When Kouko started kindergarten, Zhenzhen was also beginning her preschool years.

Both babies attended the same kindergarten.

On the first morning of kindergarten, Qiao Wanqing packed their little backpacks and put them on their backs.

Zhenzhen hugged her favorite pink bunny and Qiao Wanqing asked her, “Do you want to take this with you too?”

“Can I?” Zhenzhen looked up at Qiao Wanqing.

“If you want to bring it, then go ahead,” Qiao Wanqing said.

When Kouko first started kindergarten, he also brought a backpack full of toys, but later he realized that there were plenty of toys and many other kids at the kindergarten, so he stopped bringing them.

“Remember to drink water or go to the bathroom, find a teacher if you need help. If you have any problems or if you’re not feeling well, tell the teacher, okay?” Qiao Wanqing advised her.

She was a bit worried about Zhenzhen.

Unlike Kouko, who was outgoing and open, Zhenzhen had a more reserved personality.

She was more aloof, generally indifferent to people who weren’t close to her, and didn’t talk much.

Zhenzhen was also more “distant.”

Kouko was the type of baby who could make friends with anyone who gave him a candy, and he might even be easily fooled by others.

But Zhenzhen was different.

She would usually ignore strangers and keep silent.

Silence was golden for her.

The biggest problem was that she wasn’t a foodie, so candies wouldn’t sway her easily.

“Okay,” Zhenzhen nodded obediently.

Qiao Wanqing kissed her little face.

Kouko walked over, took Zhenzhen’s hand, and said, “Don’t worry, Mom, I’ll take care of my sister.”

“Alright,” Qiao Wanqing wanted to kiss Kouko too but, considering that Kouko, being in the older class, had started rejecting kisses, thinking it wasn’t very handsome, she patted his shoulder instead. “Kouko is growing up and knows how to take care of his sister now.”

Faced with Qiao Wanqing’s praise, Koukou calmly said, “Let’s go.”

The three of them set off together.

Qiao Wanqing personally drove them.

The kindergarten was very close to their home, just a five-minute drive away.

The enrollment procedures were already completed, so once Qiao Wanqing dropped off Zhenzhen, the teachers would take them inside.

“Goodbye, Mommy,” Koukou, already accustomed to this, cheerfully bid farewell to Qiao Wanqing.

Zhenzhen seemed a bit reluctant to part with her mother but only bit her lip and softly said, “Goodbye, Mommy.”

“Mommy will come to pick you up in the evening. Be good and listen to the teachers, okay?”

“Okay.” The two children nodded obediently.

Qiao Wanqing understood her own children well, so she felt at ease.

After saying goodbye to them, she went back.

The first time she dropped Koukou off at kindergarten, she felt a bit reluctant.

Today, sending Zhenzhen as well, she felt the same sadness.

Even though they were only going to be apart for a day, it felt like a long separation, leaving an empty feeling in her heart.

If she, as an adult, felt this way, the two children probably felt the same.

Koukou’s senior class and Zhenzhen’s junior class were not in the same room and didn’t have the same teacher.

So, once inside, they had to part ways.

Having just parted from her mother, Zhenzhen was already feeling reluctant.

Now, she had to separate from her brother too, which made her even more unwilling.

She tightly held onto Koukou’s hand and said, “Brother, don’t go.”

“Brother has to go to the senior class. How about you go with the teacher?” said Zhenzhen’s teacher.

“No, I want my brother.” Zhenzhen firmly refused.

The teacher looked at Koukou with difficulty.

Koukou patted Zhenzhen’s shoulder and said, “Sister, you go with the teacher. I’ll come to find you later, okay?”

“Really?”

“Really. When has Brother ever lied to you?” Koukou patted his little chest, looking very responsible.

The teacher also said, “Yes, your brother will put his bag away and greet the teacher over there, then he will come to find you.”

“Okay,” Zhenzhen let go of his hand, “Goodbye, Brother.”

After parting with Koko, Zhenzhen followed the teacher to the kindergarten’s small class.

There were already several children who had arrived early.

Since it was everyone’s first day of school, there was a mix of reactions.

Some children, who were carefree, had already started playing.

Others, who were a bit shy, stood on the sidelines watching the play.

Some children sat on the chairs looking somewhat reluctant about starting kindergarten.

A few of the crying children had been taken away by the teachers to a different room.

Because children’s emotions are highly contagious, one child crying can quickly lead to a group of crying children.

The teachers, experienced in handling such situations, took those who were not easily comforted to a small room to calm them down before bringing them back out.

The teacher guiding Zhenzhen helped her put away her backpack and other items.

She was about to take Zhenzhen’s little bunny and put it aside, but Zhenzhen refused.

The teacher didn’t insist and instead led her to a small chair.

“Zhenzhen, play here for a while. I need to go get the other children. If you need anything, find Teacher Li over there, okay?”

The teacher pointed to a young female teacher nearby.

Zhenzhen obediently sat down on the chair and said, “Okay.”

“Very good,” the teacher couldn’t help but say.

Beautiful children often evoke a natural sense of maternal affection.

After the teacher left, Zhenzhen sat quietly on the chair.

She wasn’t afraid.

As she watched the other children play excitedly, she didn’t feel the need to join in.

Apart from Kouko and Yuan Yuan, she wasn’t fond of interacting with other children or playing with them.

However, Zhenzhen was incredibly attractive.

With her long hair, styled into two small braids with flowers, and dressed in a beautiful little dress, she looked like a little princess sitting there.

Her big, innocent eyes drew the attention of the other children.

Children naturally like to play with other good-looking kids, so it wasn’t long before a little boy came over to Zhenzhen.

The boy said, “Hi, my name is Nannan. Can we be friends?”

Zhenzhen looked up at him but didn’t say anything.

“Why aren’t you talking?” Nannan sat down on the chair next to her. “Do you not like me?”

Zhenzhen was silent for a moment and then shook her head.

It wasn’t that she didn’t like anyone, she just didn’t like talking to people she didn’t know.

Plus, they were all saying meaningless things.

She missed her brother.

“Then that means you do like me,” Nannan said happily, “So we’re friends now!”

“…” Zhenzhen remained silent.

“Sigh,” Nannan sighed like a little adult, “Don’t be silent. I don’t even know your name yet. Can you tell me your name?”

“Gu Zhen.” Zhenzhen finally said two words.

“Wow, you talked!” Nannan was delighted to hear her speak. “You must like me, right?”

“…” Zhenzhen didn’t like anyone except her brother.

More and more kids gathered around, all wanting to be friends with Zhenzhen.

But no matter what they said, Zhenzhen remained mostly silent, occasionally responding politely with no more than three words.

She perfectly embodied the meaning of “cool and aloof.”

Among the chattering children, Zhenzhen looked towards the door.

Why hadn’t her brother come to find her yet?

Maybe her brother was playing with other kids and forgot to come find her.

This realization made Zhenzhen very sad.

The more she thought about it, the sadder she became.

Finally, she couldn’t hold back any longer and called out, “Teacher!”

Teacher Li, who was comforting a homesick child, came over and asked Zhenzhen, “What’s wrong, little one?”

“I want to find my brother.”

“Your brother?” Teacher Li, who wasn’t responsible for the reception and didn’t know who her brother was, asked, “Is your brother also a student at the kindergarten?”

Zhenzhen nodded and clearly explained, “He’s in the big class and his name is Gu Mingcong.”

“I see. But the big class children are already in class now. You’ll have to wait until their class is over before you can find him. For now, why don’t you play with the other kids and look for him later, okay?”

Zhenzhen was reluctant.

Although her brother had promised to come find her later, she felt like she had been waiting for a long time.

However, Zhenzhen still nodded obediently and decided to ask that teacher later.

Nannan, hearing her, said, “Do you want to find your brother?”

Zhenzhen nodded.

“I can help you find him,” Nannan said quietly.

Zhenzhen’s eyes lit up, and she looked at him expectantly.

Nannan said, “We can sneak out later. I know where the senior class is; I’ve been there before.”

“…… No,” Zhenzhen said firmly, “We can’t sneak out. Mom and Dad will be worried.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it. Your mom and dad aren’t here.”

Zhenzhen remained steadfast: “Even so, it’s not right to do that.”

“……” Nannan said, “Don’t be afraid. No one will know.”

Zhenzhen refused.

Although she really wanted to see her brother, she had a strong sense of right and wrong.

She would never do things her parents had advised against.

On the first day of class, the teachers hadn’t arranged many activities.

Many children were still adjusting, with all sorts of crying, fussing, and even fighting.

It was quite chaotic.

The teachers were busy handling these issues, so the well-behaved children were left to play on their own.

Generally, it takes about a week for children to adjust to such situations.

During this period, various small activities can be organized in an orderly manner.

Zhenzhen, despite not wanting to play with other children, was quite well-behaved.

Her mind was filled with thoughts of her brother.

So, when she heard Koukou calling “Sister” at the door, she immediately perked up.

She ran over, finally showing her first smile since arriving at the kindergarten, and hugged her brother’s arm, softly saying, “Brother.”

Koukou was also well-known among the teachers from the junior to the senior class, so they didn’t mind when he came over.

Some teachers even teased him.

When Koukou first started, he was very popular, and almost all the teachers knew him.

Now that he was in the senior class, he was still a star child, beloved by everyone.

Nannan also came over, curiously looking at the siblings, and asked Zhenzhen, “Is this your brother?”

Zhenzhen nodded, tightly holding Koukou’s hand.

“Hello, brother, I’m Zhenzhen’s new friend. My name is Nannan,” Nannan introduced himself enthusiastically.

Koukou looked at Nannan, found him agreeable, and politely said, “Hello.”

“Zhenzhen wanted to find you earlier. I wanted to secretly take her to you, but she wouldn’t go.”

Standing beside her brother, Zhenzhen was more lively and murmured, “Sneaking away is not good.”

“That’s right, sneaking away is not good,” Koukou said righteously, “Don’t lead my sister astray!”

Nannan: “…”

Zhenzhen, having found her brother, didn’t want to let him go.

But Koukou had to attend his class, so he couldn’t stay long.

Seeing Zhenzhen pouting and looking on the verge of tears, the teacher allowed Koukou to take Zhenzhen to his class for a while.

Since it was the same kindergarten, it wasn’t a big deal.

This happened often when younger and older siblings were in the same school.

Initially, the younger ones would stick to the older ones, but as they adapted and made new friends, they naturally wouldn’t cling as much.

Moreover, this kindergarten was known as a “prestigious kindergarten.”

The children here mostly came from wealthy families in the nearby upscale neighborhood.

The teachers were very cautious and tried to meet the children’s needs as much as possible to avoid any complaints that could cause trouble.

In Koukou’s class, they were having a craft session, making things out of clay.

The teacher was showing them how to mold simple shapes.

Zhenzhen sat next to Koukou and was given a piece of clay to play with.

After demonstrating twice, the teacher let the children create on their own, walking around to assist.

When she reached Koukou and Zhenzhen, she noticed that three-year-old Zhenzhen’s little animals were better than many of the older children’s.

This child’s motor skills were… quite impressive.