Chapter 98: One Lie Covers Another |
July 12th.
Liu Changqing and his son had returned home.
With his son’s foot injury fully healed, their long-delayed father-and-son fitness plan was officially launched. To mark the occasion, Liu Changqing extended their workout to two hours. The consequence, however, was that by the time they climbed the stairs to their apartment, both were trembling from exhaustion.
“Dad… I think increasing the workout by nearly an hour all at once wasn’t a great idea,” Liu Zhiyue said, leaning against the wall as Liu Changqing fumbled with the keys.
Sweat dripped relentlessly from his forehead, some of it stinging his eyes. Liu Zhiyue wiped at it with his hand as he spoke.
Hearing his son’s comment, Liu Changqing nodded in agreement.
“Alright, let’s cancel tonight’s running session. It’s been a while since we exercised, and it’s clear our bodies aren’t keeping up yet.”
“And we need to control our diet. You came back smelling like barbecue yesterday!”
“That nose of yours is impressive—you can smell it all,” Liu Changqing quipped as he opened the door.
The noise of their return startled Liu Xiazhi. She turned and, upon seeing them, ran over excitedly to grab Liu Changqing’s hand, unbothered by the sweat.
“Come see! Come see!”
She pulled Liu Changqing toward the window, her enthusiasm undeniable. When they reached the bottle, she released his hand, pointing at it with a big smile.
“The tadpoles have grown legs!”
“Legs already?”
Hearing this, Liu Zhiyue also came over, peering closely into the bottle.
Sure enough, both tadpoles had sprouted hind legs, and their bellies looked noticeably plumper than before.
But…
“I thought tadpoles didn’t grow this quickly? Haven’t these been with us for just over ten days?”
“You talk too much!” Liu Changqing gave his son a light smack on the back of his head, more playful than stern.
Though the hit didn’t hurt, Liu Zhiyue looked at his father in confusion.
“Dad!”
“These tadpoles have been under your sister’s meticulous care since they came here. She’s been feeding them bread every day—it’s no surprise they’re developing early.”
“Is that so?”
“You think I’d make that up?” Liu Changqing replied with mock seriousness before turning to his daughter.
Still in her pajamas, with messy bed hair and an unwashed face, she had clearly come straight to the tadpoles as soon as she woke up.
Without a trace of disdain, Liu Changqing patted her head gently. “My Xiazhi is amazing. I think these tadpoles will turn into frogs very soon.”
“Really?”
“Adults never lie to kids.”
“Mm-hmm!” Liu Xiazhi beamed.
Seeing her delight, Liu Changqing couldn’t help but smile.
“Alright, go wash up first. You can feed the tadpoles after you’re done.”
“Okay!” she shouted enthusiastically before running off to the bathroom, with her brother following behind.
Left alone, Liu Changqing’s smile slowly faded.
Bending down, he examined the tadpoles in the bottle, his expression darkening.
He had anticipated this situation from the start.
From the moment he secretly swapped out the tadpoles, he’d known the replacements were noticeably larger than the ones his daughter had originally brought home.
What he hadn’t expected was how quickly they would grow legs.
Ordinarily, such fragile creatures wouldn’t last long under a child’s care.
But these…
“These two have absurdly strong life forces,” Liu Changqing muttered, his teeth clenched as he watched the tadpoles’ tiny legs twitch.
Later, after a refreshing shower, Liu Changqing stepped out of the bathroom with a towel draped over his shoulders. The cool sensation after sweating profusely was incredibly satisfying.
He sat down on the sofa and observed his daughter, who was engrossed in her handheld console.
It seemed like Xiazhi had changed recently—but not in a particularly positive way.
Liu Changqing’s gaze fell on her unkempt hair, and after a moment of silence, he said, “Xiazhi…”
“Hmm?” she responded without looking up, her fingers mashing buttons wildly.
“Do you want Dad to tie your hair for you?”
“…”
Her hands froze, and her wide eyes darted toward him in disbelief.
“No! I don’t want my hair tied at home!”
“Don’t worry. I’m confident this time!”
“…”
Xiazhi’s expression remained skeptical, her gaze filled with distrust.
She still vividly remembered the disastrous pigtails her father had given her a few days ago. If not for Aunt An stepping in…
Snapping out of her thoughts, she clutched her console in one hand and jumped off the sofa, slipping on her sandals.
“I’m going to my room to work on my summer homework!”
With that, she dashed off, her sandals slapping against the floor, leaving Liu Changqing alone on the sofa.
His son was resting in his room, and his daughter had fled to hers.
Liu Changqing slumped back, feeling as though life had hit a dead end.
All because he couldn’t tie hair…
He sighed deeply, reflecting on the many lessons life had yet to teach him.
As he brooded, his phone buzzed, snapping him out of his thoughts. Pulling it out, he glanced at the screen.
It was a message from someone on Ball Chat.
[Jun Zui Xiang Si]
The name was unforgettable to Liu Changqing. After all, it wasn’t every day someone casually tipped over 100,000 yuan.
Recently, though, this person had been unusually quiet—no messages, no rewards for his novels. And honestly, the latter was more concerning.
Opening the chat, Liu Changqing read the message:
[Are you there?]
A typical opening line, nothing surprising.
He typed a quick response:
[I’m here. What’s up?]
This time, the reply came almost instantly:
[Nothing much, just wanted to chat. What are you doing right now?]