Is this it?
They must have arrived at the seaside!

Yu Yuanyuan scrambled to get up, fumbling around in the dark to find the trunk release switch. The next moment, she froze in shock.

There was no switch inside!
Oh no, Yuanyuan’s stuck!

The little one, determined to save her dad, panicked. She started rolling around in the trunk, flailing her tiny paws, and howling pitifully, hoping someone would come to her rescue.

Not far from the car, Gao Zhou and Yu Jinxiao had just gotten out when they heard a faint, mournful cry: “Wuwuwu…”

“Mr. Yu, did you hear that?” Gao Zhou stopped in his tracks, looking around for the source of the sound. “This place is already creepy, don’t tell me it’s haunted…”

The area was desolate, with only the flickering shadows of trees creating an eerie atmosphere along the deserted coastline.

Yu Jinxiao, not easily frightened by mere sounds, glanced in the direction of the car. “It seems to be coming from over there.”

“What the hell! It’s coming from the car?!” Gao Zhou instinctively reached for his weapon but still cautiously approached the vehicle. After all, he couldn’t just send Mr. Yu to face the ghost.

“It’s the trunk,” Yu Jinxiao said, now curious, pinpointing the source of the cries.

Suppressing his unease, Gao Zhou reached out and pressed the trunk release button before quickly jumping back, raising his weapon in anticipation—

“Daddy!!” A small, pitiful voice wailed, “Yuanyuan almost couldn’t get out! Wuwuwu!”

The gusty sea breeze howled, smacking their faces.

Gao Zhou stood there, stunned, momentarily too shocked to react.

Even Yu Jinxiao, who had been ready to figure out the mystery, was rendered speechless, like a stone statue swallowed by the night.

“Miss Yuanyuan, how did you get into the trunk? Who put you in there?” Gao Zhou hurriedly lifted the little girl out, gently patting her head to comfort her.

It was a rare moment of triumph—being this close to the little princess was a peak life achievement!

Yuanyuan clung to Gao Zhou’s suit, hiccupping through her sobs as she tried to explain. But her words were jumbled, her pronunciation so garbled it sounded like an alien language.

Neither Gao Zhou nor Yu Jinxiao understood a single word.

“Yu Yuanyuan, did you crawl in there yourself?” Yu Jinxiao stepped forward, scooping up the little girl with a stern expression. “Don’t think just because I’m lenient, I won’t discipline naughty children.”

Gao Zhou nearly face-palmed.

Lenient?
Mr. Yu, let’s not add supernatural elements to your self-praise.

“But… but…” The little girl stammered, struggling to explain, “But Daddy didn’t eat dinner, he’ll be hungry! Yuanyuan wanted to bring him food!”

After blurting this out, the guilty little one clung to her dad’s neck and buried her face in his shoulder, too scared to look him in the eye.

The aura around her dad was terrifying, like the time she accidentally stepped on a big, mean dog.

Children come up with the most absurd excuses, and Yu Jinxiao could immediately tell she was lying.

Not only was she lying, but she kept digging herself into a deeper hole, trying to patch her story with excuses full of holes.

Claiming she was bringing food to her dad and ending up in the trunk?
Yu Jinxiao felt like he was about to burst.

“Mr. Yu, what should we do? Should we take Miss Yuanyuan back home first?” Gao Zhou asked, pulling his gaze away from the shoreline, his expression full of concern.

“No need. Keep an eye on her. I’ll take care of things and be back soon,” Yu Jinxiao replied, handing the still-guilty little one back to Gao Zhou before heading toward the dark, foreboding sea.

Remembering the nightmare she had earlier, Yuanyuan stretched out her arms, desperately calling after her dad’s retreating figure, “Daddy, come back—!”