A beauty capable of captivating an entire nation never needed makeup. Someone who needed makeup to become beautiful could not be called a true beauty.
Mentioning makeup immediately put Ziyan in a bad mood. She said crossly, "You've got some nerve saying that. I usually only wear light makeup, and all the cosmetics I use are from high-end international brands. Is that why you won't let Mengmeng kiss me? What do you mean by that?"
Seeing that Ziyan was about to bombard him with criticism, Zhang Han helplessly shook his head. Unwilling to argue with a woman, he said blandly, "Let's eat. Afterward, we'll go to the amusement park on the mountain."
"Hmph!" Ziyan snorted softly and began eating the food in front of her.
Ocean Park had two major amusement areas. The one below was the Seaside Amusement Park, while the one above was the Peak Amusement Park. After eating, the three of them took the sightseeing cable car up the mountain and spent the entire afternoon playing at the Peak Amusement Park.
As dusk approached, the family of three left Ocean Park.
Overall, they had enjoyed themselves immensely that day. Ziyan's nerves, which had been taut from her exhausting work, had also relaxed.
"We got a car as soon as we arrived in Hong Kong. Looks like your life isn't as bad as I thought." Ziyan held the tired Little Princess in her arms in the back seat and could not help muttering.
"The car's rented." Zhang Han answered, then thought for a moment before saying, "I'll take you back."
"Obviously! Did you think I was going to take Mengmeng and hail a taxi?" Ziyan said irritably.
"I mean I'll take you back, and Mengmeng will come with me." Zhang Han added an explanation.
Ziyan's brows furrowed at that, and her tone turned cold. "What do you mean?"
"You're busy with work and don't have time to look after Mengmeng." Zhang Han thought for a moment and said, "I mean, let me take care of her. You can come see her whenever you have time."
"Okay, okay! Mengmeng wants to stay with Daddy!" Mengmeng raised her hands and cheered twice despite being tired. Compared with having Wang Juan look after her, she naturally preferred staying with Daddy.
"No!" Ziyan rejected him flatly without even thinking.
"Why not?" Zhang Han raised a brow.
"Mengmeng is mine!" Ziyan glared at Zhang Han and refused to give an inch.
Looking at Ziyan protecting her child, Zhang Han could not help laughing. His tone softened as he said, "I'm not trying to take Mengmeng away. She'll always be your daughter. I just want to cook nutritious food for her so she can grow up healthy and happy. Besides, I've already got everything nearly prepared."
"Mommy, why don't we stay with Daddy together?" Mengmeng was young but clever. Seeing her chance, she kept pleading from Ziyan's arms.
"You just want to cook for her?" Ziyan asked.
Her tone was already hesitant, and seeing Mengmeng's expression made her somewhat unwilling to refuse.
She truly did not have much time. She would not be able to spend long periods accompanying Mengmeng, especially since she would soon be filming a music video and might have to travel elsewhere.
She also felt that Mengmeng would be better off being cared for by Zhang Han than by Auntie Wang. But she was a little afraid—afraid that Mengmeng would grow too dependent on her father and leave her.
"Mm." Zhang Han answered.
"No!" Ziyan's eyes widened. "You're lying again. Anyone can cook nutritious food."
"When have I ever lied?" Zhang Han was slightly taken aback.
He had never lied from childhood to adulthood. He had always said exactly what he meant, so there was no question of him deceiving anyone.
Yet Ziyan's reply left him both amused and exasperated.
"Last time, didn't you lie to Mengmeng about that hidden paradise? And now you're talking about cooking nutritious food. Couldn't Auntie Wang cook nutritious food too?" Ziyan snorted softly.
"Daddy lied? There's no hidden paradise?" Mengmeng blinked, looking a little sad, as if she were about to cry.
"There is one. How could Daddy lie to you? If you don't believe me, I'll take you to see it right now, okay?" Zhang Han hurriedly said, casting Ziyan a reproachful glance.
"Huh?" Mengmeng's expression quickly brightened. "Really?"
"Really. Daddy will take you to see it right now, okay?" Zhang Han said with a smile.
"Yay!" Mengmeng became happy again in an instant.
Ziyan was slightly stunned by this. Doubt filled her heart.
Seeing how confident that man looked, could there really be some kind of hidden paradise?
As she watched Zhang Han drive toward New Moon Bay, Ziyan felt as though he had truly created something.
"Where are you taking us?" Ziyan ultimately could not suppress her curiosity and asked.
"To a hidden paradise!" Mengmeng answered first.
"Hehehe." Zhang Han shook his head with a laugh. "You'll know when we get there."
"Hmph, why are you acting so mysterious?" Ziyan curled her lips and looked out the window.
Zhukeng District was not far from New Moon Bay. It took only twenty minutes by car.
When the car passed New Moon Bay and headed toward New Moon Mountain, Ziyan wanted to ask again. Her lips moved twice, but in the end, she said nothing.
She knew asking would be useless. That stubborn man would not tell her.
When they reached the foot of New Moon Mountain, the car stopped.
"We're here. Get out." Zhang Han clapped his hands.
"You've got to be kidding me. After all that, you brought us to this godforsaken place?" Ziyan's eyes widened.
"You'll know once you get out."
Zhang Han gave her a mysterious smile and got out of the car first.
Curious, Ziyan carried Mengmeng out after him. After walking forward for two minutes, they reached the outskirts of New Moon Mountain.
It was already late. Bright moonlight spilled across the ground, illuminating the surroundings even without any other light. Yet the forest ahead was pitch-black.
The trees were thick and densely packed, blocking out the moonlight. The darkness made Ziyan feel uneasy.
"What are we going to do?" Ziyan asked with a hint of nervousness.
"Climb the mountain," Zhang Han answered briefly.
"Climb the mountain!" Mengmeng cried excitedly, though she was somewhat afraid of the dark too. Looking at the forest ahead, she said in her childish voice, "Daddy, it's too dark ahead. Mengmeng's scared."
"Come here. Daddy will carry you, and then you won't be scared." Zhang Han took Mengmeng, who was reaching out her little arms, from Ziyan.
Ziyan had been carrying her for several minutes and was indeed getting tired, so she directly handed Mengmeng to Zhang Han.
"Should Daddy call out a playmate for you?" Zhang Han asked with a smile as he held the Little Princess.
"Okay. What kind of playmate?" Mengmeng asked adorably.
Even Ziyan was curious now and had no idea what Zhang Han was planning.
Zhang Han took two steps forward and called, "Xiao Hei!"
"Woof, woof..."
A dog bark echoed from New Moon Mountain.
"A dog?" Ziyan was slightly stunned.
Less than two minutes later, a rustling sound came from the grass ahead.
Suddenly, a black shadow shot out at high speed!
Xiao Hei was as large as a grown Tibetan Mastiff. Ziyan could not make out its appearance at first. Her eyes widened, and she let out a scream. "Ah!"
"Wow!" Hearing Mommy scream, Mengmeng cried out nervously as well.
"Awooooo!"
The two screams startled Xiao Hei. Its speed of a hundred and eighty miles per hour came to an abrupt halt. It sprawled onto the ground and crawled forward, looking slightly aggrieved.
If it could speak, it would certainly have said:
"What are you doing? I came to pick you up out of the goodness of my heart, and you made such a terrifying noise!"
"What... what kind of dog is that?" Ziyan asked, clutching Zhang Han's sleeve with both hands.
"Iron-clad Golden Emperor Dog," Zhang Han answered softly.
"Emperor Dog?" Ziyan was stunned.
"Wow, what a... what a beautiful dog!" Mengmeng said, her eyes filled with little hearts. "Daddy, can I touch it?"
"Of course. Go ahead." Zhang Han bent down so the Little Princess could reach Xiao Hei.
Xiao Hei happily wagged its tail. It stood up, lowered its head slightly, and came over.
"Mengmeng, don't touch it!" Ziyan said. "We don't know whether it bites, and dogs have lots of bacteria on them. You can't touch it."
Although Ziyan also liked furry dogs, the fact that dogs carried bacteria could not be denied. Children especially should not get too close to them.
"It's fine." Zhang Han chuckled. "His name is Xiao Hei, and he's drunk the same water you drank before. Those bacteria aren't on him anymore. He doesn't shed normally, he doesn't have any strange odor, and even his breath doesn't stink. Go ahead and play with him. Ziyan, you can touch him too."
As he spoke, Mengmeng stroked Xiao Hei's head several times from Zhang Han's arms.
"You're lying again. There's no such dog in the world." Ziyan snorted softly.
There was a faint trace of feminine charm in her voice, though she did not notice it herself.
"Why would I lie to you?" Zhang Han said, feeling rather speechless.
"Then I'll believe you for now." Ziyan gave Zhang Han a rare slight smile before reaching out and stroking Xiao Hei's head several times. Its fur felt incredibly smooth and pleasant beneath her hand.
"All right, let's go up the mountain. Xiao Hei, lead the way." Zhang Han spoke.
Hearing his master's command, Xiao Hei puffed out its chest, raised its head, wagged its tail and butt, and strutted forward.
It slowly led the family behind it, one step at a time.
Zhang Han carried Mengmeng, while Ziyan held onto Zhang Han's sleeve as they entered the pitch-black forest.
It had seemed dark outside, but once inside, they discovered it was not quite so dark. The trees ahead could still be seen clearly by the faint moonlight.
After walking for five minutes, the path suddenly opened up.
Ziyan and Mengmeng became the first guests on the territory of New Moon Mountain.
"Wow, what a beautiful place." Ziyan sounded pleasantly surprised.
From here, they could see the scenery of the front mountain: lush green grasslands stretching into the distance and the fresh fragrance of the air. Ziyan unexpectedly found herself longing for this kind of pastoral life.
However, it was rather dark, and she could not make out the flowers on the other side. If she had been able to see them clearly, Ziyan would probably have been several times more excited. After all, women adored the beauty of fresh flowers.
"Wowee, what a, what a beautiful place!" Mengmeng exaggeratedly imitated Ziyan's tone. Suddenly, the Little Princess spotted the ridiculously cool and imposing Thunder Sun Tree atop the mountain.
"Daddy, Daddy, look over there! What a huge tree!" Mengmeng pointed ahead with her little arm.
"Huh?" Ziyan followed her gaze and immediately let out a surprised sound. "What kind of tree is that? It's so strange."
Before you continue