The next morning, in the Director's Office of the Abnormal Strategy Bureau.
Lin Yun sat behind his desk, his expression wooden as he stared ahead, seemingly lost in thought.
The events of last night still replayed endlessly in his mind, giving him a throbbing headache.
This wasn't the first ti he had felt such a headache; the last ti was when his daughter was giving him the cold shoulder. Frankly, he was sowhat at a loss on how to handle the current predicant.
His daughter's baseless misunderstanding; the inexplicably acquired "foster daughter"; and Bai Jingxuan's dangerous thoughts revealed these past two days... Each issue by itself needed considerable thought to address, yet now they were all accumulating simultaneously.
These issues were not even entirely separate entities, but rather interconnected, where addressing one inevitably led to a domino effect, activating all the others in tandem.
To handle it strictly ant he also had to be stern with Bai Jingxuan—but it was clear that the issue with Bai Jingxuan wasn't sothing that could be resolved with a stern face and reprimand, which could even backfire.
To handle it leniently ant he was destined not to be able to clarify the misunderstanding thoroughly—preconceived notions are powerful, especially when both children had begun to believe "this is the truth," making any refutation seem like an excuse.
What to do? Should he just transform into a living person in front of those two kids and tell them, "I am your father"?
Lin Yun couldn't help but entertain such a thought.
But then he recalled how his daughter had just chased him the night before calling him "Mom," and the thought of presenting such a truth suddenly seed more awkward than a cold war that could last two years could resolve.
The wall clock in the corner ticked "tick, tick" crisply, clear sunlight streaming through the floor-to-ceiling windows, elongating the shadow of the desk by the window. The shadow stretched itself forward, extending to a pair of white ballet shoes.
Above the shoes was a light green dress, and the owner of the dress was a girl with erald green hair tied in a single ponytail.
The "culprit" in Lin Yun's eyes, Bai Jingxuan, was also standing in the Director's Office right now.
In Bai Jingxuan's eyes, the middle-aged man in front of her had been silent for over a minute now. Since she had entered the Director's Office, he hadn't said a word, all because she had once again called him "Daddy" when entering the room.
That "Daddy" had plunged Lin Yun into a long spell of rumination and silence.
—"Daddy, is there sothing wrong?"
Having waited a long ti without a response, Bai Jingxuan inevitably felt so concern, thinking that the man before her was silent for so other reason, so she inquired with care, "Are you not feeling well?"
Her voice finally brought Lin Yun back from his contemplation to reality.
Still imrsed in his mories, he subconsciously began to speak, intending to call out the girl's code na, but then he quickly realized he was no longer Erald Sparrow.
Right now, he was in the Abnormal Strategy Bureau, sitting in the Director's chair.
"Why have you gone silent again, Dad?" Bai Jingxuan had approached the desk, tiptoeing with her hands braced on the surface, looking at him earnestly.
"How should I put it... could you not call that way?" Lin Yun said with so helplessness.
"Is it not okay?" Bai Jingxuan blinked.
"It's not about whether it's okay or not, but right now, we don't have any actual familial ties."
Lin Yun tried to soften his voice, "Which ans, we don't really have a 'father-daughter' relationship. You calling that might lead to so misunderstandings."
"...I see."
Bai Jingxuan, not a dull child by any ans, was actually quite sensitive to others' perceptions. Lin Yun's words made her instantly understand his intent, and she let go of the desk with a touch of disappointnt, "I'm sorry."
"There's no need for apologies, I don't an to bla you," Lin Yun sighed with relief.
"I got ahead of myself, so I've troubled you, Uncle?"
Bai Jingxuan looked down slightly, "I just heard from Sister Lulu that it could be a possibility, so I thought it might be true. I never considered that Uncle hadn't planned to adopt ..."
"No, I'm not troubled, nor do I really lack such intentions."
Seeing the girl's mood plumt in an instant, Lin Yun hastened to add, "What I an is, all this is still up in the air; we're not at that stage yet."
"So, does Uncle actually plan on adopting ?"
"...There's that possibility," Lin Yun said, choosing his words carefully.
"Doesn't that make you my future dad?" Bai Jingxuan cocked her head.
Lin Yun fell silent once again.
"Dad, I want to join in the clearance operation, I want to fight the bad guys."
"No."
"Dad, I want to go."
"... Sigh."
With nothing but a headache remaining, Lin Yun sowhat helplessly opened the drawer of his desk and fished out so candies: "Here, have so candy."
He had prepared these ahead of ti after Bai Jingxuan's previous visit to the Abnormal Strategy Bureau, for the purpose of diverting the child's attention when he couldn't resolve an issue.
Bai Jingxuan loved candy and held no guard against her would-be "dad", so she reached out and accepted the candy from Lin Yun's hand.
Seeing that she was willing to take the candy, Lin Yun breathed a slight sigh of relief: "Good girl, daddy will give you a few more candies. Can you go ho for today?"
"I don't want to go back."
"Then I'll give you a few more to take back for your sister Lu to eat." Lin Yun opened the drawer again.
"Oh."
Bai Jingxuan obediently took the candy from Lin Yun's hand: "Then, dad, I'll go back today and co back tomorrow?"
"I have a eting tomorrow," Lin Yun tried to refuse.
"Then I'll co the day after."
"Don't co."
"See you the day after tomorrow, Dad!"
However, Bai Jingxuan didn't listen to him at all, taking the candy and hopping away joyfully.
Was this child more lively in front of him than in front of Erald Sparrow?
Watching Bai Jingxuan's departing figure, Lin Yun couldn't help but fall into thought. Then, with a sowhat resigned sigh, he picked up the docunts on the desk again.
After all, this was not sothing he should be focusing on at the mont. He should just set it aside for now. Having sent the disrupting child away, he should now properly attend to his work. The Abnormal Strategy Bureau was in dire need of attention, and he could ill afford to remain idle.
Yet, just as Lin Yun spread out the docunts, settling down to read them, a voice with an electronic texture suddenly rang out in the Director's Office:
"Daddy—"
The voice drew out the word, filled with a hint of languor and now seed full of banter.
Imdiately realizing who was speaking behind him, Lin Yun could only once again put down the docunts and resignedly turn to look behind him:
"I have no intention of criticizing others' personal preferences, but could you please stop with your nasty sense of humor at tis like this and refrain from using such a disgusting address, Your Excellency the Chief?"
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