Shen Lingqing had woken up early the next morning. She intended to get ready as soon as possible for today’s agenda. She then thought of making herself a cup of coffee before starting her day. Walking downstairs, she saw her father in the kitchen, brewing a pot of coffee.
This wasn’t uncommon for the demon princess to see. Her father was an early bird, awake before the sun rose from the east—just like her. So opposite to her mother who loved to sleep in and take short power naps in the afternoons.
There was no doubt that even Shen Lingtian was still snoring on his bed, not caring if the whole world collapsed while he was sleeping. The personalities of the Shen siblings were so striking and unique that made other people surprised upon knowing that they were getting along so well.
Shen Lingtian, the youngest of the four ShenLu children, had an outgoing personality. A stark contrast to his elder sister’s cold personality and demeanor. He tended to get loud and too energetic at times, which constantly irritated Shen Lingqing who preferred silence… comparable to the adopted children.
Shen Zichen, now a resident surgeon to one of the largest hospitals that were owned by Shen Yi’s mother, had a strict and serious expression on his face like their father. One might not even believe that he wasn’t a biological child of the ShenLu couple because his facial expressions were almost the same as Shen Yi’s.
His younger twin, Shen Yuyan, had a cheery and sunny disposition in life. She could easily befriend and get along with anyone whom she met. Now an aspiring artist, Shen Yuyan was always not at home and was traveling to several places to pursue her passion.
“Do you want something for breakfast?” Shen Yi asked his distracted daughter as he waited for their coffee to be ready.
Shen Lingqing shook her head and opened the fridge instead. She needed not to know what happened in the past as to why her mother banned their father from cooking in her kitchen. The young demon princess couldn’t even remember ever seeing her father cooking and preparing meals for her and her siblings.
Even when her mother wasn’t around, the responsibility of making their meals during her absence was passed to someone else and never to her father. If her mother forbade him to cook, it only meant one thing.
The great demon lord was so bad at cooking that he almost killed his wife with it.
“Don’t bother, Dad. I can reheat the steamed buns Mom she said she made yesterday,” she said in response before pulling out a clear container with huge white fluffy buns inside.
Shen Lingqing quirked a brow once she removed the cover. What greeted her were steamed buns with a face of a pig. Each steamed bun had a pair of eyes using a black sesame seed, their noses and ears sticking out. The daughter could only guess they were made with excess dough with added pink food coloring.
She had always known that her mother could be playful at times. There were times during her childhood when Lu Xinyi would try her best to make their meals look appetizing for the children to eat. ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀꪶ
Shen Yi snorted as he took a peek over his daughter’s shoulder to see what made her stop on her tracks. His beloved wife remained the same after all of these years they were together.
Shen Lingqing shook her head and placed the buns inside the steamer. It should be done reheating once the coffee her father brewed was ready. While waiting, she followed her father to the dining area and found him checking the news and stock market over his iPad.
Shen Yi glanced at his daughter and saw her yawning behind her hand as Xiao Bai appeared to join them for breakfast. It still surprised him to this day that the white tiger his wife took in as her pet decades ago was able to live this long.
Xiao Bai liked to hang out with their children, especially Qingqing and Lingtian. He might seem like an overweight white tiger right now and acting like a spoiled cat, but he was alert and ready to strike when it’s needed. This was proven several times already.
When the coffee and the steamed buns were ready, the father and daughter rose to their seats to take it. Shen Yi poured a cup of coffee for him and his daughter while Shen Lingqing took a few buns and placed them on a serving plate before adding the next batch that needed to be reheated.
“Morning.” The two heard, taking both of their attention. “You’re early today, Qingqing.”
It was then when Shen Zichen came in and wiped the sweat on his face with a clean towel. He was also an early bird like the two other Shens, taking a stroll and running even before the dawn breaks.
Shen Zichen claimed it helped him clear his mind and focus at work later, which Shen Lingqing agreed into. If she had woken up a little earlier, she would have accompanied her elder brother on his morning run.
“I needed to do some errands for Dad,” the demon princess said nonchalantly.
Shen Lingqing returned to her seat and tore her steamed bun into two, giving the other half to the white tiger who was now sitting on his hind legs, waiting for his mistress to feed her. Xiao Bai carefully took the steamed buns from Shen Lingqing’s hand.
“Oh? I didn’t know you’ll start today,” Shen Zichen said. He opened the fridge to get a bottle of cold water for him to drink.
“The sooner I start, the better. I don’t want to prolong it any longer.”
Shen Lingqing shrugged while their father continued reading on his tablet, refusing to make a comment on his daughter’s business. He didn’t want to hear an earful from his wife and tried to keep the conversation related to work to a minimum.
