Though it really wasn’t the little cutie’s fault, the way she phrased things made Yu Jinxiao feel like he was carrying the weight of some immense guilt.

“Yu Yuanyuan!” Yu Yingze suddenly called her name coldly.

“Huh?” Hearing someone call her, the little one eagerly trotted over.

“We’re setting some ground rules! If you follow them, I might be willing to get along with you peacefully.” After discussing it with his brother, Yu Yingze had calmed down a lot.

He didn’t want to make things difficult for his brother or upset his father.

Everyone in the family liked Yu Yuanyuan—even Aunt Chen, Sister Bir, Uncle Yang, and Brother Jiang.

Yu Yingze felt like a thorn between them all.

If he kept causing trouble with Yu Yuanyuan, he’d either hurt others or break himself.

“Second Brother, what are ground rules?” Yu Yuanyuan bit her finger, her face filled with confusion.

Why did her brothers and dad always say things she didn’t understand? After all, she was just a little kitty, only 250 years old!

“I’ll tell you three things you’re absolutely not allowed to do! You can’t break the rules!”

“Ohhh, Yuanyuan understands.”

The two kids faced each other with expressions far more serious than any adult negotiation. It was clear they meant business.

“First, you’re not allowed in my room.”

“Second, you can’t touch my stuff without permission.”

“Third, you’re not allowed to compete with me or my brother for Dad.”

Yu Jinxiao, who had just been turned into an object of possession, felt a headache coming on.

Yu Yuanyuan didn’t agree right away. She thought about it seriously and then nodded, “Okay! Yuanyuan will listen to Second Brother, Yuanyuan is super good!”

Yu Jinxiao almost had a mental breakdown: Did she really understand???

Given how well he knew Yu Yuanyuan, he suspected the little dumpling didn’t understand a thing and just agreed to anything.

First, she couldn’t go into her brother’s room—no problem, she could always play outside the door!

Second, she couldn’t touch anything without “whiskers.” But she was a kitty, and kitties have whiskers, so she could touch things!

Third, she wasn’t supposed to compete with her brothers for their dad… Compete? Why would she need to? All her brothers and her dad already belonged to her—hehehe.

Just as the tension began to ease, a silly giggle broke the silence.

Yu Yingze’s hair stood on end as he turned his head, only to see Yu Yuanyuan staring blankly at the wall, grinning happily to herself, who knew what she was imagining.

“Are you hungry? Let’s go eat,” said Yu Mingxi, grabbing a kid in each hand as they headed downstairs.

Yu Yingze, who was much taller, moved swiftly down the stairs, while beside him, Yu Yuanyuan…

She looked like a tiny corgi trying to go down the steps.

For every step, she had to crouch really low, dragging her feet along the ground before carefully placing her foot down. It took her forever to move just one step.

She was literally crawling down the stairs.

“Hey, can’t you move faster?” Yu Yingze’s patience was wearing thin. What he could do in seconds, the little dumpling took an eternity.

Feeling rushed, Yu Yuanyuan started babbling, “Yuanyuan’s trying, but if I go too fast, I’ll fall! Ahhh… help me, quack quack!”

The little one, trying to pick up speed, tripped over her own feet, wobbling dangerously as she lost control.

Her body wasn’t the only thing out of control—her words were starting to fail her too.

By the time she reached the last step, her terrified little face was on the verge of tears.

Luckily, before she could face-plant, Yu Mingxi tightened his grip on her hand, and Yu Jinxiao quickly grabbed the back of her jacket.

“Ah… Daddy, it’s choking me!” The collar of her coat slipped up around her neck, making her look like a Russian nesting doll.