When the clock’s hand pointed to twelve o’clock, Wen Xian sleepily lay down on the table, her hand still holding that pencil.
Wen Xian slowly blinked her eyes, sleepiness surging over.
In the haze, she heard soft and slow footsteps coming closer to her, and in the end, she fell into a warm and broad embrace.
The cold and sharp scent of cedar flashed by and disappeared.
After Shen Lingge carried Wen Xian to the bed and placed her down properly, he sat on the bedside and looked at her for a long time, his dark and heavy gaze slowly sweeping across her quiet and harmless sleeping face. She just slept by his side with no defenses at all.
He understood why Wen Xian would trust him like this, it was because she thought he was born for her.
If she knew the truth, what would happen?
Shen Lingge did not know, but now he had started to be afraid.
After a long time, the wall lamp in Wen Xian’s room turned off, and the bedroom fell into darkness.
…
The next day, Shen Lingge was woken up by knocking sounds, Wen Xian knocking on his door like a little cat scratching at the door, and nonstop calling out: “Gege, you quickly get up, quickly open the door for me.”
Shen Lingge tilted his head to glance at the time, five thirty in the morning.
Shen Lingge sighed lowly once, rubbed his brow, then got out of bed to open the door for her. Once the door opened, the little girl immediately handed over the drawing she made last night in front of him, lifting her little face to look at him: “Gege, I finished my homework yesterday!”
Shen Lingge lowered his eyes and looked at her for a while, suddenly took her drawing and pulled her into the room.
Wen Xian while entering the room was muttering: “What are you doing, I want to go show Duoduo, I finally finished drawing it well.”
Shen Lingge pushed her toward the bedside, voice sinking: “Go to sleep.”
Wen Xian sat on the edge of the bed, stunned for a moment, following Shen Lingge’s strength climbing onto his bed: “Sleep? I don’t want to sleep, I already woke up, I want to go downstairs to play, I want to take Zanzan for a walk.”
Shen Lingge directly stuffed the little girl into the blanket, hugging her through the blanket, both hands imprisoning her not allowing her to move again.
Shen Lingge closed his eyes, said in a low voice: “You be quiet, let me sleep for a while.”
Wen Xian, who was struggling, after seeing the fatigue between his eyebrows and eyes, obediently stopped moving. She muttered in a small voice: “Duoduo even said you would take me out to play today, only know how to sleep in late.”
Shen Lingge: “……”
He simply pressed her head down into the side of his neck: “When I wake up, take you to play, play as long as you want.”
After saying that, he closed his eyes and did not speak again. Wen Xian tangled for a while, then started staring at Shen Lingge’s chin with her eyes open. She was fixed in place by him, could only raise her eyes to see the lower half of his chin.
On his beautifully shaped chin were fine stubbles, dark blue in color.
After Wen Xian looked for a while, she silently yawned once, withdrew her gaze and rubbed in his neck hollow: “Gege, last time you even said men and women have differences, now you even dare to hug me to sleep.”
Wen Xian thought Shen Lingge had fallen asleep, but above her head suddenly sounded his low voice: “Who was it in the middle of the night running to my sofa to insist on sleeping with me?”
Wen Xian: “……”
Wen Xian started playing dead. Pretending and pretending, she actually fell asleep.
When she woke up again, there was only her left on the bed. Wen Xian rolled around on Shen Lingge’s big bed. His bed wasn’t the same as hers, old people’s beds were all hard and stiff.
After Wen Xian rolled for a while and felt uncomfortable, she got up by herself.
When getting out of bed, she unintentionally glanced at the bedside display light. On it showed the current time was twelve o’clock and seven minutes.
“Ah—”
Wen Xian let out a sharp scream and ran out the door. Without lifting her head, she opened the door, then crashed head-on into Shen Lingge’s chest. She instinctively covered her nose: “Why didn’t you call me!”
Shen Lingge glanced sideways at her, tone lazy: “Who was it early in the morning not properly sleeping, blindly running into my room, then sleeping like a little pig all the way until now?”
Wen Xian pushed him away with one hand, lightly snorting: “I’m going home now!”
Shen Lingge also did not rush to chase after her, only lightly said: “I bought two-person tickets for this afternoon to Mingcheng Amusement Park. If you go home, then I can only give them to someone else.”
Wen Xian’s footsteps stopped, extremely lacking in backbone as she turned her head to look back at Shen Lingge who was leaning by the door lightly looking at her. She confirmed: “Really taking me to the amusement park to play this afternoon?”
Shen Lingge stepped forward to her side and rubbed her hair: “Go wash your face and brush your teeth. After eating we’ll set off.”
Hearing this, Wen Xian immediately swished back into her room, running even faster than Zanzan going out for a walk. Her black hair drew a few arcs in the air.
Shen Lingge silently curved his lips as he watched her back.
…
This meal was the quietest moment since Shen Lingge had known Wen Xian. She wasn’t playing on her phone nor spacing out halfway through eating. She seriously ate the dishes Duoduo picked for her, even eating things she normally didn’t like.
Shen Lingge remembered he had seen on Wen Xian’s profile that from the time she could walk, Wen Tianlin would take her to the amusement park once a year, only the two of them, father and daughter.
But these past four years, she had not gone again.
It wasn’t until three o’clock in the morning last night that he finally thought of what to take her to do today. Yet this little girl came bothering him already past five o’clock.
After the meal, Wen Xian put down her chopsticks and opened her big eyes staring at Shen Lingge. She watched Shen Lingge slowly and leisurely chew the food in his mouth, then unhurriedly drink a sip of soup.
Then he raised his eyes and directly looked at her.
Wen Xian blinked: En en en?
Shen Lingge helplessly put down his chopsticks: “Let’s go, go change clothes.”
Wen Xian let out a cheer and dragged Duoduo running off.
Shen Lingge sighed as he stood up to also go change clothes. The housekeeper followed behind him smiling: “Young master, Miss Wen is very cute. Madam will definitely like her.”
Shen Lingge’s tone was faint: “She’s just like a child who hasn’t grown up. The Wen family protected her very well. Pity they didn’t choose the right person. The Qin family can’t take care of her.”
The housekeeper did not reply, only slightly lowered his head.
He understood Shen Lingge. Whenever Shen Lingge mentioned the Qin family, his tone was always indifferent with a thread of hostility. He did not like the Qin family.
—
When Wen Xian came downstairs, it was already half an hour later. Shen Lingge had been sitting below waiting for her for a long time. Hearing movement, Shen Lingge turned his head to look, and when he saw her, he slightly froze.
Because she was going to the amusement park, Wen Xian had re-tied her hair. Duoduo had tied two little pigtails for her, one on the left and one on the right, and used several colorful bobby pins as decoration. She had also changed Wen Xian’s makeup.
Wen Xian’s skin was very good, only applying primer and sunscreen. The eyeshadow was summer-appropriate orange and ice blue, full of energy and lively. On her lips was a translucent carrot-water-red color.
On her body was a simple milky-white small short T-shirt. Below was a pair of hot pants. Her long legs were white and straight, wearing a pair of white sneakers on her feet.
She carried a small bag and ran towards him: “Gege, let’s quickly set off, we’re going to be late!”
Shen Lingge slowly withdrew his gaze. He got up and followed behind her as they walked out: “The amusement park is open all day. Whenever you want to go is when you go. You won’t be late.”
Wen Xian immediately turned her head and glared at him: “If I say we’re late, then we’re late.”
Shen Lingge: “……”
The driver had been waiting outside the door long ago. After Wen Xian got into the car, Shen Lingge bent down and followed her inside. At some unknown thought, Wen Xian hurriedly leaned over Shen Lingge to roll down the window and called out toward the entrance: “Duoduo, I forgot my snack bag!”
Duoduo rushed out in a fluster and stuffed a large bag of snacks through the window.
Shen Lingge watched silently as the two women passed things back and forth as if no one else were around. He tilted his head to glance at the large, brightly colored bag of snacks on her lap, frowned, and said, “When did you buy these?”
Wen Xian hugged the snacks and snorted lightly, “I won’t tell you, and I won’t give you any.”
Shen Lingge replied expressionlessly, “I don’t want any.”
Shen Lingge endured the sound of Wen Xian crunching on snacks halfway through the ride. It wasn’t until she tried opening a third bag of chips that he finally lost his patience and said, “Wen Xian, didn’t you just eat?”
Wen Xian retorted righteously, “I wasn’t full.”
A vein twitched at Shen Lingge’s temple. “Why were you in such a hurry to leave?”
Wen Xian dug out a chocolate and forcefully shoved it into Shen Lingge’s mouth, signaling him to shut up. She muttered under her breath, “I wanted to go out with you. This is my first time going out to play with you.”
The cloying sweetness and rich aroma bloomed on Shen Lingge’s tongue. His temper softened as he said quietly, “Didn’t I take you to see a movie last time?”
Wen Xian pressed her lips together. “You were the one who insisted on watching the movie. I was the one accompanying you.”
Shen Lingge: “…I didn’t insist.”
Wen Xian: “You did.”
Shen Lingge: “Fine. Last bag.”
Wen Xian reluctantly: “Oh.”
—
This was Shen Lingge’s first time visiting an amusement park since childhood. Even at the entrance, he could hear the deafening screams inside—roller coasters, pendulum rides, drop towers, and all kinds of thrilling attractions were available in abundance.
Wen Xian had already spotted the ice cream in someone else’s hand. She tugged Shen Lingge and dashed inside.
Since it was the weekend, the amusement park was crowded. Shen Lingge pulled her close to shield her as they made their way in.
Wen Xian stared for a long time at the ice cream in the hands of a little girl with twin ponytails before turning her head and saying, “Gege, I want this. Let’s go buy it together—buy two.”
Shen Lingge glanced back at the bodyguard following them, who nodded and left.
Wen Xian thought it was just the two of them on this outing, but she didn’t know that Shen Lingge’s private bodyguards were stationed at every exit of the amusement park—no fewer than ten around them alone.
In Mingcheng, Shen Lingge enjoyed supreme status, but he also had countless enemies, whether in business or in the city’s dark, unseen underbelly.
Seeing Wen Xian’s gaze darting between someone else’s ice cream and the hairbands on their heads, Shen Lingge simply took her hand and led her to the shop to buy them, lest she keep staring with that longing look.
While Wen Xian was picking out a hairband, the bodyguard returned with two ice creams.
Shen Lingge took the ice creams and walked back into the shop. Wen Xian had been deliberating for a long time without settling on a favorite, but when she turned and saw the ice cream in Shen Lingge’s hands, she broke into a smile.
Wen Xian: “I want both!”
Shen Lingge: “……”
Without changing his expression, Shen Lingge took a bite of the milk-flavored ice cream in his left hand, then handed her the strawberry one. “Wen Xian, aren’t you being too stingy? I’m the one who bought this ice cream for you.”
Wen Xian licked her ice cream and retorted, “I still haven’t forgiven you for secretly meeting Xu Chuwei!”
Shen Lingge stared at her expressionlessly for a moment, then suddenly said, “I also heard you’re my dad?”
Wen Xian paused mid-action, hesitated, and said, “If you don’t like that… ‘mom’ works too.”
Shen Lingge: “…….”
Right now, he really wanted to shut this lawless little brat’s mouth for good.