Fortunately, Murphy and Yang Yi, mindful of Xixi’s presence, didn’t get too affectionate. Instead, they focused on Xixi, letting her talk about her kindergarten adventures.
“Chen Shiyun said her dad is a boxer, and he’s super tough! And she knows boxing too!” The little girl found this fascinating. Though she didn’t quite understand what boxing was, Chen Shiyun had demonstrated it, and it looked really impressive!
“A girl practicing boxing?” Murphy found it a bit hard to believe.
Yang Yi reminded her, “Don’t let the name Chen Shiyun fool you—it sounds gentle and elegant, but she’s actually a tall, sturdy girl. I’ve met her dad; he’s a boxing coach at a fitness center.”
“Yeah, yeah, she’s really strong!” Xixi said, almost in admiration.
“Even so, girls shouldn’t box. It’s too scary!” Murphy remarked.
Yang Yi agreed with Murphy’s point. He chuckled, “Right, boxing isn’t good. I wouldn’t want Xixi to end up like her, all muscular.”
Murphy playfully slapped Yang Yi’s forearm and scolded, “And you talk! Who was it that let their daughter practice swordsmanship?”
Yang Yi protested, “What’s wrong with swordsmanship? It doesn’t build bulky muscles and helps with flexibility.”
Mo Xiaojuan watched from the side, eagerly chiming in quietly, “Sis, didn’t you say on the phone earlier that Xixi wanted to dance for you?”
“Oh, right, dancing!” Murphy remembered.
“Great, great!” In front of her parents, Xixi was bursting with a desire to perform. She immediately hopped off the sofa with delight. “I almost forgot!”
After jumping down, the little girl thought of something else and ran back to her dad, tugging on his big hand. “Daddy, you need to clap for me and count one, two, three, one, two, three.”
It wasn’t just clapping—it was keeping the rhythm.
Yang Yi patiently let his daughter teach him how to keep time, then followed her instructions, gently clapping and counting, “One, two, three, one, two, three…”
“Not yet, not yet, I need to stand like this first!” The little girl had many demands, but Yang Yi and Murphy didn’t show any impatience; instead, they found it amusing.
Xixi stood in the open space—the coffee table had been moved aside—raised her left arm, held her right hand horizontally, and rose onto her tiptoes.
“Hey, that actually looks pretty good!” Mo Xiaojuan covered her mouth with a giggle.
“Ready?” Yang Yi asked with concern.
“Mm…” Xixi tightened her little face, looking very serious. On tiptoes, she couldn’t speak properly, so she just hummed through her nose.
“Alright, here we go. One, two, three, one, two, three.” Yang Yi clapped, slowly counting the rhythm.
Under the gaze of the three adults, Xixi began to dance. It resembled a bit of ballet, though only the start required tiptoeing; the rest was mostly steady steps on the ground.
The movements were mainly in her hands. Xixi would curl her little arms into a circle, then spread them out, or mimic the fluttering gestures of a ballet dancer, moving up and down.
Though they hadn’t seen the original, Yang Yi and Murphy both felt Xixi’s hand gestures were graceful, even if her steps were a bit messy—probably because she focused on the hand movements and neglected the footwork.
But it was already impressive enough!
A four-year-old girl, learning for less than a day, could already dance with such flair!
Of course, it didn’t last long—just ten or twenty seconds. After finishing, Xixi giggled and ran back, jumping into her mom’s arms.
Murphy hugged her daughter and planted a kiss on her soft, chubby cheek, smiling, “You danced so well, Xixi! You must be the best in your class!”
Xixi felt a bit shy from her mom’s praise, but she honestly shook her head and said, “No, I’m not! Qiqi is the best!”
“Qiqi is another girl in their class, quiet and gentle, also surnamed Yang,” Yang Yi reminded casually.
“I know that already, Yang Luoqi!” Murphy rolled her eyes at Yang Yi, then hugged the little girl proudly. “Xixi told me!”
“There’s a girl who dances better than our Xixi? No way!” Mo Xiaojuan laughed and gently poked Xixi’s chin.
“It’s true! Qiqi said her mom knows how to dance and has learned it!” the little girl explained earnestly.
Murphy affectionately ruffled Xixi’s hair and laughed, “Your mom can sing, and she knows a bit of dance too. How about you learn from her, Xixi?”
Seeing other kids—some boxing, some dancing—all heavily influenced by their families, Murphy regretted doting on Xixi too much and not having her learn singing from a young age!
“Mom knows how to dance too?” The little girl’s focus shifted.
In her memory, she’d never seen her mom dance!
Yang Yi hadn’t either. He looked at Murphy with surprise. “You can dance?”
Yang Yi’s doubt annoyed Mo Xiaojuan. She spoke up in defense, “What’s so strange about that? Sis practiced dance years ago, okay? It’s just that the company positioned her as a pure singer, not a singing-and-dancing type, so she never got to use it!”
Murphy tugged at Mo Xiaojuan’s hand to stop her from bragging.
“Actually, it’s because I can’t sing and dance at the same time—my breath control isn’t good enough,” Murphy explained to Yang Yi. “And I don’t really like that style of music.”
So that was it.
But after the topic shifted, Murphy forgot her idea of teaching Xixi techniques.
Time to head back to rest! Xixi was already yawning. Kids go to bed early.
Originally, Mo Xiaojuan was supposed to drive Murphy home, but since Yang Yi was there today, she drove straight to her own place instead. Before leaving, she smirked mischievously, “He’s your man, after all. Let him do something!”
Yang Yi held Xixi’s little hand and smiled at Murphy. “Come on, I’ll take you back.”
Xixi yawned again, drowsiness washing over her in waves. She asked groggily, “Daddy, are we going back to Mommy’s house to sleep?”
Yang Yi paused and turned to look at Murphy. Her beautiful eyes reflected the streetlights, shimmering with shyness, making his heart race.
“But Xixi, you have school tomorrow, and your backpack is still at Daddy’s house,” Yang Yi hesitated.
It wasn’t about any reservations. Last weekend, Murphy’s period had ended, and the two, deeply in love and in the prime of their youth, had already spent a night together. And once you’ve tasted that sweetness, you crave more.
But considering Xixi’s kindergarten and Murphy’s exhaustion, Yang Yi was uncertain.
When the Baolang slowly pulled up to Murphy’s apartment building, the tired little girl had already fallen asleep in the back seat.
Murphy hesitated, not making a move to get out.
Seeing Yang Yi turn to look at her, she gently bit her lower lip. Under the dim yellow interior light, her beauty was as radiant as a peach blossom.
After a long pause, Yang Yi heard her say softly, “Actually, I still have some change of clothes at your place.”
Yang Yi instantly understood the implication. Overjoyed, he asked, “Then I’ll take Xixi to kindergarten tomorrow and drop you off at the company?”
“Mm…” Murphy’s reply, thick with shyness, was barely audible.