After hanging up with her dad, Chaochao picked up her smartwatch and swiped down the contacts list.

"Hello, Grandpa~ It's me, Chaochao~"

Jiang Chi, who was fetching water nearby, listened to the little dumpling's soft, adorable voice and the old man's hearty laughter that occasionally came through his watch.

This is his grandfather, who is not fond of smiling.

Jiang Chi numbly convinced himself.

After chatting with Grandpa Huo, Chaochao was already getting sleepy, but her fingers still kept clicking through the contact list.

A dark alleyway.

Painful and fearful groans echoed everywhere.

Xie Jingcheng grabbed one of the boys by the collar, his fingers slowly tightening, and the bruised and swollen thug in his hand immediately turned red in the face.

Suddenly, a cell phone rang in the quiet night.

"Who's so bold as to not silence their phone during a battle for honor?" a henchman behind Xie Jingcheng muttered loudly.

"Yes, it seems to be Cheng-ge's..."

One person gave a weak reply.

"Brother, your phone is ringing." The younger brother, who had spoken first, made a complete 180-degree turn in attitude, bowing respectfully to remind him.

What a joke! Brother Cheng is their top fighter. He can do whatever he wants. They can team up with him to play games right now.

This is the War God Cheng Ge, whom they finally begged to come out of seclusion!

Xie Jingcheng took out his phone, glanced at it, and paused.

The tall, handsome young man had a cold and ruthless look in his eyes, like a demon god crawling out of the underworld. He looked down at the thug and said, "Get lost."

Release your fingers.

The arrogant and domineering transfer student from No. 3 Middle School choked on his breath and scrambled out, even crying as he ran, "Waaah, Mom, I'm never coming back!"

Xie Jingcheng answered the phone.

"Hello."

One second he was a demon slaying all in his path, the next his sharp voice rose slightly, his phoenix eyes gleaming with a soft light.

The underlings: "..."

The thug from No. 3 Middle School, lying on the ground groaning in pain: "..."

Is this the thing that just beat them up?

Chaochao: "Hey, Brother Jingcheng, what are you doing?"

Xie Jingcheng: "I'm working out."

Henchmen: Ah, right, right, right, we're hitting a human punching bag.

Xie Jingcheng slightly raised his chin, and a bespectacled male subordinate next to him immediately and respectfully handed his brother an iPad.

This is the live stream interface.

Xie Jingcheng, holding his tablet, glanced at the large group of people behind him. The bespectacled man, who seemed to know what was going on, immediately whispered to his brothers:

"withdraw--"

In an instant, birds and animals gathered and scattered in the alley, including a group of thugs who had broken their legs on the ground.

Chaochao: "Brother Jingcheng, let me tell you something... Today..."

Jiang Chi, who was wringing out a towel next to her, thought: "?"

Does the little dumpling have an older brother besides him?

He searched through the names of the three generations of the Huo family's direct lineage, but couldn't recall anyone named "Huo Jingcheng".

Jiang Chi frowned, his peach-blossom eyes fixed on the little dumpling's back.

Chaochao was lying on the bed with her back to him, chatting with her half-brother, sharing her day's experiences, just like she had done when she called Huo Qin and Grandpa Huo earlier. Finally, the little girl, bored, picked at her fingers and asked, "What did Brother Jingcheng eat today?"

Xie Jingcheng paused, his breath catching in his throat.

A catchy, addictive song suddenly started playing in my ears—

She's here! She's here! She's coming with bowls and chopsticks!

With Xiao Tuanzi not home, Xie Jingcheng naturally didn't go to the Huo family for a meal and ate at his own home instead.

Three dishes and one soup.

He calmly recited a series of dishes to the little dumpling, including meat, vegetables, spicy, sweet, hot and cold dishes, some he had tried before and some he hadn't. Then he concluded that the little dumpling ate three bowls of rice.

Tears of longing streamed down Chaochao's face on the other end of the phone.

Chaochao swallowed hard, telling herself it was okay, she had eaten a lot of delicious food today and Grandma Song had even given them candy!

Grandma Song is the old lady from Lei Bao's family.

Just thinking about that unexpected candy filled Chaochao's mouth with that sweet feeling of happiness once again.

"hey-hey."

The little dumpling couldn't help but hold its head and laugh out loud.

Xie Jingcheng: "Did anyone bully you there?"

If there were, he would fly over right now and beat them up.

Although he watched all the live streams today, there's no guarantee that someone with bad intentions won't try anything behind the camera.

It's still early, and Bai Yao may not yet know that she has been blacklisted by all of Xie's businesses.

Chaochao's sweet, innocent voice said, "Of course not! The uncles are all so amazing! I even made four new friends: Leo, Leibao, Xiaoqing, and Changchang! They all really like Chaochao!"

When she said the last sentence, Chaochao's tone was full of pride.

Look, she's a child that other children like!

As Xie Jingcheng listened, the image of the little dumpling's proud little face unconsciously appeared in his mind. He smiled and responded in a low voice.

Jiang Chi leaned against the edge of the table with his long legs crossed, waiting for Chaochao to hang up the phone and ask her who this Brother Jingcheng was.

Then, he watched as the little girl hung up the phone and immediately dialed the next number.

This made him seem like a homeless orphan, since he hadn't made a single phone call.

Jiang Chi: "?"

He had a bad feeling.

The guests' phone calls at night are, strictly speaking, their private time. The production team does not record the audio, so the audience only knows that they are making phone calls, but cannot hear the content.

Silvery moonlight streamed through the window, drawing the boy's jade-white fingertips from the notebook.

Three or four workbooks were casually stacked on the desk, while the laptop stood proudly in the center.

Yu Ci's cool gaze remained fixed on the screen, watching the little dumpling rolling around on the bed with a smile, its little mouth chattering silently.

Unconsciously, Yu Ci reached out and gently touched the little dumpling's cheek with her pale fingertips.

Who are you talking to...?

Yu Ci concealed the expression in her eyes and thought quietly.

"North Star~North Star~Shining in the..."

The sound of Peppa Pig's bell suddenly rang out in the silence.

Yu Ci looked up in surprise.

"Brother Yu Ci~"

Overcome with drowsiness, Chaochao let out a big yawn, her almond-shaped eyes glistening with tears.

Jiang Chi behind her: "???"

Where did this older brother come from?

For the fourth time, Chaochao recounted her amazing experience of the day. The little dumpling, who was so sleepy, asked in a drowsy voice, "Brother Yu Ci...did you...watch Peppa Pig today?"

Yu Ci said softly, "Not yet... We'll wait for Chaochao to come back and see."

"Okay..." Chaochao couldn't help but yawn again, holding her smartwatch and mumbling sleepily, "Then, then I'll... give my brother a little flower..."

flower?

Yu Ci paused for a moment, guessing it was like the little red flower a kindergarten teacher would give out, and replied with a light laugh:

"Okay, I'll wait."