If someone else had overheard, they would have thought it sounded like a curse.

Telling someone to be careful and then talking about accidents—it sounded strange no matter how you looked at it.

But when it came to Yu Yuanyuan, everything became much simpler.

Her little brain never bothered with overthinking.

“Thank you, handsome brother! Yuanyuan will be careful!” The short legs tried their best to speed up, hoping to match the boy’s walking pace.

Noticing she couldn’t keep up, the boy deliberately slowed down. “I’m not ‘handsome brother’; my name is Shen Ji.”

“But Brother Shen Ji looks really handsome!” The little girl, a natural admirer of good looks, wasn’t shy about dishing out praise. “Brother Shen Ji is the best-looking person Yuanyuan has ever seen!”

Her innocent tone and unfiltered admiration were something only a child would express.

Shen Ji was already used to it.

All goodwill and fondness had a short shelf life. It never lasted beyond a week before being completely destroyed.

“Be careful,” Shen Ji suddenly reminded again after they had walked a bit further.

Yuanyuan tugged at the corner of her clothes, looking up at him curiously. Her neck ached from the angle. “Why does Brother Shen Ji keep saying that? Is there danger?”

Danger?

The danger is right beside you, but you just don’t know it.

Shen Ji couldn’t explain too much to her. His only concern was getting her safely to the customer service center.

Following the signs, Shen Ji successfully brought Yu Yuanyuan to the customer service center.

To his surprise, two other children who had also been separated from their parents were already there, crying their hearts out. The staff’s attempts to calm them with candy weren’t working.

“Hello, this little girl got separated from her family,” Shen Ji said, hands still tucked in his pockets. With a slight nudge of his elbow, he gestured for the little girl to step forward.

The staff member, flustered from dealing with the crying children, immediately knelt down to communicate with Yuanyuan.

Her face, worn out by the constant crying, reflected exhaustion and despair.

“What’s your name, little one?” the staff member asked hurriedly.

“My name is Yu Yuanyuan,” she said clearly, without the slightest hint of tears.

The staff member was relieved to finally meet a child who wasn’t crying. What a blessing!

“Alright, Yuanyuan, can you sit here for a while? I’ll make an announcement to help your family find you.”

Yuanyuan was led to a small bench, where toys and candy—perfect distractions for kids—surrounded her.

But Yuanyuan wasn’t interested. As soon as she sat down, her eyes focused on Shen Ji, who was still lingering by the door.

“Brother Shen Ji, there’s a seat here,” Yuanyuan eagerly patted the spot next to her, her little legs swinging as she excitedly invited him over.

Shen Ji, who had been ready to leave, froze mid-step and surveyed the room carefully.

That small slide? A potential hazard for a broken bone.

Those candies? She could choke on them.

And those toys? They could easily scrape her hands.

In Shen Ji’s eyes, everything in the room turned into a potential threat.

The hands he kept in his pockets clenched tightly, covered in a fine layer of sweat, making it hard to stay indifferent.

She had touched his hand earlier.

And now, after walking all this way without so much as a stumble, she was probably preparing for something big.

Why did he forget to wear gloves today?

Shen Ji’s breathing became shallow as his clenched fists dug into his palms painfully, as if punishing himself.

“Brother Shen Ji!!” Yuanyuan’s enthusiastic voice continued to call out his name from the bench.

After a moment of hesitation, Shen Ji gritted his teeth, frowning as he turned back and reluctantly sat down in the seat Yuanyuan had excitedly patted for him.