Chapter 53: Heartbroken

Xu Lin took the little girl to Chu Qingchan's door and knocked on it. Chu Qingchan also hurriedly opened the door and was stunned when she saw Shaoyao sitting on his shoulder.

"This child?"

"I found her. She just located her mother, but she received a call and had to leave again. So, let's look after her for a while."

"You're still kind-hearted."

"Big brother is very kind!" The little girl, holding a lollipop, smiled and said.

"What's your name?" Chu Qingchan reached out and touched her cheek lightly.

"Shaoyao, my mommy calls me Ye Jiangli."

"Shaoyao as your nickname?" Chu Qingchan recalled that he and his sister had never had nicknames and were always referred to as Chu Qingchan and Chu Fengyi.

"Not just a nickname; Jiangli is another name for Shaoyao." Xu Lin said casually, and the little girl widened her eyes.

"Big brother is so amazing. Mommy said most people don't know this, but Big Brother is not an ordinary person."

"Who taught you these words? Haha, okay, let's go inside first."

Xu Lin took the little girl into the room and found a pile of clothes on the bed, seemingly in the process of choosing what to wear.

"Shaoyao, what would you like to eat?"

"I want to eat cake, but Mommy doesn't let me eat sweets."

"Your mom is right. Eating too many sweets can hurt your teeth, even more than getting a shot."

"What if, when your teeth fall out in a few years, they grow back black and there are big bugs living inside? It's so scary."

"Really?"

The little girl immediately touched her mouth and took the lollipop out of her mouth. "Let big brother have it."

Xu Lin looked at the lollipop covered in saliva and smiled helplessly.

"You can have it, but just a little. Eat your meals regularly, and remember to eat more vegetables and fruits, okay?"

"Okay, I understand."

Sitting on the bed, continuing to tidy up the clothes, Chu Qingchan couldn't help but smile as she watched Xu Lin chatting with the little girl. He was so gentle with the child. Moreover, it wasn't just mere preaching to the child, but really good guidance, not just plain lecturing.

If one day he had his own child, an image suddenly appeared in her mind: Xu Lin playing games with the child in the living room while she cooked in the kitchen.

"No, no... Let's not talk about Xu Lin and me. I feel like I'll never become a good wife and mother who can cook delicious dishes in my lifetime."

"What are you saying?"

"Nothing!"

Then, Xu Lin sat on the sofa and started telling stories to the little girl, who leaned against him, listening with relish. He told stories for over half an hour, and in between, he even sang a few children's songs to her.

After this session, Xu Lin felt his throat was dry, and the little girl looked up at him.

"Brother, are you tired?"

"Not really, just a bit thirsty."

"I'll get some water for Brother."

"I can go myself."

"Okay."

Xu Lin poured himself a glass of water and took out the business card the little girl's mother had given him.

"Feidu Sports Limited, Chairman, Ye Fanleng."

"Turns out she's the chairman... But wait, isn't it common for you to have a CEO wife when you travel through time? But the timing of her arrival isn't right."

He mocked himself for a moment, then searched the company on his phone, discovering it was quite sizable.

It's a company established 20 years ago, specialising in sports brands with shoes and clothing, but mainly shoes. However, in recent years, with the influx of foreign brands, the domestic market has been heavily squeezed, not to mention the rise of domestic brands. Faced with the dwindling support of ageing fans who are in their 40s and 50s, the company is seeking transformation.

With the recent passing of the old chairman, his granddaughter has taken over and is making a desperate attempt. Expanding new production lines, hiring more professionals, adopting new technologies, investing heavily in collaborations and endorsements, along with aggressive marketing. If it fails, the company will go under, but if successful, it could reclaim a share of the domestic market.

According to news reports, just half a month later, the first pair of shoes since the restart is about to be released, and the pre-sale data is promising; at least this time the company can hold on. 

"But a young and beautiful female chairman feels surreal. But it seems like Feidu has a future ahead."

Because he doesn't particularly care about shoe brands, preferring to judge based on overall appearance, he has bought Feidu shoes before, so they should still exist in the future. However, there is no information online about Ye Fanleng, only about her grandfather. The internet just mentioned the change in chairmanship.

"Brother?" 

"I'm here." 

"Shao Yao, are you hungry?" Chu Qingchan finished packing her clothes and sat down beside her. 

"A little bit."

"Shall we take you out for some food? Or order delivery?" 

"Either is fine, but Mommy said I shouldn't go out."

"Xu Lin, let's take the little one out for dinner. We'll be back soon anyway. I just asked the sister who brought us here, and she said there's a great small restaurant nearby." 

"That's fine, but I need to ask her mom first. It wouldn't be appropriate to just take her out." 

"Okay."

Xu Lin made a phone call according to the business card, and after a few minutes, a sweet female voice came on the line, "Hello, this is Feidu Special Express; how may I assist you?"

"I'm looking for your chairwoman; I'm Xu Lin, and I'd like to take her daughter out for dinner."

"...," there was a moment of silence from the other end, then after a few seconds, the voice hurriedly responded, "Sorry, I'll contact Chairman Ye right away."

The call wasn't disconnected, and after about half a minute, the voice came back, "Chairman Ye said it's okay, and I'll give you Chairman Ye's number for you to contact directly."

"1XXXXXXXXXX."

"Okay, thank you."

"Zhao Shuyuan is at your service; goodbye."

"Let's go; your mom agreed to it."

"Okay!"

A few people left the room, and Xu Lin knocked on Chu Fengyi's door, then saw a golden-haired girl with twin spiral ponytails walking out.

"What's up?"

"We're going out for dinner."

"Oh."

"You're going like this?"

"I think I look pretty good like this."

"Alright, but aren't martial artists like you usually into simpler hairstyles and clothes? You're quite the opposite."

"People should have hobbies, shouldn't they? This outfit and the little accessories are all from a company I invested in, and it's the only one in the world."

"I always feel like the so-called limited edition stuff is just a gimmick. Even if it's unique, what's the big deal?"

"Being unique itself is important. When you have money in the future, you'll think the same."

"Who knows? I'm just an ordinary person after all. Do you still invest in clothing brands?"

"I've invested in over a dozen, but lately, I'm particularly bullish on Feidu."

"Hmm? You've invested in Feidu?"

"What's wrong?"

"The mother of that girl is the boss of Feidu."

"Oh, the exceptionally well-built woman, huh? I didn't expect such a coincidence."

"Exceptionally well-built?" Chu Qingchan looked a bit puzzled, and Xu Lin quickly coughed.

"Let's go, my treat today."

"What do you mean by exceptionally well-built?" Chu Qingchan asked again.

But the girl directly spoke up, "Are you talking about my mommy? She's quite fat, unlike my sister, who's slim."

Then Chu Fengyi was stunned for a moment; her face turned pale, but she couldn't say a word to refute... Ouch, that hurts!