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

Further on was another circle, inside which were the former soldiers from the South China Sea. Their weapons had been confiscated, and they were sandwiched between cavalry from the Western Regions, heading towards the military camp.

They will be incorporated into the army of the Western Regions, scattered and assigned to various camps. From then on, they will no longer be soldiers of the South China Sea, but belong to the Flame Devouring Kingdom of the Western Regions.

Some soldiers from the Western Regions stayed behind. They dispersed along the coastline and collected all the large and small ships that the people from the South China Sea had brought into the dock.

These merchant ships, warships, and multi-ships that once belonged to the various countries of the South China Sea will henceforth belong to the Western Regions.

This trip was very fruitful.

Ashina's gloomy mood, which had been lingering since he learned that a celestial being was helping Da Yan, finally brightened up.

He reached up and wiped the rain from his face, then looked up at the sky—

The clouds seemed thinner than in the morning, and a faint, hazy light peeked through the horizon.

Upon arriving in the capital, the latest developments in the Great Flame Emperor's throne and the news from the South China Sea further excited him.

An opportunity! This is a golden opportunity!

……

Modern-day Jiangcheng (River City).

Along the familiar streets of Jiangcheng, the bare branches of the plane trees are covered with a thin layer of snow, gleaming with a pale golden light under the streetlights.

The car drove into the underground parking lot of the Times Building. The warm yellow motion sensor lights lit up in rows in front of the car and then turned off in rows behind it.

Uncle Liu parked the car steadily in its designated parking space, turned off the engine, and the hum of the engine slowly dissipated in the quiet parking lot.

It's already past eight o'clock.

Lin Ye lowered his head and gently patted Xiao Douzi's shoulder.

She curled up in the back seat, sleeping soundly with her head on his knees, a smile still lingering on her lips.

Little Douzi covered his eyes with his hands, mumbled an "uh," and rubbed his face against the sleeve of Lin Ye's coat, almost falling asleep again.

"Didn't Little Douzi want to get up and eat squirrel-shaped mandarin fish?"

Upon hearing the words "squirrel-shaped mandarin fish," she instantly snapped awake. Her eyes snapped open, and she sat bolt upright, her ahoge (cowlick) even twitching.

The stomach finally started growling, its sound unusually loud in the already quiet carriage. Xiao Douzi paused for a moment, then chuckled twice while clutching her stomach.

She couldn't wait to get out of the car, grabbed Lin Ye, and rushed towards the elevator. Her snow boots made a dull thud on the concrete of the parking lot.

Lin Ye had just fished the dinosaur doll out of the seat along with the rabbit balloon tied to it when Xiao Douzi pulled him away.

He didn't resist, and followed Xiao Douzi's movements forward. The dinosaur toy was tucked under his other arm, its tail sticking out from the crook of his arm and swaying back and forth. The rabbit balloon also swayed along with it.

As soon as she entered the house, the entryway light automatically turned on, sensing her pushing the door open.

Zhou Ran poked her head out of the kitchen and had just said, "Miss is back," when she was interrupted by the sound of Xiao Douzi's footsteps running towards the dining room.

Xiao Douzi, "in the midst of his busy schedule," replied to Zhou Ran and then ran to the restaurant without delay.

The sweet and sour aroma of the squirrel-shaped mandarin fish was already wafting through the air. That rich, tangy, and savory flavor was intense, blending perfectly with the aromas of the other dishes—

The aroma of crab roe tofu, stir-fried seasonal vegetables, and a pot of corn and pork rib soup still bubbling on the stove wafted straight into people's noses.

Little Douzi quickly changed her clothes and washed her hands. After wiping them on a towel a couple of times, she cheered and sat down at the table to start tasting.

She hurriedly picked up her chopsticks and took out a piece of squirrel-shaped mandarin fish—the fish had clearly defined cuts on its body, and the whole fish looked like a golden chrysanthemum blooming on the plate.

The fish is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and when paired with a steaming hot sweet and sour sauce, it's so delicious that you'll want to swallow your tongue.

The little boy stuffed food into his mouth one chopstick after another, his cheeks puffed out like a little hamster, and his eyes narrowed into slits with satisfaction.

Then I scooped up a spoonful of crab roe tofu, the tofu was so tender it wobbled on the spoon.

She blew on it as she put it in her mouth, mumbling to Lin Ye across from her, "It's so delicious..."

Zhou Ran brought over the stewed ribs as well. Seeing how happily Xiao Douzi was eating, she couldn't help but smile, her eyes crinkling with laughter.

It was almost nine o'clock when we finished eating.

The snow was still falling outside. Looking out the French windows, the bustling night view of Jiangcheng was filtered into a gentle golden-silver hue by the snow curtain.

Little Douzi slept the whole way and isn't sleepy at all right now. Besides, she just ate and needs to digest her food, so she can't just fall asleep right away.

Lin Ye then accompanied her to the toy room to play with building blocks.

The playroom was covered with a soft, off-white carpet that made no sound when stepped on, leaving only faint marks. Lin Ye sat cross-legged on it, wearing a dark gray set of loungewear.

He poured a newly opened box of building blocks in front of the two of them, and the colorful plastic pieces scattered on the carpet like an exploding rainbow.

Building blocks are the theme of Xiaodouzi's project—a miniature amusement park.

She was building a Ferris wheel frame with red and yellow blocks, but when she got halfway there she realized the frame was crooked, so she took down two more layers and realigned it.

Lin Ye helped her build the base of the carousel.

The two chatted as they worked together.

"Godfather, Little Douzi had such a great time today! The amusement park was so much fun, but there were still so many rides we didn't get to try..."

Although she said she didn't have time to play, there was no regret in her tone.

She focused intently on closing one of the blocks before continuing, "Little Douzi wants to go to the amusement park again next time!"

"No problem, Little Douzi can go if she wants!" Lin Ye said, embedding a blue transparent building block into the roof of the carousel. Then he continued:

"The attractions at the amusement park vary depending on the season."

Seeing the little boy's bright eyes shining as he looked over, clearly showing interest, Lin Ye simply gave a brief introduction:

"It's winter now, and in another two weeks there will be a winter-limited ice sculpture exhibition, snow slides..."

"When summer comes, the water park, log flume, and other attractions will open, along with water shows..."

Little Douzi listened with great interest. The Ferris wheel support she was holding had stopped at some point. She rested her chin on her hands and stared intently at Lin Ye.

After a while, Lin Ye finished speaking, and Xiao Douzi excitedly gave her concluding remarks: "It's decided! Xiao Douzi wants to go to the amusement park this summer too!"

Lin Ye smiled and said, "Sure, Little Douzi, come find your godfather whenever you want to play, and I'll go with you."

The heart in the little boy's hand was now perfectly pieced together.

This heart shape was something she had just come up with on a whim; she picked out a few building blocks from the amusement park and pieced them together.

It's a little crooked, but the concave top and pointed heart shape at the bottom are very obvious.

She held it up and handed it to Lin Ye; the red plastic block gleamed softly under the warm yellow light of the toy room.

As she handed it over, she cleared her throat solemnly and said, "Godfather is the best! This heart is for Godfather, Little Douzi loves Godfather the most!"

As she spoke, her eyes kept glancing at Lin Ye, trying to catch his reaction.

Lin Ye smiled and accepted it. The heart-shaped building block looked particularly small in his palm, and the red block still carried the warmth of Xiao Dou's hand.

His fingers gently cupped around, enveloping it in his palm, as if he were wrapping up the little dumpling's undisguised love.

"Godfather loves Little Duzi the most too."

His voice was still deep and gentle, but it had become even more tender than before.

They continued building with the blocks, and as they built, Lin Ye suddenly remembered something else.

He looked up at Xiao Douzi and asked softly, "Xiao Douzi...do you want to be emperor?"