When Xiao Xingxing learned more words, He Lanxiang hoped she would interact more with children her age.

Huguang Mansion was a villa district developed in the 1990s with many children. When she had time, Ruan Sixian would take Xiao Xingxing there to find He Lanxiang, and then three generations would go to the lawn together to make friends.

As always, Xiao Xingxing wasn’t actively enthusiastic, but just standing there attracted other children’s attention.

Seeing her granddaughter attracting people with her beauty at such a young age, Madam He Lanxiang felt proud but not conceited. She patted her little arm and said — “Star, go play with the other children.”

As soon as Xiao Xingxing took a step forward, some little boys came over to talk to her.

“Hello~”

“Hello.”

The little boy’s mother squatted down, looking kindly at Xiao Xingxing while guiding her son — “Introduce yourself.”

“My name is Si Ruize,” the little boy said earnestly. “What’s your name?”

“My name is Guangzhi.”

The little boy’s mother’s smile froze. “The little sister has quite a special name.”

Ruan Sixian nearly fainted from anger. After taking Xiao Xingxing home, she went straight to Fu Mingyu’s study.

“Have you been secretly calling her Guangzhi behind my back again?!”

“I haven’t,” Fu Mingyu looked up from his computer. “What happened?”

“She introduced herself to other children today, saying her name is Guangzhi!”

“Really?” Fu Mingyu’s lips curled up slightly. “Seems she quite likes this name.”

“Fine.” Ruan Sixian took a deep breath and nodded. “I see you’re quite fond of your study. Sleep here tonight.”

After closing the study door, Ruan Sixian rubbed her temples and saw her daughter running toward the study with a book in her arms.

It looked like she wanted to find Fu Mingyu.

Ruan Sixian quickly waved to her, “Guangzhi—”

She paused, standing in place, secretly gritting her teeth.

Xiao Xingxing stopped and looked up to ask — “What are you calling me for?”

Originally, she wanted to tell her not to disturb Fu Mingyu’s work, but at this moment, Ruan Sixian was already dazed by her inadvertent use of “Guangzhi.”

“Nothing,” she looked down at her daughter. “If you get teased because of this nickname in the future, Mom will tell you it’s all your own doing.”

Xiao Xingxing ran off with an expression of “I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

The study door was gently opened, and Xiao Xingxing poked her head in.

Fu Mingyu looked up and smiled at the door — “Guangzhi, looking for Dad?”

“Mm-hmm!”

As soon as Xiao Xingxing finished speaking, a voice filled with rage came from behind.

“Fu! Ming! Yu!”

Having been caught in an entrapment, Fu Mingyu closed his computer and, passing by Xiao Xingxing, patted her head. “Dad needs to go appease Mom first.”

Xiao Xingxing sat quietly in the study all night without seeing her father return to read with her, but from the next day onward, her father indeed never called her “Guangzhi” again.

Instead, the next morning, Mom got up very late and said during breakfast — “Call her whatever you want.”

Dad shook his head. “I won’t anymore. I promised you, and I keep my word.”

Mom gave a cold laugh and said nothing more.

Another Spring Festival arrived. World Aviation Building employees battled through the New Year and finally returned home with several times their usual bonuses for a late celebration.

The corridor was quieter in the afternoon, with unhurried footsteps and the sound of rolling wheels coming from the end.

“Captain Ruan!”

Bai Yang was now the manager of the Flight Planning Department. Having just finished a meeting, he came out of the office with his assistant and saw Ruan Sixian, quickly calling out to her.

“The Chief Pilot has made major adjustments to the New Year flight schedule. Have you seen it? What do you think?”

“It’s fine.”

Ruan Sixian answered casually, then looked down and noticed the ring on his hand. “I heard you’re getting married too?”

“Yes.” He looked down at the little girl following Ruan Sixian. “Is Xiao Xingxing out of school?”

Xiao Xingxing was now a student in the Cherry Class of kindergarten.

“Mm-hmm.”

Bai Yang wore a well-tailored suit and lightly pushed up his glasses. He had once captured the hearts of many unmarried women at World Aviation.

Ruan Sixian looked down and teased Xiao Xingxing — “Is Uncle Bai Yang handsome?”

Bai Yang straightened his tie, looking at her with a smile.

Xiao Xingxing stared at Bai Yang, blinked, and said — “It’s okay.”

Bai Yang — “…”

“We’ll be heading over now,” Ruan Sixian said a bit awkwardly to Bai Yang. “Those new glasses suit you well.”

Seeing that Bai Yang seemed a bit hurt, Ruan Sixian turned and said in a lowered voice — “Little parrot spirit, let’s go!”

But just as she was about to step forward, Ruan Sixian felt her flight case become heavy. Looking back, she saw that Xiao Xingxing had somehow sat on top of her flight case, holding onto the handle with her legs crossed.

“Let’s go, Mom.”

Ruan Sixian closed her eyes and sighed. “Little lazy bug, hasn’t Mom told you that a flight case isn’t a stroller?”

This wasn’t the first time Ruan Sixian had called her a little lazy bug.

Although this child appeared to be a person with her own ideas, she actually became lazier as she grew older. Ruan Sixian even suspected that Xiao Xingxing’s reluctance to speak in her early years was purely due to laziness.

One afternoon, Ruan Sixian prepared porridge for Xiao Xingxing and placed it in front of her child-sized dining chair. Xiao Xingxing sat down but didn’t move, looking up at Ruan Sixian.

“Eat by yourself, okay?” Ruan Sixian patted her head. “You’ve already learned to use a spoon on your own.”

But as soon as Ruan Sixian turned and walked away, Xiao Xingxing looked toward Fu Mingyu.

Seemingly feeling her gaze, Fu Mingyu put down his phone, exchanged a glance with her, and stood up to walk over.

By the time Ruan Sixian came downstairs, Fu Mingyu’s bowl of oatmeal porridge was already almost empty.

The man sat in front of the child’s dining chair, feeding her one spoonful at a time, his movements very gentle.

“You…” Ruan Sixian grumbled in annoyance. “How old is she now, and you’re still feeding her?”

Fu Mingyu wiped Xiao Xingxing’s mouth with a napkin, and as he rose and passed by Ruan Sixian, he said softly — “How old are you now, and sometimes don’t I still need to feed you?”

Ruan Sixian — “…”

“Whatever you like.”

After dinner, Ruan Sixian and Fu Mingyu changed their clothes, preparing to take Xiao Xingxing out to play.

Today was originally going to be busy, but because a materials meeting that Fu Mingyu had scheduled was canceled due to the manufacturer’s inability to attend on time, he simply freed up his time to go home and accompany his wife and child.

Therefore, there was no planning.

Ruan Sixian, while putting on her coat, asked — “Star, where do you want to go play today?”

Xiao Xingxing lowered her head, her two small hands impatiently tugging at the slightly tight belt on her clothes — “Whatever you like.”

Ruan Sixian — “…”

Fu Mingyu — “…”

In the end, they conventionally took Xiao Xingxing to a theme park.

With her small arms and legs, the child couldn’t run or jump much, so she was carried by Fu Mingyu the entire time, turning her eyeballs to observe her surroundings.

Ruan Sixian saw many children wearing various animal ears on their heads, so she also ran to the store and chose a pair of small deer antlers.

“Mom spent a long time choosing,” Ruan Sixian waved the deer antlers in front of Xiao Xingxing. “Star, do you like them?”

Xiao Xingxing blinked and nodded.

“It’s okay.”

Ruan Sixian — “…?”

Xiao Xingxing turned her head to look at the distant castle, leaving Ruan Sixian staring blankly at the deer antlers in her hand.

A few seconds later, she heard a soft laugh.

“Is it funny?” Ruan Sixian raised her hand and placed the deer antlers on Fu Mingyu’s head. “Don’t waste them.”

Surrounded by crowded tourists shoulder to shoulder, Fu Mingyu frowned. “Take them off.”

Ruan Sixian pretended not to hear, turning to look at the castle ahead.

“It’s so beautiful—ah!”

Something was suddenly placed on her head. Ruan Sixian was about to turn to look at the culprit when she heard Xiao Xingxing giggling.

Fine then.

All for a laugh.

Ruan Sixian pressed the deer antlers on her head, pouting and glaring at Fu Mingyu.

“Let’s go,” Fu Mingyu carried Xiao Xingxing with one arm and held Ruan Sixian’s hand with the other. “Deer Mommy.”

This was Xiao Xingxing’s first visit to an amusement park.

When they first entered, she was twisting her body to look around, but later she just rested on Fu Mingyu’s shoulder, keeping her eyes open only to show she wasn’t asleep.

As night fell, the area in front of the castle became crowded with people and buzzing with noise.

From the observation deck upstairs, the view was clear. The moment the fireworks bloomed, the entire night sky lit up as bright as day, with exclamations of wonder rising and falling from adults and children alike.

Meanwhile, Xiao Xingxing slept soundly in her stroller.

Ruan Sixian was also a bit tired, resting her face against Fu Mingyu’s shoulder, her eyes dreamy and blurry.

“Look at your daughter. She’s going to be a difficult person to get along with when she grows up.”

“Why?” Fu Mingyu asked. “What’s wrong with that?”

Ruan Sixian didn’t speak, looking at the girl in the stroller and sighing neither heavily nor lightly.

The fireworks changed shapes in the night sky, brilliant and colorful, casting multicolored lights on Xiao Xingxing’s small face.

Even in such an environment, she still didn’t wake up.

“Our daughter doesn’t need to become smooth and adaptable. As long as I’m here, she can always have her edges and corners, always shining.”

Fu Mingyu turned to look at Ruan Sixian. “You too.”

Some child was running around recklessly and accidentally bumped into Ruan Sixian.

She was pulled into Fu Mingyu’s embrace with one arm.

“Then I have no way to repay you,” Ruan Sixian leaned against his chest. “Except to love you forever.”

Fu Mingyu lowered his head to kiss Ruan Sixian’s cheek, while she looked up at the fireworks and suddenly thought of something.

“When Guang… Star is a bit older, let’s take her to Yuan Lake Island to see the meteor shower.”

Before Fu Mingyu could speak, a sweet voice came from the stroller.

“Yes, yes!”

In August of the following year, the Perseid meteor shower fell three thousand feet directly over Yuan Lake Island.

Xiao Xingxing, now over four years old, was so excited that she rolled around on the grass, getting herself covered in mud.

She grew day by day, still not fond of talking, but healthy and active, with a sparkle often flashing in her eyes.

As parents, Ruan Sixian and Fu Mingyu finally figured out her preferences.

At six years old, she celebrated her birthday on an airplane.

The private flight was over the Arctic Ocean, and she sat in the cockpit, her small mouth half-open as she watched the aurora through the window.

By eight years old, she was already an elementary school student.

In natural science class, the teacher showed photos of lightning. That summer, on a plane to Europe, she encountered turbulence, and looking out the window, she happened to see lightning pierce through the cloud layers from the stratosphere.

Xiao Xingxing seemed greatly shocked by this sight, and even after landing, she was still looking up at the sky.

At ten years old, Ruan Sixian and Fu Mingyu took her to see the Grand Canyon in Colorado, the largest crevice on Earth.

The canyon was winding and sprawling, stretching endlessly like a giant python sealed from ancient times, crawling across the Kaibab Plateau.

At twelve years old, the family of three traveled to Africa to stand before Victoria Falls, witnessing the “roaring cloud-mist.”

Xiao Xingxing fell ill from the change in environment, but in her dreams, she still murmured — “It’s even bigger than Niagara Falls…”

Gradually, she grew taller, her legs longer, and the time she spent at home became less and less.

Ruan Sixian transferred to become a flight instructor, with more free time, but she seemed unable to keep up with Xiao Xingxing’s outward-bound steps.

At fifteen, Xiao Xingxing finally shouldered her backpack alone and ventured into the Mammoth Cave in Kentucky.

This Mammoth Cave reigns supreme in the world for its numerous, strange, and massive caverns, but how large it is remains a mystery to this day, and Xiao Xingxing didn’t know either.

At seventeen, Xiao Xingxing left her footprints in Glacier Bay, Alaska.

Glaciers flowed in the enormous bay, and Xiao Xingxing helped carve Fu Mingyu and Ruan Sixian’s names into the ice.

By the time she was eighteen, it was time to choose a university major, but Fu Mingyu and Ruan Sixian seemed unable to intervene.

The long summer days made everyone languid.

The two sat in lounge chairs on the balcony, sunbathing. An orange cat jumped onto Fu Mingyu’s leg, stretching its neck to lick Ruan Sixian’s hand.

They looked through the photo album. Over the years, the pictures Xiao Xingxing had sent were a jumble, but they could be made into an album called “World Wonders.”

Closing the album, Xiao Xingxing sent new photos.

Today, she had captured the Leo constellation from the Mauna Kea Observatory.

This blue planet beneath her feet seemed no longer able to satisfy her.

Their Xiao Xingxing had begun to shine brightly.