After Gu Xingyi left, Xia Xiyao brought Xiao Nainai out of the bedroom.

She cleaned the house from top to bottom, then sat on the sofa, gazing out at the clear blue sky.

After two days of fresh air, the smell of alcohol in the house was completely gone. The breeze flowing in through the window made her feel unusually at ease.

Xiao Nainai lay beside Xia Xiyao, playing with her new doll. Her big eyes had curved into little crescent moons, her smile visibly brighter these past two days. She had become noticeably more cheerful.

This was something Xia Xiyao wouldn’t have dared to imagine before. Watching her daughter play so happily, the corners of her lips unconsciously lifted into a faint curve.

This kind of life… is really nice.

Then suddenly, Xia Xiyao froze. She touched the corners of her lips in disbelief—then her gaze landed on the tube of ointment still quietly sitting on the coffee table.

She was… smiling?

So she could still smile, after all?

Xia Xiyao sank into thought, and the only sound left in the living room was the gentle rustling of Xiao Nainai playing alone.

Click.

The sound of the door unlocking startled Xia Xiyao from her thoughts. Xiao Nainai also jumped up, clutching her doll as she dove into Xia Xiyao’s arms.

Outside came the noise of shuffling and Gu Xingyi’s familiar voice.

“Hey! Slow down, careful not to scrape it—keep it upright, carry it inside.”

Xia Xiyao panicked slightly. She quickly picked up Xiao Nainai and instinctively wanted to retreat to the bedroom, but her gaze was drawn curiously toward the door.

Gu Xingyi and a man she didn’t recognize appeared first in her field of vision. They were carrying a cream-colored, cloud-shaped sofa into the living room.

When Gu Xingyi spotted her, his eyes lit up, and he smiled brightly.

“Uh… could you pour a few cups of hot water? Once we’re done, the movers can take a quick break.”

“Huh? Oh, yes! I’ll get it now…”

Having not interacted with outsiders for so long, Xia Xiyao was a bit flustered. But she quickly snapped back to her senses, carrying Xiao Nainai as she hurried into the kitchen.

Gu Xingyi’s smile widened. Though he was drenched in sweat, he was full of energy.

Together with the movers, he brought in the new sofa, carried out the old worn one, and then came the TV, the fridge, the green plants…

Trip after trip, he worked tirelessly, hauling things with the movers as if he didn’t know fatigue.

As each new piece of furniture entered, the entire home transformed. The formerly outdated living room was instantly refreshed, brimming with life and energy.

Xia Xiyao stood in the kitchen like she’d seen a ghost, staring at the scene in front of her. Her eyes shifted from shock, to disbelief, to dazed confusion. Her arms unconsciously tightened around Xiao Nainai.

Xiao Nainai, meanwhile, was blinking her big eyes in wonder at the new furniture. But as Xia Xiyao’s grip grew tighter and tighter, her face began to show signs of discomfort, and her little lips puckered.

Mama's being mean! That hug hurts!

Luckily, Xia Xiyao quickly came to her senses. She shifted to a more comfortable hold and kissed Xiao Nainai’s cheek apologetically.

As she comforted her daughter, she looked toward Gu Xingyi, who was finishing up in the living room, now negotiating with the movers. The old furniture was finally sold for 800 yuan.

Xia Xiyao winced. The furniture was old, sure, but still in decent shape. 800 was way too low.

But what she was even more curious about was—where did Gu Xingyi get all this money? By her calculations, they shouldn’t even have enough left to make ends meet right now.

After sending off the movers, Gu Xingyi returned to the living room carrying a large shopping bag, surveying his work with pride.

A cream-colored sofa, a pure white coffee table, a 75-inch ultra-HD LED TV, a 1.8-meter vertical air conditioner, a 550L cross-door refrigerator, and twin potted plants by the balcony.

The once-cramped living room now felt full and cozy. Compared to the shabby space that used to only have a sofa and a table, the difference could be summed up in one phrase:

Night and day.

Now this felt like a real home!

Gu Xingyi wiped the sweat from his face with a towel, set the bag on the new coffee table, and plopped down on the soft sofa.

The mother and daughter still stood frozen in the kitchen. Xiao Nainai had been set down by now. She hugged her mama’s leg, glancing around curiously at all the new items in the house, clearly fascinated.

Seeing the little one like that, Gu Xingyi couldn’t help but smile. His eyes squinted into happy slits—he felt a rare sense of accomplishment.

He reached into the big shopping bag and pulled out a large pink toy, placing it on the table. But his eyes never left Xiao Nainai.

Sure enough, as soon as the toy appeared, her gaze was instantly drawn in. She stared at it, utterly captivated, unable to look away.

One little hand still clutched her doll, the other gripped Xia Xiyao’s shirt as she leaned forward, trying to get a better look at what toy Gu Xingyi was holding.

That look of wanting to go over but not daring to broke Gu Xingyi’s heart a little.

Other three-year-olds would probably be leaping happily into their papa’s arms right about now, right?

The sense of achievement he’d just felt vanished instantly. He clenched his fists, then slowly let go. He raised a hand and gently beckoned to her, his eyes full of tenderness.

“Xiao Nainai, come here—look what papa got you!”

She didn’t run over right away. First, she looked up at her mama. When she saw Xia Xiyao’s lips move but no words come out, she cautiously shuffled forward, one step at a time.

By then, Gu Xingyi had already opened the packaging, revealing the toy inside. When he saw her stop just in front of the coffee table, he spoke again:

“Wow, it’s a princess castle! Oh no—the castle’s such a mess! Xiao Nainai, do you want to help papa decorate the princess’s home together?”