ASFTB 55: I Didn’t Expect You to Like Me So Much! 1

Monka grumbled and cursed as he was taken away.

Jian Chengxi watched this scene in stunned silence, partly amused, partly feeling sorry.

There was clearly a commotion here, but strangely, no one looked over because of it. People coming and going from the black market seemed unaffected by the outside world—even if someone was being arrested in front of them, they wouldn’t stop or spare a second glance.

The doctor and the deputy general left.

Jian Chengxi walked up to Li Lingfeng.

Li Lingfeng looked down at him with a glance, saw the bag in his hand, and asked, “What did you buy?”

Jian Chengxi, being asked by him, then picked up the bag in his hand and smiled. He said, “I bought it for you.”

Li Lingfeng, upon hearing these words, was slightly surprised.

Jian Chengxi, however, felt it wasn’t appropriate to take it out here, so he said, “You’ll know when we get there.”

Li Lingfeng gently nodded.

The afternoon wind in the Underground City was a bit chilly, and Jian Chengxi, not paying attention, sneezed.

When he looked up again, a coat was draped over his shoulders. The coat kept the cold at bay and wrapped him warmly. The familiar and reassuring scent filling his nostrils.

Jian Chengxi tightened the coat around him, looked at Li Lingfeng, and said, “How did you get here so quickly?”

Li Lingfeng answered in a low voice, “It’s on the way.”

Jian Chengxi was momentarily stunned.

On the way, which road is he talking about?

Where could one be on the way to the Underground City black market?

The location of the black market is already quite remote, and he had never heard of such a place existing in the farthest east.

A terrifying guess was born in Jian Chengxi’s mind.

Li Lingfeng… was originally coming to find Monka.

Jian Chengxi walked beside Li Lingfeng. He looked at the warship in the distance and quietly asked, “Wasn’t Monka in prison? How did he get out?”

Li Lingfeng walked beside him, his voice deep and powerful, “Prison break.”

“…”

That was quite sudden.

Your empire’s prison is quite casual.

Jian Chengxi leaned closer and whispered, “If the royal family finds out, will they blame the general for poor supervision?”

Li Lingfeng glanced at him. His gaze was dark and deep, and he said slowly, “Madam, do you think the emperor would station soldiers to monitor the Underground City?”

Jian Chengxi was at a loss for words.

The public’s impression of the Underground City seems to be stuck in the image of being dirty, chaotic, and poor.

They have always maintained a respectful yet distant attitude toward the Underground City, showing great disdain.

However, for this entire country, shouldn’t the Underground City and Sky City be one in the first place? The rich should help the poor get richer, rather than having this neglectful attitude.

Jian Chengxi hesitated and said, “Why isn’t the emperor doing anything about it?”

Li Lingfeng’s voice was clear and precise, “When a world has a portion of its people enjoying wealth, where do the energy and resources come from?”

Jian Chengxi immediately said, “It requires another group of people to sacrifice.”

So it must not be interfered with.

So the oppression must continue.

So even knowing that the Underground City is in chaos, they still have to keep that place poor.

Only poverty can produce cheap labor.

Only the poor are easy to control.

Jian Chengxi felt very conflicted inside. His soft heart made him lower his head and say, “So pitiful.”

Li Lingfeng looked at him with his head lowered, his expression showing that he was somewhat struck by reality. He thought his little wife was going to be sad again, but instead—

A gentle smile appeared on Jian Chengxi’s face, and he said, “No matter what, we won’t be exploiters. I’ve always felt that living an ordinary life is quite good.”

Li Lingfeng paused for a moment, then lifted his eyelids and said, “When the children were just born, weren’t you shouting about moving to Sky City?”

“…”

The dark history came so suddenly.

Jian Chengxi had no idea the original owner had actually said such a thing.

Li Lingfeng saw the fleeting moment of guilt on Jian Chengxi’s face and withdrew his gaze. What kind of person is Jian Chengxi? Shouldn’t he have known by now? There was nothing more to say.

Just as he was about to take another step and continue walking.

He was suddenly tugged by the corner of his clothes. The action was light but very firm.

Li Lingfeng turned back and met his gaze, dark and deep, yet so bright. Jian Chengxi’s voice was clear and soft, “That’s all in the past.”

In the past, he didn’t care whether he was misunderstood.

He just wanted to get by with life.

He didn’t love Li Lingfeng, so he didn’t care what Li Lingfeng thought of him.

He naturally didn’t care about the original owner’s burdens or bad reputation.

Now, it was different.

He started to think about being with him properly, wanting to live life with him—the kind of life where they stay together forever.

Jian Chengxi pressed his lips together, gathered his courage, and said, “I don’t think that way anymore. Now, I just think it’s enough for our family to be together, living in peace and safety.”

Li Lingfeng was silent for a moment. “Even if it’s not in Sky City, is that okay?”

There was no hesitation on Jian Chengxi’s pretty little face. He nodded. “Mhm!”

The afternoon sunlight fell down. The streets of the black market were worn and old, but still, sunlight filtered through the gaps, bringing a moment of warmth and comfort.

It was as if the snow-covered mountains, always cold and quiet, could also have a corner melted by such sunlight.

Li Lingfeng said, “Living in the Underground City doesn’t come with such big houses.”

Jian Chengxi lifted his face, and he seemed to always emit a glow that could never be dimmed. “As long as we are all together as a family, that’s happiness. We still have the treehouse to live in. Both the general and I are still young. As long as we have hands and feet, we won’t starve to death.”

His voice was very light and very soft.

Yet when it fell on Li Lingfeng’s heart, it felt like it weighed a thousand pounds.

He didn’t understand what emotions were, nor did he understand love. Having been emotionally detached since childhood, he had never thought that there would be any unexpected events in his future life.

Everything from the past seemed to drift away, fading at this moment.

Li Lingfeng said in a low voice, “Even if it might bring a lot of hardship, you don’t mind?”

Jian Chengxi said without hesitation, “I don’t mind.”

A faint emotion named ‘touch’ rose in Li Lingfeng’s heart.

Yet unexpectedly—

A mischievous smile appeared on Jian Chengxi’s face. He smiled and said, “After all, how poor can we really get? Don’t we still have Monka’s treasure map!”

“…”

He knew it.

Li Lingfeng’s face darkened.

Before his thoughts could turn dark, Jian Chengxi’s smile deepened. His voice softened as he walked over. “Just teasing you.”

His personality was becoming more and more lively.

On this warm afternoon, the distance between the two of them grew very close, as if their hearts had unknowingly drawn much closer.

Jian Chengxi walked ahead of Li Lingfeng, his voice gentle and clear, “I know that no matter if we’re rich or poor, you won’t let me and the child suffer.”

“…”

On this calm afternoon, Li Lingfeng stood in place. He watched his little wife happily walk toward the warship’s back.

His dark and deep eyes lowered, his gaze fixed on him without a blink.

His little wife is a fool, but occasionally, he is smart a few times.

You will be happy, Jian Chengxi.

The freedom and new life he desires, he will have them.

He won’t let him suffer. Before all the suffering comes, he will clean everything up for him and the child.

He was the monster in his mother’s words, emotionless and incapable of love, but he would give him everything he owned.

The next day.

Today was the kindergarten’s day off.

Jian Chengxi got up early in the morning. His routine is very healthy now, and he wakes up naturally every morning.

The man on the other side of the bed was already gone. Li Lingfeng woke up every day before dawn to exercise. He didn’t know how the man managed it. Though his own sleep was light, he had never woken him up.

Jian Chengxi let out a small yawn.

As he stood up and opened the curtains, he noticed that many leaves had fallen in the yard. Wang Cai was rolling around in the fallen leaves, limping on one leg.

Jian Chengxi got dressed and went downstairs, getting ready to make a nice breakfast.

A couple of days ago, he heard that Suisui had a bit of a cough so he decided to make a soup for the child to drink. Fruits in this world were relatively scarce, but not long ago, he saw some imported fruit similar to pears on the supermarket shelf.

The system said:【The test has been done, the effects are all pretty much the same, host.】

Jian Chengxi sighed and said, “Good system, you’re finally proving useful.”

The system:【Host, was I really useless in your eyes before?】

It was so sad.

Who would have thought that Jian Chengxi would comfort it. He said, “How could that be? Of course not, we’ve been old friends. You are my sweetheart, my precious darling.”

The system was a bit moved:【Host, I didn’t expect I’d be this important in your heart.】

Yet unexpectedly—

Jian Chengxi said with a smile, “Next time I redeem items, can I use fewer points?”

The system: “…”

The system knew it.

Jian Chengxi began peeling the pear. He was quite good with a knife, but this imported fruit was particularly hard to peel. It would break after just a few cuts, and it was especially labor-intensive.

Li Lingfeng happened to walk down from upstairs. The man seemed to have just finished exercising. He walked slowly down the stairs, drank a glass of water, and walked over, saying, “What’s wrong?”

Jian Chengxi sighed. “This fruit is so hard to peel.”

Li Lingfeng washed his hands, took the fruit from Jian Chengxi’s hand, and picked up a knife to peel it.

The fruit, which was very hard to peel in Jian Chengxi’s hands, seemed like a completely different fruit in Li Lingfeng’s hands. It was exceptionally cooperative with the peel coming off in one continuous motion, very thin and light.

Jian Chengxi sighed and said, “General, you’re amazing. How did you do this? Can you teach me? Is there any trick to it?”

Li Lingfeng handed him the fruit and said, “There’s no trick.”

Jian Chengxi was stunned. “Huh?”

Li Lingfeng looked down at him. His voice was calm, “Practice makes perfect.”

Jian Chengxi was momentarily stunned. “General, have you peeled this fruit before?”

“No.” Li Lingfeng’s long fingers holding the knife looked elegant. The blade’s silver surface reflected a cold gleam. The man’s slow and deliberate voice seemed to carry a hint of coldness. “I’ve peeled other things.”

“…”

What a perfect example of ‘practice makes perfect.’

Jian Chengxi thought to himself that he should still practice slowly. There were two more fruits beside him. Li Lingfeng was peeling the skin while he was removing the seeds, preparing to make soup. Both of them were busy in the kitchen.

If you ignore what was just said—

It could also be considered a warm morning.

The pear was juicy. Jian Chengxi cut the pear into small pieces, then brought the water in the pot to a boil. He added the pear pieces into the pot, brought it to a boil over high heat, then turned the heat down to low and simmered it.

The pears cooking in the pot slowly blended the sweet pear juice and hot water into pear soup.

When it was almost done cooking, he added some sugar.

The kitchen was filled with the fresh sweet scent of pears. Jian Chengxi left the pot cooking and then turned to start preparing breakfast for the day.

Jian Chengxi thought for a moment. He turned around to ask Li Lingfeng. “General, what would you like to eat for breakfast?”

Li Lingfeng washed the knife and utensils. He wasn’t picky. “Anything is fine.”

Jian Chengxi paused for a moment. “General, don’t you have anything you like to eat?”

Li Lingfeng turned to look at him. “I’m not picky.”

“I know,” Jian Chengxi said. “But even someone who isn’t picky must have things they like to eat. Whether it’s something you like to eat now, or something you liked to eat before, or something you enjoyed as a child.”

After you place someone in your heart, you will unknowingly want to be good to them.

Li Lingfeng spoke, “No.”

Jian Chengxi was shocked. “No?!”

How could someone manage to do that? Being both not picky and picky at the same time.

He quietly complained to himself.

Yet unexpectedly—

Li Lingfeng’s voice was calm and flat. “When I was a child, the most I ate were the fruits that fell on the ground from the mountain in the Underground City.”

Jian Chengxi paused. A kind of indescribable bitterness spread throughout his chest, leaving him momentarily speechless. While other children had carefree childhoods, Li Lingfeng’s childhood was one of a hopeless future, with bitter and hard-to-swallow fruit that fell to the ground.

Jian Chengxi listened to this tragic story, feeling a bit sad inside. “Why… why were they the ones that fell on the ground?”

Li Lingfeng spoke calmly, “Fight with others for fruit. After the fight, casually pick up the fruits that fell to the ground under the tree and eat them.”

“…”

You’ve always been quite unconventional.

At breakfast, Li Suisui and Li Chen got up. Jian Chengxi served the steamed pear soup to the children.

Li Suisui sat at the table. The little girl hugged the bowl, her voice soft and sweet. “Daddy, I want more.”

Jian Chengxi had a smile on his face. “Okay.”

Li Chen ate slower.

Jian Chengxi first filled a bowl for Li Suisui. Then he gently asked, “Suisui, do you like it?”

There were two children at home. Li Suisui really liked sweet food, while Li Chen didn’t like it as much—his tastes leaned more toward spicy food. So, Jian Chengxi made chili cakes today, which he paired with bread.

Li Suisui nodded and said, “I like it!”

The pears, cooked until soft and mushy, tasted soaked through with sweetness. The taste was fragrant and sweet as it entered the mouth.

The little girl drank happily. She looked up and asked her daddy, “Suisui wants to drink it again later.”

Jian Chengxi thought about what the salesperson had said to him. He replied, “The pear season is almost over, but Daddy can try to see if he can make some canned fruit.”

Li Suisui’s eyes were filled with anticipation. “What is canned fruit?”

Jian Chengxi thought for a moment. He replied, “It’s a small can filled with lots and lots of fruit.”

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

Jian Chengxi, seeing his daughter happy, felt happy as well. When he turned around, he saw Li Chen quietly eating at the table. The boy was always quiet, possibly because of his temperament. He didn’t cry or make a fuss, which made him easy to overlook sometimes.

On regular days, Suisui was a bit more lively and spoke more.

However, in Jian Chengxi’s heart, he loved both children equally.

Sometimes, when two children at home weren’t getting along, in fact, it had a lot to do with the parents not being able to treat them equally.

Thinking of this—

Jian Chengxi gently asked Li Chen, “Xiao Chen, do you have any favorite fruits?”

Li Chen gently shook his head. “No.”

Jian Chengxi’s thoughts became more active.

Speaking of which, canned fruit could be considered a little snack for the kids. Since his son liked spicy food, he could make some spicy snacks for him. It wouldn’t be a waste to put thought into his child. He couldn’t just ignore his child’s other likes just because the child didn’t like this one thing.

Li Chen noticed his daddy was looking at him. He looked up and said, “I’ll have the same canned fruit as Suisui.”

Jian Chengxi felt a bit touched. “Why?”

His son was so thoughtful, even at such a young age. He already knew how to show consideration for his daddy.

However—

Li Chen calmly looked up at him. “Otherwise, if Daddy makes more types of fruit, he’ll probably secretly cry from embarrassment while peeling them.”

“…”

He was obedient, but not completely obedient.

In the afternoon, Jian Chengxi decided to take the children to buy new clothes.

This was also his first time taking the children to a big mall. Yesterday, he had taken Li Chen to the hospital for leg treatment and they happened to run into Feiyun, who was also receiving treatment. The two briefly chatted and Feiyun then mentioned that she also wanted to buy clothes for Alice.

So the two of them came together.

Just as Jian Chengxi arrived at the mall entrance, he heard the system say:【’Triggering the protagonist’s memory fragment, would you like to redeem it?’】

Because last time, Jian Chengxi saved quite a few children on the mountain and he had a good amount of points this time. If he had the protagonist’s fragment, he could learn the protagonist’s plot in advance. So without hesitation, he said, “Redeem.”

After the plot had gone off track last time, Jian Chengxi had already understood.

What he wanted to change was his own children’s fate, but he didn’t want to destroy the happiness that was supposed to belong to Alice.

Alice is a good child, she deserves to have a wonderful fate that belongs to her.

The system:【The protagonist’s memory fragment has been released.】

Jian Chengxi opened the fragment.

【Alice first met such a brave and kind person when she was being bullied by the other children. The fearless male protagonist left a small seed in her heart, which would later inspire her to become an excellent magician.】

Male protagonist?

Will he meet the male protagonist at the mall this time?

As expected, getting too close to the protagonist triggers the male protagonist’s storyline.

However, the last competition was an accident. This time, there’s no competition at the mall. The happiness that belongs to Alice is indeed coming now!

Jian Chengxi held Suisui’s hand and carried his son. He said gently and patiently, “In a while, Daddy will take you to buy clothes. If you see any clothes you like, just try them on, okay?”

Li Suisui nodded.

Feiyun was also walking with Alice. They walked over from not far away.

Alice’s sky-blue hair looked especially beautiful in the sunlight. Her fair little face was smiling. She looked at Jian Chengxi, her voice soft and sweet. “Hello, Uncle!”

Jian Chengxi smiled and nodded. “Hello, Alice.”

She really looks like a well-behaved, innocent, and kind little girl!

Female protagonist, your good days are still ahead of you!

Alice looked towards Li Suisui again.

The group of them got into the sightseeing vehicle, ready to enter the mall. Behind their seats, a little boy from a noble family was watching an animated show on his device. When he got excited, he played the loudest sound without caring about anyone else and he even kept kicking the seat in front of him with his feet.

And of course, the parents didn’t do anything about it.

Jian Chengxi and the others happened to sit in the row right in front, suffering and enduring.

They really couldn’t stand it anymore.

Jian Chengxi turned around and said, “Excuse me, please don’t kick the chair.”

The boy didn’t even lift his head.

The boy’s father impatiently said, “This chair isn’t even yours. Why are you arguing with a child?!”

“…”

Jian Chengxi was extremely frustrated.

Just as he was about to speak—

Li Suisui stood up and said, “Daddy, I want to change seats.”

Jian Chengxi had initially wanted to argue, but when the child spoke, he stood up with the child and said, “Let’s go sit in the front.”

Li Suisui shook her head. She pointed to the row behind and said, “Suisui wants to sit there.”

It was the row right behind the little boy.

Jian Chengxi paused for a moment. However, since the child said she wanted to sit there, of course he respected her choice. So he carried the child and sat down in the row behind. As soon as their group sat down, Suisui lifted her foot and gave the seat in front a hard kick.

“Bang!”

The kick was quite strong, jolting the little boy in surprise.

He turned around in surprise, and then, somewhat annoyed, he turned back. “What are you doing?”

Li Suisui’s tender little face showed no sign of fear. She gave him a quick glance, then snorted.

The boy’s father said angrily, “Do you have any manners?”

He seemed to have completely forgotten what he had just done.

He saw the half-elf mark and mocked. “This is how you teach your child? No wonder people from the Underground City have no manners.”

Jian Chengxi smiled in anger, sarcastically replying, “Oh, where? I wouldn’t know how to teach without you.”

The boy’s father was furious, but since they were in the vehicle, he couldn’t say much. He could only stand up with the child and sit in another spot.

Alice quietly tugged at Li Suisui’s hand. The kind little girl whispered, “Suisui, don’t be angry. Mom says you can’t reason with unreasonable people. We just need to sit properly. Do you know? An eye for an eye…”

It started again.