Yu Jinxiao didn’t respond at first, letting the little dumpling pull on his pant leg. When she got no reaction, she tugged harder, whispering, “Daddy, Daddy, are you asleep? You shouldn’t sleep here, you need to sleep in bed!”

Still no response, and Yu Yuanyuan began to panic, tugging more forcefully on his pants.

Remembering how his pants had already been ruined once that night, Yu Jinxiao finally caught her tiny hand. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“I’m ambushing you!” Yuanyuan replied confidently.

The little dumpling, curled up in the shadow beneath the desk, looked up at him with a mischievous grin. Her round hands were gripping his pant leg, her clumsy movements full of dependence.

“Hah, I saw you at the door a long time ago,” Yu Jinxiao said, pulling her out from under the desk. “Do you really think I didn’t notice such a big little thing sneaking around?”

“What?!” Yuanyuan’s confidence crumbled instantly. Her head drooped as though her world had collapsed.

With her small figure dangling from Yu Jinxiao’s grip, he was about to set her down when she suddenly pulled her legs up, as if the floor were lava. No matter what, she refused to put her feet down.

Guessing her intentions, Yu Jinxiao narrowed his eyes. “Yu Yuanyuan—”

“Carry me, Daddy!” Yuanyuan stretched out her arms, her voice both sweet and demanding.

Yu Jinxiao, for the first time, felt utterly defeated. He couldn’t scold her, couldn’t reprimand her, and he certainly couldn’t just leave her.

On top of that, this little girl had a knack for melting hearts with her adorable requests. Every time she asked for something, it became nearly impossible to refuse, as if she possessed some sort of magical charm.

“Why aren’t you asleep yet?” Yu Jinxiao sat her on his lap. “Can’t sleep? Your brothers are already fast asleep.”

“The room is so quiet, and it’s a little scary,” Yuanyuan muttered as she rested her chin on the desk, looking drained. “But why aren’t you sleeping, Daddy? Don’t monsters grab grown-ups who don’t go to bed on time? That’s such a double standard!”

Oh, this little rascal even knows about double standards.

“If monsters want to grab me, then let them.” Yu Jinxiao humored her absentmindedly as he continued reading his documents. He was completely at a loss when it came to dealing with children.

When his two sons were little, his wife had handled most of their upbringing since he was always busy with work. By the time the boys were older, they had already learned to be self-sufficient, leaving him with very little to worry about.

So, comforting a small child… was a task utterly foreign to him.

“Don’t worry, Daddy, I’ll protect you,” Yuanyuan said seriously, her tiny hand patting his shoulder like a little adult. She furrowed her brows, scanning the room as if on the lookout for any lurking monsters. “I’ve grown up!”

“Grown up? How old are you?” Yu Jinxiao asked, somewhat amused.

“I’m 250!” Yuanyuan proudly announced.

Yu Jinxiao was taken aback. “Two-fifty? That can be misunderstood in other ways.”

In the fairyland she had come from, Yuanyuan was indeed 250 years old. However, as a fairy, 250 was still the equivalent of a toddler—like a tree just beginning to sprout. In human years, she was merely three.

“You’re three years old.”

“Nope! I’m 250!”

“Not according to the orphanage. They said you’re three.”

“But I really am 250!”

Yu Jinxiao sighed inwardly. He didn’t want to argue about her anymore—it was more exhausting than negotiating business deals.

“Alright, alright, you’re 250 years old.” The mighty Yu Jinxiao, known as the most formidable man in Jiangcheng City, had no choice but to admit defeat on the spot.

“I’ll protect you from the monsters, Daddy,” Yuanyuan circled back to her previous topic. “But you should still go to bed early. Teacher Li says if you don’t sleep well, you’ll turn into a dummy.”

A dummy? If anyone’s a dummy here, it’s you, little dumpling.

Yu Jinxiao kept his thoughts to himself.

The study fell quiet for a moment, and Yu Jinxiao realized that the little dumpling was waiting for him to respond. She was forcing him to keep the conversation going, so he reluctantly obliged, fishing for words.

“You? Protect me? You’re so tiny. A monster could swallow you in one bite without even needing to spit out the bones. How could you protect me?”

“Humph! Yuanyuan’s claws are super strong!” Yuanyuan squinted her eyes and tried to look fierce, raising her small hands to show off her ‘mighty’ claws.