Zhang Hao smiled, pulled out his phone, and transferred fifty-six hundred yuan on the spot.
"Thank you, young man. You're a really good person."
The babysitter thanked him, looking at Zhang Hao with approval. Meanwhile, Su Yuyan was somewhat perplexed. She hadn't expected the babysitter to proactively ask Zhang Hao for the money. Because her own payday didn't align with the babysitter's, she always paid her a few days late, and the babysitter had never made an issue of it. Yet this time, she had actively collected money from Zhang Hao.
Though puzzled, Su Yuyan said nothing, figuring the babysitter had earned it. As for Zhang Hao's money, she would reimburse him when her own salary came in.
"WeChat Pay: five thousand six hundred yuan."
Hearing the payment notification, the babysitter smiled as she pocketed her phone, then asked with a grin, "Young man, are you a local here in Haicheng?"
"What do you do for a living?"
"How many people in your family?"
"Any brothers or sisters?"
Hearing this barrage of four personal questions, Zhang Hao frowned slightly. Why did it feel like she was trying to set him up on a blind date? Besides, a babysitter had no business prying into such private matters.
"Uh..."
The babysitter laughed awkwardly. "Don't misunderstand. I just wanted to get a sense of your situation to see if you'd have time to drop by and help look after Baobao."
"Well, I'm heading out now. See you tomorrow."
With that, she turned and left immediately, sneaking a photo of Zhang Hao just before she slipped out while he wasn't looking.
At that moment, Su Yuyan said, "I'll transfer the money to you as soon as I get paid."
"No need."
"She's looking after Baobao, so it's only right that I pay."
With that, she moved over to sit on the edge of the bed, gazing at the three adorable babies with a deeper smile on her face.
Su Yuyan remained silent, her mind racing with a tangle of thoughts. Though she had found Zhang Hao and even considered their future, right now, she just felt a strange awkwardness in her heart. Even with the most intimate of connections, he still felt like a stranger. In an instant, all the things she had rehearsed to say were thrown into disarray.
Amidst her thoughts, she glanced at the clock hanging on the wall and realized it was dinnertime.
"Um... watch Baobao for a moment. Call me if they cry."
"I'll go make dinner. You should stay and eat before you leave."
As she spoke, she got up from the bed and walked toward the door.
Zhang Hao smiled casually. "Don't bother with that. Can't we just order takeout? What do you want to eat?" As he asked, he pulled out his phone and opened the delivery app.
Su Yuyan politely declined, "Never mind, I'll cook."
"I still need to make some supplementary food for the babies."
"They're almost seven months old. We can start introducing some vegetable and meat purees so they get proper nutrition."
With that, she walked straight out of the bedroom.
Zhang Hao gave a slight nod. He had assumed babies this young could only drink milk; he hadn't realized they could eat other things, too.
*Ding~*
Suddenly, the system's voice rang out in his mind.
"Ding: A new mission is available! Make mashed potatoes for the babies. Complete the mission to receive a cash reward of thirty thousand yuan."
Though a new mission had arrived, Zhang Hao frowned. He couldn't cook at all. When he had money, he ate big meals; when he was broke, he lived on instant noodles. The only thing he knew how to make was instant noodles.
Just as Zhang Hao was feeling helpless, the system's voice chimed in again.
"Detected that the host does not know how to cook. Would you like to activate the Super Culinary Arts skill? Since this is your first skill, it's free!"
Zhang Hao was momentarily stunned.
Super Culinary Arts?
What on earth was that?
Could it be that aside from cash rewards, there were skill rewards, too?
"Activate!"
Zhang Hao decisively agreed. In an instant, a massive wave of culinary knowledge flooded rapidly into his mind. At the same time, he felt his body undergo a transformation. His arms, in particular, felt much stronger.
...
Meanwhile, Su Yuyan was washing vegetables in the kitchen. She had just placed a washed potato on the cutting board and was reaching for the vegetable slicer to make shredded potatoes when she heard footsteps behind her.
She turned her head and saw that Zhang Hao had walked in.
"Are the babies fussing?"
Zhang Hao smiled and shook his head. "No. Let me cook."
"You?"
Su Yuyan looked skeptical. "Can you cook?"
Though she didn't know Zhang Hao well, she assumed he couldn't. Very few young people nowadays knew how to cook; even she only knew how to make simple home-style dishes.
"I should be able to," Zhang Hao said with a hint of uncertainty. Although he had activated the Super Culinary Arts skill, he lacked practical experience and wasn't sure if he could pull it off.
"Never mind, you go keep an eye on the babies. I'll cook." With that, she picked up a potato and placed it into the vegetable slicer.
Just then, she saw Zhang Hao step up beside her, holding a kitchen knife.
"Let me do it."
"You're so pretty—kitchen smoke is bad for your skin."
Hearing this, Su Yuyan's cheeks flushed red, but a warm feeling bloomed in her heart. Still, could he actually cook?
Zhang Hao held the knife in his right hand and pressed the potato down with his left. Taking a deep breath, he began to cut.
*Thud, thud, thud...*
A sound like a machine gun firing rang out. Zhang Hao's right hand moved so fast that only a blur remained. In less than ten seconds, a whole potato had been transformed into perfectly uniform shreds—even finer and more even than what the vegetable slicer could have produced.
Su Yuyan stood aside, dumbfounded. That hand speed was simply too fast!
"I had no idea your knife skills were so impressive!"
"Were you a chef before?" Su Yuyan asked, disbelief written all over her face.
"I was!" Zhang Hao told a little white lie. The Super Super Dad System was too miraculous; even if he told the truth, Su Yuyan certainly wouldn't believe him. She might even think he had mental health issues.
Su Yuyan gave a slight nod. Seeing the shredded potatoes neatly arranged on the cutting board, she picked up a vegetable basket and walked over. "I'll help you wash the vegetables."
"No need, don't lift a finger. I've got it."
"It's fine, the babies aren't crying or fussing so they don't need watching. I can't just let you do everything alone—two people make it go faster."
Zhang Hao smiled and said nothing more. Watching Su Yuyan's profile as she washed the vegetables, and smelling the cozy scent of cooking in the kitchen, a sudden wave of warmth washed over him.
...
As the saying goes, work is lighter when men and women team up. After a fierce battle, dinner was ready in just half an hour: stir-fried tomatoes and eggs, hot and sour shredded potatoes, braised pork belly, Mapo tofu, and seaweed and dried shrimp soup. And, of course, the vegetable puree for the babies.
Looking at the four dishes and one soup on the table, Su Yuyan looked surprised. "I never knew your cooking skills were this good. You're practically a five-star hotel chef."
"Small matter. This is just the tip of the iceberg. As long as you want to eat it, there's nothing I can't make." Zhang Hao flashed a brilliant smile. One reason was Su Yuyan's praise; the other was that when he finished the mashed potatoes, the thirty thousand yuan reward had hit his account.
"Waaah~"
Suddenly, a baby's cry rang out. Zhang Hao rushed toward the bedroom, with Su Yuyan following closely behind.
Bursting into the room, they saw all three adorable babies wailing in unison, as if they had planned it beforehand.
"Don't cry, babies, Daddy's here." Zhang Hao spoke in a gentle voice. He checked their diapers first and, based on the wetness indicator strips, saw they weren't wet.
One look and Su Yuyan understood. Since they weren't wet, they had to be hungry.
"They must be hungry. You go mix the formula, I'll soothe them." With that, she scooped up Dabao with one arm and Erbao with the other, gently comforting them. "Good babies, Mommy's holding you, don't cry."
Zhang Hao picked up Sanbao and went straight over to the table to mix the milk. He prepared three bottles of formula to the golden ratio, then cooled them down with cold water.
After a brief flurry of activity, the three little ones were finally drinking their milk. The moment they latched onto the nipples, the crying stopped.
Zhang Hao let out a long breath. "I had no idea taking care of babies was this exhausting."
"Yeah. One crying is manageable, but when all three go at once, it's total chaos."
Zhang Hao nodded. Looking at Su Yuyan, a complex mix of emotions welled up inside him. Whenever the babysitter wasn't around, she had to handle all three babies entirely by herself—it must have been even harder on her.
Just as Zhang Hao was feeling emotional, an awkward scene caught his eye.
Dabao and Erbao, while drinking their milk, started getting restless with their little hands, reaching familiarly right into the collar of Su Yuyan's shirt.
Su Yuyan's face instantly flushed crimson. Normally it wouldn't be a big deal; after all, it was just something babies did. But with Zhang Hao standing right across from her—and crucially, watching—she suddenly felt terribly embarrassed.
"What are you staring at? Haven't you ever seen this before?"
"Uh... I forgot."
"You!" Su Yuyan glared at him, her brows raised, and spun around with her back to him.
Zhang Hao chuckled and shook his head, thinking to himself that his wife was terribly cute.
Right at that moment, the system's voice chimed in his mind.
"Ding: Congratulations to the host for completing the feeding mission. A ten-thousand-yuan reward has been credited to your account."
"Master, Master, you've got a text message."
Hearing the notification tone, Zhang Hao's expression shifted slightly. In less than a day, he had reaped eighty thousand yuan in rewards. This wasn't a Super Super Dad System at all—it was a super money-making system! It was simply heaven handing him a meal on a silver platter!
At that moment, Su Yuyan's gentle voice rang out. "You should go eat first, or it'll get cold."
"It's fine, we'll eat together in a minute."
Su Yuyan nodded without speaking, feeling a warm current through her heart.
Before long, the three little ones finished their milk. Perhaps exhausted from crying, they all closed their eyes and fell asleep. Su Yuyan walked gently over to the bed and carefully laid Dabao and Erbao down.
But the moment she released her grip, Dabao and Erbao suddenly snapped their eyes open and burst into tears all over again. To make matters worse, Sanbao was woken up by the crying and immediately joined the chorus.
*Waaah~ Waaah~ Waaah~*
The three babies wailed in unison, sounding like a pond full of frogs after a rainstorm, one voice following right after another.
Zhang Hao was instantly at a loss. It was his first time seeing such a scene, and he had no idea what to do.
The experienced Su Yuyan remained completely calm. "Dabao is easier to soothe, just pick her up. I'll handle Erbao and Sanbao."
"Okay." Zhang Hao nodded. With an excited heart and trembling hands, he scooped Dabao up. Feeling the baby's tiny, delicate frame in his arms, an indescribable sensation washed over him—novelty, doting affection, familial love... A wave of profound emotion rushed through him.
At that moment, Su Yuyan picked up Erbao and Sanbao and headed toward the door. "Let's go feed them the mashed potatoes. Once they taste something good, they'll stop crying."
"Really?" Zhang Hao followed her out, half-doubtful.
However, the moment he sat down at the dining table and spooned a bit of mashed potato into Dabao's mouth, Dabao instantly stopped crying and began happily munching away with her little lips. Looking at Erbao and Sanbao, they were doing the exact same thing.
"Amazing. I didn't think this trick would work so well."
"Of course. Every day after they drink their milk, they have a little solid food—it's become a habit."
Zhang Hao gave a slight nod. But then, he paused. The babies were seven months old now and relatively easy to manage. But what about when they were smaller? It must have been even harder to soothe them then. Even with a babysitter hired, the babysitter didn't stay overnight. That meant Su Yuyan had spent all those nights completely alone, taking care of three babies through sheer, exhausting grit.
Wait.
Why was Su Yuyan all by herself? Where were her parents? Even if they worked during the day, surely they could have come over at night to help with the babies. After all, these were triplets!
Thinking of this, Zhang Hao asked, "Where are Auntie and Uncle? Don't they come over at night?"
Hearing the question, Su Yuyan suddenly froze. A moment later, her pretty eyes turned slightly red.
Seeing this, Zhang Hao quickly said, "I'm really sorry, I was just curious."
Su Yuyan bit her lower lip. After a brief hesitation, she finally answered, "It's fine. I was going to have to tell you about this sooner or later anyway."
"A year and a half ago, Mom and Dad found out I was pregnant. I wouldn't tell them whose child it was, and they panicked, demanding I get an abortion."
"Because I was fighting with my family, I ran away from home and rented a place here to live."
"Later, when I went to the hospital for a prenatal checkup, I found out it was triplets!"
"For the three little lives inside me, no matter how bitter or exhausting it was, it was worth it."
"Whether my family cares or not, and whether I ever met you or not, I was going to raise my three daughters to adulthood."
With that, she looked down at Erbao and Sanbao in her arms, her face filled with doting affection. And the two babies, as if they could understand every word, let out soft gurgles of laughter.
Zhang Hao felt a wave of crushing guilt. If not for him, Su Yuyan probably wouldn't have had to endure any of this. No matter what, he had to figure out a way to make it up to her from now on.
*Ding-dong~*
Suddenly, the doorbell rang.
Zhang Hao stood up and placed Dabao into the stroller nearby. "I'll get it." With that, he walked toward the door.
Su Yuyan's delicate brows furrowed slightly as her heartbeat suddenly accelerated. It was too late for it to be the babysitter. The only people who knew her address were her parents, whom she hadn't seen in over a year.
Could it be them?!
...
*Ding-dong~*
The insistent doorbell rang a second time.
"Coming!" Zhang Hao frowned and called out, thinking to himself, *Who is in such a rush, ringing like they're summoning the grim reaper?*
He pulled the door open—and his eyes went wide!
"What the—the sissy?"
"Yikes~ What are you doing here?!"
Hearing that effeminate voice, Zhang Hao instantly broke out in goosebumps. It was none other than Su Huairou, the guy he had run into earlier while buying baby formula.
Su Huairou looked equally surprised. He had originally come to visit his cousin Su Yuyan, but never in his wildest dreams had he expected to run into Zhang Hao here. What on earth was Zhang Hao doing at his cousin's place in the middle of the night?
Catching sight of Su Yuyan out of the corner of his eye, he launched right into an interrogation.
"Cousin~ What is Zhang Hao doing in your apartment?"
"He..." Su Yuyan faltered. "I hired him to come and help look after the babies."
"A nursemaid?" Su Huairou furrowed his brow, a look of contempt instantly replacing his surprise. "Oh~ I get it. So our famous Young Master Zhang is picking up part-time gigs now~"
"As a male nanny, no less."
"If word of this gets out, people will die laughing. Heh~"
With that, he glanced dismissively at Zhang Hao, swung his hips, and walked into the living room.
Zhang Hao swallowed hard, nearly gagging up the dinner he had just eaten.
Su Yuyan asked with an unnatural expression, "Cousin, what brings you here so late?"
Instead of answering immediately, Su Huairou sat down at the dining table. Catching sight of Dabao lying in the stroller, he reached down and picked her up.
"My, my~ I haven't seen you in a month and you've gotten so chubby. You're getting cuter by the day."
"Come on, give big cousin a kiss."
With that, he planted a kiss right on Dabao's chubby cheek.
Su Yuyan frowned, a look of pure revulsion crossing her face.
Meanwhile, Zhang Hao's brows shot up in rage. That freaky sissy dared to kiss his precious baby daughter? It was utterly, sickeningly vile.
Just as he was opening his mouth to roar at him, a ludicrous scene unfolded.
Dabao suddenly reached out her tiny hand and slapped Su Huairou right across the face.
*Smack!*
Though the force wasn't great, the sound was loud and sharp.
Su Huairou let out an annoyed huff. "Naughty baby! Big cousin was going to buy you a new dress, and now you're acting like this? Keep it up and I'll smack your little bottom."
*Blech~*
Suddenly, Dabao threw up—splattering vomit directly onto Su Huairou's clothes.
"Ugh! This was a brand-new outfit I just bought! Cost over ten thousand yuan!"
"Naughty baby, see if I don't spank you!" He raised his hand, moving to swat Dabao's bottom.
"Cousin!" Su Yuyan snapped angrily. "You're a grown adult, why are you bickering with an infant?"
"State your business! Why are you here so late?"
Su Huairou cast a glance at Su Yuyan. Seeing the anger on her face, he put the baby back into the stroller.
"Hmph, I'll teach you some manners later."
"Cousin, your dear cousin is here tonight on family business."
"The Old Master has stepped back from the front lines, and the family enterprise is now being run jointly by my dad and your dad."
"Since you ran away from home a year ago and even declared you were cutting ties with the family, the actual power in the company is firmly in my dad's hands. As for shares and assets? You can forget about them."
"As the only male heir of the Su Family, I'll naturally inherit the enterprise sooner or later. You understand what I'm saying, right?"
With that, he looked down at Su Yuyan with a condescending sneer.
Su Yuyan furrowed her brow. She was well aware of the family business affairs, both on the surface and behind closed doors. Wherever interests were involved, power struggles followed—an unchanging rule of the ages. But the family enterprise had been built single-handedly by the Old Master; since it involved succession, it should rightfully be divided fairly between her father and her uncle. You couldn't just write her out entirely just because she was an only daughter and hand everything over to her uncle's branch.
Clearly, her falling out with the family had given her uncle's household an opening to exploit.
"Cousin, since the enterprise is being run jointly by my dad and your uncle, you're speaking much too soon."
"Besides, the Old Master never said you were to inherit everything by yourself. What are your intentions in saying all that just now? Are you trying to swallow the family business whole?"
Su Yuyan's tone was ice-cold and dead serious. At that moment, she seemed like a completely different person. Her gentle gaze turned resolute, her kind expression freezing into frost—transforming her in an instant from a tender young mother into a regal, noble queen.
"Hmph!" Su Huairou sneered. "I'm not discussing this with you; I'm informing you."
"Besides, do you even have the right to lecture me?"
"A year ago, you went and got yourself knocked up with some bastard's wild seed, and even cut ties with the family over it. You've dragged the Su Family's name through the mud!"
"You drove your dad to high blood pressure and nearly scared the Old Master to death!"
"Even if you wanted to crawl back to the Su Family now, the Su Family wouldn't want you! And certainly not these three wild bastards either!"