Fu Chen returned to the bridge of the Asgard, expecting to resume his busy yet peaceful routine, but he quickly realized he was too naive.
No sooner had he sat down at the central command seat and called up the first system status report than the automatic doors of the bridge slid open with a 'whoosh'.
Theresa, dressed in a casual skirt rather than her Valkyrie uniform, came in with a Haxxor Bunny-patterned pillow, a wide grin on her face, and naturally sat down in the co-pilot seat next to the command seat—a seat usually reserved for important visitors or observers.
Fu Chen: "..."
He took a deep breath, trying to ignore the very present person beside him, and focused his attention on the screen.
A few minutes later, as he was concentrating on analyzing engine data, a slender finger quietly reached over and poked his arm.
"A'Chen~ This data fluctuation curve looks like Haxxor Bunny's ears!" Theresa leaned over, pointing to a completely unrelated area on the screen, her tone innocent.
A vein throbbed on Fu Chen's forehead. He expressionlessly pushed her hand away: "These are normal harmonics during warp engine preheating, not Haxxor Bunny's ears. Also, Theresa, this is the bridge, not an amusement park."
"I know, I know~" Theresa casually pulled her hand back, swinging her legs, still hugging her Haxxor Bunny pillow, but her large eyes remained fixed on Fu Chen's profile.
A moment later, as Fu Chen was communicating with the logistics department to coordinate material allocation, he felt a gentle tug on his hair.
He turned sharply and saw that Theresa had, at some point, braided a small strand of his hair and was trying to tie a bow with the Haxxor Bunny yarn on her pillow.
"The-re-sa!" Fu Chen almost gritted out the three words. He said "one moment" into the communicator, then covered the microphone and lowered his voice, "What exactly do you want? Do you really have no mission?"
Theresa blinked her big eyes, looking innocent: "No~ Grandma hasn't given me any field missions recently. She said I should... um... 'rest and recuperate'?" She tilted her head, revealing a mischievous smile, "So I just wanted to accompany A'Chen~ Watching you work is quite interesting!"
Fu Chen looked at her, so self-righteous in her 'I'm just bored and here to annoy you' manner, and a wave of powerlessness washed over him.
He couldn't hit her, couldn't scold her away, and reasoning with her was like talking to a brick wall.
He could only sigh helplessly, resignedly untie the ugly hair bow, and return to work, trying hard to ignore the 'large source of interference' beside him who occasionally poked him, commented on the screen content, or simply propped her chin and stared at him.
All day, a strange atmosphere permeated the Asgard's bridge.
The crew members kept their eyes down.
They pretended not to notice the petite S-Rank Valkyrie sitting next to their efficient Captain, looking as if she were on a spring outing.
—And the Captain's increasingly dark circles under his eyes.
Finally, when quitting time arrived, Fu Chen practically fled the bridge, ignoring Theresa calling out, "A'Chen, wait for me, let's go eat together!" He needed peace! Urgently!
However, this peace didn't last long. He had planned to grab a quick bite in his dorm, but his personal terminal rang. It was Siegfried.
"Hey! Fu Chen! Are you off work yet? Come to my place! Cecilia bought tons of ingredients! We're having a feast tonight!" Siegfried's loud voice was as boisterous as ever.
Fu Chen raised an eyebrow: "A feast? Are you cooking or is Cecilia cooking?" He had a deep understanding of that couple's culinary skills.
There was a moment of silence on the other end, followed by Siegfried's somewhat embarrassed cough: "Ahem... well... the ingredients are prepared, we're just waiting for you! Kiana misses you too, she keeps saying 'Uncle Chen'!"
Fu Chen immediately understood. The so-called "free meal" was actually him going to be a free chef. However, thinking of the well-behaved and adorable Kiana and the couple who, despite their disastrous cooking, were very kind, the fatigue and annoyance in his heart dissipated considerably.
"Got it, I'll be right there."
When he arrived at the Kaslana Family's home with some fruit he'd bought along the way, he smelled... something burnt? He felt a pang of anxiety and quickly pushed the door open.
The kitchen was a mess. Cecilia was flustered, staring at a smoking frying pan, while Siegfried was trying to clean up flour spilled all over the floor. Little Kiana sat in her high chair, waving a spoon and babbling, a bit of white powder on her tiny nose.
"Uh... I guess I came at the wrong time?" Fu Chen stood at the door, a little exasperated.
"No! You came at just the right time!" Siegfried, as if granted a great pardon, rushed over and pulled him into the kitchen, "Quick! Save dinner! And our kitchen!"
Cecilia's face flushed, and she said apologetically, "Sorry, A'Chen, we originally wanted to try and prepare something..."
Fu Chen sighed, resignedly took off his jacket, and rolled up his sleeves: "Alright, you two take Kiana to play in the living room, I'll handle this."
Soon, the terrible smell in the kitchen was replaced by an appetizing aroma.
Fu Chen skillfully tossed the wok and seasoned the dishes, his movements fluid and graceful, a stark contrast to the couple's earlier fumbling.
When the flavorful and colorful dishes were served one by one, Kiana bounced excitedly in her high chair: "Uncle Chen! Food! Yummy! Kiana wants to eat!"
Siegfried sniffed dramatically: "Wow! Fu Chen! You should come cook at my place every day from now on! I'll be responsible for buying groceries!"
Cecilia smiled as she tied a napkin around her daughter, giving Fu Chen a grateful look.
Just as this warm family atmosphere was in full swing, the doorbell rang.
Siegfried ran to open the door, and then his surprised voice rang out: "Theresa? Why are you here?"
"Hmph! I knew A'Chen was here!" Theresa's indignant voice came through. She walked into the dining room, hands on her hips, glaring at Fu Chen who had just brought out the last dish from the kitchen, "You didn't call me when there was good food! A'Chen, you're biased!"
Fu Chen looked at Theresa, whose face was puffed up like a pufferfish, and couldn't help but laugh. He had already expected that she might follow the scent.
"Who said I didn't prepare anything for you?" He turned back to the kitchen and brought out two dishes from the warming cabinet that were clearly made separately—stir-fried bitter melon and bitter melon omelet, along with a glass of freshly squeezed bitter melon juice. He placed them in front of Theresa's usual seat, "Here, your special."
Theresa looked at the green, her favorite dishes, and the anger on her face instantly vanished. Her eyes lit up, and with a cheer, she pounced on the dining table: "Wow! Bitter melon! A'Chen, you're the best!" The speed of her mood change was astonishing.
She picked up a spoon, eagerly took a bite, and happily narrowed her eyes: "Mmm~ Delicious! A'Chen's bitter melon is the best!"
Kiana looked at the green dishes in front of Sister Theresa, blinking her blue eyes curiously, and extended her small spoon: "Sister Theresa... eat..."
Theresa immediately protected her food, nudging the plate closer to herself: "No, no, this is Sister's special. Kiana, eat the yummy meat in front of you."
Everyone was amused.
Having shed his identity as a warship commander, Fu Chen, now wearing an apron and watching others happily eat the food he had cooked, wore a rarely seen, extremely gentle smile.
The fatigue from work and the minor annoyance brought by Theresa seemed to be healed at this moment.
This was the everyday life he truly wanted to protect.
Theresa, while eating her exclusive bitter melon feast, secretly peeked at Fu Chen's gentle profile, her heart as sweet as honey.
See, A'Chen still cares about me the most! She quietly moved her chair closer to Fu Chen.
Everything was so warm.
—Of course, if one ignored the unidentified blonde woman 'peeking' from behind a tree outside the window...