The little dumpling's loving expression seemed to say,

Sister, why are you crying again?

However, Yu Ning was the most stubborn of all. She raised her pale fingertips to wipe away her tears and argued in a muffled voice:

"I didn't cry."

Tears are simply caused by sand getting in the eyes, while a red nose is due to a flare-up of rhinitis.

I don't know whether Chaochao believed it or not.

The little girl nodded her head and slowly said "Oh," then looked down and rummaged through the pocket in the lining of her skirt.

This is a pocket that Huo Qin ordered to be custom-made, specifically for a certain little dumpling to hold her treasures.

When her little hand, which had been rummaging in her pocket, came out again, a light green candy lay in her soft palm. Chaochao blinked her almond-shaped eyes brightly and offered it to Yu Ning, saying, "Sister, have a candy~"

Eating a piece of candy will make me happy!

The child's voice was soft and gentle, carrying a hint of comfort.

This is something she's been saving for a long time today but hasn't eaten.

Sister, if you eat this, you can't be unhappy!

Another candy.

Yu Ning's gaze lingered on the little dumpling's palm for a long time before she turned her head away, her hoarse and deep voice carrying a heavy nasal tone, "...Do you think candy can cure all diseases?"

Holding the candy, Chaochao tilted her head, her puzzled and confused expression clearly conveying—

Of course, this is candy!

The little dumpling declared firmly, "It will feel sweet!"

Just two hours earlier at the auction, Chaochao, still savoring the tempting taste of Tangtang, smacked her lips and smacked her mouth, her mouth half-closed.

If you're not happy after eating one, then you definitely haven't had enough!

"Sister, sister, are you really not going to take it?"

As her resolve began to waver, Chaochao tentatively asked Yu Ning a question, because she managed to convince herself that she was tempted.

Yu Ning, who had been hugging her knees and turning her head away, paused for a moment, muttering a complaint, but ultimately her body betrayed her and she took the candy.

Chaochao stared at her longingly.

Yu Ning, who originally wanted to keep the candy as a souvenir, silently tore open the candy wrapper and put it in her mouth under the intense gaze from beside her, which was almost tangible.

The sweet taste lingered on her tongue, masking the slight bitterness rising from her stomach. She asked in a muffled voice, "Why haven't you come to see me these past few days?"

Chaochao, who had just seen her sister eat candy, had a relieved expression on her face. The next second, after hearing her sister's words, she made a confused expression like a cat: "Sister Yu Ning, don't you want to see me?"

Turning around at the sound, Yu Ning unconsciously loosened her clenched fingers, and stammered, "...I...I didn't..."

Chaochao immediately looked incredulous. "But you wouldn't eat the little cake I gave you, and then you ran away..."

"That's because..." she paused, then continued, "...because I suddenly felt unwell and had to leave..."

The girl twitched the corners of her mouth, somewhat unable to look directly into the little dumpling's large, burning eyes, which were crackling and growing increasingly intense.

"……sorry."

She apologized softly, her voice muffled.

"So, it's not that my sister doesn't want to play with me, right?"

Having just finished a mental self-conquest, Chaochao sprang to her feet and pounced in front of Yu Ning, getting incredibly close and asking in a rather excited, childlike voice.

Chaochao's chubby little face suddenly approached, and Yu Ning, feeling lost, pressed herself against the wall, trying her best to keep a straight face and pretend nothing was wrong.

"……yes."

"Then the older sister also wants to eat a small cake, right!"

"……yes."

The little dumpling, thoroughly satisfied, chuckled and affectionately rested its head on Yu Ning's bent knees, squinting its almond-shaped eyes and swaying from side to side: "I knew my sister wouldn't want to part with me."

Chaochao, who originally firmly believed in the fatalistic view of TV dramas that characters are destined to be apart, now wants to rise up and shout that you are wrong, and that her and her sister's future depends entirely on her efforts!

Overjoyed, Chaochao suddenly remembered how she hadn't wanted to eat in the past few days, and sighed with a touch of grievance and resentment—

"Sister Ningning, I've missed you so much these past few days that you've only been eating three meals a day..."

"..." Yu Ning turned her head hesitantly, almost wondering if she had misheard. "Only eat...three meals a day?"

Your meals and mine seem to be quite different...?

"Yes, yes." Chaochao nodded vigorously as if it were a serious matter, and said righteously, "I haven't even had a midnight snack yet."

For example, she could eat two small bags of potato chips when watching Peppa Pig, but now she can only eat half a bag. Even when her aunt says she's going to cook noodles, no one wants to eat them.

A renewed sense of compassion welled up within me; sigh... I really felt sorry for her stomach during that time.

After hearing the explanation, Yu Ning was speechless.

Well, you must have had a lot of trouble.

Silently, she reached into her coat pocket, her fingertips tracing the uneven cracks on the little pink pig's body. Her eyes were lowered slightly, and just as the little dumpling was about to retreat on tiptoe, Yu Ning took out the damaged little pig and handed it to the little dumpling.

"This is compensation for you... but I accidentally dropped it on the ground just now." Yu Ning said casually, but her eyes couldn't hide her nervousness as they darted around for a moment before anxiously returning to their original position.

Then he bumped into Chaochao's wide-eyed, delighted eyes.

"This Peppa Pig is so special, it has such a short nose."

Chaochao took it and examined it from all angles. When she saw the stripes on the crystal Peppa Pig, she hesitated for a moment.

Yu Ning's heart couldn't help but flutter with unease.

The next second, Chaochao, who had finished her deep thought, clenched her little fist and exclaimed, "This is Peppa Pig dressed as Spider-Man, isn't it!"

That older brother said something about being tortured to death or bitten to death!

Yu Ning: "...Huh?"

Holding her little pink pig dressed as Spider-Man, Chaochao tilted her head back, her eyes shining as she waited for the girl's answer.

Yu Ning: "...Oh, I see."

"hey-hey……"

Hearing that she had guessed the correct answer made Chaochao even happier. She reached out and poked Spider-Ham's short nose, chuckling to herself, "This is a special gift from my sister..."

She just gave her sister a piece of candy too.

Since that's the case—

"We've exchanged gifts, so my sister and I are best friends now, right?" The little dumpling immediately leaned closer, its warm breath tickling Yu Ning's cheek. Yu Ning, whose mood had been somewhat complicated, raised an eyebrow and asked, somewhat annoyed:

"So we were just strangers before?"