Only Play with Me, Join the Army with Dad!

Yu Qingmeng took Chen Yan by the hand and walked straight over to his seat.

Then she pointed to the empty seat on the right and said in a tone that brooked no argument, "Big Brother Xiao Yan, sit here!"

Chen Yan went along with it and sat down, secretly relieved that at least he wouldn't have to deal with a crowd of even more unfamiliar children.

Once class began, the children were still curious about their handsome new classmate who spoke strangely.

But with Teacher Li there, they only dared sneak glances at him from the corners of their eyes.

Chen Yan was glad for the peace and quiet. He pretended to listen attentively as the teacher taught them a simple number song.

But as soon as free playtime came around again, the children who had been holding back rushed over and bombarded him with questions.

A little girl with a bow in her hair asked timidly, "C-can I call you Xiao Yan?"

Huzi scratched his head and asked what all the boys wanted to know: "Why does Xiao Meng call you Big Brother? You're obviously younger than her!"

Another lively girl went straight to inviting him: "Xiao Yan, let's play house together! You can be the dad, and I'll be the—"

"Stop, stop, stop, stop!"

Before she could finish, Yu Qingmeng sprang in front of Chen Yan with her arms spread wide, like a kitten whose tail had been stepped on.

She put on a stern little face, looking ready to guard her food.

"No! Xiao Yan can only play house with me! He won't play with you!"

Then she immediately turned around and looked up at Chen Yan. Her expression changed in an instant; she blinked her big eyes and gave him a sweet, soft smile that was full of pleading.

In a syrupy voice, she asked, "Big Brother Xiao Yan, let's just play together, okay?"

Chen Yan: "..."

Did I even have a choice?

Zichen had just managed to squeeze in from the edge of the crowd when he heard Yu Qingmeng declare that Xiao Yan could only play with her.

In an instant, Zichen froze as if struck by lightning.

He remembered the disdainful look Yu Qingmeng had given him not long ago when he'd invited her to play—the look that said, "You're all so childish."

Playing with me is childish...

But with him, he's the only one, huh!

His second major heartbreak at the hands of a girl came so suddenly and cruelly!

Zichen's young heart was dealt another heavy blow.

Meanwhile, inside a villa in the family residential area.

Du Qionghua silently packed things into a huge military backpack.

From compressed rations to special-effect healing salves to thick changes of clothes, she seemed intent on stuffing the whole house inside.

Watching his wife's busy figure, Chen Kefa felt both touched and helpless. He couldn't help saying, "Honey, there's really no need to bring so much, is there? I'm going to the front lines, not on vacation..."

At his words, Du Qionghua paused and shot him a look, her beautiful eyes holding a hint of reproach and much more worry.

Chen Kefa immediately swallowed the rest of what he'd been about to say. Very sensibly, he raised both hands in surrender.

"All right, all right. Pack whatever you want. I'll leave it all to you."

Seeing him like that, Du Qionghua's expression softened a little. Suddenly, as if she'd remembered something important, she turned and hurried into Chen Yan's nursery.

A short while later, she came out holding a neatly folded sheet of paper.

"Here. Our son knew you were leaving in the next couple of days. He specifically told me this morning to make sure you took this with you."

Du Qionghua handed the paper to Chen Kefa, a gentle smile on her face.

"Xiao Yan drew this?"

Chen Kefa accepted it curiously and carefully unfolded it.

On the paper was a house, its lines childish but its structure clear, with a warm, homey feeling. Inside were three figures, all the same height.

One was him, tall and straight, wearing a uniform.

One was Du Qionghua, with long hair, wearing a skirt and looking gentle.

And the last was a little person with a bright smile, holding the other two by the hand—probably Chen Yan himself.

It was unmistakably their family of three.

Each person's features were captured just right, and the picture was full of childlike innocence and love.

Chen Kefa stared at the drawing and froze for a moment. It felt as if something impossibly soft had gently brushed against his heart.

Imagining his son carefully drawing with his little hands, a warmth and ache beyond words rose together in his chest. His eyes even began to sting.

A grown man in his twenties burst into tears.

He took a deep breath. His voice was touched with a faint rasp as he said, "Honey... The two best things I've ever done in my life were, first, shamelessly getting your contact information back then, and second, working hard to get into Martial University!"

Seeing him so uncharacteristically sentimental, Du Qionghua felt both sweet and amused.

She put on a stern face to tease him.

"Hmph. I think you should put getting into Martial University first."

"If you hadn't gotten into Martial University and were just some street thug, I wouldn't have given you a second glance..."

"No way!" Chen Kefa immediately protested. "Even if I hadn't gotten into Martial University, I'd have hauled bricks until I'd built myself a future and found you!"

At the same time, Chen Yan, sitting obediently in a little chair at kindergarten, sensed what his parents were up to through the clone he'd left in the drawing.

The drawing's been delivered...

Good. Judging by the look of it, Dad was touched.

This really does work on sentimental people.

However, what happened next made Chen Yan's little face fall, and left him speechless inside.

Hey, hey, hey!

In broad daylight...

You haven't even finished packing, and you're already thinking about a "parting memento"?

Could you pick a worse time?

He quickly shut off the five senses of his clone, Chen Yan, to avoid seeing any more scenes unsuitable for young children.

He was even more impressed than ever by his energetic parents.

Chen Yan brought his attention back to reality.

Looking at Yu Qingmeng pressed close beside him, as if afraid he'd run away, he sighed in resignation.

Suddenly, the game of house in front of him didn't seem quite so unbearable.

With some free time, Chen Yan called up the system panel.

[Host]: Chen Yan

[Age]: Two and a half years old

[Cultivation]: Amateur, seventh-dan

[Qi and Blood]: 10000/10000

[Spirit]: 10000/10000

[Charm]: 94/100 (Blessed with exceptional gifts)

[Fortune]: 255 (Great luck)

[Constitution]: Innate Dao Body (Born close to the Dao; all methods come naturally)

[Skills]:

[Qi Nurturing Foundation Art (Great Mastery) (9600/10000)]

[Spirit Control (Beginner) (0/10000)]

[Efficient Absorption (Great Mastery) (9600/10000)]

[Deep Sleep (Great Mastery) (9600/10000)]

[Godly Movement (Great Mastery) (9600/10000)]

[Image Projection Scroll (Great Mastery) (9600/10000)]

[Shadow Concealment (Great Mastery) (9600/10000)]

[Mirror Flower Water Moon (Beginner) (0/10000)]

[Arrow Barrage (Great Mastery) (9600/10000)]

[Eye of Insight (Great Mastery) (0/10000)]

[Photographic Memory (Great Mastery) (0/10000)]

[Achievement: Perfect Foundation Establishment (Gold)]

After a year of painstaking cultivation, Chen Yan's two spirit skills had finally advanced to the third sequence!

That was easier than expected!

So when he learned that his father was going to the front lines to take a chance at breaking through...

Chen Yan made a decisive choice—

His clone, Chen Yan, would join the army with his father!