{"id":3150,"date":"2026-05-08T03:21:11","date_gmt":"2026-05-08T03:21:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/daily-life-of-a-secret-marriage-with-a-child-05\/"},"modified":"2026-05-08T03:21:17","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T03:21:17","slug":"daily-life-of-a-secret-marriage-with-a-child-05","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/es_co\/chapter\/daily-life-of-a-secret-marriage-with-a-child-05\/","title":{"rendered":"Daily Life of a Secret Marriage with a Child 05"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chapter 5

As the project progressed steadily, Lin Ke\u2019s workload grew heavier and heavier. In order not to reduce the amount of time she spent with her daughter at night, she practically worked nonstop from the moment she clocked in until she left work.

Si Yuming was busy too.

She could at least leave work on time most days, but he often didn\u2019t get home until eight or nine at night, usually carrying the smell of alcohol with him.

He would shower first, then head to his daughter\u2019s bedroom. If Si Xiaotie happened to still be awake, he would naturally take over the bedtime routine and stay until she fell asleep.

In the past, he was often away from home, and his return usually meant he had free time, so Si Xiaotie had no concept of \u201cworking overtime\u201d or \u201cbeing busy.\u201d But after an entire week of this, the little girl finally became confused.

\u201cMommy, why is Daddy always busy?\u201d

Lin Ke answered softly, \u201cBecause Daddy has things he wants to do and dreams he wants to achieve. He\u2019s working hard to make them come true.\u201d

\u201cWhat dreams?\u201d

What dreams?

Lin Ke lost focus for a moment.

Naturally, they had never discussed something as deep as dreams, nor had they ever truly opened their hearts to each other.

But just because they never talked about it didn\u2019t mean she didn\u2019t know.

Ever since Si Yuming\u2019s father passed away, the Si family had gradually drifted away from the center of political power. After Old Master Si died, there was no one left backing the family from behind, meaning if people chose not to respect you, then you became nothing.

Entropy Domain Group had only existed for a little over ten years.

In the beginning, Old Master Si had used his own connections and resources to establish the company. While Si Yuming studied abroad, Si Yun managed it steadily. But the company\u2019s true rise came only after he returned to China and fully took over its operations.

Now, Entropy Domain had grown large enough to make even North City\u2019s old established corporations wary, while also securing a strong foothold in the southern market.

Over the past few years, the company had expanded continuously, reorganized shares, and slowly built its own core leadership team. During that same period, Old Master Si\u2019s health declined, and the pressure on Si Yuming became suffocating.

Then came the rushed marriage.

Not long after marrying, Lin Ke unexpectedly became pregnant. During the pregnancy and breastfeeding period, Si Yuming was still so busy she often barely saw him.

Toward the later stages of pregnancy, she started suffering from sleepless nights. He began coming home earlier, but after accompanying her briefly, he would immediately return to work again.

During her confinement period after childbirth, the company happened to undergo a major reform, so he literally moved his office into the maternity center.

Then, once Si Xiaotie turned over a year old and could be looked after by the nanny, it seemed as though he no longer had any worries holding him back. He immediately started expanding the branch company and disappeared for two entire years.

Lin Ke gently tucked the soft strands of hair from her daughter\u2019s forehead behind her ear and said warmly,

\u201cNext time, Xiaotie can ask Daddy herself. Ask him what his dream is.\u201d

\u201cMhm!\u201d Si Xiaotie blinked her eyes. \u201cWhat about Mommy\u2019s dreams?\u201d

Lin Ke answered seriously, \u201cMommy has two dreams. One is for Xiaotie to grow up healthy and happy. The other is for Mommy to stand on an even bigger stage someday.\u201d

\u201cThen Xiaotie has a dream too!\u201d

\u201cWhat is it?\u201d

\u201cI want to raise a Tyrannosaurus Rex and let it help Mommy achieve her dreams!\u201d

Lin Ke burst into laughter. She lifted the blanket and climbed into bed, hugging her daughter\u2019s fragrant, soft little body.

\u201cThen let\u2019s hope all of us can achieve our dreams. Goodnight, baby.\u201d

Si Xiaotie giggled and wriggled backward. \u201cAren\u2019t we waiting for Daddy anymore?\u201d

\u201cNo waiting. Time to sleep.\u201d

…

Si Yuming didn\u2019t come home all night.

The next morning at work, Lin Ke once again overheard gossip in the break room as usual.

\u201cI heard the chairman of Jiang Group passed away last night.\u201d

\u201cHuh? Seriously?\u201d

Even Lin Ke was startled and looked toward the speaker.

\u201cOf course it\u2019s true. I saw Assistant Xu\u2019s Moments. He was still at the hospital at one in the morning. Besides, who would joke about death? There\u2019ll probably be an official announcement later.\u201d

\u201cThen it must be real. Assistant Xu never leaves President Si\u2019s side.\u201d

Lin Ke pressed the hot water button, the dull sound of flowing water bubbling continuously.

The discussion beside her remained lively.

\u201cBut President Si still came to work today.\u201d

\u201cWell, his future father-in-law died. President Si\u2019s probably here to stabilize the situation.\u201d

\u201cLife\u2019s really unpredictable.\u201d

\u201cThen doesn\u2019t that mean our little princess doesn\u2019t have a grandfather anymore?\u201d

\u201c…\u201d

When the cup was about seventy or eighty percent full, Lin Ke stopped the water and carefully carried it away.

She didn\u2019t know much about the matter, so after returning to her desk, she searched online first.

The Jiang Group wasn\u2019t a small company. Scattered news had already appeared online, along with several leaked hospital photos.

In the photos, the tall man stood out immediately.

Dressed entirely in black, his aura looked solemn and imposing.

The people around him all wore grief-stricken expressions, yet only his eyes remained calm and sharp as he tilted his head to give instructions to someone, as though personally controlling the situation.

She switched to WeChat and scrolled down until she found the familiar chat window.

Her finger paused above the keyboard.

After a long while, she exited it.

Lin Ke put away her phone, took a sip of water, and forced herself into work mode.

Close to noon, Shen Wan requested the finalized contract documents. After Lin Ke sent the electronic version over, Shen Wan sent another message.

\u3010President Si wants to review the paper copy. Manager Lin, I\u2019m tied up with something right now. Could I trouble you to bring it upstairs?\u3011

Lin Ke was silent for two seconds before replying:

\u3010Okay.\u3011

She had never visited the president\u2019s office before.

Not as an employee.

And not as his wife.

The executive office occupied the top floor. The moment she stepped out of the elevator, the first thing she saw was the minimalist yet highly distinctive \u201cEntropy Domain\u201d logo. Behind it stretched an open office area where assistants busied themselves with work.

The receptionist guided her inside.

Only after the door opened did she realize there were many people in the office already\u2014vice presidents and directors from different departments. It looked like they were in the middle of a meeting.

The man seated at the center raised his eyes slightly, then his gaze settled on her.

Lin Ke met it calmly.

There were dark circles beneath his eyes, making it obvious he hadn\u2019t slept all night.

She didn\u2019t linger and simply walked forward, gently placing the documents on the upper left corner of the desk.

\u201cPresident Si, the contract you requested.\u201d

She was just about to leave when his low voice sounded.

\u201cThat\u2019s all for now. Manager Lin, stay behind.\u201d

No one found this strange. Everyone stood and prepared to leave.

Only Xu Lin hesitated, unsure whether he should leave too.

The next second, the boss spoke again.

\u201cXu Lin, close the door on your way out.\u201d

Hearing that, Xu Lin secretly glanced at the beautiful woman standing before the desk.

The president\u2019s office was somewhat separated from the outer workspace and had strong privacy. Usually, the door remained open.

Why close it today?

He didn\u2019t dare think too deeply about it. After responding, he left and shut the door behind him.

The moment the door closed, Lin Ke immediately spoke in a professional tone.

\u201cPresident Si, there aren\u2019t any major problems with the contract the other side sent over.\u201d

Si Yuming lazily lifted his eyelids to glance at her before closing them again, leaning back in his chair while pinching the bridge of his nose with two fingers.

Lin Ke stood still without moving.

Although the door was closed, it wasn\u2019t locked. Someone could come in at any moment.

She waited for nearly half a minute, yet the man before her still had his eyes closed.

Another half minute passed before she finally couldn\u2019t help speaking.

\u201cPresident Si…\u201d

The man suddenly laughed softly.

\u201cHearing you call me that feels strange.\u201d

\u201cWhat\u2019s strange about it…\u201d Lin Ke muttered quietly. She glanced back at the office door before lowering her voice. \u201cIf there\u2019s nothing else, I\u2019ll leave first.\u201d

\u201cLeave where? Let me rest for a bit.\u201d

That single sentence carried overwhelming exhaustion.

Lin Ke stopped speaking.

Her gaze slowly moved downward from beneath his closed eyes.

He had probably changed clothes, but not his tie. He was still wearing the dark green plaid tie she had casually picked out for him yesterday morning.

The perfectly symmetrical Windsor knot was tied neatly, moving lightly with the motion of his Adam\u2019s apple.

Perhaps because it felt restrictive, the man lifted one hand to loosen his collar before unfastening the first button.

Lin Ke stared at him.

Then suddenly came to her senses and hurriedly whispered,

\u201cDon\u2019t unbutton anymore! What if someone comes in later?!\u201d

If he unbuttoned any further, even jumping into the Yellow River wouldn\u2019t clear her name!

The corners of Si Yuming\u2019s lips lifted slightly, some of the exhaustion fading from his face.

\u201cWas Xiaotie easy to put to sleep last night?\u201d

At the mention of this, Lin Ke also felt a bit helpless.

\u201cI took her downstairs to find a place to bury the two crabs. Even after comforting her for ages, she stayed sad all night and didn\u2019t fall asleep until almost ten.\u201d

At this point, she asked carefully,

\u201cLast night…\u201d

Si Yuming didn\u2019t avoid the topic.

\u201cChairman Jiang passed away from illness.\u201d

\u201cAre you okay?\u201d

\u201cThe Jiang family is in complete chaos right now. Jiang Chengyin\u2019s uncles are all eyeing the company greedily.\u201d

Jiang Chengyin was an only daughter. Under such circumstances, her situation was naturally difficult.

The Si and Jiang families were extremely close. Even without any other relationship involved, it was perfectly reasonable for Si Yuming to help her.

Lin Ke nodded and asked softly,

\u201cAre you coming home tonight?\u201d

\u201cYes.\u201d

Si Yuming opened his mouth as though wanting to say something else, but suddenly there came a knock from outside.

The woman immediately \u201cfled the scene.\u201d

He watched the slender figure sneak past the assistants and disappear, the corners of his eyes lifting again slightly.

Xu Lin, who had just opened the door, caught sight of the rare smile on his boss\u2019s face and felt shocked all over again.

…

Lin Ke couldn\u2019t make it in time to pick up Si Xiaotie that afternoon, so she asked Aunt Chen to do it instead and also told her to buy groceries for dinner so she could cook immediately after returning home.

Even though the nanny\u2019s cooking was clearly better, Si Xiaotie only loved eating the food Lin Ke made. Whenever the nanny cooked, the little girl dragged out meals forever, taking nearly an hour to finish one meal. But if Lin Ke cooked, she would gobble everything down within ten or twenty minutes.

Tonight, Si Yuming came home early.

When he entered, Lin Ke had only just started the rice cooker.

Every time Si Xiaotie saw her father, she became incredibly happy. The moment she spotted him, she leapt off her little dinosaur rocking chair and ran over.

\u201cDaddy\u2019s home!\u201d

The man looked exhausted, yet he still picked up his daughter, his voice gentle.

\u201cI\u2019m home.\u201d

The father and daughter cuddled for a while before Si Yuming went to shower while the little girl continued watching Animal World.

When he came back out, he frowned at the living room.

\u201cXiaotie, don\u2019t sit so close to the TV.\u201d

Si Xiaotie and her dinosaur chair sat less than two meters from the television.

He physically dragged the dinosaur rocking chair back toward the sofa. Because of the sudden movement, the little girl\u2019s legs kicked upward and her body leaned back, yet her eyes remained glued to the TV.

But in the brief moment he walked to the refrigerator to grab water, her little legs had already pushed the dinosaur chair forward again.

\u201cSi Le\u2014\u201d

Lin Ke, who had just finished stir-frying a dish, interrupted him in time.

\u201cYou can just turn up the volume a little.\u201d

Si Yuming didn\u2019t understand, so she explained,

\u201cI didn\u2019t know before either, but later one nanny told me that children can\u2019t read yet. They understand television mainly through sound, so if the volume\u2019s louder, she won\u2019t keep moving closer to hear it.\u201d

After speaking, Lin Ke turned around to wash the pan.

Si Yuming watched her back for a moment before turning up the volume and dragging the girl back toward the sofa again.

This time, Si Xiaotie indeed stopped inching forward.

At seven o\u2019clock, the family of three finally sat down for dinner.

Si Xiaotie held one chopstick in each hand and looked up with wide hopeful eyes.

\u201cMommy, can I raise a spider?\u201d

Lin Ke froze mid-motion while ladling soup, the immediate \u201cNo\u201d dying at the last second.

She truly couldn\u2019t understand it.

Why did other children love cats and dogs while her daughter loved snakes, dinosaurs, and spiders??

She had already gently rejected the snake request before. If she rejected her again now, wouldn\u2019t that crush her too much?

Si Xiaotie enthusiastically gestured with her chopsticks.

\u201cA spider this big! It crawls super fast and it\u2019s fluffy too!\u201d

Lin Ke laughed awkwardly. \u201cWas there one in the TV show you just watched?\u201d

\u201cMhm!\u201d The little girl nodded furiously. \u201cThat big sister said spiders are humans\u2019 good friends!\u201d

\u201c…\u201d

Were spiders really humanity\u2019s good friends…?

Suddenly, Si Yuming spoke from beside them.

\u201cIt\u2019s not impossible to raise one.\u201d

The moment Lin Ke heard that, she turned sideways to avoid Si Xiaotie\u2019s view and shot the man a vicious glare.

Dear god.

She couldn\u2019t even imagine a huge spider crawling around the house. She would go insane.

Then she remembered something else and glared at him again.

She was terrified of creatures with too many legs or no legs at all. There was absolutely no way Si Xiaotie inherited this preference from her.

Which meant there was only one explanation.

\u2014He was the culprit.

Si Yuming hadn\u2019t thought that deeply about it, but he could tell from her two murderous glares that she was genuinely afraid. Suppressing a smile, he placed a peeled boiled shrimp into his daughter\u2019s bowl.

\u201cXiaotie, spiders are poisonous. We can\u2019t raise them.\u201d

Apparently Animal World hadn\u2019t yet introduced the concept of poison, so the little girl could only believe whatever Daddy said. Her tiny face drooped with disappointment.

\u201cOkay then…\u201d

Lin Ke finally let out a long breath of relief.

She handed over the soup.

\u201cBaby, how about Mommy buys you a little kitten?\u201d

\u201cBut I don\u2019t want a kitten.\u201d

\u201cWhat about a puppy?\u201d

\u201cNope.\u201d

Forget it.

This topic needed to end here. If they continued, who knew what unexpected animal might come up next.

After dinner, Lin Ke took the child to bathe while Si Yuming cleaned up the kitchen.

Back when they lived in the villa, the housekeeper naturally handled such chores. But if the nanny wasn\u2019t around, he could still cook and do housework himself. According to Si Yun, these were skills he learned while studying abroad.

After Si Xiaotie finished bathing, Si Yuming went to put her to sleep, leaving Lin Ke with some personal time.

After washing up, she prepared to read for a while.

An hour and a half later, Si Yuming still hadn\u2019t returned.

Lin Ke put on a jacket and stepped outside.

The children\u2019s room door was half-open. She quietly approached and peeked through the gap.

On the one-and-a-half-meter princess bed, Si Yuming leaned against the headboard while gently patting the shoulders of the still energetic little girl in his arms. His expression was soft and gentle, completely different from the cold-faced man who sat in the president\u2019s office during the day.

Perhaps thinking of something, Si Xiaotie suddenly looked up and asked:

\u201cDaddy, what\u2019s your dream?\u201d

\u201cDream?\u201d

\u201cMhm!\u201d

The man lifted his gaze and stared at the wardrobe ahead for a while before answering quietly,

\u201cI hope Xiaotie and Mommy stay safe and healthy.\u201d

Outside the door, Lin Ke froze completely.

The little girl found nothing strange about the answer at all.

\u201cAnything else? Mommy has two dreams.\u201d

Si Yuming lowered his gaze and asked softly,

\u201cWhat\u2019s Mommy\u2019s dream?\u201d

Lin Ke immediately pushed the door open, pretending to be angry.

\u201cSi Lezhen, aren\u2019t you sleeping yet?\u201d

The little girl \u201cfearfully\u201d hid beneath the blanket, covering her head while her soft voice drifted out from underneath.

\u201cSleeping already, sleeping already!\u201d

Lin Ke\u2019s gaze met the man\u2019s on the bed for several seconds before quickly moving away.

\u201cHurry up and sleep. Daddy still has work tomorrow.\u201d

\u201cHooo~ Hooo~ Xiaotie is asleep already~\u201d<\/p>","protected":false},"parent":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}}},"novel":[],"class_list":["post-3150","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/es_co\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/3150","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/es_co\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/es_co\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/es_co\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3150"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/es_co\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/3150\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3151,"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/es_co\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/3150\/revisions\/3151"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/es_co\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3150"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"novel","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/es_co\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/novel?post=3150"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}