Daddy Academy

Chapter 3303 The Extinction of the Fireflies
As evening fell, the setting sun bathed Little Red Pony Academy in a gentle orange hue.

"Chengcheng! Chengcheng!"

Xiao Bai rushed in like a gust of wind, her face flushed with excitement. She found Cheng Cheng reading a book in the reading area and shouted, "My dad's back! Come on, let's go find him!"

The event was so sudden that Chengcheng was somewhat surprised, a hint of anticipation and nervousness flashing in her eyes. She knew why Xiaobai had taken her to see Boss Zhang, but as the moment drew near, she couldn't help feeling nervous.

"Shall we go now?" she asked.

Xiao Bai grabbed her hand and led her upstairs, saying, "Let's go now! My dad may not be very proactive at work, but he knows a lot of people, and he owns a magazine company. What's it called again? Hehehe, I've kind of forgotten."

“The Tang Dynasty Fantasy Night Magazine,” Chengcheng added, adding that she had heard Xiaobai mention it before.

Little White's eyes lit up: "Yes, yes, that's it! Let's go ask him to take a look at your storybook. Maybe he can help you publish it!"

The two little girls held hands and went upstairs, pushing open the door to the Zhang family's house on the third floor.

Xiao Bai, feeling very sneaky, peeked into the house first. There was no one in the entrance hall, but she could hear her old man's voice coming from the living room.

Her old man seemed to be on the phone.

"He's here, come in quickly."

Xiaobai turned to Chengcheng and said that after entering the door, she changed into her own slippers and also gave Chengcheng a pair of light blue slippers.

The two women moved stealthily, and Zhang Tan only noticed them when they appeared in the living room. He was about to greet them with a smile when he suddenly remembered something, his hand froze, and he quietly put away a potato chip in his hand, trying to hide it behind his back.

But Xiaobai and Chengcheng have already seen it.

Xiao Bai said without any attempt to hide it, "Hey old man, you're eating potato chips? Are these mine?"

Zhang Tan gave an awkward laugh, didn't reply, and instead changed the subject, asking, "You're here to see me?"

Sure enough, as soon as these words were spoken, Xiaobai and Chengcheng were completely drawn to them.

Xiao Bai nodded, pushed Chengcheng in front of him, and said, "Old man, it's about Chengcheng! Chengcheng has written a lot of stories, she's really amazing! Could you help me take a look and see if she can publish them?"

Zhang Tan sat up straight and said, "The story Chengcheng wrote? Let me see it."

Xiao Bai excitedly called out, "Chengcheng!"

Chengcheng handed over the storybook, and Zhang Tan took it and opened it to the first page: "The Little Stone That Collects Starlight".

He had initially been browsing casually, but after reading a few lines, his expression gradually became serious.

The living room fell silent, save for the rustling sound of turning pages.

Xiao Bai stood beside Old Man Zhang, staring at his face for a moment and then at the storybook he was reading, hoping for his opinion.

Chengcheng stood quietly, seemingly calm, but her little hands were actually clenching the hem of her clothes tightly.

A few minutes later, Zhang Tan closed his notebook and let out a long breath.

"What's wrong?" Xiaobai asked eagerly.

Zhang Tan nodded, then looked at Chengcheng with surprise and admiration in his eyes, and asked, "Chengcheng, did you write all of these?"

"Mmm-hmm~" Xiaobai nodded eagerly.

Chengcheng nodded.

"Did you draw the illustrations too?"

"Mmm-hmm!" Little White nodded first again.

Chengcheng nodded as well.

Zhang Tan opened the notebook again, pointed to the page of "The Girl with the Oil-Paper Umbrella in the Rainy Alley" and asked, "The setting of this character, whose face has no features but only a soft light, is very imaginative. And this one, 'The Old Piano Singing at Midnight,' has a very well-crafted atmosphere. It has some horror elements, but it's not scary; instead, it's very warm."

Chengcheng's face flushed slightly, and she said softly, "Thank you, Boss Zhang."

Xiao Bai smiled and said, "You're welcome, it's all thanks to your excellent writing."

Zhang Tan smiled helplessly and said, "Chengcheng, you are very talented. These stories seem simple, but they are not simple at all. They have a kind of innocence and inspiration that adults cannot write."

Xiao Bai jumped up excitedly: "Of course! This was written by Chengcheng!! Old man, don't say so much, just tell me, can it be published as a book?!"

Zhang Tan said, "I'm not sure if it will be published. How about this, can I keep this copy here for now? I'll take it to the company tomorrow and let the professional editors take a look. If they think it's good, we can seriously plan how to publish it."

"Wow! Really?!" Xiaobai's eyes widened, even more excited than if she had published her own book.

Zhang Tan rubbed his daughter's head: "When have I ever lied to you?"

He then turned to Chengcheng and said, "Chengcheng, don't worry, Uncle Zhang will do his best to help you. However, publishing a book is a complicated process that takes time and depends on the publisher's evaluation."

Chengcheng nodded solemnly, her eyes sparkling: "I understand, thank you, Boss Zhang."

Zhang Tan laughed and said, "Don't call me Boss Zhang, it's too formal."

So Chengcheng changed her address and said, "Okay, Little White Daddy."

Just as the three were discussing the publication, a scream suddenly came from the courtyard downstairs.

"What happened?"

Xiao Bai immediately ran to the balcony and looked down, where he saw a group of children gathered in the yard, shouting and yelling.

Little White perked up its ears and heard Robin excitedly shout, "Look! There! Flying lanterns!"

Little White looked closely and sure enough, he saw a faint light flickering in mid-air—it was a firefly!
Just a few minutes ago...

As night fell, the lights in Little Red Horse Academy came on. Old Li, having sat for a while, was strolling around the yard with his hands behind his back, enjoying the cool breeze of the evening.

Suddenly, a faint light entered his field of vision. It was a firefly, flickering as it flew out of the grove, like a tiny, moving star.

"Oh, fireflies already?" Old Li squinted and muttered to himself.

No sooner had he finished speaking than the sharp-eyed Dudu was the first to spot this amazing little guest.

Dudu stood up from the steps, pointed at the fireflies, and shouted excitedly, "The fireflies are here!!"

That shout was like a bugle call, instantly igniting excitement throughout the entire academy.

Where? Where?

"Fireflies? Are they really fireflies?"

"Let me see! Let me see!"

The children surged out of the classroom and into the yard like a tide. Liuliu, Xier, and Xiaoweiwei were the first to charge forward, and even Robin, who was building blocks, dropped his toys and rushed out to follow.

Then the scene that Xiaobai just witnessed happened.

Xiao Bai quickly retreated from the balcony, taking Chengcheng with her downstairs. Before leaving, she reminded her father, "Don't forget about publishing the book!"

The two of them immediately rushed downstairs and ran into the courtyard.

At that moment, the firefly seemed to be startled by the sudden commotion. It spun around in the air in a panic before wobbling and flying higher.

Its light flickers, appearing exceptionally dreamlike against the backdrop of the night.

"So beautiful~" Little Weiwei tilted her head up, her eyes reflecting that little glimmer of light.

"Why does it glow?" Xi'er asked curiously, her little hand unconsciously reaching into the air as if trying to touch the unreachable light.

Chengcheng answered softly, "The book says that fireflies have a special substance in their bellies that makes them glow when they come into contact with air."

Liuliu exclaimed exaggeratedly, "Wow—Chengcheng knows so much!"

Then she turned to Little White and said, "Little White, can we catch it? If we put it in a bottle, it will keep glowing!"

Before Xiaobai could answer, Robin had already run over with an empty jelly cup: "Use this! Use this to hold it!"

Teacher Xiaoliu quickly stopped them: "Children, fireflies are beneficial insects. We should just watch them from a distance and not catch them. Besides, they will be unhappy if they are kept in a bottle."

Xiao Bai said sensibly, "Then we'll just watch."

The firefly seemed to have adapted to its surroundings and flew more steadily. It circled around the yard, sometimes flying low over the children's heads, eliciting gasps of surprise; sometimes soaring high and disappearing into the night, making everyone hold their breath and wait for it to reappear.

"It looks like it's dancing," Vivi whispered.

Xi'er guessed, "Is it looking for friends? A firefly is too lonely, hehe~"

Liuliu was already making up a story, saying, "This must be a lost firefly prince, searching for his way back to the forest kingdom! Should we help him?"

Although she is Da Yanyan, she likes to revise scripts, so she naturally knows a bit about screenwriting.

Just as everyone was immersed in their wonderful imagination, a sudden change occurred.

The parrot that Old Li had hung on the tree branch seemed to be attracted by the flying lights. It tilted its head and stared intently at the firefly's flight path with its black bean-like eyes.

The fireflies flew low, hovering less than a meter from the birdcage.

The parrot suddenly stretched its neck forward—

"No!" Teacher Xiaoliu exclaimed.

But it was too late.

The parrot pecked at the firefly with lightning speed, and the flickering firefly vanished instantly from its sharp beak.

The parrot shook its feathers triumphantly and made a "caw" sound, as if showing off its hunting skills.

Time seemed to freeze for two seconds.

Then, with a loud "waaaah," Robin was the first to burst into tears.

"Fireflies...the fireflies have been eaten..."

The crying seemed to open a floodgate, and soon several younger children joined in the crying.

The courtyard was immediately filled with weeping.

"Waaaaah... The fireflies are so pitiful..."

"It's still so small..."

"Bad parrot! Bad parrot!"