Chapter 51: Your Dad Is Amazing
Chen Ning was well aware of the old saying, “Always leave room for maneuver, for you never know when paths may cross again.”
However, he never expected to encounter Liew Ruyan again so soon.
Just hours after she had been thoroughly humiliated by his antics at the Arena, she had now become the very person he had to seek help from.
A true man can bend or stretch when necessary. And since this was about finding news of his little daughter, Chen Ning had no choice but to swallow his pride.
With a wry smile, he asked, “Milady, what would it take to improve your mood?”
Liew Ruyan’s eyes rolled mischievously—clearly scheming some new way to torment him.
But before she could speak, her phone suddenly rang. She frowned slightly and pulled it out.
In this era, there were only two kinds of phones: satellite phones—reserved for the Imperial military—and civilian ones.
But ordinary phones were barely reliable anymore. The apocalypse had wiped out countless regions; cell towers had fallen, and most places had no signal. Only satellite phones still worked across most of the surviving territories.
After answering the call, Liew Ruyan’s brows furrowed even tighter. She said curtly into the phone, “Okay. I’m coming right now.”
When she hung up, her teasing mood had completely vanished. She turned to Chen Ning and said, “Sorry, my child had an incident at her kindergarten. I have to go.”
Chen Ning’s eyes widened in surprise—his expression practically said, You’re that young and already have a kid?
It wasn’t the first time Liew Ruyan had seen that look. Feeling slightly embarrassed and annoyed, she explained,
“The child isn’t actually mine. She’s my elder sister’s daughter. My sister’s husband was a soldier—he died on a mission. After giving birth, my sister took her own life.
She left behind a newborn baby… so I’ve been raising her ever since. For her sake, I pretend to be her mother.”
Hearing this, Chen Ning understood.
Back in the slums, he often chatted with scavengers and other men from poor backgrounds. As men do, they talked mostly about women.
Through these conversations, Chen Ning had picked up quite a bit of knowledge—like how to tell if a woman is a virgin.
The Liew Ruyan before him showed clear signs of blushing on her neck, a slight bluish tint in the whites of her eyes, and the way her legs were tightly pressed together—all unmistakable indicators that she was undoubtedly a virgin.
Liew Ruyan had no idea that Chen Ning had secretly assessed her in his mind. If she had known, she would likely have been furious enough to fight him tooth and nail.
But Chen Ning had a favor to ask from her—he couldn’t let her rush off just yet. If she left, he’d lose his only hope of finding his daughter.
So he quickly offered, “Miss Liew , you look worried. Did something happen to your child? Maybe I can help.”
Liew Ruyan had intended to refuse. But seeing the eagerness on his face, she realized he was trying to win her favor for his own ends.
A sly thought flickered through her mind—if she ditched him now, he’d likely leave Vermillion Phoenix City soon, and she’d lose her chance to get revenge. But if she brought him along… Perhaps this could be the perfect opportunity.
She smiled faintly. “My child got into a fight at the kindergarten. The school called me over. I’m going to take a look.”
“I’ll go with you,” Chen Ning offered immediately.
She didn’t refuse. Together, they left the alley, got into her sleek sports car parked by the curb, and sped toward Golden Sun Kindergarten.
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Before long, they arrived.
Inside one of the classrooms, about twenty children—each around three years old—were scattered about.
In the corner, a delicate little girl with porcelain-like features sat alone, quietly playing with a doll.
When Chen Ning saw the tender look in Liew Ruyan’s eyes as she gazed at the child, he instantly knew—this must be her late sister’s daughter.
As the little girl played quietly, a chubby boy waddled over, arrogance radiating from him.
“Hey, bastard girl,” he sneered, “give me that doll. I wanna play with it.”
Chen Ning frowned.
The girl looked up, eyes filled with a sadness far too deep for her age. She bit her lip.
“I’m not a bastard!”
The boy snorted.
“My dad says kids without fathers are bastards. You don’t have a dad, so what else are you?”
The girl’s eyes turned red; tears brimmed. “I’m not…”
“You are! Now give me the doll!”
He snatched the doll right out of her hands.
It was obvious he didn’t actually want the doll—he just wanted to bully her. The law of the jungle held true even among children: the weak were always prey.
Liew Ruyan’s heart clenched. Seeing her adopted daughter treated this way filled her with both fury and panic.
When she realized no teachers were around to stop it, she hurried forward, ready to intervene.
But before she could, Chen Ning strode past her and barked,
“Stop right there! Why are you bullying her? Give that doll back and apologize!”
The boy froze. He often picked on this fatherless girl—never expecting her parents to appear.
Startled, he looked at the imposing man before him.
Liew Ruyan couldn’t help secretly approving. Sometimes, a man’s presence alone could cow misbehaving children better than any scolding could. Bringing Chen Ning along turned out to be the right call.
But this boy was the troublemaker of the class. Though frightened, he wasn’t completely intimidated.
He hid the doll behind his back, glaring defiantly. “No.”
Chen Ning’s eyes went cold. “I told you to return it and apologize for calling her names. If you don’t, I’ll give you the beating your parents should’ve.”
Having crawled out of a pit of corpses, Chen Ning didn’t see children or adults—only people who acted right or wrong.
And when it came to discipline, mercy was a luxury he didn’t possess.
Watching the girl’s mistreated, tearful face, he couldn’t help thinking of his own daughter—his Xiao Guo. Was she, too, being bullied somewhere right now?
His anger deepened.
The boy had never faced someone like Chen Ning before—someone whose glare alone could freeze blood.
Trembling, he still refused to yield. Instead, he threw the doll to the ground and stomped on it twice, shouting, “No! I said no!”
The girl’s small shoulders quivered. Watching her beloved toy trampled into dirt broke her final restraint—she burst into loud, heart-wrenching sobs.
Liew Ruyan knelt beside her at once, hugging her gently. “Don’t cry, Little Bun, don’t cry…”
Chen Ning’s voice turned icy.
“Seems like the only way you’ll learn is with a beating.”
The boy’s face twisted in fear—and then he, too, burst into tears.
At that moment, several adults rushed in—the kindergarten teacher and a few parents.
Among them was a burly man in an Imperial military uniform. The chubby boy ran to him, crying and pointing.
“Daddy, he hit me!”
The man’s eyes blazed. “You’ve got a death wish, hitting my son—Xie YongQiang’s son!”
He rolled up his sleeves and stormed forward, ignoring the teacher’s attempts to stop him.
Chen Ning’s lips curved into a cold smirk.
“Your son called my daughter a bastard. Since you won’t teach him manners, I will. And if you’ve got a problem with that, I’ll teach you too. When a child goes astray, the father shares the blame.”
“Oh yeah?” Xie Yongqiang growled. “Then let’s see if you’re qualified to teach me!”
He swung a heavy fist toward Chen Ning’s face.
But at that very instant, the little girl—Little Bun—heard Chen Ning’s words echo in her ears: “Your son called my daughter…”
Her teary eyes widened. Did he just say… his daughter?
Could this man be—her father?
A spark of wild joy ignited in her chest. For as long as she could remember, she’d been mocked for not having a dad. She’d dreamed of someone like this—a strong, fearless man to protect her.
Maybe… she had one all along.
Liew Ruyan heard Chen Ning’s words too. She knew he’d said it only to defend the child, yet she still felt a strange, shy indignation—since, technically, she was the girl’s “mother.”
Meanwhile, Chen Ning met Xie YongQiang’s punch head-on, no hesitation, fist for fist.
A thunderous bang echoed.
Xie YongQiang stumbled back several steps, barely staying on his feet. Chen Ning, steady as a mountain, hadn’t budged an inch.
Everyone could see who was stronger.
Shocked and furious, Xie YongQiang grabbed a wooden chair from the teacher’s desk and lunged. Gasps filled the room as he swung it down.
“Careful!” Liew Ruyan cried instinctively.
Chen Ning sneered, pivoted, and kicked—fast as lightning.
With a deafening crack, the chair exploded into splinters midair.
Xie YongQiang froze, disbelief washing over him. Then his eyes caught sight of the insignia on Chen Ning’s sleeve—the Phoenix Legion.
His fury instantly cooled. He’d picked a fight with a real warrior.
Thankfully, the teacher rushed in to separate them. Chen Ning didn’t pursue further, and Xie YongQiang, though shaken, gave a grudging nod of respect.
“Sir… Your skills… are impressive.”
Chen Ning hadn’t expected the other party to praise him. Noticing that the man was also in military uniform, he instantly realized that Xie YongQiang was a straightforward and honest man, not a villain.
With the two parents, Chen Ning and Xie YongQiang, no longer fighting, the two three-year-old children, Little Fatty and Little Bun, made up even faster.
The chubby boy looked up at the girl, now sniffling quietly, and whispered, “That man… he’s your dad?”
The little girl straightened her back proudly. “Mm-hm.”
The boy glanced nervously at Chen Ning, then ducked his head and muttered, “Your dad is so cool.”
Your dad is so cool.
Little Bun’s little heart swelled with sweetness.
Sweeter than honey, warmer than sunshine— For the first time in her short life, someone envied her. Someone had said her dad was amazing.
Her chubby face flushed with delight, and she lifted her head high, her tiny voice full of pride.
“Of course he is!”
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