Hong Kong variety show: The mastermind behind the scenes is emerging.

After dinner, the night outside the window grew deeper.

Li Xin'er wiped the grease from Ou Yong'en's mouth, buttoned up her coat hood again, and turned to Ruan Mei: "Mr. Lu, Mrs. Lu, we've really troubled you today. It's getting late, so we'll take our leave now."

Ruan Mei also stood up: "Be careful on the road. Bring Yong En to play again next time you have time."

Li Xin'er responded and bent down to take Ou Yong'en's hand: "Yong'en, say goodbye to Uncle Lu and Aunt Lu, we should go home now."

However, Ou Yongen did not move.

She stood next to Lu Qian, head down, her two small hands clutching the hem of his clothes so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

"Yong'en?" Li Xin'er called again, bending down slightly to pick up Ou Yong'en. "Be good, it's getting dark, we need to go back."

But to everyone's surprise, Ou Yongen, who was always well-behaved and obedient, suddenly burst into tears, her little face scrunched up and tears streaming down her face.

"No...don't go..." She clutched the hem of her clothes tightly, refusing to let go. "I want to stay with Brother Qian..."

Li Xin'er panicked and tried to comfort her while pulling her close, but the moment she touched Ou Yong'en's arm, the little girl cried even harder, her voice soft and hoarse, with a pleading tone: "Mommy... I don't want to go... I want to stay with Brother Qian..."

Li Xin'er tried to coax him for a long time in a flurry of activity to no avail, and her eyes welled up with tears.

Just as the stalemate was reaching its peak, Lu Qian suddenly looked up, his head spinning as if he had come up with a good idea. He gently patted Ou Yong'en's back: "Yong'en, don't cry, wait for me, okay?"

Ou Yongen sobbed, looking at him with teary eyes, and actually slowly let go of his hand.

Then, Xiao Luqian ran upstairs with a "da da da" sound, and after a while, he ran back down, carrying an exquisite Armor Warrior figurine.

Xiao Luqian ran up to Ou Yongen and handed her the figurine: "Yongen, this is for you."

Ou Yongen stared at him blankly, glistening tears still clinging to her long eyelashes.

"I used to be scared when I slept alone," Xiao Luqian explained earnestly. "Then my mom gave me this, saying it could protect me, and I'm not scared anymore. Now I'm giving it to you—so it can protect you."

Ou Yongen blinked her red eyes, looked at the armored warrior, then at Lu Qian, and then reached out and carefully took the figurine, holding it tightly in her arms as if she were holding something very important.

"...Thank you, Brother Qian." Her voice was still trembling with tears, but it was much calmer than before.

Seeing this scene, Li Xin'er's throat tightened, and a myriad of emotions welled up in her eyes. She reached out and lovingly stroked her daughter's hair.

"Yong'en," Ruan Mei walked over, squatted down, and said gently, "Maybe Mom will bring you here to play again next time?"

Ou Yongen hugged the armored warrior, looked at Ruan Mei, then at Lu Qian, and finally nodded obediently.

Jian Aowei stood at the door watching this scene and nodded to Lu Chen. Lu Chen also nodded slightly, without saying anything more.

Li Xin'er led Ou Yong'en outside, but after a few steps, Ou Yong'en turned back and waved to Xiao Luqian: "Brother Qian... goodbye."

"Goodbye!" Little Lu Qian waved to her. "Next time we come, let's ride horses again!"

Ou Yongen nodded vigorously before leaving with her mother. Jian Aowei bowed to Lu Chen and his wife before turning and following the mother and daughter.

In the darkness, the small figure, holding her mother's hand in one hand and carrying the Armor Warrior figurine in the other, walked towards the Mercedes-Benz parked by the fountain, turning back every few steps.

The taillights lit up on the driveway of the manor, and the car slowly drove out of the gate, disappearing into the twilight along the winding mountain road.

Lu Chen stood on the steps, quietly watching the light disappear into the distance. Then he looked down at little Lu Qian, who was still standing at the door, looking up at the direction the car had disappeared in. His mature-looking appearance was quite amusing.

"Qianzai," Ruan Mei walked over, squatted down, and patted her son's head, "You did very well today."

Little Lu Qian looked up, his eyes sparkling: "Mommy, will Yong En come again?"

"Yes, would you welcome her?"

"Of course you're welcome!" Xiao Luqian nodded without hesitation. "She has a beautiful smile."

Ruan Mei smiled and ruffled his hair. Seeing this, Ba Wanghua bent down and picked up little Lu Qian: "Qianzi is really amazing today. He calmed his sister down in no time."

Little Lu Qian was a little embarrassed by the praise, but he proudly puffed out his chest.

However, his smugness lasted less than two seconds before a soft voice came from the side—Lu Chen leaned against the doorframe, looking at him with a half-smile: "Alright, now that you've given away all the Armor Warriors, how are you going to sleep tonight? Aren't you scared?"

Xiao Luqian's expression froze for a moment.

……

At 9 p.m., Jian Aowei safely escorted Li Xin'er and her daughter home.

"Oswald, thank you so much for today. You should go home and get some rest too." Li Xin'er smiled and said goodbye to Jian Aowei, then squatted down and gently patted her daughter's shoulder. "Yong'en, we're home. Wake up."

Ou Yongen opened her eyes groggily and mumbled an "hmm," but before her gaze could focus, she leaned back into her mother's arms.

Perhaps because she had enjoyed herself too much at the manor today, and because of the emotional ups and downs when she left, Ou Yongen fell asleep in Li Xiner's arms shortly after getting in the car and didn't wake up until they got off.

Seeing this, Li Xin'er smiled helplessly and had no choice but to bend down and carry her home. Then she gently led her into the bathroom, squeezed out the toothpaste, and handed her the toothbrush.

"Come on, open your mouth, ah—"

Ou Yongen opened her mouth, her eyes half-closed, and brushed her teeth a couple of times, leaving a mouthful of toothpaste foam inside. Li Xin'er was both amused and exasperated. She poured her a glass of water, coaxed her to rinse her mouth, and then wiped her face with a damp towel.

"Mom... sleepy..." By this time, Ou Yongen was completely drowsy, mumbling as she snuggled into her mother's arms.

"Okay, okay, Mommy will carry you to sleep."

Li Xin'er carried her back to the small bed, took off her coat and shoes, and covered her with a blanket.

Ou Yongen's right hand was still tightly gripping the Armor Warrior figurine. Li Xin'er reached out to try to pull the figurine out of her hand, but as soon as she moved, Ou Yongen frowned and mumbled, "Brother Qian... mine," before clenching her fingers even tighter.

Li Xin'er paused slightly and sighed softly. This child probably sees that figurine as her little hero who will protect her.

Li Xin'er didn't touch the figurine anymore. She gently tucked the blanket around her daughter, then bent down and placed a careful kiss on her daughter's forehead before gently closing the door.

Under the warm yellow nightlight, Ou Yongen hugged the armored warrior tightly, sleeping like a little snail curled up in its shell.

……

Under the same night sky, at the Lu Family Manor.

Xiao Luqian's room is on the second floor, east side. Moonlight shines through the white gauze curtains and spreads a light silver-gray layer on the floor.

The room was quiet, except for the ticking of the second hand of the luminous clock on the wall.

Little Lu Qian lay on the bed, covered with a blanket, his big eyes wide open, staring blankly at the ceiling.

Now, at five years old, he has been sleeping alone for a whole year. During this year, he has slept very well, never fussing or being afraid, and he still does so today...

For some reason, whenever he closed his eyes, his mind kept replaying his father's wicked teasing.

The shadows of the trees outside the window swayed gently in the breeze, and reflected on the ceiling through the sheer curtains, resembling a giant, menacing hand. Xiao Luqian stared at the shadow for a while, then suddenly rolled over, pulled the blanket over his head, and curled up into a ball.

After a few seconds of silence, he suddenly threw off the covers and sat up, pulling his small pillow and the thin blanket with the little dinosaur print off the bed. Barefoot, he stepped onto the floor and walked to the large dog basket in the corner.

Sprite was awakened by his footsteps. She groggily looked up at him and seemed to understand her little master's thoughts. She moved her big head over and thoughtfully made room for him.

Little Lu Qian put the pillow in the gap, crawled in, and then folded the small blanket and covered himself. Cola was woken up by Little Lu Qian's movements, yawned, slowly stood up, turned around, and then lay down next to Little Lu Qian, resting her chin on his forearm.

With two large dogs sandwiched between him, Xiao Luqian finally felt at ease.

He closed his eyes, reached out and hugged Cola's neck, buried his face in its warm fur, and his breathing quickly became long and even.

A night breeze blew in through the half-open window, carrying the faint fragrance of magnolias from the garden, and passed through the darkness.

The three shadows huddled together in the doghouse, shrinking into a warm, dark patch under the moonlight, becoming the most peaceful corner of the night.