Chapter 80: Eightieth Day as a Salted Fish
The kindergarten Zhou Jianing attended was an elite school for Beijing’s upper crust. The street outside was lined with all kinds of luxury cars, and the children wore custom-tailored uniforms.
Today, the school was hosting a parent-child sports day. The children looked exceptionally adorable in their blue short-sleeved shirts and black shorts.
The parents were all dressed appropriately and elegantly. Qin Jiaojiao wore a light blue tracksuit, while Zhou Shaoli wore a light-colored dress shirt and casual trousers. Holding hands with Zhou Jianing between them, the two looked quite like a family of three.
As the parents led their children through the school gates and into the campus, Qin Jiaojiao and Zhou Shaoli’s striking good looks and refined temperaments instantly drew numerous glances.
The parent-child sports day was held on the school’s large athletic field. Zhou Jianing’s preschool teacher was a kindly-looking young woman dressed in a professional suit.
Seeing Qin Jiaojiao and Zhou Shaoli, the female teacher walked over to greet them. “Hello! I’m Zhou Jianing’s teacher, Teacher Liu. May I ask if you two are Zhou Jianing’s parents?”
Zhou Jianing was often left in the care of her grandparents, so the teachers had never met her parents. Seeing Qin Jiaojiao and Zhou Shaoli holding hands with the little girl, she naturally assumed they were her mother and father.
Qin Jiaojiao replied with a smile, “I’m Ningning’s Little Aunt.”
Teacher Liu asked, “Were Zhou Jianing’s parents unavailable to come today?”
Zhou Shaoli answered, “Her parents are busy with work.”
Teacher Liu lowered her eyes to look at Zhou Jianing and said, “The school organized this parent-child sports day to promote interaction and deepen the bond between children and their parents. It’s an all-day outdoor event, so please follow me this way.”
Qin Jiaojiao politely asked about Ningning’s behavior at school.
Teacher Liu shared many details about Ningning in class, praising her endlessly. She mentioned that Ningning was a polite, well-behaved child who looked out for her classmates, got along wonderfully with everyone, and performed so well that she earned a little red star reward every week.
Qin Jiaojiao patted Ningning’s head and praised her, “Ningning is so awesome!”
Hearing this, Zhou Jianing’s little tail practically wagged all the way up to the sky as she said sweetly, “Then after school, can Little Aunt take me to eat burgers and fried chicken?”
In the eyes of wealthy elite families, food like burgers and fried chicken was considered pure junk food.
Children, however, adored it. For the sake of Ningning’s health, her father, Zhou Shaoyan, and her grandmother, Li Wanru, had strictly forbidden the estate’s housekeeper and servants from buying her any deep-fried food.
Qin Jiaojiao glanced at Zhou Shaoli. Her own oversized kid was pretty fond of junk food too.
Zhou Shaoli said, “Little Uncle will take you after school.”
“Hooray!” Zhou Jianing was so happy she nearly flew off the ground.
Qin Jiaojiao leaned in close to Zhou Shaoli and whispered, “If Mom and Big Brother find out we took her to eat that kind of food, they’ll definitely blame us.”
Zhou Shaoli replied, “Indulging once in a while is fine.”
Teacher Liu led the two to Zhou Jianing’s class area on the field, then turned back toward the school gate to welcome other parents.
Qin Jiaojiao took a sweep around the surroundings. Most of the parents attending the sports day were mothers. They were dressed in opulent, exquisite outfits that radiated wealth from head to toe.
Looking down at her own tracksuit, a thought suddenly popped into Qin Jiaojiao’s head: Were they here for a parent-child sports day, or a beauty pageant?
There were a few fathers among the nursery class, all suited up and looking like high-society elites as they mingled and exchanged business cards.
How on earth had a school sports day turned into a networking event for the social elite?
Qin Jiaojiao found a place to sit. Her gaze landed on a woman surrounded by a crowd, holding hands with a handsome young boy.
The boy wore the school’s athletic uniform, his little face tense and composed, looking like a miniature adult.
“Excuse me, everyone. I see a friend over there, so I’m going to go say hello.”
Leaving the circle of people, the woman led the little boy over to Qin Jiaojiao. “Miss Qin, I didn’t expect to see you here for the kids’ sports day.”
“Miss Jiang.” Qin Jiaojiao stood up to shake her hand. “I’m here accompanying my little niece.”
“So Ningning is your and President Zhou’s niece.” Jiang Baizhi looked down at the little boy. “He Jiayu, greet them.”
The little boy spoke in a crisp voice, “Hello, Uncle and Auntie.”
Qin Jiaojiao praised him, “What a good boy.”
She had heard that He Juanbai had a child out of wedlock and that Jiang Baizhi was the boy’s stepmother. She hadn’t expected Jiang Baizhi to actually come along to support her stepson at his sports day.
Zhou Jianing stepped forward and grabbed the little boy’s hand. “He Jiayu, where’s your dad? Is he coming today?”
He Jiayu looked up at Jiang Baizhi.
Jiang Baizhi looked down and said, “I called your dad earlier. He said he’ll rush over as soon as he finishes his work.”
Hearing that, Zhou Jianing leaned into He Jiayu’s ear and whispered a few words.
He Jiayu couldn’t pull his hand free from Zhou Jianing’s firm grasp. A faint blush crept onto his face, and he let the little girl hold his hand without further resistance.
Seeing how friendly the two children were, the parents shared a knowing smile.
Jiang Baizhi tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and smiled. “He Jiayu really seems to like Ningning.”
Noticing that Jiang Baizhi was dressed in a casual short-sleeved top and jeans that were easy to move around in, Qin Jiaojiao remarked, “I heard there’s a reward for first place. Miss Jiang, you look fully prepared to take home the crown for He Jiayu.”
“Kids care a lot about these sports events, so as parents, we naturally have to go all out.” Jiang Baizhi was full of motivation. “Miss Qin, you can just call me Baizhi. Let’s add each other on WeChat!”
Qin Jiaojiao exchanged contacts with her, and they became friends on the app.
While the two ladies chatted, Zhou Shaoli couldn’t find an opening to join the conversation. He sat quietly to the side, keeping a watchful eye on the two children.
Before long, all the parents had arrived, and the parent-child sports day was officially ready to begin.
Teacher Liu spoke into a megaphone: “Thank you, parents, for coming today! We have designed several mini-games where parents and children will work together to complete tasks and earn points based on their finishing times.”
“For our first mini-game, parents and children will use wooden sticks to clamp a volleyball and carry it over to place it inside a basket. Parents participating in this game, please stand behind the red line to prepare!”
Since He Juanbai hadn’t arrived yet, Jiang Baizhi stood at the red line with He Jiayu. Qin Jiaojiao turned to Zhou Shaoli. “Which one of us should go?”
Zhou Shaoli looked down at Zhou Jianing, who was practically bouncing with eagerness, and asked, “Ningning, do you want to play the game with Little Uncle or Little Aunt?”
Zhou Jianing thought for a moment before saying in a clear, sweet voice, “I want to play with Little Aunt!”
Zhou Jianing didn’t care about the game prizes; she just wanted a parent by her side for the event. A few of her classmates were always teasing her, saying her parents didn’t love her because they never picked her up or dropped her off, leaving her to be driven around by nannies every single day.
Today, her ‘parents’ had accompanied her to the sports day, making all her classmates cast envious glances her way. She was utterly thrilled inside.
Qin Jiaojiao held Zhou Jianing’s hand and stood behind the starting line. At the sound of Teacher Liu’s whistle, the parents and kids gripped their wooden sticks, cooperated to squeeze the volleyball between them, and began shuffling toward the finish line.
When adults and young children tried to coordinate like this, hilarious blunders were bound to happen. Some moved too quickly, causing the ball to drop straight to the ground. This simple parent-child task turned out to be far harder than it looked.
In this cooperative game, Qin Jiaojiao and Zhou Jianing managed to score only two points. The less fortunate parents didn’t score any at all.
Though Jiang Baizhi looked delicate and glamorous, she and He Jiayu coordinated perfectly and took first place.
Qin Jiaojiao pulled out a tissue to wipe the sweat from her forehead, feeling a bit abashed. A stepmother was doing way better than she was as a little aunt.
Zhou Jianing turned around to comfort her instead, cheering her on: “Little Aunt, you were awesome! Let’s do our best in the next game!”
Unable to resist, Qin Jiaojiao squatted down, wrapped her arms around Zhou Jianing, and gave her a big kiss on the cheek. “Ningning is so sweet! Little Aunt will keep trying hard!”
Just as the first parent-child game wrapped up, He Juanbai arrived. It was clear he had rushed over straight from work, wearing an expensive suit. He had a handsome yet aloof face, but when his eyes landed on his wife and son, a soft warmth flickered in his gaze.
The moment He Juanbai appeared, the other parents in the class greeted him warmly yet respectfully—it was clear he interacted with them fairly often.
Qin Jiaojiao came to a realization: even though He Juanbai was busy, he certainly didn’t neglect his child, which was why he was so familiar with the other parents.
Zhou Shaoli was highly sought-after in the business world, but he had never stepped foot in a kindergarten before. Seeing his noble, unreachable aura, none of the parents dared to approach him.
After exchanging a few words with his wife, He Juanbai shifted his gaze toward Zhou Shaoli and Qin Jiaojiao. Pausing briefly, he walked over and said, “It’s been a while.”
Zhou Shaoli replied in his usual indifferent tone, “Are you done with your project?”
“Pretty much,” He Juanbai said. “Let’s get together in a few days.”
Zhou Shaoli nodded. “Sure.”
Teacher Liu called out over the megaphone again: “Parents, please line up behind the starting line for our second mini-game!”
The second game required parents to tie one of their legs to their child’s leg and jog to the finish line. Just like before, the pairs that arrived first would earn the most points.
He Juanbai took off his suit jacket and handed it naturally to Jiang Baizhi, saying, “You take a rest. I’ll do this one with Jiayu.”
He Juanbai was the aloof, handsome type, and his voice carried a cool, metallic resonance—slightly distant, yet incredibly magnetic.
Jiang Baizhi froze for a moment before taking his jacket with a smile. “Good luck!”
Qin Jiaojiao looked at the couple, then tugged on Zhou Shaoli’s arm, whispering, “I don’t have an athletic bone in my body, so I’m leaving this to you. Good luck!”
The corners of Zhou Shaoli’s lips curled up into a faint smile. “Alright. I’ll make sure to get us more points.”
Following the teacher’s instructions, the parents tied their legs to their children’s legs.
Standing right next to each other, He Juanbai and Zhou Shaoli traded glances. In the past, they used to play tennis, golf, or go to the shooting range together.
Since getting married, Zhou Shaoli hadn’t gone out to hang out with He Juanbai in a long time. Standing together on the kindergarten field, a competitive spark from their usual sports matches flickered between them.
Qin Jiaojiao and Jiang Baizhi stood side by side, watching the two men nervously.
Perhaps because their wives were watching, both men suddenly developed an intense competitive streak. Balancing their children’s paces, their legs moved like lightning.
Zhou Jianing: “…”
He Jiayu: “…”
The two toddlers barely got to experience the game itself because their parents were practically flying with them across the field. They left all the other parents far behind in the dust, turning what was supposed to be a fun parent-child game into a high-stakes athletic competition.
At noon, the school arranged for the parents to dine in the cafeteria. The elite school’s cafeteria was spotless and served a well-balanced, delicious meal. Qin Jiaojiao couldn’t help but eat an extra bowl of rice.
By the end of the day, Qin Jiaojiao’s main duty had simply been wiping away sweat and serving water to Zhou Jianing and Zhou Shaoli. She indulged in a sweet little daydream about what Zhou Shaoli would be like as a father—he would surely be an emotionally stable, gentle, and wonderful dad.
After taking Zhou Jianing out for her requested burgers and fried chicken, Qin Jiaojiao received a message from the production team of Romantic Lovers on the drive back to the old estate, notifying her to prepare for the filming of the next episode.