"Alright, alright, Brother Long is the strongest," Hu Yuying couldn't help but laugh.

Watching the smile on Hu Yuying's face, Long Aotian gently reached out and touched her cheek. "I hope my little girl can always be this happy and joyful."

Hu Yuying looked at Long Aotian seriously and said, "Having you in your heart and treating me well is my greatest happiness."

"Close your eyes!" Long Aotian whispered in Hu Yuying's ear.

Obediently, Hu Yuying shut her eyes—she always trusted Brother Long unconditionally.

"Take three steps forward!"

Long Aotian guided her softly.

On the third step, Hu Yuying stumbled and nearly fell forward, letting out a small gasp of surprise, yet she still didn’t open her eyes.

Suddenly, she landed on a broad back.

She was lifted up effortlessly.

Hu Yuying opened her eyes and happily wrapped her arms around Long Aotian’s neck.

To him, there was no sound in the world more beautiful than her joyful laughter.

"Whee, whee!" He jogged lightly with her on his back.

Hu Yuying clung tightly to him. "Slow down, Brother Long, slow down!"

"Can’t slow down, can’t slow down. If I slow down, I won’t hear my little girl’s happy laughter!"

"That’s not true!"

Under the gaze of passersby on the street, Hu Yuying gently rested her head against Long Aotian’s back.

She wasn’t the same shy little girl who used to blush so easily anymore.

"Hu Yuying has decided—you’re the one for me in this lifetime."

Her voice was soft, but it struck a deep chord in Long Aotian’s heart. "In this lifetime, you’re mine and only mine."

Her light laughter carried a tone of delight. "So possessive, are we?"

"Of course. I can be very possessive."

"Super possessive!"

After buying lamb and ribs, they returned home.

Hu Yuying immediately got busy in the kitchen.

Seeing Long Aotian hovering, unsure how to help, she chuckled. "Go check on Qingxue and Wanning—see how their dumpling-making is coming along."

"Got it." Long Aotian nodded and headed toward the sunroom.

Before even stepping inside, he heard Li Qingxue’s playful voice. "Wanning, look, does this one look like a gold ingot?"

"Kind of? But isn’t it a bit too big?"

"Not at all! More filling means it’ll taste even better!"

Listening to their banter, Long Aotian pushed the door open.

"I’m here to help!"

The two girls rolled their eyes in unison. "We don’t need your help!"

Their reaction gave Long Aotian the distinct feeling that he was… superfluous.

But he quickly found a way in.

Eyeing their dumplings, he rolled up his sleeves. "Watch this!"

If nothing else, Long Aotian was an expert at making dumplings.

Grabbing a rolling pin, he swiftly flattened several perfectly round, evenly thin wrappers.

Seeing the astonishment in the girls’ eyes, he crossed his arms smugly. "Well? Impressed?"

"How did you do that?" Li Qingxue finally caved and asked.

"Didn’t you see? I used my hands!"

Li Qingxue grabbed a piece of dough and threw it at him. "You’re the worst!"

Long Aotian caught it effortlessly. "Can’t you be gentler?"

"If Sister was gentle, would she be able to keep you in line? You need someone like Qingxue to put you in your place!" Lin Wanning teased.

"Please, Yuying has me wrapped around her finger," Long Aotian said, sitting down and rolling out more wrappers while glancing at Hu Yuying bustling outside. "That little girl has me completely under her thumb now."

Lin Wanning took the dough from his hands. "Oh? Does Brother sound… unwilling?" This content belongs to n͟o͟v͟e͟l͟f͟i͟r͟e͟.net

"Not at all. I love being managed by her."

Li Qingxue clicked her tongue, eyeing him up and down. "Look at you—where’s the imposing big brother aura you used to have?"

"Talk too much." Long Aotian flicked flour from the counter onto her face, leaving her with a comical white mask.

"Long Aotian, I’m gonna fight you!"

"Fight what?" Hu Yuying walked in just in time to hear Li Qingxue’s declaration.

Spotting her, Li Qingxue pointed at her flour-covered face. "Look, Yuying! Long Aotian ruined my face!"

Her fair skin dusted white, paired with an exaggerated pout, instantly won Hu Yuying’s sympathy.

"Brother Long, why do you always bully Qingxue?"

"I didn’t bully her! Ask Wanning!" Long Aotian hadn’t expected Li Qingxue to tattle—nor had he anticipated how convincingly she could play the victim.

At least Wanning was on his side. Otherwise…

Hu Yuying turned to Lin Wanning, who nodded solemnly. "I saw Brother bully Qingxue with my own eyes."

Oh no.

Long Aotian’s heart sank. Not a single ally!

"Brother, just admit it. No use denying it."

The final blow shattered any chance of defense.

In the end, Long Aotian was "banished" from the sunroom, defeated by the trio.

A short while later, Lin Wanning slipped out and joined him by the stove, where lamb soup simmered. She poked his arm lightly. "Brother, still sulking?"

Long Aotian shot her a look. "You’ve changed."

Hearing the melodramatic gloom in his voice, Lin Wanning giggled, cupped his face, and planted a quick kiss on his lips. "Hehe."

"Qingxue made those dumplings big because she knows you eat a lot—she wanted you to have your fill." She glanced back at the sunroom with a smile. "You’ve known her long enough to understand how tsundere she is. Even if she cares deeply, she’d never say it outright. She just shows it in small ways."

"And Sister? She might scold you, but in her heart, she could never stay mad at you."

Of course, Long Aotian knew. Playing along with the three of them, if it made them happy, he didn’t mind being the butt of the joke.

He’d already gained so much. "Don’t dip your pen in company ink," they said—yet here he was, having done it three times over.

How could he not be content? Overflowingly so.

Seeing the three of them happy made him even happier.

"Have you been preparing well these past few days?"

Lin Wanning shrugged. "Brother, do you believe in intuition? A really strange, inexplicable feeling?"

"What do you mean?"

"I just have this sense… that I’ll definitely pass the audition this time." She laughed at herself. "Does that sound too arrogant?"

"A little confidence isn’t a bad thing. And I believe in you—unconditionally. Not for any reason, just because it’s you."