Chapter Fourteen: Little Angel

"Big brother, where are we going now?" Little Qiu’er held a bright red apple in her small hands, took a bite, then rose to her tiptoes to offer a bite to Dong’er, who was drooping heavily in Yang Qing’s arms.

Sweet and delicious.

"We’re going home. Big brother needs to talk to Xiao Bai’s dad about something," Yang Qing said, gently lifting Dong’er’s bottom and smiling.

He had enrolled Chun’er and Xia’er in an art class; the registration fee was ten thousand yuan, but he didn’t have that much money right now and would have to borrow it.

Life was hard, but he would do his best to make them happy. He believed in himself—someday, he would break free of hardship.

After all, he was a man with a hidden advantage.

Confidence, so simple and honest!

"Beep beep—"

With little Qiu’er bouncing happily beside him, they arrived at the mouth of a small alley. Suddenly, a car horn sounded.

"Wow! It’s Sister Qin’s car!"

Sharp-eyed Qiu’er instantly recognized Qin Xue’s beautiful white Tenghui. Overjoyed, she dashed toward it.

"Sister!"

"Giggle, little cutie, have you missed me?" Qin Xue asked.

"Yes, I missed you so much!"

"Giggle..."

Qin Xue patted her little head and said to Yang Qing, "Get in the car."

"Get in? Where to?" Yang Qing was confused.

"The TV station. I’ll explain on the way."

"Oh, alright."

As the car moved, Qiu’er and Dong’er, sitting in the back, curiously looked around, their innocent eyes full of excitement.

Yang Qing, however, was a bit lost. "Why are we going to the TV station?"

In his mind, the TV station was a place for cultured, important people. He was just a pancake vendor—what could he do there? Was he to make breakfast?

"It’s good news!" Qin Xue replied. "The station liked your food proposal and wants to discuss buying the copyright."

"Ah, copyright buyout!" Yang Qing exclaimed. "That thing can be sold for money?"

Qin Xue: "...Aren’t you educated? You don’t know this?"

"Hehe, well… I’ve never read about this stuff," Yang Qing said sheepishly. "How much can it sell for? Maybe ten thousand?"

Suddenly, he felt hopeful.

If he could get ten thousand, he wouldn’t need to borrow from Xiao Bai’s dad—it would solve his urgent problem.

"Ten thousand?! Heh..."

Qin Xue chuckled, clearly not wanting to speak further.

Yang Qing took the hint and kept quiet, but his eyes showed a hint of disappointment.

As expected… it wasn’t worth much.

At the TV station, Qin Xue’s three team members knew she was picking up an important guest and waited at the entrance. When they saw Qin Xue’s car approaching, they rushed over.

"Please get out, honored guest!"

Li Yuexi excitedly opened the back door, bent down to invite, then froze.

A… little girl!

Impossible! Maybe the guest’s daughter—the next one must be the real deal!

And then…

A… tiny child!

Are you kidding me?!

Unwilling to accept it, she craned her neck to look, instantly locking eyes with Yang Qing.

"Uh—"

Yang Qing shrank back, startled.

"Li Yuexi! What are you doing, stop fooling around, move aside!" Qin Xue scolded, pulling Li Yuexi away, then turned to Yang Qing, speechless, "Is the other car door broken?"

Yang Qing was confused, "Is it? I didn’t know."

Qin Xue: "..."

Was that a question for him to answer?

"Let’s go!"

She then picked up Dong’er, who clung to her pant leg, and headed toward the building.

"Uh…" Yang Qing, still befuddled, took Qiu’er’s hand and hurried after.

Li Yuexi and her two teammates exchanged glances.

Is this the VIP?

Must be fake!

The clothes on the adult and two children together weren’t even as expensive as a single pair of her shoes!

"It’s definitely him," the male team member insisted. "VIPs are discreetly extravagant. Just as the internet says—even a pair of cloth shoes carries an aura that demands respect!"

"Nonsense!" Li Yuexi retorted. "If you said he was Xuexue’s boyfriend, I’d believe it! Too bad… he has kids."

"Let’s go, don’t gossip. Be careful or Sister Xue will deal with you," Wen Xiaorou said, speechless.

...

Qin Xue led Yang Qing to her team’s office, poured him a cup of tea, and handed it to him. "Sit down for a bit, I’ll go report to the station director."

Then she turned to Wen Xiaorou and the other two, "Get out your snacks and treat our young guests."

"Mm-hmm," Li Yuexi, now full of curiosity about Yang Qing, hurried to say, "Leader, go ahead and report. Leave it to us."

"Alright."

Qin Xue left, and the three immediately put their snacks on the table, then stared at the adult and two children.

"Hehe..."

Qiu’er, unfazed by their stares, grinned. She was the little cashier at her brother’s stall, after all.

Afraid? Not a chance.

She smiled widely, meeting each of their gazes, then glanced—pretending not to—at the snacks on the table.

"Um… uh… uh…"

Dong’er, restless, shifted her little bottom on the sofa, reaching for the snacks, but was a bit shy and looked to Yang Qing for help.

"Hehe, you want to eat? Then hurry and thank your brother and sisters."

Yang Qing didn’t pretend to be reserved; those snacks were new even to him.

"Thank you, sisters… thank you, brother…" Dong’er said in a soft, childish voice, then tugged at Qiu’er’s clothes.

"Sister, that one…"

"Hehe, thank you to the two beautiful sisters, and thank you, big brother," Qiu’er, trained to be sweet-mouthed, thanked them happily, then grabbed a bag of snacks to share with Dong’er.

Brother… sister…

Li Yuexi looked at Yang Qing in surprise. "Are these two cuties… not your daughters?"

"No," Yang Qing replied, smiling. "They’re my sisters."

"Sisters!" Wen Xiaorou followed up. "So what’s your relationship with Sister Xue?"

Yang Qing answered frankly, "We’re friends."

Seeing their doubtful expressions, he paused, then added, "She’s my lifesaver."

Lifesaver?!

Yang Qing’s words reignited their gossip-driven curiosity. Li Yuexi was about to ask more when Qin Xue returned.

"Qiu’er, Dong’er, are the snacks tasty?" Qin Xue asked, smiling at the two children, then put two bottles of bear-shaped drinks on the table.

"Drink if you’re thirsty."

"Hehe… it’s delicious. Thank you, Sister Qin," Qiu’er spoke for them both, while Dong’er was too busy eating to speak.

"Giggle… such good kids."

Qin Xue patted their little heads. "Let these two sisters play with you here. I’ll go talk with your brother for a bit, okay?"

"Okay~~~"

Qin Xue took Yang Qing to Vice Director Zhang Wei’s office; Li Yuexi and Wen Xiaorou were instantly filled with girlish enthusiasm.

Each hugged a little cutie and began probing for information.

"Your name is Qiu’er, right?"

"Mm-hmm, Yang Qiu, little Qiu’er. Hehe, sister, you eat too!"

Li Yuexi laughed, "You’re so cute! Sister won’t eat, you eat. Can I ask you a few questions?"

"Mm-hmm, what do you want to ask, sister?"

"Sister wants to know, is Sister Qin Xue your brother’s girlfriend?"

"Yes!"

The three were instantly shocked—a major piece of gossip! Children are always honest!

But before they could ask more, Qiu’er continued, "Sister Qin Xue is also my girlfriend, and Xiao Bai’s too!"

The three: (ー_ー)!!

How careless!

"Hehe… little Qiu’er, how old are you?" Wen Xiaorou asked, deciding to learn about Yang Qing indirectly before confronting her true curiosity.

"Qiu’er is three, almost four!"

"Ah, almost four! Didn’t your parents send you to kindergarten?"

Qiu’er was puzzled, "Qiu’er doesn’t have parents. Dong’er doesn’t either. Sister doesn’t, and brother doesn’t."

No… parents!!

Wen Xiaorou froze; Li Yuexi and the other fell silent.

After a moment, Wen Xiaorou, unwilling to believe her suspicion, asked quietly, "Sister… is…"

"We have Chun’er and Xia’er! They’re in elementary school!" Qiu’er said, suddenly excited, swinging her little feet. "Brother will send Qiu’er to kindergarten soon, with Xiao Bai!"

Li Yuexi felt a blockage in her chest, her voice trembling: "Mm, then… then… where are your parents?"

Qiu’er answered in her childish voice, "I don’t know. Grandma said we’re little angels abandoned in the world, without parents. Sister, what’s an angel?"

"An angel is… is…"

Li Yuexi couldn’t continue; Wen Xiaorou quietly wiped her eyes.

Flowers bloom in two places, each with its beauty.

In Zhang Wei’s office, Yang Qing sat a bit nervously on the sofa.

"Haha… You’re Xiao Yang, right? Relax, you’re very good—very talented!"

Zhang Wei saw Yang Qing’s nervousness and realized his background was simple, not someone with powerful connections. He smiled and said directly,

"Your proposal was excellent, so we’ve decided to use it. Today, we want to discuss buying the copyright. Is that alright?"

"Yes, that’s fine," Yang Qing glanced at Qin Xue beside him. "But I didn’t write it. Miss Qin did."

Zhang Wei was stunned, looking at Qin Xue in confusion.

"I was just the recorder, alright!" Qin Xue glared at Yang Qing, speechless.

Yang Qing: …

Why was she so irritable today?

"Haha, I trust Xiao Xue’s ability and character. So you accept my offer?"

"Yes, I accept."

Yang Qing was straightforward. If it could be sold, it was a good thing, even if it wasn’t much; at least it was something!

"Good!"

Zhang Wei made up his mind, then held up three fingers.

"We’re offering three hundred thousand yuan for a one-time buyout. Is that acceptable?"

"How… how much! Three… three hundred thousand!"

Yang Qing was stunned, almost thinking he’d misheard.

That thing could sell for three hundred thousand! Was this a joke?

He looked at Zhang Wei in disbelief.

Zhang Wei was also caught off guard by Yang Qing’s reaction.

Had he misjudged? Was Yang Qing pretending to be a professional?

That shouldn’t be!

For the first time, Zhang Wei doubted his own ability to judge people.

"Haha… Not satisfied? Then let’s negotiate. How about four hundred thousand?"

"Four… four hundred thousand! No, I…"

"Five hundred thousand!"

Zhang Wei cut Yang Qing off and decisively raised the offer.

Yang Qing was already stunned and numb.

This world… was too unreal…