After leaving the whale shark pavilion, Ye Shuang looked at Bai Yuyou, who was holding his arm as she followed, and slowly withdrew his gaze.
This kid, she now had the look appropriate for her age, didn't she?
She could also clearly express what was on her mind. Unknowingly, Yuyou seemed to have caught up with him.
She had been working hard too.
Ye Shuang couldn't help but think.
The setting sun, tipsy and swaying, tumbled through the clouds. Before the stars appeared, the amusement park seemed even more crowded now. Perhaps because the dusk had dispelled some of the heat, more people had come out from indoors to stroll.
Ye Shuang glanced at the guide on his phone. It seemed there was a fireworks display and something called the "aerial flyer" later on, but they didn't have time to watch.
They had to go back soon to make dinner for Little Yezi, and Chen Qin was due to return later as well, so they would have to miss this performance.
"We'll come see it next time. We were rushed this time and didn't prepare properly," Ye Shuang said, reaching out to pat Bai Yuyou's head with a slight smile.
Bai Yuyou nodded. She didn't care much about a fireworks show; she just wanted to be with Ye Shuang.
"Ye Shuang," the girl said softly, her voice as gentle as raindrops, tilting her face toward him.
Ye Shuang turned his head. "Hmm?"
"Can we go to more places together in the future?" Bai Yuyou paused, then added, "Just the two of us."
"You don't want Keke to tag along?" Ye Shuang teased with a grin.
"I like Keke, but I want some time for just us," Bai Yuyou said, looking into the distance. "It's nice when Keke isn't around sometimes."
Back in some small village, the big-backpack girl who was watering the fields sneezed loudly.
"Who's talking about me?" Keke grabbed the wooden handle, its end fitted with a plastic ladle, as she busily watered the crops.
"Sis, time for dinner—"
"Oh, coming."
...
Twilight faded, night slowly took over, and stars stumbled their way into the sky.
They arrived at the parking lot, where Ye Shuang took out shoes from the car, changed into them, and put the slippers aside.
Ye Shuang drove the car, merging into the stream of traffic with Bai Yuyou. Perhaps because it was such a rare outing for just the two of them, a strange, indescribable feeling stirred within Ye Shuang.
Bai Yuyou fell asleep soon after getting in the car. She must have been tired from walking all day, and a few strands of hair clung to her lips without her noticing.
While driving, Ye Shuang noticed, gently reached out, and brushed the hair away.
By around seven in the evening, Ye Shuang and Bai Yuyou were finally home.
Chen Qin wouldn't be back so soon. As Ye Shuang walked in carrying the groceries, he noticed a faint aroma coming from the kitchen.
A person and a cat were standing on a chair. Unlike Yi Wan, who was curiously poking around, Little Yezi had small hands holding a kitchen knife, apparently preparing ingredients.
When she heard footsteps behind her, Little Yezi turned around and noticed Ye Shuang and Bai Yuyou.
"Dad, Mom."
"Little Yezi, are you hungry? Put the knife down, let me handle it." Ye Shuang knew he had come back a bit late; it was already seven, and Little Yezi might have been hungry to start cooking on her own.
"Dad, I'm fine. There's plenty of good food in the fridge," Little Yezi shook her head. "I was making dinner for you."
"That's dangerous, you know."
"It's okay, Yi Wan is with me," Little Yezi pointed to Yi Wan, who was clawing at the edge of the stove. Yi Wan turned to look at Ye Shuang, then yawned widely.
"Yi Wan says that's right."
Ye Shuang felt a mix of amusement and exasperation, but he still gently lifted Little Yezi off the chair. "Alright, you too, Yi Wan. Usually you're not so fond of crowding around."
"Meow ni ga," Yi Wan jumped down and went back to its cat tree to survey the world from above.
Ye Shuang and Bai Yuyou began working on the remaining ingredients in the kitchen while Little Yezi watched curiously. The scene of two adults and one child, bathed in warm light, felt especially cozy.
A little past eight, Chen Qin finally arrived home. Her face was glowing with a special liveliness.
Seeing Ye Shuang still wearing an apron and cooking, she ran over and wrapped her arms around his neck from behind. "A Ye!"
Ye Shuang steadied himself and turned his head just in time for Chen Qin to give him a kiss.
"This happy?" Ye Shuang asked, stirring the ingredients with a spatula, smiling at Chen Qin. "That thing you said was a secret—could it be that your company landed a big order or won a project?"
"Hehe, is work the only thing that can make me happy?" Chen Qin flashed her white teeth, her eyes narrowing into a cute, happy squint.
"Hard to say," Ye Shuang shook his head.
"The ancients said, 'The ghost knows my heart,'" Chen Qin replied.
"Is that a real saying?"
"It is now."
Ye Shuang pointed to the plate beside him. "Take this dish out first. We'll be eating soon."
"Okay. Where are Yuyou and Keke?" Chen Qin asked as she picked up the dish.
"Yuyou went upstairs to bathe, and she took Little Yezi with her," Ye Shuang said. "Keke went back to her hometown; she'll be out again in a few days."
Finishing, Ye Shuang studied Chen Qin. She was clearly in a great mood, her brows brimming with joy.
"I really haven't seen Miss Chen smile like this in a long time," Ye Shuang said.
"Butt," Chen Qin huffed, then sat down at her spot and sniffed the aroma of the dishes on the table. "Wow, we're eating something great tonight."
"You said it yourself, then. You have to eat at least a full bowl of rice," Ye Shuang said, bringing out the last dish.
Just then, Bai Yuyou and Little Yezi came downstairs, their hair half-dry, clearly blow-dried for a bit.
"Mom!" Little Yezi saw Chen Qin and ran over.
"Little Yezi," Chen Qin said, reaching out to ruffle her hair.
Once everyone was together, Ye Shuang motioned for them to sit down for dinner. Chen Qin was about to dig in when Ye Shuang shot her a look. "Wash your hands."
"Aw, I wiped them with a wet wipe when I got out of the car."
"Still not allowed."
"Alright, alright." Chen Qin got up and washed her hands in the kitchen. When she came back and sat down, Ye Shuang asked, "Now, can you finally tell me what the good news is?"
Chen Qin smiled but said nothing.
As Ye Shuang watched with curiosity, she reached into her bag and pulled out a report, placing it before him.
"Here! Take a look!"
Ye Shuang was taken aback, recognizing it as a medical report. After glancing at it for a few seconds, he noticed "5 weeks pregnant" on the document, and his eyes widened.
"You're expecting?"
his freshman year, Su Bai accidentally bound the "Indulgence Tycoon System." 【Sleeping in? Reward: +$1,000】 【Spent $288 at a street barbecue stall? Cashback: +$2,880】 【Dropped $14,396 on in-game skins? Special reward unlocked: A brand-new Porsche Panamera!】 Luxury cars, penthouses, corporate shares, financial empires… College life was all about living freely and doing whatever he pleased! … When the adorably naive academic genius faced family medical bills and financial struggles, Su Bai waved his hand dismissively: "Your future is on me." "Wuwu~ Big Brother is so good to me! I’ll become a scientist to repay you!" When the genius girl got bullied by a shady professor? Su Bai casually dropped a billion-dollar investment, forcing the university to grovel and beg for her return. A company’s funding chain collapsing? Su Bai smirked—cash was the one thing he’d never run out of. Years later, when people traced the rise of the AI prodigy beauty, who was the man behind her success? Not just that—Su Bai also became the tsundere campus belle’s unattainable dream, the contrast senior’s daily necessity, and the beautiful counselor’s emotional anchor…
he colors of other people’s emotions. Light red meant anxiety. Gray meant exhaustion. Orange meant excitement. Yellow... meant repression. At the same time, he could gain unlimited control over one of those colors. Pale cyan: relaxation. Using this ability, he started offering “two-yuan hugs,” spending an afternoon exchanging emotional-color experiences with others. Then came his final female customer of the day— a girl whose emotional color was pure black... —— A week later, Xu Chuan had become skilled at using pale cyan—Relaxation—treating it like a bottle of menthol balm whenever he needed it. That was when he discovered he had unlocked another unlimited emotional color: Purple, the color of fear. So these emotional colors refresh every week? Fine, I take it back—I’ll never call you useless again... —— Much later, after Xu Chuan had accumulated countless emotional abilities, one night, he suddenly found himself inside someone else’s dream. There, he could use the emotional colors he possessed to paint. And in her dream, he painted her a shower of pink shooting stars, spreading across the depths of the night sky...
to panic—he has a system. As long as an investment target dies, he can claim a reward. And since he is immortal, the one thing he has plenty of is time. ... Countless years later. “Immortal Emperor of Longevity? I invested in him.” “Supreme Celestial Venerable? I invested in him.” “Undying Empress? I invested in her.” “...” “Heh. Once they’ve all died, even the Heavenly Dao will have to kneel and call me Dad.”
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
