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

Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, a biting wind howled, and the city lights flickered on and off. But inside this toy room, the underfloor heating made it warm and cozy.

The building blocks and plush toys scattered quietly on the carpet, casting soft shadows in the warm light, as if they too were listening to something.

Lin Ye looked down at Xiao Douzi's earnest eyes, which reflected the warm yellow light of the toy room and his own slightly stunned face.

An indescribable feeling of emotion welled up in my heart.

It's like the water slowly rising in the mountain stream when the ice and snow melt in spring, silently overflowing into your heart.

The five-year-old girl in front of me can't even write the character "皇" (huang, meaning emperor) properly yet.

She didn't even know what an emperor was or what it entailed... She had no idea how many memorials an emperor had to review, how many ministers he had to meet, or how many truthful yet falsehoods he had to listen to...

They also didn't know if the Great Flame existed in this world, how big the Great Flame was, or how many people lived there...

Even so, he had already decided to take over the emperor's responsibilities.

It wasn't because becoming emperor would allow her to do whatever she wanted, nor because becoming emperor would ensure she would never be bullied again, but because—

When the emperor can protect him...

These words were like a light feather, landing on a string in his heart that had been taut for a long time. That string vibrated with a "hum," and could never return to calm.

This reminded him of someone.

There was once someone who would always stand in front of him and protect him without asking any questions—

That's Ye Fan.

When they were children in the orphanage courtyard, Ye Fan was half a head taller than him, and his shoulders were also a head wider.

The orphanage courtyard was always drab and dusty. In the corner, there were several pots of roses planted by the headmistress. After the flowering season, only dry branches remained, swaying in the wind.

Since the headmistress was alone, she couldn't take care of him in every way, so there would always be boys taller than him cornering him, pushing his shoulders, and snatching his things.

Whenever this happened, Ye Fan would run over and stand in front of him, even though he couldn't beat those people himself, he just wouldn't lower his hands.

Finally, he secretly went to call the dean, who gave those boys a severe scolding, which made them never dare to bully others again.

And that time, Ye Fan rushed over without thinking to save him after he accidentally fell from the locust tree.

Ye Fan's arm was pinned down by him, and his little finger slammed hard on the ground. At that time, they had no money for treatment and dared not tell the hospital director, so they could only wait for it to heal on its own.

That bone grew crooked as a result, leaving a lifelong mark.

He was so scared that he cried, his face covered in tears, and he couldn't stop crying.

Ye Fan glanced at his hand, then looked up and comforted him, "It's okay, I'm glad you're alright. Just be more careful next time."

Ye Fan was like an older brother to him, protecting and guiding him.

They all grew up a bit later, but he grew slowly and was always thinner and smaller than other children his age. During his holidays, he wanted to work to earn tuition fees, but no place would hire him.

Ye Fan simply took on an extra job, and each time he received his wages, he would share half with him, saying it was to pay for his tuition.

He refused, so Ye Fan stuffed the money into his backpack, punched him lightly with his fist, and grinned.

"Here you go! We're going to college together! You can't fall behind me. This is nothing, pay me back when you make a lot of money in the future."

Ye Fan said it was nothing, but his hands were covered in calluses from work, and he was also much tanned.

He almost cried again, but in the end, for the sake of his pride, he held back. To hide his emotions, he shouted loudly at Ye Fan's departing figure:

"Fanzi, you just wait! When I make a fortune, I'll buy you a car! I'll buy you a big villa!"

Hearing this, Ye Fan turned around and waved at him, "Okay, I'll be waiting!"

……

Finally, in order to rescue him from a car accident and his coma, Ye Fan accepted a system mission to go to Da Yan. There are countless other examples like this.

To him, Ye Fan was a brother and an elder brother. They were not related by blood, but Ye Fan, like the dean, was one of his most important family members.

He has long been able to stand on his own.

He has transformed from a little boy who was cornered in an alley and dared not fight back into the richest man in Jiangcheng, a man who can dominate the business world and strike fear into the hearts of countless people.

Today, every decision he makes can affect the fate of countless people, and even reshape an entire industry...

He was prepared to protect everyone, including the director, the children at the orphanage, and Ye Fan.

He built a new building for the orphanage, provided for the care of the director, and sent each of the children who were as thin and small as he was back then to the best schools...

He thought he could protect everyone behind him, just like Ye Fan protected him back then.

But in the end, he still couldn't protect Ye Fan...

Therefore, he spared no effort to give Ye Fan's bloodline the best life and the most stable future.

He originally looked down on the Great Flame Kingdom, but now that he's decided to give it to her, he'll make it her strongest support.

That way, even if something were to happen to him in this world, at least in another world, there would be an entire country standing behind her.

He never imagined that Xiao Douzi's final decision to become emperor wasn't to make everyone listen to her, nor to protect herself from being bullied, but to protect him...

This answer was like a blunt knife, not sharp, yet it pressed down on the softest spot in his heart with both gentleness and force.

Since he recovered from his car accident and Ye Fan went to the Great Flame, no one has ever said they would protect him again...

The people around him showed him awe, flattery, and fear. But not a single one of them would say to him, "I want to protect you."

Because nobody felt he needed protection. He was too strong, so strong that everyone took it for granted that he could face and solve everything.

While this is indeed the case, very occasionally, he would feel somewhat lonely and tired.

But the little girl in front of him, who is only five years old, is now looking up at him with a serious expression and saying: I want to raise my godfather and protect him.

Looking at the little dumpling, Lin Ye seemed to see, in a daze, the person who had stood before him with open arms many years ago. His eyes welled up with tears.

He rubbed his temples to suppress the heat, then bent down and reached out to pull the small bag in front of him into his arms.

She was so small, and when he held her in his arms, she looked like a little sparrow wrapped in the feathers of a large bird.

Her soft hair brushed against his chin, carrying a faint scent of shampoo.

Lin Ye pulled her closer to him, resting his chin on the tuft of hair sticking up on her head, and said, "Okay! Then godfather will protect Xiao Douzi as she grows up, and when Xiao Douzi becomes strong, she will protect godfather!"

Little Douzi solemnly nodded twice and added, "Godfather, you have to wait for me. Little Douzi will definitely work hard!"

Lin Ye released her from his arms, raised his hand to ruffle her hair, and gazed tenderly into her earnest eyes: "Okay, Godfather will wait."