Chapter 002 Even though Ming Huai enjoyed unusually good sleep last night, it didn't change the fact that he'd only managed five or six hours.

Back at the hotel, he'd remained in a state of high tension; now that he was home and finally relaxed, waves of drowsiness kept washing over him. Watching Du Du sleeping so soundly, Ming Huai smiled silently. He figured that since he hadn't been able to sleep beside Du Du last night, making up for it this morning shouldn't be too late. With that thought, he walked to the other side of the small bed, carefully lifted the blanket, and lay down beside Du Du. The child slept so deeply he remained completely unaware that the father he missed so much was now right beside him. A child's bedding always carried such a pleasant scent. Normally, whenever he had a moment, Ming Huai loved holding Du Du close, trying to figure out where that fragrance came from. Auntie Chen had laughed at him for quite some time over this, explaining that all children naturally carried this scent; even if Ming Huai kept Du Du with him all day long, he could never absorb that aroma himself.

Ming Huai's thoughts drifted further and further away; his eyelashes fluttered twice before he closed his eyes and fell completely asleep. He was truly exhausted. In the hotel room, Ji Tingqian wiped his hair with one hand while holding his phone in the other, speaking continuously to the person on the line. His eyes were dark and deep, making it impossible to discern his emotions.

"Room 1826," Ji Tingqian said.

"You spent the night at the hotel?"

The man on the other end sounded surprised and suspicious. Ji Tingqian's lips moved slightly; he wanted to explain something, but last night's situation truly couldn't be clarified in just a sentence or two. Besides, even now, he still hadn't figured out how he and Ming Huai had ended up in the same bed. In the end, Ji Tingqian kept it brief: "Mm, I wasn't feeling well last night, so I found a room to lie down. My clothes got too wrinkled to wear again. Have Ah Yu bring me a fresh set."

Xu Hanchao felt something was off.

"I'm nearby; I'll bring them over myself."

"Then I'll trouble you, Brother Xu," Ji Tingqian replied without refusing.

After hanging up, Ji Tingqian glanced at the crumpled clothes on the floor. Anyone with experience would immediately tell that something definite had happened in this room. He frowned; his intuition told him it was best not to let Xu Hanchao know about this. Honestly, he was rather afraid of Xu Hanchao nagging him about it. So Ji Tingqian picked up the clothes, tossed them onto the bed, and reached for the duvet to cover them. In that instant, a faint glint of light caught Ji Tingqian's eye. He set down the duvet, rummaged through the clothes, and before long, a silver chain appeared before him. The necklace was a very simple design; its only distinctive feature was the ring threaded onto it. This item definitely didn't belong to Ji Tingqian. Considering where the necklace had been found and recalling last night's events, its owner was most likely Ming Huai.

Holding the necklace, Ji Tingqian felt somewhat troubled. Returning it to its owner was inevitable, but the problem was he had no way to contact Ming Huai. Moreover, after what happened last night, Ji Tingqian felt their relationship had become somewhat strange. Xu Hanchao, who always prioritized efficiency, arrived at the hotel within half an hour. As soon as he entered the room, Xu Hanchao scanned it thoroughly. Some doubt lingered in his mind, yet he couldn't detect anything unusual.

Finally, he shifted his gaze to Ji Tingqian. Ji Tingqian appeared completely composed, his expression as usual. Since both he and Xu Hanchao were men, there were no taboos between them. He took the clothes, intending to change right there in the room. However, when his hand touched the robe's tie, he suddenly remembered something, paused mid-motion, then picked up the clothes and turned toward the bathroom. Xu Hanchao's confusion deepened; a strange sensation continued to swirl in his heart, refusing to dissipate. At last night's banquet, Xu Hanchao hadn't accompanied Ji Tingqian due to prior commitments. The assistant had said Ji Tingqian left with his older brother, yet the truth was that Ji Tingqian had spent the night at the hotel.As Haiyu Entertainment's top agent, Xu Hanchao possessed exceptionally sharp observational skills. Now, seeing all the signs pointing toward a certain possibility, he grew increasingly certain. Ji Tingqian soon finished changing and said to him, "Brother Xu, it's done. Let's go."

"Wait! Hold on!"

Xu Hanchao cut straight to the point without beating around the bush.

"Did you spend the night with someone last night? Isn't that right?"

A fleeting flicker of hesitation crossed Ji Tingqian's expression—just that instant was enough for Xu Hanchao to confirm his suspicion. Having managed Ji Tingqian for two years, Xu had never once seen him take a genuine interest in anyone, nor witnessed him treat anyone with special regard. Ji Tingqian resembled an ascetic monk, remaining utterly unmoved by the countless handsome men and beautiful women circulating within the entertainment industry. Based on Xu Hanchao's understanding, Ji Tingqian was absolutely not the type to act recklessly.

"When did you get a girlfriend?"

The only possibility Xu Hanchao could conceive was this. Ji Tingqian's lips moved slightly.

"I didn't."

"Then… a boyfriend?"

An existence even more complicated than a girlfriend. Ji Tingqian replied, "No."

Since Xu Hanchao had already figured it out, Ji Tingqian stopped concealing the truth.

"I drank too much last night. It was an accident."

More concerned about whether this was truly an accident, Xu Hanchao wanted to know who the other person was; he feared Ji Tingqian might have been set up or manipulated. Yet no matter how persistently Xu Hanchao questioned him afterward, Ji Tingqian refused to elaborate further, merely stating that he knew the person and that they too had been drinking heavily. Once inside the car, Xu Hanchao continued his inquiries unabated. Ji Tingqian's responses remained perfunctory. With one hand in his pocket, he absentmindedly rubbed a ring, his thoughts drifting far away. Ming Huai slept until noon. Upon waking, he found Dudu already gone from his side. He stretched lazily, but the movement tugged at the soreness in his lower back, causing him to wince sharply, his features contorting in pain. After easing himself gradually, Ming Huai slowly got out of bed, rubbing his waist with one hand as he headed downstairs.

Just as Ming Huai reached the bottom of the stairs, a child's tender voice rang through the room: "Dad!"

Uncontainable joy filled the child's voice. Along with the sound came a small figure. Today, Dudu wore a light moss-green sweater, making his already fair and delicate complexion appear even softer. Ming Huai immediately scooped up the little boy running toward him and planted two kisses on Dudu's cheeks.

"Did you miss Dad?"

Dudu wrapped his arms around Ming Huai's neck. Hearing Ming Huai's question, he suddenly looked somewhat aggrieved. Burying his face against Ming Huai's shoulder, he spoke with slight dejection, "I missed Dad so much. Dad promised yesterday to come back and sleep with Dudu."

A surge of guilt washed over Ming Huai. He gently stroked Dudu's soft hair.

"I'm sorry, baby. From now on, Dad will definitely spend more time with you."

Children's moods shift quickly. As soon as Ming Huai finished speaking, Dudu lifted his head, his face breaking into a broad smile that made his big eyes crinkle into crescents. Mimicking Ming Huai's earlier gesture, he patted Ming Huai's hair and said in his sweet, childish voice, "It's not Dad's fault! Grandma Chen said Dad works very hard. Dudu can sleep alone just fine!"

Ming Huai's heart swelled with both ache and tenderness. He stood up, took Dudu's hand, and walked toward the rug beside the floor-to-ceiling window.

"That's right, our Dudu is a little man. Not afraid to sleep alone at all."

Earlier, Dudu had been playing here with his Lego sets. Technically, these toys weren't suitable for a child his age, but Dudu had fallen head-over-heels in love with them after just one glimpse. Consequently, Ming Huai had bought him several sets. Whenever Dudu focused on something, he became remarkably quiet; he could sit peacefully on the rug all afternoon engrossed in building these toys. Clearly, however, Ming Huai held far greater appeal than any toy. Sitting here now, Dudu didn't spare a single glance at his beloved little pieces. Instead, he clung closely to Ming Huai, bombarding him with endless questions.Ming Huai was happy to keep Dudu company, answering every question and occasionally feeding him some fruit—the only times Dudu would willingly eat any. With his father rarely around to spend time with him, Dudu was overjoyed. Dudu's eyes closely resembled Ming Huai's: slightly upturned at the corners, large and bright, making whoever he looked at feel as though they were his entire world.

In other aspects, however, he didn't resemble Ming Huai as much; although still young, one could already see that his facial features were sharper and more defined than Ming Huai's. With Ming Huai accompanying him, Dudu ate a whole bowl of rice at lunch, even managing some broccoli, which he usually disliked the most. Aunt Chen felt delighted watching this, yet also helpless; given the nature of Ming Huai's work, he probably wouldn't be staying home for long this time either. Dudu had a habit of taking afternoon naps. After allowing some time for digestion, Aunt Chen coaxed him to sleep. Only once completely free did Ming Huai suddenly remember something extremely important. He hurried back to the bathroom. The laundry basket still contained clothes that Aunt Chen hadn't collected yet. He quickly searched through the pockets, but found nothing. How could this be? Ming Huai clearly remembered placing the necklace in the inner pocket of his jacket—it was his usual habit.

That necklace was somewhat conspicuous, so during many public appearances, he would remove it and store it safely in his jacket's inner pocket, never letting it out of his sight. He then checked his trouser pockets, but still found nothing. Ming Huai's face instantly turned pale. His hand tightly gripped the black fabric, his knuckles whitening from the excessive force. After a long moment, Ming Huai blinked hard, forcing himself to calm down. The likelihood of losing it was slim; the inner jacket pocket was a secure place. Therefore, only one possibility remained: the necklace must have fallen in the hotel room. Fortunately, he still remembered the room number. All Ming Huai could do now was pray that the hotel cleaning staff hadn't mistaken the necklace for trash and thrown it away. Ming Huai grabbed his phone and headed outside. In his anxiety, he realized he should first contact the hotel customer service to explain the situation, although the chance that the room hadn't been cleaned yet was practically zero.

However, just as he turned on his phone, a message from an unknown number popped up: "Hello, this is Ji Tingqian. You left your necklace in the room; it's with me now. When can we meet? I'll return it to you."

Immediately, an unclear blush spread across Ming Huai's face. Right now, he truly did not want to meet Ji Tingqian.