Yu Yuanyuan was completely stunned, her raised hand froze in mid-air, as if someone had pressed pause on her.

“Don’t touch me, you little pork belly!” Yu Yingze shouted angrily.

The little girl was still wearing the dull yellow jacket that Yu Jinxiao had bought for her.

That loud and fierce shout sent a bad feeling through Yu Jinxiao.

At this age, little kids like Yuanyuan could easily be scared by loud voices, whether it was praise or criticism. If this caused her any emotional trauma, it wouldn’t be good.

But instead of crying, Yuanyuan twirled around in her white fluffy dress like a little princess and innocently said, “Second Brother, I think I look more like bacon in this. Are we having bacon for dinner tonight? I can help Auntie make some for you.”

Yu Yingze had been gearing up all his strength, ready to unleash a verbal barrage that would make this little girl cry and give up. If she left the house crying, that would be the best outcome!

No one could ever replace his lost sister—certainly not Yu Yuanyuan, and definitely not anyone else.

“I’m yelling at you! Don’t you understand?” Yu Yingze, seeing her calm reaction, felt deflated, like a balloon losing air.

Yuanyuan tilted her head, scratching it in confusion. “Why are you mad at me? Did I do something wrong?”

“Just because you came into our house, don’t think you can become part of our family. That’s not going to happen!”

In his room, Yu Mingxi overheard the argument outside.

He couldn’t focus on his homework anymore. Tossing his pen aside, he rushed out, only to find two short, chubby kids facing off like they were about to brawl.

It looked fierce, but with their expressions and movements, it was strangely adorable.

Yu Yingze, still with traces of baby fat on his arms and legs, puffed up his chest and balled his tiny fists at his waist, trying his best to appear tough.

In his head, he probably thought: I’m super fierce, I’m gonna fight!
But what everyone else saw: He’s adorably trying to act tough, but it’s just funny.

The atmosphere was tense, but Yu Mingxi couldn’t bring himself to laugh. He quickly stepped between them, gently separating the two.

“Yingze, don’t be angry. Let’s sit down and talk to Dad and your big brother, okay?”

Yingze’s nose started to sting, and he suddenly threw himself into his big brother’s arms, crying, “Dad brought Yu Yuanyuan home because he wants her to replace our sister! Look, he even put her in the room that was supposed to be for her!”

In his young mind, Yu Mingxi had always been his pillar of support. Now, with all his pent-up frustration, he couldn’t hold back any longer. He didn’t care if crying made him seem childish—he just wanted to let out his sadness.

Yu Mingxi knelt down, gently stroking his little brother’s head, not saying a word. He let him cry until he was tired, then softly asked, “Are you exhausted? Let’s wash your face, and then we can talk about it, okay?”

“Okay.” Sniffling, Yingze let himself be led away.

That left Yu Yuanyuan and Yu Jinxiao staring at each other in silence.

After running through a thousand different ways to comfort both his son and daughter, Yu Jinxiao found himself at a loss again.

Yu Mingxi had calmed down Yingze, but Yu Yuanyuan… hadn’t even shed a tear.

“Daddy, does Brother not like me?” she asked, blinking her innocent eyes and staring in the direction her brothers had gone, her expression adorably confused.

Yu Yuanyuan, who seemed too young to understand much of anything, was clearly trying to figure out why her brother was crying.

“It’s not about you. It’s my fault,” Yu Jinxiao sighed softly, his eyes clouding with guilt. “I should have talked to them first before bringing you home.”

“Maybe Yuanyuan isn’t good enough for Brother to like.” She sighed like a little kitten.