After running around and playing for most of the day, Yu Yuanyuan’s body temperature had risen, and now she was curled up beside him like a kitten seeking warmth, transforming the coolness left by the cola into a comforting warmth.

Shen Ji had experienced too much indifference and distance. This was the first time someone had approached him without any guard, and it felt so unfamiliar that he couldn’t immediately adapt. He even straightened his back nervously.

“Dolphins, the dolphins are here!!” The little one’s full attention was on the dolphins. When one dolphin after another appeared, she excitedly shouted in her sweet, high-pitched voice, almost going off-key.

No wonder they had spent so much on VIP tickets.

After the trainer led the dolphins around the pool, they made a special stop in front of the VIP section for an up-close appearance.

Yu Yuanyuan, seated in the front row, could no longer sit still. She ran to the front of the railing, eager to get just a little closer.

“Hey, don’t get your head stuck in the bars,” Yu Yingze quickly pulled her back a bit.

Shen Ji, who had been drinking his cola, froze, staring in disbelief at Yu Yuanyuan’s round figure crouching by the railing.

Could she… really get her head stuck?

Noticing Shen Ji’s surprise, Yu Yingze shrugged nonchalantly. “It wouldn’t be surprising if she did.”

For some reason, Shen Ji found Yu Yuanyuan increasingly resembling the penguin plushie that Yu Yingze was holding.

The show was spectacular, drawing cheers and applause from both children and parents.

The dolphins’ adorable squeaks heightened the atmosphere, bringing the performance to a climax.

The trainer paid extra attention to the VIP section, bringing the dolphins closer to interact with them.

With her usual boldness, the little one reached out to pet the dolphin’s head.

“Wow, it’s so cute!” Yu Yuanyuan exclaimed, happily touching the dolphin. Then she beckoned Shen Ji and her two older brothers to join her.

At the trainer’s encouragement, Yu Yingze and Yu Mingxi gave the dolphin a quick, symbolic touch before retracting their hands.

Only Yu Yuanyuan stayed there, crouched, completely engrossed and unwilling to leave.

Shen Ji remained seated, watching her small, round figure, not showing any desire to join in the interaction.

“Brother Shen Ji, come on!” The little one chatted with the dolphin for a while, then called to him again, urging him to come over.

When her first attempt didn’t work, she grabbed his shirt and dragged him over to the railing.

“Touch it, it’s so cute!” Yu Yuanyuan gently stroked the dolphin’s head once, then twice. The dolphin, bobbing in the water, seemed to smile, instantly winning her heart.

At some point, Shen Ji’s cold fingers began to warm up.

His trembling fingertips, as if beyond his control, slowly reached out toward the dolphin’s water-sprinkled head.

He hesitated, feeling cautious, yet hopeful.

Just as he was debating whether to touch it, the little one pressed his hand directly onto the dolphin’s head.

The trainer, satisfied as if he had met his performance quota, called the dolphin back to the main pool.

“I said you can’t touch it…” Shen Ji stared at his wet fingertips, belatedly realizing his desire to get angry.

But the little one paid no attention to his words and kept staring intently in the direction of the dolphins.

Two playful dolphins bumped into each other while swimming, letting out a silly squeak and rolling in opposite directions, causing the audience to burst into laughter.

Shen Ji, too, saw the dolphin collision, frowning as he returned to his seat, staring blankly at his fingers.

“Daddy, Shen Ji touched the dolphin! I want to touch it too!” A faint cry came from the distant, high-up audience seats.
“Daddy, buy another ticket! I want to see it again, I want to touch the dolphin!” After seeing Shen Ji touch the dolphin, both the boy’s brother and sister were overcome with jealousy and envy, crying and whining to touch the dolphins too.

The two kids, taking turns crying and complaining, began to irritate the nearby audience.

“Slap!” Their uncle, face red with anger, slapped both of them. “Touch a dolphin? Sit still or leave if you don’t want to watch!”

“Why are you hitting them?” their aunt shrieked, “It’s not their fault you can’t make enough money! Why take it out on the kids?”

The uncle’s face darkened, furious but unable to retort.

The VIP tickets were almost as expensive as a month’s wages for him. There was no way he could afford to buy two more just to please the kids.

Meanwhile, Yu Yuanyuan in the VIP section couldn’t sit still for even a moment.

She crouched by the railing, calling out to the dolphins in her sweet baby voice, but her pitiful little cries were quickly drowned out by the noise.

Shen Ji wanted to call her back to drink some cola, but every time he tried, he felt that this little round ball of energy didn’t need cola.

She only needed the dolphins.

Even the popcorn no longer interested her, with most of it ending up eaten by Gao Zhou and Yu Yingze.

“Dolphin~ Dolphin~ Look over here!!!” Yu Yuanyuan stretched her tiny hand through the railing, her little arm waving so fast it almost created a blur.

Thankfully, she couldn’t fit through the bars, or she’d surely fall into the water.

At first, Yu Mingxi had been worried, but after observing her for a while, he was reassured and refocused on watching the show.

Yu Yuanyuan had been trying to catch the dolphins’ attention ever since the performance began, continuing her enthusiastic shouting until the very end of the show.

As the dolphins were about to return to their resting pool, her raised hand slowed down, and her eyes gradually filled with disappointment as she gazed blankly ahead.

The trainer, about to lead the dolphins back, suddenly felt an intense gaze on him.

It came from… somewhere behind the railing in the front row.

He instinctively turned around and spotted a pitiful little face peeking through the bars.

Her innocent, tearful eyes blinked as her tiny hand, sticking out from the railing, waved slowly and weakly, her small gray figure looking even more pitiful, weak, and helpless.

The trainer’s heart softened. He called the last dolphin and patted its head, signaling it with a simple gesture.

The dolphin chirped cutely in response, spun around in the water, and sped toward Yu Yuanyuan’s direction.

“Dolphin!” Yu Yuanyuan exclaimed with joy, waving her hand even more vigorously.

Yu Mingxi was about to warn her to be careful when he saw a small yellow object fall outside the railing.

“My bag! Yuanyuan’s bag!” In her excitement, the little one had gotten carried away and caused a mishap.

She stretched her arm, which was obviously too short, grabbing at the air twice. Her lemon-yellow backpack was floating on the surface of the water.

Splash!

Before she could ask for help, the dolphin’s tail flicked, splashing water all over the little one’s face.

What happened next prompted Gao Zhou to instinctively pull out his phone and start recording.