FT DR Chapter 122: Wooing Dad Through Daughter

Chapter 122: Wooing Dad Through Daughter

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

 

After a thorough discussion, the two poor souls concluded that they couldn’t gather enough dowry money. Thus, they had to acquiesce to His Excellency the President’s arrangements and agreed to hold a small wedding.

In truth, Jin Zhe wasn’t after the dowry money. He just felt that with only one younger brother who had been clueless about worldly matters since childhood, and finally finding a wife to become normal, they must hold a grand ceremony to comfort their parents’ spirits in heaven. Moreover, considering the hardships Jin Xuan had endured to be with Wu Chenghe, out of commemoration, they should also arrange something for them, letting everyone know they had legally become husbands. 

Knowing Jin Xuan disliked socializing, and Wu Chenghe was shy by nature, Jin Zhe didn’t intend to trouble them. Therefore, he only prepared a small luncheon and didn’t widely publicize the invitations, only inviting necessary relatives and friends such as his good friend Hobart’s family, Wu Chenghe’s former principal Balon’s family, and Jin Xuan’s boss Yan Ling’s family. Dean Mu was naturally indispensable. To show respect to his daughter, Jin Zhe specifically instructed his secretary to send a separate invitation to Zhuang Zhuang, so even if Mu found an excuse not to come, he could still bring his daughter to cultivate their father-daughter relationship.

As Wu Chenghe’s legal guardian, Hannibal had to be invited. After informing Wu Chenghe in person, Jin Zhe personally wrote the invitation to Hannibal. Hannibal promptly replied, assuring he would arrive on time and would also bring blessings from General Popova of the Third Army and Chen Zhen, and his wife. 

The Zhifu Chain Nebula issue was not fully resolved yet. After Jin Zhe issued the orders, Defense Secretary Balon quickly submitted a report, stating they would withdraw to the Zhifu Chain Nebula naval defense line as per the President’s orders. However, Commander Hannibal’s report was still pending, and there was no sign of retreat from the Quadrant. Jin Zhe estimated that Hannibal would come to haggle with him during Wu Chenghe’s wedding, seeking some benefits.

The midterm elections were about to begin, and Jin Zhe needed Hannibal’s support, or at least his neutrality, for a smooth re-election. Jin Xuan and Wu Chenghe’s wedding served as an opportunity for them to negotiate face-to-face and exchange what they needed. Just as Jin Zhe himself said, politics was disgusting like that.

As the wedding preparations began, Jin Xuan and Wu Chenghe had already registered their marriage and returned from the Tungusic Base to Planet Dunkirk. Jin Xuan currently held the rank of Navy Colonel, and according to regulations, he could enjoy a month’s honeymoon after registration. Wu Chenghe, as Jin Xuan’s full-time doctor, had all his records transferred to the Navy after marriage, so upon his return, he only had a brief handover at the Navy before going back with Jin Xuan to the Presidential Mansion, preparing to enjoy a leisurely month-long vacation.

Jin Xuan didn’t own any property and had no intention of buying a house on Planet Dunkirk. He was about to take the “Tiancha” fleet to garrison in the Zhifu Chain Nebula, so he packed up his wife and children. Buying a house was out of the question; it was better to squeeze into the Presidential Mansion with Jin Zhe. Besides, the mansion was spacious enough to accommodate their whole family comfortably.

Most importantly, he didn’t have money to buy a house.

With three more people at home, it suddenly became lively. Jin Zhe was in an exceptionally good mood. Before their return, he had someone tidy up Jin Xuan’s bedroom, replaced the bed, expanded the closet, and even replaced the bathtub with a double one, paying attention to every detail like a nanny.

For the two nephews, Jin Zhe was even more excited to arrange their living space. He opened up two guest rooms, turning them into a huge children’s room filled with toys covering one wall. He bought two AI nannies. 

When Hobart came to inspect, he exclaimed with joy, “I’ve always said you have the potential to be a sissy, but you wouldn’t admit it. Look, you liked playing ‘Barbie Princess Love Baby,’ ‘Barbie Miss Loves Interior Design,’ and such when you were young. Now that you’re older and virtual games can’t satisfy your black hole-like soul, you’re spending money on the real thing!”

 Jin Zhe was speechless, “This is for my two nephews, can’t you see?”

“Taking care of nephews and indulging in kinky hobbies aren’t mutually exclusive,” Hobart clicked his tongue. “Look at you, every time I hit the nail on your dark thoughts, you get all defensive. Hey, can’t believe you’re almost sixty…”

“End of friendship!” Jin Zhe interrupted Hobart’s merciless mockery, flipping him the bird and gesturing to the security, “Get him out of here. He’s not welcome in the Presidential Mansion anymore. Tell Mr. Secretary to work on the lawn outside!”

The security was accustomed to their daily banter, maintaining a poker face and looking straight ahead, pretending not to have seen anything. Hobart had been “thrown out” by him seventy or eighty times in a year, but he never minded. He just grinned and hooked his arm around Jin Zhe’s shoulder. “On a serious note, after Jin Xuan’s honeymoon, he’s going to be stationed, right? Are you really letting them take the kids?”

“Let them take them,” Jin Zhe sighed. “I suggested letting him leave the kids behind, but he refused. Well, children should be with their parents. Wu Chenghe will take care of them, and the Navy has benefits for this. The fleet will specifically assign stewards and nannies for them.”

“They’re still too young. Wu Chenghe is only twenty, right?” Hobart expressed concern. “He’s practically a kid himself. Every time I see him, I feel like he hasn’t graduated from elementary school.”

“Yeah, he looks young, but I think he’s quite mature, more reliable than Jin Xuan.” Jin Zhe’s words were sharp, hitting the nail on the head. “If not for him, I wouldn’t let Jin Xuan go to the front lines. Only he can rein in Jin Xuan, this untamed wild horse.”

“Stallion, huh? Twins for life, definitely a stallion.”

“…Wild stallion.” The President passed his judgment on his own brother. The Secretary of State nodded in agreement.

Two days later, the wild stallion and his bridle returned to the Presidential Mansion. Along with them were two mischievous little devils wrapped in adorable skins—just on the starship ride back, Jin Xuan experienced the destructive nature of his two sons. Amidst the ear-splitting “Daddy Two” and Wu Chenghe’s chilly reminder, “You promised to play with them every day,” Jin Xuan foresaw his bleak future.

With a week left until the wedding, Wu Chenghe and Jin Xuan helped their two sons adjust to life on Planet Dunkirk. Compared to Tungusic, there were slight differences in gravity and air here. Coupled with jet lag, the two little ones had their biological clocks a bit messed up, causing them to be restless day and night. However, Jin Zhe was full of energy. Whenever he had a chance, he would run to the children’s room to play with them, building blocks, playing war, hide and seek… Sometimes, Wu Chenghe couldn’t bear to see him overworking and advised him to rest. 

Jin Zhe waved it off casually, “This is how it is when you’re old. Greedy for money, afraid of death, and sleepless. It’s a waste of time to lie down. Ah, you young people don’t understand. Go, go, go sleep with Jin Xuan.”

Wu Chenghe silently told himself that “sleeping” meant just that and shouldn’t imply anything else. Unfortunately, Jin Zhe immediately overturned his pure thoughts, “Hurry up and give birth to a daughter. I love taking care of girls, and girls are cuter…”

Squatting nearby, counting his toes, Mr. Jin Shengli was displeased and slapped his uncle on the back of his head, “Uncle, I’m the cutest!”

“Oh!” Jin Zhe immediately picked him up and coaxed, “Little brother is the cutest. Uncle said the wrong thing. Uncle is sorry, okay?”

Mr. Wu Chenggong staggered over, seeking some attention, “Uncle, I’m the cutest too!”

“You’re cute too, you’re cute too.” Jin Zhe laughed heartily, lifting one in each arm. “Let’s go, Uncle will take you to play with Akita dogs in the garden, and we’ll play Frisbee with the dogs.”

The brothers argued in their uncle’s arms about who was the cutest, and Jin Zhe carried them away. Wu Chenghe silently clutched his heart: Why did he get a mother-in-law vibe from his brother, even though he didn’t have a mother-in-law?

Dean Mu at Aston University quickly received the President’s invitation. Although he wanted to attend Wu Chenghe’s wedding, it was just wishful thinking. Ever since he found out that His Excellency, the President, was the sentinel perfectly compatible with him, he vowed never to appear within a kilometer of him.

Unless he wanted to have a nosebleed in public until he died!

Holding two identical invitations, Mu completely understood the President’s sinister intentions—Jin Zhe knew he wouldn’t dare to come, so he sent a separate invitation to his daughter.

Heh, this idiot probably didn’t even understand how to write “guardian”! Holding the invitation, the Queen sneered coldly for a full ten minutes, causing the secretary and subordinates waiting for his signature nearby to break out in a cold sweat and quietly retreat, informing everyone who attempted to do business with Dean today: The farther, the better!

Mu felt nauseous in his office all afternoon, not getting anything done. When it was time to leave, he threw both invitations into the trash can, sent a very official message to the President’s chief secretary, politely declining his kindness due to being busy with work, and indicating he would make time to congratulate Wu Chenghe separately, sparing the old man the trouble.

Then he went to pick up his daughter from the daycare center with a dark expression.

Zhuang Zhuang was almost a year and a half old, and in just a few months, she had grown taller. She still loved guns and aircraft, but under Mu’s influence, she had improved somewhat in the aesthetics of a lady. She began to like little skirts adorned with lace and hair clips with gemstones. As the weather warmed up, Mu let her hair grow a bit longer and styled it into various beautiful braids according to online tutorials, adorned with sparkling diamond hairpins. Every day, he dressed her up like a little princess.

Overall, the child Zhuang Zhuang completely lived up to her father’s expectations, embarking on the path of being a deadly weapon with a cute appearance but a tomboyish heart.

“Dean, are you upset?” Zhuang Zhuang was very good at observing people’s expressions. As soon as she entered the dormitory, she climbed onto her father’s lap and acted cute. “Are the kids at the academy misbehaving? Who’s being naughty? I’ll beat them up for you!”

Mu felt a bit choked up by this “considerate” comfort. He advised her earnestly, “Don’t say such things openly in the future. Just think about it in your heart. Before you beat someone up, don’t waste time talking big. Understand?”

“Oh, got it!” The little girl received the message well, happily jumping down to play with her toy cat. 

Mu watched her happy figure and sighed silently. Recently, he had to log into his daughter’s personal terminal every day in parent mode, knowing that the President would communicate with Zhuang Zhuang via voice messages every night before bed. It was strange that she was particularly aloof to everyone else but trusted Jin Zhe implicitly. Whatever Jin Zhe said, she would listen. The day Jin Zhe mentioned the dry weather at Aston, she reminded her father to drink more water, and the next morning, Zhuang Zhuang rushed to the table with a large glass of honey water.

Although the honey water was sickeningly sweet, Mu’s heart felt sweet too.

But after the sweetness, when he found out it was Jin Zhe’s idea, Mu felt sour. He swore never to drink honey water again—using his daughter to get to him, how big was the President’s imagination?

After dinner, a walk, and some games, Mu put his daughter to bed and went to his study to handle official business. It was already eleven o’clock at night when he suddenly received a call from Wu Chenghe.

“Dean, Jin Zhe said you can’t attend my wedding?” Wu Chenghe seemed to have just heard the news and sounded disappointed. “Is there something important? Can it be postponed? Or I can ask them to delay the wedding until you come back?”

Mu’s heart warmed. He hadn’t spoiled this kid for nothing. He spoke gently, “There’s a very important meeting I have to attend. You know, the first-phase meeting of the Embryo Disruption Project, a collaboration between the St. Martin Center and the Navy. I’m the overall head, and I must be present. The meeting will last for seven days. There’s no need to postpone the wedding for me. This is your big day and Jin Xuan’s big day. Listen to the President’s arrangements.”

“But… But I’ve always regarded you as my closest elder.” Wu Chenghe hesitated for a moment, then said, “Since the first time I met you, I felt like there was some special connection between us. Dean, you’ve always been so good to me, like a father. I really hope you can attend my wedding!” 

Since returning from Tartaros, he had been wanting to find an opportunity for himself and Mu to do a genetic test. There were too many similarities between them, and Mu had always taken care of him. There must be some special reason behind all of this.

Mu’s tone faltered. From a bloodline perspective, he indeed was Wu Chenghe’s elder, but he didn’t want to reveal the truth at this moment. Hannibal was still alive, and he couldn’t expose his identity… After a moment of thought, he said, “I’ve always regarded you as my own child too, Wu Chenghe. Listen to the President, hold the wedding on time. I’ll bless you from afar. The Embryo Disruption Project Center has been operating for many years, and now it’s finally entering the biological experimentation stage. It’s not easy, and I have to oversee it personally. When I come back, I’ll take Zhuang Zhuang to see you. You still have a month of vacation, and we’ll have plenty of time together.”

Wu Chenghe fell silent. Mu continued, “You know my temper. I’m least patient with dealing with those politicians. Your wedding will probably have many attendees, and Mrs. Balon will probably be there too, right? I don’t want to see her.”

This was the best reason he could think of. Sure enough, Wu Chenghe sighed and immediately compromised, “Okay, Dean, you focus on your work. I’ll come see you with the kids when you come back.” After a pause, he added, “Are you taking Zhuang Zhuang with you on your business trip?”

“Yes, I’m taking her with me,” Mu said. “I usually take her wherever I go.”

“Why not leave her with me?” Wu Chenghe suggested. “The official residence is spacious, with nannies and security guards. Both Jin Xuan and I are on vacation, and we’ll take good care of her. Plus, there are the twins. They’re only a few months apart in age and will surely get along well.”

Mu didn’t want his daughter to have contact with Jin Zhe, that old schemer. But he couldn’t attend the wedding, and Wu Chenghe was already very disappointed. If he refused to let the child go, it wouldn’t be fair. He hesitated, and Wu Chenghe continued, “A few days ago, Zhuang Zhuang said she missed me a lot. If you bring her here, you can work with peace of mind, and the children can bond. Besides, I might have to go to Jin Xuan’s station soon, and I don’t know when we’ll be able to meet again…”

“Okay.” The last reason convinced Mu. In the Wu family, the descendants were already very few. As the only remaining relative in the world, Zhuang Zhuang should indeed get closer to the twins and build a relationship. “Come over the day after tomorrow to pick her up in the morning. I have a noon flight for my business trip.”

“Got it.”

Mu hung up the call and sighed. It was difficult to balance everything. For the sake of the children getting along well, he could only let the old schemer get close to his daughter.

He was getting off cheap!

At the presidential mansion, Wu Chenghe closed the terminal happily and turned to Jin Xuan, saying, “Dean agreed. We’ll go pick up the kid the day after tomorrow. Ha-ha! Soon, someone will be able to handle the twins. Let them experience the power of a tough girl!”

Jin Xuan breathed a sigh of relief without showing any signs. Ever since Jin Zhe received the forwarded email from the secretary in the evening, knowing that Mu and his daughter wouldn’t attend the wedding, Jin Zhe had worn a face as if his own father had died. Luckily, he was clever enough to inform Wu Chenghe about this matter and subtly hinted that Zhuang Zhuang should be brought over to relieve Jin Zhe’s lovesickness.

“Great! Hopefully, Sister Zhuang Zhuang can handle them,” Jin Xuan said, patting his wife’s head with a smile. “By the way, why does Dean Mu let Zhuang Zhuang call you ‘brother’? Shouldn’t the twins call her ‘aunt’? This relationship is really strange, isn’t it?”

After giving it some thought, Wu Chenghe agreed that it was a bit strange, but since he was in a good mood, he didn’t care about such things. “Why think so much? Let’s just mind our own business, and the kids can mind theirs. There’s nothing to fuss about.”

Jin Xuan couldn’t help but marvel at his carefree nature and unique way of thinking.

Two days later, without Wu Chenghe and Jin Xuan saying a word, Jin Zhe had already instructed his security detail to pick up his daughter early in the morning. After the security left, he didn’t attend to any official business, instead wandering around aimlessly every now and then.

Jin Xuan remarked, “Brother, could you be a little less obvious? Anyone who doesn’t know would think you’re in love or something.”

“Don’t talk nonsense!” Jin Zhe, with Jin Shengli on his neck, glared at his brother. “It’s the twins who are eager to see their sister, not me. I’m just taking them out for a stroll.”

Jin Xuan silently gave him the middle finger in his mind, thinking, You’re just pretending…

“Have they arrived?” Jin Zhe asked after a while, with Wu Chenggong accompanying him this time.

Jin Xuan remained silent.

At half past ten in the morning, the tough girl finally arrived. To leave a good impression, Mu specially dressed his daughter in a pink chiffon dress, her semi-long hair intricately braided and adorned with pink pearl hairpins, revealing her smooth forehead. Her big eyes sparkled like stars, making her look like a doll.

Jin Zhe was instantly captivated. Back when Zhuang Zhuang was in Saint Martin’s early education class, she wore a red vest, and he only thought she looked cute and sturdy. Today, under Mu’s grooming, he realized that his daughter was truly an angel!

As the angel hopped off the shuttle, she suddenly remembered something and ran back inside, dragging out a Gatling laser gun from the cabin, handing it to the security officer receiving her, saying, “Help me carry this toy, thanks!”

The President was utterly slain by the strong contrast, and the inner child in him rejoiced at the sight of the angel carrying the Gatling laser gun. 

“Hello, Uncle President!” Zhuang Zhuang showed exceptional politeness, bowing to Jin Zhe. “Sorry to bother you. My dad said thank you for your concern. I’ll be good, promise!”

“You don’t have to call me uncle,” Jin Zhe, still carrying Jin Shengli on his neck, bent down to pat his daughter’s head, marveling at the hairstyle Mu’s seven-million-dollar hands had crafted. His face almost dripped with honey-like sweetness as he smiled, “I’m just so happy you’re here. Your dad worries too much.”

“Hehe,” Zhuang Zhuang tilted her little face up, giving him an innocent smile. “You should say ‘flourishing’ instead. Our teacher taught us that.”

“Hahaha!” Jin Zhe praised his daughter’s wit, holding her hand as they walked into the living room. “Come on in and rest for a while. After tea, I’ll take you to play with the dogs in the garden. Do you like Akitas?”

“Yeah!” Zhuang Zhuang followed him into the living room, lifting her skirt and looking up at the little boy on his neck. “Is this Little Wu’s twin? Why is there only one? When did he split?”

“I didn’t split!” Jin Shengli, with a pacifier in his mouth, mumbled unclearly, “I’m the little brother, I have teeth.” As he spoke, saliva dripped onto Jin Zhe’s neck.

“Hahaha.” Jin Zhe laughed heartily, taking Jin Shengli down from his neck. “Come, let me introduce you. This is Zhuang Zhuang, and this is… Jin… Jin, the little brother.” The name sounded too cool for him to say.

“I’m Yan. You can call me Zhuang Zhuang.” The girl, a fan of handsome boys, immediately fell in love with the fair-skinned and chubby Jin Shengli, extending her hand. “Are you a boy?”

Jin Shengli took the pacifier out of his mouth, wiped it on his bib, and put it in his pocket, shaking hands with his sister with a serious expression. “I’m Jin Shengli. You can call me little brother.” Although he appeared calm on the surface, his chubby hands were trembling—wasn’t it a big deal for the goddess to shake hands with him?

The two admirers completed their harmonious and friendly meeting. In the children’s room, Wu Chenggong, the chubby boy, waited for his uncle to come and take him out to play. When he didn’t show up, Wu Chenggong crawled out of the room, down the stairs, and into the living room.

And then, he saw his destined goddess!

Ah~ goddess!

 

 

 

 

 

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