Chapter 18
When Lin Li drove up to the kindergarten, school had just let out; parents were coming out from the entrance, holding their children's hands and chatting happily as they prepared to head home.
Lin Li parked her car nearby. As she stepped out, she spotted Teacher Chen standing at the entrance, deep in conversation with another mother. Lin Li glanced around but didn't see the little boy anywhere nearby.
She closed the car door and walked straight toward Teacher Chen. By the time she reached her, the other mother had finished talking to the teacher and was walking away happily, holding her child's hand; the little girl she was with even gave a polite wave and said goodbye to Teacher Chen before leaving.
Teacher Chen waved back at the child. As she lowered her hand, she noticed Lin Li approaching. She looked surprised for a moment, then walked over and asked with a puzzled expression, "Mrs. Zhou, what brings you here?"
Lin Li was taken aback by the question but smiled and said, "I'm here to pick up Xiaobin." She glanced around again but still couldn't see the boy, so she asked, "Teacher Chen, where is Xiaobin? I don't see him."
Teacher Chen looked at her in surprise and said, "Xiaobin was picked up by his mother at noon. Didn't you know, Mrs. Zhou?"
"Picked up by his mother?" Lin Li’s eyes widened in astonishment. She looked at Teacher Chen and asked, "Are you sure?"
Teacher Chen nodded and explained, "His mother has picked him up a few times before, so we recognize her. She came at noon and said she was taking him to celebrate his grandmother's birthday, so she took him away before lunch. You really didn't know?"
Lin Li shook her head. "No, I didn't." Ling Ran had looked furious when she left that morning — how had she come back at noon to pick up the child?
"How could this happen?" Teacher Chen was completely taken aback. However, reasoning that the woman was Xiao Bin’s biological mother—and certainly wouldn't do anything to harm the child — she said, "Um... Mrs. Zhou, perhaps you should give him a call first to check?"
Lin Li glanced at her, then took her phone out of her pocket and dialed Zhou Han’s number directly. It rang several times without an answer; she then recalled that he was scheduled to hold a brief meeting with various department heads shortly, so she surmised he might have left his phone in his office. With that thought in mind, she called Special Assistant Xu instead.
Special Assistant Xu answered almost immediately—they were indeed in a meeting, and his voice was hushed as he spoke: "Hello, Secretary Lin?"
"Special Assistant Xu, are you in a meeting right now?" Lin Li asked directly.
"Yes, we are."
"Is Zhou Han with you? Could you please hand the phone to him? I need to speak with him urgently," Lin Li said, her tone hurried.
"Er..." Although Special Assistant Xu was a bit puzzled, he could tell from her tone that the matter was truly urgent. Without asking further questions, he nodded and said, "Oh, right—okay."
----- please read the translation from https://irisatdusk.blogspot.com/
Hearing his voice, Lin Li hurriedly asked, "Zhou Han, Teacher Chen said Xiaobin was picked up by his mother. Did you know about this?"
There was a long silence from Zhou Han on the other end, making one wonder if he was even listening — or if he had clearly understood what she had said.
When no answer came, Lin Li tentatively called out, "Zhou Han?"
After another long pause — just as Lin Li was debating whether to repeat herself — his deep, steady voice finally came through: "I know." That was all he said before hanging up, leaving only the sound of a busy signal — *beep, beep* — echoing in Lin Li's ear.
Lin Li stared blankly at her phone for a moment, wondering to herself: did he actually know the child had been taken away by his mother, or not?
Standing nearby, Teacher Chen saw her hang up and hurriedly asked, "What did he say? Was the child taken by his mother?" Her tone was anxious, and her expression betrayed her worry.
It was no wonder Teacher Chen was so worried; the child attended her kindergarten, and she was his homeroom teacher. If anything happened to the boy, she — a preschool teacher — could hardly bear the responsibility. Besides, the person who had picked him up at noon was indeed his mother; she had visited several times before, and Teacher Chen recognized her.
Lin Li glanced at her, recalling Zhou Han’s calm tone; it seemed the child really was with Ling Ran. With that thought in mind, she nodded to Teacher Chen. "Yes, he should be there."
Seeing her nod, Teacher Chen finally smiled. "That’s good, that’s good. Nothing bad will happen to the child when he’s with his mother, so you don’t need to worry too much, Mrs. Zhou."
Lin Li offered a polite, perfunctory smile; without further small talk, she bade Teacher Chen goodbye and turned to walk toward the car parked across the street.
----- please read the translation from https://irisatdusk.blogspot.com/
The others filed out after him, still discussing the meeting's agenda in low voices. Upon reaching the elevator and spotting her standing there, they merely nodded and offered a casual greeting before stepping inside.
Once they had all dispersed, Lin Li didn't even put down her handbag; she simply walked straight into Zhou Han’s office, bag still in hand.
Hearing the commotion, Zhou Han glanced up at her briefly before lowering his gaze to the documents in his hands.
"Is Xiaobin with his mother?" He had been vague on the phone, leaving Lin Li feeling uneasy.
"Mm." Zhou Han gave a curt acknowledgment, his eyes remaining on the paperwork. In truth, he had called Ling Ran immediately after hanging up with Lin Li. The child was indeed with her — not because she missed him or anything of the sort, but because she intended to use the boy as leverage against him. It was exactly as she had threatened in his office that morning: if he refused to help her, she would take the child away.
"Why?"
At this, Zhou Han looked up to see Lin Li standing there, staring straight at him with a look of utter bewilderment. Zhou Han put down the documents in his hand, looked at her, and asked, "She is the child's mother; is there a problem with her coming to take him away?"
Lin Li was left speechless for a moment. Ling Ran was Xiao Bin's mother; logically and emotionally, there was nothing wrong or inappropriate about her taking the child. Yet, Lin Li couldn't shake her anxiety. She recalled the scene at the hospital where a nurse had administered an injection to the boy, and remembered how, when she asked if it hurt, he had shaken his head and said that when *Mom* gave him shots, it hurt even more.
Her heart ached for the child; she worried about what might happen if he returned to his mother and faced that kind of treatment again. The thought frightened her. Looking at Zhou Han, she spoke with a touch of agitation: "Ling Ran abuses the child! She sticks needles into Xiao Bin."
Zhou Han merely glanced at her without saying a word; he lowered his head to resume reviewing the documents, marking and circling points with his pen.
Lin Li, growing anxious, leaned on the desk and looked at him, speaking rapidly: "Are you listening to me? She really hits the child! Are you even the boy's father? How can you be so indifferent to your own son?"
*Thwack!* Zhou Han slammed the documents in his hand onto the desk and stared fixedly at Lin Li, his face dark with intense anger.
Caught off guard by his sudden outburst, she stared at him in a daze, her heart pounding. "W-what are you doing?" The suddenness of it left her visibly shaken.
Zhou Han stood up, bracing his hands on the desk and locking eyes with her. "Lin Li, get this straight: our relationship is more of a partnership than a marriage. The terms regarding picking up and dropping off the child are clearly spelled out in the contract — we both know perfectly well that this marriage is essentially a business arrangement. We aren't husband and wife; we are business partners. Since it’s a partnership, it’s work. And since it’s work, please don't bring your personal emotions into it or force your opinions on me. Who I entrust the child to or who picks him up is none of your business. Whether Ling Ran has ever hit the child is also none of your concern. Please remember your place!" Zhou Han’s tone was harsh, and his expression was terrifying.
"You..." Lin Li looked at him, her face flushing red; she was too flustered and embarrassed to speak.
Ignoring her embarrassment, Zhou Han sat back down and picked up the documents he had just slammed onto the desk. Without looking at her, he said coldly, "If there’s nothing else, please leave."
"Heh." Lin Li let out a cold, bitter laugh — a sound so frigid it seemed capable of freezing everything around them. "I was meddling where I didn't belong. I apologize. I’ll be sure to remember my place from now on!" With that, she turned and walked out.
Watching her turn and leave, and hearing the door slam shut behind her, Zhou Han slumped dejectedly into his leather swivel chair, leaning his head back with his eyes closed.
He was agitated. He knew the child wouldn't suffer under Ling Ran's care — though he also knew she was capable of hitting, scolding, and even pricking the child with needles. Moments ago, he had wanted to go fetch the child back, but a damned part of him couldn't let go of the past; he couldn't forget that old paternity test report. Even though he knew the child was innocent, he simply couldn't bring himself to be completely indifferent about it.
"Damn it!" Zhou Han cursed under his breath, irritably sweeping the documents off his desk onto the floor. After staring fixedly at the scattered papers for a moment, he suddenly snatched up his car keys and the jacket resting on the reception area sofa, then stormed out of the office like a whirlwind.
----- please read the translation from https://irisatdusk.blogspot.com/
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