Today, Huo Qin left work early and went to the Ji family home to pick up Chaochao, who was sleepy, and take her back to the Huo residence.

Before the meal, Huo Qin first weighed Chaochao's round little belly. Chaochao then looked down and couldn't see her feet at all.

Because the screen was filled with pictures of her belly.

The little dumpling suddenly felt like a piglet being weighed, and silently tried to tuck in her belly, resulting in an immediate and good weight loss effect.

Chaochao was very satisfied.

As it turned out, the punishment came at dinner.

Huo Qin strictly controlled her dosage, and no matter how much Chaochao promised to exchange for tomorrow's snacks, it was no use. Even when Chaochao used her most effective cute starry eyes trick, Huo Qin could turn his eyes away without changing his expression, showing no mercy.

Grandpa Huo, sitting at the same table, couldn't bear the look in his beloved granddaughter's eyes. He was about to agree when Huo Qin's raised gaze silenced him: "..."

They were incredibly strong today.

Chaochao's begging for food ended in failure, and afterwards he just stared silently at the bottom of her empty bowl: "(?_?)..."

It's as if if you stare at it for too long, a piece of meat will magically grow from the bottom of the bowl, breaking free from the shackles of biology.

at last!

Of course, no flesh grew.

Only the little dumpling remained, gazing forlornly at the dishes that the servants had removed.

A little depressed, Chaochao shrugged and turned into a little dumpling, thumping his feet as he headed to the yard to talk to the flowers and plants.

"Spray some mosquito repellent spray."

Huo Qin sat on the sofa and said without turning his head.

The thumping footsteps stopped.

The timid little dumpling turned around and walked back, took the spray from Zhizhi, sprayed it on his bare hands and feet, and then obediently returned it to the maid.

Knock knock knock.

He ran off again with great momentum.

As night fell, Old Master Huo, exhausted from the events of the past few days, went to his room to rest early.

In the living room, Huo Qin leaned back in the leather sofa, his long fingers holding a remote control pen, while the latest industry report was projected onto the giant screen.

Having been out playing outside for a long time, Chaochao slipped in silently like a little kitten. She tiptoed onto the sofa, her earlier temper completely gone, and she quietly and skillfully amused herself by surrounding Huo Qin.

A moment later, Huo Qin noticed that his left hand had been lifted up. Those two soft little hands were slightly cool and had a refreshing moisture on them—after playing in the yard, Chaochao knew that her dad was clean, so she specially washed her hands before climbing up.

The next second, the little dumpling snuggled into the man's arms, rolled over, lay on her back, and then pulled Huo Qin's hand over to cover her belly button. Once everything was ready, she closed her eyes and went to sleep.

The report on the screen hadn't been turned in a long time.

Huo Qin lowered his eyes and quietly looked at her for a while. With a slight movement of his fingertips, he gently pulled up the hem of her dress, which had been lifted up, to cover her soft, white belly.

Suddenly, his gaze froze.

A string of dendrobium flower bracelets was quietly placed on his bandaged wrist.

Green vines intertwine and entwine, with pale yellow and pinkish-purple petals meticulously woven and secured, resembling resting butterfly wings.

A light apricot-colored origami star was stuck in the center of the wreath. Noticing the faint ink stains seeping through the back of the paper, Huo Qin hesitated for a moment, but still reached out and gently picked the star off.

His fingertips smoothed out the wrinkles, the paper unfolded, and the butterfly-like creases slowly unfurled in his palm.

Sure enough, there were words hidden inside the little star.

The childish handwriting was crooked and messy, and it read:

"Blow, blow!"

"Chaochao loves her dad so much! (=^▽^=)"

The character "超" was even written incorrectly, with an extra horizontal stroke, making it look like a clumsy little paw.

Huo Qin's gaze lingered on the note for a long time.

President Huo, who is usually quick to read and has a photographic memory, seemed unable to understand these two short lines of text. His fingertips unconsciously rubbed the paper, remaining motionless for a long time.

...It turns out that when she was holding his hand, she was secretly blowing on him.

She didn't even mention when she noticed the injury on his wrist.

I thought the little dumpling was really angry this time, which is why she stayed in the yard for so long.

Each little flower with its perfect color scheme was picked up by Chaochao while she wandered among the flowers, squatting on the ground to pick out the freshest fallen petals. While saying nice things to the flower fairy, she would mutter to herself, thinking about how to make the flower wreath on her father's hand look the prettiest.

She and Lingling learned how to fold paper stars that afternoon, and tonight she gave her beloved father her first little star.

Perhaps there really is some kind of telepathic connection between a father and daughter with a deep family bond.

The child hugged his father with the purest love, a hug that showed he seemed a little uneasy today.

Huo Qin remained silent, his fingertips tracing the creases, slowly retracing the path the little dumpling had taken when folding the stars.

— Fold the paper over, flatten it, then fold it over again…

It wasn't until the star reformed that he noticed a small heart drawn on its back.

Suddenly, a soft laugh escaped from the corner of her lips.

"...How lucky."

I'll be your dad.

Perhaps because of those missing three years, suddenly, a sense of happiness from something lost and then regained filled his entire heart.

Her well-defined fingers hovered in mid-air, gesturing the curve of her chubby cheeks hundreds of times. Finally, her index finger and thumb curled slightly, and she gently pinched those two soft, baby-fat mounds, just as she had hoped.

The man's downcast gaze was deep and dark, the emotions swirling within his eyes unreadable.

Gentle, yet shrouded in an irresistible coldness.

—From the moment Chaochao appeared before him.

In this world, no one can go back on their word.