After reluctantly wrapping his head around the fact that his ex-wife was now paralyzed from the waist down, Ji Xuan moved in a daze, heading upstairs.

“By the way, Ji Xuan,” Xiao Yu said from her wheelchair, still holding a bowl of soup in her hands, “let’s take Xiaoguang to check out some kindergartens tomorrow.”

Ji Xuan replied, “Sure. We can start by visiting Ji Yu’s school in the morning.”

“No problem at all,” Xiao Yu said as she sipped her soup. “As long as Xiaoguang likes it, I’m good with whatever.”

Ji Xuan sighed. “Can you not drink soup right now? Let’s focus and talk seriously about kindergartens.”

“Nope,” Xiao Yu shot back immediately. “It’s delicious.”

Ji Xuan: “…It’s not like you were starving.”

Xiao Yu looked up and said, “Then ask Xiaoguang.”

Ji Xuan turned to Xiao Ruoguang, only to hear him speak before he could say a word:
“I’ll go to whichever one Mommy likes best!”

Ji Xuan: …Envy. Jealousy. Resentment…

The next day, Xiao Yu wore the pink knee-length dress Ji Xuan had once bought and sent to the hospital. Her hair was styled into a flower-shaped bun, tied up with a pink ribbon that formed a neat, elegant bow. In an instant, the 25-year-old single mom transformed into a doll-faced high school girl who looked no older than eighteen.

When Ji Xuan saw Xiao Yu being wheeled out by Auntie Wang, he was struck with a wave of guilt. For a moment, it genuinely felt like he’d gotten a high schooler pregnant. The guilt hit hard.

“Wow! Mommy, you look so pretty!” Xiao Ruoguang stood beside Ji Xuan, his mouth wide open in awe as he stared at his approaching mother. Then he turned and asked, “Daddy, isn’t Mommy really pretty?”

Ji Xuan could only nod and say, “She’s beautiful.”

Though honestly, adorable might have been a more accurate word.

Ji Yu, already wearing her backpack, watched her dad, little brother, and mom all get into the car together. She called out, “Mom, I want to come too!”

Xiao Yu hesitated. “But you have school, sweetheart.”

“I can ask for leave!” Ji Yu insisted loudly.

“You already took several days off last week—from visiting me to coming home, that’s two days. Your teacher won’t be happy if you keep skipping.”

Ji Yu pouted and lowered her head. Her soft curls spilled over her shoulders, hiding the faint loneliness in her small frame.

Ji Xuan felt a pang of sympathy as he watched Ji Yu, and was just about to say something to Xiao Yu—after all, she was still a child. If she wanted to come along, why not let her?

But before he could get a word out, Xiao Yu spoke up.

“Well, how about you ask your Teacher Yi to help you take a leave?” Xiao Yu said gently, reaching out to pat Ji Yu’s head.

“You’re supposed to ask the homeroom teacher for leave,” Ji Yu corrected her.

Xiao Yu replied, “I know, but if you keep asking your homeroom teacher for time off, she might get annoyed. If Teacher Yi helps you ask, it’ll probably go over more smoothly.”

Ji Yu thought it over and nodded. “Okay, I’ll give her a call.”

Meanwhile, on a public bus, Yi Lanya answered her phone—only to nearly spit blood when she heard the request.

“Why didn’t Xiaoyu call Teacher Yu herself?” she muttered, clearly annoyed. “I’m not even at school yet…”

On the other end, a cheerful and overly sweet voice chimed in: “Teacher Yi? This is Xiaoyu’s mother—yes, that’s right, Xiao Yu. So, here’s the thing: today, Xiaoyu wants to come with me and her daaaddy to visit a kindergarten for her little brother. Could you please let Teacher Yu know she won’t be in today? Xiaoyu said she already asked for leave twice and feels a bit embarrassed to ask again.”

Xiao Yu’s voice was filled with faux-apologetic charm, every syllable dripping with not-so-subtle bragging. Yi Lanya clutched the bus railing tightly, the veins on the back of her hand standing out.

Why was this woman always showing off?

Why did she have to call every single day just to rub it in?

Are we even close? Huh? Are we? Are we really??

“…Teacher? Are you still there?” Xiao Yu’s voice came again, sweet and casual.

“I know. I’ll help Xiaoyu ask for leave,” Yi Lanya said through gritted teeth. “After all, she’s my most beloved student.”

Xiao Yu rolled her eyes at the phone—Trying to provoke me? She smiled sweetly into the receiver and replied, “That’s so kind of you, Teacher Yi. Please make sure to let Teacher Yu know that Xiaoyu really wanted to go, but she just couldn’t pass up the chance for our whole family to visit her little brother’s new kindergarten together. Thank you so much, Teacher Yi! Goodbye!”

Then, Ji Yu and Ji Xuan watched as Xiao Yu lowered the phone and said brightly to it, “Honey, let’s go~!”

From the backseat, Xiao Ruoguang reminded her, “Mommy, the call’s not over yet.”

Xiao Yu gave him a thumbs-up, then turned back to the still-active phone and shouted, “Oh, right!” before abruptly hanging up with a click.

Yi Lanya: “…” What the actual—@#￥%!!!

Ji Yu: “…” Something about that felt… off.

Ji Xuan: “…Well, let’s just get going!”

What exactly did Yi Lanya ever do to her?

Once they were in the car, Xiao Yu saw the secretary whom she hadn’t seen in ages. She waved excitedly, “Miss Ban, long time no see! Kids, say hello!”

“Hello, Miss Ban!” Xiao Ruoguang shouted cheerfully.

After a brief hesitation, Ji Yu also called out loudly, “H-Hello, Miss Ban!”

Ban Zhenye turned to Ji Yu, and the stern expression on her face softened. “Hello, young miss and young master.” Then she looked back at Xiao Yu and said, “The young miss is much more cheerful now.”

“Of course,” Xiao Yu smiled warmly.

While opening some files, Ban Zhenye began to explain to Xiao Yu, “Miss Xiao, today we’re visiting Shensi International Kindergarten, the top-ranked kindergarten in the city. It’s an international school with beautiful surroundings, advanced facilities, and comprehensive programs. When the young miss attended here before, she truly learned a lot.”

Xiao Yu nodded. Seeing no objection from her, Ban Zhenye relaxed slightly and turned to Ji Xuan to discuss business matters.

Xiao Yu paid little attention, staring out the window lost in thought—until the car slowly pulled up in front of a sign reading Shensi International Kindergarten. Ban Zhenye helped bring out the wheelchair, and Xiao Yu was carefully lifted into it by Ji Xuan.

At the entrance, a welcoming teacher was already waiting to guide them throughout the visit. She explained, “Please feel free to take a good look around our kindergarten. We truly believe in the power of environment. Not only do we have various specialized classrooms designed for children, but also several interactive experience zones. For example, this is our children’s library. As you can see, it’s set up to feel very homey, with sofas, rugs, and even a photo wall—much like a family living room.”

After they finished exploring, the teacher led them to another room. “This is our dance studio. We hold two dance classes each week, taught by professional instructors. Next, I’ll show you the music hall. Of course, we also have an art and creativity room, a crafts classroom, and more.”

Xiao Yu nodded appreciatively as she looked around. The teacher continued, “We also offer various life-simulation areas that help prepare the children for activities they’ll participate in later at school. Our programs are designed to nurture responsibility, a spirit of challenge, and more.”

The teacher’s enthusiastic presentation impressed Ji Xuan greatly, who nodded repeatedly in approval.

Xiao Yu turned to Xiao Ruoguang and asked, “You’ve seen everything now—what do you think? Do you like it?”

Though still too young to fully understand, Xiao Ruoguang thought everything looked beautiful and nodded. “It’s nice.”

“Would you like to study here?”

Xiao Ruoguang nodded enthusiastically, “Yes!”

So Xiao Yu turned to Ji Xuan and said, “Let’s go with this one.”

Ji Xuan had originally looked at this school for Ji Yu and had already done his homework on this place over the past few years. Without hesitation, he asked Ban Zhenye to take care of the payment.

Xiao Yu’s wheelchair stopped at the entrance to the music hall. She watched Ban Zhenye walk away, then turned her gaze to the piano inside, lost in thought.

Ji Xuan noticed and asked, “Do you want to play?”

Xiao Yu gave him a sly smile and said, “Do you want to listen?”

Ji Xuan groaned, “You always have to be like this, don’t you?”

“I’m just having fun!” Xiao Yu laughed.

Ji Xuan sighed but still pushed her into the music room.

=^_^=