After going to the shopping mall and returning home, I turned on the TV for Xiaoju and went to the kitchen to cook. Suddenly, I heard the sound of footsteps behind me. Xiaoju dragged a small stool into the kitchen and then went to hug the iPad, sitting on the small stool to watch cartoons.

I asked him why he wasn't going to the living room to take a look.

Xiao Ju said, "I want to be with my dad."

He furrowed his brows and answered me with a particularly serious look.

I felt happy in my heart. Xiao Ju relied on me, but I also felt a tinge of sadness. In his world, there was only me.

But the kitchen is not a place for a child to stay. I picked him up and said, "You stay on the couch and wait. Dad will come out after finishing the cooking. Be good."

I touched his forehead and gave him a kiss.

Xiao Ju blinked her eyes and reluctantly responded in a sulky manner.

This appearance always reminds me of someone else. Every time I'm unhappy, I wear a cold face. But as long as you take the initiative to give in, give him a kiss, and everything will be fine.

At night when he sleeps, he doesn't settle down and sleep peacefully on his own. Instead, he always has to burrow into my embrace, resting his calves on my stomach.

I caress his soft and flaccid belly, causing him to burst into laughter, and then he rolls over like a loach.

Children should not be too excited at night, otherwise they will have nightmares. So, I patted his back again and soothed him to sleep. He quickly fell asleep, completely unaware, and I put him to the side, to which he had no reaction whatsoever, like a sleeping pig.

The translation of the Chinese novel paragraph to English is as follows: Children don't sleep well, so I have put wooden barriers around one side of the bed. However, compared to when he was three years old and used to sleep sideways with his entire body on the pillow, now he only kicks the blanket at most. It can be considered as him behaving decently.

The next day, I put several packs of cookies in his bag, instructing him that one side was for sharing with classmates, while the other side was for himself to eat.

After taking him to the kindergarten, I went back to work.

As soon as I arrived at the office, I saw a chaotic scene with everyone rushing about.

Making phone calls, checking drafts, and rushing to complete them with a flurry of activity, it was always the busiest time at the end of the month.

I had just sat down when the chief editor came over and asked me to go to the printing factory. It seemed that there was a problem with the format. It couldn't be explained over the phone, so they needed someone to go there in person.

So I took the car keys and went out again to communicate with the person in charge at the printing press. After finally figuring things out, I waited for them to print the preliminary draft and bring it back.

As I was driving past the traffic lights, I happened to come across a wedding car. My immediate reaction was that it was so cold to get married on such a day, and the bride was likely to freeze to death. Then, a date flashed through my mind.

The honking of the car behind me awakened me from my daze.

I quickly started the car but uncontrollably drove in the opposite direction.

When the brakes were finally applied, the car had already stopped at the entrance of Haitai, a five-star hotel. I didn't know what day it was today, but outside, the luxury cars were all parked, while the parking attendant constantly directed the vehicles coming and going. My car was stuck in the middle and there was no way to drive forward. I could only follow the flow of traffic into the underground parking lot and then loop back out.

I parked the car on the other side and involuntarily walked towards the entrance. What came into sight were giant flower baskets and wedding decorations, along with a sign on the hotel that read, "Celebrating the union of xxx and xx."

The name was blurry, and I couldn't see clearly until I walked into the lobby. Then I saw two unfamiliar names written on it: "Liu Zhiqiang and Xu Lan". I wasn't sure if I should breathe a sigh of relief or what, but suddenly there was a commotion at the entrance. Someone was calling for the bride and groom, and firecrackers outside were popping and crackling.

The entrance was suddenly filled with people.

I stood behind the potted plant, pondering on why I had foolishly come here.

Different from the bustling atmosphere in the main hall, the corridor behind is much quieter. Only the waiters pushing carts passing by. I was standing right opposite the elevator.

With a "ding" sound, the elevator door opened. I was facing the elevator, typing a message to the editor-in-chief.

I heard the steady sound of footsteps getting closer to me. I stepped back to avoid them and then heard a stranger's voice calling out, "Deputy Director Deng, what are you doing here?"

I raised my head in surprise and recalled that the elderly man in front of me, from the Mediterranean, was one of my former bosses whom I had collaborated with. I quickly bowed and greeted him.

"Mr. Li, hello hello."

Mr. Li Dong seemed very happy. He smiled and shook my hand, then patted his bald head and said, "Director Fu, this is Deng Ling, the deputy editor-in-chief of Jia Wen Media."

Then he said to me, "Deputy Editor Deng, this is Mr. Fu from Zengrong Group."

When I looked at him, he was also looking at me.

But I don't know if his mind also went blank like mine, suddenly.

Time seems to have become very slow, very slow, and so does my breathing. I want to extend my hand to greet, but it feels as heavy as if there are a thousand pounds, and I can't lift it up.

When I finally regained control of my breath, I noticed that Mr. Li had a somewhat awkward expression. He called my name several times before I replied, dazedly.

Fu Yuye seemed to not be able to bear watching anymore. He took the initiative to step forward, which immediately frightened me and made me take a step back. However, I forgot that there was a huge potted plant behind me, and the stiff leaves pricked me, causing me to shrink forward.

It can be said that it is very embarrassing.

Fu Yuye, worried, wanted to come over and pull me away, but I managed to avoid him.

I walked to the side as I spoke, saying, "Mr. Li, let's meet another day. Today is just too busy for me. I'll take my leave for now..."

After saying that, they quickly ran towards the empty entrance where no one was present, ignoring the bewildered onlookers behind them.

The air was filled with the smell of sulfur, which was very pungent and made my eyes tear up. I covered my nose and quickly ran to the other side of the street, where I found my car. I climbed inside and swiftly left this place.

Clearly and lucidly controlling one's own mind from thinking, but still unable to resist the urge to think.

That's someone I haven't seen in four years.

What he looks like now, how many times he has appeared in my dreams, but none of them were as vivid as really seeing him face-to-face.

But it is precisely because of this that when he reached out his hand, I could clearly see the distance that separates us, like mountains and oceans.

I sat in the car for quite a while, finally calming down, before taking the manuscript and going upstairs.

When I entered the editor-in-chief's office, the editor was on a phone call. Upon seeing me, they motioned for me to stay, indicating that they probably had something to discuss with me.

I only waited for three minutes when she hung up the phone and told me to reserve three pages for the next month's issue to introduce Meir's perfume.

This is an old brand in France. As far as I know, they have their own established client base and they don't advertise like other brands that rely on traffic. So, why did they suddenly approach us?

I voiced my doubts.

The editor-in-chief glanced at me without surprise and said, "You don't know yet. This is insider information. I heard that there have been changes in the board of directors above. It has been acquired by Haige. You know Haige, right? One of the three giants in the entertainment industry. I heard that Meir is planning to expand into the Asian market and has negotiated endorsement deals with Haige. Now, we can consider ourselves catching the tailwind. Our future direction will be towards the international arena..."

Regarding this news, during the Monday meeting, the editor-in-chief officially informed everyone and reassuringly mentioned that there would be no layoffs. At the same time, it was announced that a team from headquarters would be sent down in a few days for inspection work.

Fortunately, the changes happening at the higher levels didn't actually have much impact on us lower-level employees. Life continued on as usual. However, I never expected that the person coming to inspect would be Fu Yuye.