Under the desk, a large stuffed fish was sprawled across Yu Jinxiao’s slipper.

Little Yuanyuan was fast asleep, using the fish as a pillow and clutching her stuffed lion, snoring softly. It was as if she’d found the perfect spot to sleep.

“Hey…” Yu Jinxiao nudged his foot, trying to wake the little one.

But Yuanyuan was in such a deep sleep that even when he lifted her halfway into the air, she didn’t wake up. It was only when he picked her up completely that she finally cracked her eyes open, just barely.

“Daddy, are you staying up late because you didn’t go to work tonight?” she asked groggily, rubbing her eyes as she tried to stay awake. “Yuanyuan will keep you company!”

“You don’t need to keep me company. Little kids should be in bed,” he replied, lifting her up and carrying her back to her room.

Her beloved stuffed fish was unceremoniously tucked under his arm, but the way he held her was gentle and careful.

The moment Yu Jinxiao set Yuanyuan down in her soft bed, her eyelids shut immediately, and within seconds, she was back to snoring softly.

As he turned to leave, she grabbed onto the hem of his shirt.

Half asleep, Yuanyuan managed to open her eyes just enough to ask, “Daddy, are you going back to the study to work?”

With those sleepy eyes, she looked as if she was determined to stay up with him, like she’d crawl back out of bed the second he left.

A mix of emotions flitted across Yu Jinxiao’s face. He hesitated for a couple of seconds before softly replying, “No, I’m going to bed soon.”

“Okay!” Yuanyuan let go of his shirt, satisfied, and pulled her blanket up as she closed her eyes again.

After tucking her in, Yu Jinxiao left the room but instinctively headed toward the study.

However, it felt like walking on shards of glass. He couldn’t take another step forward.

He’d just promised Yuanyuan that he’d go to bed soon. If he went back to the study, wouldn’t she come running in again with her stuffed fish to keep him company?

That silly little girl, so stubborn about the strangest things.

His inner struggle didn’t last long. Soon enough, Yu Jinxiao shut down his computer and headed back to his room, deciding to go to bed early.

This was the first time he’d gone to bed at such an hour, and he wasn’t even sleepy.

Pulling out a dusty book from the bedside table, he flipped through it under the soft light, feeling unexpectedly calm.

Breaking his usual routine wasn’t such a bad thing after all.

…

The next morning, Yuanyuan slept soundly until the sun was high in the sky. She yawned as she woke up, shuffled to the bathroom to wash up, and then made her way downstairs, still half-asleep.

Her mind was a blank, like she had forgotten something important but couldn’t recall what it was.

But when Yuanyuan saw Yu Jinxiao sitting at the breakfast table downstairs, eating in his usual composed manner, something clicked in her mind!

She realized—last night wasn’t a dream!

Whenever she successfully handled something from her dream premonitions, Yuanyuan would usually dream of a new, different scenario, as if to tell her the previous issue had been resolved.

But last night, she hadn’t dreamt of Shen Ji or her second brother. She’d slept straight through until morning.

Yuanyuan felt out of sorts, like her whole world had turned upside down.

Could it be that the situation wasn’t fully resolved yet? Had she only fixed the first part?

The refreshing feeling from her full night of sleep quickly drained away, leaving her feeling shaky, like a delicate dandelion puff ready to be blown away by the wind.

“Yuanyuan,” Yu Jinxiao called out as she sat down. “Starting next Monday, you’ll be going to kindergarten.”

The bombshell he dropped made her freeze, mid-bite, the cake falling from her fork. “Huh?!”

“Yes, it’s time for you to go to school.” Yu Jinxiao’s calm demeanor made Yuanyuan’s look of shock seem all the more exaggerated, as if she’d just been hit by a bombshell.