Her pure eyes, filled with tears, looked at him fearlessly, making Shen Ji unable to say no.

Moreover, he couldn’t find any reason to refuse.

What’s so bad about becoming friends with this little cutie?

Obviously, nothing!

Even though it was their first meeting today, her presence had already brought an unprecedented light and ease into Shen Ji’s cold and dark life.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t come up with a reason to say no.

“Of… of course, we’re good friends,” Shen Ji stammered in response.

No one had ever wanted to be his friend before. Yu Yuanyuan was the first.

Even though she was only three years old, those pure, untainted eyes of hers made even the reflection of him seem clean and clear.

“Wow, wow, wow! This is great! I’m brother Shen Ji good friend!” The little one instantly stopped crying and, in a flurry of excitement, grabbed Shen Ji’s hand, urging him to continue watching the sea lions.

“Shen Ji, why are you dawdling?” A dark shadow loomed over him, as someone yanked at his shirt collar.

His collar was pulled askew, but Shen Ji didn’t move. He simply pulled out his hidden hand and slowly raised it, scaring his uncle into immediately stepping back.

“Just chatting with a friend,” Shen Ji said calmly, suppressing his frustration and choosing not to mention his uncle’s rude behavior.

Gao Zhou, watching from the side, felt a surge of anger.

Although Shen Ji wasn’t his son, it wasn’t right to treat a child so roughly. What if he got hurt?

Shen Ji, tall and slender, should have been a vibrant young man, but he was shrouded in a gloomy, oppressive aura, as if he were constantly on the verge of withering away.

However, when Miss Yuanyuan was around, Gao Zhou could sense an extremely rare trace of happiness from him.

“Tsk,” his uncle muttered, retreating to the hallway, glaring at him impatiently.

Meanwhile, his aunt was waiting by the exit with her son and daughter. The two children were still crying, and Gao Zhou overheard them cursing at Shen Ji, seemingly over the VIP seats.

“Thanks, everyone, but I should get going,” Shen Ji said, his tone neither overly grateful nor filled with obligatory politeness.

He didn’t want to cause any trouble for Yu Yuanyuan and her family. The best way to avoid that was to leave early.

“Brother Shen Ji, don’t forget Yuanyuan!” The little one waved her tiny hands enthusiastically, unwilling to see him leave.

Shen Ji hadn’t expected anyone to ever look at him with such reluctance.

As he reached the exit, he finally pulled his hand from his pocket and gave a faint smile, waving lightly.

“Wow,” Yu Yuanyuan’s sadness disappeared in an instant. “Brother Shen Ji smile is so pretty.”

Gao Zhou’s eyes widened in surprise.

At such a young age, and already appreciating good looks!

This kid has a bright future ahead.

After the show, they visited the polar bear exhibit.

Since children didn’t walk fast, they didn’t get through many attractions in the morning. After having a simple kids’ meal at the aquarium, they continued exploring in the afternoon.

Finally, Yu Yuanyuan got to see the big sharks.

The long, three-sided underwater tunnel was an impressive sight. Gao Zhou lifted Yuanyuan onto his shoulders so she could get a better view.

But each time a shark swam by, the little one would curl up in fear, trembling and hugging Gao Zhou’s head tightly.

Her quivering, scared demeanor made her all the more adorable.

Gao Zhou felt like he wasn’t carrying a child but rather a timid little kitten perched on his shoulders.

Just before the park was about to close, Gao Zhou received a call from Yu Jinxiao.

“Mr. Yu?”

“I’ve arrived at the aquarium. Where are you?”

A second later, the park’s closing announcement began playing over the loudspeakers.

Yu Jinxiao: “…”