Yuanyuan, feeling heartbroken, had sacrificed her most precious stash of snacks to make her father happy.

Meanwhile, Yu Jinxiao, finding it difficult to apologize directly, decided to order a fancy cake with “sorry” written on top.

Yes, this subtle and indirect apology was the greatest concession Yu Jinxiao could offer.

Determined to resolve the situation before Yu Mingxi and the others returned home, Yu Jinxiao canceled his afternoon meetings and made sure to arrive back at the house around four o’clock.

But the warm welcome he had imagined didn’t happen.

No excited little girl waiting for him.

No joyful greetings.

No hopeful eyes looking his way.

Nothing but an empty, quiet house.

Aunt Chen informed him that Yuanyuan had been upstairs playing all afternoon and hadn’t come down once. So, carrying the cake, Yu Jinxiao went upstairs to find her.

He opened the door to see his little one sprawled out on the carpet, fast asleep. Toys, building blocks, and coloring books were scattered all around her, and her tiny belly rose and fell in peaceful slumber.

“Yuanyuan…”

He tried to wake her, but gently, not wanting to make it obvious.

“Don’t bother me,” Yuanyuan mumbled, wrinkling her face and turning over, burying her head under a pile of books. “Little Piggy, don’t make noise.”

Yu Jinxiao: Is she doing this on purpose?

Yu Mingxi wouldn’t be home until five, and Yu Yingze had his soccer club after school, so there was still time to fix things before they returned.

Sighing, Yu Jinxiao grabbed a blanket and tossed it over the little girl, quietly leaving the room as if he had never been there.

Waiting for her to wake up, he headed to his study for a video meeting. Time passed quickly, and by the time he realized he still hadn’t resolved the issue, Yu Mingxi had already come home.

Even worse, Yu Yingze arrived shortly after, as his soccer practice had been rescheduled to the next day.

Yu Jinxiao: Why is everyone against me today?

Especially Yu Yingze, who, upon stepping through the door, immediately spotted the cake on the table. “Wow! Why is there a cake? Is it for…?”

He inspected the cake with glee, running his hands over the box, clearly eager to open it but holding back to not ruin the surprise.

Yu Mingxi, suspecting what was going on, headed upstairs to call Yuanyuan down but stopped in his tracks when he saw a pile of snacks at the door to his father’s room.

Chips, candies, small cakes, lollipops…

It looked like a hamster’s hoard, stacked up into a little mountain.

At that moment, Yu Jinxiao walked over and, seeing the scene, Yu Mingxi asked, “Dad, did you buy these for Yuanyuan? Why are they just sitting here?”

Yu Jinxiao was taken aback.

Not me. I didn’t do this. Don’t make things up!

Where did all these snacks come from?

“I have no idea,” Yu Jinxiao said, crouching down to examine the pile. Then, he spotted something familiar: a lollipop that Gao Zhou often brought to cheer up Yuanyuan.

Yu Mingxi also recognized some snacks he had bought for his little sister. After a moment of silence, he said, “Yuanyuan must have left these.”

“What’s she trying to do, break ties with me?” Yu Jinxiao’s eyes narrowed, his tone harsh.

“I doubt it…”

After looking over the snacks, Yu Mingxi explained, “She’s probably trying to make peace with you. These are all her favorite things, and she’s giving them to you.”

“I don’t need her snacks,” Yu Jinxiao responded coldly, gathering up the pile and returning everything to Yuanyuan’s room.

Behind that icy, aloof expression, there was an unmistakable flicker of joy.

Still groggy from her nap, Yuanyuan stirred at the sound of movement in her room. Blinking sleepily, she looked over to see a pile of snacks on her bed.

Wow!

Ecstatic, she jumped up—only to realize something was wrong.

Wait, aren’t these the snacks I left at Dad’s door?

Her treasures had been returned!

Oh no, Daddy must still be mad at me…