Chapter 41: An Outing

With each passing day and shifting moon, the temperature in City S steadily climbed, and even the dresses in Bai Sha’s wardrobe began to claim a small, but noticeable, space.

‘As long as I don’t wear them out of the house, I’ll not only feel cooler at home, but a certain someone will also pounce on me like a large dog, sniffing at the fragrance.’

Lately, something had been bothering Bai Sha: those who had clinched world championships, especially the exceptionally handsome ones, invariably accumulated a legion of fans, predominantly female.

Coupled with the abundance of free time after retirement, it was inevitable for the family to be ‘recognized’ whenever they went out shopping.

On one occasion, Bai Sha and Zhou Haochen took their little one out to buy clothes. Spring had arrived, and it was time to purchase some new outfits for their child. The little one was always overjoyed to go out, for whenever they playfully cajoled their father, he would invariably present them with a surprise beyond the intended outing, be it a toy or some other delight.

While they were in the car, Zhou Haochen suddenly asked, ‘Shouldn’t we start looking for a kindergarten for Xiao Yu?’

Bai Sha considered this for a moment, knowing she had little to do at home all day, and replied, ‘I’ll look into it when we get back. They don’t start school until the second half of the year, so we can take our time.’

Utterly oblivious to the impending crisis, the little one cheerfully declared, ‘Soon, Baby will be a student, just like Papa!’

Bai Sha gently stroked their head with a sympathetic gaze, and said, ‘If only you were like this every day in the future, how wonderful that would be.’

She wondered how much of their genes the little one had inherited. Surely, between gaming and studying, at least one should be decent, right? Without expecting two negatives to make a positive, she at least hoped that one plus one wouldn’t equal zero point five.

Upon arriving at the mall entrance, the little one was immediately captivated by the sight of a sausage grill. Their tiny body seemed rooted to the spot, and they tugged at their father’s trousers, refusing to move an inch.

With eyes as bright as jewels, they stared up at Zhou Haochen, and whined playfully, ‘Papa~!’

Zhou Haochen turned his head to glance at Bai Sha. Only after seeing Bai Sha nod in approval did he pull out his phone, ready to pay, saying, ‘Three grilled sausages, please.’

He first handed one to the eagerly squirming little one, who immediately cheered, ‘Oh yeah! Sausage! Sausage!’

Then, he presented another to Bai Sha, grinning as he said, ‘Can’t leave out the eldest daughter.’

Bai Sha raised an eyebrow. ‘Playing this game with me, are we?’ Leaning close to his ear, she breathed a fragrant whisper, ‘Papa is so good~!’

Zhou Haochen froze. ‘No, this was too much; his heart couldn’t take it. How could a high-damage, low-defense ADC possibly contend with an all-rounder warrior?’

Bai Sha led the little one ahead. Noticing her father’s flushed face, the little one curiously asked, ‘Papa, why is your face so red?’

Zhou Haochen quickly coughed, ‘Ahem! It’s a bit warm in here! Mm! If you don’t believe me, ask Mama.’

With a pragmatic spirit, the little one turned to their mother, who was watching the scene unfold.

‘Oh, not at all. Xiao Yu, do *you* think it’s hot in here?’

The little one, munching on their sausage, ‘found the supermarket quite cool. Could it be that Papa got hot from eating the sausage? Adults were truly strange.’

Zhou Haochen walked over to Bai Sha, who wore a mischievous grin, and said mournfully, ‘There’s no love left. You don’t even defend me anymore.’

‘Be good! I’m a good mother; I can’t trick Xiao Yu every single time. Just bear with the injustice for a bit.’

‘Fine, who can blame me for being such a good papa~?’

‘That man was definitely implying something! Bai Sha had ample reason to believe so!’

****

After that brief interlude, they finally began browsing the children’s clothing store.

Bai Sha noticed that the little one quite enjoyed wearing dresses, and combined with their already adorable face, it completely melted Bai Sha’s heart.

Meanwhile, Zhou Haochen’s main tasks were to carry their purchases, find a place to sit, and lavish praise on his beautiful and adorable daughter, all with a practiced, almost formulaic, air.

It was also in this store that Bai Sha encountered her first casual fan since her retirement.

The two were waiting for the little one to finish changing clothes, when they suddenly heard a voice nearby exclaim, ‘Fox? Is that really you?’

Both looked up to see a middle-aged man with a child. As the man approached and took a closer look, he quickly apologized:

‘My apologies, miss. I’ve mistaken you for someone else. So sorry! My apologies!’

Zhou Haochen hid to the side, stifling his laughter, while Bai Sha, with a helpless expression, nodded and said, ‘It’s alright. I’m also a fan of Fox; people often say I look a lot like him.’

‘Woah, miss, it’s more than that! You’re practically a gender-bent version of him! Your aura is a bit better than his, though. His performance hasn’t been great these past few years; he looks quite worn out now. You look more like Fox than he does himself!’

‘Bai Sha: ‘So, I’ve become a substitute?”

‘Actually! I still think Fox is more handsome, with a better aura and skill. He’s practically an esports god!’

Zhou Haochen, standing nearby, was almost losing himself to laughter.

‘Miss, you can’t just look at his face. Do you know how terribly he’s played these past few years? If I weren’t a loyal fan of five or six years, I wouldn’t even be able to watch him!’

Seeing the man grow increasingly animated, even preparing to pull out his phone to re-analyze matches for her, Bai Sha quickly stood up and said, ‘Big brother, let’s not talk about this anymore; my daughter is out now.’

She hastily pulled Zhou Haochen, whose face was contorted from suppressed laughter, and made a swift escape.

The man could only put away his phone, which had just been showing a match, and said with a regretful sigh, ‘It’s so hard to find a young person who watches matches, and it turns out they only care about looks, sigh!’

The man’s child tugged at his clothes, ‘Papa, didn’t Mama say she’d be right over after changing?’

The man’s face instantly changed, and he quickly led his child towards the fitting rooms, exclaiming, ‘We’re doomed! After waiting this long, your mom’s rage meter must be full. She’s going to punch your dad to death!’

Meanwhile, the little one watched her panting parents. ‘Why was Mama acting strange today too?’

‘Didn’t I hear that all my fans were female? How is it that I’ve only encountered a middle-aged man so far?’

Zhou Haochen chuckled, ‘Female fans are just a bonus; male fans are true love!’

That might be true in theory, but in reality, across almost all esports domains, the majority of income came from female fans. Girls truly bought tickets and showed up in person to support!

‘Wow! Xiao Yu looks absolutely lovely in that dress!’ Bai Sha swiftly changed the subject, clearly uninterested in continuing the discussion.

Zhou Yuying, clad in a pink dress, her hair styled in a bun, and her rosy, plump little face, indeed looked exceptionally adorable.

At the very least, when it came to looks, the little one had inherited her parents’ high-quality genes, clearly a beauty in the making from a young age.

Zhou Haochen declared with a grand gesture, ‘Buy it!’

By the time the family of three returned to the parking lot, Zhou Haochen and Bai Sha each carried two bags of clothes, all belonging to the little one.

Bai Sha mostly bought her own clothes online. While she enjoyed picking out clothes for the little one, she currently had no interest in shopping for herself.

As for Zhou Haochen, Bai Sha watched him with a beaming smile. Every year, events included a red carpet segment, for which she had several custom-tailored suits. However, she had never looked good in them, neither before nor now.

When meeting his parents, she had seen Zhou Haochen in a suit at his high school graduation and thought he looked quite handsome.

So, she secretly had one custom-made for him as a gift. His birthday was still far off, but this could make up for the past nineteen years of birthdays.

‘Why are you staring at me?’

‘What? Can’t I look?’

‘Of course. You can look for a lifetime, slowly.’