·107｜Exclusive to Jinjiang·107

When do you plan to propose?

Today is Wednesday, and Mr. Lai Chuan is taking a rare day off—or rather, the police department is forcing him to go home and rest because they see there's not much work to do today.

"If any emergency occurs, the police department will contact you." After saying this, the police chief forcibly granted Mr. Lai Chuan leave.

Since joining the police department, Mr. Lai Chuan had been diligent and hardworking. However, due to long hours and continuous overtime, he suddenly experienced angina a few days ago. Although it was only for a very brief moment, the police chief still learned about it from others. So, on Mr. Lai Chuan's birthday, they practically forced him to sign a leave request they had prepared in advance, and then forcibly packed him up and sent him home.

The empty Lai Chuan mansion was empty except for Mr. Lai Chuan, who was sitting alone on the sofa reading a newspaper, with a cup of steaming black tea on the coffee table in front of him.

The cassette player was playing a television recording of Yomi Laichuan's early days in the entertainment industry, which Mr. Laichuan had specifically instructed the maid to record. On the LCD screen, a little girl with bulging cheeks from eating kept praising the food in her hands to the camera, like a lively little hamster.

Behind Mr. Lai Chuan, a head peeked furtively out from the stairwell leading to the second floor. Lai Chuan Huang Quan, hiding behind the wall, stared at Mr. Lai Chuan's back for a long time before tiptoeing closer.

Having been tempered in the apocalypse, Lai Chuan Huang Quan indeed approached Mr. Lai Chuan silently. But just as she slowly peeked out from behind the sofa, the videotape finished playing. With the image gone, the LCD screen instantly went dark, forming a mirror that clearly reflected the image of the sofa.

Mr. Lai Chuan clutched the newspaper, speechless as he stared at the LCD screen. Through the reflection on the screen, he could clearly see two small tufts of hair slowly peeking out from behind the sofa, followed by Lai Chuan Huang Quan's round, almond-shaped eyes and small, palm-sized face. A little girl, oblivious to her exposed appearance, stared at Mr. Lai Chuan with pleading eyes, like a little animal plotting something mischievous.

Mr. Raikawa: "..."

Lai Chuan Huang Quan pursed his lips, stared at Mr. Lai Chuan for a long while, and then slowly spoke: "Dad~"

Mr. Lai Chuan remained silent for a long time, then closed the newspaper in his hand and sighed: "Aren't you afraid that I will attack you because of my conditioned reflex when you approach so quietly? But where did you train? I didn't even notice you appear."

Lai Chuan Huang Quan didn't answer, but just chuckled: "Dad, happy birthday."

Mr. Lai Chuan hummed in agreement: "There are strawberries in the refrigerator and bear-shaped cookies in the cupboard."

Lai Chuan Huang Quan gave a muffled reply, but his hand moved down the back of the sofa, grasping Mr. Lai Chuan's shoulder and beginning to massage and pound it: "Dad, does it feel good?"

"Um."

"Should we apply more pressure?"

The pressure on Mr. Lai Chuan's shoulder was actually a little light, but he just took a sip of tea and said casually, "No need, this is fine."

Mr. Lai Chuan glanced at the hand on Huang Quan's shoulder; it was white and soft, clearly well-cared for. He had never let the red-haired Huang Quan do any housework, nor could he bear to let her do any. Apart from a thin layer of calluses where she had held a pen for many years, the hand of this body was flawless.

He didn't know what kind of life Lai Chuanhuangquan's soul had led after being taken away by the Administration Bureau, but the fact that he couldn't detect footsteps must have been extremely difficult for him.

Lai Chuan Huang Quan massaged with great effort, imitating the techniques in the video by pressing the acupoints on the back of Mr. Lai Chuan's neck, and pounding his muscles with his fists, showing off for a full half hour before stopping.

Although the technique wasn't quite right, this was the first time Lai Chuan Huang Quan had massaged his father. Mr. Lai Chuan, holding a cup of hot tea, enjoyed it so much that his eyes were half-closed into slits.

He swallowed the last sip of hot tea from the bottom of his cup and said slowly, "Speak, what is it?"

Lai Chuan Huang Quan pouted: "You old rascal, you really don't understand romance. This is a birthday present for you."

Mr. Lai Chuan crossed his legs, remaining noncommittal.

Lai Chuan Huang Quan lingered and walked around from behind the sofa to Mr. Lai Chuan's side: "Dad, do you like it? If you like it, I'll massage it for you often in the future."

Mr. Lai Chuan nodded: "Hmm, not bad."

He reopened the newspaper and quickly skimmed through the articles he had already read. Mr. Lai Chuan wasn't quite sure what Lai Chuan Huang Quan was up to, but his intuition told him that the little girl definitely wanted something from him.

As expected, Lai Chuan Huang Quan hesitated for a moment, then sat down next to Mr. Lai Chuan, took his arm and whispered, "My second year of graduate school has been encouraging me to get along well with my dad and not to argue with him all the time."

Mr. Lai Chuan suddenly tightened his grip on the newspaper, then glanced at Lai Chuan Huang Quan with feigned composure before looking away: "Hmph."

Mr. Raikawa and his family's personal information has always been classified as a National Police Agency secret, not even accessible to Rei Furuya, let alone Kenji Hagiwara. Mr. Raikawa has never mentioned his birthday to anyone outside the agency; the only person who knows his detailed information is…

Mr. Raikawa closed the newspaper, thinking to himself that his brat was truly captivated by Kenji Hagiwara, actually coming to speak well of him. Although not explicitly stated, Raikawa Yomi probably meant for him to accept Kenji Hagiwara. Judging from this, Raikawa Yomi probably didn't know that he had already agreed to Kenji Hagiwara's marriage proposal.

Thinking this through, Mr. Lai Chuan snorted coldly: "I have received your kind intentions. Go back now."

Upon hearing this, Lai Chuan Huang Quan pouted again: "You stinky old man, you're such a straight man. If it weren't for the fact that our features don't look alike, I would have suspected that Matsuda Jinpei is your real son."

Mr. Raikawa: ...?

Who are you calling a total straight man?!

Lai Chuan Huang Quan puffed out his cheeks: "You. Besides, you and Jinpei both have curly hair and blue eyes, and your personalities are very similar, but Jinpei is more considerate and cute than you."

After saying that, Lai Chuan Huang Quan gave Mr. Lai Chuan a meaningful look and then turned his gaze away in disgust.

Mr. Lai Chuan: ? ? ?

Being inexplicably grouped with Matsuda Jinpei, Mr. Raikawa was utterly bewildered and felt deeply aggrieved. Although he didn't know exactly what kind of person Matsuda Jinpei was, Raikawa Yomi's words, "You're very similar to Jinpei," were definitely not a compliment. Anger surged within him, but like a dud, it wouldn't ignite.

It's likely that even Matsuda Jinpei himself never imagined that one day "You look a lot like Matsuda Jinpei" would be used as an insult by Yorikawa Yomi.

Mr. Lai Chuan thought for a moment and decided he couldn't swallow this bitter pill: "Huang Quan, you little brat!"

“Dad!” Lai Chuan Huang Quan interrupted Mr. Lai Chuan without any politeness, and took out a ceramic cup from her bag. “This is also a gift for you. I made it myself!”

A simple, cartoonish portrait is drawn on the white ceramic cup, with crooked bangs, two triangular tufts of hair, and fingers made of lines forming a small heart shape.

Mr. Laichuan held the cup and looked at it over and over. He glanced at Laichuan Huangquan and couldn't help but smile – he was the first person to receive a gift from Laichuan Huangquan, and it was made by hand.

Although the cup was drawn with Yomi Laichuan's image, it was a simple line drawing, and unless one was familiar with Yomi Laichuan, they probably wouldn't recognize it. Moreover, as long as he took the cup to the police station, there shouldn't be any risk.

Thinking of this, Mr. Lai Chuan rarely showed a smile: "The craftsmanship is quite good."

Lai Chuan Huang Quan puffed out his chest smugly: "Of course, don't you know whose daughter I am?"

Mr. Lai Chuan raised an eyebrow, carefully examining the cup in his hand: "Are you staying for dinner today?"

"Eat!"

"Alright, let's call Hagiwara over too."

"Huh?" Lai Chuan Huang Quan was stunned. She tilted her head and looked at her father: "I thought you were always so angry when you saw him, Dad."

—The thought that you're about to change your surname to Hagiwara really makes me grit my teeth in anger.

But Mr. Lai Chuan suppressed the urge to roll his eyes and snorted coldly: "Remember to call the auntie who cooks. She went out to buy groceries. Tell her to buy more."

"Okay, I love Dad the most~"

Mr. Lai Chuan scoffed, "Come on." He wondered who was baring their teeth at him every day because of Kenji Hagiwara.

But he found these insincere words quite pleasing.

...

Kenji Hagiwara truly lives up to his reputation as the most popular man in the Metropolitan Police Department. Whenever he wants, he can use his superb skills to make everyone around him feel like they're basking in a warm breeze.

Mr. Raikawa was indeed initially dissatisfied with Kenji Hagiwara. He initially agreed for two reasons: first, he was told that his terrible nightmares were the truth, and that his stubbornness was the cause of the tragedy; second, Kenji Hagiwara was indeed excellent and would not cause him the heartache of having his beloved daughter violated by a wild boar.

Mr. Raikawa rarely went home, usually working long hours at the police station, but he had passed by Kenji Hagiwara a few times. Through the thick, black bulletproof glass, Mr. Raikawa's beloved daughter clung to Kenji Hagiwara's back, being carried by him as they strolled under the moonlight. Yomi Raikawa's face broke into a bright smile; she swung her feet, laughing happily.

Mr. Lai Chuan stared at them for a moment, then waved to his subordinate in the driver's seat: "Let's go."

The smile on Lai Chuan Huang Quan's face made him realize that he had made the right choice this time.

But what surprised Mr. Raikawa even more was that, regardless of whether what Raikawa Yomi said was true or false, she was indeed actively getting closer to Mr. Raikawa for the sake of Kenji Hagiwara.

Someone always has to take the first step to bridge the gap between them. If it weren't for Kenji Hagiwara, Mr. Raikawa would never have had the chance to get along with Raikawa Yomi like a normal father and daughter.

Kenji Hagiwara is very intelligent, and his love is mature enough.

If another man had been Yomi's husband, he might have simply observed the relationship between Yomi and her father, offering occasional words of advice but not interfering much. Or he might have been deceived by Yomi's domineering appearance and, together with Yomi, distanced himself from Yomi.

But Kenji Hagiwara is different.

He was able to keenly perceive Yomi's love for Yomi through Yomi's words and actions.

Kenji Hagiwara is the only lubricant between the father and daughter of Raikawa.

Kenji Hagiwara never directly tells Yomi Laichuan, "Your father loves you very much," but rather hints at it indirectly, letting Yomi Laichuan sense it for herself.

He would occasionally take Lai Chuan Huang Quan to eat some less common cuisines, and as Lai Chuan Huang Quan patted his round little belly, he would add with a smile, "Mr. Lai Chuan said you like to eat this, so I searched through various food platforms and compared them repeatedly before choosing this restaurant with the best reputation. How about it, do you like it?"

By embedding Mr. Lai Chuan's information within long sentences, his presence is downplayed, yet his role within the sentences is sufficiently highlighted.

—It was Mr. Lai Chuan who told me you love this dish. Although he doesn't come home often, he's been keeping an eye on you.

—This is a store that I spent a lot of time selecting, so don't forget that I love you too.

Do you like it?

Humans dislike receiving one-sided information from others. A simple "Do you like it?" transforms information output into information reception, and a statement into a question of opinion, subtly packaging the intended message into content more easily received by Yomi Laichuan.

Mr. Ryokawa was indeed not a good father; his understanding of Ryokawa Yomi was even less than that of Kenji Hagiwara. The information that Kenji Hagiwara referred to as "Mr. Ryokawa told me" was something that Kenji Hagiwara had painstakingly obtained on his own.

But that's okay, Kenji Hagiwara will slowly teach him how to be a good father. Even if it's too late, better late than never.

Unbeknownst to Yomi Ryukawa, Kenji Hagiwara had met with Mr. Ryukawa privately several times.

At that moment, Kenji Hagiwara, holding a steaming cup of strong tea, smiled respectfully and politely: "Yomi told me last time that she originally planned to stay at Mr. Raikawa's place a little longer, but she didn't know what to talk about, and there were no snacks at home. She sat on the sofa not knowing what to do, so she had to slink away."

He said seemingly casually, "It's all my fault. I spoiled Huang Quan rotten. Since she got home, she's been grumbling that if there were bear-shaped cookies here, she could sit on the sofa and eat them even if we couldn't talk to each other."

Mr. Lai Chuan remained calm on the surface, but no sooner had he seen Kenji Hagiwara off than he called the supermarket to order several large boxes of bear-shaped cookies, filling the cabinets in the living room and kitchen to the brim.

When Kenji Hagiwara got home, he hugged Yomi Lai and started sweet-talking her, saying that he had noticed Yomi had stocked up on a lot of bear-shaped cookies at home, probably hoping that Yomi would spend more time with him but was too shy to say it directly. Yomi Lai sat in Kenji Hagiwara's lap, holding the seasonal yogurt he had bought, lost in thought.

Mr. Raikawa didn't know exactly what Kenji Hagiwara had done, but he knew that Hagiwara's efforts were indispensable in reconciling his relationship with his daughter.

There was a polite knock on the door three times. When Mr. Raikawa went to open the door, he gave Kenji Hagiwara, who was standing outside, a sincere smile: "Yomi and I have been waiting for you for a long time. Come in."

The table was laden with delicious-smelling fish and meat. Mr. Lai Chuan pulled out a chair and sat down at the head of the table: "Huang Quan, go to the second basement level and bring up a bottle of wine. Do you still remember the wine cellar password?"

Lai Chuan Huang Quan was about to pick up her chopsticks when she heard this, so she quickly put down her chopsticks and stood up: "I remember."

Kenji Hagiwara also stood up: "I'll go." The last time he visited alone, Mr. Raikawa had let him fetch the wine as a sign of his approval. He also knew the code to the wine cellar.

But Mr. Raikawa stopped Kenji Hagiwara: "Yomi, you go. Hagiwara is still a guest; we can't let him run errands for us."

Now that things have come to this point, Kenji Hagiwara understood perfectly well—Mr. Rikawa had deliberately sent Yomi Rikawa away because he had something to say to him.

Seeing this, Kenji Hagiwara stopped arguing, obediently sat back down, and watched Yomi Yorikawa disappear at the bottom of the stairs.

A few seconds after Yomi Laichuan disappeared, Mr. Laichuan sighed, straightened his back, and looked at Kenji Hagiwara with a serious expression: "Hagiwara, I won't beat around the bush with you anymore. When do you plan to propose to my daughter?"

[Author's Note]

Thank you all for your blessings, love you all!

I'll address the comments and bug fixes in a few days.

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