Hard work after winning the lottery

Zhou Yanjin stood up. Today, he was still wearing a well-tailored Italian bespoke suit, dark gray with subtle patterns, and ironed without a single wrinkle.

The valuable sapphire cufflink on the cuff reflected a cool and precious light in the morning light.

This outfit, in stark contrast to the simple farmhouse in Baixi Village and the kindergarten full of childlike fun and laughter that was about to be visited, created an extreme and absurd sense of juxtaposition.

Hua Yun looked at him, hesitant to speak.

I was thinking, could you please change into something more casual?

But the words stuck in his throat.

Perhaps, the greatest respect we can show him is to let him face a completely unfamiliar field in the way he is most familiar and comfortable with.

Zhou Yanjin's black Bentley slowly came to a stop in front of the town's kindergarten.

This luxury car, which usually only appears on the cover of financial magazines, now stands out awkwardly amidst a cacophony of electric bikes and mobility scooters for the elderly.

The car door opened, and Zhou Yanjin got out first.

His tall, straight figure, handsome face, and natural aura of authority instantly made him the most eye-catching figure at the kindergarten entrance.

The parents who were picking up and dropping off their children were mostly residents of the town, and they were all stunned.

Whispers rose and fell like waves of wheat rippling in the wind.

"Who's that? Is he filming a movie?"

"It doesn't seem like it. Look, there are three identical little babies following behind him—those are Hua Mutou's triplets!"

"My God, this man is the children's father? When did Hua Yun find such a rich husband?"

Zhou Yanjin seemed oblivious to the stares around her.

He bent down and straightened the collars of the three children, his voice gentler than ever before.

"Go ahead, Dad will pick you up this afternoon."

Sile and Sitao were fascinated by the feeling of being the center of attention, and their faces turned red with excitement.

Goodbye, Daddy!

"Goodbye, Uncle Zhou... oh no, Dad!"

Si Tao's little mouth was the sweetest. She called out in a childish voice, then skipped and hopped along, pulling her brother Sile along, and waved her little hand vigorously at Zhou Yanjin.

Zhou Yanjin's heart felt as if it had been gently tickled by a feather, both soft and itchy.

He nodded with a smile, but his gaze involuntarily followed the most silent figure.

Si'an remained silent throughout.

He paused very slightly as he turned to walk into the kindergarten gate, glancing at him briefly out of the corner of his eye.

That glance, devoid of emotion, seemed to be confirming something.

To confirm whether this man really will stand here as he says.

Then, he took his two younger brothers' hands and disappeared into the school gate without looking back.

Zhou Yanjin stood there until the three small figures were no longer visible before slowly straightening up.

He didn't leave immediately, but instead took out his phone and called his assistant, Chen Xu.

"Cancel all meetings after 3 PM today."

Chen Xu on the other end of the phone paused for a moment, but still replied professionally, "Yes, President."

It's 4 PM, the time when kindergarten lets out.

Zhou Yanjin arrived at the kindergarten gate a full half hour early.

Instead of waiting in the car, he stood in the most conspicuous spot, leaning against the car door, just like any ordinary father.

The afternoon sun cast a long shadow of him, and his excessively handsome face carried a hint of barely perceptible anticipation and nervousness.

He became an even more eye-catching sight than he had in the morning.

As soon as the school bell rang, the kindergarten gates opened, and the children poured out joyfully like a flock of doves returning to their nest.

Zhou Yanjin's gaze was fixed on the doorway.

He was afraid that he might miss it if he wasn't careful.

"dad!"

A clear shout, like a small cannonball, shot straight at him.

It is Si Tao.

The little guy, carrying a bright yellow backpack, was like a happy little butterfly. He was the first to rush out, hugged Zhou Yanjin's leg, and looked up with his rosy little face and bright eyes.

"Dad, you really came!"

Immediately afterwards, Sile ran over with a smile and stood obediently beside him.

Zhou Yanjin's heart was instantly filled to the brim.

He picked up Sitao with one hand and instinctively reached for Sile with the other.

But his gaze pierced through the crowd and landed at the very back.

Si'an was still the last one.

He walked out slowly with unhurried steps, his fair face expressionless.

But this time, when his gaze met Zhou Yanjin's, it wasn't just a fleeting glance.

Instead, it paused clearly for a moment.

A complex emotion seemed to flash across those deep black eyes, so fleeting that it was impossible to grasp.

Zhou Yanjin's heart skipped a beat.

He carried Sitao and walked towards Si'an, slowly squatting down in front of him so that he could look his son in the eye.

"An'an".

His voice was somewhat hoarse.

Si'an didn't say anything, she just pursed her lips.

Zhou Yanjin's gaze fell on the crooked strap of her son's schoolbag.

The blue ribbon had slipped halfway down his small shoulder, which looked quite uncomfortable.

Almost instinctively, he reached out to help him tidy up.

His hands were long and strong, with distinct knuckles.

Those were hands accustomed to wielding power and reviewing contracts worth hundreds of millions.

At this moment, when touching that small backpack strap, the movement seemed a little clumsy, even a little stiff.

Just as Zhou Yanjin's fingers were about to touch his shoulder.

Si'an's body stiffened very subtly.

Zhou Yanjin's movements froze in mid-air.

His heart also jumped into his throat.

He was afraid, afraid that his son would avoid him without any mercy, just like before.

However, the expected resistance did not occur.

Si'an froze for only a moment, and then, her tense little shoulders seemed to relax very slowly.

He didn't hide.

Zhou Yanjin's heart sank back to reality.

He suppressed the surging emotions in his heart and, with the gentlest possible movements, draped the slipped strap back over Si'an's shoulder, carefully adjusting the length of both straps for him.

After doing all this, he looked up and met his son's eyes.

"alright."

Si'an's eyelashes, like two small fans, trembled slightly.

He lowered his head, looked at the tips of his small shoes, and whispered in an almost inaudible voice:

"……Thanks."

These two words, polite and courteous, carry an obvious sense of distance.

But to Zhou Yanjin's ears, it was no less than heavenly music!

That "thank you" was like a tiny yet incredibly warm current, instantly soothing his heart that had been hanging in suspense all day.

At least, his son no longer rejected his approach with silence and indifference.

Zhou Yanjin's eyes welled up slightly. He forced down the soreness and a gentle, contented smile appeared on his lips, a smile he himself was unaware of.

"You're welcome."

On their way home, the setting sun cast their shadows long and thin.

Zhou Yanjin held the still excited Si Tao in one arm. The little guy was hugging his neck and chattering about the funny things that happened in kindergarten.

His other hand was tightly holding his second son, Sile's.

And Si'an walked on his other side.

There was no holding hands, nor any cuddling.

He stayed quietly by my side, at a distance that was neither too close nor too far.

Her steps were small, yet they always maintained a subtle synchronization with his.