[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-i-m-not-crazy-this-is-the-emperor-s-banner":3,"chapter-i-m-not-crazy-this-is-the-emperor-s-banner-i-m-not-crazy-this-is-the-emperor-s-banner-chapter-53":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","I'm Not Crazy—This Is the Emperor's Banner",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2291393,4480,"Chapter 53: A Father","i-m-not-crazy-this-is-the-emperor-s-banner-chapter-53",53,"\u003Cp>Because he finished all his weekly work yesterday, today morning was slack time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aside from handling a few customer service issues, he mostly played games and browsed websites.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Until nearly ten o’clock, the courier arrived to pick up packages.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The company had more than one courier; every morning at ten, the courier came to collect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You could pre-fill the address on your phone, or pick up the reserved courier slip on the rooftop, saving time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The courier’s surname was Zhu; everyone called him Master Zhu, but no one knew his full name.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crew cut, round face, double chin, potbelly, bulging biceps—he clearly had a story.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first, Master Zhu always refused, but eventually, unable to withstand their persistence, he accepted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Take them home for my daughter to eat,” he said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then did everyone learn he had a daughter, though none had ever seen her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But whenever he spoke of his daughter, his eyes filled with tenderness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He says his daughter is very well-behaved…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He says his daughter struggles with math, and he can’t tutor her…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He says when the teacher asks parents to perform on stage, he’s deeply troubled…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He says his daughter loves to dance, and when she dances, she’s like a princess…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This soot-stained, dark-faced man, whenever speaking of his daughter, would flash a bright smile and a row of white teeth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A colleague joked, “Aren’t you afraid your daughter looks like you? That’d be terrible.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master Zhu didn’t get upset; he just laughed heartily: “No, my daughter takes after her mother—she’s gorgeous.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone doubted it, but Master Zhu said nothing, only smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Siyuan saw her, and she naturally saw him too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first, she looked stunned, her face filled with disbelief; then she moved forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But at that moment, her expression suddenly turned to terror, and she stepped back several paces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Siyuan was puzzled, then turned around—and saw Dou Dou peeking out from behind him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her head emitted flickering Ming fire, mystical yet dangerously potent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even from afar, the woman felt a sharp pain coursing through her body, causing her to recoil instinctively.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Go back. Don’t meddle here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Siyuan pushed Dou Dou’s head with his hand, guiding her backward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But I wanted to play with you…” Dou Dou said, sounding slightly hurt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You should spend more time learning to control your flames. Otherwise, no one will want to play with you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The sister wants to play with me,” Dou Dou retorted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s because she’s like you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Like me? Like spitting fire?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dou Ou opened her mouth and let out a loud “Aoo!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then a stream of blue flame shot out from her mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m a fire dragon,” she declared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Siyuan nearly dropped his jaw.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d spent days teaching her to suppress her flames—she never listened; teaching her to calm her mind was utterly futile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet now, she casually spat Ming fire from her mouth, as if it were child’s play.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How did you do that?” Shen Siyuan asked, astonished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Because I’m a fire dragon,” Dou Ou said, as if it were obvious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, cultivation was fundamentally a mind-dependent path, so for Dou Ou to spit fire from her mouth wasn’t surprising at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who knew? Maybe one day she’d decide she was a little rocket and could blast fire from her rear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Realizing this, Shen Siyuan stopped being shocked and told her: “Go find your mother. Don’t cause trouble here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Siyuan waved her off, which left Dou Ou displeased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmph, adults are always annoyed by kids. You’re not cute at all.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She turned and ran off; after a few steps, she stopped and glanced back, as if checking whether Shen Siyuan was chasing her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing he didn’t follow, she seemed disappointed, muttered softly, and walked toward the Finance Department to find her mother.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Siyuan nodded. “She’s also mischievous—never lets you rest.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“All children are the same at this age—it’s the cutest time,” the woman said with experience.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you Master Zhu’s wife?” Shen Siyuan asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman nodded, then asked curiously, “May I ask who you are?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was curious about Shen Siyuan’s identity—he was the first person who could see her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just think of me as someone with a bit of special ability,” Shen Siyuan smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Siyuan said this, but the woman didn’t believe him for a second.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So she bowed respectfully, introduced herself, then asked Shen Siyuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, I’m Du Xiuzhi, Zhu Guangfa’s wife. May I ask your honorable surname, Master?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My surname is Shen, Shen Siyuan,” Shen Siyuan said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master Shen,” Du Xiuzhi said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t call me Master Shen—it sounds like a charlatan. Just call me Mr. Shen,” Shen Siyuan said with a smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As they spoke, Zhu Guangfa entered carrying packages.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>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.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I still need to pay,” Shen Siyuan said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No problem, you can pay next time,” Zhu Guangfa said with a simple, earnest grin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m afraid I’ll forget. Let me know how much.” Shen Siyuan handed him the package.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Guangfa took it and squeezed it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Documents?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mm,” Shen Siyuan offered no further explanation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Cien’s cheap rate—only eight yuan,” Zhu Guangfa said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll scan you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Siyuan paid immediately, then turned toward his office.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Du Xiuzhi glanced at her husband, then at Shen Siyuan’s retreating back, hesitated, then followed him.\u003C\u002Fp>",1165,"2026-06-20T03:53:08.657Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","2f6197a4d560a9d1923b9ea64a71da73043e5e26757b36565ad0cddefe31ed36","i-m-not-crazy-this-is-the-emperor-s-banner-chapter-54","i-m-not-crazy-this-is-the-emperor-s-banner-chapter-52",623,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-m-not-crazy-this-is-the-emperor-s-banner-cover.jpg"]