Chance Encounter

It was time for kindergarten to let out.

In the large, medium, and small classes, each teacher led their students to their parents one by one.

Tongtong stood at the back, holding her teacher's hand, watching as one child after another was picked up by their parents, her eyes filled with a wistful longing.

At the entrance, several young mothers had just picked up their children.

"Hey? Isn't that Tongtong from your class? Who picked her up today?" A young mother spotted Tongtong standing among the few remaining children.

I also saw her looking on expectantly.

There are about twenty children in a kindergarten class. They all know each other's family situations over time, and they often gossip about each other in their spare time.

They also knew that Tongtong in their class came from a single-parent family.

Her parents divorced, and although she nominally lived with her father, her mother was the one who worried the most.

"I don't know, we've never seen her father," the little boy said, sounding confused.

There are fewer and fewer children in the kindergarten.

"Tongtong, have you seen your Uncle Zhang? Or should I call your mom again?" Teacher Xu asked, bending down.

"I... I..." Tongtong stood on tiptoe and looked outside for a long, long time, then her eyes suddenly lit up.

"It's Uncle Zhang's car."

"Where?" Teacher Xu asked, holding Tongtong's hand and peering outside.

Outside the school gate, next to a powerful Cullinan, an incredibly handsome man is smiling and waving from afar.

Tongtong suddenly broke free and ran away as if she were having a blast, only to be picked up and lifted high in the man's arms.

Teacher Xu was stunned, standing there in a daze.

Several young mothers outside the school gate were also involuntarily drawn in, watching intently.

"This is... that Uncle Zhang?" Teacher Xu murmured to herself.

Next to the Cullinan, Zhang Yang successfully picked up Tongtong.

It's been a long time since I've seen her, and it seems like Tongtong has grown quite a bit taller.

"Uncle Zhang, why didn't my mom come today?" Tongtong asked, hugging Zhang Yang's neck.

"Your mom's busy at the shop, so Uncle will take you out for a meal later, and then drop you off at your mom's," Zhang Yang said with a smile. "Where do you want to eat? Uncle will make sure you have everything you need today."

"Great!" Tongtong exclaimed happily. "I want... I want to eat steak, I want to eat pizza, and I want to eat fruit too!"

She rattled off a long list of things she wanted to eat.

Zhang Yang nodded and agreed to everything.

"Are you Mr. Zhang?" A quiet-looking girl reached out her hand from the side.

"Teacher Xu," Tongtong suddenly called out.

Zhang Yang realized that this was Tongtong's homeroom teacher, so he reached out and shook her hand.

"Teacher Xu, thank you for your help. Tongtong's mother is a bit busy, so she asked me to pick her up." He exchanged a few pleasantries.

"Tongtong's mom told me everything," Teacher Xu said with a smile. "By the way, will Tongtong's mom or Tongtong still be picking her up from now on? Or will it be you? If it's you, you'll have to add me on WeChat."

She asked tentatively.

"I basically don't know how." Zhang Yang smiled, looked down and patted Tongtong's head. "Say goodbye to the teacher."

Tongtong waved her hand obediently.

Goodbye, Teacher Xu.

"Goodbye Tongtong." Teacher Xu bent down slightly and said in a very gentle tone.

Zhang Yang picked up Tongtong, put her in the passenger seat, and then settled her down.

Before leaving, he politely said goodbye, then got into his Cullinan and sped away.

Teacher Xu stood there, her hand still waving goodbye, her eyes gazing absently in the direction the car had gone, and stood there for a long time.

··

Inside a shopping center not far from Star City World Commercial Street.

Zhang Yang and Tongtong held hands, looking exactly like a father and daughter, as they walked through the shopping mall and went straight into a Pizza Hut.

Zhang Yang ordered a whole bunch of things, including pizza and steak, all of which were Tongtong's favorites.

"Thank you, Uncle Zhang," Tongtong suddenly said politely.

"So polite! Did your teacher teach you that, or your mother?" Zhang Yang ruffled Tongtong's hair.

Last time, this little girl kept calling him "Dad."

It wasn't that he was eager to be a father, but rather that he was curious about Tongtong's sudden and significant change after so long.

"Mom taught me that," Tongtong said, munching on her pizza. "Mom told me not to call him that, because Uncle Zhang isn't married yet, and she was afraid you'd mind."

As she was eating, she suddenly blinked.

"Uncle Zhang, will you marry my mom? If you get married, can I call you Dad?"

"Huh?" Zhang Yang was taken aback by the child's innocent remark.

Well, on the one hand, he was indeed experiencing what it's like to be a father in advance, and on the other hand, he really liked Tongtong.

However, he never really thought about becoming a father.

After all, he already has a biological father; he doesn't need to compete with others to be a dad, right?

"Don't you have a biological father?" he joked.

"My dad?" Tongtong's eyes were blank, then, despite being such a small child, a look of sadness suddenly flashed in her eyes, "My dad probably doesn't like me."

"Why?" Zhang Yang asked curiously.

"He went out with me once, and we ran into an auntie. She said...she said..." Tongtong rambled on for a while, tears streaming down her face. "She said I wasn't his child, but belonged to a friend."

"Is there such a father?" Zhang Yang grabbed a tissue, wiped the little girl's face, and then comforted her gently.

So that's how it is. To maintain his single image, he's even willing to disown his own daughter.

After a while, Tongtong stopped crying and started laughing again. Children's emotions come and go quickly.

After dinner, Zhang Yang originally planned to take Tongtong directly to see her biological mother.

However, in the central plaza of the shopping mall, a huge children's playground has been set up, where the joyful laughter of children can be heard constantly.

Tongtong stared longingly, her eyes showing some interest.

"Want to play? We can go see your mom later," Zhang Yang asked with a smile.

Tongtong nodded her little head eagerly.

Zhang Yang took Tongtong's hand and led her to the children's playground. Then he watched her run happily towards the inflatable trampoline and have a great time.

He raised his phone, took a short video, and sent it to Li Xiaoxuan.

"Play for a while before going back."

A moment later, Li Xiaoxuan replied to the message.

[I'm so sorry, Mr. Zhang... I'm almost embarrassed.]

Zhang Yang looked at Li Xiaoxuan's message and found it somewhat amusing.

Excuse me?

In the afternoon, when Li Xiaoxuan was fully engaged and unlocking all the positions she wanted to try, she wasn't shy at all, was she?

Why are you being so polite?

He smiled, replied casually with a couple of sentences, then put down his phone and focused on watching Tongtong playing in the children's playground.

He would wave every now and then.

Time passed by, but Zhang Yang didn't feel bored. Instead, his thoughts drifted, and he reminisced about his childhood.

"Huh? Zhang Yang?"

Suddenly, a surprised exclamation came from the side.

Zhang Yang snapped out of his daze and looked around. Not far away, a figure with long, black hair was looking at him with a face full of surprise.

"Meng Baihan?"

He greeted them with a smile, "What a coincidence?"

"I just finished having dinner with friends," Meng Baihan introduced the girl standing next to her, "Wu Yiting, my college classmate, who is now also a teacher at Yinghai."

She was also a tall and slender-looking girl.

"Hello, handsome." Wu Yiting greeted him softly, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.

"By the way, what are you doing here? Reminiscing about your childhood? Thinking back to when you were little?" Meng Baihan's gaze followed Zhang Yang into the amusement park. "I didn't expect you to still have such a childlike heart."

"I'm here..." Zhang Yang began with a smile, about to explain.

Inside the arena, a small figure, still excited, ran out – it was Tongtong.

She suddenly stopped and looked timidly at the two people beside Zhang Yang.

"Huh?"

"This little girl is..." Meng Baihan smiled and looked at the little girl in front of him, bending down slightly, "Little friend, how old are you?"

"Hello, Auntie, I'm five years old," Tongtong replied in her childish voice.

"Haha, handsome Zhang, is this your daughter?" Wu Yiting joked with a smile, without any other meaning.

I don't know what happened.

As she said this, Tongtong suddenly looked at Zhang Yang nervously and cautiously said, "Auntie, he is... he is my uncle..."

"You guessed right, it really is my daughter." Zhang Yang suddenly said with a smile, hugging Tongtong in his arms.

Tongtong paused for a moment, then her eyes lit up, and she proudly hugged Zhang Yang's neck.

Meng Baihan's smile remained unchanged, his eyes looking gently at the couple before him.

"Then you must be a good father."

"It's getting late, I need to go back with the child first." Zhang Yang looked at Meng Baihan, said goodbye, and prepared to leave.

When the kids get tired of playing, they can just turn the device off.

He doesn't mind being alone, even if he chats with Meng Baihan for an hour, or finds a place to sit, have coffee and chat.

However, having children with you still means having responsibilities.

"Okay, then... goodbye." Meng Baihan waved gently, "Goodbye, little friend."

"Goodbye, Auntie," Tongtong said in her childish voice, then nestled obediently on Zhang Yang's shoulder.

Zhang Yang nodded to the two girls, picked up Tongtong, and headed straight for the car to take Tongtong to her mother's place first.

Meng Baihan and Wu Yiting remained standing in the same spot, watching Zhang Yang's tall figure disappear into the distance.

"The classmate you mentioned... who has changed a lot, could it be this one?" Wu Yiting suddenly couldn't help but ask.

"How did you know?" Meng Baihan asked, amused.

"It's mainly because your previous description was so unbelievable that it made me wonder if you were just being idealistic and adding a filter," Wu Yiting said. "But when I saw this guy just now, I thought, even others couldn't live up to your description... He's really... incredibly handsome, even more handsome than my idol! And he has such a great presence too."

Meng Baihan smiled faintly and remained silent.

"My idol, the domineering CEO..." Wu Yiting continued to press, "By the way, what does he do again?"

"The Cullinan owner lives in a large apartment next to Tomson Riviera in Magic City. What are you talking about him for?" Meng Baihan shook his head and laughed.

"Oh no, I'm totally smitten!" Wu Yiting clutched Meng Baihan's clothes tightly.

"It would be a lie to say you're not tempted," Meng Baihan said, glancing at Wu Yiting. "It's perfectly normal for you to say that."

"That little girl just now, could she really be his child?" Wu Yiting asked again.

"How could that be? He has a girlfriend and isn't married yet." Meng Baihan shook her head gently, but the tenderness of Zhang Yang holding the child flashed through her mind, and her eyes softened even more.

A man who loves children so much must have a warm and gentle personality.

It's just a pity, she's already taken.

A faint sense of regret and loss inexplicably lingered in her heart.

"If you like him, just take the initiative and go after him." Wu Yiting stared at Meng Baihan. "I was just venting my anger, but you're different. You're classmates with him, so you have the advantage of proximity. As for having a girlfriend... in the face of love, everyone is equal, and there's no question of morality."

"No way." Meng Baihan chuckled and shook his head in front of his college classmate.

"Then prepare to be resentful for the rest of your life," Wu Yiting muttered. "It's time for you, with your innate white moonlight body, to taste the bitterness of unrequited love. Hmph, I never expected that you, Teacher Meng, also have a white moonlight."

"You're going to die." Meng Baihan came to his senses and hit him without any politeness.

She appears quiet and gentle, the kind of teacher Meng in other people's eyes, but in private with her friends, she's not some pushover.

··

As Zhang Yang drove towards Star City World Commercial Street, he glanced at the passenger seat.

"As expected, it shut down."

He glanced at Tongtong, who was curled up in the passenger seat, sleeping soundly, and drove slowly and steadily.

By this time, it was already past eight o'clock.

About twenty minutes later, the Cullinan finally arrived at its destination: the Meat Factory Barbecue Restaurant in Star City World Commercial Street.

Of course, this also meant he was on his own territory.

The car slowly came to a stop not far away.

Looking out the car window at the still bustling shop and then at Tongtong sleeping soundly in the passenger seat, Zhang Yang decided not to go at this time.

I simply turned off the car and waited quietly.

The shop is doing very well, which must mean they've found the right approach and are making customers feel they're getting great value for their money.

He watched from afar, got out of the car, smoked a cigarette outside, and saw that Li Xiaoxuan's small shop seemed to finally be on the right track. He was quite happy for her and hoped that she would regain custody of her child soon.

Time passed by, minute by minute.

Tongtong mumbled something softly, then fell into a deeper sleep.

The barbecue restaurant in the distance was gradually closing up, and you could vaguely see cleaning ladies coming and going inside.

Zhang Yang finally saw Li Xiaoxuan come out and look around, so he waved to her.

Immediately, Li Xiaoxuan's eyes lit up with surprise, and she ran over.

"Shh, your daughter is asleep." Zhang Yang pointed to Tongtong, who was sleeping soundly in the passenger seat.

"Mr. Zhang, you've been here for a while, haven't you?" Li Xiaoxuan looked at her sleeping daughter, then at Zhang Yang, her eyes flashing with an indescribable emotion.

"It's alright, you're busy anyway, and the kids are asleep, so I can watch them for a bit without any problem," Zhang Yang said with a smile.