As twilight stretched boundlessly, casting its reflection across the earth and sky, the hospital remained a beacon of light, a place where people constantly arrived and departed, where joy and sorrow intertwined.
Standing before the hospital entrance, Bai Sha bid farewell to her sister.
The three had decided to take turns staying with Bai Anguo, each person dedicating a day and a night; today marked the beginning of Zhao Dingzhuo’s shift.
Meanwhile, Bai Qing was heading home to accompany their elderly mother, leaving Bai Sha to find a hotel nearby.
“When you get there, give me and your brother-in-law a call.”
“Don’t fret,” Bai Qing assured her. “I’m a seasoned driver, you know.”
Bai Sha, however, harbored a slight worry for her sister, who had only obtained her driver’s license after five years of trying and still predominantly relied on her electric scooter for transport.
“Do you want me to give you a ride back?”
Bai Qing tossed her hair with a flourish. “No need! You know the God of Mount Akina (TL Note: A reference to a legendary street racer from the Japanese manga and anime series ‘Initial D’, known for their exceptional driving skills on winding mountain roads.)? That’s me!”
Resigning herself to Bai Qing’s spirited declaration, Bai Sha simply waved goodbye.
“Drive carefully,” she called out, “and have a safe journey.”
Bai Qing gripped the steering wheel, rolled down her window, and declared, “I’m off!”
As the car’s exhaust dissipated and it sped away, Bai Sha prepared to head to her hotel, which she had booked only a few minutes’ walk from the hospital.
****
In her hotel room, Bai Sha collapsed onto the bed, sprawling out in a starfish pose.
A buzzing from her pocket interrupted the silence.
Bai Sha retrieved her phone, seeing an incoming video call from Zhou Haochen.
The moment the video connected, the little one’s rosy, cherubic face filled the screen, beaming as she exclaimed, “Mama!”
Despite the weariness etched on her face from a day spent traveling, Bai Sha’s lips curved into a tender smile.
“Xiao Yu,” she cooed, “did you miss Mama?”
Indeed, absence truly made the heart grow fonder; when not constantly by their side, children became the most cherished and longed-for beings in a parent’s life.
“Yes! Mama, do you know who I met at kindergarten today?”
The little one’s eyes sparkled with unbridled excitement, her entire body wriggling with anticipation.
Before her mother could even respond, she blurted out:
“It’s that little older brother (TL Note: A common term of endearment for an older boy.) from Grandma’s house! He’s in my kindergarten!”
Bai Sha froze, a flicker of surprise crossing her features.
‘Such a coincidence?’ she wondered. ‘Wasn’t he supposed to be an orphan? How did he end up studying in S City?’
“Really?”
The little girl nodded vigorously, her arms flailing with such enthusiasm that she nearly bounced out of frame.
“Truly, truly! Today I apologized to the little older brother, and he said he wasn’t angry!”
Zhou Haochen, who had been standing nearby, leaned into the frame, explaining, “That child’s grandfather is Shen Yue.”
Shen Yue, the CEO of Jianye Group.
Several years prior, his eldest son and daughter-in-law had met mysterious deaths in Y Province, an event that had caused a considerable sensation at the time.
‘The legitimate eldest grandson of the richest man!’
“Mama, did you know? The little older brother’s eyes are blue! They’re like the ocean, so incredibly beautiful!”
The little girl, oblivious to the significance of being the richest man’s grandson, only understood that on her very first day of kindergarten, she had met the little older brother she had always wanted to befriend.
“Alright, alright, alright, it sounds like Xiao Yu is really happy at kindergarten!”
Zhou Haochen took the phone, sighing with a hint of exasperation.
“She was quite happy when I dropped her off,” he admitted. “But when I peeked in from outside, I saw her sniffling and crying.”
Hearing her father’s words, the little girl’s cheeks flushed, and she pouted.
“No, I wasn’t!” she insisted. “I was just feeling a little unwell!”
Zhou Haochen merely nodded, a knowing smile playing on his lips.
“Then, when she saw that boy, she immediately started smiling.”
Bai Sha covered her face, utterly bewildered.
‘What kind of situation is this?’ she wondered.
“There’s even worse news,” Zhou Haochen added, his smile slowly fading, his expression turning serious.
The little girl, her face still flushed, took tiny steps backward, retreating from the phone screen, likely sensing her mother’s impending scolding.
“What news?”
“That boy tried to get Xiao Yu to skip school on their very first day.”
From off-screen, the little girl’s voice piped up in a soft, defensive tone.
“That wasn’t skipping school! We were going on an adventure, and who knew we accidentally ended up outside the school gates…”
****
On a bright and sunny day, Zhou Haochen, left alone in their quiet home, escorted his daughter to kindergarten.
Though it was far from her first day, the little girl remained brimming with enthusiasm.
At home, she couldn’t wait, immediately slinging on her tiny backpack and tugging her father towards the door.
“Oh, Papa!” she exclaimed impatiently, “Can’t you be a little faster?”
Zhou Haochen, a steamed bun still clutched in his mouth, stumbled after the energetic little girl, a helpless look on his face.
“It’s still early, Xiao Yu,” he pleaded. “Be a good girl and let Papa finish his breakfast, okay?”
The little girl released her father’s hand.
“Alright,” she conceded, “but Papa, you have to be quick.”
‘Ah, what a studious little one!’ Zhou Haochen’s hopeful fantasy, however, was soon to be shattered.
At the entrance of Little Sun Kindergarten, the Gatekeeper stood idly by, a familiar fixture.
Every year, he witnessed the recurring spectacle of children crying at the gates, and after so many seasons, he found a certain quaint charm in the routine.
The little girl, her small backpack perched on her shoulders, waved goodbye to her father with a cheerful smile.
“Goodbye, Papa!” she called out.
“Be good now! Goodbye!”
Standing at the classroom doorway, surrounded by a multitude of other children inside, the little girl watched her father’s retreating figure.
A sudden, inexplicable panic began to stir within her heart.
This time felt different.
There was no Mama or Papa by her side, no grandparents, no aunt or uncle; not a single familiar face met her gaze.
The homeroom teacher knelt down before the little girl, her voice soft and gentle.
“Xiao Yu, my dear,” she murmured, “how about we go into the classroom and play with toys with the other children?”
The little girl’s grip tightened on her backpack strap, her eyes wide with panic as she stared in the direction her father had departed.
Her lips began to pout, and a wave of emotion, sudden and overwhelming, surged from her empty heart to her mind.
Noticing the little girl’s eyes welling up with tears, the homeroom teacher swiftly scooped her into a comforting embrace.
“Hey, you’re blocking the doorway,” a voice interjected, “That’s quite rude.”
The familiar voice made the sobbing little girl pause, and she peered over the homeroom teacher’s shoulder.
Azure blue eyes, a black and white baseball cap — exactly as she remembered him that day.
“Little older brother!” Through her glistening tears, the little girl’s eyes sparkled with excitement, only to dim once more.
“Hello, teacher,” the boy greeted politely. “And hello to you.”
Having offered his greetings, the little boy slipped through the narrow gap into the classroom.
The little girl quickly wiped away her tears, greeted the teacher, and then followed him into the classroom.
‘Teacher: Huh?’
Not far away, Zhou Haochen, who had secretly lingered, watched the scene unfold, his face darkening.
‘What in the world?’ he fumed. ‘Whose kid is that?’
****
In the classroom, where seats were arranged for two, several children expressed a desire to sit with Xiao Yu.
Yet, she resolutely chose to sit beside the little older brother.
Noticing he immediately began reading after sitting down, the little girl gently poked his arm, then cautiously offered her apology.
“Little older brother,” she whispered, “I’m so sorry…”
Shen Yayi looked at her, his face etched with confusion.
“Why are you apologizing to me?” he asked.
“Before, when I was at my grandma’s house, I said some mean things to you and made you unhappy…”
Shen Yayi, calmly flipping through his book, stood out distinctly among the sniffling children.
He scrutinized the little girl.
“Oh,” he said, “I remember now.
We’ve met before.”
Addressing the girl who, at the time, hadn’t struck him as particularly bright, Shen Yayi clarified, “I wasn’t angry; I just had to go home.”
“But you didn’t hear me when I called you.”
Shen Yayi paused, his small face furrowed in thought.
“Perhaps I just didn’t hear you!” he mused.
The little girl’s face softened from a pout.
‘So he wasn’t angry after all,’ she realized.
Shen Yayi pulled a chocolate from his pocket and offered it to the little girl.
“My ears aren’t very good,” he explained. “Please have this chocolate, and let’s consider the matter settled.”
“Oh, right, my name is Shen Yayi.”
“While I don’t think you’re particularly smart, compared to everyone else here, your intelligence is the closest to mine.”
As for why these two seemingly well-behaved children in the class would attempt to skip school on their very first day, that tale awaits its telling in the chapters to come.