Chapter 61: You shameless scoundrel, I am Yingzai's daddy!

"This is a special case. It definitely won't happen again..."

Qiao Weidong smiled with a mix of awkwardness and sorrow, as if trying to reassure He Chen, but even more so to convince himself, pumping himself up to avoid constantly dwelling on the terrifying mental image of his precious cabbage actively offering herself up to a pig.

However, before he could finish, meeting He Chen's utterly skeptical gaze, his expression collapsed, and he could no longer keep up the smile. "Xiao He, do you think I'm being too optimistic?"

"Optimism is a defining trait of sitcom characters! That's hardly surprising!" He Chen replied with a dry remark instead of a direct answer.

"How do you think this will turn out?" Qiao Weidong's face twisted with bitterness. Although he neither wanted to hear it nor dared to think about it, as an aging father, no matter how harsh or difficult the reality might be, he had to prepare himself.

He had watched *My Own Swordsman* and found it brilliant. The protagonist, Bai Zhantang, bore a strong facial resemblance to him, creating a powerful sense of immersion. In a way, Lao Bai was also a father figure to Xiao Bei, a thoroughly troublesome kid.

Yet Xiao Bei wasn't half as exceptional as his own precious daughter.

The rebellious kid Xiao Bei caused all sorts of infuriating troubles, but in the end, everything always managed to resolve itself harmoniously.

And that wasn't just because Xiao Bei had a "mother" who was exceptionally eloquent and empathetic, but also because Xiao Bei herself was naturally resilient, capable of bouncing right back from any rough tumble.

Besides, that was a comedy!

As a worldly-wise veteran who had tumbled through society for the better part of his life, Qiao Weidong knew all too well that reality was no comedy; it was far more often a tragedy.

His beloved daughter Qiao Yingzi wasn't nearly as thick-skinned or resilient as Xiao Bei. While she was more obedient, her psychological foundation was far more fragile, completely incapable of withstanding that kind of torment.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have pulled off that stunt with this kid right in front of them at the planetarium!

"In any case, don't be too optimistic. You need to mentally prepare yourself!" He Chen shook his head. "A personality like yours is no match for Qiao Yingzi's somewhat unhinged mother! Even if you realize that Qiao Yingzi's emotions are teetering on the edge of a cliff, the extent of what you can do is extremely limited! Because no matter how you handle it, Qiao Yingzi's mother will never agree to it. If you push back even a little, there's no telling what her emotionally unstable self might do. As for Qiao Yingzi, she will either submit to her mother, only to have her spirit crushed and suffocated to the point of going insane, or she will mount an even more violent rebellion, driving her mother into an even deeper frenzy. This is a war over who holds dominion and voice within the mother-daughter dynamic! You and I are pretty much the same—just catalysts in the mix."

"..." Listening to the first half of He Chen's words, Qiao Weidong felt that while the statements sounded harsh, they were absolute truths that struck straight to his core. Otherwise, with Yingzi already in her senior year of high school, why would he go out of his way to force a closer bond with his daughter?

Was he really doing it because, as his ex-wife claimed, his daughter had been raised to be so exceptional that he had suddenly shown up to pluck the ripe peach?

The peach was his daughter's best friend, and he wasn't some kind of pervert... No matter how youthful his mindset was... no matter if he wanted a younger partner, he would only ever date someone like Xiao Meng, who was a decade younger than him—which still made her over a decade older than his daughter and her friends!

How could that even be possible?

He wasn't an idiot. His daughter was about to come of age, and right now she was at the most critical juncture of her senior year. If he genuinely wanted to fight for custody of his daughter, what difference would a year earlier or a year later make? Certainly, sooner was far worse than later.

The reason he kept licking his wounds and showing up with a flattering smile, secretly renovating his old apartment in the same gated community, and desperately keeping his young girlfriend away from that residence was precisely because he, too, sensed that his daughter's mental state was deeply compromised. He wanted to provide a safe haven for her, a sanctuary to keep her from being driven insane!

And his ex-wife, Song Qian, truly had some mental issues.

Putting aside the absurd infidelity drama that he still refused to accept even now, looking back, he—her boyfriend and husband—had actually been treated by her like a son!

To some extent, he could be considered Yingzi's 'older brother'—an 'older brother' who had fallen out with his mother and run away from home. One could only imagine how deeply he understood what Yingzi was going through.

He Chen was right. Short of having a total falling out, fighting it out to the bitter end, and establishing a clear hierarchy, Song Qian's fractured mindset would inevitably push people right to the brink of madness.

Yet, while the logic held true, what on earth did "you and I are pretty much the same" even mean?

I am her father; how could you possibly compare yourself to me?

At this thought, Qiao Weidong's gaze toward He Chen clearly telegraphed the message: *You shameless little brat.*

Yet He Chen read his look, smiled radiantly without a care in the world, and walked away with the lavish gift Qiao Weidong had given him, bidding him farewell.

Qiao Weidong watched him leave, sighing inwardly that if only his daughter possessed that kind of psychological resilience.

Right!

He made up his decision: their weekly gatherings would now feature He Chen, who shared such a great wavelength with him, replacing Fang Yuan entirely.

He would schedule it right before the day he met with his daughter each week!

If He Chen couldn't drink, then they wouldn't drink!

Eating a grand meal and learning more about young people and his daughter's current trends from the wise-beyond-his-years and perceptive He Chen would allow him to act with targeted precision, soothing his daughter's dangerous emotions far more effectively than beating around the bush with Fang Yuan to extract scraps of information about his ex-wife through three layers of indirect inquiries.

Since Qiao Weidong had made his moves, Song Qian naturally wouldn't remain indifferent.

Therefore, when Qiao Yingzi returned home after evening self-study, she immediately sensed that something was off about the house. Looking closer, her scalp began to tingle.

The living room had been entirely transformed into a miniature planetarium lecture hall.

"How is it? Does it feel right?" Song Qian walked over to her daughter with a beaming smile, showcasing the setup proudly as she asked.

"What feel?" Qiao Yingzi's smile completely vanished.

"Do you feel the atmosphere?" Song Qian laughed. "Last weekend at the planetarium, Mom was so proud listening to your presentation, and it gave me a lot of inspiration. Being a volunteer is actually a wonderful job—it not only enriches your knowledge and improves your spoken communication, but it also builds your confidence and articulation. Mom supports you all the way..."

Just like He Chen, Qiao Yingzi knew a devastating "however" was bound to follow. But unlike He Chen, she only dared to think it in her heart.

And sure enough, her mother made her pivot: "However, the planetarium is just too far! Taking that trip back and forth takes up half a day! We can easily practice being a docent right here without going all the way to the planetarium! Look at how well Mom set this up!"

With that, she picked up a microphone, tested the sound with a few "Hello, hello," and shoved the mic into her daughter's hands. Ignoring her daughter's complaints that "this is so silly," Song Qian sat herself down in the "audience seats" and demanded that her daughter deliver her planetarium presentation right then and there.

Qiao Yingzi refused to budge, standing rigidly in place. Seeing this, Song Qian forged ahead on her own train of thought: "Still not enough atmosphere, huh? Well then, I'll just invite my students over! That's a brilliant idea—you get to practice your spoken delivery, and they get to practice their listening skills!"

"Mom—!!" Qiao Yingzi completely snapped. Dragging out her voice in sheer desperation, she hurled the microphone to the floor, squatted down, and slapped the ground with her hands. "Oh my god, what are you doing—?!!"

In truth, she understood her mother's intentions all too well.

After all, on her way back from evening self-study, she had spent the entire journey chatting with her best friend about the basketball duel between He Chen and Fang Yifan.

Although they both sympathized with Fang Yifan for being beaten to a pulp, they had to admit that He Chen looked breathtakingly handsome—even more striking than before, reaching a whole new level of good looks.

She still retained her rationality and didn't delusionally imagine that anything could ever happen between her and He Chen.

Yet, there was no denying that after the planetarium incident, her feelings toward He Chen had shifted from before; the ratio of her logic to emotion had plummeted from nine-to-one down to a mere two parts reason.

Now, witnessing her mother go to such dramatic lengths to "tear them apart" completely clashed with her ability to accept it, especially with her mother making unilateral arrangements despite her clear unwillingness. It made her feel like she was losing her mind and on the verge of a nervous breakdown.