“A’Qian?”

Shen Yi looked puzzled. Rong Qian, too, caught herself only after the fact — she pressed her hand to her forehead in exasperation, mortified by her own reflexes.

But the one who reacted most dramatically was Rong Xiren.

He wasn’t sure if calling strangers “Dad” was just a local custom or something, but being suddenly saddled with a “daughter” who appeared older than he was — Rong Xiren was terrified.

“Right, so — you all misheard just now. I wasn’t saying ‘dad,’ I just made an ‘ah’ sound!” Rong Qian scrambled to salvage the situation.

But Xie Yan said: “No — I heard it very clearly. You did say ‘dad,’ and you said it to our Officer Rong.”

Rong Xiren’s face flushed crimson. He had never encountered a situation like this in his life.

“Ahem.” Rong Qian gave a light cough, then nudged Rong Xiren’s shoulder. “You — come out with me for a moment.”

“Huh?” Rong Xiren panicked, sending a desperate look toward Xie Yan.

Xie Yan waved his hand dismissively. This was actually quite convenient — he wanted to have a private word with this Mr. Shen anyway.

By now Shen Yi had already put two and two together. The corner of his mouth curved upward; he shook his head with a quiet laugh and let Rong Qian drag Rong Xiren away.

“Your girlfriend is quite something,” Xie Yan remarked to Shen Yi.

Shen Yi smiled faintly. “She’s a lively one. My apologies for the spectacle.”

Out in the corridor, Rong Xiren stood as stiffly as if he were at attention — spine straight, chin up, perfectly still.

He was very nervous. This was, after all, the first time in his life he’d been alone with a woman.

Rong Qian, for her part, circled around him once, looking him up and down. She genuinely hadn’t expected her father to have been this bashful when he was young.

“So, miss, you —”

“My name is Rong Qian,” Rong Qian cut in, answering before he could finish.

Rong Xiren scratched the back of his head awkwardly — he had been about to ask her name, and now she’d beaten him to it. But hearing that she also had the surname Rong, he said shyly: “What a coincidence — I’m a Rong too.”

“I know. We’re from the same family.”

“Huh?” Rong Xiren was baffled again — did she mean all people with the same surname were family?

But before he could finish that thought, Rong Qian called out to him again: “Dad, there’s something —”

“Wait!” Rong Xiren immediately cut her off. “Miss, what did you just call me again? We’ve never met. Calling a complete stranger your… father — isn’t that a bit much?”

He couldn’t even bring himself to say the word “dad,” and he had no idea how this woman could call it out so naturally.

Of course he didn’t. After all, Rong Qian had been calling him that for over twenty years.

“Dad, listen to me first. I really am your daughter — not yet, of course, since you’re not married yet. But in the future, you’ll have me.” Rong Qian told him with complete composure.

Rong Xiren’s expression turned strange. “You mean you’re my daughter? A future daughter?”

“Exactly!” Rong Qian nodded emphatically. Still her father, just as sharp as ever.

Rong Xiren laughed awkwardly. “That is, Miss Rong —”

“Don’t tell me you don’t believe something like that. I’m being serious. Do I look like I’m joking?” Rong Qian’s expression was utterly grave. Her lips pressed together, and just like that, the authority in her bearing made itself known.

Rong Xiren paused. And — he didn’t know if it was his imagination — but he had the distinct, inexplicable sense that this Miss Rong looked somewhat like him.

By the time Rong Qian and Rong Xiren came back, all the dishes were already on the table. Rong Qian sat down as if nothing had happened, eating and drinking as she pleased.

Rong Xiren, however, was visibly uncomfortable the entire time — glancing at Rong Qian every so often, helping her to food and handing her napkins, stopping just short of feeding her himself.

Shen Yi took one look at this and understood everything perfectly.

It gave Xie Yan quite a fright, though — seeing Rong Xiren openly serving food to another man’s girlfriend right in front of said man. He was so exasperated that he delivered a fierce kick to Rong Xiren’s shin under the table.

Rong Xiren winced in pain and barely managed not to say anything — this was his daughter, after all, even if he’d been forced into acknowledging it. All he could do was endure the look from his commanding officer that seemed capable of flaying him alive.

The lunch went on for a long time.

Xu Mo waited alone downstairs, checking his watch every now and then, until nearly two o’clock when he finally saw Shen Yi and Rong Qian come down.

Xu Mo eagerly stepped forward. “Boss, Miss Rong — how did it go? Did you get along alright?”

“It wasn’t a blind date, you know. What’s there to get along about?” Rong Qian quipped back at him. Xu Mo saw that Rong Qian was still in good spirits and felt at ease, so he went ahead to start the car.

Rong Xiren watched through the window as Rong Qian and Shen Yi got into the car, then pulled his gaze away and said to Xie Yan: “Captain, I honestly didn’t expect that the person who’s been contacting us all this time would be such a famous actor. I just watched one of his films recently — and he’s even better looking in person!”

“His situation is not safe,” Xie Yan said, sipping his tea, expression grave. Then he looked sideways at Rong Xiren. “And you, you’re not far from death yourself.”

Hearing the threat, Rong Xiren quickly explained: “Captain, it’s not what you’re thinking. I have absolutely no feelings for her!”

“No feelings, and yet you spent the whole meal helping her to food and playing the attentive host?” Xie Yan glared at him.

Rong Xiren laughed sheepishly. “That’s because she said she’s my daughter.”

“What?!”

Meanwhile, in the car, Shen Yi asked Rong Qian: “A’Qian, that person just now — is that your father?”

“Yes. I already told him, and gave him a few things to keep in mind.”

Shen Yi nodded thoughtfully.

Rong Qian then turned the question back on him: “Speaking of which — what did you talk to Detective Xie about?”

“A few things about Thomas. He also reminded me to be careful with my safety, and told me that someone has been leaking my whereabouts to Thomas.”

“Who?” Rong Qian asked immediately.

But Shen Yi turned it back on her: “A’Qian, who do you suspect?”

Rong Qian furrowed her brow and went through everyone she knew who was connected to Shen Yi. Finally, she said a name aloud: “He Jicheng.”

Shen Yi smiled faintly. As expected — she was always sharp.

But as he thought about his own circumstances, the smile at the corner of Shen Yi’s lips slowly faded.

He looked at Rong Qian. His hand, gripped tight, released — then tightened again.

At last, he curved his lips into a smile, and said to her gently: “A’Qian — why don’t you go back first?”