Yu Yingze immediately felt a sense of accomplishment and let out a smug snort from his nose.

The next second…

Yuanyuan tilted her head in confusion, “What’s a ghost? What does it look like?”

Yu Yingze: “…” How should I know?

He only knew about ghosts from TV shows; he had never seen one himself.

Staring into Yuanyuan’s sincere and curious eyes, filled with a thirst for knowledge, Yu Yingze couldn’t help but seriously think about it: What exactly is a ghost? What does it look like?

As his thoughts started to drift, he quickly caught himself, shaking his head to refocus. He leaned in close again, trying to spook her, “A ghost is a really bad monster that eats little kids! Especially kids like you!”

Eats… eats kids?!

Yuanyuan’s hair practically stood on end. She grabbed Yu Yingze’s sleeve, her little head trying to hide behind him, and said anxiously, “Second brother, I’m scared. Can you check if there’s a ghost nearby?”

The slight tug on his sleeve carried with it an absolute trust and reliance.

Yu Yingze had never experienced something like this before.

Usually, it was his older brother who took care of him, and his playmates were always rowdy boys. No one had ever looked to him for protection.

Being depended on like this feels pretty great!

Feeling a surge of bravery, Yu Yingze, almost forgetting that he was the one who scared her in the first place, puffed out his chest. “Hmph, as long as I’m here, no ghost would dare come near! There’s nothing to be afraid of.” He patted his chest confidently and instinctively ruffled Yuanyuan’s head to comfort the poor, trembling little bundle.

Yuanyuan looked up, her eyes shining. “Second brother, you’re amazing! Wow!”

“Of course,” Yu Yingze boasted, placing his hands on his hips, feeling rather proud of himself.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen…

Yu Mingxi prepared some food for Yuanyuan while taking the chance to discuss his thoughts with their father.

“So, you’re saying she might’ve grown up in an orphanage, and because she longed for a family, she saw something about me on TV and mistook me for her dad?” Yu Jinxiao glanced toward the living room, where the small girl was happily playing with his second son.

“I can’t be certain, but based on what Yuanyuan said, that seems like a possibility,” Yu Mingxi replied.

Even though he was still young, Yu Mingxi, standing just at his father’s chest height, exuded a calm and logical demeanor. His words were well-organized, his thoughts clear, and his approach far more mature than most kids his age.

At that moment, Yu Jinxiao felt a strange emotional shift.

It was like a small ripple spreading across the still surface of a lake, triggered by a single droplet of water.

It wasn’t a huge disturbance, but it made him re-evaluate his son.

Had he… paid too little attention to his children?

Had he taken Yu Mingxi’s maturity for granted, not realizing until now that his son was different from other children his age?

“Dad? I’m just guessing here, but do you have any thoughts?” Yu Mingxi asked, noticing his father’s silence and worrying that he might have said something wrong.

Yu Jinxiao shook his head, about to respond when his phone suddenly rang. It was a call from Gao Zhou.

Answering the call, Gao Zhou’s excited voice came through, “Mr. Yu, we’ve found something. Yuanyuan ran away from the Angel Welfare Home. They provided a lot of information, and it’s confirmed that she’s been living there all her life—there’s no indication that anyone’s behind this. So… should we send her back right away?”