After Returning to the Country, the Female CEO Actually Gave Me a Daughter Section 23

Although she still couldn't stop in time every now and then.

But every time she was about to lose control, Tang Chen would appear and pull her back.

So later on, even when she was about to fall, she didn't worry at all.

She knew.

In the moment before she hit the ground.

Tang Chen would definitely show up!

On this ski slope.

Tang Chen had become Shen Qingyan's hero, protecting her without letting her suffer a single scratch.

And this long-missed feeling of being protected made Shen Qingyan temporarily shed the icy shell she'd built up to shield her scarred heart, laughing and joking with Tang Yao as mother and daughter let out silvery, cheerful giggles...

"Mom, you still couldn't catch me in the end!"

Back in the suite, Tang Yao hugged her ski board and looked at Shen Qingyan with pride.

"Why do you only compare yourself to Mom, and not to Dad?"

Shen Qingyan set down the ski board and brushed the snow off Tang Yao's clothes as she asked.

Tang Yao tilted her little head and said matter-of-factly, "Because I can't beat Dad!"

"Pfft..."

Shen Qingyan burst out laughing, reaching out to pinch the little girl's cheek. "You little bully who picks on the weak!"

"Nyeh..."

"Alright, go take a shower and change. We're going to soak in the hot spring."

"Okay!"

Tang Yao scampered back to the bedroom to change into her swimsuit for the hot spring, while Shen Qingyan's face was full of smiles.

But then.

Tang Chen walked past her.

Her smile froze slightly.

She just remembered...

She was going to soak in the hot spring with Tang Chen?

This...

Tang Chen noticed her odd expression and raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong?"

"N-nothing."

Shen Qingyan shook her head, turned, and quickly followed Tang Yao into their suite's bedroom...

Tang Chen also went back to his room, took a shower, changed into a pair of beach swim trunks, and looked in the mirror.

He wasn't just handsome with good proportions; years of exercise had given him a perfect physique.

Every muscle was sharply defined.

He pushed open the door and walked out.

And just as he stepped out...

Another bedroom door opened.

Tang Yao came out wearing a blue Minnie Mouse one-piece swimsuit.

Then came Shen Qingyan, in a black one-piece swimsuit, with no makeup on.

The one-piece had a long skirt and sleeves, revealing nothing at all.

But seeing Shen Qingyan like this, Tang Chen still felt a bit dazed.

She had just showered too, her wet hair coiled on top of her head, a few droplets of water hanging on her fair, translucent face like a lotus blooming from water, and under the swimsuit, her slender calves and slightly fuller thighs were dazzlingly eye-catching...

Feeling Tang Chen's intense gaze.

Two blushes crept onto Shen Qingyan's fair cheeks, and she turned to quickly walk toward the hot spring pool.

"Dad, snap out of it!"

Tang Yao patted Tang Chen, her little face full of disdain, as if to say, "Look at you, acting like you've never seen anything before..."

But obviously.

Tang Chen had seen things before.

Otherwise, she wouldn't exist.

It's just that he had blacked out back then and couldn't recall those memories of seeing the world...

: Afraid to open her heart, once she tastes warmth, she can never return to loneliness... Chapter 9, begging for favorites

The hot spring pool bubbled and gurgled.

Tang Yao splashed around, back and forth.

Shen Qingyan sat there, her entire body submerged in the pool with only her head above the surface, remaining silent the whole time...

Tang Chen, meanwhile, had somehow produced two water guns and dragged the splashing Tang Yao into an intense water fight.

"Yaoyao's so clumsy, she can't hit Dad!"

"Dad's so clumsy too, he can't hit Yaoyao! Oops!"

A jet of water hit Tang Yao square between the eyes, and she puffed up angrily, launching a furious counterattack against Tang Chen.

But she kept missing.

She clenched her little fists at him in frustration.

And then.

A sly grin suddenly flickered in her eyes...

Fwoosh!

Another water jet struck home.

"Ouch!"

The little girl covered her face with a shriek: "It got my eye!"

Tang Chen scrambled to his feet, and Shen Qingyan, who had been watching from the sidelines, also rose and walked over.

"Are you okay?"

"Yaoyao, are you alright?"

Tang Chen and Shen Qingyan leaned in to check on her.

But just then.

Tang Yao suddenly yanked her water gun from the water, blasted Tang Chen several times in a row, then swung the nozzle around and sprayed Shen Qingyan.

"Tang Yao!"

Shen Qingyan wiped the water from her face, gritting her teeth as she shouted, then snatched the water gun from Tang Chen's hand. The battle lines shifted to mother versus daughter, while Tang Chen sat to the side, watching with a delighted smile.

At the same time, he savored the sight of a lotus rising from the water—a stunning view...

The outcome of the fight was, naturally, Shen Qingyan's victory. She lifted her chin proudly, like a white swan...

And then.

Shen Qingyan suddenly realized.

She had changed!

In the past, she would never have competed with her daughter like this.

Because she knew.

Her daughter had only her to cherish, only her to love.

Now.

Even though Tang Yao wasn't upset at all—in fact, she was much happier—

Shen Qingyan understood.

The one who had brought about this change in her was Tang Chen's presence!

Thinking this.

She instinctively turned her head to glance at Tang Chen.

And met his gaze, fixed on her with a burning intensity that felt like a thousand degrees.

Her pretty face flushed, and she unconsciously reached down to adjust the front and hem of her swimsuit before sinking back into the hot spring pool...

A pleased smile spread across Tang Chen's face. He clasped his hands behind his head, turned to look at Tang Yao, and couldn't help but feel a swell of emotion.