He tightened his arms around her slightly, feeling her agitated emotions gradually steadying.
The girl hugged his neck tightly, burying herself in his embrace like a baby swallow that had finally found its nest.
Except, the words coming out of this little swallow's mouth weren't exactly pleasant.
What did she mean, his slicked-back hair was ugly?
"Why are you dressed like this?"
Shen Yi stared at him for two seconds, then stubbornly reached out to tug at his hair again and again.
Her old man, who usually just wore whatever he pulled out of his closet, was now wearing a sharply tailored black overcoat. He had even combed back his usually messy hair, exposing his forehead.
Compared to his previous frail and exhausted appearance, even his facial features looked much sharper and more intimidating now.
"Does it look bad?" Seeing that she didn't seem terrified, Shen Sixing relaxed a little. The corners of his lips curled up as he said, "People around me have been praising my good taste."
Shen Yi: "..."
"Dad," she said, her voice muffled but serious. "Do you think we're in one of those horror stories where the entire world's aesthetic standards have plummeted, but yours somehow remained the same?"
He wasn't annoyed, calmly retorting, "But foreign stylists all say that successful men should slick their hair back."
In all fairness, Shen Sixing didn't look bad like this.
In fact, he was quite handsome.
It was just a bit unfamiliar to Shen Yi.
Just a moment ago, when Shen Yi saw him raise the gun, the man's cold, almost indifferent face and unruffled eyes had left her in a momentary daze.
Sure enough, the unkempt, lazy corporate slave dad who usually hollered about not wanting to go to work was much more familiar to her.
For the father and daughter, this was just playful banter after a long reunion.
But for the teacher and students, it was exceptionally shocking and dramatic.
Especially since one second they were preparing to be shot to death, and the next second it turned into a heartwarming family drama. The channel switched so fast that they were still struggling to process it.
The teacher was the first to react. She leaned against the wall to steady herself, looked at Shen Sixing, and then at Shen Yi in his arms. It took a long time before she found her voice:
"Student Shen Yi, what did you just call him?"
"He's my dad," Shen Yi replied quickly. She glanced at the crowd of men in matching uniforms who looked like private mercenaries and realized the setting was a bit inappropriate. She hastily explained, "Teacher, my dad means no harm. He's just here to save us."
"Look," she smiled, trying her best to ease everyone's tension. "We're finally saved now, aren't we?"
"..."
Hearing his daughter's forced justification, Shen Sixing didn't expose her. Instead, he took the opportunity to offer a friendly greeting, smiling politely. "Good afternoon, Teacher."
The man's tone was exceptionally polite, casually courteous like an ordinary parent at a parent-teacher conference. "Do you need any help right now?"
Given the circumstances.
The teacher couldn't even muster the most hypocritical social smile.
Saved?
She felt like they were even more doomed.
In her decades of life, she had never seen anyone dare to fire a gun in broad daylight.
And a headshot, at that.
With that kind of accuracy, no one would believe he hadn't trained for it.
The kidnappers were a bunch of outlaws; leaving aside the fact that they deserved to die, shouldn't Shen Yi's old father... be a law-abiding citizen?
The teacher's worldview suffered a severe blow today.
Her mind couldn't help but recall that she had indeed never seen more detailed family records for the two children, Shen Yi and Shen Xun.
The only way she had learned about their family was through those two rather ridiculous essays the children had written...
At the time, she had even marveled at their unconventional writing styles and rich imaginations.
But thinking back on it now, it was simply—
Terrifying when you thought about it.
Shen Sixing swept his gaze over the stunned teachers and students. Seeing that they were still looking panicked and uneasy, he simply turned his head and instructed the people behind him, "The person has been found. Leave the matter to the police, the rest of you just retreat."
Shen Sixing didn't plan to stay here for long.
He still wanted Shen Yi to continue attending Hejing School. If he stayed too long, it might easily cause irreversible psychological trauma to her classmates.
Shen Sixing was quite attentive to his child's mental health.
He didn't want Shen Yi's interpersonal relationships in elementary and middle school to be completely isolated.
So the man looked down at Shen Yi, his voice calm. "Let's go home first, Xiaoyi."
She had gone through too much excitement today. Her nerves, which had been tight as a bowstring, only now began to relax a little. The girl gave a muffled "okay."
"How are my brothers?" Shen Yi asked, then suddenly remembered, "And Dad, did you see Jiaojiao?"
Jiaojiao?
What Jiaojiao?
He was a bit confused.
Shen Yi reminded him, "She's been to our house before, have you forgotten? Her name is Chen Jiaojiao."
"Oh, so that's her name." It seemed Shen Sixing had gotten the little girl's name wrong, and more than once. He said lightly, "She is safe now. As for your brothers, the three of them are together right now, so you don't need to worry."
In this spectacular school kidnapping case, no one was safer than those three.
Along the way, walking on the campus pathway, Shen Yi was cradled in his arms. Resting on Shen Sixing's shoulder, she looked past his shoulder line and spoke, "Dad, can I ask you a question?"
As Shen Sixing carried her for a short distance, she caught sight from the corner of her eye of many people lying on the ground, their life or death unknown.
The girl let out a soft breath and gathered her courage to ask, "Were those kidnappers really your former colleagues?"
"Yes," Shen Sixing admitted readily. "But they're just former colleagues, not very important. They're going to die soon anyway."
When he brought his men here, he had issued only one order: kill all irrelevant personnel on campus.
Friends, colleagues, any bonds unrelated to family were dispensable to him.
And when these insignificant existences posed a threat to family harmony, eliminating them was an unavoidable choice.
Shen Yi chatted casually with her father: "...I thought they were your friends."
"I don't have any friends." A gentle breeze passed between them. Shen Sixing carried a faint scent of blood and gunpowder. "In my family, it has always been winner-takes-all. Even blood brothers view each other as competitors."
"My father operated on an unspoken rule: useless existences should be discarded."
"Growing up, many people died for me one after another because I was the most useful one in the family. Before I met your mother, my life was nothing but killing..."
He smiled and poked her cheek. "And studying hard on how not to be killed."
Life was truly as easy as flipping his hand for him.
His future from then on was supposed to be following the steps to become a qualified family head.
Raising the next generation, living a life where the end was visible from a single glance.
"The reason I can casually kill people I know is just because I only have a cooperative relationship with them. They aren't important."
It had been a very, very long time since Shen Sixing had such an earnest conversation with his daughter.
He did not want to bring up the past, but it seemed impossible to avoid entirely. The more feelings you develop, the easier it is to be restrained by them.
...I understand, Shen Yi hugged his neck tightly, promising him. I will grow up too, and I will become a very useful person.
Actually, just a moment ago, when Shen Sixing raised his gun and killed that kidnapper, his tone had been completely flat as he called her name.
Shen Yi admitted that she felt a bit uneasy.
She also knew that no one in this world was a philanthropist.
Since Shen Yi could not guarantee that she would be chosen one hundred percent of the time, she would just have to make herself as useful as possible.
You do not need to be useful to me. Shen Sixing paused slightly, feeling a bit helpless. He had truly never encountered a child with such a personality.
She knew very well how to give, but he did not want her to be like this. Even if I die someday, I would not want you to be the one to save me.
The concept of being useful only applies to people who are unimportant and exploitable.
And that notion— He drew out his words, the corners of his lips curving up, has nothing to do with you.
You are a very good child. You deserve a normal life, taking it one step at a time, and growing up safely and steadily.
He hoped she could have a normal life.
In the very beginning, when he first brought her home, Shen Sixing had even prepared himself for the possibility that Shen Yi might leave crying at any moment.
But she did not.
She stayed, and like a little sapling, she was steadily taking root and growing up.
Shen Wenta always said she was a coward.
But Shen Sixing felt that this child was the bravest and most special one he had ever met.
She would not stop in her tracks out of fear. As long as you gave her a sliver of hope, she would try to hold onto you tightly.
A somewhat stubborn, yet endearing child.
The first time Shen Sixing saw her, he felt she was like a little stray cat.
A bit guarded, but because she was so young, she could easily be coaxed away with a cat treat.
For a child so covered in scars, just walking up to him had been arduous enough, and coming into his home was already incredibly brave.
He did not want any accidents in her life; he wanted her to grow up safe and sound.
—Striving to become a useful person was hardly a good blessing or expectation.
I killed those people on my way here. You might think I am a bit scary. Shen Sixing let out a suppressed sigh. But it could not be helped. We were merely in a cooperative relationship. But you are different, Xiaoyi. I would never treat you so casually.
We are family, and you do not need to have a use. Do not be afraid of me.
Shen Yi let out a blank oh, but her sharp mind quickly realized that his words were perhaps just a simple way of telling her: I will not treat you like that, we are family, do not be afraid of me.
I am not... Sensing this, Shen Yi reached out and hugged his neck fiercely. I am not afraid of you.
When I said your hair was ugly before, I was actually just lying to you.
She leaned close to his ear, her voice as soft as a piece of melting sugar: You were really—super handsome today, Dad.
...
This sudden, straightforward confession caught Shen Sixing off guard, leaving him stunned in place for a few seconds.
Thank you. Then, the man could not help but crinkle his eyes in a smile, mimicking her playful tone with a soft chuckle:
Dad knows.
