Chapter 14: Lao Zheng’s hand

“Dad!”

Zheng Yang shouted with a sob in her voice.

She held the short skirt against her waist and stomped her little foot at Zheng Shiqiang.

“Look! It’s so short! It’s barely any longer than what I wore at Golden Era!”

For some reason, Zheng Shiqiang felt a strange sense of appreciation as he watched her hop around in frustration.

*’Yangyang, is it only in situations like this that you show a bit of a daughter’s side?’*

“Try it on first,” Zheng Shiqiang said as he served himself some rice and began to eat.

“It covers your bottom just fine. Besides, everyone else will be wearing it too. You’re not the only one.”

Zheng Yang huffed in anger, especially seeing Old Zheng casually eating the meal she had worked so hard to cook while teasing her.

“HAHAHAHAHA! *Cough… ugh… cough cough!*“

Zheng Shiqiang suddenly burst into laughter and choked on his rice.

“Dad! Are you okay?!”

Seeing this, Zheng Yang immediately forgot her embarrassment.

She dropped the clothes and rushed to Zheng Shiqiang’s side.

She patted his back repeatedly with one hand while reaching for the kettle with the other.

She poured water into a cup and held it to his lips.

Zheng Shiqiang waved his hand and coughed for a while longer before finally recovering.

His face was flushed red from choking, yet he still wore a beaming smile.

“Yangyang, you really are my little bundle of joy!”

Zheng Shiqiang took a large gulp of the water she had poured and shook his head as if intoxicated with happiness.

“Ah, it’s so good to have a daughter! I wish I had met you sooner!”

Hearing this, Zheng Yang’s anger vanished instantly, replaced by a wave of shyness.

*’If we had met earlier, I would still have been a man.’*

It was rare to see Old Zheng this happy.

Zheng Yang lowered her eyes, her heart stirring.

“If Dad likes it, then I’ll wear it…”

She whispered.

She spoke so quickly that Zheng Shiqiang couldn’t hear her clearly.

“What did you say?”

Zheng Yang didn’t answer.

She ran off, picking up the school uniform bag on her way and ducking into her bedroom.

Zheng Shiqiang guessed what she had said based on her reaction.

He picked up a few more bites of food and walked over to Zheng Yang’s bedroom door with his bowl in hand.

“There are two sizes in there. Try them both and see which one fits better!”

e shouted toward the door, laughing between bites.

A grumble came from inside.

“I’m not an idiot!”

*Pfft!*

Zheng Shiqiang couldn’t hold back another laugh.

In that moment, he really felt like Zheng Yang was his own biological daughter.

The wait for Zheng Yang to change felt like an eternity.

After 5 minutes, Zheng Yang finally emerged with a face as red as a beet.

Zheng Shiqiang watched as she kept her head down, shuffling toward him one tiny step at a time.

He knew it probably took her less than 1 minute to change.

The rest of the time was spent mentally preparing herself.

He wouldn’t ask her why she was acting like a pure, innocent girl now when she had worn much more revealing outfits at Golden Era.

Zheng Yang also knew he wouldn’t ask.

This wasn’t an act.

As Zheng Yang finally shuffled closer, tugging downward on the hem of her skirt, Zheng Shiqiang could finally take a good look.

“Hmm… Yes!”

Zheng Shiqiang clapped his hands in approval.

“The skirt is short, but the overall look is bright, youthful, and cute.”

“Of course, there’s a hint of sexiness, but not enough to give anyone the wrong idea. It’s perfect… Wu’s taste is truly excellent!”

Zheng Yang felt like a flower bud was blooming in her heart.

She no longer cared about the shame of her male soul.

She simply murmured, “Does it really look that good?”

Zheng Shiqiang smiled.

“Go look in the mirror.”

“I… I don’t dare…”

“It’s just a bit of a pity.”

“Huh?”

“Such a beautiful and fitting outfit is actually a school uniform! That means everyone will have one!”

“How is my daughter supposed to stand out then?”

*Pfft!* Was that really what he was worried about?

Zheng Shiqiang checked his phone.

“Today is June 19th. There are still 2 months before school starts.”

“You should wear clothes like this more often and go out for walks. Don’t just mope around the house, do you hear me?”

“I don’t really want to go out…”

“Also, if you’re wearing the uniform, take off that Bell Collar. It really doesn’t match.”

Zheng Shiqiang finished his thought before realizing what she had said.

“What did you say? You don’t want to go out?”

“No! You must go out more! Buy more clothes! Buy young, bright-colored things.”

“A young girl wearing black or gray tracksuits all day… what kind of look is that? It’s so gloomy. There’s no vitality at all!”

Zheng Yang felt extremely embarrassed.

*’Father, asking an old office worker like me to have the vitality of a 15-year-old girl is really asking a lot!’*

—

The next morning, when Zheng Yang got up, she was back in her gray tracksuit.

After finishing breakfast, she crouched in the bathroom to rinse the mop.

When Zheng Shiqiang woke up and saw her, he narrowed his eyes in mock frustration.

“Yangyang!”

“Hey, Dad!”

Zheng Yang set down the mop and poked her head out of the bathroom.

“Breakfast is ready! Go ahead and eat!”

“Why don’t you like to sleep in like other kids? Not only do you get up early, but you start working the moment you’re awake.”

Zheng Yang joked, “Dad has helped me so much. Just thinking about that 200,000 liquidated damages makes it impossible for me to sleep!”

“Don’t bring those things up again, or I’ll get angry!”

“Hehe, okay, Dad!”

“Actually, I’m already angry! Now, put down that mop!”

“Dad, I haven’t finished mopping the floor yet.”

“No, put it down! That’s an order!”

Zheng Shiqiang put on his best parental persona.

“Are you going to stop listening to me now?”

Zheng Yang reflexively stuck out her tongue and obediently put down the mop.

“Sit down at the table and eat!”

“Oh…”

Zheng Yang scurried to the table, though a hint of a smile lingered on her lips.

Zheng Shiqiang sat down and picked up his chopsticks.

Before eating, he began his instructions.

“Your task for today: Change your clothes after breakfast—wear that outfit from yesterday—and head out.”

“I’ll transfer 5,000 to you. Buy bags, buy clothes, whatever you want. You aren’t allowed home until you’ve spent it all!”

Despite his serious face, Zheng Yang couldn’t help but giggle.

“Dad, hahaha! You know, you’re acting exactly like a dominant CEO from a novel right now.”

“Novels are fake, but I am real! You think I’m joking?”

Zheng Shiqiang kept a straight face.

“If I see you come back empty-handed, see if I don’t give your butt a kick!”

Zheng Yang felt a sudden sting in her nose, and her eyes grew misty.

She blinked rapidly to compose herself and feigned a sob.

“Waaa, Dad doesn’t want me anymore. I’m going to be homeless again~”

Even though Zheng Shiqiang knew she was joking, his heart still ached a little at her words.

He reached out to pat her head, took out his phone, and silently transferred 5,000 to her.

Zheng Yang heard the ***ding*** from the phone in her pocket, signaling the transfer.

She didn’t take out her phone.

She just kept her head down, letting two tears fall into her bowl.

The 5,000 was her entire monthly salary back when she was a man.

But it wasn’t the amount that moved her.

“Dad, you’re so annoying!”

Zheng Yang muttered softly.

“If I’m going out, I’m going out. Why do you have to transfer money to me…?”

Zheng Shiqiang smiled dotingly.

“One outfit isn’t enough to rotate through. Buy a few more sets, alright? Be a good girl~”

Zheng Yang gave a non-committal hum.

“If you don’t buy them, I’ll cancel my company meetings tomorrow and spend the whole day shopping with you!”

“Ah? No! I’ll buy them, Dad! Please don’t delay your important business because of me!”

Zheng Shiqiang grinned at his victory, while Zheng Yang sighed helplessly.

*’Sigh, Dad has really found my weakness.’*