At Hengjing Group, Assistant Chen arrived at the company half an hour earlier than Jing Zeyou, as usual.
Normally, he would be preparing all the materials for Jing Zeyou's work for the day, but today was the day the boss's beloved little nephew was coming to the office.
So, he had to first prepare everything the little boss might need—some small toys to pass the time, the 'homework' the CEO had assigned to the little boss last time, and some carefully prepared snacks.
In short, on the days the little boss came, even the CEO's work had to take a backseat.
Assistant Chen was the best representative of Jing Zeyou, so the employees could roughly guess the CEO's schedule for the day by observing his actions.
It was obvious that the small items he was preparing indicated that the CEO's little nephew would be visiting today!
For a moment, the employees who heard the news were all delighted. After all, who wouldn't love a beautiful and well-behaved child?
Every time they heard the CEO's little nephew call them 'big brother' or 'big sister,' their mood would stay uplifted for the entire day.
Assistant Chen calmly watched the cheerful chatter of the employees and remembered the CEO's recent reminder.
"Don't say I didn't warn you—no feeding him anything today."
The little boss had recently suffered from indigestion, and for several days, Assistant Chen had seen books like 'How to Relieve Child Indigestion' on the CEO's desk.
Although the little boss had recovered, the CEO had specifically instructed that no one in the office should feed him snacks anymore.
The employees were a bit disappointed, but since the CEO had spoken, they had no choice but to comply. It seemed they would be missing out on one of their daily joys—watching the CEO's little nephew snack away was something they could do all day!
After delivering the CEO's instructions, Assistant Chen took the items prepared for the little boss and headed back to his workstation. The CEO had a meeting in the morning, and some documents needed to be prepared.
...
While the employees were still discussing, Jing Zeyou walked into the company carrying a three-year-old child in one arm. The little boy obediently rested his head on Jing Zeyou's shoulder, a small tuft of hair tied up on his head.
As they passed the reception desk, the child waved and greeted the receptionist.
This was the sister who had given him a small jelly last time!
Jing Zeyou carried the child, noticing that the Hengjing employees were much more cheerful than usual. They were greeting him, but their eyes were all fixed on his little nephew.
It wasn't until they entered the elevator that they were shielded from the employees' eager gazes.
No matter how many times he witnessed this scene, Jing Zeyou still found it amusing.
ManMan was on vacation, and with so many people at home, they didn't want to restrict him. So, they decided to bring ManMan to work.
Of course, Jing Zeyou also wanted to expose ManMan to more things as early as possible, given how clever his little nephew was.
But the next day, he couldn't find ManMan. According to Aunt Wang, Jing Zeqian had taken him away.
That was fine; there was no rush anyway.
On the third day, ManMan was again nowhere to be found—he had gone out to play with his uncle and aunt.
The fourth day, the fifth day, the sixth day...
Jing Zeyou fell silent.
So, he decided to bring ManMan to his house the night before, and only in the past few days had he successfully brought ManMan to work.
ManMan was also very well-behaved. Occasionally, when Jing Zeyou had meetings and couldn't take him along, ManMan would entertain himself or go out to 'socialize.' The employees who greeted him were the fruits of his 'efforts.'
This wasn't ManMan's first time at Hengjing. After being set down, he happily greeted the familiar Assistant Chen and sweetly thanked him for the snacks and toys he had prepared.
Even the usually composed Assistant Chen couldn't help but smile, softening his voice as he replied, "You're welcome. It's part of my job."
After ManMan's first visit, Jing Zeyou had arranged a dedicated spot in the office for him.
The spot had a small table, a small chair, toy facilities, and even a small sofa—all brightly colored and impossible to miss upon entering.
ManMan didn't head there immediately. Before coming, his uncle had told him that he had a small task today.
He was here to accompany his uncle to work and to help him!
Jing Zeyou unfolded the day's work report and began to read it slowly, trying to make the three-year-old sitting on his lap understand.
His voice was so gentle that one might mistake it for a bedtime story.
Although it wasn't the first time Assistant Chen had seen this scene, he still felt a complex mix of emotions.
If you thought the CEO was hoping his nephew would become a prodigy, he wasn't exactly forcing the three-year-old to truly understand his work—he was just narrating it like a story.
If you thought the CEO was simply playing with his nephew, well, who else would have a three-year-old listen to a corporate CEO's work report?
What was even more absurd was that ManMan actually had something to contribute.
Jing Zeyou was discussing the results of the testing team, his tone still calm, but a hint of displeasure gradually darkened his eyes.
ManMan furrowed his little brows. Assistant Chen thought he didn't understand and silently criticized the CEO for being a bit unreliable this time.
Then ManMan spoke, his voice tinged with hesitation, "So, what did these big brothers and sisters actually do?"
ManMan couldn't understand terms like 'completed metrics' or 'technological innovation.' After listening, he felt like they had done something, yet nothing at all.
The displeasure in Jing Zeyou's eyes faded, replaced by pride and joy as he looked at his little nephew.
"ManMan is absolutely right. You're so clever."
ManMan adored his uncle the most. Hearing Jing Zeyou's praise, he smiled, his eyes curving into crescents, the little tuft of hair on his head swaying slightly.
When Jing Zeyou looked up again, the joy in his eyes had disappeared.
"Tell the testing team that I expect a reasonable explanation during the morning meeting."
Assistant Chen clearly sensed the displeasure in Jing Zeyou's tone and responded seriously, "Understood." He couldn't help but feel a bit of sympathy for the team. Did they really think the CEO was easy to deal with?
After Assistant Chen left, ManMan looked up at Jing Zeyou, who had returned to his usual gentle demeanor.
"Uncle, did ManMan help?"
His round eyes sparkled with anticipation for praise. Jing Zeyou gently ruffled his curly hair.
"Of course, ManMan helped a lot."
ManMan's smile widened, and he tilted his head, giving Jing Zeyou a sweet grin.
"Then can ManMan go play with the big brothers and sisters later?"
Jing Zeyou could easily tell that his little nephew was planning to 'forage for snacks.' A hint of amusement flashed in his eyes.
"Sure, but remember to be careful, okay? If anything happens, go find Assistant Chen."
He was glad he had given the heads-up earlier. It seemed his nephew's 'snack hunt' would be unsuccessful this time.
So, while Jing Zeyou was in the meeting, ManMan found the group of big brothers and sisters who had fed him last time. He leaned on their desks, his soft little face glowing with anticipation.
The employees, inwardly weeping: ...ManMan, we really can't give you anything this time. The boss has spoken!
