131: Chapter 131 "The CEO's White Moonlight Substitute" - Volume 1 Complete

Sunday morning light filtered through the windows of Xia Qinyi's home, falling onto the sofa in the living room.

Lele was wrapped in a small, off-white blanket, leaning against her mother's chest, clutching a "star dream workshop" dinosaur keychain in her hand. It was one that Zhang Fan had specifically asked Liu Ruyan to deliver yesterday, with the words "Exclusive to Lele" embroidered on the tail.

Xia Qinyi sat beside her, her fingertips gently brushing through her daughter's messy hair; her movements were as tender as if she were protecting a fragile treasure, yet the bloodshot eyes betrayed the exhaustion of a sleepless night.

Since returning from the police station after giving her statement yesterday, Lele hadn't spoken much, and she would wake up suddenly in her sleep at night, clinging to Xia Qinyi's neck and saying she was "afraid of bad people."

Seeing her daughter so frightened, Xia Qinyi finally made up her mind. Jiangcheng held too many bad memories; although Lin Haoyu had been arrested, his remnants might still be out there, and she couldn't let Lele suffer even the slightest bit of fear again.

At ten o'clock in the morning, Zhang Fan arrived on time, carrying a bag full of toys.

As soon as he entered, he saw Lele lying on the sofa, staring blankly at the floor, not even rushing over to greet him as she usually did.

"Lele, look what Uncle brought for you?"

Zhang Fan crouched down and pulled a moving dinosaur toy from the bag. After winding it up, the dinosaur walked with little steps and made an "Aowu" sound.

Lele's eyes brightened, but she didn't reach out to take it, only whispering, "Uncle, will the bad guys take the dinosaur away?"

Zhang Fan's heart felt like it had been pinched. He stuffed the dinosaur toy into Lele's arms and stroked her head. "No, they won't. The bad guys have already been caught by the police, and no one will be able to bully Lele ever again."

Xia Qinyi stood at the kitchen doorway, watching this scene. She took a deep breath, walked over, and said softly, "Mr. Zhang, can we talk?"

The two walked to the balcony, where the morning breeze blew, carrying a faint scent of osmanthus.

Xia Qinyi leaned against the railing, her voice calm but filled with unquestionable determination. "I've decided to take Lele and leave Jiangcheng to settle in my hometown—a small county in the south. It's very far from here, and no one knows us."

Zhang Fan was stunned, the toy bag in his hand nearly dropping to the ground. "Why so sudden? Lin Haoyu has already been caught; he won't hurt you again, and... I can help you live securely here."

"It wasn't a sudden decision."

Xia Qinyi shook her head, a trace of exhaustion flashing in her eyes. "Lele woke up in a fright three times last night. When I was holding her, I realized—Jiangcheng has too many memories that scare us. Lin Haoyu's remnants might still be out there, and I can't let Lele continue living in fear."

"And..." She paused, looking at Zhang Fan with an apologetic tone. "I don't want to drag you down anymore. Your company is so busy, yet you still have to worry about our affairs. The incident at the yoga studio last time, and this kidnapping—I've already caused you too much trouble."

"This is not trouble."

Zhang Fan said quickly, "I help you because you deserve to be helped, not because it's a 'burden.' If you stay in Jiangcheng, I can guarantee your safety. Lele can continue attending her original kindergarten without having to adapt to a new environment."

"But I'm afraid."

Xia Qinyi's voice suddenly softened, and her eyes reddened. "I'm afraid that one day bad people will come looking for us again. I'm afraid of Lele being kidnapped again, and I'm even more afraid that... because of us, you will also be put in danger. Mr. Zhang, thank you for taking care of us during this time, but we really have to go."

Zhang Fan looked at her resolute eyes and knew that any more persuasion would be useless.

A wall had already been built in Xia Qinyi's heart; the fear of Jiangcheng made her dare not stay any longer.

He clenched his fists and finally nodded. "Alright, I'll take you to the airport."

On the way to the airport, the car was very quiet.

Lele leaned against the backseat, holding the dinosaur toy, occasionally stealing glances at Zhang Fan, but she didn't speak.

Xia Qinyi looked at the rapidly retreating streetscape outside the window, her eyes filled with reluctance.

This place had the yoga studio she had run for three years, the kindergarten Lele liked, and friends like Zhang Fan who were willing to help her, but none of this was as important as her daughter's safety.

Zhang Fan parked the car in the airport parking lot and opened the trunk—besides Lele's suitcase, it was piled with things he had specifically prepared yesterday: a box of strawberry-flavored candies (Lele's favorite flavor), three sets of "star dream workshop" merchandise clothing, a portable drawing board (Lele loved to draw), and a tablet computer pre-loaded with the cartoons Lele liked and an offline version of "star dream workshop."

"Take these with you so Lele can play on the way."

Zhang Fan moved the items down one by one, trying to keep his tone as light as possible.

When checking in, Lele suddenly grabbed Zhang Fan's hand and whispered, "Uncle, I don't want to leave. I want to play 'star dream workshop' with you, I want you to take me to the amusement park, and I want you to see the drawings I make."

Xia Qinyi's tears fell instantly. She turned her head away and wiped them with the back of her hand.

Zhang Fan crouched down, pulled Lele into his arms, and gently wiped the tears from her face, his voice so gentle it could melt. "Be a good girl, Lele. It's not like we'll never see each other again. When you're on break, Uncle will come to your hometown to visit you, take you climbing the local mountains, and bring you new dinosaur toys. How about that?"

"Really?"

Lele opened her tear-filled eyes wide, clutching Zhang Fan's clothes tightly.

"Really."

Zhang Fan nodded and pulled a small keychain from his pocket, which featured a mini version of the "Heart Robot."

It was the handmade model they had made together on family day. "This is for you. When you miss Uncle, just look at it, and it will be like Uncle is right by your side."

Lele took the keychain, clutched it tightly in her hand, and finally couldn't help but cry out, "Uncle, you must come! No lying!"

"No lying."

Zhang Fan patted her back, feeling a sour and astringent sensation in his heart, like swallowing an unripe persimmon.

The boarding announcement came over the speakers. Xia Qinyi took a deep breath and took Lele's hand. "Lele, it's time to go. Say goodbye to Uncle."

Lele hugged Zhang Fan's neck, refusing to let go, her tears and snot smearing onto his clothes. "Goodbye, Uncle! I will miss you!"

"Goodbye, Lele."

Zhang Fan let go, watching Xia Qinyi hold Lele's hand, walking step by step toward the security checkpoint.

Every few steps, Lele would turn back to look at him, waving the keychain in her hand, until their figures disappeared behind the security gate and could no longer be seen.

Zhang Fan stood there, looking at the empty security checkpoint, feeling as if something was missing in his heart.

He took out his phone, wanting to send Xia Qinyi a message, but saw a WeChat notification pop up on the screen.

It was from Xia Qinyi: "Mr. Zhang, thank you for taking care of us during this time. Lele says she wants to be someone like you when she grows up. We will live well in our hometown, and you should take care of yourself too; don't work too hard."

He replied with "Have a safe trip." Just as he put his phone away, a gentle buzzing sound suddenly echoed in his mind—not the sharp, warning sound from before, but a light tremor filled with a sense of fulfillment.

Immediately after, a line of light blue text slowly appeared in his consciousness:

[Task Settlement: Lin Haoyu has been legally prosecuted for kidnapping and tax evasion (estimated sentence of 10+ years); Xia Qinyi and her daughter have successfully escaped danger and are heading to their hometown to start a new life. The core conflicts of the "CEO's White Moonlight Substitute" arc (substitute dilemma, custody battle, personal safety threats) have all been closed.]

Before Zhang Fan could react, another, more striking line of text popped out, like the afterglow of a sunset, warm and peaceful:

["CEO's White Moonlight Substitute" Arc Conclusion]

The system text lingered for a few seconds, then gradually dissipated from his consciousness.

Zhang Fan stood in the airport crowd, watching a plane take off in the distance and cut across the sky. His heart suddenly became exceptionally calm—the busyness, worry, and tension of this past period had finally come to an end with the departure of Xia Qinyi and her daughter.

He turned and walked toward the parking lot when his phone suddenly rang. It was Zhou Yurou calling: "Mr. Zhang, the teaser video for the Southeast Asia version of 'star path: reboot' is edited. Do you want to come back and take a look? Also, Miss Song says her father wants to talk to you about the location selection for the overseas office."

"Alright, I'll be back shortly."

Zhang Fan hung up the phone and quickened his pace.

Sunlight fell upon him, warm and bright—the old chapter had ended, and new stories were still continuing. The road to globalization for Singularity Technology, the full-platform public beta of "star dream workshop," and many more challenges awaited him.