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

Shen Xiaoting cried for about twenty minutes, her voice gradually changing from heart-wrenching sobs to intermittent whimpers, and finally only a soft, kitten-like whimper remained.

Her face was buried in Chen Hao's shoulder, her tears soaking his T-shirt, and her snot smeared all over his neck.

Chen Hao held her tightly the whole time, without letting go.

He sat down on the edge of the bed, let his daughter sit on his lap, put one arm around her back and gently patted the back of her head with the other.

The rented room was small, with a table next to the bed. On the table were a half-empty bottle of mineral water and an unopened box of tissues.

He pulled out a few tissues with one hand and clumsily wiped his daughter's face.

Shen Xiaoting's face was red from crying, her nose was red, her eyes were swollen, and her eyelashes were wet and stuck together.

She was sobbing and occasionally letting out a small hiccup.

Chen Hao gently pressed a tissue against his daughter's nose: "Here, blow your nose."

Shen Xiaoting sniffed, but didn't move. She just looked at him with her big, watery eyes, her gaze filled with obvious unfamiliarity and wariness.

She stopped crying, but didn't say anything either. She just sat quietly on his lap, her little hands on her knees, her fingertips twisting the fabric of his jeans.

Chen Hao stared at her for a few seconds, feeling a little flustered.

He didn't know how to coax a child, let alone how to comfort a three-year-old who had just been sent away by his mother.

He thought for a moment and tried to make his voice sound as gentle as possible.

"Tingting, Daddy wants to tell you something, okay?"

Shen Xiaoting neither nodded nor shook her head, but simply looked at him.

Chen Hao took it as a tacit agreement: "Dad used to live in Beijing, which is where we are now."

But Dad plans to go back to his hometown for a while. Dad's hometown is in the south, very, very far away; it takes a very, very long bus ride to get there.

Shen Xiaoting blinked, her lips moved, and finally she spoke.

Her voice was soft and hoarse from crying, gentle and sweet: "Where...is my hometown?"

Chen Hao was overjoyed that his daughter had spoken to him.

"In the south, there's a place called Maple Tree Flat," he said, slowing his speech and enunciating each word carefully.

"There is a mountain behind the village, and there are many, many trees on the mountain. In autumn, the leaves turn red, which is especially beautiful."

There's a small river in front of the village; the water is so clear you can see the stones at the bottom.

Shen Xiaoting's eyes lit up, but she still didn't smile. She just asked softly:

"Is your hometown... fun?"

Seeing the glimmer of light in his daughter's eyes, Chen Hao quickly nodded:

"It's really fun. My dad grew up there."

My hometown has chickens, ducks, geese, and also dogs and cats.

If you go, you can see chicks running around with their mother hen, ducks swimming in the water, and you can even pet puppies.

"A puppy?" Shen Xiaoting's voice rose slightly. "What puppy?"

"It's that kind of mongrel, yellow and furry," Chen Hao gestured to indicate its size.

"It's about this big, its tail wags back and forth, and it runs after people when it sees them. There's also a cat, a tabby one, that likes to sit on the wall and sunbathe."

Shen Xiaoting's lips twitched, as if she wanted to laugh but held it back.

She lowered her head, continuing to twist her jeans with her small hands, and after a while whispered, "So... are there any flowers?"

"Yes, of course," Chen Hao said.

Wildflowers are everywhere on the ridges of the fields, yellow, white and purple, you can't even count them all.

If you like, Dad can take you to pick a whole bunch.

Shen Xiaoting finally raised her head and looked at Chen Hao. The unfamiliarity in her eyes faded somewhat, replaced by a childlike curiosity and anticipation.

She bit her lip and asked, "So...when are we going?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Hao finally felt a weight lifted from his shoulders.

He thought his daughter would cry and want to find her mother, and wouldn't want to go with a man who was almost a stranger. He didn't expect her to be so well-behaved and obedient.

A three-year-old child was handed over by his mother to a stranger. He sat quietly on the stranger's lap without making a fuss, listening attentively to what the stranger was saying, and even asking when they were leaving.

He felt both gratified and bittersweet.

He was relieved that his daughter was easier to raise than he had expected, but also heartbroken—

How mature must this child be to accept reality so quickly after his mother left?

Chen Hao lowered his head and kissed his daughter on the forehead.

Shen Xiaoting was stunned for a moment, and subconsciously shrank her neck, but did not move away.

She reached out and touched the spot where she had been kissed, a faint blush rising to her cheeks.

"Let's go now," Chen Hao said, his voice a little hoarse.

"Dad will take you back to our hometown now."

He stood up, put his daughter on the bed, and then began packing the last few things.

There wasn't much else to pack; I'd already packed most of what I needed into the gray suitcase.

He went to the bathroom to get a toothbrush and a towel, put them in the bag on the side of the suitcase, threw the half-empty bottle of mineral water on the table into the trash can, looked around the room to make sure he hadn't left anything important behind.

"Tingting, come here, follow Daddy." He reached out his hand to his daughter.

Shen Xiaoting slid off the bed, walked to his side, looked up at him, hesitated for a moment, and then put her small hand into his palm.

Her hands were small and soft, with cool fingertips but warm palms.

Chen Hao closed his fingers, completely enveloping his daughter's small hand. He dared not hold it too tightly, lest he hurt her, nor too loosely, lest she break free.

He held his daughter's hand with one hand and used the other to lift the pink suitcase.

The box was very light; he could lift it with one hand.

As he reached the door, he glanced back at the rented room where he had lived for three years.

It's a 12-square-meter room with yellowed walls, slightly faulty light bulbs, and a rusty door lock that requires a hard slam to close.

Three years.

He took a deep breath, closed the door, and slammed it shut. The latch clicked shut.

The hallway was quiet; all the other tenants had gone to work.

He dragged a pink suitcase with one hand and held his daughter's hand with the other as he walked to the elevator.

Shen Xiaoting's short legs had to move very fast to keep up with his pace, and when he noticed this, he immediately slowed down to match his daughter's rhythm.

The elevator arrived, and he pressed the button for the basement level.

After the elevator doors closed, only the two of them remained in the cramped space.

Shen Xiaoting looked up at the bright white light above the elevator, then looked down at her pink suitcase and asked softly:

"Will Mom... come looking for me?"

Chen Hao squatted down to be at her eye level:

"Mom said she'll come pick you up in six months. Six months will go by quickly. Be a good girl, and Mom will come to pick you up."

Shen Xiaoting pursed her lips and didn't say anything more.