117: Chapter 117 If you keep flirting, watch out, Sister Zhou will give you a piece of her mind.

Zhang Fan had just picked up the warm water handed to him by a nearby parent when he nearly spat it out upon hearing this. He quickly set the cup down, walked over, picked up Lele, and gently covered her mouth. "Lele, you can't just say whatever you want. That's not a nice word, and dads don't eat things like that."

Lele, held in his arms, still felt unconvinced and muttered quietly, "But Hao Hao and the others all say their dads can eat this, and I don't want to lose to them..."

"We aren't going to compete with them on that," Zhang Fan said, rubbing her hair and patiently explaining, "Whether a dad is great or not isn't about how much they can eat; it's about whether they can protect their baby and play with them, right? Look, your mom eats with you every day, takes you to school, and teaches you how to draw. Your mom is very great."

Lele nodded, seemingly understanding, and then looked at the boy in the yellow T-shirt. "Then let's compare moms, okay? My mom can bake cakes and teach me yoga!"

The boy in the yellow T-shirt was stunned for a moment and scratched his head. "My mom only knows how to cook, not yoga..."

The surrounding parents all laughed, and the previous awkwardness dissipated. Someone smiled and said, "This little girl is so cute, she even knows how to defend her mom."

Just then, Xia Qinyi walked over carrying a small pink schoolbag. Seeing Lele in Zhang Fan's arms and the laughing parents around them, she immediately understood what might have happened. A flash of embarrassment crossed her face as she quickly walked over. "Lele, were you being naughty again? Did you apologize to the uncle and your friend?"

"Mom, I wasn't being naughty," Lele said, sliding down from Zhang Fan's arms and running to Xia Qinyi's side, holding her hand. "They were comparing dads, I couldn't win the argument, and the uncle even helped me speak."

Xia Qinyi stroked her daughter's head and then looked at Zhang Fan, her eyes full of gratitude. "Mr. Zhang, I'm really sorry. She's just a child and doesn't know any better. Did she cause you any trouble just now?"

"It's nothing, just children playing around." Zhang Fan shook his head with a smile, his gaze landing on the schoolbag in Xia Qinyi's hand. "Are you taking Lele to an extracurricular class?"

"Yes, to a nearby painting class. There's a lesson every Saturday afternoon." Xia Qinyi nodded and gently patted Lele's back. "Say goodbye to the uncle, we have to go, or we'll be late."

"Goodbye, Uncle Zhang Fan!" Lele waved her little hand and followed Xia Qinyi toward the playground entrance. After walking a few steps, she turned back to look and waved again.

Zhang Fan watched their retreating figures until they disappeared around the corner before sitting back down on the bench. The relaxed atmosphere gradually faded, and he remembered what the system prompt had said about "Lin Haoyu fighting for custody."

When Lele mentioned her dad during the competition, although her tone was eager, she never once said "Dad plays with me" or "Dad loves me," which clearly showed she rarely received her father's companionship.

And when Xia Qinyi mentioned Lele's dad, she deliberately avoided the topic, and the evasion in her eyes was impossible to hide.

He took out his phone and sent a message to Gu Jingshen: "Have you found the information on Lin Haoyu? Focus on his relationship with Xia Qinyi, and also the situation with his 'white moonlight,' Su Qing."

A few minutes later, Gu Jingshen replied: "My assistant is still checking, but I've found a little something. It's not that I want to lecture you, but look at how many beautiful women are around you already. If you keep flirting around, watch out for Sister Zhou."

"Get lost. You know what kind of person I am. This time, it's really important." Zhang Fan suddenly had a mental image of Zhou Yurou holding a pair of scissors and quickly changed the subject.

"Just make sure you know what you're doing. That Su Qing is Lin Haoyu's college classmate and has been studying art abroad. She's returning to the country next week, and Lin Haoyu is already preparing a welcome banquet; he even booked a Michelin restaurant. Also, Haoyu Group is currently discussing a real estate partnership with the Song family. Song Zhiwei might know something about Lin Haoyu."

Zhang Fan frowned—Lin Haoyu was actually partnering with the Song family? That was an unexpected development. If Song Zhiwei knew Lin Haoyu's true character, he might be able to get more information from her.

Just as he was about to message Song Zhiwei, a buzzing sound from the system suddenly echoed in his mind, and a line of light blue text appeared: [Notification: Su Qing's return flight has been confirmed; she will arrive in Jiangcheng next Wednesday. Lin Haoyu has already contacted a lawyer and plans to officially file a lawsuit for custody of Lele after Su Qing returns.]

It seemed time was running out. Zhang Fan put away his phone and stood up to walk toward the apartment building—he had to get detailed information on Lin Haoyu as soon as possible, preferably evidence that he was unfit to raise Lele, so he could help Xia Qinyi and her daughter in the upcoming dispute.

When he reached the bottom of the unit building, he happened to run into Xia Qinyi's neighbor, Auntie Wang, who greeted him warmly. "Young man, that little girl you were talking to earlier, she's Teacher Xia's daughter from the 18th floor, right? Teacher Xia is a very good person, but it's just so difficult for her raising a child alone. A while back, people kept coming to knock on her door—I don't know if they were debt collectors—but it scared her so much she didn't dare go out for several days."

Zhang Fan's heart tightened, and he quickly asked, "Auntie Wang, do you know who came to knock on the door? Were they men or women?"

"It seemed to be two men, wearing black clothes, and they looked quite fierce," Auntie Wang recalled. "One time I ran into them when I came back from grocery shopping, and they even asked me if Teacher Xia was home. I didn't dare tell them, so I just said I didn't know her. If you're close with Teacher Xia, please help her out a bit; it's too hard for a woman working on her own out here."

"Thank you, I will." Zhang Fan nodded, his worry deepening—it seemed Lin Haoyu had already started using underhanded methods to pressure Xia Qinyi, though he didn't know if these people were sent by Lin Haoyu or if there was some other dispute involving Xia Qinyi.

Back at his apartment, Zhang Fan immediately called Gu Jingshen, his tone serious. "Find out as soon as possible who the people were that went to knock on Xia Qinyi's door last week. Also, check if Lin Haoyu has any connections with debt collection agencies or unsavory individuals. The more detailed, the better."

"What's wrong? Did something happen?" Gu Jingshen heard the off tone in his voice and quickly asked.

"Lin Haoyu might have already started pressuring Xia Qinyi," Zhang Fan said in a low voice. "I'm worried he might resort to extreme measures, and we must be prepared in advance."

Gu Jingshen on the other end of the line was silent for a few seconds before saying, "Alright, I'll have my assistant assign more people to investigate, and I'll give you an answer by tonight. Take care of your own safety too; that guy Lin Haoyu is ruthless, don't confront him head-on."

After hanging up, Zhang Fan walked to the window and watched the lights gradually turn on in the 18th-floor window—Xia Qinyi and Lele were home.

He clenched his fists, secretly making a resolution: no matter what, he could not let Lin Haoyu harm this mother and daughter, and he certainly could not let him take custody of Lele. He had to help Xia Qinyi win this war over the "white moonlight substitute."