Chapter 29: School Tyrant (29)

In a casual outfit with a shoulder bag, Zai Ye walked through the fairytale-themed amusement park, holding a child by the hand.

The child was dressed in a magical girl outfit gifted by Li Xiu, paired with lace socks and small leather shoes. With her round face, big eyes, and short, chubby hands, she resembled a BJD doll, drawing the attention of many tourists as she walked by. Some discreetly took out their phones to snap photos—not just of Yu Qian, but also of Zai Ye.

After walking a short distance, Yu Qian climbed onto a nearby bench and stretched out her hand toward Zai Ye.

Zai Ye pulled a bottle of water from his bag and handed it to her, taking the magic wand she was holding and setting it aside.

In this fairytale-themed park, many children were dressed as princesses or other fairytale characters, some holding inflatable balloons or soft props. Yu Qian’s magical girl outfit blended in perfectly.

Following the shared location, Li Xiu eventually found them after some searching.

“Zai Ye, Xiao Qianqian, I’m here!”

Li Xiu walked over hand-in-hand with his girlfriend, followed by a young woman with long hair who appeared quiet and reserved.

Zai Ye had brought the child to the amusement park to make amends after their recent argument. To apologize, he had promised to take her out to play. When he consulted Li Xiu for ideas, Li Xiu mentioned that he was taking his girlfriend, Li Xiao, to the newly opened amusement park and invited Zai Ye and his daughter to join them.

“This is Xiao Xiao’s younger sister, Li Yao,” Li Xiu introduced. “She didn’t have much planned, so she joined us.”

Li Yao seemed distracted and a bit low-spirited, but when she noticed the striking resemblance between Zai Ye and Yu Qian, she gave them a second look.

“Hello,” she said softly.

After brief introductions, Li Xiu turned to Yu Qian with a smile. “Xiao Qian, why aren’t you greeting me?”

Yu Qian held her water bottle, her face stern like her father’s, and gave Li Xiu a curt nod without opening her mouth.

Li Xiu glanced at Zai Ye. “Is Xiao Qian still mad at you? She hasn’t said a word! Look at her face—it’s just as grumpy as yours.”

Zai Ye: “…”

Though Zai Ye’s stern expression was natural, his mood was actually quite good. Looking at his daughter’s sulking face, he suddenly smiled faintly.

“She lost some teeth and doesn’t want to talk.”

When they had reconciled after their fight, his little “wild boar” had still been upset, pawing at him and ready to cry. Instinctively, Zai Ye had tried to block her open mouth with his fist. She bit down, and her already-loose tooth fell right out.

The sight of blood in her mouth and on his fist had left them both stunned. They spent ages rinsing in the bathroom.

Hearing this explanation, Li Xiu understood immediately.

It was a familiar pattern—whenever Yu Qian lost teeth, she’d refuse to speak or open her mouth. And naturally, this only encouraged everyone to tease her more.

“Xiao Qian, let Uncle see which tooth fell out!”

“Was it a front tooth? Come on, show Uncle!”

“Ha! I’m getting ice cream later—too bad you probably can’t eat any. Poor little thing.”

Yu Qian’s eyebrows furrowed as she listened to Li Xiu’s teasing. Suddenly, she snatched her magic wand back from her father and pointed it at Li Xiu, shouting, “Hair disappear!”

Though her speech was whistly, her commanding presence was undeniable.

Li Xiu froze: “…”

His girlfriend burst into laughter, and even Li Yao, who had seemed downcast, couldn’t help but smile.

Zai Ye quickly led his fierce little “wild boar” away before she could unleash a triple hair-loss spell in her anger.

During the carriage ride around the park, Zai Ye sat behind his daughter, observing the families around them. Most mothers held their children on the carousel horses while fathers leaned against the railings, constantly taking photos with phones and cameras.

These gentle rides, designed for children, were far from thrilling—boring, even, for someone like Zai Ye who was used to racing on mountain roads. Yet the peaceful atmosphere stirred memories of his own childhood, before his family had fallen apart. He remembered his parents taking him to an amusement park, riding a similar carousel, laughing as joyfully as his daughter now did.

She was so caught up in her happiness that she didn’t even notice her missing teeth showing.

The roller coaster came next, equally mild. Zai Ye maintained his expressionless face throughout, like a living safety seat with built-in restraints, holding his child securely against his chest.

While Zai Ye took his daughter around, Li Xiu went off to other attractions with his girlfriend. Only Li Yao remained seated on a bench, watching others enjoy themselves.

When Yu Qian grew tired, Zai Ye carried her over and noticed Li Yao hadn’t moved from her spot.

“Daddy, I want that,” Yu Qian said, pointing at the large cotton candy being sold from a mascot cart nearby.

Zai Ye hesitated, but Li Yao quickly offered, “I’ll watch her—you go ahead.”

He returned shortly with two cotton candies, giving a pink one to Yu Qian and keeping the blue one.

Yu Qian took a bite of her pink candy before reaching for his blue one.

“Finish yours first,” Zai Ye said.

Ignoring him, she took the blue cotton candy and passed it to Li Yao.

Zai Ye: “…”

What was this? Stealing her father’s cotton candy to give to someone else?

Li Yao: “?”

“For me? Thank you,” she said softly.

Yu Qian, still munching her candy, looked at her carefully. “Are you feeling sad?”

Li Yao, who had indeed been feeling low and depressed, couldn’t hold back her tears at the child’s earnest concern.

Yu Qian raised her magic wand and gently tapped Li Yao’s hand.

“Here’s some happy magic for you.”

Li Yao almost broke down at the child’s serious expression. She reached out to pat Yu Qian’s head.

“Thank you, sweetheart.”

After resting, Yu Qian tugged at her father’s hand, ready for their next adventure.

Her stern-faced father looked down at her. “Yu Qian, do I look happy to you?”

Yu Qian gazed up at his grim expression and suddenly jabbed her magic wand into his waist several times, like a tiny assassin.

Unable to stand the tickling, Zai Ye tried to block her attacks, listening to his daughter’s delighted giggles.

Her actions made it clear—regardless of his mood, she was happy.

“Just wait,” Zai Ye warned. “Don’t ask me to carry you when you get tired.”

When Li Xiu and his girlfriend returned, they found Zai Ye pulling a small cart with Yu Qian sitting contentedly inside.

Not long after their amusement park visit came Li Xiu’s engagement celebration. Both families were wealthy and prominent in their respective cities, so the engagement party was particularly grand.

As Li Xiu’s close friend, Zai Ye naturally attended with his daughter.

Yu Qian was immediately whisked away by Li Xiu to meet his fiancée. He joked about borrowing some of Yu Qian’s luck, hoping their future daughter would be just as adorable.

“If your daughter looks like Yu Qian, you might be in trouble,” Zai Ye quipped, making a rare joke.

“Get lost, you!” Li Xiu laughed.

Zai Ye walked alone to the window, but his moment of peace was brief. He heard approaching footsteps and turned to find his father.

“Why the sour face? Annoyed to see me? Well, I’m not thrilled to see you either,” his father spoke first.

“If I annoy you, then leave.”

“I’ll leave after I’ve said my piece.” His father snorted. “Li Xiu’s getting married—what about you? I heard you’re getting along well with the Li family’s second daughter. You even went to the amusement park together. She’s not a bad match—if you’re interested, you have my approval.”

Zai Ye walked away without another word.

Later, when several close friends were sitting together, Li Xiu brought up the same topic.

“My wife’s sister Li Yao was recently deceived by her ex-boyfriend. Her family wants to find her someone suitable for marriage, and they seem to have taken a liking to you.”

Zai Ye: “?”

He frowned. “Not interested.”

“Don’t be so quick to refuse,” Li Xiu pressed. “Li Yao has a good personality, and she’d definitely get along well with Xiao Qian. Think about it—at your age, not even dating? Are you planning to spend your whole life just with your daughter? Even ancient widows weren’t as steadfast as you.”

Zai Ye grabbed a nearby cushion and threw it at Li Xiu’s face.

“Drop it. I’m not getting married.”

Over the years, he’d heard this from everyone—his father’s side, his mother’s side, various friends. Some said a wife could help care for Yu Qian, others warned that children eventually grow up and leave, suggesting he’d be lonely without a partner.

But even during the most chaotic period of expanding his company, he’d never considered letting others care for Yu Qian. Now, he was even less inclined to do so.

Most importantly, he couldn’t shake the fear that if he married someone else, he might neglect Yu Qian, or if he had more children, she would feel like an outsider in the family—just as he once had.

Their life was good as it was, just the two of them.

One friend joked, “With a little burden like that, Zai Ye will have trouble finding a wife. Women these days don’t want to be stepmothers.”

Zai Ye instinctively glanced aside to check if Yu Qian had heard. Seeing her asleep, he turned to the friend with a frown. “My daughter is not a burden.”

With too many such comments flying around, Zai Ye decided to leave early with Yu Qian.

As he carried her out of the hotel, she suddenly nuzzled against his neck.

“Daddy, can’t you find a wife?” she asked softly.

Zai Ye: “…”

“You weren’t asleep? Don’t worry about whether I have a wife or not. Children shouldn’t concern themselves with such things.”

Yu Qian remained serious, leaning against his shoulder.

Back home, when Zai Ye wasn’t looking, Yu Qian whispered to the air, “Little Fairy, is it because of me that Daddy can’t find a wife?”

System 65 protested for the thousandth time: 「Host, I’m a system, not a fairy!」

But its host was now truly a child, her mind full of whimsical thoughts, stubbornly insisting on treating it as a pet fairy.

Still worried about what she’d heard, she asked, “Little Fairy, will people look down on Daddy because he doesn’t have a wife?”

System 65 grumbled: 「Host, stop worrying about his wife and focus on your own mission. You’re almost done—the protagonist’s affection value is already at maximum.」