"Doudou~, are you still there?"
Jiang Wenxin, sitting on the sofa, asked cautiously.
Tao Guangxia, sitting beside her, also looked around nervously.
Just then, a gust of wind materialized inside the house, lightly lifting the hems of their clothes.
Seeing this, the couple immediately broke into excited smiles.
"Doudou is amazing."
Tao Guangxia praised her, then turned his gaze to the television in front of them.
The TV was currently playing Tom and Jerry, but this cartoon had been on for several days, so Tao Guangxia said, "Doudou, do you want Dad to change the cartoon for you?"
"What nonsense are you talking about? You can't hear Doudou speak," Jiang Wenxin said.
Hearing this, Tao Guangxia sighed.
Then, as if remembering something, he got up, went into the room, and quickly came back with two sheets of paper.
Jiang Wenxin was curious about what he was going to do, only to see Tao Guangxia place the two sheets on the table and write "Change Channel" and "Don't Change Channel" on them respectively.
"This character means 'change,' and this one means 'channel'…"
Although he couldn't see his daughter, Tao Guangxia still wore a serious expression as he taught her.
He then placed the two sheets of paper at opposite ends of the coffee table.
"If you want to change the channel, blow the paper on the left. If you don't, blow the paper on the right…"
His words had barely faded when a gentle breeze blew the paper on the left into the air, from where it drifted slowly back down.
"Wow, Husband, you're so smart."
Jiang Wenxin said excitedly upon seeing this.
This method was simple, but it was very effective. This way, they could have simple conversations with Doudou.
Another gust of Yin Wind rose from thin air, circling around the two of them. They could almost hear Doudou's cheerful laughter…
Tao Guangxia changed the cartoon for Doudou and put down the Remote Control.
Then he asked Jiang Wenxin, "Did Mr. Shen mean that as long as Doudou can control her abilities, she can meet with us whenever she wants in the future?"
"Yes, you've already asked several times," Jiang Wenxin said, sounding rather helpless.
He had asked this question no less than ten times today.
"Then… can Doudou stay with us in the future?" Tao Guangxia's eyes were full of hope.
Hearing this, Jiang Wenxin looked at him but fell silent.
Because she couldn't give him an answer.
Only Shen Siyuan could answer that question.
In fact, this was the very reason she wanted to invite him to dinner tonight.
They had lost all hope, but now they suddenly saw a glimmer of light. How could they possibly be willing to let go?
After a long while, Jiang Wenxin said softly, "Doudou is Mr.
Shen's Dharma Protector now. Everything she has was given by Mr.
Shen. Without him, Doudou is just an ordinary little child."
In truth, even without Jiang Wenxin saying it, Tao Guangxia knew this in his heart.
But he just couldn't help but ask, wanting her to give him a different answer.
The two fell into a long silence again.
Just then, another gust of Yin Wind blew inside the house, gently brushing against the tips of their hair.
The two, who had looked somber just a moment ago, couldn't help but break into smiles.
"Did you tell Mr. Shen about your cousin?"
"I did. We've scheduled it for next Wednesday."
"That's good.
I hope it works out between them. That way, we'll be family."
"Mhm…"
*
Shen Siyuan walked leisurely into the Residential Complex, carrying the things he had bought from the Supermarket.
Arriving downstairs from his building, he subconsciously glanced at the spot where Lu Guanchang always was, but he didn't see Old Man Lu. It seemed he hadn't found his Daughter and Ex-wife yet.
How long had it been since they were in contact, for a whole day to pass with no news? Shen Siyuan couldn't figure out Lu Guanchang's thinking. He was the one who abandoned his wife and daughter back then, and now that he was dead, he couldn't let go.
What kind of deep affection was he pretending to have?
Perhaps it wasn't that he couldn't let go, but simply that he was unreconciled.
Shen Siyuan guessed to himself, then walked into the building and got on the Elevator.
After getting out of the Elevator, he walked towards his room.
Shen Siyuan lived in an Apartment building where each floor was laid out like a square donut, with the Elevator in the center and apartments along the four sides.
There were four units on each side, so there were sixteen units per floor. The residents here were basically all tenants, a motley collection of all sorts of people.
However, the residential complex's Property Management was quite good. Everything from sanitation and security to public facilities was well-maintained.
Just as Shen Siyuan was about to open his door and go inside, he suddenly turned his head and looked towards the corner diagonally opposite him.
"Stop hiding. I see you. Come on out."
But no one responded, and no one came out.
The entire hallway fell silent, and the Motion-sensor Light went out.
Just as Shen Siyuan was growing impatient and was about to go inside again, a Dark Shadow appeared at the end of the hallway.
Its appearance didn't trigger the Motion-sensor Light.
"That was you last night, too, wasn't it?"
Shen Siyuan reached out and opened his door, and the hallway's Motion-sensor Light turned on again.
Only then did he notice that standing at the end of the hallway was a Little Girl of about twelve or thirteen. She was slim, had her hair in a Ponytail, and was wearing a white, blue-trimmed Short-sleeved T-shirt and a pair of blue Shorts.
This was the unique Elementary School Uniform of Binhai, which Shen Siyuan often saw on his way to and from work.
The Little Girl looked wary, watching Shen Siyuan from a distance.
Her body was angled slightly to the side, as if she were ready to flee at any moment.
When Shen Siyuan questioned her, she didn't answer, merely giving a slight nod.
If Shen Siyuan hadn't been watching her closely, he might not have even noticed the movement.
"Her name is Doudou.
She's so fast, yet you were able to keep up with her," Shen Siyuan added.
So this Little Girl had followed Doudou back last night.
That little thing was so clueless, she had no idea she was being followed.
But this Little Girl was also very cautious.
She hadn't revealed her form at all. Shen Siyuan had only discovered her by chance when he came out of the Bathroom after a shower.
"Want to come in and sit for a while?" Shen Siyuan said.
Shen Siyuan pushed the door open and walked Inside the House, but he didn't close it.
Seeing this, the Little Girl hesitated for a moment, then took a gentle step forward. Her body immediately drifted forward, arriving at the doorway in an instant.
She peeked Inside the House and saw Shen Siyuan had already put down his bags and was drinking from a cup. After a moment's hesitation, she stepped inside.
She stood by the door, looking timidly at Shen Siyuan. After a long pause, she finally spoke: "Hello, Uncle."
"Call me 'Big Brother.
' Don't worry, I'm not a bad person," Shen Siyuan said, putting down his cup.
"Hello, Big Brother."
The Little Girl was very obedient and immediately said it again.
"What's your name, and how old are you?" Shen Siyuan asked.
"Yin Xingyue. I'm thirteen."
"Thirteen? Then you should be in your First Year of Middle School," Shen Siyuan said.
In reality, he could tell from her uniform that she was still in elementary school; he had said that on purpose.
Sure enough, as soon as Shen Siyuan finished speaking, the Little Girl immediately said, "I'm only in the Sixth Grade."
"Oh, I see.
So young, how did you die? Was it an accident?" Shen Siyuan asked gently.
He walked towards her.
The Little Girl immediately took a few steps back, nearly shrinking into the wall.
But Shen Siyuan walked past her, merely closing the door behind him.
The moment the door closed, the Little Girl seemed to get a fright, and her entire being vanished through the wall.
After a moment, she cautiously reappeared, her head lowered, not saying a word, as if she had done something wrong.
"Are you afraid of closed doors?" Shen Siyuan asked.
Yin Xingyue once again nodded lightly.
"Can you tell me why?" Shen Siyuan asked in a soft voice.
The Little Girl raised her head and just stood there by the doorway, watching Shen Siyuan from afar.
Shen Siyuan didn't beckon her further inside. This Little Girl was very guarded; standing by the door probably made her feel a bit safer.