In the evening, Nuan Nuan, wearing a pale yellow little dragon pajama set, stood on a small stool and stealthily opened Ye Jinghuai's door.
As soon as the door was ajar, Nuan Nuan tiptoed in.
Ye Jinghuai was leaning against the bed, looking at his phone. He noticed the door opening as soon as it happened.
Seeing Nuan Nuan's actions, he knew she didn't want to be discovered, so he pretended to continue scrolling on his phone. However, his peripheral vision was constantly on Nuan Nuan.
Nuan Nuan stealthily crept to the foot of Ye Jinghuai's bed, gripping the bed frame with her little hands, about to climb up.
Perhaps because she was small and not very strong, her two short legs kicked a few times, but she still couldn't climb up. She only managed to expose half her head from the foot of the bed, her eyes blinking as she looked at Ye Jinghuai.
Seeing that her father hadn't noticed her, she quietly went back to the door and pushed the small stool she had just used, moving it inside.
The stool scraped against the smooth floor, making a sound that was neither too loud nor too quiet. Nuan Nuan had to push for a bit, then stop to see if Ye Jinghuai was looking, then push again, then stop. As long as her father wasn't looking, it meant he hadn't heard.
Ye Jinghuai, witnessing Nuan Nuan's futile attempts to cover her tracks, had a wide smile on his face. He quickly raised his phone higher, covering his face, but his shoulders shook violently.
Meanwhile, Nuan Nuan had already reached the foot of the bed. Standing on the small stool, she climbed onto the bed from the foot. She slowly lifted the quilt, stuck her head out, and prepared to crawl into the warm covers.
Feeling the movement under the quilt, Ye Jinghuai tilted his head slightly, revealing one eye as he secretly looked towards the foot of the bed.
Then, all he saw was Nuan Nuan's little bottom sticking out. Her bottom, propped up, wiggled and wiggled. After a great deal of effort, she finally managed to wriggle into the quilt.
A small bulge appeared under the quilt near his feet, and then the small bulge slowly wriggled forward.
As it neared Ye Jinghuai's hand, the bulge suddenly stopped. It struggled a few times, seemingly stuck by the quilt.
Ye Jinghuai, suppressing a laugh, reached out and pulled the quilt from the outside. Only then did the small bulge continue to wriggle forward.
"Daddy~ Your little cutie is here!"
Nuan Nuan emerged from the quilt, hugging her tail, and sat on Ye Jinghuai's chest. Her little face was flushed red from being muffled in the quilt.
"Is Daddy very surprised?"
"Mm, where did this little cutie come from? How did you get out of the quilt?" Ye Jinghuai, with a big smile on his face, pinched Nuan Nuan's little cheek.
"Little cutie came from the princess's castle~" Nuan Nuan released her tail and happily pounced.
"And what did little cutie come here to do?"
Ye Jinghuai looked at Nuan Nuan's irresistibly cute face and couldn't help but lean in and kiss her.
Nuan Nuan giggled, unzipped her clothes at the chest, reached inside, rummaged around, and then pulled out a thin picture book, handing it to Ye Jinghuai.
"Nuan Nuan wants Daddy to tell her a story!"
"Okay," Ye Jinghuai nodded and took the book.
"Once upon a time, there was a little duck, and it looked like..."
Ye Jinghuai's voice was gentle and soft, but his storytelling lacked emotion. Before long, Nuan Nuan was nestled on him, her face buried in the crook of his neck, fast asleep.
Feeling the steady breathing by his neck, Ye Jinghuai put down the book, gently pulled Nuan Nuan's little bottom, and adjusted her. Then, he wrapped one arm around the little ball of fluff in his arms and gently patted her back with the other.
The next morning, when Ye Jinghuai woke up, he found his arms empty.
He sat up and saw that Nuan Nuan had already slept to the edge of the bed. She was now positioned a hundred and eighty degrees from where she had been, with half her body on the bed and half hanging off, precariously balanced.
He helplessly rubbed his forehead and quickly scooped the little ball of fluff into the middle of the bed and settled her properly.
"Daddy~" Nuan Nuan had woken up this time, her voice hoarse as she spoke.
"Can Nuan Nuan sleep a little longer?" Ye Jinghuai kissed her forehead and said.
"Okay~" Nuan Nuan turned over and fell asleep again.
When he opened the bedroom door, two dogs were lying by the entrance. Ye Jinghuai almost stepped on them.
"Woof woof~" (Boss, is the cub in there?)
"Don't go in, Nuan Nuan is still sleeping." After saying that, he strode out.
"Woof~" (Alright, I'll wait here.) Qiuqiu lay down again.
Qiuqiu was now quite large, making Er Mao next to it look rather small.
"Woooo~" (Little brother, move over a bit, I can't lie down.)
"Quiet!" Ye Jinghuai turned and looked at it sternly.
Qiuqiu only opened its mouth but made no sound, as if to say it understood.
Er Mao, however, got up and followed Ye Jinghuai downstairs. Qiuqiu looked at Er Mao's retreating back with an expression of betrayal, then glanced at the closed door and lay down again.