After the warm dinner, Fu Chen dutifully cleaned up the kitchen—after all, if Siegfried and Cecilia were to clean, he worried he'd have to apply for a complete kitchen equipment replacement the next day.
Theresa contentedly drank the last bit of bitter melon juice, watching Captain Fu Chen's busy back, her eyes curved into crescent moons.
Little Kiana seemed especially excited by Captain Fu Chen's arrival. Even at bedtime, she was still full of energy, pulling on Captain Fu Chen's pant leg and refusing to let go, demandingly asking in a milky voice, "Uncle Chen... tell a story..."
Cecilia tried to pick her up, "Kiana, it's late. Uncle Chen needs to go home."
"No, no! I want Uncle Chen to tell one!"
The little one pouted, and her blue eyes immediately welled up, about to unleash the Kaslana Family's ancestral crying technique.
Uncle Chen's heart softened. He squatted down and patted her head, "Okay, Uncle Chen will tell you a story. After the story, you'll go to sleep obediently, alright?"
"Alright!" Kiana immediately broke into a smile, extending her little finger, "Pinky promise!"
Uncle Chen smiled and pinky promised with her, then was pulled by the little one to her children's room.
Cecilia and Siegfried exchanged a smile and followed, curious to hear what story Captain Fu Chen would tell.
Seeing this, Theresa immediately jumped off her chair and followed them in like a little shadow, unceremoniously squeezing onto the carpet next to Captain Fu Chen, adopting an "I want to listen too" posture.
Captain Fu Chen had no choice but to start telling a simplified space adventure story, incorporating Asgard and various Honkai Beasts.
His voice was gentle, and his storytelling vivid. Kiana listened intently, and even Siegfried and Cecilia found it engaging.
Theresa, however, seemed less interested in the story itself. She was turned sideways, her gaze mostly fixed on Captain Fu Chen's serious profile, watching his gentle expression and the occasional flutter of his eyelashes as he thought, a silly smile on her lips that she didn't even notice.
It wasn't until the story was finished, and Kiana finally yawned and was carried off to bed by Cecilia, that Theresa remained in that position, staring at Captain Fu Chen.
"Let's go, Theresa, it's late." Captain Fu Chen stood up and gently patted her head.
"Oh... oh!" Theresa snapped back to reality, quickly stood up, and followed Captain Fu Chen out, still replaying the earlier scene in her mind.
Stepping out of the Kaslana Family home, the cool night breeze brushed their faces, bringing a touch of freshness.
Captain Fu Chen stretched his limbs, preparing to return to his dormitory.
"A'Chen, I'll walk you back!" Theresa immediately came closer, her eyes sparkling in the moonlight.
Captain Fu Chen looked at her speechlessly, "...Theresa, my dormitory and your residence are in completely different directions." And who was walking whom?
"It's fine! I ate too much, so it's a good chance for a walk! Besides, it's unsafe to walk alone at night!"
Theresa spoke with righteous indignation, as if she wasn't the one who had devoured everything on the dinner table earlier.
Captain Fu Chen: "..." Who was unsafe, exactly? He sighed, too lazy to argue further, "Whatever you say."
The two walked side by side on the neatly planned roads of the headquarters, the streetlights stretching their shadows.
Theresa chattered all the way, talking about interesting things that happened today, complaining about how boring training was, and asking Captain Fu Chen about things on the battleship.
Captain Fu Chen responded intermittently, mostly just listening quietly.
As they walked, Theresa's voice gradually quieted. She secretly glanced at Captain Fu Chen's profile, which appeared even clearer in the moonlight, her heart beating a little faster.
She subtly moved her hand closer to Captain Fu Chen's, her little finger almost touching the back of his hand.
"A'Chen..."
"Hm?"
"You... you think..." Theresa plucked up her courage, wanting to ask something, like "What do you think of me?" or "What kind of girl do you like?" But the words died in her throat, and she changed her question at the last minute, "...Do you think bitter melon juice would taste better with a little honey?"
Captain Fu Chen looked at her strangely, "Don't you just like the pure bitterness?" "Ah... right! Hehe..." Theresa let out a dry laugh, mentally kicking herself. Theresa, you're so useless!
And so, the two walked all the way to Captain Fu Chen's dormitory building in a subtly awkward atmosphere (Theresa's side, unilaterally).
"I'm here. Thank you for 'walking' me back." Captain Fu Chen emphasized the word "walking" with a hint of teasing, "Go back quickly, the night wind is cool." "Got it!" Theresa waved goodbye with some reluctance, "Goodnight, A'Chen!" "Goodnight."
Watching Captain Fu Chen's figure disappear into the dormitory building entrance, Theresa stood there for a while before slowly turning to leave, pondering what excuse she would use to find Captain Fu Chen again tomorrow.
— The Next Day —
Captain Fu Chen intentionally arrived at the bridge a little early, hoping to deal with some urgent documents before the large-scale "interference source" arrived.
However, he had barely sat down in the command chair and hadn't even fully gotten into work mode when the bridge door slid open again.
Captain Fu Chen didn't even lift his head, saying helplessly, "Theresa, what's the excuse today?"
"Captain Fu Chen, it seems you're quite eager for a particular visitor?"
An elegant, mature female voice, tinged with a playful smile, spoke. This voice was definitely not Theresa's!
Captain Fu Chen's head snapped up, his heart startled. He saw Bishop Otto Apocalypse standing at the bridge entrance.
She was wearing a well-tailored white bishop's robe today, her golden hair pulled back, and her emerald green eyes, filled with an all-knowing smile, were looking at him.
And she was not accompanied by her usual retinue.
"Bishop Otto!" Captain Fu Chen immediately stood up and saluted, "My apologies, I didn't know it was you..."
"No matter." Bishop Otto gently raised her hand, walking gracefully to the center of the bridge, her gaze sweeping around. "It seems Asgard's operations are already on track, and Captain Fu Chen's contributions are indispensable."
"It's my duty." Captain Fu Chen replied cautiously, wondering about the purpose of this important figure's sudden personal visit.
He always felt that the Bishop's gaze held an indescribable depth, making him a little uncomfortable.
"No need to be nervous."
Bishop Otto smiled slightly, "It's just a routine inspection, and by the way... I heard you haven't been resting well lately? That child Theresa seems to have caused you quite a bit of trouble?"
Her tone sounded like concern, but Captain Fu Chen inexplicably felt a hint of pressure.
"Theresa... she's just more lively."
Captain Fu Chen chose a neutral term.
"Is that so?" Bishop Otto was noncommittal. She walked to the main screen, seemingly casually pulled up some data to look at, and then suddenly said, "Oh, right, regarding the next exploration mission to the suspected Honkai Energy anomaly deep in the Pacific, I hope you can lead the team personally.
The mission brief will be sent to you shortly."
"Yes, Bishop." Captain Fu Chen immediately accepted the order.
"Mmm." Bishop Otto nodded, then as if suddenly remembering something, she said in a seemingly casual manner, "Before the mission departs, remember to rest well. Your health is the capital of revolution, and I don't want my most capable subordinate to make any mistakes due to overwork."
As she spoke, her gaze once again fell on Captain Fu Chen's face, the concern in her eyes seeming a little too personal.
Captain Fu Chen suppressed the strange feeling in his heart and bowed, "Thank you for your concern, Bishop. I will be careful."
"Very good." Bishop Otto smiled with satisfaction, then made another round of inspection before elegantly turning to leave, "Continue your work, Captain Fu Chen."
After seeing off the pressure-inducing Bishop, Captain Fu Chen had just let out a sigh of relief and was about to continue processing documents when his personal terminal rang—Theresa's exclusive ringtone.
Captain Fu Chen answered, and before he could speak, Theresa's excited voice came through, "A'Chen! Did Grandma just go to your place? Did she praise me? I told her I've been helping you 'relieve work pressure' recently!"
Captain Fu Chen: "..."
He finally understood what the Bishop's meaningful gaze and sudden concern were all about.
He looked at the mountain of documents in front of him and the new mission he had just accepted, then thought about the upcoming days of working with Theresa's "assistance," and suddenly felt that the future was bleak.