Leo was surprised and asked, "Baby, why didn't you tell me about it yesterday?"
Lily scratched the back of her head and said, "Well, I wanted to tell you but you were lost in thought before the piano class and then you left for some work at the company. I thought I would wait but you are only coming now. Does it mean that you cannot go with me?"
As she said this her eyes were glazed with tears. Leo hurriedly scooped her up in his arms and spoke softly, "How can I not go? Haven't I been waiting for such a day to come? Just give me five minutes, I will quickly change my clothes and take a shower. Okay? Then we will head to the school after dropping off mom."
Lily nodded, and Leo pecked her nose, as he said, "Baba apologizes for being so busy."
Lily shook her head and just hugged him silently. Snow watched this scene from the side, and said, "Okay, don't worry about me. I will drive, we have a girls night today. Also, little princess koala, get down from your golden tree. Baba needs to clean up."
Lily chuckled a bit and Leo settled her down, before he hastily went to the washroom, took a cold shower, and changed into a crisp white shirt and grey pants paired with black leather belt and shoes and a simple watch on his hand.
Lily nodded and held his hand. Snow hurried after the two people and said, "Leo, you didn't have any breakfast."
Leo replied without turning back, "I will grab something outside, don't worry."
Then he scooped up Lily in his arms and the two dashed out, leaving behind Snow who watched them from the door threshold and waved her hand at them.
…
Leo and Lily were heading to the school and the young man asked, "How have you been at the school? Are the teachers nice?"
Lily nodded and said, "Miss Verse takes good care of us all and they teach us patiently too. Some children are a bit snobbish but nothing big."
Leo looked at her from the rear view mirror and smiled faintly. He said, "Don't mingle with the snobs, but observe them closely. These people are great examples to learn what you should not do."
Lily nodded and said, "Ma also told me to observe the people more and learn if they do a good thing. I have learned one thing, the mannerism of these snobby children is very elegant. I copied a few things from them."
Leo replied with a smile, "I am so proud, my baby is so intelligent."
Soon, they reached the school parking lot. Leo got down and opened the door for Lily to step down as well, and just when he was about to take her inside, a mechanical voice echoed in his mind, 'Ping: Host, today is the day where your actions will affect Lily's image directly. Please try your best and you will get the corresponding rewards based on your performance.'
Lily held onto Leo's hand and when she found that the young man was not walking, she asked, "Baba, is everything alright?"
Leo woke up from the stupor and nodded to her before they walked inside the building. The young man found that Lily had recognized all the pathways correctly, and led him straight to the classroom where a young teacher was talking with a few men and children were grouping up together.
Leo cleared his throat and knocked on the door. Lily stepped up and bowed to the teacher slightly as she said, "Good morning Teacher, I apologize for being late."
Miss Verse smiled slightly and shook her head and said, "Good Morning to you as well Lily. It's okay, you still have a few minutes left before the class starts. Come inside."
Leo looked at the people standing inside and he had some vague idea of their identity. These were some people who did business with his family in the past. However, since his father was the face of the company, and he has been missing for three years, the people seemingly had no recollection of Young Master Cardinal.
Leo thought, 'Echo seems to have done a good job taking my place.'
He entered the classroom, and greeted Teacher Verse, "Good Morning Miss Verse, thank you for looking after Lily these days. I hope she hasn't caused any trouble."
Miss Verse shook her head and replied with a faint smile, "You worry too much, Sir. She is a good child."
Miss Verse had been instructed by the principal when Lily was admitted in the school, that Leo's identity was not to be revealed and thus she addressed him as Sir.
Leo also agreed as he wanted to keep it quiet for the time being. Miss Verse said, "How about you gather at the back with the rest of the fathers and come forward when it is your turn?"
Leo nodded and turned around to go to the back of the class where a few more males were standing, and he found Lily gazing at him and she waved with a smile on her face.
Leo smiled and waved back as he moved to the back. He greeted the fellow fathers with a polite nod and stood there with his hands folded before his chest.
…
Snow came to the school, and she went to the staff room. She logged into her teacher's account and began to look for the details of the student, Symphony Primus. This was the weapon for the vengeance of his husband but they had to handle it with care or it could backfire.
…
Leo was standing among the crowd clapping his hands as a young father moved to the side after finishing his introduction and demonstration of some grooming skills. These rich men all had fancy skills that were of no use and could not be displayed in a small classroom, such as golf and stuff.
So, they all picked up some rubbish skills such as comedy and stuff. What amused Leo was that these people did these things with changing faces, and even Teacher Verse had a hard time controlling her laughter.
Finally, after an hour, it was Leo's turn, he was called over together with Lily. They were the last to perform because Lily's roll number was at the end of the list as she was a new student.
Leo held her hand and walked over to stand before the class. Lily said, "Hello everyone, this is my Baba. His name is Leo…"
Leo did not wait for her to finish and raised his hand to wave at the class and spoke in a jovial tone, "Greetings, I am Leo, you can call me Uncle Leo, or Lily's Dad. I am twenty four years old, and I run a small business. My hobbies are to spend time with Lily, cook food for her, and teach her things while playing with her. My favorite person is Lily too, well, it's a tie between my wife and daughter."
The children chuckled and one of the boys asked, "Uncle Leo, yesterday Lily said that you have been teaching her piano. Can you play something for us?"
Leo looked at Lily and said, "Only if Lily is playing along with me."
The children cheered, "Come on, Lily, play something."
Lily blushed and Leo patted her head with a doting look in his eyes. Lily asked Miss Verse, "Teacher, can we use the piano?"
Miss Verse nodded and Lily led Leo to the standing piano on the side, the two people took seats on the stool, and Lily whispered, "Baba, I only know 'Twinkle Twinkle'. Would that be okay?"
Leo smiled and said, "Yes, why wouldn't it be? You have mastered the first six variations, let's play. If you feel like you don't remember them, leave it to me. I will play for you."
Lily nodded with a smile, and her eyes surged with confidence. Children were always looking for respect and encouragement from their elders, and Leo had understood this very quickly. So, instead of scolding Lily, or burdening her with greater expectations, he simply guided her.
The two began to play and the soft playful melody echoed in the room. After the first variation they entered the second smoothly, and while the students were enamored, the parents were surprised and finally felt embarrassed by their previous actions.
After the fifth variation, Lily stopped playing as she was not confident with the sixth, and Leo went on to play, and he increased the tempo of the song to finish it quickly. When he finished, everyone clapped, and a few students said, "Lily, your dad is awesome."
A young boy said, "Uncle, can you teach us too?"
Leo was surprised and Lily had a worried expression on her face. How could this escape her father, and the young man said, "I only teach Lily at home, so it is not convenient, but you can ask Miss Verse and I am sure that the teachers would arrange a good instructor for you all. Then, you all can play together and have fun. How does that sound?"
The children were fascinated by the idea of playing music together, and the gathering came to an end. At this moment, Leo heard a notification in his mind, 'Ping: Congratulations on passing the task with flying colors. You showed your support for Lily by playing the piano with her, and you also showed that your soft side belongs to your child only, by diffusing the teaching demand of so many children.
You are awarded with seventy percent shares of the Yulu Streaming Platform.'