Yuanyuan was so startled that her little hands clenched tight. Yu Mingxi, being older, remained calm and composed. This situation was something he had anticipated.

“I just took Yuanyuan out to play for a bit,” Mingxi lied smoothly, without a flicker of guilt. “You’re all sweaty. Go take a shower and change your clothes.”

“Oh.” Yingze didn’t suspect anything, nodded, and walked into the house.

As soon as he turned his back, the two behind him let out a synchronized sigh of relief, silently thankful.

But suddenly, Yingze stopped in his tracks and turned around, scrutinizing them both from head to toe.

“Why do I feel like you two are acting strange, like you’re hiding something from me?” Yingze narrowed his eyes, studying his brother and Yuanyuan.

Yuanyuan froze, her eyes wide: “N-no!”

“Yuanyuan, you always stop blinking when you lie,” Yingze pointed out mercilessly.

“Really?!” Yuanyuan panicked, her whole body tense like a cat’s fur standing on end.

She’d never noticed these little details before. Being caught off guard like that, it felt like her heart was about to leap out of her mouth.

“It’s nothing serious,” Mingxi said coolly, gently squeezing Yuanyuan’s tiny hand to calm her down. “Yuanyuan just got scared by a caterpillar.”

“Yeah, yeah, a bug fell on me!” Yuanyuan eagerly gestured, her hands flailing in the air.

This time, Yuanyuan made sure to blink dramatically while telling her fib, making her lie all the more obvious.

Yingze could’ve kept questioning them, digging deeper, but something heavy seemed to settle in his chest, making him feel too tired to push any further.

His brother, along with that little kid, had secrets, and they weren’t sharing them with him.

Once again, he felt like the extra one in the family.

Feeling dejected, Yingze quietly went upstairs. He only came down for dinner, and even then, he was silent and glum, radiating unhappiness with every step.

Mingxi noticed it. So did Yu Jinxiao. Even the simple-minded Yuanyuan realized something was off.

But to preserve the birthday surprise for Yingze, no one could explain anything. They had to pretend like everything was normal.

Yuanyuan worked hard to stifle her urge to talk, and after dinner, she headed back to her room to pick out an outfit for the next day.

Tomorrow was Yingze’s birthday party, and she needed to pick the perfect outfit!

The little girl carefully laid out three dresses on her bed, chin resting on her hand as she pondered over each choice.

The first was a pink princess dress, intricately designed, making Yuanyuan look like a little princess straight out of a fairy tale, as if she were a custom-made doll.

The second was a white dress, simpler in design, giving off a quiet elegance, making her look like a gentle little fairy.

The third option was a playful outfit—a skirt paired with a round-collared top trimmed with frills, a fun and lively look, quite different from the other two.

Staring at the three very different styles left Yuanyuan in a bind. She couldn’t decide, so after much thought, she figured—

Why not ask Yingze himself?

After all, she was going to wear the dress for his birthday party. She wanted to wear something her second brother liked.

As long as she didn’t mention the surprise party, it should be fine.

Gathering all the clothes in her arms, Yuanyuan hurried to Yingze’s room and gently pushed the door open with her finger. “Second Brother~~~”

Leaning back in his chair with a magazine in hand, Yingze shot her a cold glance. “I told you, you’re not allowed to enter my room whenever you want!”

Yuanyuan’s bright, smiling face froze. She couldn’t believe that such a cold, harsh voice came from her second brother.

“Get out. Don’t come in,” Yingze added, his tone even colder, thinking she hadn’t understood him the first time.