Chapter 80: Going Out to Have Fun — I’ll Spend More Time with You
When Nan Xun woke up the next morning, she took a few deep breaths and caught a whiff of cigarette smoke.
Li Chen had always been a very restrained person, so when Nan Xun spotted the ashtray on the table filled to the brim with cigarette butts, she was quite surprised.
She guessed that his work stress must have been too heavy lately. After all, being a CEO sounded glamorous on the surface, but behind the scenes there was actually a lot to deal with.
Taking advantage of the fact that Li Chen wasn’t around, Nan Xun quickly changed her clothes and went to the bathroom to wash up.
By the time she finished tidying herself and went downstairs, she could already smell the fragrance of milk and bread.
There were only two servings of breakfast laid out on the huge dining table. Grandpa wasn’t there. Uncle Wang wasn’t there. Auntie Li wasn’t there either.
Nan Xun frowned in confusion. When she heard some sounds coming from the kitchen, she hurried over.
“Dad?” Nan Xun stared at the person busying himself in the kitchen, feeling as though she’d seen a ghost.
Li Chen, who usually never lifted a finger when it came to household chores, was actually frying eggs?
Li Chen turned back to glance at her. “Baby, it’ll be ready soon. Go eat the bread first—Daddy baked it fresh.”
Nan Xun exclaimed in amazement, “Dad, so you can cook? But why are you the one cooking today? Where’s Auntie Li?”
“Auntie Li has something going on at home, so I gave her a day off. Don’t worry, baby—Daddy won’t let you go hungry.”
Nan Xun asked again, “But Dad, Grandpa and Uncle Wang aren’t around either. Where did they go?”
Li Chen continued explaining, “Your grandpa went fishing with an old friend. Uncle Wang went along with him.”
Nan Xun went “oh,” then said, “Dad, are you going to the company later? I still have homework today, so I won’t go with you.”
Li Chen’s movements paused for a moment. “Today’s the weekend. Daddy’s not going to the company. I’m planning to take you out to have some fun.”
Nan Xun was a little surprised. Li Chen was a workaholic—before, even on weekends, he would go to the company as usual. And today he was actually saying he’d take her out to play?
The Void Beast suddenly chimed in, “Great opportunity! Going out to have fun is the easiest way to cultivate feelings!”
Nan Xun thought so too. Happily, she hugged Li Chen from behind. “Dad, you’ve finally grown a conscience. Tell me yourself—how long has it been since you last took me out to play? You only took me to the zoo once when I was little. Other than that, nothing!”
Li Chen lifted the small hands around his waist and brought them to his lips, kissing them gently. “Baby, Daddy was wrong. From now on, Daddy will spend more time with you.”
Nan Xun’s heart trembled slightly. She felt that Li Chen kissing her fingers was a bit strange, so she hurriedly asked Little Eight, “Why did Li Chen kiss my fingers?”
The Void Beast said, “Did you forget? Your Papa Li Chen is a pervert. Perverts do things differently from normal people. Why worry about why? As long as it lowers the evil thought value, that’s all that matters.”
Nan Xun was convinced by Little Eight. She had come to eliminate Li Chen’s evil thought value anyway—why bother thinking so much about other things?
At the dining table, Nan Xun ate with great relish, giving Li Chen a thumbs-up as she ate. “Dad, the bread you baked is really good, and the eggs are especially tender.”
There was a smile in Li Chen’s eyes. “If baby likes it, Daddy will make breakfast for you from now on.”
Nan Xun hurriedly shook her head. “No, that won’t do. I can’t bear to tire you out, Dad. You work so hard every day—you should sleep more in the mornings.”
Li Chen looked at her, then suddenly reached out and wiped his thumb across her lips, his face full of indulgence. “You managed to get milk all over your mouth just from drinking it.”
Nan Xun let out an “ah,” then quickly stuck out her tongue and licked around her lips. “It’s gone now, right, Dad?”
Li Chen’s gaze fell on that pink little tongue. His eyes lowered, and he abruptly looked away, responding distractedly with a soft “Mm.”
After breakfast, Li Chen asked Nan Xun where she wanted to go. She said she wanted to go hiking, so the two of them changed into more casual clothes.
Nan Xun wore a simple white short dress and sneakers. Li Chen wore a white shirt underneath, a navy-blue casual jacket on top, hiking shoes in the same color scheme as Nan Xun’s, and his short hair—usually slicked back—was all loosened and falling naturally.
When they looked at themselves in the mirror, Nan Xun was stunned and couldn’t help exclaiming, “Wow, Dad, you look so young—like a handsome guy in his early twenties. You’re really so good-looking!”
Li Chen pinched her nose. “Daddy wasn’t old to begin with.”
Nan Xun propped one hand on Li Chen’s shoulder, struck a pose at the mirror, and said with a bright smile, “Dad, look at us—we’re really a perfect match. These outfits look just like couple clothes. I guarantee if we walk down the street like this, the head-turning rate will be a hundred percent.”
Li Chen looked at himself and the girl in the mirror. The corners of his lips curved slightly as he said in a low voice, “It does look quite similar.”
Since they only had one day, they went to a very famous scenic spot in the city. Along the ten-mile stretch of mountain road, there were green hills and clear waters, wildflowers everywhere, and the scenery was beautiful.
Nan Xun had a simple point-and-shoot camera hanging around her neck, while Li Chen carried their food and water for the day on his back.
Nan Xun ran a few steps ahead, then turned back, standing on higher ground and smiling brightly at Li Chen. “Dad, are you tired?”
Li Chen took a few big strides to catch up, scooped her up onto his shoulder, spun around once, and then set her down.
Nan Xun immediately begged for mercy. “I was wrong, I was wrong. Dad has amazing stamina—I shouldn’t have doubted you.”
A young couple passing by saw them. The girl covered her mouth and snickered, then nudged her boyfriend with her elbow. “Look how good that girl’s boyfriend is—he’s even carrying his girlfriend while hiking. Wow, tall, handsome, and so considerate.”
Her boyfriend immediately put on a pained expression. “My dear ancestor, can you take it easy? Look how sturdy that guy is—how could I compare?”
The girlfriend shot him a disdainful look, then asked somewhat strangely, “But didn’t I just hear that girl call that guy ‘Dad’?”
The boyfriend immediately gave a knowing look and said in a low voice, “Have you ever seen a dad in his early twenties? Tsk, that’s just a bit of role-play. Don’t you get it? Some people like to play that way.”
The girlfriend immediately grabbed his arm and twisted it. “Daddy, let’s keep climbing.”
The boyfriend laughed heartily. “Alright, let’s go, my big girl.”
Li Chen had sharp hearing and heard every word the couple said. He glanced at Li Xiao Nan, only to find her fiddling with her camera and taking pictures everywhere, completely oblivious to what the couple was talking about.
Li Chen rubbed his forehead and sighed resignedly.
Because both of them had good stamina, a hike that travel guides said would take a full day was finished by them in half a day. Nan Xun looped her arm around Li Chen’s and asked, “Dad, I was really happy today. Were you happy too?”
Li Chen nodded, reached out to tidy a strand of hair on her face that had stuck to her lips, and said with a light smile, “Daddy was very happy too.”
“Dad, it’s still early. I don’t want to go back yet. Let’s go somewhere else to have fun, okay?” Nan Xun hugged his waist, looked up at him, and smiled like a little sun.
“Mm. Then where does baby want to go play?” Li Chen asked, hooking her cheek lightly with his finger.
