"When I grow up, Daddy won't be able to carry me anymore," Yi Xinyi said. "If he can't carry me, he won't like me anymore. He'll only like my little brother and sister."

"My silly girl, everyone grows up. Who ever heard of someone staying a child forever?" Yi Anguo said with a smile. "No matter how much Daddy loves you, he can't possibly carry you for the rest of your life! And you can't expect your parents to watch over you forever, either."

At that moment, the TV was playing a scene of little birds flying into the sky.

"Look at these little birds. Once they grow up, they can fly into the sky and soar freely. When they were small, all they could do was stay in their nest, unable to go anywhere."

"Do you want to stay a child forever, only able to be cared for at home by Mommy and Daddy?"

"I don't want to grow up! I want Daddy to dote on me for the rest of my life," Yi Xinyi said.

"Even when you grow up, Daddy will still dote on you for the rest of his life!" Yi Anguo said with a laugh. "But even if you don't want to grow up, Daddy will get old one day. How will I be able to carry you then? How can I possibly take care of you? And if you don't grow up, who will take care of me? How will you be able to look after your dad?"

Initially, Yi Anguo had been a bit worried that Hu Jing might grow distant from Yi Xinyi after giving birth to the twins. Because of this, he had considered encouraging Yi Xinyi to get closer to Li Sisi. Since Li Sisi couldn't have children, he reasoned that if Yi Xinyi treated Li Sisi like a real mother, Li Sisi would surely treat her like her own daughter in return.

However, Li Sisi felt a knot of resentment, as she felt Yi Xinyi wasn't very close to her. After all, she had been the first one to live with and care for Yi Xinyi, yet the girl had surprisingly started calling Hu Jing "Mommy" first. Although Yi Xinyi later started calling her "Mommy" too, she addressed her as "Mommy Sisi." Even though they were both forms of "Mommy," one was direct while the other was "Mommy Sisi." The difference in emotional distance was obvious.

But Yi Anguo could do nothing about it. He could only conclude that the fate binding Yi Xinyi and Hu Jing as mother and daughter was simply stronger than the one she shared with Li Sisi.

Fortunately, after giving birth to the twins, Hu Jing didn't grow distant from Yi Xinyi or start disliking her. On the contrary, she became even more attentive to Yi Xinyi, tending to her emotional needs with a care that one could say surpassed even that of a biological mother. This reassured Yi Anguo greatly, which was why Yi Xinyi had always lived with Hu Jing.

Yi Anguo also spent more time at Hu Jing's place. Besides preferring Hu Jing's personality, another reason was simply that it was so much more lively there! With three children around, it was impossible for the house not to be bustling with energy. Yi Anguo adored children and loved being close to them. He wouldn't have been the slightest bit upset even if they climbed on his head and pooped.

Of course, when he had time, Yi Anguo would also visit Ding Jing to spend time with her and their daughter. Yi Meifeng was now a year old and learning to walk and talk; she could already say "Daddy" and "Mommy."

Sometimes, Yi Anguo would take Yi Meifeng to the community garden to walk and play, just the two of them. Those were the moments when Yi Meifeng was happiest. As long as she gripped one of her daddy's fingers, she would run around cheerfully. Though she only ran in circles around her father, not yet daring to let go and run freely, she clearly reveled in the fun.

But on the rare occasion she realized her daddy had completely let go, she would freeze, not daring to move, and then burst into loud wails. At times like this, Yi Anguo would squat a short distance in front of her with his arms open, waiting for her to walk to him.

Then, she would stop crying and set off on her short little legs, toddling unsteadily toward her daddy. But just as his daughter took a few steps closer, he would retreat a few steps. Yi Meifeng realized she could walk without holding her daddy's hand and began to giggle.

Soon, however, she discovered that the distance to her daddy never seemed to shrink. No matter how much she walked, she could never reach her destination and throw herself into his embrace.

Yi Meifeng suddenly grew frantic. She plopped down on the ground and burst into tears. I feel so wronged! Daddy is such a big bully!

Only then would Yi Anguo scoop his daughter up, comforting her until she was happy again. Then, he would take her hand, and they would start running on the grassy lawn once more. Before long, she would find that her daddy's hand had, at some unknown point, let go again.

This time, Yi Meifeng wasn't as scared. She just didn't dare to run anymore and instead walked slowly toward her daddy. Then, she stumbled, falling to the ground and crying out in pain.

But Yi Anguo didn't immediately rush over to pick her up. He wanted his daughter to understand a principle from a young age: you must get back up from where you have fallen.

Yi Meifeng cried for a moment, but when she saw her daddy was still standing nearby just watching her, not rushing to hold her, she stopped. Wiping the tears away with her small hands, she carefully climbed to her feet and continued staggering toward him.

Just as Yi Anguo was playing with the children, he received a call from Chen Ting.

"Hello, Chen Ting!"

"Daddy! I miss you!"

The voice on the other end wasn't Chen Ting's; it was her son, Chen Feilong.

"Feilong! Daddy misses you too! Where's your mommy?" Yi Anguo asked his son with a smile.

A moment later, Chen Ting got on the line. "Yi Anguo, how long has it been since you last came to see your son? How long has it been since you've played with him?"

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