Chapter 16 After the video call connected, Du Du's chubby little face hadn't yet appeared on the screen; instead, a cheerful and childish voice reached Ming Huai's ears first.
"Dad!"
Ming Huai's heart instantly melted. He tapped the screen and replied, "Du Du, good evening! Did you miss Dad?"
Du Du must be holding the phone himself. Though small, the little guy was quite clever; he'd found a phone stand on his own and was now sitting upright, wrapped snugly in a fluffy blanket. Normally, Du Du should already be asleep at this hour, but he missed Ming Huai so much that Auntie Chen told Ming Huai how Du Du had rarely begged her, saying he wanted to stay up late just to have this video call with his father. To keep himself energetic for the evening, Du Du had even taken a long nap that afternoon. Now his little face was flushed, brimming with energy.
"I did, I missed Dad so much,"
Du Du nodded vigorously, then asked, "Dad, when will you come back?"
Ming Huai played coy.
"Guess."
Du Du's little face scrunched up, his tiny fingers twisting together as he struggled.
"I hope you can come back tomorrow…"
Ming Huai stopped teasing him and answered directly, "That's right. I'll be home tomorrow."
A huge smile blossomed across Du Du's face. He shuffled closer to the phone, hugging it tightly, and confirmed excitedly, "Really?"
Ming Huai nodded.
"Really."
Ming Huai and Du Du continued chatting. Father and son had endless topics, ranging from whether Du Du had been picky about food lately to amusing incidents happening on Ming Huai's end. Though they were father and son, their interaction felt more like that of friends. Ji Tingqian watched quietly from the side, taking everything in. The child on the screen was adorable, his features somewhat resembling Ming Huai's. He seemed cheerful, fair-skinned, well-behaved, and already caring enough to worry about his father at such a young age. In just a few short minutes, Ji Tingqian reached a conclusion: Ming Huai had raised his child exceptionally well.
Suddenly, another thought crossed Ji Tingqian's mind. As far as he knew, Ming Huai was a single father. What about the child's mother? Curiosity stirred within him; he couldn't help but imagine the other parent based on Du Du's features and personality. She must have been a beauty. Ming Huai was smiling brightly, completely relaxed, his eyes filled with tenderness. Ji Tingqian kept watching. Ming Huai was a good father, and the child was lovely, so why had Du Du's mother separated from them? This remained another question. However, Ji Tingqian only pondered this internally, with no intention of asking aloud. This was Ming Huai's privacy; bringing it up rashly would be inappropriate.
"By the way, Du Du, let me introduce you to an uncle today!"
Ming Huai suddenly shifted the topic toward Ji Tingqian. Ji Tingqian was slightly startled. Then Ming Huai subtly tugged his sleeve and shot him a glance, essentially pleading with Ji Tingqian not to embarrass him in front of the child. Ji Tingqian couldn't help but chuckle softly. He sat down beside Ming Huai and took the phone. Having no experience interacting with children, he forced a smile, hoping to leave a good impression on the little one. Du Du wasn't particularly accustomed to dealing with strangers. Clutching the phone, he stared wide-eyed at the unfamiliar uncle on the screen. The uncle was handsome, but in a different way from his dad.
Suddenly feeling shy, Du Du nevertheless found himself drawn to him. One adult, one child, they simply stared at each other through the screen in silence. Ming Huai clenched his fists, gritted his teeth, and stiffened entirely. He now felt regretful; he shouldn't have rushed things. Introducing Du Du to Ji Tingqian should have waited longer. He ought to have spoken more highly of Du Du to Ji Tingqian beforehand, mentioning him more often. Although everyone who met Du Du liked him—who wouldn't adore such a good-looking and smart child?—Ming Huai suddenly felt uncertain when it came to Ji Tingqian. The prolonged tension and silence finally dissipated when Ji Tingqian spoke his first words.
"Du Du, hello there. I'm Uncle Ji."
The expression on Ji Tingqian's face was arguably the kindest it had ever been. Du Du grew even shyer; his little face flushed red as he replied, "Hello, Uncle Ji. I'm Du Du."
Ji Tingqian was still slightly awkward when interacting with children, yet he faithfully remembered his promise to Ming Huai before the video call and did his best to answer every one of Du Du's questions. Watching the two gradually warm up to each other, Ming Huai breathed a sigh of relief, but no sooner had his heart settled than it was instantly hoisted up again. Across the screen, even if Ming Huai wanted to intervene, it was already too late. He could only listen as Du Du's innocent, childish voice came through from the other end of the phone. Like someone presenting a treasured discovery, Du Du exclaimed, "Uncle Ji! Uncle Ji! My surname is also Ji!" Ming Huai immediately snapped to full alertness, his mind racing through countless explanations.
The surname Ji was so distinctive that Ji Tingqian couldn't help but wonder—or rather, anyone with even a shred of curiosity would ask why Du Du didn't share his surname. As expected, Ji Tingqian paused for a fleeting moment. He glanced at Ming Huai but said nothing further, continuing his conversation with Du Du. At this point, Ming Huai absolutely did not want Du Du chatting any longer with Ji Tingqian; with every additional sentence exchanged, his anxiety increased by another notch. Du Du was still young and knew nothing; at such an innocent and carefree age, encountering an old fox like Ji Tingqian meant his family secrets would surely be completely unearthed. Just as Du Du and Ji Tingqian's conversation progressed to making plans for Ji Tingqian to visit Ming Huai's home next time, Ming Huai finally could not sit still any longer. He reappeared on the screen, his face stern, and said, "It's almost eleven o'clock; it's time for you to go to sleep."
Du Du let out a small yawn. Though he was somewhat reluctant to leave Ming Huai, he knew he must obey his father's words. So he got up from under the blanket, presumably intending to find Auntie Chen. As he walked away, he said, "Dad, I miss you very much. You must come back tomorrow! Goodnight, Dad! Goodnight, Uncle Ji!"
After he finished speaking, the phone returned to Auntie Chen's hands. She exchanged a few words with Du Du before finally appearing on camera.
Suddenly, her smile froze on her face; her eyes widened in shock as she exclaimed, "Mr. Ji?!"
Ming Huai quickly took back the phone. Before Ji Tingqian could say anything, he smiled and explained to Auntie Chen, "Yes, yes, exactly—the very famous Mr. Ji."
Ji Tingqian frowned slightly. For some reason, he felt something wasn't quite right. A while later, Ming Huai ended the video call. Ji Tingqian sat on the bed, seemingly lost in thought. Seeing that Ming Huai had finished, he looked up and asked, "Why does Du Du have the surname Ji?"
Ming Huai smiled, lowering his gaze as he replied, "He takes his mother's surname."
"I'm sorry," Ji Tingqian said, quickly apologizing, thinking he had touched upon a sensitive wound.
Ming Huai suddenly felt somewhat awkward and merely waved his hand, saying, "There's no need to apologize. His mother and I… actually, we're quite fine."