Xu Mengyao washed up, slipped into her blanket, and gazed at her sleeping daughter, a blissful smile gracing her face.
Three years prior, after that incident, countless nights were spent huddled in her blanket, silently weeping, sometimes jolting awake from nightmares multiple times a night.
Her life had once been incomparably perfect.
Her parents adored her, and her family's financial situation was exceptionally comfortable.
That event had dealt her an immense blow.
Thankfully, those days were now behind her.
Xu Mengyao mused quietly, the icy knot in her heart gradually thawing.
However, as the saying goes, 'It takes more than one day for ice to freeze three feet deep,' and her psychological issues wouldn't resolve in just a month or two.
The next day, Xu Mengyao awoke.
She dressed and went outside, where Lin Chen was preparing breakfast.
"Husband, good morning."
Xu Mengyao called out shyly.
Lin Chen looked at Xu Mengyao in pleasant surprise.
They weren't outside, and Lin Xiaoqian hadn't prompted her; Xu Mengyao had taken the initiative to call him "husband."
"Good morning, wife," Lin Chen responded with a grin.
Xu Mengyao's fair face quickly flushed crimson, and she hastily said, "You've almost finished breakfast. I'll go wake Qianqian, or she'll think I didn't come over last night."
With that, she hurried back to the master bedroom.
Soon, Lin Xiaoqian was roused.
She mumbled sleepily, "Mommy, are you off work? Come on up, let's sleep together."
Xu Mengyao playfully pinched her little nose. "Still sleeping? It's morning already. Mommy didn't just get back; Mommy woke up. Daddy's almost finished with breakfast."
"Do you want to get up and have breakfast with Mommy?"
Lin Xiaoqian stared blankly at Xu Mengyao.
"Mommy, it's not even light yet."
Xu Mengyao drew back the curtains, instantly brightening the room. "It's been light for ages; the sun's about to burn your bottom."
"Hurry up and get up. Mommy's going to work after breakfast."
Lin Xiaoqian scrambled to her feet.
A bit of clear nasal mucus dripped from her nose.
Xu Mengyao quickly wiped it with a tissue, then hurried to help Lin Xiaoqian get dressed.
"Lin Chen, Qianqian has a runny nose."
Xu Mengyao carried Lin Xiaoqian outside.
She had called him "husband" in a moment of morning emotion, but she didn't use it now, nor did she need to use it all the time.
"Qianqian, open your mouth, let Daddy take a look."
Lin Chen said.
Lin Xiaoqian opened her mouth, and Lin Chen examined it. "She's caught a chill, probably from kicking off the blanket last night."
Xu Mengyao said with self-reproach, "I slept too soundly last night and didn't wake up until morning. I guess Qianqian was cold for a while after kicking off the blanket."
Lin Xiaoqian: "Mommy, I have a solution."
"What solution?"
Xu Mengyao asked, puzzled.
Lin Xiaoqian giggled. "Let's sleep together! That way, Daddy can cover me with the blanket, too. Aren't I clever?"
Xu Mengyao: "…"
Lin Chen laughed, "Qianqian, if we sleep together, we might fight over the blanket, and you'll get even colder."
"Wife, don't worry. It's normal for children to catch a cold."
"Doctor Lin will cure her."
His medical skills could improve when Lin Xiaoqian was sick. He wouldn't deliberately make Lin Xiaoqian sick, but he wasn't afraid of her getting sick either.
If she had a minor illness, his medical skills would improve, allowing him to handle more serious situations in the future.
"I'm troubling you again."
Xu Mengyao said, looking at Lin Chen.
Lin Chen shook his head. "It's no trouble at all. My little bit of effort is nothing compared to your ten months of pregnancy."
"Go wash up and have breakfast."
Xu Mengyao nodded.
……
Xu Mengyao went to work, and Lin Chen brewed medicine for Lin Xiaoqian.
His medical skills began to improve.
At noon, while Lin Xiaoqian was napping, Liang Zhirong and the others arrived, bringing the contract and equity transfer agreement.
The publishing contract was straightforward; Lin Chen flipped through it and signed it.
He carefully reviewed the equity transfer agreement.
Although he trusted Liang Zhirong and the others, and he didn't think they would try anything fishy,
he still had to be cautious.
If there were any pitfalls in the equity transfer agreement, it wouldn't be a minor issue.
"Swish, swish!"
Lin Chen signed his name.
"President Liang, is that it?"
Lin Chen asked.
Liang Zhirong shook his head. "There are other procedures, but I can handle those. President Lin, from now on, we're comrades on the same boat."
Chen Xinhan was filled with emotion.
In such a short time, Lin Chen had become one of his bosses.
Lin Chen smiled. "I hope Tong Xin Web gets better and better."
Chen Xinhan: "President Lin, the fairy tales you translated have become popular overseas. Many publishers have contacted us, including some very strong ones."
Lin Chen: "There's no rush for now. I'm confident in my fairy tales. As time goes by, more people should recognize and like them."
"Let's talk about it next week."
Chen Xinhan and the others nodded.
Lin Chen wasn't in a hurry, so they were even less so. The overseas rights to those fairy tales weren't in their hands anyway.
Liang Zhirong stood up. "President Lin, we'll leave first. The royalties for the third book will be transferred to your account soon."
"Please take care of the signed books when the time comes."
Lin Chen nodded.
Liang Zhirong and the others left. Not long after, Lin Xiaoqian woke up. She had a cold and wasn't suitable for outdoor activities, so Lin Chen stayed home with her, writing, drawing, and so on.
"Host, your calligraphy has been elevated to the Legendary level."
The system's voice suddenly echoed in Lin Chen's mind.
Along with the system's voice, a flood of information poured into Lin Chen's mind, and his brain seemed to unlock.
The gap between the Legendary level and the Peak Grandmaster level was considerable.
"System, has my current level surpassed the ancient calligraphy masters?"
Lin Chen asked in his mind.
System: "Yes, Host. Peak Grandmaster is the limit of human ability. You have reached the Legendary level, surpassing human limits and reaching a higher level."
"The words of a Peak Grandmaster possess artistic conception. People with sufficient skill can observe them, carefully savor them, and find them endlessly memorable."
"However, many ordinary people feel nothing when they look at the words of a Peak Grandmaster; they cannot appreciate the artistic conception within them."
"Host, your calligraphy has reached the Legendary level, achieving 'Emotional Resonance.' Your works can possess emotion and can evoke emotional resonance even in ordinary people."
Lin Chen summarized: "To put it simply, the original words were dead, but now the words have come alive?"
"Yes, Host."
Time passed second by second, and with the system's assistance, Lin Chen rapidly integrated and digested the acquired experience.
"Daddy, look at my writing."
Lin Xiaoqian looked up at Lin Chen.
"Qianqian, your writing seems to be even better. As long as we work hard, we can become even more amazing."
Lin Chen said with feigned "surprise."
His calligraphy had reached the Legendary level, and Lin Xiaoqian's talent had improved, so the words she wrote were naturally better.
However, according to Lin Chen's observation, her calligraphy talent was not as high as her painting talent. Her basic painting talent should exceed thirty, and now it was over ninety points.
Lin Xiaoqian's basic calligraphy talent should only be in the low twenties.
Doubling that would only be in the low sixties.
But that was still pretty good.
A talent exceeding sixty points was a provincial-level talent.
