Jiang Ning thought for a moment. He had only been a stay-at-home dad for less than a day, yet he had already gained so many skills. He should feel satisfied.
Jiang Ning walked into the bathroom, took off his shirt, and looked at himself in the mirror. Reflected back at him was a muscular man. Was this really the same person as before? Jiang Ning could hardly believe it.
He had only lightly touched his body earlier, but now, even his face seemed to have changed slightly—not by much, but enough to make him look more handsome and exude a certain indescribable aura. Perhaps it was the presence that came with the Beginner-level martial arts skill.
Jiang Ning touched his eight-pack abs and couldn’t help but click his tongue in amazement. Back in college, he had dreamed of becoming a muscular fitness guy. He had tried doing push-ups many times, but was always mocked by his roommates. Their influence, along with their addiction to video games, made him give up quickly. In the end, he drifted through four years of university in a daze.
Now, these muscles had appeared on his body just like that. Excited and happy, Jiang Ning couldn’t help but run his hands over his abs. The firm texture gave him a strong sense of pride.
“No, it’s about time. It’s Mengmeng’s cartoon time,” Jiang Ning said as he got dressed and walked out of the bathroom. He checked his watch. “Mengmeng, time’s up. Let’s go do some drawing.”
“Okay,” Mengmeng replied obediently, although a bit reluctant.
Jiang Ning turned off the TV and took Mengmeng out to the balcony, where a table and chair were set up. He took out some drawing paper and pencils and began teaching her how to draw.
“Mengmeng, what do you like to draw?” Jiang Ning asked with a smile.
Mengmeng happily said, “Uncle Jiang, I like drawing everything—frogs, cats, dogs, flowers, grass…”
“Alright then, Uncle Jiang will teach you how to draw a frog, okay?”
“Yay, okay!” Mengmeng clapped excitedly.
“Mengmeng, what pose is a frog usually in? Standing, sitting, or squatting?”
Mengmeng shook her head, her twin braids swinging, “It looks like it’s sitting, but also like it’s squatting?”
“That’s right. You can draw a frog sitting or squatting. What about its legs? Are the front legs standing up, and the back legs bent and crouched?”
“Yes, and the back legs are thicker and longer,” Mengmeng recalled and said cheerfully.
“Uncle Jiang, I know—it’s slanted, with its butt on the ground and its head tilted up, looking at the sky!” Mengmeng answered without hesitation.
“Alright then. Now that we know how a frog looks, watch closely how Uncle Jiang draws it,” Jiang Ning reminded Mengmeng to think while drawing before putting pencil to paper.
As Jiang Ning began drawing, Mengmeng watched intently. Very soon, a lifelike frog appeared on the paper.
“Wow, Uncle Jiang, your frog looks amazing—it looks real!” Mengmeng clapped her hands in joy.
“Now it’s your turn to draw. As long as you draw seriously, you’ll definitely draw better than Uncle Jiang in the future.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“Alright! I’ll draw really, really seriously!” Mengmeng said and immediately picked up a pencil to start sketching, while Jiang Ning guided her by her side.
“Mengmeng, has your mom Su Meng’s dad and mom ever come to see you?” Jiang Ning couldn’t help but ask.
“Uncle Jiang, no, I don’t know who my mom’s dad and mom are. I’ve never seen them,” Mengmeng answered as she drew carefully.
So, Su Meng adopted Mengmeng without her parents knowing? Or maybe they disapproved? But wasn’t it said that CEO Su Meng of the Su Group always lived with her parents? Could it be that they opposed the adoption, and Su Meng moved out to live with Mengmeng? Forget it. These things will naturally become clear in time.
In the blink of an eye, an hour had passed. Mengmeng had drawn several frogs, along with a pond and lotus leaves. Watching her color them so seriously, Jiang Ning couldn’t help but pat her on the head. He also realized that Mengmeng had real talent for drawing.
Even though he had only drawn one frog himself, and that too with a pencil, Mengmeng was able to grasp 60% of it. Her drawings weren’t as good as his yet, but they were clearly beyond the level of an average two-and-a-half-year-old. Her imagination was rich—so many frogs, lotus leaves, and ponds. Even kids around eight or nine years old might not be able to draw like this.
Thinking back to when he was in first grade, even his drawings weren’t as good as Mengmeng’s. If it weren’t for the system’s newbie gift pack and Beginner-level drawing skill, he wouldn’t have dared to teach her how to draw at all.
An hour later, Mengmeng finished coloring the entire picture.
“Mengmeng, let’s go out to the neighborhood and play for a bit, get some exercise, okay?” Jiang Ning said with a smile.
When Mengmeng heard they could go out to play, she immediately perked up, “Okay! Let’s go, Uncle Jiang. Let’s play ball!”
“Alright,” Jiang Ning nodded.
Then Mengmeng ran to the playroom and took out a mini basketball. It was about 15 centimeters in diameter, had good bounce, and was safe for kids. This story is hosted at g.com.
Carrying the mini basketball, Mengmeng walked with Jiang Ning out of the villa. In front of the villa was a wide grassy lawn. Mengmeng happily dribbled the basketball on the grass. Unfortunately, after just a few bounces, the ball rolled away. Then again, it ran off after a few more bounces.
Unwilling to give up, Mengmeng kept dribbling the ball.
“Uncle Jiang, why is it that the Black uncles on TV bounce the basketball like it’s glued to their hands, and it never runs off, but mine keeps rolling away?” Mengmeng asked, confused.
“Mengmeng, that’s because you’re not used to it yet. Dribbling a ball requires control. Come, Uncle Jiang will show you how it’s done.”
“Yay! Uncle Jiang, you’re amazing. You know everything!” Mengmeng obediently handed the basketball to Jiang Ning.
Jiang Ning took the ball and began to dribble, but the ball bounced too well and was too light. It didn’t have the weight of a real basketball, and on grass, it was even harder to control. When Jiang Ning gave it a light push, it veered off course, making him feel instantly embarrassed.
Seeing that, Mengmeng giggled, “Hehehe, it’s not that Mengmeng can’t do it, Uncle Jiang, you can’t either. The ball doesn’t like you.”
“Don’t laugh, Mengmeng. Uncle Jiang did that on purpose,” Jiang Ning said, awkwardly trying to cover it up.
Then he picked up the mini basketball and cautiously controlled it again. After that failed attempt, he did much better. Though he was still not used to it and his movements were awkward, sometimes going left, sometimes right, the basketball didn’t escape his hands again.
“Wow, Uncle Jiang, you’re amazing!” Mengmeng’s big eyes sparkled as she clapped enthusiastically.
Five minutes later…
[Ding!]
[System: Congratulations to the Host for acquiring Advanced Basketball Skill.]
Immediately, a stream of basketball knowledge surged into Jiang Ning’s mind. His leg strength, jump height, and arm control also seemed to improve. Even his vision felt sharper.
He now felt like the Dragon Nation’s version of “Jordan”—he could fly through the air for slam dunks, and three-point shots probably wouldn’t be a problem either.