Lin Liuxing raised her head from his arms, her eyes sparkling in the light.
“Dad, why are your eyes red?”
She reached out, her fingertips carefully touching the corner of his eye.
“Are you crying?”
“Cough, cough!”
Lin Liuxia flinched and quickly stepped back half a step to avoid his daughter’s touch.
“No, no.” He quickly turned around and pretended to pour some water.
“How was your day? Were you happy at school?”
Lin Liuxing didn’t follow him. She simply stood beside the sofa, watching her father’s slightly flustered back.
After a long while, she softly answered the question he’d used to change the subject.
“School was fine. Nothing much happened.”
After speaking, she sat back down on the sofa and patted the seat beside her.
“Dad, come sit.”
Lin Liuxia sighed.
Sigh.
‘The inevitable has finally come.’
He carried his cup of water over, sat down beside his daughter, and tried to make his expression look as normal as usual.
“What’s wrong? You look so serious.”
Lin Liuxing didn’t smile. She turned to look at him seriously, then lowered her head and glanced at herself.
“Today… that Gong Yuedai, she didn’t give you any trouble, did she?”
Lin Liuxia remained calm and even smiled.
“Trouble? How could she?” He took a sip of water and gave the excuse he’d already rehearsed in his head.
“I asked around beforehand and found out that Gong Yuedai is a fan of the Magical Girl Liuli Xin.”
“So I specifically asked a colleague from my company who loves cosplay to dress up as Liuli Xin and help put on a show.”
“And guess what? The moment Gong Yuedai saw Liuli Xin, her attitude did a complete 180. She couldn’t have been more polite.”
Lin Liuxing listened quietly without interrupting.
Only after he finished did she slowly ask her first question.
“That cosplayer sister, what’s her name?”
“Huh?”
Lin Liuxia was stunned, not expecting such a specific question.
“She… her surname is Lin. We all call her Little Lin. You don’t know her anyway.”
“Oh, Sister Lin.”
Lin Liuxing nodded as if she’d accepted his explanation.
Then she asked another question.
“What was that video call about? Why was she holding your phone?”
“Oh, you mean that.” Lin Liuxia nodded and casually picked up an apple from the coffee table to peel.
“I went to the restroom and left my phone on the table. Gong Yuedai even told me about it.”
“Oh, right. She seemed pretty happy laughing about something at the time. What did you two talk about?”
Lin Liuxing looked at her father’s innocent expression, as if he really had just gone to the restroom, and realized he genuinely seemed to know nothing.
She hesitated for a moment and decided not to bring it up just yet.
“Nothing much.” Lin Liuxing changed the subject.
“She showed me Sister Lin. Sister Lin… seemed really shy. She tilted her head and covered her face with her arm…”
She paused, carefully studying her father’s expression before tentatively asking,
“Dad, are they… gay?”
Pfft!
The apple slipped in Lin Liuxia’s hand, and the blade nearly cut his finger.
His heart skipped a beat.
‘How does this kid even know about this?!’
‘School, you’ve really taught my kid well!’
‘Oh, so my own daughter is about to become a Magical Girl. Then learning about this early isn’t necessarily a bad thing.’
He steadied his hand, turned the apple over, and put on a stern expression as he lectured her.
“Don’t make wild guesses about other people. You need to be respectful. I asked them for help, after all, and she helped resolve your problem, too.”
Lin Liuxing nodded with a half-understanding look, but the curiosity in her eyes hadn’t diminished at all.
“But I think Sister Lin seemed to enjoy it.”
She moved closer and whispered into her old man’s ear.
“Did anything happen between them after you came back?”
Her sparkling eyes were filled with anticipation and gossip.
‘Enjoy it?’
Lin Liuxia’s mind instantly flashed to the image of himself trapped in her arms, his face bright red with embarrassment and fury.
‘So that pose was actually enjoyable?’
‘Haha, then I’ve got plenty of life experience. 👍🏻’
Lin Liuxia couldn’t keep a straight face and couldn’t help coughing.
“Cough, cough! What are you thinking?!”
He forced himself to remain calm and lightly flicked his daughter’s smooth forehead.
“When I came back, everything was normal. How could two girls show anything in front of me?”
As he spoke, he stuffed the peeled apple into his daughter’s hand, putting an end to this dangerous topic.
“Eat your apple. Don’t spend all day thinking about pointless things with that little head of yours.”
Lin Liuxing covered her forehead and whined. She took the apple and answered pitifully,
“Okay.”
‘Finally, I got this girl off my back.’
Lin Liuxia breathed a long sigh of relief. He stood up and reached out to ruffle his daughter’s hair.
“After you finish the apple, go to sleep. Understand? Kids aren’t allowed to stay up late!”
“I know.” His daughter’s voice sounded fairly obedient.
Lin Liuxia turned and walked into the bathroom, locking the door behind him.
He turned on the shower, and cold water rushed down over him.
The chill made Lin Liuxia shiver, clearing his head considerably.
He closed his eyes and let the water wash over him, his mind in complete disarray.
‘Finally, I fooled her.’
Leaning against the cold tiled wall, he felt as though every last bit of strength had drained from his body.
This day had been more exhausting than working 120 hours of overtime.
He took a quick shower, dried himself carelessly, and put on his pajamas.
When he opened the bathroom door, he was still a little nervous. He poked his head out to look around.
The living room lights were already off, leaving everything pitch-black except for a little moonlight filtering through the window.
His daughter should have returned to her own room by now.
The heavy stone in his chest finally settled.
Lin Liuxia tiptoed through the living room like a thief, carefully turned the handle of his bedroom door, and slipped inside.
After closing the door, he collapsed onto the bed, too lazy to even turn on the light.
In the darkness, he lay with his eyes open, staring at the ceiling.
‘So annoying.’
Lin Liuxia rolled over and buried his face in the pillow.
‘Sleep, sleep.’
‘I still have to get up early for work tomorrow.’
‘The life of an office worker leaves no time for worries. 😭’