“Second Brother, this… is the birthday gift that Yuanyuan made herself!” Little Yuanyuan, struggling with the large item in her arms, was speaking hurriedly, her words somewhat jumbled.

Yu Yingze paused from his writing, looking up to see her carrying in a large transparent display case. Inside, there was a paper-mâché monster.

The monster was quite ferocious, with its sharp claws outstretched, looking both menacing and powerful. It wasn’t exactly refined or particularly creative, but considering it was handmade by a three-year-old, it was quite impressive.

“Did you make this big monster all by yourself?” Yu Yingze asked, surprised and a little impressed. After all, it was a handmade gift.

Yuan Yuan blinked in confusion. “This is a Transformers.”

Yu Yingze: Ah, oops.

He felt a bit embarrassed—he honestly hadn’t recognized it at all.

Seeing her eyes start to dim, Yu Yingze quickly studied the figure again. Finally, he found one point of similarity—the blue color. That’s something, right?

After a moment, he praised her, “Wow, the color is spot on!”

“Really?” Yuanyuan immediately perked up, her mood lifting the moment she detected praise, completely ignoring the details.

“Thanks, Yuanyuan.” Yu Yingze felt a lump rise in his throat, recalling how he’d misunderstood her before. His nose tingled with emotion.

He wanted to say something more heartfelt, but his throat tightened, and he couldn’t find the words.

“Hehehe, does Second Brother like the gift?” Yuanyuan asked, grinning.

“I love it!”

“Hehe, that makes Yuanyuan so happy!”

Although she was the one giving the gift, she seemed far more excited than the one receiving it, almost bouncing with joy.

Initially worried that her handmade gift might not be appreciated, Yuanyuan was now so overjoyed that she practically danced out of the room after seeing how much Yu Yingze liked it.

Watching her disappear from the doorway, Yu Yingze carefully placed the large display case in a prominent spot on his desk.

As he worked on his homework, he’d glance up at it every few minutes, then return to his writing, feeling a sense of contentment.

To ensure that Yu Yingze had a perfect birthday, Yu Jinxiao postponed his original work schedule. Only after the kids had all retreated to their rooms did he finally go to his study.

As he reviewed documents on his computer, a small figure appeared at the door.

Yuanyuan, holding her stuffed fish, was standing there in a light green nightgown, yawning.

Her eyes were half-closed, struggling to stay open, and her speech was sluggish, as if her brain couldn’t quite keep up.

“Daddy, aren’t you going to bed yet?” she mumbled, her little mouth opening wide for another yawn.

“Almost,” Yu Jinxiao absentmindedly replied, glancing at his daughter, who was clearly exhausted. “Go to bed, little one. If you don’t sleep, a monster might come to get you.”

At the mention of a monster, Yuanyuan’s small body gave a shudder.

Her alertness lasted only two seconds before sleepiness reclaimed its territory.

The drowsy little girl resembled the limp fish she was dragging along the floor, barely able to stay upright.

“Daddy, you should go to bed early too… mm.” She yawned again, her voice trailing off as she turned to leave.

On her short walk down the hallway, Yuanyuan bumped into the walls several times but still didn’t manage to shake off her drowsiness.

When she finally found her room, she flopped onto the bed and fell asleep instantly.

Yu Jinxiao had promised Yu Yingze that he wouldn’t leave tonight, no matter what.

Even though the birthday party had ended, he was determined to keep his word and stay.

But he still had a few contracts to review tonight, and the signing ceremony was scheduled for tomorrow afternoon.

Used to working late nights, Yu Jinxiao didn’t find anything unusual about his routine.

Quiet, busy nights had occupied much of his life over the past three years.

“Dad, why are you still awake?” Yu Yingze, having just finished his homework, appeared at the study door, looking sleepy.

“I’m just finishing up some paperwork,” Yu Jinxiao paused and asked, “Did you finish your homework? Need me to take a look?”

It suddenly occurred to Yu Jinxiao that he’d never really helped his sons with their homework.

“All done! Big brother checked it too, no problems,” Yu Yingze said with another yawn, lingering at the door, reluctant to leave. “Are you working late because of me?”

“Well, this is how it’s always been,” Yu Jinxiao smiled.

Yu Yingze paused, staring at his dad’s relaxed expression. It felt like a lifetime had passed since he’d last seen his father smile like that—free of any burden, just content.

“Thank you, Dad. Today was… really great. I’m so, so happy.” Yu Yingze rushed into the room and threw himself into his father’s arms, hugging him tightly.

Out of everyone in the family, Yu Yingze was probably the most like Yu Jinxiao.

He wasn’t good at expressing himself, nor did he like showing his emotions. He preferred to keep everything bottled up inside.

But in that moment, Yu Yingze didn’t hold back. He wanted his dad to know how he felt.

Father and son, so similar, sat quietly together. Yu Jinxiao could even hear his son’s heartbeat.

It had been far too long since he had truly felt the happiness that had always been right there beside him.

Patting his son’s head, Yu Jin Xiao put aside his work, lifting Yu Yingze into his arms and carrying him to his room.

After tucking him in gently, Yu Jinxiao leaned down and kissed his son’s forehead. “Happy birthday.”

“Thanks, Dad,” Yu Yingze smiled, closing his eyes.

His smile was brighter than it had been all evening.

After closing the door softly, Yu Jinxiao returned to his study. He wanted to finish up everything tonight, just in case something came up tomorrow.

But as he continued to work, he suddenly felt something soft and heavy pressing down on his foot.