Help! My life!!

Yu Ning, who accidentally pressed the button to the face and activated the ultimate skill, had a blank mind. Apart from the three big words that kept repeating, even the ticking of the antique clock on the snow-white wall seemed to be drawn out very slowly and clearly. If even a short second felt so long, what would a lifetime be like?

Yu Ning's brain raced, and after speaking, she paused subtly for no more than a second before immediately smiling and making amends:

"The dog... has enough to eat, there's no need to prepare anything else, thank you very much for your hospitality."

Jiang Chi fell silent for the second time: "…………"

He took back his earlier thought that "she's still fairly normal."

He shouldn't have had any expectations.

Otherwise, he'll be the one who gets hurt =)

Although it backfired by trying to cover up the truth, Yu Ning had completely calmed down after saying the second sentence, and a warm smile remained on her lips.

It's okay, as long as she's not embarrassed, it's not her who's embarrassed.

Since she offered a way out that both sides could back down.

Jiang Chi paused for a moment, then said in a calm tone:

"You're welcome. It's Chaochao who has gone to so much trouble."

Speaking of which, where is the little dumpling?

His peripheral vision swept across the entire hall.

He had clearly heard her chattering just a few minutes ago.

Meanwhile, the little boy that Jiang Chi was thinking about was working hard in the kitchen—helping his aunt and uncle judge the saltiness of the dishes.

Her two small hands cradled the porcelain plate, tilting it upwards at a 90-degree angle. The round bottom of the plate covered half of her face, and to outsiders, only the soft, plump cheeks peeking out from the sides could be seen trembling slightly. "Whoosh—"

After finishing the beef brisket soup in one gulp, Chaochao put down her soup plate with satisfaction, letting out a sigh that sounded like someone tipsy after downing three bottles of beer. Then, she gave a super enthusiastic thumbs up: "Not too salty, not too bland! The taste is just right!"

It's so good I'd like the kids to have another bowl.

Chaochao looked down solemnly at the bottom of the bowl to see if the words "another bowl" were written on it.

The answer is, of course, no.

Besides the smooth, mirror-like white porcelain base reflecting her round face and the faintly visible double chin, the porcelain also revealed her features.

Chaochao: "..."

She sighed softly, her hand holding the small plate falling limply to the ground. The system thought Chaochao was about to give up, but less than a second later, it saw her head suddenly drop, her eyes fixed intently on the bottom of the plate.

She just couldn't believe it really wasn't there!

The system choked, coughing: "Cough cough cough..."

The bottom of the plate, already licked clean and shiny: ...Waaah, I think you're my real daddy, my living daddy! My little living daddy!

After confirming several times that there was nothing left at the bottom of the bowl, the little dumpling reluctantly returned it.

Then, she put her little hands behind her back, slowly swayed over to Aunt Ning's side, stared intently at the plate of tender, pink shrimp, took out the serving chopsticks that were longer than her arm, and said in a serious tone:

"Auntie, did you forget to add salt to these shrimp?"

Why not let her taste it first to see if it's too bland?

Aunt Ning was amused and kept smiling. Although it was almost time to eat, she still helped the little dumpling scoop out two boiled shrimp and handed them to her with a kind smile, saying, "Eat these two first. It's almost time to eat. Chaochao, wait a little longer."

When she talked about something, Aunt Ning's expression showed a hint of helplessness:

"And what about the guests outside? Shouldn't we go and entertain them every day?"

Come to think of it, since the guests arrived, Miss Chaochao has spent most of her time in the kitchen. Every time we thought she had gone out the door, she would turn a corner and come back.

Chaochao, who was happily munching on shrimp, suddenly stopped, raised her face thoughtfully, and still had two shrimp tails in her mouth that she hadn't swallowed yet. At first glance, she looked like some kind of adorable sea creature that had come to life.

The little dumpling, enjoying the aroma of the dishes, finally remembered her older brothers and sisters who had been neglected in the living room and were crying for food.

Huh? ...She said it's a special day, that's why she cooked so many dishes!

In the living room, Jiang Chi, unable to find Chaochao, immediately fixed his gaze on the direction of the kitchen, ready to grab her and ask her whether it was better to have her group of half-siblings or to have him, cough, his brother who shared the same great-grandparents.

But as soon as he took a step, he faintly heard the familiar sound of an engine at the door.

Jiang Chi subconsciously glanced down at his clothes, then quietly straightened up, not appearing too casual or lazy. In the old man's words, he was dressed improperly and stood slouching, which would set a bad example for Chaochao.

When he got to the last point, the one who had remained unmoved raised his deep eyes and glanced at him.

Jiang Chi, feeling tortured by the gaze: "..."

I already said that the openwork suit was requested by the brand, and I wore it during the advertising shoot!

Yu Ning keenly sensed a subtle change in the aura of everyone else in the living room; someone must have returned from outside. It seemed that only—

The door was pushed open, and a handsome and indifferent man walked in methodically. Noticing the gazes falling on him, Huo Qin's thick, dark eyelashes lifted, sweeping over the heads of people in the living room, some familiar and some unfamiliar.

"Mr. Huo."

"Uncle."

Among them, Yu Ning, whose expression remained unchanged, called out "President Huo" in unison. However, secretly, as she was about to face the villain head-on, she nervously withdrew her fingers, her nails digging into the soft flesh of her palms, leaving bright red marks.

Today is our first formal meeting.

But at the auction, she had already witnessed the Huo Group, the ruler who controlled half of B City's economy, and the countless noble families who feared him yet flocked to him with extreme fervor.

He is an extremely dangerous villain, as officially acknowledged in the original work.

Before that, Yu Ning never imagined that the adorable little dumpling, who was like a peach-flavored mochi, would have such a dangerous SSS+ level father.

However, this was a terrifying figure in her eyes—

"Um."

Huo Qin raised his long, slender fingers and loosened his bow tie. He naturally knew that the little dumpling had invited a large group of people to his house for dinner. He had only given a brief reply, but when he thought of these were Chaochao's favorite friends, he added three words.

Hello.

Except for being a bit colder, he's just like a parent in an ordinary family.

Unable to control her defensive mindset, Yu Ning slightly widened her eyes, and a crack appeared on her polite, flawless smile.

It seems...not what she imagined?

"Daddy—!"

The little dumpling's cheerful and surprised voice rang out from another direction.

Upon hearing the noise, Chaochao instantly darted out of the kitchen and headed straight for the man standing in the entryway, as light and quick as a fledgling pigeon finally seeing its long-awaited home bird.

But before she even got close, Chaochao was stopped half a meter away by her loving family bird... her loving daddy calmly extended a finger and pressed it against her forehead. "???"

Undeterred, she pressed on with renewed effort, and finally, despite her relentless struggle, she didn't budge an inch.

Chaochao, who had never been refused a hug before, looked on incredulously with her big, watery almond-shaped eyes.

"Daddy! It's me!"