No matter how sly Yu Jinxiao could be, he wouldn’t pass the blame onto this little dumpling.

“No one in this world can be liked by everyone.”

“Don’t be sad, Daddy. I’ll go apologize to Brother in a bit,” the little one toddled over, her small hands gently tugging at his pant leg with little strength, causing it to sway slightly.

Her black, gem-like eyes were like mirrors, reflecting his image so clearly that Yu Jinxiao couldn’t avoid facing himself.

Surprisingly, this feeling of being emotionally peeled layer by layer didn’t make him uncomfortable or resistant.

Bringing Yuanyuan home was impulsive, but not entirely.

He wanted to try to fight the pain brought by memories and make a change—for himself, and for this family.

“You did nothing wrong. You don’t need to apologize. Let me handle this.” Yu Jinxiao patted her head seriously. Whether the little dumpling understood or not, he had to make it clear that this wasn’t her fault.

---

In the room.

Yu Mingxi gently wiped Yu Yingze’s face with warm water, carefully fixing his hair that had been messed up during his soccer game.

To Yu Yingze, his older brother had always been his greatest comfort growing up.

No matter what happened, he would always talk to his brother—only to his brother.

Their father was rarely home, and even saying a single word to him was difficult. But his brother was always there, patiently listening to his ramblings and small complaints.

Yu Yingze wasn’t indifferent; he knew well that his brother couldn’t afford to get too emotional, so he never acted out or did anything that might make him sad.

Even though he loved sports and playing soccer, he never forced his brother to join him, knowing his brother’s health couldn’t handle it.

But there were some things… that he couldn’t compromise on.

“Yingze, can you tell Brother why you don’t want Yuanyuan to come live with us?” Yu Mingxi gently held his younger brother in his arms, resting his chin on the top of his head.

Yu Yingze remained silent for a long time.

He thought hard about why he didn’t want Yu Yuanyuan in their home.

He hadn’t really thought about it since he first met her yesterday.

Now, after calming down and using his little brain to ponder for a long time, he finally found his answer: “I don’t want Yu Yuanyuan to replace our sister. If she’s here, Dad will forget about her.”

“Yingze, none of us will ever forget our sister,” Yu Mingxi smiled, but there was a sorrow in his smile that seemed far too mature for his age. “But she’s no longer with us. That’s something that makes all of us very sad. Do you want Dad and I to be sad about it every day?”

This time, Yu Yingze shook his head without hesitation. “No.”

“Dad never used to let anyone into the room he prepared for our sister, not even us. But sometimes, he’d open the door and just stand there quietly for a long time.”

“Dad has never forgotten her. He’s just as sad as we are, but he pretends everything’s fine because he doesn’t want us to feel sad too.”

Adults are always good at hiding their feelings, whether it’s out of kindness or bitterness.

“Even though I’m not a mind-reader,” Yu Mingxi softly rocked Yu Yingze in his arms, “I don’t think Dad brought Yuanyuan home to forget our sister. On the contrary, I think he’s trying to find a way out of his grief.”

“But… but, I just don’t like her.”

He didn’t want to upset his brother, but he also didn’t want to give in so easily.

Yu Yingze fiddled with his fingers, his tone less forceful than before.

“I understand,” Yu Mingxi gently stroked his brother’s head, looking seriously into his red, teary eyes. “But do you remember when you first started playing soccer?”

“At first, you didn’t like it, didn’t have any interest, and didn’t want to join the class.”

“But after you gave it a try, you ended up loving it, didn’t you? Wouldn’t it have been a shame if you had given up right away?”

“Brother and Dad aren’t going to force you to like Yuanyuan or accept her immediately. But if you don’t even try to get to know her and just reject her from the start, wouldn’t that be a pity?”

Yu Yingze didn’t argue back, nor did he fiddle with his fingers anymore. He just stared off quietly, deep in thought.

It seemed like what his brother was saying made sense.

Knock, knock.

There was a knock on the door.

“Come in.”

“Second Brother, I’m here to apologize!” came Yuanyuan’s cheerful voice from the doorway. “Daddy said it was all his fault and had nothing to do with me.”

Yu Jinxiao, who had inadvertently let Yuanyuan sneak into the room: “…”

What kind of apology was this?

At such a young age, she already knows how to shift the blame! What a little master of deflection!