A Former Police Officer Who Died And Get A Second Life!

Chapter 339: Papa’s Hug

Qiong Xing wondered how much he would need to prepare to satisfy Leander and the others who already ate quite a lot on a normal day.

Would they end up eating each batch as soon as it came out of the fryer?

Qiong Xing stared at Leander while pondering the question.

Naturally, no answer appeared.

In the end, he simply resolved to do his best.

"Fenrir, that’s a little excessive."

"Looks like I didn’t even get a chance to do anything."

At some point, an enormous pile of prey had appeared.

Apparently, there had been no need for anyone else’s efforts.

Qiong Xing packed everything away into his bag before reaching over to pat Fenrisulfr, who was wagging his tail proudly, in gratitude.

Did he really intend to lose weight?

Qiong Xing kept that thought to himself.

Knowing when not to say something was part of being an adult.

...

"If you’re going to make a face like that, you should’ve just gone with them."

"..."

It had only been an hour since Qiong Xing left.

Seeing his daughter clinging to his leg as if silently declaring how lonely she was made Elias smile wryly.

He was not the type to dote excessively on his children, but he loved his daughter nonetheless and Lian understood that now.

Most of that was thanks to Qiong Xing’s thoughtful efforts over the years.

Once, when Lian had asked, "Papa, do you hate Lian?"

Elias had frozen in shock.

Behind him, Qiong Xing had merely smiled helplessly after overhearing the question.

"Come on, your precious daughter looks like she’s about to cry, you know?"

Elias had been genuinely surprised.

He had never said anything like that, nor had he ever intended to act as though he disliked her.

The thought that she had seen him that way had caught him completely off guard.

"T-There’s no way that’s true! Lian is my precious daughter!"

"But... Papa never hugs Lian."

"Huh?"

A hug?

A... hug?

"Papa hugs Mama, but he doesn’t hug Lian."

As Elias stood there confused, Qiong Xing patiently explained while trying not to laugh.

"And she also said that Papa kisses Mama but never kisses Lian."

Was she saying he was supposed to do those things too?

Of course Elias loved Lian.

Of course she was precious to him.

But he had always felt that acting like one of those overly doting parents would be embarrassing, so he had never done it.

Still, he had believed he was showing his love in his own way as a father.

"I told her it’s just because Papa is shy. But she said she loves Papa and wants hugs and kisses too, and she wouldn’t let it go."

That was...

That was genuinely touching.

It made him happy.

Very happy.

Yet when he imagined himself hugging and kissing his beloved daughter, embarrassment immediately overwhelmed him.

Leander or Joa would probably do it without a second thought.

Apparently, Elias cared far more about maintaining his cool image than he had realized.

"Elias, it’s not something you need to be embarrassed about, is it? I admit that even I thought it might not quite suit you, but if your precious daughter wants it, there’s nothing strange about giving her what she wants."

There was nothing strange about it.

"You do it with me all the time, don’t you? All that’s changed is that your daughter has been added to the list. I’m not saying you have to do the same with Rui or Yue, but could you at least do it for Lian?"

Showing affection to Qiong Xing had long since become second nature to Elias.

He had never once thought of it as embarrassing.

If anything, part of the reason he did it was to make it clear that Qiong Xing belonged to him.

But the moment he imagined extending that same affection to someone else, even his own daughter, he suddenly became self conscious.

That did not mean he did not want to do it.

Slowly, Elias crouched down and opened his arms toward his teary eyed daughter.

"Come here."

"Papa!"

The small, warm body that threw itself into his arms was impossibly precious.

Elias hugged her tightly and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"I’m sorry. Papa was wrong."

"No. Lian loves Papa."

At this point, it was hard to tell which of them was the parent.

He was a father who struggled to express his feelings.

Yet his daughter never became frustrated with him and always told him exactly how she felt.

For that, he found himself grateful that she seemed to have inherited Qiong Xing’s nature.

"That’s not fair. You two are the only ones having fun. Mama wants to join too."

"Mama gets hugs too!"

The sight of his daughter laughing happily filled Elias’s heart with warmth.

Before she was born, he had honestly doubted whether he would be able to love her.

At first, he had even thought of using the child as a way to keep Qiong Xing tied to him.

But the moment he saw her, all such thoughts disappeared.

His heart had overflowed with affection.

This child was the result of the love he and Qiong Xing shared.

That alone made her precious beyond words.

However, because he had never experienced parental love himself, he had never known how to interact with his own child.

Without realizing it, he had made her feel insecure.

He truly was a terrible father.

"I’m sorry. I’ll be more careful from now on."

"Papa’s just shy. But if it’s a request from the Lian he loves so much, he’ll listen. So feel free to ask for as many hugs and kisses as you want."

Lian’s face lit up with delight at Qiong Xing’s words.

"Okay!"

Elias truly could never hold his head high around those two.

And so, after that incident, the bond between father and daughter deepened even further, and they remained as close as ever.

Elias lifted Lian into his arms as she clung to him, carried her over and sat down in a nearby chair.