The scene shifts again, this time revealing Qiao’s grandmother.

Seeing her, Gu Sijiao, who had been emotionless until now, finally felt a surge of excitement.

Qiao’s grandmother had passed away when he was ten.

Though she was timid and easily frightened, she had always been very kind to him.

The grandmother in this world still looked young and benevolent, the only person in this world who had ever given him warmth.

However, although Qiao’s grandmother never expressed it, she must have detested Qiao Wanqing deeply.

Why, then, in this world, did she seem to be getting along with her so well?

Kouko saw his grandmother and naturally acted affectionately towards her.

Qiao’s grandmother picked him up, carefully adjusted his little clothes, and said, “Grandmother made you a little hat. Do you want to try it on?”

Kouko’s eyes lit up at the mention of the hat, and he nodded eagerly.

Grandmother Qiao took the hat from the table.

It was a delicate light blue knitted hat, beautifully crafted with evident effort, featuring two little pointed ears on top. When Koko put it on, he looked especially adorable.

Gu Sijiao felt a lump in his throat upon seeing the hat.

It was the same hat that Qiao’s grandmother had made for him.

A vague suspicion formed in Gu Sijiao’s mind—could this be a parallel world, and is this Kouko actually… his younger self?

Kouko, wearing the hat, proudly lifted his head, eager for Qiao’s grandmother’s praise.

“It looks lovely,” Qiao’s grandmother said, smiling and giving him the praise he wanted.

Kouko was overjoyed.

He wiggled to be set down from her arms, and Qiao’s grandmother placed him back in his walker.

Kouko hurried outside, where Qiao Wanqing and Gu Yanjing were working together harmoniously, looking in sync.

“Mom, Mom~” Kouko ran over quickly, excitedly pointing to the little hat on his head and making happy sounds.

Qiao Wanqing saw his little hat and laughed, “Oh my, where did this hat come from?”

Koukou rubbed his head and pointed to Grandma Qiao, who had also come outside, indicating that she gave it to him.

“So it was made by Grandma, no wonder it’s so cute, just like a little kitten.” Qiao Wanqing knew her son well and knew he was feeling proud and wanted to be praised.

Sure enough, Koukou was happy and smiled a bit shyly, looking at his dad again.

Gu Yanqing said, “Isn’t it a bit too warm to wear this now?”

It was already mid-spring, and the recent days had been warm with a south wind.

Today, Gu Yanqing was only wearing a shirt, and Koukou had already started sweating after wearing the hat for a while.

Koukou, not getting the praise he wanted from his dad, pouted, looking upset.

Qiao Wanqing nudged Gu Yanqing with her elbow and said, “Quick, praise him.”

“Hmm?” Gu Yanqing didn’t understand, “Praise him for what?”

“Praise him for looking good. Can’t you see your son is eagerly waiting for your compliment?”

“…” Gu Yanqing finally understood and said, “Koukou looks really good in this hat. Daddy has never seen such a cute little kid wearing a hat.”

Koukou, satisfied with his dad’s praise, proudly puffed out his chest.

Then he heard Gu Yanqing ask, “This cute little hat, Daddy wants to wear it too. Can Daddy wear it for a bit?”

Koukou was now in a dilemma.

He was reluctant to give up his new hat, but since his dad wanted to wear it, he couldn’t say no.

After struggling with his decision for a while, he obediently took off the hat and handed it to his dad.

This action made everyone laugh.

Gu Yanqing picked him up, kissed his face, and carefully wiped the sweat caused by the hat, showing a tenderness that Gu Siqiao almost didn’t recognize.

Gu Siqiao had initially thought that Koukou might be him when he was little, but watching this scene, he wasn’t so sure anymore.

He never had such generosity.

From childhood, he tightly held onto the things he liked and wouldn’t let go even if asked, even if it meant getting beaten.

According to Gu Yanqing’s assessment, he was very selfish.

Gu Sijiao felt a pang of jealousy as he watched Kouko receiving so much love and affection.

The way Kouko was pampered by everyone, including the grandmother he had cherished so much, made Gu Sijiao’s heart ache.

He wondered why Kouko could have it all while he had been subjected to hardship and suffering.

The one person who had shown him kindness, Gu Yanjing, had even been lost due to his own actions.

As he grappled with these emotions, the scene shifted again, and Gu Sijiao saw Gu Mingyuan.

Despite being so young, Gu Sijiao instantly recognized him as Gu Mingyuan, thanks to his distinct features.

The mixed-race child, although still in his formative years, bore the hallmark traits of his future self.

It was evident that the child known as Yuanyuan was indeed Gu Mingyuan.

In this scene, Kouko, who had grown old enough to walk, appeared to have a close bond with Mingyuan.

The two children immediately attached themselves to each other, sharing toys and playing together as if they were long-separated friends.

Their relationship seemed to mirror the close bond Gu Mingyuan had with him when he had first returned to the Gu family.

Even more irksome to Gu Sijiao was the sight of Mingyuan secretly hiding candies for Kouko, a gesture that clearly mirrored the care and attention he had once shown.

The two little ones were huddled together, sharing sweets and giggling, a sight that stung Gu Sijiao deeply.

Feeling overwhelmed, Gu Sijiao took a deep breath, unwilling to continue witnessing the scene.

It was unbearable to see such harmony between Mingyuan and Kouko—something he felt was impossible between himself and Mingyuan.

As if responding to his thoughts, the scene changed again.

This time, Gu Sijiao was no longer a mere observer but found himself physically present on the ground, in the very courtyard he had been watching.

Before he could fully comprehend what was happening, two children ran out from the house.

One was the grown-up Kouko, and the other, a younger child in a walker, had features reminiscent of Qiao Wanqing.

Both children seemed to notice him and did not display any fear.

Kouko, with curiosity in his eyes, bit his finger and tilted his head, saying, “You look like my daddy.”

Gu Sijiao stared at him in silence, unable to find words.

Seeing his lack of response, Kouko continued, looking directly at him, “Big brother, who are you?”

“Big Brother…” The term made Gu Siqiao feel a bit amused.

He asked Kouko, “Who do you think I resemble?”

“You look like my dad, don’t you, sister?” Kouko asked the little girl beside her.

Zhenzhen, who was sitting in a walker, also looked up at him and said, “D-dad.. Dad”

Gu Siqiao’s eyes shifted as he said, “Then you can just consider me your dad. How about I take you both to play?”

He noticed that Qiao Wanqing and Gu Yanqing had disappeared, and he wondered what would happen if he took the two little ones away.

Would they think he was a human trafficker and call the police?

Gu Siqiao chuckled softly; he was suddenly very interested in this scenario.

“No!” Kouko, very warily, stood in front of her sister, “You’re not Dad.”

Such a strong sense of caution, Gu Siqiao laughed and said, “I am your dad; I just look different now. Can’t you recognize me?”

Kouko firmly said, “No! My dad is better looking than you.”

“…” Gu Siqiao thought to himself, “I’m actually younger than your dad by more than ten years right now. How could I not be as good-looking as him!”

Seeing that his attempt to deceive wasn’t working, he said, “Then can I hug you? I really like you, Kouko.”

Looking at this big brother who seemed like a strange uncle, Kouko lowered her head, thought for a moment, and asked, “Do you really like me?”

“Yes,” Gu Siqiao nodded and said, “You’re so cute.”

The word “cute” touched Kouko.

Since this uncle looked like his dad, his guard was a bit lower.

He said, “Then just a quick hug, okay?”

Gu Siqiao replied, “Just a quick hug.”

Kouko opened his small arms, making a hugging gesture.

Gu Siqiao bent down and picked her up. Kouko was soft in his arms, and he had a fresh, pleasant scent.

Holding him made him feel a sudden urge to cuddle her.

Gu Siqiao initially wanted to be mischievous, but once he held her, all those bad thoughts vanished.

“Is your name Gu Siqiao?” Gu Siqiao asked her.

Kouko touched the back of her head and said, “No, my name is Gu Mingcong!”

Gu Mingcong… When Gu Yanqing recognized him as part of the Gu family, he had some reservations about this name and asked if he wanted to change it, suggesting Gu Mingcong as an alternative.

Gu Siqiao couldn’t help but pinch Kouko’s face.

“Don’t pinch my face,” Kouko said, avoiding his hand. “Pinching will make it bigger.”

Gu Siqiao laughed, “Are you worried about your face being too big?”

Kouko nodded seriously, “A big face doesn’t look good.”

At this moment, Zhenzhen, who was in the walker, was unhappy.

She slid her walker over to Gu Siqiao’s feet, reaching out to tug at his pants.

Gu Siqiao looked down at her and asked, “What’s wrong with the little sister?”

“Ah, ah.” Zhenzhen opened her small hands, indicating she also wanted a hug.

Gu Siqiao hesitated for a moment but eventually bent down and picked her up with his other arm.

Holding both children was a bit tiring.

Zhenzhen seemed to like him.

Once in his arms, she hugged his face and covered him in saliva.

“Hey, no kissing, it tickles, so ticklish!”

Gu Siqiao found the sensation of being kissed on the face by the children very strange.

It was his first time experiencing it, and it gave him goosebumps all over his body.

He almost dropped both little ones in surprise.

The two children, however, seemed to find it quite amusing and laughed happily.

“Little sister likes you!” Kouko said straightforwardly.

Zhenzhen, being “considerate,” reached out to wipe the saliva off his face.

Cough, cough.

Gu Siqiao had originally intended to be mischievous, but being surrounded by the two little babies made him unsure of how to proceed.

Especially Zhenzhen, who still had a faint milky scent, was soft and cuddly, rubbing against him as if she were being affectionate.

“Big brother, are you unhappy?” Kouko asked, looking at Gu Siqiao.

“Yes, I’m unhappy.”

“Why?”

Gu Siqiao thought for a moment and said, “Because I want to have parents like you, a younger sister, and a grandmother.”

“Oh,” Kouko thought for a moment and said, “Big Brother Yuanyuan doesn’t have a dad, a younger sister, or a grandmother, but he’s still very happy.”

Kouko meant that even without these people, one could still be very happy, so he shouldn’t be unhappy.

Yuan Yuan brother refers to Gu Mingyuan.

In this world, Gu Mingyuan and his relationship were likely very close from childhood, and Gu Mingyuan wasn’t recognized into their family.

For a moment, Gu Siqiao felt suddenly fulfilled.

At least in this world, everything was his, and there was no Gu Mingyuan competing with him.

Perhaps, in the future, Shen Yunxu would also like him.

It felt like a small compensation for the regrets he had in that world.

At this moment, Gu Siqiao heard some noise coming from the house, indicating that Qiao Wanqing and the others had arrived.

Gu Siqiao knew it was time for him to leave.

He put the siblings down and said, “Brother is leaving now. Promise me, you two, to live very happily, okay?”

The two children looked at him with their big eyes, and upon hearing his words, they both nodded obediently.

Kouko said, “Brother should also be happy.”

Zhenzhen, who couldn’t speak properly yet, mimicked Kouko and said, “Ka, ka~”

Gu Siqiao couldn’t help but give Zhenzhen’s face a gentle kiss.

He really liked this little sister.

If he had a sister in reality, he would probably spoil her to the heavens.

At that moment, a strong force pulled him up.

He felt dizzy, and when he opened his eyes again, he was back in the real world, surrounded by bustling people.

Gu Siqiao wiped the corner of his eye and self-deprecatingly said, “Crocodile tears.”

He looked at the blue sky and white clouds in front of him.

In that world, he had lived his ideal life, but in this world, there was no turning back.