The hospital room, once cold and clinical, was finally warmed by the soft, shared laughter of the four people inside. The late afternoon light filtered through the curtains, casting a gentle golden hue over the white sheets, medical equipment, and the faces of those gathered. Monitors beeped steadily in the background, their rhythmic sounds blending into the comforting atmosphere like a quiet heartbeat.

The air carried the clean, sterile scent of the hospital, now softened by the warm, savory aroma of freshly prepared porridge and the subtle sweetness of baby powder. It was a space that had witnessed tears and fear, but now it held the tentative, healing joy of new beginnings and growing bonds.

Su Wanyan sat by the bed, carefully holding a bowl of warm porridge. She scooped up another spoonful, gently blew on it to cool it, and fed it to Shen Guoxing with patient care. The child opened her mouth obediently, eating the spoonful despite the light blush coloring her cheeks.

I was already a big girl in the past... Shen Guoxing thought with a quiet internal sigh, resigning herself to another spoonful. She still felt a little embarrassed being fed like this, but the warmth in Su Wanyan’s eyes made it bearable.

Mo Xingxue and Mo Yan watched the two from the sofa with soft smiles. Mo Xingxue’s expression was gentle and amused, while little Mo Yan flashed a big, gummy grin, her tiny hands waving happily. The three had already eaten earlier, so only Shen Guoxing was being tended to now.

She finished the porridge obediently, her small appetite finally satisfied after days of limited intake. Su Wanyan patted her back gently, treating her almost like a baby, and Shen Guoxing could only manage an embarrassed smile, shooting it toward Su Wanyan and the mother-daughter duo.

Mo Xingxue chuckled at the child’s reaction and shook her head in amusement. Su Wanyan also laughed softly when Shen Guoxing gave her that embarrassed look. She couldn’t resist reaching out to pat the child’s head, further embarrassing the poor girl in front of her idol. "Aunt Wanyan, you’re embarrassing me," Shen Guoxing murmured, cheeks flushing deeper.

Su Wanyan laughed warmly. "You’re not in your adolescence yet, but you’re already acting like this?" she asked playfully. "You wound me." She dramatically clutched her chest, earning a soft chuckle from Shen Guoxing.

In response, Shen Guoxing laughed, her warm, childish voice lighting up the room even more. Seeing this, Su Wanyan and Mo Xingxue chuckled along, their hearts warming at the sight of the child’s genuine laughter.

Not to be outdone, Mo Yan also smiled brightly, letting out happy coos and babbles. The three stared at the baby and laughed louder, the sound filling the room with genuine joy. Shen Guoxing looked at Mo Yan, her eyes shining with curiosity and affection.

Mo Xingxue noticed her look and couldn’t help but ask, "Does the jiejie want to hold her meimei?"

Shen Guoxing nodded shyly, a small smile gracing her lips. Mo Xingxue smiled back and glanced at Su Wanyan. Seeing Su Wanyan’s stern but tender expression as she watched the two children, Mo Xingxue shook her head tenderly. "No can do, jiejie," Su Wanyan said, acting sternly. "You just finished surgery, and you can’t lift heavy things just yet." She gestured helplessly at Mo Yan. "As you can see, your meimei is quite heavy."

Mo Yan looked like she took offense at the word and began kicking her little feet in protest. Su Wanyan laughed and said in a mock apology, "I’m sorry, I’m sorry. You’re the lightest and cutest baby." She pinched Mo Yan’s chubby cheeks gently.

Mo Yan brightened immediately, showing her gummy smile again. Su Wanyan shook her head helplessly. She’s just four months old, yet she’s so clever, she thought, already feeling a pang of heartache imagining the baby growing up.

Mo Xingxue noticed Su Wanyan’s crestfallen expression and chuckled softly, already knowing what her alpha was thinking. Su Wanyan lifted her gaze and looked at Mo Xingxue. "Hey, doesn’t it seem like we’re one big family?" she said, laughing lightly at the thought.

Hearing that, Shen Guoxing’s expression faltered for a moment before she shook her head gently. "Oh, yeah! We’re like a big happy family!" she said excitedly.

Su Wanyan chuckled and gently patted her head. "Yeah, and Xing’er is the dependable jiejie," she teased.

Shen Guoxing puffed out her cheeks. "You’re teasing me again, Aunt!" she protested, earning soft chuckles from Su Wanyan. Shen Guoxing broke out of Su Wanyan’s hold, and noticed Mo Xingxue in the corner of her eye and looked at her idol. Her idol’s face was bright red from the neck up. Shen Guoxing recalled what had happened earlier and her eyes brightened with realization.

She looked back and forth between Su Wanyan and Mo Xingxue repeatedly. Su Wanyan noticed the unnatural behavior. "You’ll break the stitches if you keep doing that," she teased.

Shen Guoxing stopped and looked incredulously at Su Wanyan, who seemed oblivious to Mo Xingxue’s red face. Shen Guoxing raised her eyebrow, and Su Wanyan playfully pinched her cheek. "What are you raising your eyebrows for?" Su Wanyan said, tugging gently.

"Ack!" Shen Guoxing let out, finally snapping Mo Xingxue out of her daze. Mo Xingxue silently cleared her throat and tried to regain her composure. "Oh, right, Yanyan," she said, breaking Su Wanyan’s childish teasing with Shen Guoxing.

"Yeah?" Su Wanyan asked softly and gently.

Mo Xingxue looked at Su Wanyan’s tender eyes, and her own softened in response. "When can Xing’er be discharged?"

Su Wanyan smiled. "Oh, she can be released on the third day," she said, continuing to stroke Shen Guoxing’s hair.

Shen Guoxing’s eyes widened. "I can finally go outside?" she asked excitedly.

Su Wanyan’s heart broke a little at the sight. Ever since Shen Guoxing was a baby, she had rarely left controlled hospital environments because of her frail health.

Whenever she did go out, it was only to another private room where she could walk around and play with toys. Still, not wanting to dampen the mood, Su Wanyan smiled gently. "Yeah, you can finally go out."

In response, Shen Guoxing’s smile turned brighter, as if rivaling the sun itself. The two women and the small baby smiled at the sight, their hearts full of quiet hope for the future.

+-+-+-+-+-+

Shen Guoxing was chatting animatedly about all the things she wanted to do and places she wanted to go once she finally got to step outside. Her small hands gestured excitedly as she spoke, her eyes sparkling with the pure wonder of a child who had spent most of her life within hospital walls.

Su Wanyan and Mo Xingxue listened patiently, mentally noting every location and activity the child mentioned, their hearts full of quiet determination to make those dreams come true.

"I also want to go to the zoo and see animals there," Shen Guoxing said, her voice bright with longing.

Su Wanyan smiled and gently tucked a stray strand of hair behind Shen Guoxing’s ear. "Then we’ll go to one," she said softly, her voice full of quiet promise. She mentally noted the request, already imagining the day they could make it happen—the three (and in the future four) of them walking through the exhibits together.

Mo Xingxue watched them with a small, fond smile, while feeding Mo Yan from a bottle. The baby suckled contentedly, her tiny hands occasionally waving as if she too was listening to her new jiejie’s dreams. Shen Guoxing continued, her voice growing more animated. "Oh, and I want to go to an aquarium park...." She glanced at Mo Xingxue and blushed shyly. "I haven’t gone there before."

Mo Xingxue smiled at her. "I too haven’t. Should we go together?" she asked gently.

Shen Guoxing brightened up immediately. "Really?!" she asked excitedly.

Mo Xingxue nodded. "Really."

Shen Guoxing smiled and looked at Su Wanyan, who returned the smile with equal warmth.

"Oh, oh, and I definitely want to go to the countryside and experience farm life!" Shen Guoxing said, her eyes practically twinkling with excitement.

Su Wanyan recalled the plot from the novel and realized with a small internal jolt—

Wait, we’re actually going to have a farm arc in the show! She widened her eyes for a moment, blinked rapidly, then shook her head and smiled wryly. Can I propose to bring Shen Guoxing with me? Su Wanyan pondered seriously.

Her thoughts were interrupted when the door suddenly opened. "Su Wanyan!" PD Xu Cui’s loud, energetic voice boomed into the room.

Startled, Su Wanyan immediately looked back. "PD?" she asked in a daze.

PD Xu Cui walked in with a big, enthusiastic smile and strode straight toward Su Wanyan, clapping his hands on her shoulders. "Bring her!" PD Xu Cui exclaimed, his eyes shining brightly, his goatee slightly messy from the day’s activities.

"Huh?" Su Wanyan let out, still dazed.

PD Xu Cui pointed excitedly at Shen Guoxing. "This precious kid—bring her to our show!" He smiled widely, practically vibrating with excitement, imaginary smoke seeming to come out of his nose from sheer enthusiasm.

Su Wanyan blinked, then looked at Shen Guoxing, who had snapped out of her own daze and nodded eagerly. Su Wanyan glanced at Mo Xingxue, silently asking for her permission with her eyes. Mo Xingxue nodded in agreement. Su Wanyan returned her gaze to PD Xu Cui and smiled wryly. "Won’t we need to go through steps first?"

PD Xu Cui straightened his posture and patted his chest proudly. "I’ll handle that," he said confidently.

Su Wanyan sighed, looked at Shen Guoxing and Mo Xingxue again—both nodding yet again—and couldn’t help but sigh once more. "Then.. we’ll have to trouble you," she said, resigned.

"Yay!" Shen Guoxing cheered, clapping her hands. PD Xu Cui’s excited voice joined hers, filling the room with their joyful noise. Su Wanyan smiled helplessly. Well, I’m sure it’ll be okay, she thought.

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

YOO-HOO, FARM ARC!

Also, guys, they kept teasing y’all as down bad gays in the server. I kept telling them, nah, you guys ain’t like that. But it was of no use as they ganged up on me... sigh...