The engagement is over, but the black-bellied president won't let go

The next morning, just as the sky was turning pale, Xiao Yichen finished his long night shift and slowly returned to his residence, dragging his slightly tired body. The morning light shone through the window, like golden silk threads, onto the living room floor, forming patches of mottled light and shadow.

He squinted his eyes slightly to adjust to the bright light, and sighed deeply, as if to expel all the fatigue of the night with this breath. His eyes fell on Qiao Chu who was busy in the kitchen, and his eyes were suddenly filled with warmth and tenderness.

Qiao Chu wore the light blue apron they had picked together, and skillfully stir-fried the dishes in the pot. The crackling sound of the hot oil in the pot intertwined with the sound of the spatula hitting the edge of the pot, as if it were a cheerful kitchen symphony. Fine beads of sweat oozed from her forehead, and a few strands of hair playfully stuck to her cheeks, but her expression was focused and serious, and every movement was full of love for this home. As she stir-fried, the aroma gradually spread, that was the taste of home, a warm breath that could make people relax instantly.

Xiao Yichen gently put down the bag in his hand, trying not to make any noise, for fear of disturbing this warm scene. He tiptoed behind Qiao Chu, stretched out his hands, hugged her slender waist, and leaned his head on her shoulder. She exuded a faint smell of oil smoke and familiar body fragrance, which mixed together and made him feel extremely at ease. He didn't expect that she would already be in the kitchen making breakfast for him so early.

"How was your day yesterday?" Xiao Yichen asked softly. His voice was a little hoarse, revealing the fatigue from a sleepless night.

Qiao Chu smiled slightly, turned her head, kissed him lightly on the cheek, and said, "Not bad, Chenchen is very well behaved in kindergarten. She even performed a show on the Parent Open Day yesterday." Her eyes were shining with pride and joy, as if every little achievement of Chenchen was the most dazzling gem in her heart.

When talking about Chenchen, Xiao Yichen's eyes softened, and a complex emotion surged in his heart. He thought of Chenchen's lovely smile, her childish voice, and the dependence and trust she showed every time she ran into his arms. "I really want to see her perform in person." Xiao Yichen said with a little regret.

"There will definitely be a chance next time." Qiao Chu comforted her. She turned around and turned off the stove. "Breakfast will be ready soon. Go wash your hands and get ready to eat."

Xiao Yichen obediently went to the bathroom and washed up. When he returned to the kitchen, Qiao Chu had already placed a steaming hot breakfast on the table. Golden fried eggs, crispy fried dough sticks, sweet millet porridge, and a few refreshing side dishes made people's appetite increase.

Xiao Yichen and Qiao Chu were eating breakfast quietly. The sunlight shone through the window onto the dining table, adding a bit of warmth to the cozy scene. At this time, Chenchen's voice came from the bedroom, mumbling and acting like a spoiled child: "Mom, Dad, I'm hungry too!"

Qiao Chu smiled helplessly, turned to look at Xiao Yichen and said, "This little girl was woken up by us." Xiao Yichen put down the chopsticks in his hand, got up and walked towards the bedroom. After a while, he came out holding the sleepy Chenchen's hand.

Chenchen was wearing cute cartoon pajamas, with her hair a little messy. She rubbed her eyes, sat down on the chair, and mumbled, "Dad, Mom, I want to eat too." Xiao Yichen gently touched her head and said, "Baby, go wash up first, and then have breakfast."

Chenchen stood up reluctantly and staggered towards the bathroom. After a while, she finished washing up and skipped back to the dining table. She couldn't wait to take a bite of the fried egg and said incoherently, "Wow, it's delicious!"

The family of three sat around the dining table, Chenchen's little mouth never stopped, excitedly sharing her interesting stories in kindergarten. "Dad, Xiao Ming in our class talked secretly during the performance yesterday and was criticized by the teacher." Xiao Yichen asked with a smile: "Is Chenchen good?" Chenchen raised her little face and said proudly: "Of course I am good, I am obedient."

Qiao Chu picked up a piece of egg for Chenchen and said with a smile: "Baby, you are so good." Chenchen blinked his eyes and continued: "And, yes, we also drew yesterday. I drew our family and the teacher praised me!" Xiao Yichen asked curiously: "Can you tell Dad what you drew?" Chenchen put down the bread in his hand and gestured in the air with his little hands: "I drew a big house with a garden in front of the house. Dad is watering the flowers, Mom is hanging clothes, and I am skipping rope next to it."

Hearing this, Xiao Yichen and Qiao Chu couldn't help laughing. Xiao Yichen said, "Chenchen's painting is really good. Then let's live in a house like this in the future, okay?" Chenchen nodded vigorously, with a gleam in his eyes: "Okay, okay!"

Chenchen took another mouthful of porridge, with some rice grains on the corner of her mouth. She continued, "Dad, can you take me to the amusement park? I want to ride the carousel." Xiao Yichen agreed without hesitation, "Of course, baby." Chenchen danced with joy and accidentally dropped the spoon on the ground.

Xiao Yichen quickly picked it up, handed her a new spoon, and reminded: "Chenchen, be careful when you eat." Chenchen stuck out her tongue embarrassedly, and continued to eat her breakfast happily, still talking.

The entire breakfast time was filled with Chenchen's cheerful laughter and chatter. Xiao Yichen and Qiao Chu listened carefully, sometimes responding and sometimes laughing. The family was happy and warm.

After breakfast, the family of three sat on the soft carpet in the living room, and the air around them seemed to be filled with happiness and peace. The warm sunlight shone through the bright windows, gently sprinkled on them like a golden veil, forming patches of warm light, adding a bit of dreamy color to this warm scene.

Chenchen was as excited as a happy little rabbit. She couldn't wait to open the colorful box full of building blocks. As the box was opened, the colorful building blocks poured onto the carpet like rainbow candies, making a slight collision sound. Chenchen giggled, and her crisp laughter was like the most beautiful wind chimes in spring. Her little hands couldn't wait to pick up a building block, and her eyes were shining with anticipation and excitement.

Xiao Yichen and Qiao Chu sat on both sides of Chenchen, their faces filled with gentle and doting smiles, their eyes full of love and care for the child.

"Dad, Mom, let's have a competition to see who can build the most beautiful castle!" Chenchen raised his innocent face, his eyes full of expectation, as if saying, "Promise me now, promise me now!"

"Okay, baby, let's get started!" Xiao Yichen responded with a smile, his voice full of encouragement and fatherly love. He gently touched Chenchen's head, his eyes full of anticipation, as if he had already seen the wonderful work that Chenchen was about to create.

After receiving a positive answer, Chenchen immediately devoted herself to building the castle. Her small fingers tightly grasped a building block and tried hard to place it in the right place. In her eyes, each building block was like a precious gem that needed to be placed carefully. Chenchen's expression was so serious, her little eyebrows were slightly wrinkled, and her pink lips were gently pursed, as if she was completing an extremely important task.

Xiao Yichen was closely watching Chenchen's every move, giving her some thoughtful suggestions from time to time, "Chenchen, this building block may be more stable if placed here." His voice was soft and gentle, for fear of disturbing Chenchen's creative ideas, but he couldn't help wanting to guide her to do better.

When Chenchen hears his father's suggestions, he will stop and think carefully for a while, then do as his father says, and then continue to devote himself to the intense construction work.

Qiao Chu looked at the father and daughter tenderly, her eyes moving between Xiao Yichen and Chenchen, her heart full of happiness and satisfaction. Whenever Chenchen needed a specific building block, Qiao Chu would always hand it to her accurately at the first time, as if there was an invisible tacit understanding between her and Chenchen.

Time passed quietly in the warm atmosphere, and soon, Chenchen's castle began to take shape. It was a colorful and imaginative castle. Although it was still a little immature, every building block was poured with Chenchen's hard work and efforts.

"Dad, look at the castle I built!" Chenchen shouted excitedly, her voice full of pride and sense of accomplishment. Her little face turned red with excitement, as cute as a ripe apple.

Xiao Yichen put down the building blocks he was selecting and turned his eyes to Chenchen's work, with an expression of surprise and admiration in his eyes. "Chenchen is amazing, this is the most beautiful castle in the world." His voice was full of sincere praise, as if this castle was really the greatest building he had ever seen.

After hearing her father's praise, Chenchen's face was filled with a proud smile, and her eyes curved into crescents. Her smile was as bright as the sun, lighting up the entire living room.

Qiao Chu looked at the father and daughter tenderly, her eyes full of happiness. She gently stroked Chenchen's hair, "Baby, you are great. Mom is so proud of you." Her voice was as gentle as the spring breeze, blowing through Chenchen's heart.

Chenchen, who received the double affirmation from her parents, became more confident and decided to further improve and decorate the castle. She picked up a few small colorful building blocks and carefully placed them on the top of the castle as the castle's spire. Then she selected some building blocks of different shapes and built a small "moat" around the castle.

Xiao Yichen was also infected by Chenchen's enthusiasm. He began to speed up the construction of his own castle, and at the same time, he did not forget to give Chenchen some new suggestions and encouragement from time to time. "Chenchen, you can put two little soldiers at the gate of the castle, so that it can be protected."

Chenchen's eyes lit up after hearing his father's suggestion, and he immediately found two small building block figures and placed them at the entrance of the castle. "Dad, look, doesn't this look better?"