Eventually, it led to the current situation.
After receiving the lunch box Lin Yun brought back, Lin Xiaolu extinguished her phone's screen, put it aside, yet merely sat there without immediately starting to eat.
"What's wrong? Not hungry?" Lin Yun asked.
"No, I'm eating candy," Lin Xiaolu replied, her words muffled, as she pushed the piece of candy to her cheek, probably trying to show it to Lin Yun.
"Where did you get the candy?" Lin Yun couldn't help but wonder.
"Took it from the drawer."
Lin Xiaolu confidently responded, "I really brand of candy, one of my teammates often brings it for me."
"Yeah, how did you know?"
"She got the candy from me."
"Oh, you mean it's from you... wait, what?"
Lin Xiaolu looked up in surprise, "Why would she get it from you?"
"That's because I have a good daughter who had been persuading me to adopt her teammate, remember?"
Lin Yun said expressionlessly, "She ended up coming to me instead."
He really had no reason to hide it; after all, it was something Lin Xiaolu had instigated before, and Bai Jingxuan herself had let it slip.
"Ah... that thing... I didn't forget that..."
As soon as Lin Yun mentioned it, Lin Xiaolu also recalled how she had crazily spread rumors within the Fangting City squad saying "Emerald Sparrow and my dad have a thing," which made her so embarrassed her toes curled and her voice naturally lowered.
At that time, she was deluded, firmly believing the reason Emerald Sparrow treated her so well was because she wanted to become her stepmother, which led to a series of wild conclusions that now seemed quite untenable.
After all, a Magical Girl as perfect as Emerald Sparrow truly did seem like a noble, cool princess, not someone blindly devoted to love.
Furthermore, considering Emerald Sparrow's usual expression as if everyone owed her money, Lin Xiaolu found it hard to imagine what it would look like if she really fell for someone.
And for such a Magical Girl, what reason was there to stay for her sake...
Thinking this, Lin Xiaolu visibly became much more dispirited.
Meanwhile, seeing his daughter lost in wild thoughts and suddenly becoming gloomy, Lin Yun couldn't help but knock on the lunch box, "What are you thinking about? I told you, if you don't eat now, it'll get cold."
She was abruptly pulled back from her thoughts, probably because what she was thinking about was indeed quite shocking, so Lin Xiaolu refrained from retorting and just looked dazedly at Lin Yun before nodding.
She reached for the lunch box in front of her while intensely chewing the candy that had been in her mouth.
A tiny cracking sound emerged in her mouth, the shattered pieces of candy providing a slightly prickling sensation on her tongue, quickly swallowed down her throat. Savoring the last remnants of the candy in her mouth, Lin Xiaolu's slightly scattered gaze gradually focused.
Something suddenly occurred to her.
"This candy... Bai Jingxuan brings it back every other day," she muttered to herself.
"Yes, after all, she comes to see me every few days," Lin Yun replied candidly.
Lin Xiaolu's voice suddenly rose several decibels, "She comes every few days?"
"Yes, although I didn't adopt her, as the head of the Abnormal Strategy Bureau, discussing Magical Girl matters and giving her some life advice is still okay," Lin Yun nodded, "The kid is polite most of the time, it's fine to chat with her."
"Wait, aren't you my dad?" Lin Xiaolu looked at Lin Yun in disbelief.
"I am your dad, what about it?" Lin Yun looked at Lin Xiaolu, puzzled.
"I haven't been able to visit the Abnormal Strategy Bureau every few days!"
Lin Xiaolu picked up the chopsticks beside the lunch box, knocking them forcefully on the table, "You always say try not to bring family members into the Abnormal Strategy Bureau, but she ends up visiting you almost every day to act cute? Is she clinging to you now?"
"... That's a bit subjective," Lin Yun said, slightly shifting his gaze, "That kid just occasionally comes over to chat, calling it 'acting cute' is..."
"What could she possibly do that I wouldn't know about?"
Lin Xiaolu glared at Lin Yun, "That girl is always like that at the base, constantly clinging to Emerald Sparrow with enviable words, hugging and cuddling, even often shamelessly calling her 'mommy'. It's so envious it's unbearable to watch! Isn't it the same when she comes to see you?"
At this point, Lin Yun completely turned his face away.
Lin Xiaolu's words were crude but not without reason; although emotional, she indeed spoke the truth.
As the person involved, he fully felt how clingy Bai Jingxuan had been lately.
Normally at the base, she liked to follow behind Emerald Sparrow, wanting to help with everything, occasionally asking humbly for some affectionate interactions like head pats or hugs... If there were no one else in the base and she didn't have to patrol, she would run to the director's office at the Abnormal Strategy Bureau and stick to Lin Yun, discussing everyday issues.
If this behavior wasn't considered acting cute... that would indeed be somewhat insincere. Lin Xiaolu was telling the truth.
But Lin Yun also knew that the main reason behind this was because of himself.