SED ### Chapter 10: The Ugly Duckling



Liu Zixia had no idea that someone was losing sleep over him tonight. Right now, he was looking at his daughter with a headache.


"Daddy, Mommy said she has a night shoot today and can't be with me to sleep." Yueyue was very downcast. "Without Mommy, I can't sleep!"


"Yueyue, Daddy is right here with you. Daddy will stay with you while you sleep, okay?" Liu Zixia scratched his head in resignation.


"No, I want Mommy." Yueyue felt wronged. "Mommy tells me stories every night."


A bedtime story every night was a treat from Li Mengyi to Yueyue. Given Li Mengyi’s busy work schedule, the only time she could spend with Yueyue was in the evening. Even if she couldn't come home, her voice kept Yueyue from feeling lonely or scared.


Seeing Yueyue's sad face, Liu Zixia felt a pang of heartache and a surge of jealousy. Telling stories? If Li Mengyi could do it, why couldn't he, her father?


"Yueyue, how about Daddy tells you a story?" Liu Zixia pinched Yueyue’s cheek and said, "I promise, this is a story you've never heard before."


"Really?" Yueyue looked at Liu Zixia with anticipation.


"Of course!"


Liu Zixia tucked Yueyue in and started telling her a story:


"The countryside is really beautiful. In the summer, the wheat is golden, the oats are green. Haystacks are piled up on the green fields, and the stork strolls around on its long red legs, chattering away..."


Wheat, oats, storks...


Yueyue's eyes lit up, instantly captivated by the imagery Liu Zixia described.


"The duck eggs began to hatch one after another. ‘Pop! Pop!’ The eggshells cracked, and all the little egg yolks turned into small creatures. They poked their little heads out."


Liu Zixia was telling the story of "The Ugly Duckling," a classic fairy tale from Earth known to nearly everyone.


In this world, not only had Chinese history changed, but the entire global entertainment landscape had shifted as well. Based on what Liu Zixia had learned, famous foreign works, movies, TV shows, animations, and even fairy tales from his previous life were nowhere to be found here.


So, the story of "The Ugly Duckling" immediately captivated Yueyue.


Yueyue blinked her big eyes and curiously asked, "Daddy, what do ducklings look like?"


Liu Zixia patted Yueyue’s little head and said, "Ducklings are covered in yellow, fluffy down. They have flat, tender yellow beaks and webbed feet like maple leaves. They waddle when they walk, swaying left and right."


"Giggling..." Yueyue laughed. "Ducklings are so cute!"


"Not as cute as our Yueyue!" Liu Zixia gently tapped Yueyue's nose. "Do you want to continue listening to the story?"


"Yes, I want to listen!" Yueyue quickly replied.


After a brief interruption, Liu Zixia continued the story:


"Finally, the big egg cracked. ‘Pop! Pop!’ The new little creature crawled out, and it was big and ugly... The ducks pecked him, the chickens pecked him, and the maid kicked him..."


"Daddy, I don’t like the ducklings anymore!"


After hearing the story, Yueyue clenched her small pink fists and said, "The Ugly Duckling is so kind and pitiful. Why do the other ducklings and animals bully it?"


"Because the Ugly Duckling looked different and was kind, so they bullied it." Liu Zixia pinched Yueyue’s puffed-up cheeks and asked, "Does Yueyue want to be the Ugly Duckling or one of those other animals?"


"I want to be the Ugly Duckling!" Yueyue raised her hands.


"Why?" Liu Zixia asked.


"The Ugly Duckling is kind and resilient, and it grows up to become a beautiful swan. Yueyue wants to be a beautiful swan too!" Yueyue exclaimed excitedly, her face blushing red like an apple.


Liu Zixia tucked Yueyue in and smiled. "Our little Yueyue is already a beautiful swan and will be even more beautiful than the Ugly Duckling when she grows up!"


"Really?"


Hearing Liu Zixia's praise, Yueyue blushed and covered her face with her hands, looking very shy.


"Of course!" Liu Zixia smiled.


Yueyue beamed like a blooming lily, outshining everything around her.


"Daddy, what does a swan look like?"


After coaxing Yueyue to sleep, she suddenly thought of something and asked, "And what do the chickens, pheasants, and hunting dogs look like?"


Standing at the door, Liu Zixia saw Yueyue's expectant face and paused before saying, "Yueyue, go to sleep! I promise that when you wake up tomorrow morning, you’ll see all those animals!"


"Daddy, you won’t trick me?" Yueyue’s big eyes sparkled.


"If I trick you, I'll turn into a puppy!" Liu Zixia solemnly extended two fingers of his right hand. "I swear!"


"I don't want Daddy to turn into a puppy!" Yueyue wrinkled her nose. "I believe you, Daddy!"


Click!


Liu Zixia turned off the light, and Yueyue fell asleep with anticipation.


Seeing that Yueyue was finally asleep, Liu Zixia gently closed the door and returned to his room.


Liu Zixia's room was slightly larger than Yueyue’s, containing a double bed, a wardrobe, and a desk with a laptop and printer.


Liu Zixia turned on the computer, browsed the web for a while, and then opened an image editing software. He started drawing with great concentration.


In his previous life, Liu Zixia enjoyed drawing and making flash animations during his spare time for fun.


Now, Liu Zixia intended to draw the animals from "The Ugly Duckling" on his computer.


Despite not having professional drawing tools, Liu Zixia’s skills were enough to draw a few animals from memory.


After a busy session, Liu Zixia had drawn two pictures of the Ugly Duckling: one of its ugly appearance when it was young and one of its noble and elegant swan form.


As for the other animals, Liu Zixia downloaded matching animated versions from the internet and then edited them to fit his memory. Although not as perfect as the illustrations in the books from his past life, they were vivid and lifelike.


After finishing the drawings, Liu Zixia printed them out.


He glanced at the time on his computer. It was already 2:30 AM.


Stretching, Liu Zixia shook his head and went to wash up and sleep.


NEXTNEXT

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