My brother entrusted his child to me, and I livestreamed raising the baby, making the Empress cry wi

In the Great Flame Kingdom, countless people secretly peeked through cracks in doors and windows, or avoided the gaze of officials, and their hearts were filled with complex and indescribable emotions as they watched this scene.

Envy, like weeds, grows wildly in the silent soil.

[Commoner Chen Dong: Look at other people's kids...that's a proper life! Our kids, so young, already have to learn to work...but if they don't work, how can we pay our taxes...sigh...]

[Commoner Liu Bo: We're busy from morning till night, worrying ourselves sick over that little bit of tax money. Those other people, on the other hand, are really living life to the fullest.]

[Hanlin Academy scholar Yang Feng: "The elderly with gray hair and children with their hair in tufts, all enjoying themselves... Isn't this the idyllic scene described in *The Record of the Origin of the World*?"]

……

Behind the window of the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Shu Jingwei gripped the window frame so tightly that her fingernails almost broke.

She watched as Xiao Douzi laughed and played with the unfamiliar children, and watched them cooperate without any barriers.

Lin Ye squatted down and looked at the pile of dirty sand with such gentle and even encouraging eyes, praising Xiao Douzi for building it well.

Looking at the little one's dazzling smile that lit up with praise...

Suddenly, her mind was flooded with memories of her distant, bleak childhood.

It was a sunny afternoon when she saw a small pile of damp soil left by the gardener after he had turned over the soil in a secluded corner of the Imperial Garden.

She crouched down and carefully touched it. The unique texture of the soil—cool yet supple—intrigued her.

Little Shu Jingwei picked up some soil with her hands, wanting to mold a little person.

She was completely absorbed, forgetting the time and the place, and as she kneaded, a rare, childlike smile appeared on her face.

However, this smile was quickly shattered by a sharp sneer.

"Hey! Come and see! Our 'Princess Jingwei' is playing in the mud!" A prince, two years older than her, led several members of the imperial family over. As if he had discovered something unusual, he pointed at her and laughed loudly.

"It's filthy! It's just like that lowly creature that loves this filth!" Another prince pinched his nose, looking disgusted.

"Exactly! She doesn't act like a princess at all! She looks like a peasant!"

She was so frightened that she quickly pulled her hand back, her little hand covered in mud hiding helplessly behind her back. Her face flushed red instantly, then turned pale.

She wanted to defend herself, to say that the soil wasn't dirty, to say that she just... just thought it was fun.

But amidst those disdainful and mocking gazes, she couldn't utter a single word, only feeling an overwhelming sense of shame and coldness.

To make matters worse, her father, the emperor, also appeared at some point.

He saw her hidden, muddy hands, saw the crooked, unformed clay figure on the ground, and heard the princes' merciless laughter.

The emperor's face instantly darkened, and his eyes showed only undisguised disappointment and disgust as he looked at her.

"As a princess, you have no ambition, behave vulgarly, and associate with filth. What kind of behavior is this!" Her father's voice was icy, like a whip lashing at her.

"It seems I have neglected to discipline you! Go back and copy the 'Admonitions for Women' ten times! You are not to leave your bedchamber without my permission!"

No one cared about her grievances and sadness, and no one would squat down to look at the clay figures she sculpted and praise her, saying, "You sculpted them very well, they're great!"

All that remained were cold rebukes and punishments, and the condescending, gloating gazes of those around him.

That scene, along with the cold, sticky feeling of the mud on her hands, and the bone-chilling shame and helplessness she felt at that moment, were deeply etched into her memory.

Meanwhile, in the sky, Ye Ling'er was playing with the "dirty" sand, getting sand all over her skirt.

But no one laughed at her, no one scolded her.

Her "companions" played with her, and Lin Ye just watched with a smile, even praising and recording her "achievements".

Why should I?!

Intense bitterness mixed with overwhelming jealousy corroded Shu Jingwei's heart like sulfuric acid.

She abruptly stepped back from the window, as if the heartwarming scene had burned her eyes.

His chest heaved violently, and he was breathing rapidly.

No! That's not right! This isn't correct!

"He did it on purpose... He must have done it on purpose!" Shu Jingwei gritted her teeth and growled in the empty Yangxin Hall, her voice hoarse, like a wounded wild beast.

"That fiend Lin Ye! He's using this hypocritical tenderness to ruin my daughter! He's making her lose her royal dignity and turn her into someone like those unruly commoners, utterly ignorant of rules and shame!"

She twisted all warmth and joy into the deepest malice.

It was as if only by imagining the other party's motives to be malicious enough could she offset the overwhelming embarrassment and pain in her heart.

She refused to admit that the image touched her deepest, most hidden wounds, and refused to acknowledge that it was actually full of genuine joy and love.

She preferred to believe it was a malicious fabrication.

"Yes! That's it! He wants to turn my daughter into a useless piece of trash! A useless piece of trash who only knows how to have fun! Once she's no longer of use, he'll throw her away like garbage!"

Shu Jingwei repeated herself nervously, as if reinforcing the walls in her heart.

However, her slightly trembling fingers and the fleeting blankness and emptiness in her eyes, which she herself did not notice, betrayed something.

……

Time flows quietly across the sky.

After playing in the sand, the children started chasing the waves in the shallow water, collecting the novel seashells and conches washed ashore by the tide.

Lin Ye kept watch from a distance, sometimes reminding them to be careful, and sometimes taking the "trophies" that Xiao Douzi handed over like treasures and examining them carefully.

As the sun gradually sets, it paints the sea and sky in a magnificent golden-red hue.

Tired from playing, Xiao Douzi, covered in the scent of sand, seawater, and sunshine, ran to Lin Ye's side.

Lin Ye wrapped her in a large bath towel, gently wiped the sand off her face and hair, and then picked her up in his arms.

The little boy naturally wrapped his arms around his neck, rested his head on his shoulder, yawned slightly, and had a flushed face from exercise and a satisfied, tired smile on his face.

Lin Ye carried her along the beach, where the sunset cast long shadows, and slowly walked towards the white villa.

Their figures gradually shrank in the twilight, blending into the warm lights of the villa.

[Live stream has ended.]

……

The image on the sky finally settled on a heartwarming silhouette of people returning home under the setting sun, before slowly fading away.

The light faded and finally disappeared completely into the enveloping night.

……

Inside the villa.

Lin Ye gently placed the little girl, who was exhausted from playing and had finished washing up and was already asleep in his arms, on the soft bed, covered her with a light blanket, and dimmed the lights.

The little guy smacked his lips in his sleep, a slight smile on his face, probably dreaming of the beach and waves during the day.

Lin Ye gently closed the door and walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window in the living room.

Outside the window, there is the dazzling night view of Sanya and the deep sea in the distance, with the sound of waves faintly audible.

With a slight thought, the pale blue system interface unfolded before his eyes.

[Live stream settlement in progress, please wait...]

Lin Ye looked at the system settlement interface with some excitement.

The time has come to test the results of his previous withholding!

I wonder how much shock value we'll get this time?

He had a strong premonition.

He can go pick up Ye Fan and take him home right away!