"It's been such a long day, and it would be terribly rude of me to leave when the Chi family is gathered together again."
Her tone was sugary, her eyes dripping with artificial gentleness, but the message behind it was sharp; she was staying here because Yuanfeng was going to stay too.
The atmosphere at the table stiffened slightly. Huaijin's little hand, which had been calmly resting on her lap, curled into a fist. She didn't like this woman. Not one bit.
Yuanfeng's lips twitched, a clear sign that his patience was wearing thin. He turned slightly toward Huaijin, his tone softening.
"Princess, would you like to stay here tonight?"
Huaijin paused, tilting her head in an exaggerated thinking pose. Then, with an impish smile, she said, "Hmm… only if Daddy stays in the same room with me. Otherwise, I won't sleep."
The statement, innocent as it was, landed in the room like a pebble in still water. Everyone froze.
Xu Meilin's smile faltered. The way she had been fluttering her lashes and angling her shoulders toward Yuanfeng suddenly seemed ridiculous, because the man's cold, unreadable gaze turned toward his daughter in full attention. He didn't even glance at Meilin.
Grandfather Chi chuckled lightly, breaking the silence. "You still treat her like a baby, Yuanfeng. She'll never grow up if you keep indulging her."
But Yuanfeng only reached out and gently tapped his daughter's nose. "My princess can stay with me if she wants," he said softly. "After all, it's her first time here."
Huaijin's face lit up with pride, her pink lips curving into a tiny smirk that she didn't bother to hide from Xu Meilin, whose smile had completely stiffened by now.
After they were dismissed from the dining hall, Huaijin was guided by her father back to the large guest wing of the manor, followed closely by Luo Ming, who was barely containing his laughter the entire way.
The playroom they entered was filled with toys, wooden horses, building blocks, and a small pink tea set arranged neatly in the corner. The room was so cheerful that it almost seemed out of place in the otherwise cold and aristocratic Chi Manor.
Yuanfeng sat on the sofa and sighed, rubbing his temples as Huaijin wandered around, examining everything curiously.
"You," he finally said, his voice a mix of helplessness and amusement, "were very talkative at dinner, weren't you?"
Huaijin looked up innocently, blinking her large eyes. "Was I?"
"You called everyone fools earlier, remember?" he said, raising a brow.
"That was true, though," Huaijin replied matter-of-factly, twirling a ribbon she found on a doll. "They said I broke the vase, even when there was a camera in the room. Isn't that foolish, Daddy?"
Yuanfeng stared at her for a moment, torn between laughing and sighing again. "Princess, sometimes it's better not to say everything you think."
"But Daddy always says people who don't speak their mind are cowards."
Luo Ming, who was pretending to organize some toys nearby, choked on his laughter, quickly turning his head to hide the grin spreading across his face.
Yuanfeng looked away, hiding his faint smile. "I said that about grown-ups, not children."
"Well, I'll be a grown-up one day," Huaijin replied, proudly puffing her chest.
"Then you can call people fools when you're one," he teased dryly.
Huaijin frowned. "That's too long! Can't I just start early?"
At that, even Yuanfeng couldn't help it. A soft chuckle escaped his lips as he shook his head. "You really are your father's daughter."
As the two continued their back-and-forth, Luo Ming leaned against the doorframe, his arms crossed over his chest, with an amused grin on his face.
"If I didn't know better," he said lightly, "I'd think you two were siblings instead of father and daughter."
"Luo Ming," Yuanfeng said coolly without looking at him, "if you value your tongue, I suggest you keep your comments to yourself."
"Oh, I wouldn't dare," Luo Ming replied smoothly, clearly daring. "But it's just refreshing to see the famous cold-faced Chi Yuanfeng getting outsmarted by a five-year-old."
"I'm six!" Huaijin piped up indignantly, glaring at him.
Luo Ming placed a hand over his chest dramatically. "My mistake, Miss Six Years Old. You are far too mature for your age."
That earned him a tiny smug smile from Huaijin and a tired sigh from Yuanfeng.
It was a rare, peaceful moment, father, daughter, and the ever-teasing Luo Ming filling the manor's cold air with warmth and laughter. But the peace didn't last long.
Because just as Yuanfeng was about to carry Huaijin to bed, a soft voice drifted from outside the room.
"Yuanfeng," Xu Meilin's delicate voice called through the slightly open door, "I hope I'm not disturbing."
Both father and daughter froze. Luo Ming immediately straightened, his grin vanishing as he muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like, 'Here comes trouble.'
Yuanfeng's face turned unreadable again, his earlier warmth replaced by his usual cold composure. "Oh, but you are plenty disturbing. It's the child's nap time. What do you want, Meilin?"
The harsh tone made Xu Meilin's face flush as she scrunched her clothes in her hand, but she still did not give up.
Xu Meilin stepped into the room gracefully, wearing a silk robe of deep red that shimmered faintly in the lamplight. Her hair was loose now, cascading down her shoulders, and her painted lips curved into what she must have thought was a gentle smile.
"I just wanted to check if you and little Huaijin were comfortable," she said sweetly, her eyes darting toward Huaijin, who had immediately scuttled behind her father's arm, glaring at the woman like a tiny kitten guarding its food bowl.
"We're fine," Yuanfeng said curtly.
But Xu Meilin wasn't done. She stepped a little closer, clasping her hands before her. "I also spoke with Father Chi. He mentioned that there's a room next to yours that's empty tonight. I thought, since it's late and I'll be staying as well, it would be convenient if we—"