“It’ll be fine! We’ll just kick with less force. Let’s give it a try,” Ge Shao, also known as Slit-Eyes, desperately advocated for Yuanyuan to have a chance.

Yu Yingze hesitated, sneaking another glance at his father, whose imposing presence was enough to make anyone think twice. Gritting his teeth, he finally nodded in agreement.

He found a few branches and quickly constructed a makeshift goal, then explained the rules to Yuanyuan in the most straightforward way possible.

“See this ball?” Yu Yingze held the soccer ball up to her face.

Yuayuan nodded enthusiastically.

“When someone kicks the ball towards you, you need to stop it. Don’t let it cross this line. Got it?” He drew an imaginary line in the dirt for emphasis and looked at her bright, eager eyes.

Another energetic nod followed his instructions.

Whether she actually understood or not, Yu Yingze wasn’t sure. But he figured if this didn’t work out, he’d just find something else for Yuantuan to do before she got hurt or too bored.

“Alright, there are four of us, so let’s split into two teams,” Yu Yingze started, but then realized he didn’t even know the other boys’ names. “By the way, what’s your name?”

“I’m Ge Shao,” Slit-Eyes answered, pointing to his brothers. “This is my second brother, Ge Lianxing, and my third brother, Ge Ran.”

“Okay,” Yu Yingze nodded. “We’ll do rock-paper-scissors to divide into two teams. One team will try to score, and the other will defend. If no one scores after ten minutes, the defending team gets a point.”

Ge Shao glanced over at Yu Mingxi, who was reading nearby. “That’s your older brother, right? Maybe we can ask him to play, then we’ll have another person to help defend.”

“No way!” Before Yu Yingze could answer, Yuanyuan jumped in, shaking her head furiously. “Big Brother can’t get tired! If he gets tired, he’ll feel… unwell!”

Even though the reason didn’t make complete sense, the Ge brothers took Yuanyuan’s words as gospel and didn’t argue.

To make things easier for the little one, Yu Yingze made the goal smaller so it would be easier for Yuanyuan to block shots. Yu Yingze and Ge Shao teamed up, while the other two brothers, Ge Lianxing and Ge Ran, formed the attacking team.

Guarding the goal turned out to be a bit boring for Yuanyuan. She yawned and blinked sleepily as her eyes started to glaze over… until suddenly, the ball came hurtling her way!

It seemed like Ge Ran had kicked the ball a little too hard during his shot, sending it flying rapidly towards Yuanyuan. It looked dangerous, and both brothers instantly paled, considering running over to block the ball themselves.

Meanwhile, Yuanyuan’s eyes lit up. Her moment had finally arrived! She raised her arms, eyes locked onto the fast-approaching ball, focused like a kitten about to pounce on a bird.

Yu Yingze, worried she might get hurt, shouted, “Get out of the way!”

But the determined Yuanyuan didn’t hear him. She stood her ground, and just before the ball crossed the goal line, she launched herself into a diving motion with a loud “meow,” landing directly on top of the ball.

Everyone expected her to miss or get hit by the ball, but Yuanyuan, surprisingly agile, leapt at just the right moment. She ended up sprawled over the ball, like a tiny sunbathing kitten balancing on a cushion.

She wobbled a little, but managed to stay atop the ball, looking like she had just curled up for a nap.

“Yuanyuan! You stopped the ball! That was amazing!” Ge Shao exclaimed in disbelief.

Even Yu Yingze couldn’t believe his eyes. Was that just… luck? he thought, still in shock.