Uncle, Sorry, But Your Daughter...

"Hey, young man, you're out early."

Su Bai, who was warming up with a jog, heard the familiar voice and immediately brightened upon recognizing the speaker.

It seemed his guess was correct—this really was Liu Chen'ang's father.

Standing there in fresh workout clothes was Liu Chen'ang, her eyes tinged with shyness as she looked at him.

"Good morning, Uncle," Su Bai said with a surprised expression. "So you and Chen'ang are family? No wonder your names sound so similar."

"Haha, Chen'ang just told me about you. No wonder you struck me as the scholarly type last time. Kids who can get into a 985 university through the gaokao—man, you can just tell they’re different."

So… was that a subtle dig at his own kid studying abroad? Su Bai found it amusing. For the older generation, it seemed every child studying overseas was met with an eye roll.

To be fair, high school and undergrad abroad weren’t exactly cost-effective, and a fair number of rich kids went more to escape than to actually study.

Su Bai didn’t dwell on the topic. "Well, I’ll go ahead and run. You two take your time."

"Sure, you’ve got a fast pace. We’ll take it slow back here."

If they kept chatting face-to-face like this, Su Bai worried Liu Chen'ang’s face would only grow redder, making her father suspicious.

Liu Chenhu watched Su Bai’s swift departure with approval. "Now that’s what a real man looks like. Damn, this kid’s physique is even more insane than mine was at his age…"

"……" Liu Chen'ang swallowed hard. When it came to Su Bai’s physical condition, she had plenty of firsthand experience.

Her father had always wanted a "strong, athletic son," but due to certain circumstances, that wasn’t possible.

Not because of her mother, though—Liu Chenhu had sustained an injury to his, uh, ammunition storage during a mission back in the day. A sacrifice for the country, and all that.

Come to think of it… if Su Bai became his son-in-law, wouldn’t that technically fulfill her dad’s dream?

The slightly bizarre thought flashed through Liu Chen'ang’s mind, startling her so much she tripped over her own feet, nearly face-planting.

"Watch your step! Eyes on the road!"

"Y-yeah, got it…"

Meanwhile, Su Bai mulled things over as he ran.

Liu Chen'ang seemed unusually stiff around her father. Getting dragged out for a morning jog? Totally not her style.

On the bright side, Liu Chenhu seemed to like him.

After a while, Su Bai took a break at a pavilion and spotted Liu Chen'ang catching up—alone.

"Where’s your dad?"

"He got a call… something about work. His business keeps him pretty busy."

"Makes sense. Physical product businesses get crazy when orders pile up."

"Yeah…"

Liu Chen'ang suddenly faltered, her gaze skittering away from Su Bai.

He’d been waiting at the pavilion for a while, but even so, his running pace had left her breathless. Her chest rose and fell with each gasp, though the sports binder kept any curves from showing.

Still, the vivid flush on her cheeks and neck was undeniably pretty.

The faint, pleasant scent clinging to her didn’t hurt either.

Su Bai glanced back. Liu Chenhu was still tied up, probably wouldn’t reach them for a while.

So he pulled Liu Chen'ang into a secluded spot behind some trees.

"Eek! Wh-what are you—mmph?!"

Before she could react, Su Bai sealed her lips with his own.

By the time her brain rebooted, her body had already melted into his arms.

Dropping her usual boyish voice, breathing in Su Bai’s fresh, rain-on-grass scent, Liu Chen'ang couldn’t hold back.

"Su Bai… I missed you."

"Then just ask me out. It’s not like we’ve got plans for the rest of the break. The others at home are already… taken care of."

Su Bai was big on maintaining his harem equilibrium. Spending the next two days with Liu Chen'ang? Perfectly reasonable.

Shengsheng could grind at her company, his senior could shop alone—but Liu Chen'ang? She could only be her true, girly self around him.

"So… you’ll spend the next two days with me?"

"Sure. Your dad seems cool with it, too."

That drew a giggle from her.

She squeezed his hand. "Dad thinks you’re impressive and totally approves of us hanging out. He even said I should exercise with you more, hehe~"

"Sounds about right. We can work out together."

As he spoke, Su Bai gave her backside a playful squeeze.

Liu Chen'ang instantly understood his meaning. "S-stop! That’s so embarrassing! We’re outside! If Dad catches us, he’ll probably have a stroke on the spot!"

The more she protested, the more Su Bai wanted to mess with her.

Luckily, Liu Chen'ang was the sensitive type. A little manual labor from Su Bai, and she’d soon reach a state of blissful tranquility.

By the time Liu Chenhu finished his call and caught up, the deed was done.

"Not bad, Chen'ang. You’re sweating buckets—must’ve pushed yourself hard."

"Y-yeah…"

Liu Chen'ang fought to keep her voice steady, internally panicking.

Dad has no idea what kind of "exercise" caused this sweat.

She shot a glance at Su Bai, only to find him looking utterly innocent, as if he hadn’t just committed crimes against her dignity.

As for Su Bai? He was reveling in his own mischief.

Sorry, Uncle. The "son" you raised so carefully? Yeah, I might’ve awakened her inner maiden.

People were meant to follow their nature. No matter how much you tried to mold a girl into filling a void, she’d never truly replace what you’d lost.

For Liu Chen'ang, her father’s unrealistic expectations were just unfair.

As the morning workout wrapped up, the three headed back along the riverside path.

Then Su Bai suddenly stopped, throwing an arm out to block the others.

"Wait. Something’s off up ahead."

"Off?"

Liu Chenhu frowned, but his expression quickly grew graver than Su Bai’s.

A former soldier, he had an instinct for danger—though years of peaceful living had dulled his senses.

Now, Su Bai’s warning sharpened his awareness.

A faint sound reached his ears—something moving fast.

Then it happened.

A small, tan Pomeranian burst from the bushes.

Right behind it, a massive Tibetan mastiff lunged like a starving tiger, jaws gaping.

A shrill yelp—and the Pomeranian was dead.