The setting sun cast a golden glow.

After work, Jiang’s father went to the Lu residence to pick up Jiang Yi. As he followed the butler upstairs, his heart thumped with anxiety, hoping that the Lu family’s young master wouldn’t cause any more trouble like last time.

The butler gently pushed open the door to the second-floor bedroom. The room was quiet. The purple-golden afterglow of the evening sun slanted through the floor-to-ceiling windows, dust motes floating in the twilight. The two children on the sofa seemed to have tired themselves out from playing and had fallen asleep together.

Jiang Yi was curled up slightly on the sofa, covered with a small blanket, while Arno was lying on the carpet, his head resting on the sofa as he slept.

When Jiang Yi was gently woken up, he was still a bit groggy. But as soon as he saw his father standing at the door, he immediately rubbed his eyes and flashed a smile, calling out, “Daddy!”

Arno also woke up. At first, he thought it was Lu Xiao coming back to bother them again. His blue eyes, still sleepy, blinked toward the door. When he saw that it wasn’t Lu Xiao, he sighed in relief.

Jiang Yi turned to Arno with a cheerful tone, saying, “I’m going home now.”

The butler translated for Arno, who pursed his lips, nodding reluctantly.

Jiang Yi jumped off the sofa and ran toward his father, but Arno grabbed hold of his sleeve.

Standing at the door, Jiang’s father felt a pang of anxiety, fearing that Arno would stubbornly refuse to let go like he had done the day before.

Jiang Yi turned around, and after a moment of hesitation, Arno stared at the floor and quietly asked, “Do you like playing with Lu Xiao?”

The butler bent down slightly, smiling as he translated, “Young Master Arno is asking if you enjoy playing with Young Master Lu Xiao.”

Jiang Yi, showing a bit of happiness, was about to respond when Arno quickly covered his mouth.

Seeing Jiang Yi’s reaction, alarm bells rang in Arno’s mind. He immediately, and somewhat forcefully, blurted out, “You don’t like him!”

The butler’s smile froze.

Jiang Yi, wide-eyed and confused by the sudden outburst, looked to the butler for clarification.

With an awkward expression, the butler translated, “Young Master Arno says you don’t like him.”

Arno, now visibly anxious, solemnly added, “You like playing with me.”

The butler hesitated for a moment, then with a straight face, told Jiang Yi, “Young Master Arno says he hopes you’ll be careful when you go home.”

For the first time, Jiang Yi felt the warmth of a friend’s concern. He nodded seriously.

Arno breathed a sigh of relief, his tension easing.

Only Jiang’s father, who could vaguely understand a bit of English, stood at the door, puzzled and feeling like something wasn’t quite right. But he didn’t dwell on it, thanking the butler before taking Jiang Yi home, thinking the matter had finally come to a close.

---

The next morning.

Lu Ting sat at the dining table in the grand hall, reading the newspaper, when he heard footsteps coming down the stairs.

Arno, clutching a kite he had dug out from somewhere, was coming downstairs with an excited look on his face. “Dad, when will he be here today?”

Lu Ting raised an eyebrow slightly, lowering the newspaper as Arno, who rarely paid him any attention, eagerly approached him.

Arno had spent the entire night preparing more than one game. He was determined to surpass Lu Xiao in Jiang Yi’s favor, making sure Jiang Yi would think playing with him was the most fun.

But when Lu Ting didn’t immediately respond, Arno frowned. Then, he heard his father calmly tell him that Jiang Yi had to go to kindergarten today and wouldn’t be coming.

Not only today—Jiang Yi wouldn’t be coming for the foreseeable future, except during holidays.

Lu Ting sipped his coffee, leisurely savoring Arno’s stunned reaction.

Based on his age, Arno should have been attending the senior class in kindergarten after returning to China. But because Arno was highly resistant to learning Chinese, fearing an adverse reaction, the Lu family had opted for private tutors to help Arno transition from kindergarten to elementary school.

However, Arno had driven away nearly ten Chinese teachers with his temper, giving Lu Ting a headache that wasn’t new to him.

Arno was completely dumbfounded by this news.

He seemed unable to believe it, or perhaps he simply couldn’t accept it at all. No matter what Lu Ting said afterward, it all fell on deaf ears.

---

Later that evening at Golden Sun Bilingual Kindergarten.

It was almost time for dismissal, but nearly all the students in Class Two were still there.

Jiang Yi held his watch up to his ear and spoke softly into the phone, “Daddy, can I stay a little longer tonight?”

“A classmate named Song Ziyi is having a birthday party, and I want to stay and celebrate with him.”

Jiang’s father readily agreed and told him he would come to the kindergarten after work to join the party with him.

“How did it go?”

After Jiang Yi hung up, the boy in front of him anxiously asked, “Did your dad say yes?”

Jiang Yi nodded, a small dimple appearing on his cheek as he smiled, “He agreed.”

Song Ziyi’s eyes lit up. He took the smartwatch from Jiang Yi and hesitated for a moment before finally gathering the courage to ask, “Jiang Yi, can you sit next to me when we cut the cake?”

Jiang Yi blinked in surprise. He wasn’t particularly close to Song Ziyi—they had only partnered up a few times when playing the train game.

Because of his weak heart, Jiang Yi couldn’t participate in strenuous activities, which had occasionally slowed down Song Ziyi during the train game.

Jiang Yi had always thought that Song Ziyi, like most of the other classmates, didn’t really like him.

After all, he often missed school, and he couldn’t participate in many group activities.

Seeing Jiang Yi’s hesitation, Song Ziyi scratched his head, looking a bit disappointed. But he quickly perked up again, saying, “It’s okay if you don’t sit next to me.”

“Just having you at my birthday party is enough.”

Without waiting for Jiang Yi’s response, Song Ziyi quickly ran off.

Jiang Yi, sitting on the small stool, was left puzzled.

The kindergarten was beautifully decorated, with ribbons and lanterns hung everywhere, and a variety of snacks and candies laid out on the long tables.

Song Ziyi’s parents were businesspeople with some wealth, and nearly all the parents of the senior class were attending the birthday party.

Song Ziyi’s mother was a bit perplexed, not understanding why her son insisted on having the birthday party at the kindergarten rather than at their villa or a hotel. Her son had explained that it was because a good friend, who wasn’t in the best of health, might not be able to attend if the party wasn’t held at the kindergarten.

Song’s mother scanned the room, seeing all the tall and robust boys gathered around her son. Not finding the supposed sickly friend, she jokingly suggested to her husband that their son was probably too shy to invite a girl he liked, so he opted to have the party at the kindergarten.

Jiang Yi sat with his classmates, quietly working on a puzzle until his father arrived. Song’s mother only noticed her son’s brightened expression as he pulled her along to greet the newcomer.

It was only then that she realized her son hadn’t been lying—he really did have a friend who wasn’t in the best health.

The little boy was as beautiful as a doll and very polite when he greeted her, calling her “Auntie Song” in the sweetest manner.

But Song’s mother also noticed that her son didn’t seem to know this friend very well, and they didn’t appear to be particularly close.

Seeing her son too embarrassed to even say hello properly, she felt a mixture of frustration and affection. Smiling, she arranged for Jiang Yi to sit next to her son.

Not long after, the birthday song filled the lively classroom. When it came time to cut the cake, Song Ziyi handed the first piece to Jiang Yi.

Holding the first slice of cake, Jiang Yi felt touched by his train game partner’s kindness. He made a solemn promise to himself that next time, if they were partners again, he would run faster so as not to hold him back.

During the gift-giving part of the party, Jiang Yi gave Song Ziyi a new set of watercolor paints.

His train partner seemed to genuinely love painting. Among the many gifts, he was the only one who carefully put the watercolor set into his backpack.

Meanwhile, at the Lu residence.

After learning that Jiang Yi would be attending a classmate’s birthday party and wouldn’t have time to visit that evening, Arno made a transatlantic call to his mother.

On the call, he nervously asked his beloved mother, “Mom, can I celebrate my birthday again tomorrow?”

His loving mother gently replied, “What do you think?”