ASFTB 50: Who’s Your Husband? 1

The next day—

In the morning when the two children woke up, it was usually their daddy who dressed them.

Today, Li Lingfeng pushed open the door and walked in.

Li Suisui sat on the bedside and looked surprised at her father, who walked in wearing a military uniform and asked, “Where’s Daddy?”

Li Lingfeng walked over with steady steps and answered, “Your Daddy is feeling unwell today and needs to rest at home.”

Li Suisui asked in surprise, “What’s wrong with Daddy?”

Li Lingfeng came over and put the jacket on Li Chen, then came over and adjusted Li Suisui’s school uniform collar. He said softly, “He overexerted himself last night during his workout and needs to rest.”

Li Suisui blinked in confusion and asked, “But didn’t Daddy go back to his room early yesterday because of leg pain?”

“Mm.” Li Lingfeng looked at his daughter and calmly replied, “His legs hurt even more now.”

“…?”

That’s amazing.

Li Chen sat up from the bed beside and looked at Li Lingfeng. The usually quiet and reserved child seemed to have a lot to say but didn’t know how to start.

Li Lingfeng glanced back at him and said, “Go ahead.”

The man’s insight was remarkable.

Li Chen was called out, and he trembled all over. He hesitated for a moment then finally spoke, “Is it really that hard for Daddy to practice running?”

Li Lingfeng recalled the person from last night who was in tears on the bed. He raised an eyebrow, and responded ambiguously, “Mm.”

It really was hard.

Li Chen pressed his lips together. The boy sat on the bedside, as if he was thinking about something.

Li Lingfeng’s voice came from the side, calling his name, “Li Chen.”

Li Chen quickly looked up at his father.

Li Lingfeng’s tall figure stood in front of the bed. His perfectly neat and strict military uniform highlighting his somewhat serious and deep demeanor. Since his return, his relationship with the children wasn’t exactly close. The man spoke very little and wasn’t very good at saying many sweet or comforting words.

“Some people stand up relying on their legs,” he said softly, “But some rely on themselves.”

Li Chen looked up at Li Lingfeng in surprise.

This person was seen by others as a cold and heartless marshal, but he had never been harsh on his son because of his disability.

Li Lingfeng’s gaze was calm, but his voice was strong, “Whether a person stands upright or not, the key depends not on the body but on the spirit. Don’t say things like giving up, understand?”

Li Chen’s hand that was placed at his side unconsciously clenched into a fist.

So it turns out…

Does his father actually care about him?

That’s why he said these things to him.

Li Lingfeng turned around, stepped over the child’s shoes, and half-squatted to tie them. His voice was low as he said, “These words will make your Daddy sad if he hears them.”

“…”

Turns out he cares about his wife.

After Li Lingfeng sent the kids to school, he surprisingly didn’t return to the army but instead went home.

The house was very quiet.

Only Wang Cai, a dark furry ball, was sleeping at the door which gave off a very protective and auspicious vibe.

Li Lingfeng glanced at it as he passed by, but didn’t say anything more, and went straight into the house. The person sleeping in the master bedroom had indeed already woken up.

There were still scattered clothes on the floor.

Jian Chengxi, wearing a white bathrobe, sat on the bedside with his slender body. His fair feet rested on the carpet spread on the floor while he was reading a book.

Li Lingfeng walked in and said, “What book are you reading on the floor?”

Jian Chengxi’s voice was full of grievance. He turned his head to look at him with a hint of resentment. “Why did the general come back?”

Li Lingfeng spoke, “You haven’t woken up, so I came back to check on you.”

Jian Chengxi obediently nodded. “Oh…”

He didn’t expect the man, who seemed cold, to actually be quite gentle. When he thought about it, he was always easy to talk to except for being a bit domineering in bed.

Li Lingfeng looked down at him sitting on the carpet and frowned. “Aren’t you getting up?”

It was better not to mention this.

Jian Chengxi’s face showed some grievance probably because he felt embarrassed, but in the end, he stammered, “I can’t get up.”

Li Lingfeng doubted he heard it wrong. “What?”

Jian Chengxi’s face inexplicably turned slightly red, as if he remembered something. He took a deep breath, as if giving up, and said, “I–I said my legs have no strength, I can’t get up.”

Li Lingfeng paused for a moment.

Last night, he originally said he would take off his ankle weights and move them to the bed for exercises just to scare him.

However, Jian Chengxi was delicate. Usually, he trained soldiers, and if any of them disobeyed or didn’t train properly, he had plenty of ways to discipline them. Yet when it came to his delicate and frail little wife, those methods wouldn’t work at all.

In the end, they still ended up on the bed.

Li Lingfeng squatted down and his rough hands grasped Jian Chengxi’s ankle. After glancing at it, he said, “You overexerted yourself running yesterday, your ankle and knee are swollen. Don’t run without control again, or you’ll damage your joints.”

Jian Chengxi accused. “My inner calf actually hurts too.”

Li Lingfeng said slowly, “That’s fine.”

“…Oh.”

Li Lingfeng pinched his ankle, and Jian Chengxi gasped in pain.

The man simply stood up, walked to a nearby cabinet to grab a bottle of medicinal oil, poured it into his palm, and pressed it onto his ankle. His movements were forceful and unrelenting.

Jian Chengxi winced in pain and tears welled up in his eyes. “Can you be gentler?”

Li Lingfeng didn’t even look up. “You know it hurts, and yet you still dare to make big promises to the child.”

Jian Chengxi said weakly, “But if I don’t do this, I don’t know what else to do. The child is still so young and his life hasn’t even started yet. If we give up on treatment, what will happen to him?”

As he spoke, his heart became heavier.

Jian Chengxi felt heartbroken thinking about the child. His eyes turned red. “What will others think of him then, if…”

Li Lingfeng looked up and asked, “If what?”

Jian Chengxi took a deep breath and said, “If we really have a third child in the future, and he’s a healthier son, would you stop liking…”

His words were interrupted before he could finish.

Li Lingfeng stared at him steadily. “There will be no such possibility.”

Such an interruption, it was unclear what he was referring to.

“There will be no so-called future,” “there will be no so-called third child.”

Or was he talking about something else?

Jian Chengxi looked at him in a daze. The man in front of him was wearing a strict military uniform with a cold expression. He was half-squatting on the ground, but his tall frame and long legs, even in this posture, made him exude an indescribable sexiness and handsomeness.

Li Lingfeng’s voice was deep and strong, “I like all the children you have.”

The room was silent.

Jian Chengxi felt like he could hear the sound of his own heartbeat.

From childhood to adulthood, he had never been chosen with such certainty, and deep down, he wasn’t someone who felt very secure.

Jian Chengxi asked cautiously, “Will you really like all of them?”

Li Lingfeng nodded slightly. He lifted his eyelids to glance at him, as if carrying some threat, but his voice was slow and measured, “Except for the children you have with others.”

“…”

How presumptuous.

On the day of the sports meet—

The school entrance was packed with all sorts of luxurious warships, nearly blinding the eyes.

The kindergarten entrance seemed to be decorated for the occasion with two beautiful clusters of red flowers hanging. The red flowers swayed in the wind, looking especially eye-catching and creating a unique scene.

Jian Chengxi got out of the car, and from afar, he saw his own child.

Li Suisui was wearing a sporty shirt today. She wore a white top with shorts, and had two beautiful pigtails, looking especially lively.

Alice chased after her and said, “Suisui, this is a boy’s sports outfit…”

Li Suisui listened to her nagging and said somewhat unhappily, “Suisui thinks it fits well.”

Alice was wearing a sky-blue dress with small floral patterns and said with some concern, “But this is against the rules…”

Here we go again.

At that moment, Pingping ran over from a distance as if she had finally found a weakness. She laughed as she said, “Class monitor, look at Li Suisui. She’s secretly wearing a boy’s sports outfit. Quickly deduct her points.”

Alice froze for a moment.

Behind her, Jian Chengxi also became a little nervous, worried that his daughter might get into trouble.

Li Suisui snorted lightly and said slowly, “Suisui didn’t wear it secretly.”

Pingping said confidently, “You did. Class monitor, quickly deduct her points!”

Li Suisui’s innocent voice was full of confidence, “Suisui wore it openly, not secretly. Didn’t I, class monitor?”

Alice was stunned for a moment by the confusion. The pure-hearted girl hesitated for a moment, and surprisingly nodded. “I think so…”

Pingping: “…”

She really would thank her.

Jian Chengxi watched from behind and couldn’t help but laugh and cry.

The children’s bickering, though somewhat nonsensical, had their own logic behind it.

Teacher Li walked over and said, “Mr. Jian, this is your number. You signed up for the parents’ long-distance race?”

Jian Chengxi nodded and said, “Yes.”

Teacher Li looked around and, seeing no one, kindly leaned in and said to Jian Chengxi, “Mr. Jian, I advise you, Sky City is not any less than Underground City. Many parents and children here are complete, powerful, and excellent athletes. Their physical strength and abilities are definitely superior. I’m worried about you…”

Jian Chengxi understood her concern and smiled, “It’s okay, it’s all about participation.”

He just wanted to make the children understand.

Maybe everyone starts at a different point.

Some people are naturally faster while others might be much slower, but it’s okay. No matter how others may look at them, everyone will definitely reach the finish line.

It’s not failure he fears.

It’s the fear of trying.

Jian Chengxi himself was actually a coward, but he knew he had to take on a leading role.

Teacher Li was actually a bit impressed. She smiled and said, “Okay, then I’ll take you to the field.”

Jian Chengxi nodded and said, “Thank you for your effort.”

Not far away, Li Suisui and Li Chen were in different classes.

Jian Chengxi walked over to the children and said, “Daddy has to go ahead first. I’ll come back after the competition later.”

Li Suisui looked up at Jian Chengxi and asked, “Daddy, will Father come?”

Jian Chengxi thought of the marshal, who was always so busy with work.

This man is always so busy, never with his feet on the ground. If it weren’t for him saying before that he couldn’t sleep alone at night because he was scared, he probably wouldn’t come home every night.

He also mentioned the sports day this time during the morning.

The man didn’t give a clear answer.

Jian Chengxi comfortingly patted the child’s head and said, “Father might not come, he’s busy with work.”

Li Suisui tugged at Jian Chengxi and said, “If Suisui and my gege get a good ranking, will Father come to watch?”

Jian Chengxi was taken aback.

He hadn’t expected the child to think like this.

All along, he thought that providing for the children’s basic needs and teaching them to stay on the right path was already being responsible. Yet he had forgotten that in the journey of growth, the most important thing parents can give their children is their companionship.

Jian Chengxi’s heart softened a lot. He squatted down then looked seriously at Suisui and Li Chen. “Even if your results and ranking aren’t good, Father will still come to watch.”

Li Suisui blinked. “Really?”

Jian Chengxi nodded and said, “He couldn’t come today because he’s very busy with work, but once Father is done, he will definitely come.”

A smile appeared on Li Suisui’s face. “Okay!”

Jian Chengxi looked at them with a tinge of sadness in his heart, and tentatively asked, “Suisui, do you and your gege miss your Father?”

So that’s why they were looking forward to their father coming to watch the competition.

He didn’t expect the children to feel this insecure. Was it really this hard for them? His heart suddenly felt a pang.

Who would have known—

Li Suisui shook her head and said, “No.”

Jian Chengxi was taken aback and asked, “Then what is it?”

Li Suisui, with her round eyes, looked at Jian Chengxi and said, “Because if Father doesn’t come, and then Daddy loses the competition and cries, no one will comfort him!”

“…”

That’s enough already.

Jian Chengxi entered from where the children were, and into the main venue of the sports meet.

He has to say, this school truly lives up to its reputation as the largest and most luxurious school in the entire Imperial Capital. The entire sports meet venue is as large as 10 football fields, and it’s even divided into several areas.

Jian Chengxi entered the running track.

Along with him were the other parents from the same kindergarten class.

Just as he was walking, a well-dressed man walked up to him and said, “Hello, are you here for your child’s sports meet as well?”

Jian Chengxi replied politely, “Yes.”

The man smiled lightly and said, “You’re… from the Elf clan?”

Jian Chengxi honestly replied, “I’m a half-elf.”

His voice wasn’t too loud nor too soft, but it still reached the entire crowd. Everyone instinctively turned to look at him, with looks of scrutiny.

Half-elf.

It meant a defective product, born in the barbarian land of the Underground City.

The man subtly distanced himself from him, smiling as he said, “I didn’t expect a half-elf to participate in the running competition. You probably don’t have wings, right? You’re really quite brave.”

Jian Chengxi caught the hidden meaning in his words. He glanced at him and his lips curling. “If someone like you can participate, why can’t I?”

The man was taken aback.

He was a person who cared a lot about his pride.

The man spoke, introducing himself proudly, “I’m a beastman, a full beastman, and my bloodline is from the tiger.”

Jian Chengxi looked at his tall and muscular build, his sportswear about to burst open. He was at least twice as big as Jian Chengxi and he indeed looked like a tiger.

He couldn’t help but think of his own general. Li Lingfeng’s bloodline was from the snow leopard. Although he was also tall, he had a muscular, well-proportioned, and explosive build. When he held Jian Chengxi, his build was just right.

Jian Chengxi said to him, “The competition rules don’t say I can’t sign up.”

The tiger man smiled and said, “Just don’t lose later, and make sure you don’t cry quietly.”

Jian Chengxi wasn’t the least bit discouraged.

The entire racecourse was very long. He signed up for the 8,000-meter long-distance race, and people from various races in the class were present. The tall giants, the short but agile dwarves, the angels with holy wings, and the beastmen with various body types.

The group of people displayed their own unique abilities.

Only Jian Chengxi was an ordinary half-elf without wings. He relied solely only on his two legs.

The referee said, “Please come forward to collect your race numbers.”

Everyone took their race numbers in turn.

Jian Chengxi was number 8, which was a relatively forward position.

As the group walked toward the track, the entire sports hall was filled with students, especially the kindergarten class who were all watching on the large screen.

The voices of the children could vaguely be heard:

“Go, Dad!”

“Go, Mom!”

“Dad, you need to get a good result!”

The adults on the track were also getting excited. Among the children’s shouting, one person was eager to try and even the tiger man next to Jian Chengxi shouted to the children above, “Pingping, Dad will definitely get first place this time!”

Pingping happily shouted, “Go, Dad!”

The little children were so proud.

Pingping sat in the chair, and looked towards Li Suisui and Li Chen not far away. She then said somewhat boastfully, “My dad’s bloodline is from the tiger. He’s really good at sports, and his running speed is super fast!”

Li Suisui ignored her.

Pingping was a little dissatisfied that she hadn’t boasted. After all, she couldn’t get the upper hand over Li Suisui on normal days. “Your daddy probably can’t do it, right?”

Li Suisui glanced at her sideways.

The gaze was cold and eerie, and Pingping instantly lost her confidence. Although she liked to boast, she was truly afraid of this mischievous little girl.

However—

At this moment, the sound of the campus loudspeaker echoed from a distance, “Dear students, dear parents, welcome to this year’s sports meet. I am the school’s acting director. Our school’s centennial anniversary and many things have happened this past year. Sports and physical education are currently the most important things to everyone, and they are the biggest, most important priorities for our school. Therefore, we have also been in frequent contact with the military, hoping to provide athletic guidance to our children and parents.”

Everyone listened attentively.

The school director continued, “The response we received is that only fair competition can have a better sporting environment. Therefore, our school has decided to change the competition system for this sports meet. So all participants will need to wear wristbands that limit the use of racial abilities, and instead, everyone will truly participate in sports and competition.”

As soon as these words were spoken, the whole venue erupted in surprise:

“No way?”

“No racial abilities allowed?”

“You’ve got to be kidding, right?”

The school director seemed to have anticipated everyone’s reaction and spoke, “Everyone needs to believe that by setting aside all racial abilities, we will experience true competition. We must set a good example for the children. This is a bold attempt with the goal of awakening the national sports spirit. The entire sports meet will be broadcast live globally. Please, everyone, give your best effort!”

This is a competition system that has never been seen before.

Everyone on the track was stunned, until they saw the referees actually coming over with the wristbands.

The tiger man next to Jian Chengxi was the most agitated. “Why can’t we use racial abilities? I refuse to accept this!”

The referee said expressionlessly, “This is the military’s guidance. Only by doing this can we have true competitive spirit. Anyway, if you’re really capable, you won’t be worried about losing.”

The tiger man’s face turned red. “I–I’m not afraid of losing.”

Jian Chengxi listened and was stunned.

Before coming, he thought he would probably be left behind by a group of people as soon as the race started, but he didn’t expect that racial abilities would actually be banned. Didn’t that make it a fair competition?

After the referee put the wristbands on everyone, he stepped aside. “The competition—starts!!”

A whistle blared, cutting through the air.

Everyone ran out.

With racial abilities banned, angels couldn’t fly, beastmen couldn’t transform, and dwarves couldn’t leap three meters. It was as if the whole group had suddenly lost all their special abilities.

After a short while, many people were tired.

The sounds of heavy breathing rose and fell.