There were too many people heading home from the amusement park in the evening.

After a long wait, Gu Xingyi finally managed to hail a cab—prompting him, for the first time, to consider buying a car.

Worried that Xia Xiyao would get tired from holding the child the whole way, he had already taken Nainai into his arms. Now he sat carefully in the back seat, with the little one still fast asleep, dreaming sweetly.

Xia Xiyao sat in the back with them. Because Gu Xingyi was holding Xiao Nainai, the two sat quite close. Glancing at Gu Xingyi beside her, and thinking about everything that had happened tonight, her cheeks flushed again.

Just then, Gu Xingyi yawned, startling her. She quickly turned her head away and pretended to be looking out the window at the passing scenery.

The view outside shifted rapidly. Before they knew it, the cab had driven out of the city center and into the old part of town.

Gu Xingyi checked the time—9:30 PM.

They hadn’t had dinner yet. Judging by how soundly the little one was sleeping, she wouldn’t be eating tonight.

Gu Xingyi was feeling a little sleepy himself. If they were at home, they would’ve already been in bed by now.

He chuckled quietly to himself—he and Xia Xiyao were nothing like typical twenty-somethings. What young people go to bed early these days?

They were more like a middle-aged couple—early to bed, early to rise.

The taxi stopped steadily at the gate of their apartment complex. Gu Xingyi paid the fare, then carried Nainai gently out of the car. He and Xia Xiyao walked home together under the dim night sky.

Bathed in the cozy glow of orange light, the house was as peaceful as always—but tonight, the quiet felt different from before.

Gu Xingyi tucked Nainai into bed and came out to find Xia Xiyao already in the bathroom, washing up. He didn’t stop—he walked straight into the kitchen.

She hadn’t eaten much at lunch. She must be starving by now.

With that in mind, he rummaged through the fridge and decided to keep it simple—noodles would do.

Xia Xiyao really was starving. She hadn’t been able to eat lunch, played all afternoon, cried in the evening… now her stomach was growling. She quickly freshened up and planned to make something to eat.

But as soon as she stepped out of the bathroom, she saw Gu Xingyi already busy cooking in the kitchen.

A warm feeling bloomed in her chest. Trying to act casual, she sat down on the sofa, though her gaze never left that tall figure working in the kitchen.

He looked really good.

The thought came to her all of a sudden. She immediately covered her face with her hands, unable to keep watching.

What was wrong with her today?

She was a mom, for goodness’ sake! Why was she acting like some love-struck teenage girl? Xia Xiyao, you're getting more and more embarrassing!

“Dinner's ready.”

Gu Xingyi carried the noodles out and was met with the sight of her practically twisted into a noodle herself on the sofa.

He didn’t think too much of it and simply called her over gently.

Hearing his voice, Xia Xiyao visibly tensed. Then she calmly lowered her hands from her face and walked over to the table.

“Thank you.”

Her face was slightly red, but she lowered her head and ate as if nothing had happened.

She ate fast. For the first time, she realized even the simplest bowl of noodles could taste this good.

Half a bowl of noodles and two fried eggs disappeared into her belly in no time. Gu Xingyi smiled as he watched, then moved one of the fried eggs from his bowl into hers.

Xia Xiyao froze mid-bite. She didn’t dare look up at him—her cheeks were now a deeper red.

Even though she’d thrown herself into his arms earlier without thinking, now that she had calmed down, the intimate gesture made her feel awkward.

“I had a big lunch. You eat more.”

Gu Xingyi’s voice reached her ears. She gave a faint nod and replied with a quiet “mm,” her voice barely louder than a whisper.

Soon after, she finished the noodles in her bowl, not even leaving a drop of soup. She set her chopsticks down and sat there quietly.

Only when Gu Xingyi finished and stood up to clear the dishes did she scramble to her feet, hurrying to grab them first.

“I’ll do it.”

Her voice was still soft, but pleasant to hear. Turns out, she had been waiting all along.

Gu Xingyi didn’t argue with her. They were family—no need to be so formal.

By the time he came out of the bathroom, feeling refreshed after a hot shower, Xia Xiyao had already gone to bed. Gu Xingyi turned off the lights in the living room and headed straight to the bedroom.

This was the latest he’d stayed up since arriving in this world. All he wanted now was sleep. He still had morning runs to do—no slacking!

He climbed into bed quietly and quickly drifted off.

In contrast to Gu Xingyi’s peaceful slumber, Xia Xiyao lay tossing and turning. Every time she closed her eyes, scenes from the amusement park kept replaying in her mind.

Frustrated, she pulled the blanket over her face, trying to force herself to sleep. But her fluttering eyelashes betrayed just how restless she truly was.

Only when the sky began to lighten did she finally succumb to sleep.

6 AM.

A new day began as the early risers got on with their routines. As usual, Gu Xingyi woke up on time. He completed his full morning cycle—jogging, washing up, cooking, and waking up Xiao Nainai—yet Xia Xiyao still hadn’t come out of the bedroom.

Staring at the tightly shut door of the master bedroom, Gu Xingyi scratched his head. Yeah, they had come back pretty late last night—she was still asleep.

He didn’t plan to wake her. He simply saved her a portion of breakfast.

After eating, he cleaned up all the used dishes and returned them to their places. When he came out of the kitchen, he saw Xiao Nainai happily singing a nursery rhyme while playing an educational game.

The moment she spotted him, she grinned wide, showing off her tiny white teeth, and gave him a sweet smile.

Gu Xingyi walked over and ruffled her little head.

“Nainai, are you singing?”

“Mm-hmm! Papa! Oh right, Papa, let me tell you a secret—Mama sings really well! Every night she sings me lullabies!”

As his big hand gently tousled her hair, Xiao Nainai looked up with a mysterious expression and whispered excitedly to Gu Xingyi.

“Oh? So Mama sings even better than Papa?”

Gu Xingyi laughed and fired off the question like a playful challenge.

Xiao Nainai immediately looked conflicted. Her little brows scrunched tight and she pouted, clearly debating whether to hurt Papa’s feelings.

Seeing her dilemma, Gu Xingyi laughed and gently smoothed out her frown.

“Hahaha~ Papa knows, Mama definitely sings better than Papa!”

Only then did Xiao Nainai beam again. She grabbed Papa’s hands and shook them encouragingly.

“But Papa, your singing is really nice too!”

Gu Xingyi nodded, then asked, “Do you know if Mama still wants to sing?”

The little one tilted her head, thinking carefully, then answered seriously, “Mama said it when she was sleeping before—she said, singing, she likes it lots!”

Gu Xingyi nodded again, patted her on the head, and let her continue playing.

With someone as gentle as Xia Xiyao, she would probably never tell him herself that she still wanted to sing.