October in the capital—osmanthus fragrance everywhere.

Honestly, who could resist a daughter as sweet and cuddly as a fairy-tale doll?

Xavier Fostern once thought he had found his perfect little angel.

But over time, that warm, cozy exterior started to feel suspiciously devious inside.

Little Huajuan, at age three, found the key and cracked open the locked door to her parents’ bedroom.

Hmph. No way was she letting Daddy hog Mommy all to himself.

She clambered onto the bed, wrapped her tiny arms around Cecilia, and looked up with tear-filled eyes. "Mommy, I missed you so much!"

"You don’t sleep with me anymore. My room is all dark, and there are big scary monsters. I’m really really scared."

Cecilia instantly pulled her daughter into her arms. "How could there be monsters in your room, sweetheart? Isn’t your brother with you?"

"But…I want Mommy to cuddle me to sleep," came the soft, milky voice. That was it—Cecilia surrendered. Of course you can’t trust Zhiyen when he says Huajuan is tough; she’s their little girl, bound to be a bit more timid than her brother.

"Alright, alright. Mommy will cuddle you to sleep."

Just then, Xavier Fostern came out of the bathroom—only to find an extra little bundle snuggled on the bed. He huffed and went back in to change into pajama pants.

"Ye Gengeng! Didn’t you promise to sleep by yourself tonight?!"

"Baba, I’m scared of the big monster in the cartoon," Huajuan whimpered.

"…"

If not for this darn amnesia, he’d remember that Huajuan actually loved watching monster shows with Cecilia during naptime.

"Zhiyen, she’s just scared. Don’t fuss," Cecilia scolded gently.

"…Fuss…" Xavier Fostern muttered through clenched teeth and climbed into bed.

"Baba," Huajuan snuggled over again.

"What now!"

"My toes are cold. Can you warm them up for me?"

"…"

Resigned, Xavier Fostern cupped his daughter’s tiny feet in his hands. Don’t ask—he was frustrated, he was aggrieved, and he hadn’t gotten to sleep cuddled up with his wife all week.

July came, sun blazing in the sky.

Cecilia was in the kitchen, frosting a strawberry cake.

The two kids were home for the holidays. Xavier Fostern was in the pool, swimming with Xiaoniangao and little Huajuan.

Huajuan wasn’t afraid of anything…except water.

She sat nervously at the edge of the pool, playing with the sparkly sticker sheets her great-grandpa bought her.

They were so pretty—glittery diamonds, little hearts, flowers, every color imaginable.

Huajuan beckoned for Daddy to come over.

Xavier Fostern swam to the side and looked up at his daughter, now covered head to toe with sticker gems.

"What is it, sweetheart?"

"Baba, let me dress you up—I’ll make you a super handsome daddy!"

With that, she peeled a heart sticker and smacked it right onto Xavier Fostern’s forehead.

…

President Foster turned to flee, but his daughter’s lips wobbled. "Mamaaaa…"

"Shh, shh, more stickers! On! Now!"

Huajuan’s tears vanished in an instant as she blinked her pretty doe eyes.

She shuffled a little closer and went to work decorating her dad—stickers on his forehead, in his hair, on both cheeks, covering him in sparkling bling.

…

Xiaoniangao swam by just then. Xavier Fostern scooped up his son, hoping he’d play with his little sister instead.

He glanced at his son’s head, now equally plastered with stickers, and saw a look of mutual suffering…

Fine. They’re my children—they get to do what they want.

---

Years later, Fu Xingshu started college at S University in the capital.

Little Huajuan’s full name was Ye Gengeng. The year her brother started his freshman year at S University, she enrolled at the high school affiliated with S U, right next door.

Xiaotangyuan was in her second year of high school. The two girls had squabbled together since they were little; Cecilia and Mia Moore had long entrusted them to Xiaoniangao's watchful eye.

On a lazy summer afternoon, a tall, handsome boy strolled down the wide avenue on campus, heading for the gate—white shirt, black trousers, face impassive and cold.

But his striking looks turned heads everywhere: a well-shaped nose, sharp eyes and brows, confident and unruly—the total opposite of the gentle, cuddly boy he’d once been.

Girls who passed by couldn’t help but stop and quietly swoon.

"He’s so handsome!"

"Seriously, he’s too handsome! Somebody save me!"

He walked out the gate and slipped around the corner to the neighboring school, heading straight up to the fourth floor.

Before he even reached the office, he heard the teacher’s voice reverberating inside.

"Ye Gengeng, Nina Chase—you two girls, did you really make a six-foot-tall athlete cry?!"

The head teacher fumed, while a very teary-eyed (and very tall) athletic boy sat nearby.

Little Huajuan stepped forward, batting her big eyes. "Ahem… Director, I didn’t really hit him. I just did a simple throw, that’s all. He tried to grab my shoulder, and my daddy always says boys are not allowed to do that. I thought it was inappropriate."

The director was momentarily speechless. When the Fu and Chen families enrolled their kids, they insisted on no special treatment…but with families like that, who would dare not treat them special? Still, the boy was truly unfortunate today.

His face was a patchwork of bruises, and they’d even had to call his parents in.

"Please, we were just playing! It was athletic competition!" Xiaotangyuan chimed in, backing up her cousin Huajuan.

If Huajuan was a white sesame-stuffed tangyuan, then Xiaotangyuan was a black one: sneaky, inside and out.

At that point, Fu Xingshu got the gist, casually straightened his shirt, and strode in.

"Bro~" Huajuan called out softly, only using 'brother' in moments of crisis; any other time, she just called him 'Xiaoniangao.'

Fu Xingshu glanced at her, heaved a sigh, and shot her a reassuring look.

"Director."

"…"

The director, upon seeing Xingshu, felt a headache coming on. Every time, before he could even lecture this kid’s little sister, the big brother would show up.

But compared to the girls, Fu Xingshu was S University’s star student. Even as a freshman, he’d already collected a handful of international awards. Technically, attending college was a formality—he’d finished the coursework ages ago.

"Ah, Xingshu," the director managed a kindly smile. "See what you can do about this."

His own sister might be mischievous and bossy, but she never caused trouble without reason. And if she said the boy started it, then that was that.

Fu Xingshu stepped up to the boy, standing a head taller than him and fixing him with a cold stare.

The boy was a senior, a sports recruit. He’d seen the two pretty girls in his PE class and wanted to play badminton with them. They said no.

Losing face in front of his classmates, he reached out to forcibly grab them—only to be flipped with a neat throw.

What followed was a solid beating.

It hurt—he put up with it, but in the end, he couldn’t keep quiet.

Facing Fu Xingshu’s icy gaze, the boy gulped. "W-what do you want? My parents will be here soon!"

"Oh? Even better. So, you grabbed my sister’s shoulder, right? Anyone else witness it? The hallway camera should have caught it. You want to admit now, or shall I report you to the police?"

"I—I didn’t touch her!"

"Five to ten days detention, plus a fine. Well, we’ll wait and let your parents sort it out then."

Fu Xingshu’s tone was mild, but the threat was very real. The boy shivered.

His parents soon arrived—and, smarter than their son, offered a quick apology and admitted he was in the wrong. That was the end of it.

Afterward, Fu Xingshu led his sister and Xiaotangyuan outside. At the stairwell, he stopped.

Huajuan flung herself onto her brother, hugging him hard. Better to make the first move before he could scold her.

"Waa, bro, you’re the best! Love you love you!"

Fu Xingshu pried the human octopus off his back and looked at her wryly, then glanced at Xiaotangyuan.

"Honestly, next time, don’t just rely on your fists—use your brain too. What if you can’t win?"

Huajuan clung to his arm. "How could I lose? Tangyuan-jiejie always has my back! And it’s not like I hit him for no reason, the teacher wasn’t far away. If I can’t win, I’ll just call for help!"

"Alright, hurry back to class. I’m heading back to S U."

"Okay, okay!"

Fu Xingshu walked back toward S University, his eyes narrowing with a dangerous glint.

Senior athlete, huh? One beating isn’t nearly enough.