After the divorce, he took care of his child and sold fried rice; his ex-wife was filled with regret

"How much money can you make at any given time?" Lin Fan said calmly. "There are priorities, and there are always things more important than making money."

Chu Jianming listened quietly.

The wrinkles at the corners of his eyes smoothed out slightly, and he nodded solemnly.

"Hmm." Chu Jianming reached out and touched the inside of the thermos, quite moved.

"Sitting in that position, I watched every day those parents throwing dirty water at each other in their struggle for profit."

"Some people think that leaving a large sum of money to their children or sending them to the most expensive schools is fulfilling their responsibilities as parents. But what do children know about money? They only care about who is with them every day."

Chu Jianming spoke with some emotion. He was clearly recalling the "class oppression theory" that Su Qing had put forward during the court hearing that morning.

"No matter how much trouble there is outside, as long as I don't let go, no one can take it away." Lin Fan looked at the gate.

"You're right. Many people in this world struggle their whole lives, only to lose sight of what's most fundamental. There aren't many who can see things as clearly as you do," Chu Jianming laughed.

The two stood under the sycamore tree without saying anything more.

That's how conversations between men are—they only get to the point.

Moreover, their current situation is still in a delicate trial period, and maintaining this purely parent-neighborly distance is good for both of them.

3:30.

The cheerful school dismissal music rang out from the loudspeaker next to the entrance of the early childhood education center on time.

The tightly closed black iron gate was slowly pulled open from the inside by the security guard.

Teachers from each class held up their class signs and led the lined-up children out of the school building one by one.

"Parents, please take your pick-up cards and pick up your children in class order." The security guard maintained order at the entrance.

Lin Fan and Chu Jianming stood side by side, watching the senior class walk over.

Today, Tuantuan was wearing a bright yellow hooded down jacket and carrying a small backpack. She was holding hands with the little girl next to her, chatting away.

The little girl looked up and saw Lin Fan standing under the tree. She waved happily, "Daddy!"

Chu Chu, who was standing next to Chu Jianming, waved and called out, "Grandpa!"

Lin Fan squatted down and helped Tuan Tuan pull up the zipper of her down jacket to block the cold wind from getting into her neck.

"What were you chatting about with Chu Chu just now? You seemed so happy?" Lin Fan asked casually.

"I'm telling Chuchu about our Shrimp Dumpling!" Tuantuan's big eyes sparkled as she turned to look at Chuchu. "Shrimp Dumpling is an orange kitten. Daddy made it a wooden house, and it even snores when it sleeps!"

Chu Chu listened with envy in her eyes, tilted her head up and tugged at Chu Jianming's sleeve.

"Grandpa, I also want to see a purring orange kitten. Can we keep one as a pet?"

Chu Jianming smiled and patted his granddaughter's head, then took the schoolbag from her back.

"We don't usually have anyone to take care of the animals at home. If you'd like to see them, Grandpa will take you to Tuantuan's dad's shop this weekend. You can have some delicious food and see the kittens, okay?"

"Okay!" Chu Chu happily agreed.

Chu Jianming straightened up and looked at Lin Fan: "Tuantuan's dad, it looks like I'll have to bother you at your shop this weekend."

"You're welcome anytime." Lin Fan nodded, his tone calm.

"Go back, it's cold and windy." Chu Jianming waved to Lin Fan without saying anything more polite.

Take care.

Lin Fan, holding Tuantuan's hand, watched as Chu Jianming led his granddaughter into the ordinary Volkswagen sedan.

He turned around, opened the door of the Wuling Hongguang, and lifted Tuantuan into the back seat for safety.

"Dad, are we going to the store today?" Tuantuan asked while fastening her seatbelt.

"The store is closed today, let's go to the supermarket and then go straight home." Lin Fan got into the driver's seat and started the car.

The car entered the evening rush hour traffic.

A gentle breeze blew, completely shutting out the cold air outside the carriage.

……

Meanwhile, at the Su family villa in the center of Jiangcheng City.

A black Mercedes-Benz S-Class sedan came to a smooth stop outside the villa gate.

Su Qing pushed open the car door and got out. The cold wind blew on her face, so she wrapped her black cashmere coat tighter around herself and walked into the living room in her high heels.

"Qingqing's back." Zhang Cuihua was sitting on the leather sofa in the living room watching TV. Seeing her daughter enter, she quickly stood up to greet her. "How did the lawsuit go today? Did the judge award custody to us in court?"

In Zhang Cuihua's eyes, her daughter is the president of a group that is about to go public in the United States, with more money than she can spend.

What can Lin Fan, that penniless bastard, use to fight the Su family in court? This lawsuit is just a formality.

Su Qing threw her Hermes bag onto the sofa, rubbed her tight temples, and looked very unwell.

"Court is adjourned," Su Qing said coldly.

"What? Court adjourned?" Zhang Cuihua was stunned. "With such an obvious disparity in the circumstances, why didn't the judge rule? Did Lin Fan act like a rogue and cause trouble in court?"

Su Qing did not answer her mother's question.

She didn't want to mention the 500 million yuan betting agreement that the opposing lawyer had revealed in court. It was a humiliating feeling of having all her cards laid bare.

Su Ming was carrying a teacup down from the study on the second floor when he heard this, and his brows immediately furrowed.

"Court adjourned? Didn't Attorney Zhang from Dacheng Law Firm say that our assets and conditions were a sure win? Why is the court adjourned?" Su Ming walked over and sat down on the single sofa.

Su Qing took a deep breath, suppressing the acid reflux in her stomach caused by excessive fatigue.

"Lin Fan was well-prepared. His backer hired Wang Zhengming, the vice president of the Jiangcheng Lawyers Association, as his lawyer." Su Qing leaned back on the sofa, her voice cold. "Moreover, he presented in court proof of monthly tax payments of several million. His bank statements were spotless, and the judge accepted them."

"Several million in tax payment certificates?" Zhang Cuihua's voice rose eight octaves, her face filled with disbelief. "Where would a good-for-nothing who can only cook get so much money? This must be fake!"

"The judge only looks at the evidence. It has the tax bureau's official seal on it, so it's genuine."

Su Qing closed her eyes. "Moreover, Wang Zhengming somehow found out about my funds and even brought the receipts to court."

Su Ming's hand holding the teacup trembled violently, and the tea almost spilled.

"How did they find out?" Su Ming's expression changed.

The revelation in court that Su Qing was burdened with hundreds of millions of yuan in high-interest debt meant that her advantage in "economic stability" instantly turned into a fatal disadvantage.

A judge would never award custody of a child to someone who is facing bankruptcy at any time.

"No matter how they found out, the path of suppressing Lin Fan in terms of assets and conditions is no longer viable."

Su Qing opened her eyes, her gaze filled with a fierce intensity. "The judge is clearly biased towards him. If we don't request a recess today, custody will be awarded to him in court."