"Daddy, will you play a game with me?"
At night, freshly bathed and sweet-smelling Xixi, wearing her little nightgown, sat on the blanket, looking at her dad with pleading eyes as he tidied up her toys. The little girl's bangs were a bit long, constantly brushing against her eyes, so she puffed out her cheeks and blew upward playfully, making her hair flutter.
"What game do you want to play?" Yang Yi smiled, sitting down on the edge of the bed.
"Like, if I say 'nose' to Daddy, then Daddy has to put his hand on his nose, and if I say 'eyes,' Daddy has to put his hand on his eyes." Xixi said eagerly, bouncing with excitement.
Though it was a bit childish, Yang Yi nodded. "Alright, let's give it a try."
"Hehe!" The little girl grinned, wiggling her bottom closer and sitting up straight. Just as she was about to start, she remembered something and quickly waved her little hand. "Daddy, you have to give me your hands first!"
"Give you my hands? Then what do I do?" Yang Yi had no choice but to extend his big hands.
Xixi's tiny, fair hands couldn't grasp her dad's big ones at all; she could only manage to hold onto a couple of fingers. Struggling a bit, she pulled his fingers, stacking them with her left hand underneath and her right hand on top.
"In a moment, when I say 'start,' Daddy can only move this hand!" Xixi pointed at her dad's right hand, worried he might not understand, and explained, "That means if Xixi doesn't say 'start,' Daddy can't put his hand on his face—that wouldn't be fair!"
"Mm-hmm!" Yang Yi agreed.
Only then did Xixi feel reassured, lifting her little hand that had been covering her dad's right one. But she couldn't hold his hand for long—it was too heavy—so she let it drop, resting it on her own crossed legs, separated by the soft, smooth cotton of her nightgown.
"Alright, here we go!" Xixi's eyes sparkled with a mischievous curve, and pretending to be casual, she suddenly said, "Start, ears!"
The little girl's crisp voice broke the "tense" pre-game atmosphere.
Yang Yi reacted quickly, immediately lifting his right hand and pointing at his ears.
"Mmm, why so fast?" The little one wiggled her bottom and called for her dad to put his hand down. "Let's do it again!"
But no matter how many times they played, Xixi couldn't catch him off guard—her dad always pointed to the right spot.
"Huh, this isn't fun!" Xixi pouted, feeling a bit down. "When Xixi plays with Mommy, Xixi messes up!"
Yang Yi vaguely realized that always winning was making the game boring.
"Xixi, you need to go faster. If you go faster, Daddy won't be able to keep up!" Yang Yi comforted the little one.
Xixi perked up again and said crisply, "Start, mouth!"
This time, Yang Yi reacted swiftly, lifting his hand but pointing at his nose instead. Pretending to panic, he pressed his finger on his nose and slowly slid it down to his mouth.
His awkward expression was so convincing it looked real!
But Xixi bought it completely. She bounced excitedly on the bed and lunged into her dad's arms. "Wrong, wrong! Daddy, don't move! Hehe, I saw it!"
The little girl's soft body crashed into him, and Yang Yi quickly caught her, afraid she might fall.
Xixi snuggled into her dad's arms, laughing joyfully with her mouth wide open. She pressed her tiny finger on his nose and then dragged it down. "I saw it! Daddy's so bad, he touched his nose first!"
"Alright, Daddy wasn't honest." Yang Yi surrendered, raising only his left hand since his right was busy holding the little one.
But Xixi soon wriggled out of his arms, grinning as she held out her little hand. "Daddy pointed at the wrong spot, so you have to be punished."
"What punishment?" Yang Yi offered his big hand again.
"Make a fist, and then I'll flick you." Xixi eagerly pressed her dad's fingers down, flipped his fist over, and even blew a little "magic breath" on it. "Don't be scared, don't be scared, it won't hurt much!"
Oh, she's even comforting her dad now!
Yang Yi played along, acting terrified as Xixi curled her little finger and flicked him.
"Daddy, does it hurt?" After punishing him, the little girl kindly rubbed his hand.
Yang Yi laughed. "It doesn't hurt. It stopped hurting after Xixi rubbed it."
After a few rounds with her dad, Xixi eagerly switched roles, wanting him to say the words while she pointed.
But the little one was too nervous and failed on the first try.
"Mmm, mmm, no! Daddy, give Xixi another chance, okay?" The little girl hugged her dad's big hand, her big, watery eyes misting over.
Yang Yi could never resist his daughter's pleading. He had to nod. "Alright, let's start over. That was just a warm-up."
Xixi beamed, and the mist in her eyes vanished.
Starting over, Xixi did much better this time, getting two in a row right, though a bit slowly. Yang Yi didn't point it out.
"Start, ears!" Yang Yi said.
This time, Xixi panicked and pointed at her own eyes.
"Oh no, I messed up again." The little girl drooped her head in frustration.
"It's okay. You messed up this time, but you'll do better next time! Look, even Daddy makes mistakes." Yang Yi comforted her.
"But, but I'm scared." Xixi pouted, looking pitiful.
"Scared of what?" Yang Yi asked, puzzled.
"Scared it'll hurt..." Xixi was still a stickler for rules. She held out her little fist while sniffling softly, tears welling up in her beautiful big eyes.
Yang Yi found it both amusing and heartwarming. A playful streak took over, and he put on a stern face. "But if you make a mistake, you have to be punished! Just like when Daddy lost earlier and got punished by Xixi a few times."
"But Daddy didn't hurt. Xixi is scared." The little girl sniffled, her voice trembling with grievance.
Yang Yi gently stroked her little fist, like wiping with an alcohol pad before a shot, and Xixi watched his big hand with fear.
"I don't like Daddy anymore!" The little girl was utterly aggrieved.
"I'm going to flick now!" Yang Yi pretended to pull back like a drawn bowstring, and Xixi squeezed her eyes shut in terror.
But the finger he flicked was all show, no force, barely brushing against Xixi's little fist.
Even so, the little one flinched in fear.
"Does it hurt a lot?" Yang Yi pretended to comfort her.
"Boo-hoo, it hurts!" Xixi's grievance burst out. She squeezed into her dad's arms, pouting, sobbing, and pounding his chest with her little fists. "Daddy is a bad guy."
Yang Yi had to grab her little fists and blow on them. "Then Daddy will blow on it for Xixi, and it won't hurt anymore."
The little girl couldn't keep up the act anymore. She was ticklish and giggled, squirming in her dad's arms. "Okay, it actually doesn't hurt!"
"Want to play again?"
"Want to play! Hehe~"