The living room suddenly fell silent, with only the song echoing in the ears of the three people.

Gu Xingyi awkwardly turned his head away. Xiao Nainai’s big eyes blinked as she pounced into Xia Xiyao’s arms and looked at the phone screen.

Xia Xiyao was completely stunned. That familiar voice—wasn’t it the same song that had come from the room two days ago? So Gu Xingyi had been recording a video that day?

It was Xiao Nainai who spoke first. She stretched out her little finger and pointed at the phone screen, looking up at Xia Xiyao, her big eyes full of curiosity.

“It's Papa! Papa is inside the phone!”

“Yes, that’s Papa.”

Xia Xiyao stroked the little one’s head as she answered.

Now she finally understood how Gu Xingyi had so much money to replace the furniture at home. With millions of likes, how could he not have money?

She turned to glance at Gu Xingyi’s well-defined profile, her gaze filled with complicated emotions.

Having gotten her mama’s confirmation, Xiao Nainai happily pounced back into Gu Xingyi’s arms. With her tiny hands holding his face, her bright eyes sparkled as she spoke in her sweet, childish voice.

“Papa is so gentle! Nainai wants to sing too! I want to go into the phone too!”

With those two soft little hands pressing against his face, Gu Xingyi’s gaze softened completely. He cupped his daughter’s tiny face in his large palms and gently asked, “Does Nainai like singing?”

“Yes!”

Xiao Nainai’s big eyes curved into crescents as she answered without hesitation.

Gu Xingyi’s smile grew even brighter.

“Okay, then Papa will teach Xiao Nainai to sing. Once you learn, you can sing into the phone too, alright?”

Xiao Nainai nodded her little head repeatedly, then happily gave Gu Xingyi a big kiss on the cheek.

(๑ơ ₃ ơ)ﻌﻌﻌ

Rewarded, Gu Xingyi broke into a joyful smile. With the little one’s adoring gaze on him, he quickly dashed into the side room to retrieve his guitar.

Back on the sofa, he tuned the strings of the guitar.

When he turned back, he saw both Xia Xiyao and Xiao Nainai staring at him, not blinking even once.

Gu Xingyi’s face flushed slightly for the first time, and then he gently strummed the strings.

“Today, Papa’s going to write a children’s song just for Xiao Nainai. Papa will sing it once first. Then, I’ll sing a line, and Nainai will follow with the next line, okay?”

“Okay!” Xiao Nainai nodded enthusiastically, her little face full of anticipation.

“This song is called A Burst of Courage! Listen carefully, Xiao Nainai!”

With that, Gu Xingyi strummed the guitar, and a cheerful melody filled the living room.

To his surprise, Xiao Nainai had an amazing sense of rhythm. She swayed her head and body along with the tune.

Gu Xingyi couldn’t help but sway with her as well.

Watching the perfectly in-sync father-daughter pair, Xia Xiyao’s expression softened. A smile slowly appeared on her face, and before she knew it, she was also moving along with their rhythm.

“Here we go!”

As the intro ended, Gu Xingyi gave a quick heads-up to Xiao Nainai, then began singing cheerfully.

“A little seed is planted in my heart, da la dee da la~
It grants little wishes with magical power~
They say every child wants to have it~
Are you ready? Oh yeah, let’s explore it together~”

The cheerful guitar and Gu Xingyi’s vibrant singing echoed throughout the living room.

The little one clearly had a knack for performance—she moved along with the song, mimicking actions as she sang.

Her big, shiny eyes paired with her adorable gestures—

It was enough to completely melt Gu Xingyi’s heart.

From the moment the singing began, Xia Xiyao’s almond-shaped eyes never left Gu Xingyi.

Her gaze seemed like it was trying to see right through him, shimmering with a strange light.

Gu Xingyi didn’t notice. He just kept smiling at the little one, swaying his body along with hers.

The song continued.

“This little seed is about to sprout in my heart~
Every day I work hard for it, doing my part~
Mama and Papa say every dream is great~
Let’s charge ahead, sisters and brothers, don’t be late!”

For the first time, the whole family was completely immersed in joy. In that moment, even the living room seemed to shine with warmth.

This time, Gu Xingyi’s voice was light and playful, like a mischievous child playing and laughing in a room.

The song seemed to carry away all their worries, leaving only happiness behind.

“OK go, come on, come on!
OK go, come on, come on! Let’s hold on tight to what we believe!
OK go, come on, come on!
OK go, come on, come on! Let courage burst out and lead!”

As the song played, Xiao Nainai clenched her tiny fists and struck a superhero pose.

Gu Xingyi set the guitar aside and joined her, copying the same pose, then gently poked the tip of her cute little nose.

With a tender look in his eyes, he spoke softly.

“Xiao Nainai, do you know what ‘OK go’ means?”

“‘OK go’~ means having the courage to charge forward!”

“Mhm.”

Xiao Nainai pounced into Gu Xingyi’s arms, wrapping her little arms tightly around his neck.

“Papa, I love this song. I love this kind of Papa.”

“Papa… don’t turn back into the old you, okay?”

Her soft, syrupy voice rang in his ears. Gu Xingyi’s lips parted slightly, and a mist suddenly welled up in his eyes.

He held Xiao Nainai tightly, burying his face deep in her clothes, breathing in her baby scent.

“Mhm! Papa will never be like that again!”

His voice was hoarse but filled with determination.

Xia Xiyao couldn’t see Gu Xingyi’s expression at this moment.

Tears were already streaming down her face—but she was smiling.

She knew—those days were gone for good. They would never come back.

It was Gu Xingyi who first composed himself. He set the guitar down beside him and placed Xiao Nainai on his lap.

“Nainai, now let’s practice the song. I’ll sing one line, and you follow, okay?”

“Okay~!”

Xiao Nainai replied instantly.

The rest of the morning became their little lesson time. Gu Xingyi would sing one line, and Xiao Nainai would repeat after him.

Children’s songs really were meant to be sung by children. When the lyrics came from Xiao Nainai’s mouth, they sounded even better than Gu Xingyi’s. That tender, soft little voice could charm anyone who heard it.

Maybe she had inherited some musical talent from her parents—Xiao Nainai picked it up well. Even though it was her first time singing along, her pitch was perfect. Only the lyrics were a little choppy.

She clearly loved singing. As long as Gu Xingyi patiently taught her, she would patiently learn. The living room echoed with their singing all morning.

Seeing the two so immersed in their singing lesson, Xia Xiyao quietly started preparing lunch.

But her cooking clearly didn’t compare to Gu Xingyi’s. During lunch, Xiao Nainai kept insisting she only wanted to eat Papa’s food from now on.

That made Xia Xiyao shoot a jealous glare at the little one, silently fuming in her heart.

Ungrateful little thing! It’s only been two days and she’s already switched sides!

This kind of family atmosphere made Gu Xingyi feel at peace. Atmosphere might be intangible, but he could clearly sense it.

Right now, this feeling in their home—

This was what a real family should feel like.

That suffocating vibe from before? Even a dog wouldn’t want to stick around in that.