Chapter 43: Daddy Became a National Treasure  

After coming downstairs, Zhao Jiaying greeted Lin Zhenzhu and Ou Zilong as sweetly as she always did.  

“Great-grandma, Second Uncle, good morning!”  

Seeing Zhao Jiaying greet her, Lin Zhenzhu was overjoyed and excitedly said: “Good morning, Yingbao! You didn’t—”  

Just as she was about to ask if Zhao Jiaying was okay, Ou Zilong quickly pulled her back to stop her. Only then did she realize she shouldn’t bring it up, so she promptly shut her mouth.  

“Good morning, Yingbao!” Ou Zilong responded with a smile.  

“Great-grandma, what were you just about to say?”  

Zhao Jiaying noticed Lin Zhenzhu hesitating to speak and couldn’t help but ask.  

“N-Nothing… Great-grandma just wanted to call Yingbao for breakfast. Come, come… Great-grandma had them prepare your favorite scallion pancakes. Come and eat!”  

Ou Zilong picked Zhao Jiaying up and placed her in her child’s seat. She happily began eating.  

Seeing how joyfully she ate, both Lin Zhenzhu and Ou Zilong felt relieved, thinking that yesterday’s incident hadn’t affected her too much.  

At that moment, Ou Zichen also came downstairs, yawning as he walked into the dining room. Noticing the exhaustion on his face, Lin Zhenzhu couldn’t help but ask,  

“Zichen, why do you look so tired? Didn’t you sleep well last night?”  

Then again, considering what had happened to his daughter yesterday, it would have been strange if he had slept well.  

“Great-grandma, Daddy had insomnia last night, so today he turned into a national treasure!”  

National treasure? Upon hearing this term, black lines seemed to appear on Ou Zichen’s forehead, and he furrowed his brows. Why was she saying that again? It was all because he had held her the entire night, unable to get any sleep. Otherwise, how could he have turned into a national treasure today?  

Fine, he had been influenced by Zhao Jiaying—he, too, now believed he had become a national treasure!  

Ou Zilong couldn’t hold back and burst into laughter. Zhao Jiaying’s analogy was just too fitting.  

The fact that she could joke around with her Daddy meant their lively and adorable Yingbao had truly returned.  

Lin Zhenzhu also couldn’t help but laugh and said to Ou Zichen: “If you didn’t sleep well, go upstairs and take a nap after breakfast. Don’t go to the company today.”  

“Grandma, I’m fine. No need to worry!”  

Missing a few hours of sleep wasn’t a big deal. Back when he was on missions in the Military Unit, he had gone three days with only five or six hours of sleep in total, and he had still managed just fine.  

The four of them sat together at the dining table, enjoying breakfast.  

As they ate, Aunt Liu walked over.  

“Madam, Young Master Shen Linghao is here!”  

The moment Zhao Jiaying heard that Shen Linghao had arrived, she immediately jumped down from her chair and excitedly ran outside.

“It’s Brother Linghao coming to see Yingbao!”  

Seeing her running so fast, Lin Zhenzhu spoke with concern: “Yingbao, slow down! Be careful not to fall.”  

Then she turned to Ou Zilong and said: “Zilong, go follow her and check on her!”  

“Alright, Grandma!”  

Ou Zilong quickly followed after her.  

As soon as Zhao Jiaying ran out of the villa, she saw Shen Linghao and called out sweetly: “Brother Linghao! You didn’t lie to Yingbao—you really came to see Yingbao!”  

Shen Linghao gently patted her head and replied warmly: “Brother said he would come, so of course, I came!”  

“Mm!”  

When Shen Linghao saw Ou Zilong, he politely greeted him: “Second Uncle Ou, good morning!”  

“Linghao, you’re here. Come on in!”  

Holding Shen Linghao’s hand, Zhao Jiaying happily led him back into the villa.  

In the Dining Room  

“Zichen, now that Linghao is here, does this mean Yingbao isn’t going to school today?”  

It was Tuesday, and school was in session.  

“She won’t be going for now. Until we find out who’s behind all this, it’s safer for Yingbao to stay at home. That way, everyone can feel more at ease. Besides, Linghao will be coming over to keep her company during this time, so she won’t feel lonely at home.”  

The security system at the Ou Family Estate was highly advanced. The mastermind behind the incident wouldn’t dare to openly come and take her away. For now, keeping Zhao Jiaying at home was the safest option.  

“Linghao is a good child. If it weren’t for him yesterday, Yingbao wouldn’t have been saved. I must personally thank him later!”  

Shen Linghao had saved Zhao Jiaying. He wasn’t just her benefactor—he was the benefactor of the entire Ou family. It was only natural for Lin Zhenzhu to personally express her gratitude.  

“Brother Linghao, you haven’t had breakfast yet, have you? Let’s eat together! Grandma Liu made so many delicious things today!”  

Zhao Jiaying loved to eat and also loved sharing food with the people she liked.  

“Alright!”  

As they entered the dining room, Shen Linghao greeted everyone first.  

“Great-grandma, Uncle Ou, good morning!”  

“Good, good, good! Linghao, you haven’t had breakfast yet, right? Come, join us and have some. Yingbao has only just started eating and hasn’t had much yet!” Lin Zhenzhu waved him over.  

She then turned to Aunt Liu and said: “Aunt Liu, bring Young Master Linghao a set of tableware!”  

“Thank you, Great-grandma!”  

Shen Linghao sat down in the seat beside Zhao Jiaying. The moment she was back at the table, she eagerly picked up food for him.  

“Brother, these pancakes are really good! Hurry and try one!”

　

“Brother, this stir-fried rice noodles smell amazing!”  

“Brother, and this fried dough stick is also really delicious!”  

Before long, Zhao Jiaying had filled Shen Linghao’s bowl to the brim, to the point that even he felt a little embarrassed.  

“Yingbao, you don’t have to give me so much. If I want to eat, I’ll take it myself. You should eat, too!”  

Seeing that the bowl was almost overflowing, Zhao Jiaying finally stopped and said: “Brother, you eat first. Once you’re done, we’ll take more.”  

Ou Zichen, watching this scene, felt a little jealous. Even as her biological father, he had never received such treatment.  

It seemed that daughters truly couldn’t be kept at home forever. At such a young age, she already knew to side with her future husband.  

Lin Zhenzhu said: “Linghao, eat whatever you like. Help yourself, don’t be polite. Just treat this as your own home!”  

“Thank you, Great-grandma! I won’t be polite!”  

Since this was his future father-in-law’s home, naturally, he would treat it as his own. There was no need for formalities.  

“Linghao, Great-grandma wants to thank you. Thank you for saving our Yingbao yesterday. If not for you…”  

If not for him, she might have had to endure the pain of burying a younger generation. If that had really happened, Lin Zhenzhu wasn’t sure she could have borne it.  

Now, being able to sit with Zhao Jiaying, watching her happily eat, truly brought her comfort in her old age.  

“Great-grandma, you’re exaggerating. In that situation yesterday, anyone would have stepped in to help. Besides, Yingbao is so adorable—I wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to her either!”  

His words were sincere. If such an adorable little fiancée were gone just like that, Shen Linghao, the dashing young man, would probably cry himself to death.  

Hearing Shen Linghao call her cute, Zhao Jiaying smiled happily and sweetly said: “Brother Linghao is also very handsome! Yingbao likes Brother the most. When Yingbao grows up, she will definitely marry Brother and become Brother’s bride!”  

Cough, cough… Just as he was drinking water, Ou Zichen choked upon hearing Zhao Jiaying’s words.  

Where on earth had his daughter learned such things? At such a young age, she was already talking about marriage.  

Clearing his throat, he said: “Yingbao, you’re still too young. This isn’t the time to talk about such things.”  

“Then when can we talk about it?”  

“At the very least, you have to wait until you turn eighteen and complete your coming-of-age ceremony. So right now, you should focus on eating well so you can grow up faster!” Shen Linghao told her directly.  

Coming-of-age ceremony? Zhao Jiaying didn’t understand what that meant, but she did understand “eighteen.” Excitedly, she said: “Okay! Then Yingbao will eat more from now on, so she can grow up quickly and marry Brother Linghao!”  

Hearing this, Ou Zichen was speechless. Was she really this eager to get married? As a father, his heart felt a little wounded.  

Shen Linghao didn’t feel awkward about this topic because it was something he would have to face sooner or later. However, seeing that the elders seemed unable to accept Zhao Jiaying talking about this at such a young age, he decided to change the subject.  

“Uncle Ou, how is the security guard now? Yesterday, we were in such a hurry to chase the car that took Yingbao that we didn’t even have time to call an ambulance for him.”  

Shen Linghao recalled the security guard lying motionless on the ground yesterday. His injuries must have been quite severe. If the situation hadn’t been so urgent at the time, he wouldn’t have left him there.

When Zhao Jiaying heard the security guard’s name, she immediately recalled that he had been beaten by the bad men yesterday while trying to protect her. Her heart ached at the thought, and she anxiously asked: “Daddy, is Grandpa Security okay? He got hurt because he was protecting Yingbao. It’s all Yingbao’s fault… Wuwu…”  

As she spoke, she became overwhelmed with guilt and burst into tears.  

Seeing Zhao Jiaying cry, Lin Zhenzhu’s heart ached. She immediately tried to comfort her, saying: “Yingbao, don’t cry, don’t cry. This isn’t your fault—it’s the bad men’s fault…”  

“Yingbao, don’t worry. Grandpa Security is okay. Second Uncle called an ambulance in time and sent him to the hospital. Daddy will also go visit him later!”  

Ou Zichen felt that since the security guard had been injured while protecting Zhao Jiaying, it was only right for him, as her father, to personally visit. More importantly, he should thank the man in person.  

“I want to go too! I want to visit Grandpa Security at the hospital. Yingbao wants to thank him face-to-face!”  

“I’ll go as well. I also want to check on Grandpa Security’s condition!” Shen Linghao said.  

“Alright, then let’s all go together later. But first, let’s finish our breakfast!”  

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