Hui Jin had no means of counter-tracking, so unless absolutely necessary, she wouldn’t even use magic to travel.
After circling the school once, Hui Jin transformed back into Ye Qianqiu inside a supermarket and jogged back towards the school.
The stamina of a middle-aged man who spent long hours in an office was truly lacking.
By the time he arrived at the school gate, panting heavily, it was already six o’clock.
School had likely let out, with most students already gone.
Only a few cars were parked at the gate, and a couple of students on duty duty chased each other past him, laughing.
Ye Qianqiu looked around, trying to spot his daughter, and just happened to see Xia Che and Ye Xiao Chi standing in front of the Oden Stall at the school entrance.
The winter night was cold.
White steam rose from the large, bubbling pot.
The boy and girl stood shoulder to shoulder, holding cheap snacks in their hands.
The incandescent light hanging from the tricycle’s canopy illuminated their smiling faces.
Ye Qianqiu stood in the night, watching them, until Ye Xiao Chi seemed to sense something.
She tilted her head and looked over at him.
Instantly, the smile on the girl’s face cooled, the curve of her lips vanishing completely.
Noticing her gaze, Xia Che also looked over and gave a polite nod.
“Mister Ye, it’s been a while.”
“Yeah.”
Ye Qianqiu nodded slightly.
His gaze fell on the fried fish cake in Ye Xiao Chi’s hand, still coated in sweet and sour sauce.
The words his own parents had once said to him slipped out.
“Don’t eat so much junk food.”
As soon as he said it, he regretted it.
He wanted to say something to make it better, but found he didn’t know what to say.
He just opened his mouth slightly.
Hearing this, Ye Xiao Chi pressed her lips into a thin line.
She stabbed the fish cake back into the plastic cup in Xia Che’s hand and said nothing.
“Let’s go,” Ye Qianqiu said.
“Where?” Ye Xiao Chi asked, instinctively grabbing a corner of Xia Che’s clothes.
Ye Qianqiu noticed his daughter’s small action and frowned slightly.
“Home.”
Ye Xiao Chi didn’t move.
After a moment, she said quietly, “I don’t want to go back yet.”
Normally, knowing Xia Che was with Ye Xiao Chi, Ye Qianqiu wouldn’t interfere, as long as she was home by midnight.
But after learning about their current relationship from Xia Che, and seeing them so close now, he felt a bit reluctant to let his daughter stay by Xia Che’s side—a vague sense of crisis.
“Be good.”
Ye Qianqiu urged, turning to walk towards where his car was parked.
Usually, when a parent made this move, it meant the discussion was over.
But he took one step forward, looked back, and found Xiao Chi still standing in place, head bowed, staring at the tips of her shoes.
“Xiao Chi…”
“I said I’m not going.”
Ye Xiao Chi looked up, her eyes rimmed red.
Seeing his daughter like this, the harsh words Ye Qianqiu had ready got stuck in his throat like a sharp fishbone.
“You promised…”
The girl bit her crimson lips until they turned pale.
“Why didn’t you come to the parent-teacher meeting?”
Ye Qianqiu opened his mouth.
What could he say?
That he was actually a magical girl, that he was late because he fought a monster, and was held up by your childhood friend?
“Dad had a lot of work today. The boss wouldn’t let me leave.”
So, Ye Qianqiu used his most common, and palest, excuse.
In a normal conversation, he thought he should probably add an apology.
But in front of his daughter, his pride as a father made it impossible for him to utter the words “I’m sorry.”
“Yeah, you’re always busy. You’re the busiest person in the world. Even the President of the United States isn’t as busy as you.”
Ye Xiao Chi said sarcastically.
“You’re working overtime tonight too, right? So why should I go home so early? I finished my homework at school. I got first in my class and second in my grade on this exam, and I even got an award certificate.
“You didn’t know any of that, did you? Because you didn’t even go to the meeting.”
His daughter’s rebuttal left Ye Qianqiu speechless.
The relationship between father and daughter had always been cold.
They’d never even had an argument like this before.
Today, Ye Xiao Chi’s emotions seemed unusually intense.
“Let’s go, Xia Che.”
Ye Xiao Chi tugged at Xia Che’s clothes, ready to leave.
Ye Qianqiu stood rooted to the spot.
The light from the street vendor’s stall fell on his messy bangs, casting a shadow that hid his tired eyes.
Caught in the middle, Xia Che felt torn.
This was more of a headache than going to a friend’s house and having them argue with their parents.
If possible, he wanted to ease the tension between this awkward father and daughter.
So, he spoke up in a gentle tone.
“Xiao Chi, it’s dinnertime anyway. How about we let Mister Ye treat us to a meal?”
“Huh? Who wants to eat with him?”
Ye Xiao Chi’s attitude was resistant.
Xia Che tried to persuade her kindly.
“Think of it as a free meal. What do you say, sir?”
He looked up at Ye Qianqiu and winked.
Ye Qianqiu was taken aback.
A bitter smile involuntarily touched the corner of his mouth.
His own family matters, and he was making his daughter’s boyfriend worry about them.
He really was a failure as a father.
Taking a deep breath, he offered Xia Che a strained smile.
“What do you two want to eat? My treat, as an apology.”
“How about RFC? Isn’t it Crazy Friday today?” Xia Che suggested.
Ye Xiao Chi immediately objected.
“Huh? No way! RFC isn’t as good as McCree’s. McCree’s is the best!”
“Then we’ll eat at McCree’s.”
Ye Qianqiu took out his car keys.
“You two wait here. I’ll drive over to pick you up.”
“Honestly, don’t you know I don’t like RFC?”
Ye Xiao Chi complained.
“Sorry, sorry, I forgot for a second.”
Xia Che laughed, raising his hands in surrender.
Of course, he knew Ye Xiao Chi didn’t like RFC.
He’d just said that to divert her attention.
“I want a Spicy McCrispy Chicken Burger combo, plus a pineapple pie… no, two pineapple pies!”
Ye Xiaochi rattled off her order angrily.
So you dared to stand me up? Just watch me fleece you.
Faced with his daughter’s ‘extravagant’ demands, Ye Qianqiu said nothing, simply paying without complaint.
His job was tiring, but the pay wasn’t low—over twenty thousand a month.
He gave Ye Xiao Chi at least five thousand in living expenses each month.
A meal costing two or three hundred was a drop in the bucket for him.
Ye Qianqiu nibbled on a french fry, watching his daughter eat with a vengeance.
Although there was still no direct conversation between the two—it was mostly Xia Che bringing up topics, Ye Xiao Chi replying when she was tired of eating, and Ye Qianqiu occasionally answering—the atmosphere seemed to have eased a bit.
After the meal, Ye Xiao Chi patted her full stomach contentedly.
Ye Qianqiu excused himself to go work overtime at the company, leaving Xia Che utterly exhausted.
‘First time I’ve ever felt eating was so tiring.’
He chewed on a cold chicken nugget and noticed a slight smile playing on Ye Xiao Chi’s lips.
“You seem to be in a pretty good mood? Not mad at your dad anymore?” Xia Che asked, stirring the nearly gone ketchup with a fry.
“Hmm?”
Ye Xiao Chi raised an eyebrow, smiling playfully.
“Actually, I wasn’t that angry to begin with. After all, I stood him up today too. It’s just his attitude was really annoying, so I pretended to be really mad.”
“The result was I got to fleece him good! Hehe, pretty smart, right? Praise me, praise me!”
The girl tilted her head and pouted her lips, like a proud little cat.
“Yeah, yeah… you’re the smartest.”
‘Then what was the point of me struggling so hard earlier?’
“Oh, by the way, you played along pretty well just now. I’ll praise you a little, Corporal Xia Che.”
“Thank you for your praise, General Ye Xiao Chi!”
Xia Che straightened his back and saluted the general.
The two looked at each other for two seconds, then simultaneously couldn’t hold it in anymore, bursting into laughter together.