Jian Dan could tell that he was actually very busy. When he stood at the door earlier, he kept checking his watch. She didn’t want to selfishly make him stay with her all the time, so she didn’t respond to his question.
Bo Qin was puzzled and looked down at the top of the little girl’s head, chuckling, "What are you thinking about? Uncle asked you a question. Didn’t you hear it?"
Jian Dan silently twisted her fingers, "Uncle Qin, do you have your own things to take care of? Go ahead, I can just grab something to eat outside by myself."
Bo Qin was taken aback, then chuckled, "It’s okay, I’ve already spent so little time with you. I haven’t done my duty as a guardian properly, and now that you’re grown up, there’s even less time for me to be with you. Just one meal, I can still manage that."
Jian Dan shook her head, insisting, "Just now I saw Uncle Qin looking at the time constantly, which shows that you’re really busy. It’s fine if we have a meal together on the weekend. You go ahead with your work. I’ll go eat some Japanese food by myself since you don’t like it anyway."
As she spoke, she flashed a playful smile, somewhat endearingly naive.
Bo Qin chuckled, "Alright then, we’ll have a meal together on the weekend. Do you have money?"
Still, Bo Qin took out a card from his bag and handed it to her, "Buy whatever you want to eat, and eat whatever you wish. Don’t feel reluctant to spend money. You can spend my money freely."
Looking at the card that was forcibly stuffed into her hand, Jian Dan had mixed emotions, "I understand, Uncle Qin. Be careful driving."
Bo Qin ruffled her hair, "Mhm, good, remember not to shortchange yourself. I’ll pick you up on Friday, and I’ll take you out on Saturday."
Upon reflection, ever since the little girl came over from Feng City, he hadn’t spent much time with her. But last time, when chatting with a business partner, the way the partner talked about his daughter with such adoration remained especially clear in his memory to this day.
The partner said that when he was young and busy with his career, he didn’t have time for his daughter. Every time he came home and she opened her arms calling for daddy, his heart would melt. Back then, he felt that it was all acceptable to be tired, as long as he could provide the best for such a treasure.
Later on, watching her learn to speak and going to elementary school, surrounded by some smelly boys, he almost wished he could hide her away.
She is his treasure after all.
While speaking, his continuous smile showed that his daughter was the apple of his eye, the treasure that he went through so much hardship to bring into their family. How could he not dote on her?
He wished to finish work early every day to be with his daughter, but reality forced him to work endlessly to give her financial freedom and extravagance. That’s the father’s role.
But it didn’t matter. Seeing his daughter’s concern for him, he would brush off any hardship. Even if it meant facing more difficulties, he would savor them.
At that time, Bo Qin felt nothing. Speaking strictly, he was eleven years older than Jian Dan and couldn’t be her father. When Jian Cheng entrusted Jian Dan to him, he didn’t instruct him on how to raise her.
So, his concern for Jian Dan couldn’t really be called concern, but he was never negligent, either.
Before meeting his business partner, he had thought this was all normal. But after that, he always felt that he owed something to Jian Dan.
A ten-year-old child came to his side and he casually handed her off to the maid. Although she didn’t have to worry about her basic needs, he had indeed neglected her emotional needs.
Letting the maid raise her, he would occasionally find time to check on her, which seemed like completing a task perfunctorily.
The more he thought about it, the more he felt he owed her.
Watching the little girl walk away with her head down, Bo Qin pursed his lips, got into his car, but thought that he should spend quality time with her whenever he gets the chance. This weekend he was going to Haicheng on a business trip, which would be a good opportunity to take the little girl out for fun.
Thinking of the little girl’s bright, shiny eyes, he felt somewhat happy for no particular reason.
Qin Jiu was walking along the school’s pathway, and as she passed the basketball court, she encountered Lin Chengyu and several boys from the dormitory. By chance, after the division of classes, they were all placed in the same class.
"Jian Dan, are you going out to eat?"
Lin Chengyu called out to Jian Dan with a cheerful smile, hinting at an invitation to join them for a meal, and also wanting to inquire about her relationship with Bo Qin.
Lin Chengyu’s mind worked quickly. He thought if Jian Dan and Bo Qin were close and intimate, he would need to reevaluate Jian Dan’s worth. If he dated Jian Dan, or even married her, could it possibly bring some benefit to the Lin family?
Therefore, everything had to start with Jian Dan.
Jian Dan looked up, her clear eyes glancing at the boys, slightly puzzled, "Who are you?"
Damn, that felt like a blow to their self-esteem.
They weren’t particularly famous, but among their peers, they were supposed to be quite popular, yet she didn’t even recognize them.