Yu Yingze wasn’t good at hiding his feelings. Whatever he was thinking was written all over his face.

Kids aren’t complicated; their thoughts are simple and straightforward.

Yu Jin Xiao suddenly realized that his son didn’t ask for much—just his presence. Why had he ignored that for so long?

Noticing that Yu Yingze’s mood was dropping again, Yu Jinxiao stepped forward, crouching down in front of his son. “I’m not leaving.”

Little Yuanyuan suddenly popped out from the side, grabbing his finger. “Then Daddy, you have to make a promise.”

“A promise…?”

“If you lie to a kid, then you’re a pighead.”

“…”

Such a childish promise—Yu Jinxiao had zero interest in making it.

But Yu Yingze’s eyes held a strange sense of expectation, as if he really wanted to hear his dad make a silly promise that he wouldn’t leave.

After a minute of staring at the two kids, Yu Jinxiao surrendered. “Alright, I promise. If I leave today, I’ll… I’ll be a pighead.”

“See, brother! Daddy promised! He’s definitely not going anywhere.” Yuanyuan, satisfied, clapped her little hands and ran off to kick balloons.

The floor was scattered with balloons for the kids to kick around, and there were some “flying” balloons tied to strings.

Yuanyuan had Uncle Yang untie one for her, and she happily held it like she was walking a pet bird.

But before she’d gone far, the string slipped from her hands, and the balloon got stuck in the doorframe.

“Daddy—” Her loud voice boomed across the room, “My balloon ran away!”

Yu Jinxiao got up calmly, thinking, That’s because you didn’t hold on tight.

Though he was internally grumbling, he moved quickly, taking just a few steps to reach her.

Just as he was about to use his height advantage to retrieve the balloon from the arch, Yuanyuan tugged on his pants and stubbornly said, “I want to get it myself!”

What a joke.

She was so short that she barely came up to his waist—how was she going to get it herself?

The next second, she stretched out her little arms, her intentions clear.

With a sigh, Yu Jinxiao lifted Yuanyuan onto his shoulders, one hand supporting her from behind. “Can you reach it now?”

“Got it! Got it!” Yuan Yuan grabbed the string and, in excitement, wrapped her arms around Yu Jinxiao’s head.

Not far away, Yu Yingze watched in astonishment, his eyes widening.

So that’s how it works…

He quickly grabbed another balloon and walked over to the same doorframe, letting go of the string.

“Dad, my balloon flew up too!” Yu Yingze copied Yuanyuan, pointing at the ceiling with a grin.

Yu Jinxiao sighed, feeling like he was trapped in some endless loop. Was this happening again?

After hoisting Yu Yingze onto his shoulders, the boy grabbed the balloon but giggled and refused to come down.

The living room was filled with the cheerful sounds of kids giggling and the playful banter between father and sons.

After the cake was eaten and the party ended, the kids’ parents arrived at the gate to take them home.

Inside the villa, the three siblings lay sprawled across the sofa, each holding a small plate with leftover cake.

Yuanyuan had eaten the most. Her little belly was already round, but she still couldn’t bear to put her plate down.

“Big brother, I feel like I forgot something, but I can’t remember what.” Yu Yingze’s eyes were a bit glazed over, and a bit of cream clung to the corner of his mouth.

Yu Mingxi, whose appetite was more controlled, was still working on his slice of cake. He thought for a moment before asking, “Did you forget to do your homework?”

Never underestimate a straight-A student. He hit the nail on the head.

Realizing the truth, Yu Yingze put down his cake and rushed upstairs with his arms full of gifts.

Despite having a lot of homework left to do on his birthday, Yu Yingze was still in high spirits. Even the usually dreaded “homework” didn’t seem so bad now.

Just as he was writing away, the door suddenly knocked.

Yuanyuan stood at the doorway, holding a large display case. Her tiny frame leaned against the door, struggling to lift the heavy object.