"Mengyao, what's Lin Chen's situation now?"
Shen Qing asked.
Xu Mengyao sighed. "He was laid off last month. Now he's living in an urban village, renting a one-bedroom unit. It's not even forty square meters."
"If Xiao Qian didn't really want her dad so badly, I honestly wouldn't have sent her to live with Lin Chen and suffer."
Shen Qing said, "His conditions are way too poor. You should at least give him some money. No matter how hard things get, you can't let Qianqian suffer."
"I left him sixty thousand yuan," Xu Mengyao said softly. "I told him it was three months of living expenses."
"Do you think I gave too little? But if I gave him too much, I'm scared Lin Chen might get ideas just because he's Qianqian's father."
Shen Qing snorted. "You're afraid he'll cling to you, right? Two thousand a month for rent, another ten thousand for food and expenses… He can live decently enough."
"That amount is fine."
"Whether he takes good care of Qianqian depends on his heart, not money."
Xu Mengyao nodded lightly.
"We'll see how things go later. Even if it doesn't last three months, sixty thousand should at least keep them comfortable for a month."
She stood up suddenly.
"I'm done drinking. I have to fly to the U.S. tomorrow. My mom is having surgery — it's an important one."
Shen Qing said, "Auntie is blessed, she'll definitely be fine. Don't worry too much about Qianqian. Lin Chen is her father after all; he wouldn't mistreat her."
"You just focus on staying with Auntie."
Xu Mengyao nodded.
Soon, she got into a Bentley and left.
A female bodyguard followed beside her, and even the driver was one of the professional bodyguards she hired.
"What a pity…""Sigh."
Shen Qing let out a quiet sigh.
Xu Mengyao had the perfect family, stunning looks… If not for what happened three years ago, she would've married incredibly well.
Fortunately, back then she had been drugged and ended up with Lin Chen — not the person who drugged her. Otherwise, it would've been a lifelong nightmare.
"If only Lin Chen were more outstanding…""If he were, Mengyao might've actually ended up with him. But he's so ordinary, the gap between them is too big."
Shen Qing murmured.
Xu Mengyao wasn't just rich — she was personally exceptional.Lin Chen had been ordinary in college, and ordinary after graduation.
His only advantage was that he was somewhat handsome.
"I'll check on them in a few days."
"The first three or four days being messy is understandable."
Shen Qing thought to herself.
...
In the middle of the night, Lin Xiaoqian woke up.
She pushed at the sleeping Lin Chen with her tiny hand. "Daddy… Daddy."
"Xiaoqian, what's wrong?"
Lin Chen woke quickly.
"Daddy, I need to pee. Good babies can't wet the bed."
Lin Chen hurriedly picked her up and ran to the bathroom. He had just squatted down when she started peeing — one second later and she would've wet the bed.
"Xiaoqian, do you wear a diaper at night usually?"
Lin Chen carried her back to bed and asked.
Xiaoqian blinked and said sweetly, "Daddy, I don't wear diapers. I'm already two. Not a one-year-old baby."
Lin Chen couldn't help laughing.
"Xiaoqian is such a good girl."
"Go back to sleep."
When he woke again, the sky was already bright.
Xiaoqian had woken earlier, but she didn't wake him. When she saw him open his eyes, she giggled. "Daddy, I woke up first. Mommy said sleeping early and waking early is what good babies do."
Lin Chen smiled. "Of course Xiaoqian is a good baby."
Xiaoqian burrowed into his arms. "Daddy, I want to wake up and see you, and wake up and see Mommy too."
"That would make me so happy."
Lin Chen sighed quietly.He also wanted to wake up and see Xu Mengyao.
"Xiaoqian, Mommy is too busy."
He stroked her soft little head.
Xiaoqian whispered, "Daddy, I miss Mommy…"
"I want to call Mommy."
Lin Chen sat up. "Xiaoqian, you've only been with Daddy for one day. If Daddy calls Mommy now, she'll think Daddy can't take good care of you."
"Let's get up, eat breakfast, and move to our new home, okay?"
Xiaoqian's eyes lit up.
"Okay! We're moving to our new home!"
Lin Chen let out a breath of relief.Thankfully, little kids are easy to soothe.
Xu Mengyao had told him not to call unless something important happened.
The two got up quickly.
"Daddy, I don't have a toothbrush."
"Mommy said not brushing teeth will let worms bite."
Xiaoqian said in a milky-soft voice.
Lin Chen felt a bit awkward. There was a bath towel in her luggage, but no toothbrush. He hadn't bought one yesterday either.
It was his first day as a dad. He was clueless.
"Xiaoqian, Daddy will take you out to buy one."
There was a small supermarket nearby. Lin Chen bought what she needed and returned.
"Xiaoqian, do you want noodles for breakfast?"
He asked.
"Daddy, will the noodles have meat?"
"Yes, of course."
After breakfast, Lin Chen started packing to move.
He didn't have many belongings, and some he didn't even plan to take. Once the suitcase was ready, all they needed was a taxi.
Around nine, Lin Chen arrived at the new apartment.
After buying a few more things, they could settle in completely.
"Xiaoqian, let's go to the big supermarket."
"We'll buy lots of ingredients. Daddy will make you something delicious for lunch."
The Zi Yuan community had commercial facilities including a supermarket. Lin Chen bought a lot of supplies with Xiaoqian.
"Daddy, I want to draw."
"I want to draw Daddy, Mommy, and baby!"
Xiaoqian said happily, hugging her new crayons.
"Okay."
Lin Chen set up paper and crayons for her, but Xiaoqian couldn't draw well. He held her tiny hand and taught her stroke by stroke.
Five minutes passed.
"Ding — Host, your drawing skill has begun to improve. With ten hours of cumulative practice, your drawing skill will rise to Master level."
"Twenty hours will reach Grandmaster level."
The system's voice rang in Lin Chen's mind.
Lin Chen's lips lifted.
Teaching his daughter to draw for just ten hours would make his own drawing reach master-level?
This system was incredible.
Painting experience flooded into his mind, and with the system's help he absorbed it easily.
"Daddy, you're amazing!"
"Daddy, can you teach me to draw?"
Xiaoqian looked up at him with pure admiration.
Lin Chen kissed her cheek. "Of course. Besides drawing, is there anything else you want Daddy to teach you?"
Xiaoqian counted on her fingers. "I want Daddy to teach me drawing, singing, swimming… and also soccer! Yangyang has a big soccer ball."
"He said he won't play with me because I can't kick."
Lin Chen almost laughed out loud.
Playing soccer at two years old?
But if his daughter wanted it, he would support her.
And honestly, if he taught her casually, he might become a soccer star himself.
"Xiaoqian, Daddy can teach you all of that. But do you know anything you can teach Daddy?"
Lin Chen teased.
Xiaoqian tilted her head, thought hard, and after a long moment, whispered a few English phrases:
"Daddy, I can say some English. I'll teach you English, okay?"
"Okay."
"It's a deal!"
Lin Chen chuckled.
Xiaoqian straightened her posture seriously. "Daddy, hands down. I'm starting class. 'Good morning' is said like this—"
She taught him with great seriousness.
Five minutes later—
"Ding — Host, with three hours of learning you will master English."
"Afterward, every three hours of teaching Xiaoqian a foreign language, you will master another language. There is no limit."