The boy obediently bent down upon hearing the sound.

"You...you close your eyes."

The boy's long eyelashes trembled. "Do I really... have to close it?"

"Yes, I want it!"

Upon hearing this, Yu Ci slowly closed her eyes.

Darkness swept in, and unease gripped my heart.

Chaochao took this opportunity to temporarily tie the bee balloon to the garden fence.

Little bee, wait for me, I'll come pick you up in a bit!

Worried that Yu Ci might secretly open his eyes, Chao Chao covered his eyes with her small hand, her trembling eyelashes gently brushing against her palm.

Ouch, it's so itchy!

Chaochao tried hard to keep a straight face and resist the itch in her palms. "Okay, brother, come with me."

Yu Ci, who was squatting, paused for a moment, bent her arms and picked up Chaochao, then stood up.

"Is that so..."

There was a fleeting, almost imperceptible tremor in his clear, melodious voice.

One second Chaochao was still confused about how she was being picked up, the next second she nodded firmly: "Yes, that's right."

"Brother Yu Ci, just do as I say, um... right now, just keep walking forward."

Yu Ci left as she had instructed.

With each step the boy, terrified of the darkness, took felt like walking on the edge of a cliff. The chaotic darkness enveloped him, and the sounds around him were both real and unreal, as if everything he was experiencing was nothing more than a delusional fantasy.

He could feel the warmth of the child's palm through his eyelids, and only then did he grasp a semblance of reality.

"Every morning..."

Like a child who has just learned to cry out in pain, the boy said softly:

"I... am afraid of the dark..."

Hearing this, Chaochao turned her head. She wanted to pat her brother's back, but found she didn't have a free hand. So she gently pressed her fluffy head against Yu Ci's cheek and softly comforted him:

"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, I'm here every day."

"I'll watch the road for you, you won't fall."

A surge of heat welled up in my chest and rushed straight to my eyes.

The boy's reddened eyes were hidden beneath the soft palms of the children's hands.

"Almost there, just a few more steps—"

"We're here! We're here!"

Chaochao told Yu Ci to put her down and wait for her to open her eyes.

Feeling the little dumpling tugging at his arm, Yu Ci quietly squatted down.

"Three, two, one!"

"Brother Yu Ci, look!"

The small hand covering her eyes was removed, and Yu Ci opened her eyes.

Before me was a pot of orchids in full bloom.

A sense of confusion crossed my mind.

Yu Ci blinked slowly, and a wisp of memory suddenly emerged from the fog of confusion into her mind.

The boy's pupils contracted sharply, and he froze on the spot.