Chapter 23: The Master Diviner

"Wait." Xiao Yao quickly grabbed Sun Zhihao and said, "Although I haven't seen it myself, my dad told me a long time ago that he had seen Bayi wash dishes for him. He will definitely be fine with such a small task. The kid is very independent; he wouldn't do anything reckless if he couldn't handle it."

"Really?" Sun Zhihao sat back down, still suspicious. He only relented after seeing Xiao Siqi nod firmly. He figured that washing dishes didn't involve an open flame, and at worst, the boy might drop a few plates; there was no great danger, and if he heard anything breaking, he would have plenty of time to go check.

"Speaking of your son, I'm genuinely curious. How on earth did you raise such a little guy?" Sun Zhihao asked with an inquisitive look.

"To be honest, I don't really know myself," Xiao Siqi said with a wry smile.

"You don't even know? He's your own son," Sun Zhihao said, puzzled.

"The truth is, I haven't spent that much time raising him. Before the accident, his mother was the one taking care of him. In the year or so after the incident, he spent much more time with my father than with me. If you count it up, he was with my dad for nearly a year, while he's only been with me for a few months," Xiao Siqi explained.

"Is it because of Elder Xiao's influence?" Sun Zhihao asked.

"Partly, but not entirely," Xiao Siqi said. "I was raised by my father too, but do you think I was like Bayi when I was five? Actually, he was pretty normal before. Maybe he was just too young to show it, but when I saw him again after that accident, he felt completely different. He seemed so distinct from other children—exceptionally mature, sensible, and incredibly bright. He learned everything quickly and had such focus. It was like he had become a different person."

"People often change after going through significant events; most become more mature and sensible," Sun Zhihao comforted him. "As for becoming smarter, I don't think that's necessarily the case. Perhaps he was born that way and just didn't show it earlier, and the trauma served as a catalyst. Don't overthink it; having a smart and sensible son is a good thing, right?"

Sun Zhihao continued, "But people say the smarter and more precocious a child is, the harder they are to raise. Do you feel that way?"

"Not at all," Xiao Siqi shook his head immediately. "Besides being smart and mature, Bayi is also very considerate. Honestly, I'm like an idiot when it comes to daily life. In many ways, instead of me taking care of him, it's actually Bayi who takes care of me." Xiao Siqi chuckled, "So, in that sense, I might be the luckiest father in the world."

"Fine, fine. So you're just here to show off, aren't you?" Sun Zhihao waved his hand, feigning annoyance at Xiao Siqi's proud expression.

"Let's stop talking about the kids and talk about you," Sun Zhihao changed the subject. "Your new album is quite a hit. I've listened to it, and I think it's really good."

"Thank you, you're too kind," Xiao Siqi smiled bashfully.

"Really, I think 'The Most Beautiful' and 'The Night I Miss You' are exceptionally good." Sun Zhihao shifted his tone. "But I've heard your past songs. I feel like these two have a very different style from your previous work. It probably has something to do with the 'XY' listed as the songwriter, right? Don't forget, I used to be a singer myself and released albums; don't question my professional judgment in music. Who is this XY? How could they have such a huge influence on you?"

"Why are we back to this?" Xiao Siqi groaned inwardly, then forced a wry smile. "Sorry, that's confidential. Even our company's music director and my manager don't know who XY is."

"Alright, I won't force you," Sun Zhihao said with a carefree laugh. "Then let me ask you this: 'The Most Beautiful' and 'The Night I Miss You' were both written about your wife, right? To commemorate her? Can we talk about this? I remember you said earlier that you've moved on and don't mind discussing it."

"We can talk about that," Xiao Siqi nodded. "It's true that they were written about my wife. Both songs were written while I was thinking of her."

"For this XY to be involved in the creation of two songs about your wife—not just the composition, but their name is also on the lyrics—I imagine this person is not only familiar with you but also very well-acquainted with the love you shared with your wife. Such a person must be very close to you," Sun Zhihao mused, rubbing his chin. Suddenly, he slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "XY? Xiao Yao? My god, could this XY be Bayi?"

"Uh," Xiao Siqi suddenly let out an inexplicable hiccup. Was this the man who was called a "genius" and a "master calculator" on that reality show? His deductive reasoning was terrifying. What was he doing in the entertainment industry? It was a waste not to be a detective. However, Sun Zhihao was only speculating, and they were filming a show with cameras rolling. If he admitted it now, it would be equivalent to announcing it to the whole world.

"Of course not," Xiao Siqi quickly denied. "These songs were written last year. Bayi was only four then. How many four-year-olds do you know who can write music and lyrics? Bayi had barely even been exposed to music back then."

"That's true," Sun Zhihao nodded, seemingly accepting the explanation.

Xiao Siqi pointed at the surrounding cameras and said to Sun Zhihao, "I promised to keep XY's identity a secret. At least for now, I can't let the media or the public know. If you're really curious, we can talk about it in private when we have the chance."

Sun Zhihao followed Xiao Siqi's gaze to the cameras, understood his meaning, and nodded. "Alright, let's talk about it privately."

Xiao Siqi said this because he felt that keeping a secret was one thing, but lying was another. Since Sun Zhihao had correctly guessed it, continuing to lie to his face would be deceitful. He intended to find another opportunity to admit and explain it to Sun Zhihao privately. His goal was to keep it from the media and the public to avoid unnecessary trouble; having one more person like Sun Zhihao know wasn't a major issue. Besides, Sun Zhihao had a solid character and wasn't the type to leak secrets. Asking for his help in keeping it quiet shouldn't be a problem.

At that moment, Sun Tingting ran in with her hands outstretched, smiling at Sun Zhihao. "We're done washing the dishes."

"Oh?" Sun Zhihao laughed, pulling his daughter into his arms to tease her. "Did Bayi finish them, or did you finish them together? Did you actually help? You don't even know how to wash dishes."

"Of course we finished them together," Sun Tingting pouted. "I helped too. Brother Bayi said that every bowl has to be washed twice, so he got two basins. One had clean water, and the other had bubbles. He said girls need to take care of their hands, so he washed them in the soapy basin, and when he finished, he passed them to me, and I washed them again in the clean water basin. That’s how we did every single dish."

Just then, Xiao Yao walked in and said to Sun Zhihao, "Uncle Sun, the dishes are all done. Duo'er helped wash them too."

"See? I wasn't lying, Brother Bayi can testify for me," Sun Tingting said, acting spoiled in Sun Zhihao's arms.

"Alright, alright, Duo'er is capable, Duo'er is great, you even know how to help wash dishes now. Happy?" Sun Zhihao said with a chuckle, ruffling Sun Tingting's hair affectionately. He turned to Xiao Yao and added, "Bayi, you're quite knowledgeable. You even know that soapy water hurts hands and didn't let a girl touch it. Do you often wash dishes when you're with your grandfather?" He understood, of course, that the "soapy water" meant water with detergent. Since Xiao Yao knew enough to add detergent, it seemed he could be trusted to wash the dishes clean, and he wouldn't need to redo the work.

"I haven't washed them that many times; I just saw it on TV," Xiao Yao shrugged. "Grandpa doesn't often make me wash the dishes. Besides, when I'm with Grandpa, we're out and about a lot, so there aren't many opportunities to wash dishes."

"It's getting late, and we should be heading back. We've been tossing around in the mud all day, so everyone is exhausted. We have tasks tomorrow, so let's get some rest early. We won't disturb you any longer," Xiao Siqi said, preparing to leave now that Xiao Yao was finished. As he said, they had been through a rough day and were truly exhausted; he really wanted to go home and rest.

"Yes. Uncle Sun, sorry to disturb you. Duo'er, bye-bye, see you tomorrow," Xiao Yao also felt it was time to leave and said goodbye to Sun Zhihao and his daughter.

"Wait, wait for a second, let me get you something," Sun Zhihao said, releasing Sun Tingting and standing up as he heard them say they were leaving. He turned and headed into the inner room.

Not long after, Sun Zhihao returned, holding a flashlight. He handed it to Xiao Siqi and said, "Here, take this. There are no streetlights in the village, and it's pitch black at night. The road isn't very easy to walk on either, so use this to light your way so you don't trip."

"Brother Sun, you're as thoughtful as ever. Thank you," Xiao Siqi didn't play coy and accepted it with a word of thanks. The change in how he addressed him showed his sincerity.

"Then we'll be going now. Duo'er, goodbye, see you tomorrow," Xiao Siqi said, flashlight in hand, ready to depart.

"Goodbye, Uncle Sun. Goodbye, Duo'er," Xiao Yao said again.

"Watch your step on the way," Sun Zhihao and his daughter said as they saw them to the door, offering one last concerned reminder. They watched the pair walk for several dozen meters before leading his daughter back inside.

Xiao Siqi and his son bid farewell to Sun Zhihao and his daughter and headed back to their residence with the flashlight.

Compared to the other four families, besides their battle in the mud pit that afternoon, the two of them had spent a significant amount of energy and physical effort cleaning up that dilapidated house during the day. Their exhaustion was greater than the others, and they were naturally more tired. With no further tasks for the evening, both were truly spent. They washed their faces and feet, tidied up, and went straight to bed.

This exhausting day had finally come to an end. Tomorrow, there would be new challenges waiting for them.