're talking about that boy from the Duan family, let me reiterate once more that you two were only playing house."
"But he called me his wife at the time," Yu Buying argued solemnly.
"And at the time, I was playing your dog! Do I look like a dog to you? Woof, woof, woof!" The young master let out a few deadpan barks, successfully making Jiang Yuchi laugh.
Yu Buying wrapped her arms around Jiang Yuchi's neck, speaking with an intentionally cutesy, syrupy tone: "Mommy~ can I sneak a peek at your ex-boy... oh, I mean, see what my doll buyer looks like?"
Although her current relationship with Jiang Zhiyi was indeed awkward, Yu Buying did have a genuine business connection with him. Besides, no one could bring themselves to refuse the little girl when she spoke in such a sweet, milky voice.
"You are only allowed to poke your head in and take a quick look from the doorway. Do not go inside, and come running back the moment you've seen him."
Having received her mother's permission, Yu Buying stood up straight and saluted Jiang Yuchi, her small face set in a serious expression. "Understood, Officer Calico! Mission guaranteed to be completed!"
With that, she scurried off toward the door they had just left. Jiang Yuchi turned to look at Yu Buqi with a puzzled expression. The young master frowned, resigned to the task of enlightening her. "It’s probably from that 'Cat Commando' show she’s been watching lately. She’s Detective Garfield, and you’re Chief Calico."