Before his words had even fully faded, Cao Daqiang suddenly raised his hand and slapped Liu Yingzi hard across the face.

Everyone around them froze.

"Cao Daqiang, are you insane? You dare hit me?"

Liu Yingzi stood rooted to the spot, one hand covering her stinging cheek.

"So you think you’re so tough now, is that it? Your wings have grown strong, so you don’t need our Liu Family anymore. You won’t even let me into my own home! And now look at you, you even dare to get physical? Are you trying to completely humiliate me in front of all these people?"

"Shut up!"

Cao Daqiang glared at her, his eyes darting around to watch the crowd.

"If you’d just behave, I’d have no problem supporting you and your daughter for the rest of your lives. I wouldn’t short you a single cent. But you just have to fight me, don’t you? You have to cause all this trouble? In that case, I’ll show you what ruthless really is! When the time comes, we’ll see if your mom and dad can still protect you. Can they?"

Liu Yingzi’s blood ran cold under his stare.

The crowd was growing, and she didn’t dare to look up anymore.

"Get lost," Cao Daqiang said, his face cold.

Liu Yingzi didn’t dare say a word. She lowered her head, turned, and walked away.

When her daughter came home, she had to force a smile and make up a story.

Cao Daqiang was busy and had gone back to his hometown. He’d said he had family matters to attend to and left some money before he went.

"With the money Dad gave us, we can go buy new dresses and new toys!"

She forced a smile and pinched her daughter’s little cheek.

"Do you want a pink bow hairpin? Mommy will take you to buy one, okay?"

Cao Jiajia blinked and nodded vigorously.

"Yes! I want to dress up all pretty, so when Dad comes back, he’ll definitely praise me!"

From that day on, Liu Yingzi never took her daughter to the Cao family’s home again.

She knew that some cracks could never be mended.

Occasionally, she would visit her parents’ home, just to see if they were doing well.

As long as her parents were still alive, she felt she still had a way out, a place where she could catch her breath.

Shanshan, on the other hand, had a new set of worries.

The older kids were always gathered around her, helping her organize her schoolbag and reminding her to bring her water bottle.

Shanshan slowly discovered that the way everyone treated her was different from how it used to be when she was with her dad.

She was also starting to realize that she was a girl.

Her teacher had talked about the "difference between boys and girls" in class.

She said that eight-year-olds should have a sense of independence and learn to sleep in their own rooms.

She listened intently and took it to heart.

So, she began moving her things out of her dad’s room, one by one.

Within a few days, Ling Anxun’s room was missing quite a few things.

He got home from his night shift at two in the morning.

"Dad? Why haven’t you changed your clothes yet?"

Shanshan poked her little head out, standing at the doorway in a pink nightgown.

"Come out and help me with my homework! I don’t get the math problems, and the teacher said she’s checking it tomorrow!"

He stood in the doorway, motionless, his eyes fixed on the empty side of the bed.

"Shanshan... when did you move your things out?"

"Over the past couple of days."

"Teacher said that when girls grow up, they can’t share a room with their dads anymore. It’s about the difference between boys and girls. Otherwise, people will make fun of us."

"But you’re only eight..."

"I’m still a girl even if I’m eight!" she immediately retorted.

"The teacher said so, so I have to listen. Otherwise, it’ll be even more trouble when I get to middle school!"

He was stunned for a moment, then suddenly smiled.

He then crouched down and gently patted her head.

"Sigh. Dad, I know you’ll miss me," she suddenly leaned in and whispered.

"But don’t be sad about it. Even though Shanshan is growing up, I’m still your sweet, caring daughter, right? If you really feel like the nights are too cold and lonely..."

She tilted her head and thought for a moment.

"Why don’t you just find a partner? Like First Uncle and Second Uncle. The house would be so lively and cheerful. Wouldn’t that be nice?"

Seeing her act like this, Ling Anxun shook his head helplessly and raised his hand to flick her on the forehead.

But Shanshan was prepared. With a tilt of her head, she ducked and slipped away from under his hand with a SWOOSH.

"Aren’t you afraid I’ll actually bring you back a stepmom?" he deliberately put on a stern face, his brow slightly furrowed.

But Shanshan wasn’t intimidated at all. Instead, she stood her ground and stuck her tongue out at him.

"Hehe, I’m not scared! Dad would never get married!"

Before the words were out of her mouth, she turned and darted back into her room.

’Why was she so sure?’

’Because she knew all too well.’

Ling Anxun had no intention of remarrying.

For as long as she could remember, her dad had never mentioned any woman, nor had he ever brought one home.

Ling Anxun stood where he was, sighing deeply as he stared in the direction she had disappeared.

’The kid is growing up. He was bound to hear this kind of talk sooner or later.’

’He couldn’t avoid it, and there was no need to hide from it anymore.’

’As a father, he had to learn to face it, to accept the independent way of thinking she was gradually developing.’

’He just hadn’t expected it to come so soon.’

’He had thought the topic of remarriage wouldn’t come up for at least a few more years.’

’But reality was unreasonable, and just like that, the subject had been broached by an eight-year-old’s joke.’

But watching her skip and hop around, his heart melted completely.

"Dad! Hurry up and help me with my homework!"

Hearing his daughter call from outside the door, Ling Anxun couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

"Okay, I’m coming."

’I should really be grateful that my education isn’t half-bad. Otherwise, I wouldn’t even be qualified to help my kid with her homework right now.’

’To think that back then, he’d risked life and limb in the army to get into a military academy, only for that achievement to become his qualification for tutoring elementary school homework. It was quite comical when he thought about it.’

「The days flew by.」

It would soon be Ding Qin’s seventieth birthday.

For the matriarch’s birthday, the whole family would gather. Ling Zhenkang made the final decision: they would celebrate it in grand style!

"Oh dear, I’m really getting old."

Ding Qin sat in the grand armchair in the main hall, fanning herself with a simple silk fan.

"Grandma, what are you talking about!" Ling Zhiwei immediately rushed over.

"Look at your complexion—it’s rosy and radiant! You walk with a spring in your step and your voice is full of vigor. You look fifty at most! Who would dare call you old? They must be blind in both eye and heart!"

His words made Ding Qin laugh so hard she couldn’t close her mouth.

She raised her hand and lightly patted Ling Zhiwei’s arm.

"You child, you just know how to make me happy."

The birthday banquet was set. The feast would be held at the best restaurant in town.

But as the day drew near, the family found themselves stumped about what gift to get.

"What kind of nice things hasn’t Mom seen? Gold, silver, silk, satin, jade, porcelain... haven’t we given her enough of that stuff over the years? What can we get her that isn’t tacky? We can’t just give her a gold ingot, can we?"

Everyone frowned.

"Don’t even mention it. Over the past few years, we’ve given her every possible birthday gift. Health-preserving kettles, massage chairs, bird’s nest soup, cordyceps... her cabinets are almost full. If we give her anything more, she might have to clear out her wardrobe."

"Zhiwei, you’re full of clever ideas. Quick, think of something!"

All eyes turned to Ling Zhiwei in unison.

Suddenly put on the spot, Ling Zhiwei froze.

"Me? I don’t have any ideas either!"

He glanced around, his brow slightly furrowed, and his gaze finally landed on Shanshan, who was sitting in the corner.

"Shanshan, you’ve got an idea, don’t you? Look at you, grinning like a little fox who stole some candy, trying to hold back your laughter. You’re definitely up to something! Spit it out, quick! Don’t keep us in suspense!"

Hearing this, Shanshan quickly covered her mouth with her hands.

"Hehe... I really can’t say! It won’t work if I say it!"

"Dad and I are going to prepare it together. It’s no use asking now!"

Ling Anxun was taken aback when he heard this.

"Me and you? Prepare what? How come I haven’t heard a thing about this?"