"Yummy! Xixi loves it!" The little one patted her round, full belly contentedly, leaning back on her small stool with zero ladylike grace, giggling at her dad.
There was still some noodles left in the bowl, but that was just because the little one couldn't eat anymore. Whether it was the smooth, silky egg, the fragrant instant noodles, or the tender, juicy cabbage, Xixi loved it all—she ate even more than usual!
"Tomorrow, Dad will buy groceries and make you something even tastier," Yang Yi said with a faint smile, appearing calm, but inwardly he was quite proud!
Back then, when he was alone, cooking was just self-appreciation. How could that compare to the sense of achievement he got from his daughter's praise now?
With a rare burst of appetite, Yang Yi even poured the leftover noodles from Xixi's bowl into his own and finished them off.
...
Although Yang Yi had decided to take Xixi to the amusement park tomorrow—this was Xixi's wish—how would they pass the time tonight?
Were they just going to sit awkwardly facing each other again?
In the urban village where Yang Yi lived, there were no places for kids to play nearby. After racking his brain for a while with no good ideas, he finally came up with one.
"Xixi, how about Dad tells you a story?" Yang Yi said, holding a towel as he dried the freshly bathed little one's hair.
After her bath, Xixi had turned back into that quiet, adorable little girl, sitting obediently while her dad combed her hair. The little one had truly inherited Murphy's genes—she was a little beauty from a young age, with soft, flowing hair that was full of charm.
Although Xixi was only staying at her dad's place for two days, her meticulous mother Murphy had packed her a whole suitcase of clothes, including several sets of pajamas. The one she was wearing now was a pink bunny set, which Xixi had picked herself, claiming it was her favorite cartoon character.
This gave Yang Yi an idea!
Dad could tell stories? The little one found it hard to believe, because before, Dad had never read bedtime stories to lull Xixi to sleep like Mom did.
But hey, there was a story to hear! Without overthinking, Xixi nodded her little head excitedly and said happily, "Mm-hmm, Xixi loves listening to stories!"
What story should he tell? In his past life, Yang Yi had grown up in a killer training camp from the time he could remember. He didn't even have a childhood, let alone fairy tales. He knew about books like Andersen's Fairy Tales and Grimm's Fairy Tales, but he had never read a single page!
So, Yang Yi had to turn to some movies he had watched. Luckily, as a movie enthusiast, he hadn't missed out on popular animated films.
"Ahem!" Yang Yi cleared his throat, a little nervous as he began the story. "A long, long time ago, in the beautiful kingdom of Arendelle, surrounded by the sea on all sides, lived two lovely, beautiful little princesses..."
Xixi was immediately drawn into the scene by her dad's description.
Yang Yi had always had a great memory. If he had seen something, he could recall every detail of the movie. He continued, "...The older sister was named Elsa, and the younger sister was Anna. Anna was very lively and loved to play with her sister."
Yes, the story Yang Yi was about to tell was the globally popular animated movie *Frozen*!
Xixi blinked her big eyes and asked curiously, "Dad, why do their names sound like they're from America?"
In this world, America was like the United States in Yang Yi's past life, located in North America and also one of the most powerful countries. Xixi was born in America, but her nationality hadn't been transferred there—Murphy had kept Xixi's Chinese citizenship.
Yang Yi smiled slightly and said, "They're not from America, but they are foreigners."
The little one interrupted the story for a moment, but Yang Yi continued. From there, the plot became more than just scenic descriptions!
His storytelling had hit its stride. His voice was so gentle that you wouldn't guess he was actually a tall, strong tough guy. "You see, the older sister Elsa had a magical ability to create ice and snow since she was little. Like, with a wave of her arm, she could make snowflakes fall..."
Xixi's gaze followed her dad's arm movements, as if she could really see the snowflakes dancing. Her little face was full of reverence and envy.
"Magic, wow, so cool!"
"But that wasn't a good thing," Yang Yi continued. "One night, Anna couldn't sleep and came to wake her sister, saying she wanted to build a snowman!"
Build a snowman? Xixi knew what a snowman was, and her big eyes lit up, just like the adorable little Anna in the movie.
Yang Yi described to Xixi how Elsa took her sister to play in the snow in a grand palace, conjuring a flurry of snowflakes with a wave of magic, piling up thick snow to build a snowman, and skating with "Olaf"...
Every scene was dreamy and captivating. In his past life, aside from being a killer, Yang Yi was actually a bit of a literary type, and his descriptive skills were strong. The story he told was almost as vivid as watching the movie itself. Xixi felt like she could "see" each scene unfold.
Of course, the little one still said enviously, "Xixi has never played in the snow before. Mom won't let me."
"That's because playing in the snow can be dangerous! Especially for someone Anna's age, about your size!" Yang Yi gently tapped Xixi's little head and said softly.
The story slowly progressed. When Xixi heard that Anna got hurt and fell unconscious, the little one nervously grabbed her dad's hand. Her delicate little hand was even sweating from the tension.
Luckily, the troll grandfather Pabbie healed Anna, but unfortunately, Anna's memories of Elsa's magic were wiped clean.
Xixi didn't quite grasp this part. She blinked her big eyes, looking a bit confused.
But then, Yang Yi continued in a low, somber tone, telling the story after Anna woke up: The king wanted Elsa to suppress and not use her magic, so he dismissed many castle staff and separated Elsa and Anna, barely allowing them to interact.
"Almost overnight, Anna had no idea what happened. Her dearest sister Elsa locked herself in her room and stopped playing with her. Even when Anna sang outside her door, Elsa, haunted by her own fears and trying to protect her sister, never responded..."
Before he knew it, Xixi's big eyes were brimming with tears. She seemed to feel Anna's loneliness—because of Murphy's special status, Xixi rarely got to play with other kids either!
"What do we do? Dad, what do we do? Help Anna, help Elsa..." The little girl's tender heart was touched, and she grabbed her dad's hand, sobbing.
Yang Yi quickly sat down, pulled the little one into his arms, patted her head, and soothed her, "Don't worry, there's more to come!"
The night was still long, and Yang Yi was ready to stretch this story out, telling it until Xixi fell asleep!