The call was already made. In the moment Yu Mingxi froze, the phone was quickly picked up—much faster than the previous night.

On the other end, Shen Ji’s voice came through.

“Brother Shen Ji, it’s Yuanyuan!” Yuanyuan’s soft, childish voice chimed in. “Hello, can you hear me? I’m testing my new phone!”

Shen Ji couldn’t help but smile at her adorable tone, the corners of his mouth lifting involuntarily. “Yes, I can hear you.”

Earlier, he had been reading in his room when he suddenly heard the phone ringing. For some reason, he instinctively knew it must be Yuanyuan calling, so he immediately put down his book to check. Sure enough, the caller ID displayed the number from her smartwatch.

Shen Ji had already memorized that number by heart.

“Wah, so cool! That means Yuanyuan can call brother Shen Ji from her room next time!” Yuanyuan exclaimed excitedly, already grabbing onto the staircase railing as she swayed her way upstairs.

Yu Jinxiao glanced at Yu Mingxi, who in turn looked at Yu Yingze. The three exchanged a look that said it all: Why does she need to call from her room? Is there something she can’t talk about in front of us?

“But on weekdays, I’ll be at school. I usually get home around 6 PM,” Shen Ji explained, remembering how his sister had cursed him the day before. He didn’t want Yuanyuan to be startled, so he gently reminded her to check the time.

A puzzled little voice came through the phone: “Huh? What’s a weekday? And what’s six o’clock? Yuanyuan doesn’t know how to tell time yet.”

That series of questions almost stumped Shen Ji.

Right—he had nearly forgotten the little girl on the other end was only three and a half…

“Weekdays are from Monday to Friday,” Shen Ji patiently explained. “A week has seven days, and the weekends are for resting. From Monday to Friday, people go to work or school…”

After a simple explanation, Yuanyuan more or less understood.

From then on, she knew she shouldn’t call brother Shen Ji while she was at kindergarten. She would wait until after dinner, when he was home and resting. And since brother Shen Ji also had homework, she couldn’t call every day—just occasionally.

Lying on her bed as they talked, Yuanyuan suddenly started to feel sleepy. Her eyelids grew heavier, and she wasn’t even sure when they finally closed.

On the other end of the line, Shen Ji waited for a response, but all he heard was steady, rhythmic breathing.

“Yuanyuan?” he called.

A soft, sleepy murmur came from the phone, making Shen Ji smile even more.

Why did such a silly, endearing sound have such a magical, calming effect? It seemed to melt away the pent-up frustration and anger he often kept buried deep inside. Suddenly, the world around him felt more peaceful, as if everything bad had been frozen in place.

The sound of the wind outside, the swaying branches, the falling leaves…

All these little things he had usually ignored now seemed vibrant and colorful, thanks to Yuanyuan’s soft breathing, turning the once black-and-white world into something special.

Who knew how long Yuanyuan had been asleep when she finally stirred awake, yawning and stretching.

“Brother Shen Ji?”

Oh no, she had fallen asleep! She had left brother Shen Ji hanging while she slept!

“Awake now?” came the voice from the other end.

Yuanyuan glanced at the numbers on her watch. Though she couldn’t quite understand them, the display showed a call duration of three hours and fifteen minutes.

“Brother Shen Ji, I’m so sorry, Yuanyuan fell asleep,” she mumbled, rubbing her eyes. “Did I keep you waiting?”

“It’s fine. I just read for a bit.”

What Shen Ji didn’t tell her was that, while listening to her quiet snores, he had managed to review some of his lessons with excellent focus.

After hearing that brother Shen Ji was studying, Yuanyuan sensibly said goodbye, then hung up and started playing with her toys.

She knew how important studying was!

Even her second brother, who loved to play outside, still had to spend time each evening studying in his room.

But was studying… fun?

What would her new teacher be like? What about her new classmates?

That night, Yuanyuan drifted off to sleep with these happy thoughts swirling in her mind. The next morning, she was gently woken by Aunt Chen, though her body had woken up while her soul still seemed to be dreaming.

She looked sleepily toward the window and then at her new school uniform—

Oh! Today is her first day of kindergarten!