This time, Yu Yuanyuan had gotten a bit smarter. After multiple failed attempts, she now knew to sneak from the corners, especially avoiding the range of her father’s sight.

With a proud smile, full of confidence, she tiptoed forward. But after barely a few steps, her progress was halted by a sudden voice.

“Trying to sneak up again?” Yu Jinxiao’s voice was cold, like a predator spotting its prey.

“Hehe…” The little one, whose sneaky plan had failed, could only offer a sheepish giggle.

Another failed stealth mission, but she wouldn’t give up! The little kitty would keep practicing until her stealth skills were perfect!

“Has he left?” Yu Jinxiao’s gaze shifted toward her, as if seeking an answer to an unspoken question.

The little one, with her limited comprehension, tilted her head in confusion. “Huh? What?”

Yu Jinxiao, who had tried to be subtle, now had to be more direct. “Did Grandpa leave?”

“Oh, yeah!” Yuanyuan nodded energetically, hopping over to him. “Next time, can we go to Grandpa’s house? He said he has ponies, slides, seesaws… and so many fun things!”

Yu Jinxiao, half-listening to her babbling, dismissed it as typical child talk. But as her words sank in, surprise flashed in his eyes.

“You like Grandpa?”

“Yeah! Grandpa played with me all day! He even said that when we go to his house, I can play with the ponies.”

Yu Jinxiao suddenly caught on to something he hadn’t noticed before. “Wait, you’re saying Grandpa didn’t just come after dinner? He was here all day?”

He remembered receiving a call from home earlier in the day, but at the time, he was golfing with the chairman of Xuan Yi Group. Since the call didn’t come again, he assumed it wasn’t urgent and forgot about it. Thinking back now, that must’ve been when his father arrived, and Uncle Yang probably called him to check in on Yuanyuan.

But judging by Yuanyuan’s enthusiasm, it seemed like things went better than expected between her and the old man.

When it came to being likable, Yu Jinxiao had some confidence in Yuanyuan. This little girl had no bad habits, was well-behaved, and her heart was as pure as it could be for someone her age.

There was something naturally charming about her, making everyone feel more at ease when she was around.

“Yes, yes! Grandpa played with me all day,” Yuanyuan said as she clambered up onto her father’s lap, seemingly loving to snuggle there. “He was going to leave this morning, but he saw I was alone at home, so he stayed to keep me company. Grandpa is so nice.”

Yu Jinxiao listened quietly, still processing.

It wasn’t that he wasn’t paying attention—it was just hard to believe.

Was this the same stern, high-and-mighty father he remembered, always ready to dish out lessons from his pedestal? The man Yuanyuan described seemed like a different person.

“Daddy, it’s Mommy!” Yuanyuan, now perched on his lap, suddenly leaned in too close and peered at his phone.

Startled and irritated at having his secret exposed, Yu Jinxiao quickly covered his phone with his hand, slamming it down on the desk. “That’s none of your business.”

“Daddy, is Mommy coming back?” Unfazed by the tension in the room, Yuanyuan continued poking at the sensitive topic. “Yuanyuan misses Mommy.”

Mommy, Mommy, Mommy…

For Yu Jinxiao, who had long since forgotten any trace of that “fairytale” memory, Yuanyuan’s repeated mention of “Mommy” made no sense. She had never even met this so-called mother.

What was she thinking?

The air seemed filled with faint, chaotic whispers, like the murmurs of demons, gnawing at Yu Jinxiao’s already throbbing headache.

“Enough! Stop saying that!”

His sudden roar shook the little one on his lap, freezing her in place, petrified with fear.