A moment later, Long Qifeng, deep in thought, and the others went up to the first floor, when suddenly, Lu Chenxing and Long Qifeng both froze.
This was because two little lolis were sitting gracefully on the sofa: one was Xiao Zhi, wearing a white dress with long silver hair cascading down her back, and the other was Ningning, with black pigtails and a pink dress.
All the young ladies in the hall were by their side, accompanying them and watching them play some kind of board game.
Xiao Zhi was clearly not in the right state of mind, her thoughts not on the game; hearing footsteps behind her, she immediately turned her head, and the moment she saw Lu Chenxing, her previously stable expression instantly vanished, her eyes immediately reddened, and she called out in a soft, tender voice, "Papa!"
As she called out, she jumped off the sofa and ran towards him.
That soft, tearful cry of "Papa" truly melted the hearts of everyone present, especially Lu Chenxing, who quickly squatted down, caught Xiao Zhi as she ran over, picked her up, and gently asked, "What's wrong, Xiao Zhi? Why are you so upset?"
He probably could guess, but these things needed to be said by Xiao Zhi herself to be vented.
Xiao Zhi hugged Lu Chenxing tightly and said tearfully, "When I woke up, Papa was gone, and I thought... I thought Papa didn't want me anymore either."
Saying this, Xiao Zhi cried even louder, and Lu Chenxing quickly patted the little one's back, continuing to comfort her softly, "Good girl, don't cry, Xiao Zhi ~ Because Xiao Zhi was sleeping all along, Papa was waiting for Xiao Zhi downstairs."
"Didn't Papa promise Xiao Zhi that he would never abandon Xiao Zhi, so Xiao Zhi has to believe Papa!"
"Mm ~" Xiao Zhi leaned into Lu Chenxing's arms, still feeling wronged, but she obediently responded. For her, who had been abandoned multiple times, such words could not give her a sense of security, at least not yet.
Everyone around looked at Lu Chenxing with envy; who wouldn't want such a cute, beautiful, sensible, and clingy daughter?
Especially Long Qifeng, who was looking at Xiao Zhi with a loving gaze, truly like he was looking at his own granddaughter.
So his own granddaughter immediately became jealous!
Ningning, with her short legs, also pattered over, extending her hands, and said sweetly, "Grandpa! Why are you only just back!"
Hearing this, Long Qifeng had no choice but to withdraw his gaze, pick up his own granddaughter, and kiss her smooth little cheek, "Grandpa had something to do and was delayed for a while, will Ningning forgive Grandpa, okay?"
Seeing this, Ningning, like a little adult, put her hands on her hips and sighed, "Oh ~ Then I can't help it, I'll just have to forgive you!"
Looking at her adorable appearance, everyone present burst into laughter.
And after Xiao Zhi saw this scene, her tears stopped. She, who had been acting spoiled, seemed a bit flustered, and after a moment, she also quietly imitated, "Then I... then I'll forgive Papa too!"
Clearly, she was subconsciously imitating Ningning's behavior, because everyone laughed at Ningning's words, so she believed this was beneficial for her survival, and thus she imitated it.
Her behavior was clearly caused by a long-term lack of love, a typical people-pleasing personality.
Hearing this, Lu Chenxing's eyes showed unconcealed heartache. He quickly stroked Xiao Zhi's little head and said, "Thank you, Xiao Zhi, for forgiving Papa. This time, Papa was wrong. Next time, even if there's something, Papa will tell you in advance, okay?"
Clearly, the other people present also noticed that Xiao Zhi's behavior was somewhat different from normal children. She lacked a sense of security, and although she was much better when in Lu Chenxing's arms, no longer trembling, it was still evident that she was somewhat afraid of being abandoned.
But anyone who knew her experiences could understand. For this child, suddenly coming to this unfamiliar world, she had been suffering ever since, and almost starved to death on the street.
In such circumstances, it would be difficult for anyone to have a sense of belonging to this world, let alone a small child.
The reason she didn't resist being tricked by Dan Qiuchan into calling Lu Chenxing "Papa," and even actively called him "Papa," was because she wanted to survive and had to cling tightly to the only person who showed her kindness.
She might not understand, but she subconsciously did it. This was also why Lu Chenxing didn't correct her about him not being her papa, because that would only make her feel less belonging and more anxious about gains and losses.
"Mm, okay." Xiao Zhi rubbed her red eyes, her clear blue eyes looking at Lu Chenxing, and then she gently kissed Lu Chenxing's face.
For adults, an active kiss from a child can clearly strike a soft spot in their hearts.
Lu Chenxing felt the slightly cool, soft touch on his face, and for a moment, the corners of his mouth involuntarily curled up. He felt a sense of fulfillment in his heart! This child, Xiao Zhi, truly is an angel sent to me by heaven!
Meanwhile, Ningning, seeing this scene, also refused to be outdone and kissed Long Qifeng's face, making the grandpa show the same smile as Lu Chenxing.
Children's competitive points are sometimes truly a bit strange.
The faces of the onlookers also showed smiles, but the few big men just found Xiao Zhi and Ningning very cute, and their faces showed a fatherly smile.
However, Yan Pingsha and Yun Qiaoqiao, looking at this scene, immediately radiated a soft maternal glow. The two beautiful women's lips curved slightly, and they looked at Lu Chenxing and Xiao Zhi with gentle smiles.
Xiao Zhi woke up, and Long Qifeng, who was originally going to leave, no longer left. He took Ningning with him and went up to the second floor with Lu Chenxing and the others, preparing to eat.
Just as everyone was preparing to eat, Guo Jiahao finally awoke from his cultivation. A scorching and dazzling aura flickered slightly from his body, and a faint power of rules appeared on him. His strength had also reached the First Order Perfection!
Little Fatty's face was full of excitement. He checked the time, confirmed that only an afternoon had passed, and immediately rushed out of the cultivation room, wanting to find his boss to share the news!
But when he arrived on the second floor, he found that everyone seemed to be eating, but the atmosphere was very strange. Everyone was silently watching two figures, one large and one small: Yun Qiaoqiao and Xiao Zhi.
Because a stack of empty plates was already piled very high next to them, the server bringing dishes was now even sweating a little, but the two of them were still eating.
Even Lu Chenxing, whose physical fitness had greatly improved, was already full, but these two still showed no sign of stopping.
At this moment, Ningning rubbed her little belly in frustration, her gaze at Xiao Zhi completely devoid of competitiveness, only dejection, because she had lost the eating contest.
A moment later, seeing that they were still going to eat, Lu Chenxing couldn't help but say, "Xiao Zhi, Yun Qiaoqiao, are your... stomachs okay?"
Hearing this, Yun Qiaoqiao immediately put down her chopsticks and said with a slight blush, "I'm sorry, teacher, I accidentally ate so much."
Xiao Zhi, sitting beside Lu Chenxing, also stopped her chopsticks, her large blue eyes looking at her Papa with some unease, subconsciously beginning to observe his expression.