Shu Yu's maternal grandparents had just stepped down from the political and military world, and now that they had more free time, they always wanted to see their granddaughter.
So right after Shu Yu's fourth birthday passed, Ji Fei brought Song Wenzhao and Shu Yu back to the country.
The Song family's overseas market expansion was at a critical stage, so Song Xuyan could only fly back and forth between the two places.
Shu Yu was a tiny little ball curled up in Song Wenzhao's arms, revealing a pair of dark, glistening eyes, secretly watching her parents hug and kiss.
Shu Yu whispered, "Brother, Dabao, Zhaozhao."
Song Wenzhao was braiding Shu Yu's hair. "What's wrong?"
Shu Yu hugged Song Wenzhao's neck. The little sister hugged him so softly and warmly that Song Wenzhao's heart nearly melted.
Then he heard Shu Yu speak in a sneaky, hushed tone, "Daddy and mommy are kissing!"
Song Wenzhao: "…"
Song Wenzhao expressionlessly covered Shu Yu's eyes. "Little babies can't watch adults kissing."
Shu Yu hugged Song Wenzhao's hand and struggled. "I'm already four years old! I'm not a little baby anymore."
Song Wenzhao: "…"
Song Wenzhao: "Even if you're four, you're still a baby."
Shu Yu finally managed to free her eyes from Song Wenzhao's hand, only to find that Mom and Dad had already finished kissing.
Daddy and mommy—so mean!
They finished kissing and didn't even kiss her.
It was like she wasn't their most beloved baby anymore.
Shu Yu sat back down on Song Wenzhao's lap, feeling dejected. "Then when will I stop being a baby?"
Song Wenzhao finished tying the last little braid for Shu Yu. "No matter how old you get, you'll always be your big brother's baby."
Shu Yu turned around and hugged Song Wenzhao again, planting a kiss on his cheek. "Zhaozhao, you're my Dabao too!"
A faint smile tugged at Song Wenzhao's lips. "Mm."
As the siblings were talking, Song Xuyan and Ji Fei walked over.
Song Xuyan: "Dabao, I'll take you to school."
Song Wenzhao reluctantly handed Shu Yu over to Ji Fei.
Once in Ji Fei's arms, Shu Yu planted a kiss on Ji Fei's cheek. "Mommy, I want a kiss too."
Ji Fei's face carried a gentle smile. "Mommy will kiss the baby too."
Song Xuyan: "…"
Song Xuyan also leaned in. "Little Treasure, were you peeking again?"
Shu Yu covered her eyes. "I dunno. What's white?"
Song Xuyan: "…"
Silly baby—not only mixing Chinese and English, but getting it wrong. Shouldn't it be "what"?
Ji Fei saw how baffled Song Xuyan looked and explained, "I forgot to tell you—White is Little Treasure's new friend."
Shu Yu blinked. "She'll be an old friend soon! I'll have new friends."
Once she had new friends, the old friend would become the old friend.
Song Xuyan didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Before leaving, he gave Shu Yu's cheek another kiss. "Little Treasure, be a good girl and stay home with Mommy, okay?"
Shu Yu clasped her little hands together and nodded. "Okay, okay! Old daddy, bye-bye!"
At that moment, Song Xuyan was still pretty happy.
But after getting in the car and replaying the moment he parted from his wife and daughter…
Song Xuyan's heart instantly froze.
Old daddy?
Did that mean "old dad," or just "the old dad"?
Shu Yu said once she had new friends, the old friend became the old friend.
So if she got a new daddy—would he become the old daddy?
After sending a message to Ji Fei and getting no response, Song Xuyan finally couldn't hold it in anymore.
Song Xuyan: "Zhaozhao, do you have a new daddy?"
Song Wenzhao: "…"
The fourteen-year-old youth sat upright beside him, and his cold, composed expression seemed to almost crack for a split second.
Song Wenzhao stared at Song Xuyan. "What do you think?"
Song Xuyan: "Yuren called me old daddy this morning!!!"
Song Wenzhao: "…"
Song Wenzhao said lightly, "Oh."
Song Xuyan: "What does 'oh' mean?"
Sometimes Song Xuyan felt that Song Zhaozhao's calmness made him look like the crazy one.
Song Wenzhao explained unhurriedly, "Even if I did have a new daddy, Mom would still be my mom, and my little sister would still be my little sister."
"Including you—"
His silly old dad.
"You'd still be my dad."
Song Xuyan: "…"
Song Xuyan: "Aren't you going to comfort me even a little?"
Song Wenzhao thought for a moment. "Don't worry. Even if you get replaced by a new daddy, he'd be joining our family, not tearing it apart."
Anyway, it wasn't like 'Yuren would get a new big brother.
Dad was just making a big deal out of nothing.
"I'll take good care of Mom and little sister for you."
Song Xuyan: "…"
Song Wenzhao: "Dad, I respect Mom's and little sister's choices."
Song Xuyan looked at Song Wenzhao with a resentful gaze. "You respect your mom and little sister. But do you respect me?"
The young boy lifted his thin eyelids and gave Song Xuyan a light, casual glance.
"Dad, a man should have some self-respect."
Song Xuyan: "…"
Shu Yu, at this moment, had no idea that one sentence from her had sent Song Xuyan into a spiral of crisis on his way to work.
The news that Ji Fei had brought her children back to the country spread like wildfire. In a single morning, countless people came to visit Ji Fei.
After all, although Ji Fei's parents had stepped down from the front lines,
both her older brother and older sister had risen to power—the succession was secure, meaning the Ji family remained as influential as ever.
The Song family also had money and resources.
In everyone's eyes, Ji Fei was naturally the person to cosy up to.
Of course, among them were also people who had their own love-hate entanglements with Ji Fei.
Shu Yu had changed her clothes and was brought downstairs by the nanny, sitting off to the side and watching her mother socialize.
People's conversations would occasionally drift over to Shu Yu.
The butler, Qin, brought in another group of people.
Shu Yu saw a boy of about seven or eight enter alongside a strikingly beautiful woman. Ye Manzhen went to greet Ji Fei first.
The boy had a serious, cold look on his face.
Shu Yu blinked curiously.
The boy clearly noticed her too, but he quickly looked away.
Ye Manzhen came back over, her tone familiar. "Yu Baobao, hello there. Do you remember Aunty?"
Shu Yu blinked slowly and answered honestly, "I don't remember."
Ye Manzhen's expression stiffened slightly. "Then do you remember your Brother Yiheng?"
Shu Yu tilted her head in even greater confusion. "Don't remember either."
Si Yiheng silently endured Shu Yu's curious gazes. When he heard her say she didn't remember him,
he wasn't surprised.
Back then, Shu Yu was only two years old—just a little baby.
And now…
The little girl had her hair in pigtails, tied with pale yellow ribbons decorated with tiny jingling bells.
She wore a pale yellow dress, with rosy cheeks and doll-like features—absolutely adorable.
Now she was a slightly bigger, adorable baby.
Si Yiheng's fingers curled slightly.
Ye Manzhen took Shu Yu's hand. "How about Aunty introduces you?"
Shu Yu hugged her little bunny and nodded. "Okay!"
Only then did Ye Manzhen's expression relax. "This is Si Yiheng—he's Aunty's son. You can call him Brother."
Shu Yu said very politely, "Hello, new brother."
Si Yiheng pursed his lips softly. "Hello… little sister."
Seeing that Shu Yu liked Si Yiheng, the resentment Ye Manzhen had felt earlier about her husband accompanying his mistress to a prenatal check-up began to disperse.
As long as Si Yiheng was useful, what did it matter how many children that man had out there?
She would still get all the assets from both the Si and Ye families.
Ye Manzhen grew even warmer toward Shu Yu. "Xiao Yu Bao, Aunty really likes you so much."
"Auntie dreams of having a daughter like you."
Shu Yu: "Thank you."
Shu Yu said in a soft, babyish voice: "A lot of people dream like that."
A lot of people said that to her mom, and even talked about fighting for custody of her.
Ye Manzhen: "..."
Si Yiheng couldn't help but curl his lips into a faint smile.
Ye Manzhen: "Xiao Yu Bao, if you want, you can call me Auntie Ye-Mom. When you grow up, you can be with Brother Yiheng, and he'll take care of you."
She had brought up the idea of a childhood betrothal with Ji Fei, but Ji Fei didn't agree.
But she knew that Ji Fei and Song Xuyan doted on Shu Yu the most. Shu Yu didn't understand feelings yet—if Shu Yu said she was willing, maybe Ji Fei would cave in.
Si Yiheng's expression turned even colder, disgust clear in his eyes. "Mom."
Shu Yu stared at Si Yiheng with her bright, pitch-black eyes. "That's not okay."
"If I take away Brother's mommy, Brother will be sad."
Ye Manzhen's expression stiffened slightly. "He won't be sad."
She pinched Si Yiheng's arm hard, but kept a smile on her face. "Yiheng, hurry up and say it—say you don't mind, say you're willing to take care of Xiao Yu Bao."
