A Billionaire CEO Brings His Child Home: The Awakening of the Stay-at-Home Dad System

Shen Xiaoting was watching TV in her grandmother's arms when she heard this. She sprang up like a spring, slid off her grandmother's lap, ran barefoot to Chen Hao, and jumped up and down to grab the phone.

"Mommy! Mommy!" Her voice was high-pitched and bright, filled with an irrepressible excitement.

Chen Hao squatted down, handed the phone to his daughter, and helped her hold it.

Shen Xiaoting held the phone in her two small hands as if it were a precious treasure, and gave Shen Mengyao's face on the screen a big smile.

"Mother!"

The moment Shen Mengyao saw her daughter, the fatigue on her face seemed to disappear by more than half.

Her lips curled up slightly, revealing a faint but gentle smile.

"Tingting, do you miss your mom?"

"I want to! I really want to!" Shen Xiaoting nodded vigorously, her little head bobbing like a chick pecking at rice.

"Tingting, are you getting used to living with your dad?" Shen Mengyao's voice became very soft, completely different from the cold and aloof tone she used when speaking to Chen Hao.

"I'm used to it!" Shen Xiaoting's voice was full of joy. "Dad is so good to me!"

"How good has Daddy been to you?" Shen Mengyao asked, her tone tinged with curiosity.

"Dad made me delicious food! He made so many dishes!" Shen Xiaoting started counting on her fingers.

"Braised pork belly, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, stir-fried vegetables, shredded pork with garlic sauce, tofu soup... they're all so delicious! Much better than what my auntie makes! Even better than what you get at a fancy restaurant!"

Shen Mengyao raised her eyebrows slightly, seemingly somewhat surprised.

She glanced at Chen Hao's face at the edge of the screen—

Chen Hao was crouching behind his daughter, with half of his body visible in the frame.

Then he turned his attention back to his daughter.

"Really? Dad can cook?"

"Yes! It's delicious!" Shen Xiaoting nodded vigorously, her face full of pride, as if she were the one who cooked so well.

"Mom, you don't know how delicious Dad's braised pork is! The meat is so tender and sweet, and the sauce mixed with rice makes me eat a whole bowl!"

Shen Mengyao's smile deepened as she watched her daughter's beaming face.

She rarely saw her daughter so excited and happy.

When we were in the capital, my daughter would laugh, but she had never laughed so brightly.

"What else? What else did Daddy do?" she asked.

"Daddy even sang for me!" Shen Xiaoting's voice grew louder.

"Daddy sings so well, even better than the songs on my phone! Last night, Daddy held me and sang to me, and I fell asleep right away!"

Shen Mengyao raised her eyebrows again.

When she met Chen Hao, she had never heard that he could sing, let alone sing well.

"Really? Dad is that amazing?"

"Yes!" Shen Xiaoting nodded vigorously, then lowered her voice, as if she were telling a secret.

"Mom, Dad smells so good, so nice."

Shen Mengyao was taken aback: "Dad put on perfume?"

"No, Dad said he wasn't wearing perfume, but he just smells really good," Shen Xiaoting said earnestly.

"Mom, you'll know next time you smell it."

Shen Mengyao paused for a second, then unconsciously glanced at Chen Hao at the edge of the screen.

She didn't respond to that, but changed the subject instead.

"Tingting, what else did Daddy do today?"

"Dad took me to a huge market, and there were so many bricks and pieces of wood!" Shen Xiaoting's eyes lit up.

"Dad said he's going to renovate the old house and then we'll live in it. Dad also said he's going to build me a swing in the yard!"

"A swing?" Shen Mengyao's lips curved into a smile. "Can you swing?"

"Yes! Mom, you forgot? I rode it when you took me to the park!" Shen Xiaoting made a swinging motion, swaying her body back and forth.

"It's so much fun!"

Looking at her daughter's flushed face, a complex mix of emotions welled up inside Shen Mengyao—

I felt relieved, heartbroken, and a little bit of bittersweetness that I couldn't quite put my finger on.

My daughter looks really happy, much happier than when we were in Beijing.

She had to admit that sending her daughter to Chen Hao's side might have been the right thing to do.

"Tingting, you have to listen to your father and not be naughty, understand?" she said.

"I know! I'm a good girl!" Shen Xiaoting patted her chest. "Grandma says I'm good too!"

"That's good." Shen Mengyao nodded.

"Tingting, Mom has something to do here, so I have to hang up now. I'll call you again next time, okay?"

Shen Xiaoting's smile froze instantly, her lips pursed, and her eyes reddened for a moment, but she didn't cry.

She took a deep breath, like a small adult trying to be strong, and then nodded.

"Okay. Mom, you should get some rest and not overwork yourself."

Shen Mengyao's eyes reddened slightly, but she held back her tears.

She smiled at her daughter, said "Good girl Tingting," and then hung up the video call.

The screen went dark.

Shen Xiaoting stared blankly at her phone for a few seconds, then looked up and handed it to Chen Hao.

Her lips trembled slightly, but she didn't cry. She just whispered, "Daddy, Mommy hung up."

Chen Hao took the phone, picked up his daughter, and held her in his arms.

He could feel his daughter's small body trembling slightly and hear her soft, suppressed breathing.

She didn't cry, but that made her even more heartbreaking.

"Tingting, be good," he gently patted his daughter's back, "You'll see your mother again soon."

Shen Xiaoting buried her face in her father's shoulder and mumbled a soft "hmm".

……

When Chen Hao was giving Tingting a bath, he encountered a problem—there was no bathroom in the house.

In the past, during the summer, he would just rinse it with cold water in the yard, and in the winter, he would boil a kettle of hot water and wipe it in the room with a basin, and that would be it.

But Tingting is only three years old, so we can't make do with that.

Meng Meiling found a large plastic basin, the kind that's red and used for washing clothes, washed it clean, and put it in the room.

Chen Hao boiled two kettles of water, poured them into a basin, added some cold water, and tested the water temperature with his hand—it was neither too hot nor too cold, just right.

"Tingting, come take a bath." He squatted by the tub and waved to his daughter.

Shen Xiaoting walked over, looked down at the big red basin, and a curious expression appeared on her little face.

She had never bathed like this before—at her home in Beijing, she usually took a shower or soaked in a bathtub.

This red basin is as big as a small swimming pool.

"Daddy, do I sit inside?" she asked, pointing to the basin.

"Yes, Dad will help you take off your clothes, and then you can sit inside."

Chen Hao helped his daughter take off her clothes and shoes, picked her up, and gently placed her in the basin.

Shen Xiaoting's little feet first stepped onto the bottom of the basin, and the water rose to her knees.

She slowly squatted down and sat in the basin. The water surged up and reached her waist.

"Wow—" she exclaimed, splashing her little hands in the water, sending up a spray of water.

"Wow, it's huge! Like a swimming pool!"