After entering the main gate, Lin Xi got into a white Bentley. Ten minutes later, she finally arrived at the main courtyard.
Lin Zhenhai, who had changed into casual clothes, was standing at the door. When he saw Lin Xi get out of the car, he quickly ran over and affectionately hugged her arm.
"Dad, I’m back."
Lin Zhenhai’s normally aloof expression softened slightly. "So you decided to co back? I have to call and make an appointnt just to see my own daughter."
"Dad, I was going to co back anyway. You just happened to call first."
"Now you’re blaming ? Was it Xue Yang who brought you back?"
"Yes. He should still be outside."
"Do you want to et him?"
Lin Xi was startled for a mont before saying, "Let’s not. I’m afraid he’d be scared."
"And you’re not afraid I’d be scared?"
Back in the main hall, Lin Xi sat beside Lin Zhenhai. She hugged his arm and swayed it back and forth, cooing playfully just as she did when she was a child, "Daddy~"
"Alright, it’s so late. Even if he wants to see , I don’t want to see him. You should go to bed too."
"Okay. Good night, Dad."
Just as she stood up, Lin Xi turned back to kiss Lin Zhenhai on the cheek before heading upstairs.
"Good night."
Auntie Shen was already waiting by her bedroom door. The mont she saw Lin Xi, she imdiately opened it.
"You must be tired, Young Miss. I’ll go draw you a bath."
"Thank you, Auntie Shen."
"Young Miss, the Chairman ca to pick you up tonight as well."
"My dad ca to the school tonight?"
"Yes, but he returned early, and he didn’t look too happy."
Could it be that Dad saw Xue Yang pick up and went ho by himself because of that?
"Auntie Shen, please wake up early tomorrow. I want to make breakfast for Dad."
Auntie Shen responded delightedly, "Yes, of course."
The Young Miss has really grown up. She’s even thinking about cooking breakfast for the Chairman.
***
The next day, when Lin Zhenhai woke up, he saw a breakfast that was completely different from usual.
Lin Xi was already sitting at the dining table, waiting.
Seeing this, Lin Zhenhai was taken aback.
"Good morning, Dad. Co and have breakfast."
Lin Xi pulled out the chair at the head of the table. After Lin Zhenhai sat down, she pushed a bowl of noodles in front of him.
"Here’s breakfast, Dad. Give it a try."
Lin Zhenhai gave Lin Xi a puzzled look before turning his attention to the bowl of noodles.
It was a very plain bowl of noodles, topped with a fried egg, with so greens and the noodles underneath. It didn’t look like anything special.
"Dad, hurry and eat. Tell if it’s good."
Lin Zhenhai picked up his chopsticks and took a bite. The flavor surprised him. "Hm. It doesn’t look like much, but it tastes quite good."
Lin Xi bead. "Really?"
"Did you cook this?"
Lin Xi flashed a huge smile. "I did! Aren’t I amazing, Dad?"
"Xue Yang taught you, didn’t he?" Lin Zhenhai’s seasoned eyes had long seen through everything.
"Yes. He’s an even better cook. I’ve only scratched the surface of what he knows."
"It seems this Xue Yang’s culinary skills are quite impressive."
Lin Xi said earnestly, "His mom is an even better cook."
"You’ve t his mother?"
"I haven’t."
"Then how do you know his mother is a good cook?"
"I’ve had a big chicken drumstick she made. It was delicious!"
Thinking of the big drumstick, Lin Xi felt her mouth water again.
"A big drumstick?"
Lin Xi nodded earnestly. "Yes. Xue Yang promised that I can have another one during my next break."
Lin Zhenhai silently finished his noodles and wiped his mouth with a napkin. A daughter can’t be kept at ho once she’s grown. Oh well. As long as she’s happy, that’s all that matters.
"From now on, you can co ho every other break."
Coming ho every other break ant that since she was ho now, she could go to Xue Yang’s ho in another half a month.
Lin Xi was instantly overjoyed. "Really? Thank you, Dad."
When Lin Xi smiled, the daffodils on the dining table seed to lose their luster.
At that mont, Lin Zhenhai felt as if he saw his younger self.
Back when he was dating her mother, he had been just as full of joy as Xiao Xi was now.
The two of them had wanted to be together every mont.
In the blink of an eye, decades had passed.
Those days were gone, never to return.
***
Xue Yang woke up promptly at six o’clock.
The first thing he did was make a video call to Mrs. Zhong. He knew she would definitely be awake by now.
Sure enough, the call connected a mont later, and Mrs. Zhong’s face appeared on the screen.
"Oh my, what made you decide to call ?"
"Well, I had a feeling Mrs. Zhong was missing , so I called to let you get a look at your tall, handso son."
"Oh, get out of here, teasing your old mother like that. So, what’s up?"
Although her son was teasing her, it was clear Mrs. Zhong was pleased. A mother’s needs are simple. Even a glimpse of her son through a phone screen was enough to make her happy.
"Mom, I’m craving salt-baked chicken."
"You’re craving chicken? You should have just said so! I’ll make so next weekend and have your dad ship it to you... Wait a minute. Aren’t you sick of it? You said you didn’t want to see another chicken for six months. How can you be craving it when it hasn’t even been a month?"
Zhong Hailan knew her son. She had cooked chicken for him every single day over the New Year holiday, which was certainly enough to make him sick of it for half a year. It was impossible for him to be craving it after less than a month. Sothing was definitely up.
"Well, you know how being far from ho stirs up feelings of hosickness. It makes you miss things faster."
"Nice try. You’re definitely hiding sothing from ."
"Mom, really, there’s nothing."
"I seem to recall you promising your grandmother before the New Year that you’d bring a girlfriend ho for her to et. So? Where is she?"
"..."
That did sound familiar.
Lin Xi did co to Hui City later, but she only arrived on the seventh day of the New Year, so he hadn’t brought her ho.
Xue Yang rubbed his nose, trying to think of a way to bluff his way out of this.
Zhong Hailan spoke first, breaking the silence. "How many chickens do you want?"
Her son’s thoughts were written all over his face. If she kept pressing him and he stopped calling ho, who could she complain to then?
Xue Yang smiled faintly. "Mom, could you make so extra salt-baked drumsticks, chicken feet, and wings?"
"Alright, alright, I’ll make more. Anything else? I need to head out for work, or I’ll be late."
"Oh, right. Mom, have you and Dad moved into the new house yet?"
"Move in? We have to wait for you to co back for the housewarming before we can live there. Moving in before the housewarming would be like sneaking in, wouldn’t it? I would never do sothing like that."
"Okay then. During sumr break, you find a day, and we’ll hold the housewarming."
"Mm-hm. And rember to bring my daughter-in-law ho for to et. Your aunt goes on and on every day about how sweet and obedient her daughter-in-law is. I’m getting sick of hearing it."
"Mom, there’s no need to compare ourselves to others. We just need to do our own thing."
"I don’t want to compete, but she insists on droning on about it in my ear all the ti. This is a matter of pride, and I refuse to back down."
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