Jiang Chi couldn't understand it, but that didn't stop him from trying to survive.

With something on his mind, he quickly said, "I have work to do, I'm going upstairs now."

Then the person disappeared without a trace.

However, even as they retreated, they didn't forget to casually throw away the strawberry milk carton that had been thoroughly consumed by the little dumpling.

Although she said she would wait until she saw the results of the testicle test before eating it, well...

Chaochao looked down at the third small cake she had eaten since the TV show started airing, and the second plate of desserts Aunt Ning had served her, and fell silent, lacking confidence.

Oh dear, of course you should drink milk with some snacks, that way you can help the milk go down properly.

The little dumpling, who was quite self-consistent, comforted me in this way.

The initial guilty conscience about eating cake has been replaced by a sense of entitlement to showing off cake with a clear conscience.

"...Huh?"

Chaochao was about to grab the fourth one, but when she caught sight of the plate of cakes, her eyes narrowed and she let out a strange "Eh."

She is no longer the empty-headed baby she used to be.

She's a baby who can do math now!

"One...two...three...four..."

Chaochao lay on the side of the coffee table, counting the small cakes on the plate one by one, and then raised her two little hands to start counting.

There are still four small cakes on the plate, so she can eat four more... no, no, it's more like adding the two she just ate, that makes—

"Four... plus two... four plus two equals... equals six!"

The second plate of small cakes that Aunt Ning just brought out contained six cakes.

So she was eating this plate, and it seemed that Huo Qin hadn't touched the previous plate either; she had been in that spot ever since she came back from seeing her older brother and sister off.

Chaochao turned to look at Huo Qin, who stood to the side with an indifferent expression like a work machine: "Daddy, why aren't you eating the little cake?"

The system, which was observing everything clearly from the outside, was so moved by Chaochao's question that it let out a soft whimper and bit its handkerchief.

Waaah, baby, you finally noticed President Huo!

Her sincere eyes were filled with doubt, mixed with a little worry and self-doubt.

"Do you think it doesn't taste good?"

Chaochao tilted her head, wanting to say that she thought the taste was still absolutely fantastic, so she wanted to have her dad try another one.

But then she remembered that she had already tried three, while her father hadn't eaten a single one yet, so she immediately stopped what she was doing.

Huo Qin looked up upon hearing this, appearing perfectly normal.

"I just can't eat it."

So, are you full?

But Dad didn't eat much for dinner either.

Chaochao frowned, her bright almond-shaped eyes filled with worry, and slowly said, "The old man upstairs used to be like this before he passed away, unable to eat..."

Huo Qin's fingers, which were turning the page, paused: "..."

Grandma Zhou just casually mentioned it while standing by the window and let it go, but she never expected that the little baby in her arms, who was only a little over two years old, would remember it to this day.

Little did they expect that the gears of fate would begin to turn from this moment.

Now, a certain child, who was obsessed with food, frowned in deep thought, and finally looked at Huo Qin with his watery eyes and a look that said he was about to die: "Daddy, you..."

Huo Qin took a deep breath, forcibly resisting the urge to rub his eyebrows.

"I'm fine."

He spoke slowly.

Why would you suddenly lose your appetite for no reason?

Although the man stated it this way, Chaochao's worry did not diminish at all. She glanced down at the four small cakes left on the plate, then picked one up and ran to Huo Qin.

She tiptoed and tried her best to bring the cake to the man's lips, her other small hand supporting it from below as if afraid the cake would accidentally roll away, her soft, childlike voice filled with anticipation:

"How about you have one, Daddy?"

"I've already tried several, they're absolutely delicious!"

If you don't eat, I'll have to leave, waaaaah!

At this moment, Chaochao, who was worried about her father's safety, didn't even care about "Niu Dan" on TV. She held the snack in her little hand and lifted it up.

Huo Qin's gaze, which had been lowered, shifted upwards to the enlarged cream cake in front of him, and he seemed to pause for a moment.

His dark, ink-like eyes glanced indifferently at the eagerly expectant little dumpling, his voice as indifferent as his expression.

"So this time I can't pick it up myself?"

Chaochao: "?"

She asked if she wanted to eat, and why did Daddy say that?

That's so strange.

Compared to Chaochao's complete bewilderment, the gossip system reacted with much more excitement.

The moment Huo Qin uttered his seemingly calm, half-smiling question, the system sprang to life in Chaochao's mind like a spring, weeping pitifully: "Waaah, baby, quickly hug President Huo, he's about to break."

Chaochao: "??"

My head is so itchy, I feel like I'm going to grow two question marks.

What's about to break?

Daddy is doing fine now, isn't he?

...But it seems that things might not be the same in the future...

Because Daddy won't eat anything QAQ.

The system picked up a handkerchief and wiped away its unfounded tears, then explained to the little dumpling in the village who didn't yet have internet access: "Broken means this person is a bit emo right now... uh, emo means this person is feeling down or sentimental..."

"Chaochao, don't you think what your dad said sounds familiar?"

Feeling that the more the system explained, the less clear it became, it changed the subject and kindly reminded Chaochao.

Actually, Chaochao understood a bit. In summary, Xiaoqi was saying that Daddy wasn't very happy at the moment...

The thought of her father being unhappy made her instinctively want to raise her arms and hug him, just like Xiaoqi had suggested, but unfortunately, she was holding a cake in her hand.

"Chaochao, don't you think what your dad said sounds familiar?"

Xiaoqi's reminder just now echoed in her ears.

The usually obedient little dumpling pondered his father's question, something about "not letting him pick things up himself anymore"...

Xiaoqi, who is committed to doing everything right, would like to remind you again:

"You're the one who said 'baby' during dinner."

Upon hearing this, Chaochao blinked and thought about it carefully. It was indeed true. She was busy helping her older siblings pick up food, so she let her father pick up food for himself.

So... does Dad care about this?

So much that I don't even feel like eating a small cake anymore?

After Huo Qin finished speaking and saw Chao Chao's blank expression, the man calmly looked away.

So we didn't see the surprise that followed on that soft, doughy white face, the sudden realization in the third second, and the vivid expression of "Let her think about it carefully" in the fifth second.

While she was talking to the system and later lost in thought, the little dumpling maintained the posture of holding the cake, without complaining of arm fatigue or urging anyone to hurry up, as if the pause button had been suddenly pressed.

But your arms will eventually get sore if you hold it for too long.

Even if the little dumpling doesn't say anything, there are always people who care about her.

Huo Qin's gaze had barely shifted when it returned. He tossed the documents on his lap aside and reached for the pastries that were in front of him: "Here you go first—"

But the little hand suddenly dodged away.

"Daddy, do you want me to feed you?"