Chapter 42: Zhao Jiaying’s Nightmare  

Ou Zichen carried Zhao Jiaying back to the bedroom, bathed her, and changed her into clean clothes.  

It was his first time bathing his daughter, and he ended up in a complete mess himself, soaked from head to toe. He said to Zhao Jiaying: “Yingbao, Daddy’s clothes are wet. I’ll go take a quick shower. You wait for me on the bed, alright?”  

Zhao Jiaying nodded expressionlessly, like a soulless Barbie doll.  

Seeing her like this, Ou Zichen felt a bit worried, but he knew he couldn’t leave himself in this state. He quickly rushed into the bathroom and washed up as fast as he could.  

When he came out, he noticed that Zhao Jiaying was no longer on the bed. Instead, she was sitting on the window seat, staring outside.  

Ou Zichen quietly walked over and sat down beside her.  

“Yingbao, what are you looking at?”  

“The stars.” Zhao Jiaying pointed to a bright star in the sky.  

Ou Zichen followed the direction of her finger and indeed saw a particularly large and bright star. Just as he was about to say something, he heard Zhao Jiaying speak.  

“Mommy said this big, bright star is Grandpa. She told me that whenever I miss Grandpa, I just have to look at this star, and it’s like I’m seeing him.”  

“Mm, is Yingbao missing Grandpa?”  

Parents often likened the deceased to stars, telling their children that as long as they looked up at the sky, their loved ones were still with them. Zhao Jiaying had always believed in this.  

“No.” Zhao Jiaying shook her head. “Today, Yingbao almost went to see Grandpa. I saw Grandpa smiling at me so happily. I would have been happy to see Grandpa too. But… Yingbao couldn’t bear to leave Daddy, Mommy, Second Uncle, and Great-grandma. I don’t want to be separated from you all so soon.”  

She turned to Ou Zichen with a hint of sadness and asked: “Daddy, do you think Grandpa will be mad at Yingbao for not going to see him?”  

Ou Zichen immediately understood what she meant by going to see Grandpa. It seemed today had truly frightened her—she already understood what death meant.  

He gently picked her up and placed her on his lap, comforting her: “Of course not. Grandpa loved Yingbao so much. How could he ever be mad at you? You’re still so little. Grandpa would definitely want you to stay with Daddy and Mommy, grow up healthy, and be a happy child. Look, see how the star is twinkling? That’s Grandpa smiling at Yingbao. So he’s definitely not angry.”  

Zhao Jiaying looked back at the star. Sure enough, it was twinkling. Daddy wasn’t lying to her. That meant Grandpa really wasn’t mad at her.  

She put her hands together and spoke sincerely to the star: “Thank you, Grandpa, for not being mad at Yingbao. I promise to listen to Daddy and Mommy and be a good girl. Grandpa, you have to take good care of Grandma in heaven, okay? If you have time, don’t forget to visit Yingbao’s other Grandpa and Grandma. They’re in heaven too!”  

Although Zhao Jiaying had never met her paternal grandparents, she still missed them in her heart. This made Ou Zichen feel deeply comforted.  

At that moment, Madam Liu arrived with their dinner and knocked on the door.  

“Young Master, dinner for you and Yingbao—Young Miss—is ready.”  

Ou Zichen opened the door, took the tray, and placed it on the coffee table in the bedroom.  

“Yingbao, you must be hungry. Come and eat.”  

Zhao Jiaying had a strong ability to adjust her emotions. Although today’s events had shaken her deeply, she recovered quickly. After all, she had once said—she was an unbreakable little cockroach.

“Oh, it’s here…”  

As she gazed at the delicious food, rich in color, aroma, and taste, Zhao Jiaying forgot everything else and happily began eating.  

At this hour, she was indeed hungry and ended up eating two full bowls of rice.  

If it weren’t for Ou Zichen stopping her, fearing that overeating might make her uncomfortable, she could have eaten another half a bowl!  

Seeing how much she enjoyed her meal, Ou Zichen finally felt relieved. At first, he had been worried that because of what happened, she might refuse to see anyone, refuse to speak, or even lose her appetite. Fortunately, his lively and adorable Yingbao had not disappeared!  

That night, Ou Zichen stayed with her, worried that she might have nightmares.  

As expected, bad omens always came true. In the middle of the night, Zhao Jiaying had a nightmare.  

In her dream, a few bad men captured her and threw her into a pit. She desperately tried to climb out, but she was too small to reach the top. Then, piles of dirt were shoveled onto her, covering her head, face, and clothes. She cried and screamed for help, but no one came to save her!  

“No… no… help… help… Daddy, come save Yingbao! Yingbao is so scared! Yingbao is going to die… wuwu…”  

Ou Zichen was awakened by Zhao Jiaying’s cries. He quickly sat up to check on her and saw that she was still trapped in her nightmare, struggling and covered in sweat, crying and calling out repeatedly.  

Seeing this, Ou Zichen softly called her name: “Yingbao… Yingbao… Daddy is here, don’t be afraid!”  

Hearing Ou Zichen’s voice, Zhao Jiaying suddenly woke up. The moment she opened her eyes and saw him, she immediately threw herself into his arms, still shaken.  

“Wuwu… Daddy, bad men wanted to take Yingbao! They threw Yingbao into a big pit and poured dirt all over Yingbao! Yingbao was so scared! Yingbao was going to die… wuwu…”  

Ou Zichen held her close, gently patting her back to comfort her. “It’s okay now. Yingbao is home. Daddy is here. No one will ever hurt Yingbao again!”  

Feeling safe in Ou Zichen’s embrace, Zhao Jiaying quickly fell asleep again.  

However, not long after Ou Zichen laid her down, she was once again tormented by nightmares.  

In the end, having no other choice, Ou Zichen could only hold her in his arms while sleeping.  

As a result, the next morning, Ou Zichen woke up with dark circles under his eyes. He had barely slept all night, unable to rest while holding Zhao Jiaying. But at least it was worth it—Zhao Jiaying had slept peacefully in his arms and did not have any more nightmares.  

When Zhao Jiaying woke up, she acted as if nothing had happened, seemingly having forgotten about her nightmares. When she noticed the dark circles around Ou Zichen’s eyes, she curiously asked,  

“Daddy, why did you turn into a national treasure?”  

A “national treasure” referred to a giant panda, something everyone knew. Its most distinctive feature was its dark eye circles. When Zhao Jiaying saw Ou Zichen’s dark circles, she immediately thought of a panda and compared him to one.  

“It’s nothing. Daddy just had a little insomnia last night and didn’t sleep well. It’s fine.”  

Ou Zichen deliberately avoided mentioning her nightmare, afraid of reopening her wounds.  

Experiencing such an event, having nightmares at night was completely normal. She would probably be fine after some time.