Chapter 71: Personalized Mission

Alex, the little one, had a very enjoyable time all afternoon. The Bear Kids also had fun, playing with Alex was much more interesting than playing with Liu Heming. Playing with Liu Heming was something they had to do, there was no choice, since Alex was a much better playmate—she always shared whatever snacks she had.

“Dad, do you have any more of that tasty sweet potato? Mom really liked it, but the sweet potatoes at home don’t taste good,” Alex asked after she had been roughhousing with the Bear Kids for a while, running over to Liu Heming who was busy flipping a wok.

“There aren’t any more for now, but Dad has already planted more. There will be lots and lots in the future,” Liu Heming said as he picked up his daughter. While speaking, he secretly glanced over toward Sasha, who was reading a book on the other side.

Sasha noticed his gaze and shot him a reproachful look in return, even wrinkling her nose. Liu Heming was nearly mesmerized; it was the first time he had seen Sasha looking so playful.

Every time he interacted with Sasha, she gave him a somewhat cold impression, and at the same time, she felt unattainably noble. Now he felt a tiny bit of regret; if he had known, he should have saved a few more Finger Sweet Potatoes for his “wife and child.”

Sasha was beautiful, and she was the mother of his child. To say he had no thoughts about her at all would be a lie, but he knew the distance between them could be described as a chasm. It was unlikely he could win her over, even with Alex as a connection.

After clearly defining his own identity and position in his heart, Liu Heming chatted with his daughter while continuing to flip the wok.

“Wow, Dad is so amazing! You can even make the sand spin in circles in the wok,” Alex said happily after watching for a while.

“Of course! To cook the most delicious dishes for my little darling, Dad has been working hard all along. Come, give me a kiss,” Liu Heming said, then leaned in with his big face.

In fact, he had already developed some skill by now, but since the System had not announced the mission as successful, it meant he was still a bit short.

Alex obediently kissed him on the cheek, and Liu Heming was instantly filled with passion. The sand in the wok spun even more smoothly under his control, and the wok clanged loudly with each flip.

“Congratulations, host, for completing the ‘Chef’s Basic Skill’—Wok Tossing mission.”

“Rewards are as follows: Spirit Points +5, Strength Points +5, Agility +5.”

“New mission issued: A Father’s Devotion.”

“Mission duration: Thirty days.”

“Mission content: Cook six different types of dishes that satisfy Alex.”

“Mission reward: Chef Title (increases the quality of cooked dishes by 5%).”

“Mission penalty: Permanently reduces the quality of cooked dishes by 10%.”

Hearing the slightly cheerful, continuous notifications from the System in his ear, and having the three attribute points directly awarded to him, Liu Heming, who was still flipping the wok, lost control. The sand in the wok flew up into the air, hitting the ceiling and falling onto his head.

“Pfft.”

Liu Heming spat out the sand that had fallen into his mouth when he gasped in surprise. He turned to look at his daughter.

Well, the originally adorable little girl was now looking at him innocently. Like him, she was covered in sand from head to toe.

“Uh, Sasha, there was a little accident just now. Could you take Alex to wash up first?” With no other choice, Liu Heming carried his daughter over to Sasha and spoke with embarrassment.

Sasha looked at the state of the father and daughter, rolling her beautiful eyes forcefully.

Before coming here, she had considered all kinds of situations her daughter might encounter and had worried about them, but she never imagined her daughter would suffer such a “miserable fate.”

But seeing the father and daughter both covered in dust like this, she couldn’t bring herself to scold them.

Putting down the book in her hands, she took the “filthy” daughter from Liu Heming and headed straight upstairs to the bathroom.

Liu Heming felt relieved. His daughter was so good; even after such an incident, she didn’t cry and instead seemed very happy. She really was a wonderful daughter. If the little one had thrown a tantrum, Sasha might have taken her away after giving her a bath.

“How did you mess up?” Robin asked Liu Heming with great curiosity.

“I was just trying to show off for Alex, but it turns out I’m not skilled enough yet,” Liu Heming said very awkwardly.

As he spoke, he casually scratched his head, and the sand clinging to his hair fell in a continuous shower, making Robin look at him with disgust.

Of course, he couldn’t tell Robin the real reason. Even if he said he was startled by the System, Robin would think he was crazy.

And he really had been startled by the System just now. Not only had the mission been completed so effortlessly after his daughter’s praise, with the rewards directly issued, but the System had also immediately given him a new mission. The reward for this mission was generous, and the penalty was equally severe.

The most important thing was that the execution of this mission was tied to his daughter.

Sasha never expected her daughter to be “tormented” by Liu Heming in this way, and Liu Heming never imagined that completing missions could involve his daughter.

He had always felt that the System showed some favoritism toward his daughter, but now it was proven—it wasn’t just simple favoritism. Just look at the mission penalty: a permanent 10% reduction in the quality of cooked dishes.

He wanted to cook delicious food for his daughter forever, to make up for the four years he had missed. If this mission failed, no matter how much money he earned, it would leave him with lifelong regret.

Actually, if the System only favored his daughter, that would be fine; it was a good thing. But if it dragged his daughter into the missions, that would be troublesome.

Who knew what kind of missions the System would issue in the future? Would he be able to complete these “personalized missions”? It was really hard to say.

Liu Heming smacked his lips, feeling a headache coming on over this mission. Six different dishes—where was he supposed to find that many? Given the System’s bias, if his daughter wasn’t genuinely satisfied, there was no way to fake it. He wasn’t a real chef; how could he come up with so many delicious dishes?

This mission was probably the most difficult one he had encountered since getting the System. Even the soil improvement task, which he hadn’t completed yet—probably due to lack of time—could be solved with money. But pleasing his daughter with food wasn’t something you could accomplish by throwing around cash.

While he was still deep in thought, Alex came “thump, thump, thump” running down from upstairs. She initially wanted to give Liu Heming a big hug, but upon seeing the sand all over him, she changed direction and went to hug the Bear Kids instead.