ManMan's words kept Shen Huaichu in a good mood all day, and even the employees of Huarui Group could easily notice his cheerful demeanor.
The first to notice was his assistant, right after he left Shen Huaichu's office.
Within half an hour, people waiting to report their work had quickly gathered at the office door.
Each person waiting watched as employees came out, and with every one they saw, their confidence grew. It seemed the CEO was in an unusually good mood today!
However, Shen Huaichu's good mood only lasted until he got home. He arrived early today, but his wife wasn't there, and his three-year-old son had also been taken somewhere else.
"Huaichu, I took ManMan and his classmate to Shanchi. We won’t be back for dinner tonight."
Jing Yi had previously promised Chen Yuqi's mother that she would take him to ManMan's small racing track, so after picking him up, she headed straight there with the two kids.
Listening to the faint sound of his son and another child chatting on the phone, Shen Huaichu sighed. Coming home to find neither his wife nor his son was truly disappointing.
...
At Shanchi, next to the small racing track, Jing Yi and Jing Zeqian were each remotely controlling a small car.
Jing Yi was in charge of Chen Yuqi's car, while Jing Zeqian controlled ManMan's.
The two small cars were 'speeding' along the track at a very safe pace—at least that’s what the two kids thought.
Chen Yuqi had been excited all day because he finally got to visit the professional racing track that Shen Muyi had talked about!
No little boy could resist cool cars, especially race cars.
Chen Yuqi, with his chubby hands on the steering wheel, felt the thrill of speed as described in cartoons, occasionally letting out excited shouts, yelling, "Faster! Faster!"
ManMan, on the other hand, was much calmer. With both hands on the wheel, he looked seriously at the track ahead, cautiously turning the wheel as the course demanded.
Meanwhile, Jing Yi and Jing Zeqian were also fully focused. Although the cars weren’t moving fast, remote control required skill, and the outcome depended on the controller's technique.
Chen Yuqi's car was the first to cross the finish line, and his excited cheers grew even louder.
Jing Yi looked smugly at Jing Zeqian, "Second brother, you owe me three forehead flicks!" Jing Zeqian retorted, "Let’s go again!"
Jing Zeqian had secretly practiced with ManMan for a long time, but he still lost to Jing Yi!
This small racing track was a gift from Jing Zeqian to ManMan. While there were smaller race cars available, ManMan would have to wait until he was a bit older, or else the whole family might gang up on Jing Zeqian.
For now, they could only 'race' with remote-controlled cars on this track.
But it was still a lot of fun.
Jing Zeqian rolled up his sleeves, ready to give it another shot. ManMan, who had lost the race, wasn’t upset. Instead, he seriously discussed strategy with Jing Zeqian.
Standing next to him, ManMan only reached Jing Zeqian's thigh. He tugged on Jing Zeqian's clothes, pointing at a curve on the track.
"Uncle, it was right there where we fell behind..."
Jing Yi, holding Chen Yuqi's hand, watched her son’s analysis with a soft, proud smile.
ManMan was very smart. At first, he might have been excited about the racing track, but later he noticed something was off when he couldn’t fully control the car.
Jing Yi had to explain to him that this was the most professional track a three-year-old could have, which finally put his questions to rest.
Even though he knew his control was limited, he still took it seriously, and Jing Zeqian listened intently.
The uncle and nephew even high-fived, determined to beat Jing Yi (Mom) at least once!
Jing Yi chuckled, her almond-shaped eyes sparkling with amusement, and her cheeks dimpled.
"Chen Yuqi, they’ve challenged us. What should we say?"
The chubby little boy jumped up excitedly, looking thrilled, "Bring it on! There’s only one winner on the battlefield!"
Jing Yi paused, looking down at the three-year-old with his clenched fists and an inexplicably intense 'ready for battle' expression.
Was he already entering his edgy phase this early?
Chen Yuqi had no idea what 'edgy' meant. All he knew was that today he got to play with Shen Muyi—just the two of them! This was something he could brag about in class for a long time!
Plus, he got to play with Shen Muyi's mom, who was a champion racer!
And she was really pretty!
She had almost everything a kindergarten kid would envy, so whenever Shen Muyi's mom came to pick him up, many of the kids were excited too.
Of course, Shen Muyi's dad was also very handsome, but he seemed a bit intimidating. Chen Yuqi had never seen him smile, not even during parent-teacher meetings.
But Shen Muyi didn’t seem afraid of his dad. If it were Chen Yuqi’s dad looking serious and not smiling, he’d be wondering if his dad had found out about the time he secretly drew on his face.
Yet Shen Muyi always said his dad wasn’t scary—he was actually super gentle.
Chen Yuqi wanted to believe it, but he wasn’t entirely convinced.
Every time he saw Shen Muyi's dad, he still felt a bit scared, but he instinctively felt that Shen Muyi wouldn’t lie. If Shen Muyi said his dad wasn’t scary, then he wasn’t scary.
...
Not far from the racing track, the glow of the setting sun bathed the area as ManMan's car crossed the finish line, marking the end of their 'professional racing' adventure.
"Alright, kids, how about we think about getting some dinner and then heading home?"
After taking the two kids out for dinner, Jing Yi would have to safely return Chen Yuqi to his family.
The kids were reluctant to leave, while Jing Yi and Jing Zeqian’s fingers were starting to ache.
Although they enjoyed this large-scale remote-controlled car race, it was still tiring after a while.
ManMan and Chen Yuqi ran back, looking up with soft, pleading eyes. "Mom, can we watch you race before we go?" The chubby little boy beside him also gazed at Jing Yi with starry eyes.
Their expressions were so endearing that Jing Yi couldn’t resist gently pinching their cheeks.
"Ha, so you want a closing performance, huh? You guys really know how to have fun."
But it would only take a few minutes, and Jing Yi was happy to oblige.
"Alright, just one lap."
The two kids were thrilled, especially Chen Yuqi.
Now he would be the only kid in class who had seen Shen Muyi’s mom race!
The small racing track was right next to Shanchi. As Jing Yi and Jing Zeqian prepared to take the kids over, they spotted Shen Huaichu approaching from a distance.
