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

Suddenly, the doorbell rang in the sky.

Lin Ye turned around to open the door.

A man in his early thirties, tall and slender, stood at the door, wearing a dark gray cashmere coat with a dark blue scarf casually draped over his neckline.

He held a little girl's hand with his left hand and carried a crystal gift box tied with a bow in his right hand.

The little girl had two pigtails, one sticking out to the left and one sticking out to the right. She wore an orange jacket, with a section of the collar of a light yellow dress peeking out from underneath. Her round eyes were curiously peering into the house, and she was holding a small gift box in her hand.

"Chen Feng, it's been a long time," Lin Ye said with a smile, extending his fist.

"Ah Ye! It's been a long time. I just got back to Jiangcheng, so this is perfect timing." Mu Chenfeng said, extending his fist to lightly bump with him.

Her gaze then fell upon the little girl in the princess dress beside him, and her eyes lit up. "This is your goddaughter? She's so beautiful! Those eyes are exactly like Ye Fan's!"

"Yes, her name is Ye Ling'er." Lin Ye said as he squatted down and introduced her to Xiao Douzi: "This is Uncle Mu Chenfeng, who is both Xiao Douzi's godfather and a friend of Xiao Douzi's father."

"Hello, Uncle Mu." Little Douzi greeted him politely, looking curiously at the little girl beside him.

"Ling'er is so good!" Mu Chenfeng smiled and patted Xiaodouzi's head, then pulled his daughter over. "Come here, Duoduo, this is your little sister Ling'er, she's the birthday girl today. Say happy birthday!"

"Happy birthday, Ling'er!" The little girl named Duoduo's voice was clear and bright, showing no shyness whatsoever.

He then handed over a beautifully packaged small box.

"My name is Mu Duoduo. This is a gift, not for my dad. I prepared it myself! If you accept my gift, we're good friends!"

Under Lin Ye's encouraging gaze, Xiao Douzi slowly reached out both hands, took the box, and hugged it to her chest.

Two rosy blushes appeared on her fair cheeks, and her voice trembled slightly, but she enunciated each word clearly: "I...I'm Ye Ling'er, thank you, Sister Duoduo!"

She was still a little shy, but her eyes were bright and full of anticipation.

Sister Duoduo is a friend! Her new friend!

They weren't ants, stray cats, or stray dogs—friends she unilaterally identified as such.

She's a friend you can talk to and play with!

……

The Great Flame Kingdom, Western Garden.

Shu Jingwei looked at the scene of the two children talking face to face on the sky, and a mocking smile appeared on her lips.

"Look, look!" she said to the head eunuch beside her, her voice full of contempt.

"That guy named Mu Chenfeng, when he saw Lin Ye, he didn't bow or kowtow, he just stood there and talked."

She spoke louder and louder, and her fingers jabbed heavily on the table twice.

"His daughter too, when she saw my daughter, she just stood there blankly, and even called her 'Sister Ling'er'? Who gave her that right?"

The chief eunuch lowered his head, not daring to respond.

Shu Jingwei became more and more excited as she spoke, her voice rising even higher: "My daughter, the eldest princess of the Great Yan Kingdom, wherever she goes, she is always surrounded by attendants. Who wouldn't kneel and kowtow before her? Three kneelings and nine prostrations are the least of her worries!"

"And what about Lin Ye? He actually brought my daughter along to chat and gossip with those peasants. What kind of behavior is that?"

She snorted coldly, picked up her wine glass, took a sip, and her eyes were full of malicious smugness.

"My silly daughter—" she drawled.

"She gave up the bright future I offered her, insisting on living a miserable life with that wicked man. She missed out on me—"

She paused, straightened her collar, and raised her chin even higher, almost to the sky.

"She missed out on the most prestigious status in the world!"

"Look at the state they've become! What good are those deceptive tricks? Now even commoners won't kneel before her. How short-sighted!"

She put down her wine glass and tapped her fingers lightly on the table, making a "tap-tap" sound.

"Once I bring Lin Ye back, Little Douzi will know he'll regret it. Then—"

The corners of her mouth turned up, revealing a superior, all-knowing smile.

"If she kneels at my feet, crying and begging for my forgiveness, I might consider whether I still want her as my daughter, depending on my mood..."

……

On the sky, Lin Ye had already let Mu Chenfeng and his daughter into the room.

Then I led the two children to the play corner that was specially prepared for children.

"Little Douzi, play here with Sister Duoduo for a while."

Lin Ye bent down and added to the two little ones, "Be good, okay?"

Little Douzi nodded obediently, mustered her courage, and took Duoduo's hand. Duoduo smiled and held it back.

The two little girls quickly became acquainted, holding hands and happily walking towards the area enclosed by a colorful rainbow fence on one side of the living room.

The place was covered with soft, thick carpets and filled with all sorts of adorable tents, building blocks tables, picture book shelves, and more—a dazzling array of items.

Xiao Douzi and Duo Duo held hands and crawled into a pink tent, where a series of chattering and giggling sounds came from inside.

"This child is both heartbreaking and endearing to look at," Mu Chenfeng said to Lin Ye in a low voice, watching the two children's retreating figures, his eyes filled with genuine concern.

He was Lin Ye and Ye Fan's college roommate, and one of the few people who knew that Ye Fan was in trouble and that Xiao Douzi was Ye Fan's biological daughter.

"It's all in the past now, things will be better from now on." Lin Ye patted his shoulder, his tone reassuring.

Soon, the doorbell rang one after another.

Lin Ye's other friends in the business world arrived one after another with their families.

Since it was a birthday celebration for a child, people with children of similar ages brought their children along.

Soon, the villa was filled with the hushed conversations of adults and the playful noises of children.

A few more children joined the play corner, making it even more lively.

The children quickly became friends, some rolling around on the mats, some working together to "cook" at the toy table, and some exclaiming in amazement at the interactive wall projecting the underwater world. Their laughter almost lifted the roof off.

Xiao Douzi, being led by Duoduo, blended in very well. She was "cooking" with two other newly acquainted little girls, her face beaming with joy.

A short while later, Zhou Ran came over to inform Lin Ye that all the guests had arrived.

Lin Ye walked to the center of the living room, where a small lectern had been erected at some point.

All eyes immediately turned to them, and the children curiously peeked out from the play area.

Lin Ye took the microphone from Zhou Ran, his voice gentle yet powerful.

"Thank you all for taking the time to come and attend my goddaughter Ye Ling'er's fifth birthday party today."

The name "Ye Ling'er" was like a pebble thrown into a lake, creating ripples in the living room.

Then it pierced through the sky, through the void, and crashed into the ears of everyone in the Great Flame Kingdom.

……

The Great Flame Kingdom, Western Garden.

"Ye Ling'er!!!"

Shu Jingwei jumped up from the dragon throne as if she had been branded with a hot iron, and roared in disbelief.