"You drive the car over. Baby and I will walk over slowly."
Driver Li was even more shocked, seeing the always meticulous and serious CEO actually willing to carry his son and walk on the street?
Ji Rui, heeding Le Tong’s reminder, called the restaurant ahead of time to reserve a spot. Just as Le Tong had said, after a server led the father and son into a private room, they turned around and brought a plate of fried spring rolls for the child.
Though it was just ordinary food, the filling was very fresh, and the skin was crispy. The two spring rolls were quickly devoured by baby.
"Hmm... delicious, delicious..." After eating, baby licked his fingers with contentment, looking completely enchanted.
Whether it was the atmosphere or the chef’s exceptional skills, Ji Rui ordered six dishes and one soup: tangerine peel ribs, clay pot chicken, steamed fish, savory shrimp, fresh mushroom with seasonal greens, dried scallop with melon, plus a coconut meat soup — enough food for four people. Yet the father and son managed to finish everything completely.
The dishes were typical of ordinary people, but the taste was far from ordinary. In short, those Michelin star chefs hired at great expense in the Ji family’s mansion couldn’t capture this flavor, and even Ji Rui, who has tasted delicacies all over the country, found it unforgettable.
Little food lover Ji, usually talkative, instead focused solely on eating, occasionally exclaiming, "Delicious! Delicious!"
Ji Rui ate faster than baby. After feeling full, he contentedly sipped tea while watching baby finish off the rest of the dishes.
Baby usually eats a bowl of rice, but today, perhaps because the food particularly suited his taste or he was hungry from playing earlier, in addition to finishing the dishes, there were two bowls of rice in front of the little food lover.
"Ji Two Bowls!" Ji Rui curled his lips, and in a good mood, he even became slightly humorous, reaching over to pinch baby’s nose, which was slightly sweaty. ᴛhis chapter is ᴜpdated by novel fire.net
Baby giggled, pointing to the three bowls in front of Ji Rui, teasing in return, "Daddy, you’re Ji Three Bowls!"
Ji Rui only then noticed that he had unknowingly eaten three bowls of rice himself.
After baby was full, he snuggled against Ji Rui, "Daddy, the chef here is amazing. Can we bring them home to cook for us?"
Ji Rui didn’t directly respond but rather patted baby’s round belly and said, "Baby, things you like don’t always need to be owned. If baby likes to eat here, Daddy will take you often."
Some principles baby might not understand, but Ji Rui felt it was necessary to slowly let him realize that what one can possess is very limited, and the easier something is to get, the less it is cherished. Just imagine, how many people can recognize the significance of easily available things around them?
Baby blinked his eyes, staring at Ji Rui, "Really? As long as baby wants to eat, Daddy will take me to eat?"
Previously, Ji Rui would go home to accompany his son and father on Saturdays, but experiences like going out for a meal and having fun as father and son were rare.
Firstly, Ji Rui found his son difficult to handle, afraid he couldn’t manage him.
Secondly, Ji Rui thought his time was too precious to spend on accompanying his son in play and frolic.
However, over the past few months, Ji Rui’s mindset has been quietly changing. The more effort he put into interacting with his beloved son, the more he realized, the son is not difficult, rather no one cared about or understood his thoughts, so he would throw tantrums.
Now Ji Rui somewhat understands that with proper explanations or distraction, he could possibly coexist peacefully with baby.
Recently, due to the deteriorating relationship with the old man, Ji Rui occasionally reminisced about his own childhood. Then he realized, in those years of relentless pursuit, he had forgotten the warmth of family he once longed for, which is now missing and yearned for by his beloved son.
Baby might be too young to describe his desires systematically, so all he can do is cause trouble.
Recently, the long-forgotten and distant nightmare has revisited frequently, leaving Ji Rui lying awake in the dark, overwhelmed with waves of loneliness and helplessness.
He had thought that nightmare could only haunt him in youth, that now he was strong enough to be unaffected and invulnerable to anything or anyone.
But amidst the waves of helplessness, he finally understood that the family affection he deemed unimportant was still capable of harming him as easily as before. It was just that, after being in pain for so many years, he had become numb, thinking it wouldn’t hurt anymore!
After those heart-piercing pains, suddenly, he thought of baby, whom he had considered a bargaining chip for exchanging with the Ji family.
Baby’s arrival wasn’t out of love. So, for a long period, Ji Rui had either intentionally or unintentionally neglected his existence. But baby grew day by day, and his demands for parental companionship increased. Ji Rui went from initial impatience to eventual acceptance, even occasionally finding joy in accompanying baby.
He is, after all, the father, and he does not want baby to have nightmares like his due to a lack of familial love!
With Ji Rui’s promise, baby no longer insisted on bringing the chef home. Apparently, he was far less interested in the chef than the "old woman" Daddy mentioned, who was actually a pretty older sister.
Ji Rui, holding baby’s hand, walked out of the restaurant, got into the car. Baby climbed onto Ji Rui’s lap, hugging his neck, facing each other.
"Daddy, will you sleep with baby tonight?" Baby held Ji Rui’s face, looking into his eyes and asked.
Ji Rui had been catnapping for just a few hours in the office’s lounge room for two consecutive nights. Today, if baby hadn’t called, he would have probably spent another night there.
This kind of thing became frequent after he took over the Ji family.
Originally, he planned to take his son home after dinner and then return to the company, but met with his son’s longing gaze, his "No" turned into an "Mm."
That hacker had incredible patience, lying low for several days.
"Daddy, you’re the best!"
Baby kissed Ji Rui twice on the mouth, rubbed his cheek against Ji Rui’s, and asked, "Daddy, that pretty sister..."
Baby’s pretty eyes blinked, and Ji Rui, a bit lost in his son’s beautiful eyes, didn’t quite catch on immediately.
"Hmm?!" Where’s the pretty sister from?
"The pretty sister who cooks so well... when will Daddy bring her home?"