“Xiao Cha, time to get up.”
Xia Xi pulled a self-heating rice pack out of his backpack while calling out toward the tent.
The sky was still barely bright—if he didn’t turn on a flashlight or some other light source, the surroundings would be hard to make out at all.
But the timing was just right. Any earlier and it’d be too early; any later and they’d miss the sunrise.
“Nooo, it’s not even light out yet. Five more minutes!”
They say people sound all soft and mushy when they’re half-asleep, and that was definitely the case right now. Bai Xiaocha’s brain clearly hadn’t fully booted up yet, making her naturally sweet and soft voice even more gentle, with a hint of sleepy mumbling mixed in.
Her whiny tone even carried a touch of adorable petulance.
If a lolicon had been standing nearby, they’d probably have lost it—maybe even gotten a nosebleed from all that blood rushing south.
Xia Xi nervously rubbed the back of his hand under his nose, then pulled out a bottle of mineral water and took a couple of small sips.
He swore—he absolutely was not charmed by Bai Xiaocha’s cuteness. He was just a little overheated from waking up in the morning! Yeah, that’s it.
Calming himself down, Xia Xi set the prepared food on the picnic cloth, then ducked into the tent with a mischievous grin. He reached out and pinched Bai Xiaocha’s nose between his thumb and index finger.
Her pale little face gradually flushed pink, and Xia Xi could feel the tension building at his fingertips where he held her nose.
Eventually, the girl couldn’t take it anymore and switched from breathing through her nose to her mouth.
Soft little gasps echoed inside the tent, and the blue-haired little loli finally opened her pretty eyes, shooting him a resentful glare.
“Dad!!!”
“Ehh~”
Hey, if there’s a chance to take advantage, you take it. Xia Xi’s current identity was her father, after all—she called him dad, so answering wasn’t wrong, right~?
“It’s not even light out and you’re dragging me up! I’m ignoring you!”
Sure, Bai Xiaocha was already an adult, but in front of parents, who isn’t still a kid? Most people only act more childish than usual around their mom and dad, because only the parents who truly love them won’t mock them for a little immaturity.
They say everyone wears a mask out in society, trying to look all grown-up, more mature, and colder.
But in front of your parents, you can take that mask off and show your real, unfiltered self.
Bai Xiaocha was probably feeling that way too.
Then again…
With her looks and build, even her everyday actions made her seem like a little kid~
“Alright, alright, I’m doing this for your own good, you know. If you slept any longer, you’d miss the sunrise.”
Xia Xi reached out and patted Bai Xiaocha’s head, then stepped out of the tent first. He rummaged through his backpack for a few things, then came back in and handed her a damp disposable face towel.
After washing up, the two of them sat around the picnic cloth, eating bite by bite, waiting for the sun to clock in.
Honestly, sunrise was way more breathtaking than sunset. If sunset was the final blaze of twilight, where everything fades into silence—the grand closing act—then sunrise was light piercing through the darkness, birds bursting into song in an instant, the world shifting from stillness to vibrant life.
Watching the sunrise once made Xia Xi understand why everyone says tomorrow will be better, that tomorrow holds hope. The moment of sunrise, when all things come back to life—that arrival of “tomorrow”—wasn’t that itself a symbol of hope?
“So beautiful~”
Bai Xiaocha gazed at the golden glow rising at the edge of the sky and murmured that soft praise.
Xia Xi wasn’t as openly emotional as she was, but he still felt this trip was totally worth it.
Mm… if only that dry bread in his hand could be swapped for steaming hot, delicious buns and warm milk—that would’ve been even better!
——-
Three days passed quickly. Xia Xi got a little taste of what it felt like to be a father.
Of course, this time he only experienced the warm, joyful side of having a kid—not the weight of responsibility that comes with it.
Because if being a parent were really as easy and relaxing as these three days, there wouldn’t be so many families falling apart over parenting disputes.
“Dad, are you leaving?”
This was the last day of the mission. Xia Xi had been quieter than the previous two days, and Bai Xiaocha had keenly noticed.
Dad had stayed home with her for so many days—of course he had his own work to get back to. It was only natural that he’d have to leave.
“Yeah, I’m heading off tomorrow.”
Xia Xi nodded, not denying it.
Anyway, when the time came, the system would send him straight back to his original body. Bai Xiaocha wouldn’t even know how he left.
“Okay…”
Bai Xiaocha curled up on the sofa and gave a quiet nod. In front of her, a company press conference was playing on TV.
“Dad.”
“What’s up?”
“You’re not my real dad, are you.”
Bai Xiaocha said it as a statement, with hardly any doubt in her voice. Clearly, she’d already known for a while that the father who’d been with her these three days wasn’t her real one.
“When did you figure it out?”
Xia Xi was a bit surprised. He’d thought he played the father role pretty well over the past few days.
Plus, Bai Xiaocha had called him “Dad” so naturally every day—there was no sign she’d been suspicious of him at all.
But now that she was coming clean, a thought suddenly hit him.
Was his acting really that terrible? Every time he took on a role, he’d get seen through somehow. Back when he was with that heiress Luo Xinyu, she’d catch him easily every single time. And now Bai Xiaocha, too.
When had this little tea cat—whom they usually teased as the “dumb loli”—become so sharp?
“Actually, I figured it out on the very first day you came back.”
Bai Xiaocha said this with a hint of pride on her face.
“I mean, who turns into a puppy in real life? This isn’t some magical world or a city of superpowers.”
She recalled that moment when she’d seen the puppy Xia Xi had transformed into—and how the word “Dad” popped into her head—and couldn’t help but giggle.
Honestly, even she had thought it was totally ridiculous to mistake a dog for her father.
“And besides, when I texted you that night from my room to chat, you replied saying you were still away on a work trip. That’s when I knew something was off.
But… Dad really hadn’t come home to spend time with me in ages. So I got a little greedy. I pretended I hadn’t seen through you because I wanted you to stay with me a little longer.”
Bai Xiaocha was right—she was a greedy kid. Greedy enough to wish her parents would stop chasing money and just stay by her side more often.
“Sorry for keeping this from you all these days.”
Xia Xi’s expression was a bit complicated, but he still did what he’d done the most over the past few days—he reached out and gently patted her head.
“Mmm~”
Bai Xiaocha shook her head.
“There’s no need to apologize. If anything, I should be the one thanking you. I’ve been really happy these past few days—happier than any day before!”
Seeing the genuine smile on her little face, Xia Xi grinned too.
No matter what their real identities were, the joy of these days was real.
“Well then… see you next time?”
“Mm-hmm… see you next time!”
Bai Xiaocha nodded obediently, then silently added in her heart: Thank you, Mister Ghost~
