Chapter 53: A Father

Because he finished all his weekly work yesterday, today morning was slack time.

Aside from handling a few customer service issues, he mostly played games and browsed websites.

Until nearly ten o’clock, the courier arrived to pick up packages.

The company had more than one courier; every morning at ten, the courier came to collect.

You could pre-fill the address on your phone, or pick up the reserved courier slip on the rooftop, saving time.

The courier’s surname was Zhu; everyone called him Master Zhu, but no one knew his full name.

Crew cut, round face, double chin, potbelly, bulging biceps—he clearly had a story.

Despite his intimidating appearance, he had an exceptionally kind personality, speaking softly and patiently waiting when someone forgot to fill out a form; for heavy packages, he’d even carry them to the recipient’s desk.

After interacting with him, everyone grew fond of this burly, seemingly fierce master; some kind-hearted young women, after helping him, would give him small snacks—chicken feet, beef jerky, lollipops, and so on.

At first, Master Zhu always refused, but eventually, unable to withstand their persistence, he accepted.

“Take them home for my daughter to eat,” he said.

Only then did everyone learn he had a daughter, though none had ever seen her.

But whenever he spoke of his daughter, his eyes filled with tenderness.

“He says his daughter is very well-behaved…”

“He says his daughter struggles with math, and he can’t tutor her…”

“He says when the teacher asks parents to perform on stage, he’s deeply troubled…”

“He says his daughter loves to dance, and when she dances, she’s like a princess…”

…

This soot-stained, dark-faced man, whenever speaking of his daughter, would flash a bright smile and a row of white teeth.

A colleague joked, “Aren’t you afraid your daughter looks like you? That’d be terrible.”

Master Zhu didn’t get upset; he just laughed heartily: “No, my daughter takes after her mother—she’s gorgeous.”

Everyone doubted it, but Master Zhu said nothing, only smiled.

But Shen Siyuan now believed it—his wife truly was beautiful, with shoulder-length bob hair, faint dimples when she smiled, gentle and delicate; standing beside Master Zhu, she looked like a beauty and the beast.

Shen Siyuan saw her, and she naturally saw him too.

At first, she looked stunned, her face filled with disbelief; then she moved forward.

But at that moment, her expression suddenly turned to terror, and she stepped back several paces.

Shen Siyuan was puzzled, then turned around—and saw Dou Dou peeking out from behind him.

Her head emitted flickering Ming fire, mystical yet dangerously potent.

Even from afar, the woman felt a sharp pain coursing through her body, causing her to recoil instinctively.

“Go back. Don’t meddle here.”

Shen Siyuan pushed Dou Dou’s head with his hand, guiding her backward.

“But I wanted to play with you…” Dou Dou said, sounding slightly hurt.

“You should spend more time learning to control your flames. Otherwise, no one will want to play with you.”

“The sister wants to play with me,” Dou Dou retorted.

“That’s because she’s like you.”

“Like me? Like spitting fire?”

Dou Ou opened her mouth and let out a loud “Aoo!”

Then a stream of blue flame shot out from her mouth.

“I’m a fire dragon,” she declared.

Shen Siyuan nearly dropped his jaw.

He’d spent days teaching her to suppress her flames—she never listened; teaching her to calm her mind was utterly futile.

Yet now, she casually spat Ming fire from her mouth, as if it were child’s play.

“How did you do that?” Shen Siyuan asked, astonished.

“Because I’m a fire dragon,” Dou Ou said, as if it were obvious.

Well, cultivation was fundamentally a mind-dependent path, so for Dou Ou to spit fire from her mouth wasn’t surprising at all.

Who knew? Maybe one day she’d decide she was a little rocket and could blast fire from her rear.

Realizing this, Shen Siyuan stopped being shocked and told her: “Go find your mother. Don’t cause trouble here.”

Shen Siyuan waved her off, which left Dou Ou displeased.

“Hmph, adults are always annoyed by kids. You’re not cute at all.”

She turned and ran off; after a few steps, she stopped and glanced back, as if checking whether Shen Siyuan was chasing her.

Seeing he didn’t follow, she seemed disappointed, muttered softly, and walked toward the Finance Department to find her mother.

While Shen Siyuan spoke with Dou Ou, the woman had watched from afar; now that Dou Ou had left, she stepped forward cautiously and said, “Your little one is adorable.”

Shen Siyuan nodded. “She’s also mischievous—never lets you rest.”

“All children are the same at this age—it’s the cutest time,” the woman said with experience.

“Are you Master Zhu’s wife?” Shen Siyuan asked.

He’d seen her follow Master Zhu in, then watched as he went downstairs for the packages—she stayed behind when she saw Shen Siyuan.

The woman nodded, then asked curiously, “May I ask who you are?”

She was curious about Shen Siyuan’s identity—he was the first person who could see her.

“Just think of me as someone with a bit of special ability,” Shen Siyuan smiled.

Shen Siyuan said this, but the woman didn’t believe him for a second.

That little girl, Dou Ou, radiated flames so intense that even a glance made her heart tremble; even from several feet away, her soul ached. Yet here, the girl obeyed him obediently—could this really be just “a bit of special ability”? Who would believe that?

So she bowed respectfully, introduced herself, then asked Shen Siyuan.

“Oh, I’m Du Xiuzhi, Zhu Guangfa’s wife. May I ask your honorable surname, Master?”

“My surname is Shen, Shen Siyuan,” Shen Siyuan said.

“Master Shen,” Du Xiuzhi said.

This woman’s demeanor and speech revealed exceptional refinement—she was clearly educated and came from a good family. Yet for some reason, she had chosen to marry Zhu Guangfa, that rough, unrefined man.

“Don’t call me Master Shen—it sounds like a charlatan. Just call me Mr. Shen,” Shen Siyuan said with a smile.

His attitude toward her was utterly unlike his attitude toward Lu Guanchang—not because she was a woman or beautiful, but because Du Xiuzhi bore no karmic burden; her body and spirit were perfectly aligned.

As they spoke, Zhu Guangfa entered carrying packages.

Seeing Shen Siyuan holding a package at the front desk, he immediately said, “Need to send something? Go ahead, just put it on the desk.”

“I still need to pay,” Shen Siyuan said.

“No problem, you can pay next time,” Zhu Guangfa said with a simple, earnest grin.

“I’m afraid I’ll forget. Let me know how much.” Shen Siyuan handed him the package.

Zhu Guangfa took it and squeezed it.

“Documents?”

“Mm,” Shen Siyuan offered no further explanation.

“Cien’s cheap rate—only eight yuan,” Zhu Guangfa said.

“I’ll scan you.”

Shen Siyuan paid immediately, then turned toward his office.

Du Xiuzhi glanced at her husband, then at Shen Siyuan’s retreating back, hesitated, then followed him.