Back home.

Xia Xiyao had already prepared dinner. Now that Nainai was going to kindergarten, she had to get up early in the mornings, so she couldn’t stay up late at night like before.

Gu Xingyi, just like earlier, kept avoiding Xia Xiyao’s gaze. He was afraid that if their eyes met—those soft, water-like eyes of hers—he would instantly give in.

The dinner table was unusually quiet, even Nainai wasn’t her usual bubbly self.

The little one seemed very sensitive to the atmosphere between her parents. She kept glancing at her mama, who was quietly eating with her head down, then looked at her silent papa across the table.

Then she pouted and, without a sound, scooted a little closer to Xia Xiyao.

Papa is bad! He must’ve bullied Mama again!

So, after dinner, Gu Xingyi had to coax her for quite a while and repeatedly promised the little one that he hadn’t bullied Xia Xiyao, only then did Xiao Nainai obediently go to bed.

Of course, bedtime wouldn’t be complete without Gu Xingyi’s usual nightly story.

Gu Xingyi had been waiting for this moment too. He stole a glance at Xia Xiyao lying on the other side, cleared his throat, and began telling the story with vivid expression.

“Once upon a time, there was a very well-behaved little white rabbit. She had a very good friend, a little gray rabbit. But the little gray rabbit was very lazy. That year, during the autumn harvest, the little white rabbit worked hard and harvested five carrots. One day, she went to visit the little gray rabbit and found him with an empty belly, pitifully looking at her.”

“The little white rabbit saw that the little gray rabbit she liked was hungry, so she didn’t hesitate to give him one of her carrots. After receiving the carrot, the little gray rabbit happily said, ‘You’re so kind.’ Hearing that made the little white rabbit very happy. After that, every few days, the little white rabbit would visit the little gray rabbit and give him a carrot.”

“Until one day, the little white rabbit only had one carrot left. That day, she went to see the little gray rabbit again. She looked at the last carrot in her hand, then looked at her good friend, the little gray rabbit. She knew that if she gave this last carrot away, she would go hungry.”

At this point, Gu Xingyi paused. He glanced again at the quietly lying Xia Xiyao, then gently tapped Xiao Nainai’s nose.

“Nainai, if you were this kind little white rabbit, would you be afraid of losing your best friend and give your last carrot to the little gray rabbit?”

Xiao Nainai, wide-eyed, was listening to the story in silence. When her daddy asked her, she scrunched up her little nose and thought for a long time before answering in her soft, childish voice:

“Can… can they split it in half? That way, neither the little white rabbit nor the little gray rabbit would go hungry!”

Gu Xingyi chuckled and rubbed Xiao Nainai’s head.

“Of course they can. Nainai is so smart~ But Daddy wants to tell Nainai that the little white rabbit’s way of doing things wasn’t right. She should’ve told the little gray rabbit what was in her heart, instead of being afraid of losing him and giving away the best thing she had.”

Xiao Nainai looked at her daddy in confusion. She thought the little white rabbit was kind and very sweet!

Xia Xiyao trembled slightly, bit her lip, and her eyes filled with grievance again. She also didn’t think the little white rabbit was wrong.

Gu Xingyi planted a soft kiss on Nainai’s chubby cheek.

“The little white rabbit was great—but she forgot about herself. All she thought about was the little gray rabbit, but she never once considered herself. Alright, Xiao Nainai, time for bed~ Otherwise, you won’t be able to get up tomorrow and the laoshi will spank your butt!”

Gu Xingyi turned off the bedside lamp and softly coaxed Xiao Nainai to sleep. Before long, the little one drifted off.

In the quiet room, only the soft breathing of three people could be heard.

But Gu Xingyi didn’t lie down. He leaned silently against the headboard, eyes open, staring into the dark night.

He was waiting—waiting for Xia Xiyao to reach out to him.

Xia Xiyao’s heart was far from calm. She kept thinking about the story Gu Xingyi had told earlier. She knew—it was meant for her.

But she didn’t understand why Gu Xingyi had to do it this way. He clearly understood what she meant—so why couldn’t he just say yes directly?

Some time passed again.

Gu Xingyi heard Xia Xiyao sit up from the other side of the bed, followed by soft footsteps.

In the darkness, Gu Xingyi’s eyes glimmered like ink.

“Gu Daizi~”

That soft and sweet voice made Gu Xingyi momentarily dazed. He saw Xia Xiyao had come to his bedside, her small hands gently gripping his arm.

“My dear wife, do you know how long I’ve been waiting for you~”

His voice was hoarse, his heart finally settling down. He was so glad—so very glad—that Xia Xiyao had taken the first step.

Xia Xiyao didn’t reply. She just pressed her lips together in silence.

Gu Xingyi got out of bed and quietly led her to the living room, afraid to wake Xiao Nainai.

Outside the window, the city’s neon lights filtered in through the gap in the curtains. Gu Xingyi could see the mist welling in Xia Xiyao’s eyes, along with the sadness and disappointment hidden deep within them.

His throat tightened. Looking at this cautious, delicate wife of his, he spoke softly.

“My dear wife, what did you want to say to me?”

Xia Xiyao stared blankly at Gu Xingyi on the sofa. Finally, she bit her lip and said in an even softer, sweeter voice,

“I want you to be my guest performer. I want you to sing that song with me.”

“Then why didn’t you just say so earlier, my dear wife?”

Xia Xiyao fell silent again and lowered her head. Gu Xingyi continued,

“Were you afraid I’d say no?”

“No!”

This time, Xia Xiyao answered with determination. Because she knew—Gu Xingyi would never refuse her.

“Then what is it? Do you think you have to offer me something for me to be happy?”

When Gu Xingyi said that, Xia Xiyao bit her lip and gently shook her head twice, trying her best to hold back the tears that were about to fall.

“It’s not that… I wasn’t thinking that way…”

“I know. I know that’s how my dear wife is. When something makes you sad, you always bottle it up. When something’s hard to accept, you try to digest it all on your own. You’re always so cautious… even with me.”

Gu Xingyi’s voice was low, heavy, his heart even heavier. He placed both hands on Xia Xiyao’s shoulders and looked her in the eyes.

“But my dear wife… I’m your husband! Before, you had no one to talk to, no one to turn to when you were hurting, so you endured everything alone. But now you have me. If you still keep everything inside like before, then what am I even here for?”

As he said this, Gu Xingyi’s voice trembled slightly.

Xia Xiyao couldn’t hold back her tears anymore. But when she looked into Gu Xingyi’s eyes, panic surged in her heart.

She had never seen such sadness in his gaze before. She had never imagined Gu Xingyi would cry.

She forgot all about her own tears and hurried to wipe the corners of his eyes.

“My dear wife wants to sing that song with me, and I want to, too. But right now, I have a song I want to sing just for you.”

“I hope that from now on, my dear wife will say whatever she wants to say, do whatever she wants to do. I’ll be there to listen, to do it with you. Even if you want to throw a tantrum or cry—I’ll still be happy!”

Just seeing her so flustered made Gu Xingyi’s heart ache terribly.

So this is what it feels like… to hurt for someone.

So this is what it means… to love someone—to want nothing more than for her to be okay.