That evening, when Ji Xuan came home, he was greeted by the sight of Xiao Yu sitting calmly on the sofa, with their son and daughter nestled on either side of her—Ji Yu resting her head on her right leg, and Ruoguang on her left. Xiao Yu sat there, completely composed, watching the cartoon Sheep and Wolves with the two kids.

Ji Xuan felt as if his heart had been struck by something warm and soft.

This… this is exactly the kind of peaceful family moment I’ve always wanted!

But wait—why did the atmosphere feel extra sweet today?

He handed his bag to a waiting housekeeper, loosened his tie, and sat down on the other sofa. He glanced over at the trio, only to see the three of them still focused on the TV.

Ji Xuan: “…”

Even though he was being thoroughly ignored, Ji Xuan still took a good look at the kids. That’s when he noticed Ji Yu’s eyes were red and puffy.

Concerned, he asked, “Xiaoyu, were you crying? What happened?”

Ji Yu turned to glance at him—expressionless—then promptly turned back to the TV without a word.

Ji Xuan: “…” W-Why is she ignoring me?

Meanwhile, Xiao Ruoguang sat up, climbed off the sofa, padded over to Ji Xuan’s couch, and climbed up beside him.

“Daddy,” he whispered, glancing at Ji Yu to make sure she wasn’t listening. “Sister came home crying today.”

“What?!” Ji Xuan was startled. Sure, his daughter cried often, but she had never come home from school in tears like this.

“I’ll tell you…” Ruoguang leaned closer and whispered, casting a cautious glance at Ji Yu again. “She got lied by Teacher Yi.”

Ji Xuan glanced at Ji Yu, then quietly asked Xiao Ruoguang, “What did she lie about?”

Xiao Ruoguang replied, “She told Sister that Mom doesn’t want her. That’s why Sister was so upset and ran home crying.”

Ji Xuan: “…” That was true.

Xiao Ruoguang continued, “So I told Sister that Teacher Yi was lying to her.”

Ji Xuan asked, “How do you know Teacher Yi was lying?”

Xiao Ruoguang blinked at him and said, “I don’t know!”

Ji Xuan sighed, “Xiaoguang, lying isn’t right.”

Xiao Ruoguang’s innocent eyes looked up at him. “But when I say that, Sister feels better. Why is that wrong?”

Ji Xuan thought for a couple of minutes but still wasn’t sure how to explain it to his son. Finally, he said, “Go ask your mom.”

Xiao Ruoguang gave Ji Xuan a look, then climbed off the sofa and ran to ask Xiao Yu, “Mom, Dad says lying is wrong. Why?”

Xiao Yu shot Ji Xuan a knowing glance and smiled, then said to Xiao Ruoguang, “Ask your dad to show you a cartoon called The Boy Who Cried Wolf.”

Xiao Ruoguang nodded and clambered down from the sofa again, running back to Ji Xuan. By then, Ji Xuan had already started searching for The Boy Who Cried Wolf on his phone.

He quickly found a chibi-style animated version and played it for Ruoguang, who settled onto Ji Xuan’s lap as the two of them watched the cartoon together.

When it finished, Xiao Ruoguang said thoughtfully, “I get it now, Daddy. If I keep lying, no one will believe me even when I tell the truth, right?”

Ji Xuan nodded quickly. “That’s right. If someone lies all the time, people won’t like or trust them.”

Xiao Ruoguang frowned a little and said, “But I don’t lie all the time—only when telling the truth might make things worse.”

Ji Xuan tried to explain, “But can you really know when it’s okay to lie and when it’s not?”

“Of course!” Xiao Ruoguang answered confidently, without hesitation.

Ji Xuan: “…” That’s not how this was supposed to go. Not even a moment’s doubt?

Just then, Kong Yuqing came out of the kitchen. “Dinner’s ready,” she called, glancing at the cozy scene on the sofa: Ji Yu cuddled next to Xiao Yu, and Xiao Ruoguang perched on Ji Xuan’s lap. It was an unexpectedly warm and peaceful sight.

For a brief moment, Kong Yuqing found herself thinking… maybe this could work. Maybe, if Xiao Yu were willing to live a quiet, steady life, the four of them could actually be a family.

“Grandma Kong!” Xiao Ruoguang climbed off Ji Xuan and ran toward Kong Yuqing.

Kong Yuqing bent down to pick him up. “I made that sweet and sour pork with black vinegar you talked about—happy now?”

Xiao Ruoguang beamed. “Thank you, Grandma Kong! I’m super happy!”

He rubbed his cheek against hers, making Kong Yuqing laugh with delight.

Once everyone was seated at the table, Sister Wang, for the first time, set the food in front of Xiao Yu without feeding her directly. Ji Xuan gave the two of them a curious glance.

Then, to his shock, he watched Xiao Yu pick up a spoon and start eating on her own.

Ji Xuan: “!!!” What the—!?

“What happened to your hand?” Ji Xuan was so startled he dropped his chopsticks.

Xiao Yu replied matter-of-factly, “I’ve been doing rehab the last couple of days—it’s healed.”

“Just two days of rehab and you’re already this recovered?!” Ji Xuan was clearly spooked. “Isn’t that a bit too fast?”

Ji Yu set his chopsticks down and said, “Dad, how can you say that to Mom? She said it’s the power of love! She even patted my head today!” At that, Ji Yu lowered his head shyly.

Ji Xuan: “…” Sweetheart, that kind of talk might work on kids—it’s not a TV drama.

Xiao Yu smiled at Ji Yu. “Exactly! My hand’s better now, and you kept asking—it’s a good thing, right, Xiao Yu?”

Ji Yu responded loudly, “Right!”

Xiao Ruoguang quickly chimed in, “Everything Mommy said is right!”

Ji Xuan: “…”

And so, Ji Xuan was forced to swallow his shock and quietly finish the meal.

After eating his fill, he watched the three of them cuddled up on the sofa watching TV together. Ji Xuan finally came to terms—grudgingly—that his ex-wife’s hands had somehow recovered enough in just two days for her to feed herself with a spoon.

The next day, when Ji Yu got to school, she told Yi Lanya, “Ms. Yi, my mom said she loves me very much. She only left because she had no choice. Hehe… Teacher, I have a mom now!”

Yi Lanya was stunned. Knowing Ji Yu’s temper—and how emotional she’d been the day before—what exactly had Xiao Yu said to calm her down so thoroughly?

Then she heard Ji Yu say, “Teacher, my mom can move her hands again. She even fed herself yesterday!”

Yi Lanya: “!!! Wait, what? Wasn’t your mom paralyzed?”

Ji Yu nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah! But she said she’s not dead or anything—it’s just recovery, and soon she’ll even be able to hug me!”

At that point, Ji Yu suddenly covered her face, smiling with happiness. “When I got home yesterday, I was so sad, really really sad. I almost got into a fight with Xiaoguang…”

Yi Lanya felt deeply comforted hearing this. Nice. Well done, she thought.

Then Ji Yu went on excitedly, “But then Mommy came out. To calm me down, she even patted my head! Just like that—her hands could move again! Ms. Yi, Ms. Yi, I’m so happy! Ahahaha, what do I do?”

She spun around in place, grinning. “I’m Mommy’s good girl now. I’ll never say bad things about her again!”

Before Yi Lanya could even process how completely she’d been emotionally disarmed, Ji Yu added one last thing:

“Mom asked me to tell you—thank you, Ms. Yi. She’s regained full feeling in both her hands. Though personally, I think it was all thanks to me.”

Yi Lanya: “……” What the @#￥% just happened.

=^_^=