Chapter Five: An Unexpected Enlightenment-Entretenimento Chinês 97: Começo Enganando a Mãe Celestial em um Casamento Fraudulento(O Encontro entre a Luz e a Escuridão)

"So, did Beverly give you a hard time?" Chen Siyuan asked Liu Xiaoli casually on the way home.

"Siyuan, I'm sorry. This won't cause you any trouble, will it?" Liu Xiaoli hesitated for a moment before speaking. Although she hadn't fully grasped the details of what happened today, she had pieced most of it together.

"Why do you say that?"

"About Beverly's boyfriend—won't this force you to compromise your principles?" Liu Xiaoli felt very conflicted. She couldn't deny that having Beverly's support would make things much easier for her at the dance troupe, but she worried about the trouble it might bring to Chen Siyuan. After all, legally, Chen Siyuan was her husband now, and this whole situation had started because of her.

Unexpectedly, Chen Siyuan just smiled easily. "Liu Xiaoli, you underestimate your husband! A small matter like this isn't worth mentioning to me."

"Husband..." Liu Xiaoli felt a tremor in her heart at those words. It was the first time Chen Siyuan had referred to himself as her husband in front of her. She had a feeling that they were drifting toward a path where their fake marriage was starting to feel real. Their current dynamic certainly didn't feel like a sham.

For the rest of the journey, Liu Xiaoli felt a bit dazed. It wasn't until they arrived at Liu Yifei's school and picked her up that she came back to her senses.

"Daddy, Daddy! I learned so much today, and the teacher even praised me!" As soon as Liu Yifei got into the car, she excitedly told Chen Siyuan all about her school day, her face practically screaming, "Praise me!"

"Oh? It seems our Xixi is a genius after all, adapting so quickly." Chen Siyuan gladly provided the emotional validation she craved.

"Of course! I'm very capable! I'm going to try to be able to communicate with my classmates entirely in English within a week!" Liu Yifei said, looking quite pleased with herself.

"Don't get cocky; you still have a long way to go," Liu Xiaoli said, gently tapping Liu Yifei, who had leaned her head into the front seat.

"Hmph, I'm not being cocky, I'm just stating facts." Liu Yifei pouted, then turned to Chen Siyuan. "Daddy, don't you think so?"

"That's right. Our Xixi is the best. I've seen many Chinese children, and Xixi is definitely the fastest to adapt to a new environment!" Having received Chen Siyuan's affirmation, Liu Yifei glanced triumphantly at Liu Xiaoli. *See? Daddy supports me!*

Liu Xiaoli looked at Chen Siyuan with resignation. "You spoil Xixi too much; you're going to spoil her rotten."

"Isn't a daughter meant to be spoiled?" Chen Siyuan laughed heartily.

"Daddy, you're the best!" Liu Yifei leaned over and quickly planted a kiss on Chen Siyuan's cheek.

Liu Xiaoli tapped her lightly and scolded, "Sit properly! Your father is driving!"

"Hehe." Liu Yifei shrank her neck, giggled, and sat back.

"Siyuan, let's stop by the supermarket first. I'll make something good today." Liu Xiaoli felt she should properly treat Chen Siyuan.

"Sure." Chen Siyuan had no objections and turned toward the supermarket.

The three of them pushed a shopping cart through the aisles, the atmosphere filled with warmth. This was what a family looked like. Abroad, it wasn't possible to cook as they did back home, and the simple kitchenware in Chen Siyuan's house didn't support elaborate meals. Liu Xiaoli chose a few home-style dishes she was confident in cooking.

Chen Siyuan was pleasantly surprised. It had been three years; it had been a long time since he’d had a home-cooked meal.

Back home, they didn't leave Liu Xiaoli to do all the work. The whole family helped prepare the ingredients for dinner.

"Daddy, there's a piece of leaf on your hair. Let me get it for you." Liu Yifei used her wet hand to brush a bit of vegetable debris off Chen Siyuan's head. As a result, water droplets trickled down his hair.

"Xixi, don't be naughty," Liu Xiaoli scolded.

"It's fine, Xixi is being very helpful!" Chen Siyuan "retaliated" by using his own wet hands to mess up Liu Yifei's hair.

"Ah! Haha!" Liu Yifei was delighted and immediately counterattacked.

Watching the father and daughter playing together, Liu Xiaoli felt helpless. She stood up and shooed them out of the kitchen. "Go play outside; I can handle it here."

Seeing that the preparations were nearly done, Chen Siyuan allowed himself to be ushered out.

"Daddy, Mom still needs a while. Let's watch a movie together." Liu Yifei hugged Chen Siyuan's arm and acted spoiled. Chen Siyuan's small villa had a home theater, and Liu Yifei had been wanting to see it for a long time.

Chen Siyuan checked the time and agreed. "Alright, but only for a little while, and it has to be the original English version."

"Okay." Liu Yifei just wanted to enjoy the bond with her father and didn't care what they watched.

"What do you want to see?" Chen Siyuan opened a drawer for her to choose. He kept the adult films locked away, so there was no need to worry about Liu Yifei seeing them.

"Let's watch this one." Liu Yifei pulled out a disc at random. It was Audrey Hepburn's *Roman Holiday*. It was the film that made Hepburn a star, winning her the Academy Award for Best Actress and cementing her status in Hollywood.

At first, Liu Yifei was chatting and laughing with Chen Siyuan, but she was soon completely absorbed in the film. Every smile and gesture of Audrey Hepburn deeply captivated her.

"Come out and wash your hands for dinner!" Liu Xiaoli's voice called from the kitchen.

Chen Siyuan paused the movie. "Alright, let's go eat first. If you like it, we can finish it after dinner."

Liu Yifei looked back repeatedly, her face full of reluctance. Chen Siyuan narrowed his eyes slightly; some things truly were impossible to change. He feared that the seed of wanting to be an actress like Audrey Hepburn had already been planted in Liu Yifei's heart. He had originally thought about molding her into a legal professional, but it seemed that was not meant to be—the inertia of time and space was a formidable force.

"You two were only gone a moment, how did you end up watching a movie?" Liu Xiaoli asked with a sigh.

Chen Siyuan walked over to her and hugged her. "Thank you, honey, you've worked hard!"

Liu Xiaoli stiffened, but quickly softened. She gently tapped his hand. "Stop it, let's eat."

"Xixi, let's go wash up!" Chen Siyuan smiled and called Liu Yifei over to wash her hands.

Liu Xiaoli's cooking was average, but Chen Siyuan ate with great pleasure. Liu Yifei, who had been chatting incessantly earlier, was uncharacteristically quiet.

"Xixi, what's wrong?" Liu Xiaoli noticed something was off.

Chen Siyuan understood in his heart and looked at Liu Yifei. "Are you interested in acting, Xixi?"

Liu Yifei looked up in surprise; she hadn't expected Chen Siyuan to see through her thoughts.

"Acting?" Liu Xiaoli frowned.

"Xixi, no matter what you like, Daddy will support you. But for these next few years, your focus should be on your studies." Chen Siyuan reached out and gently patted Liu Yifei's head.