The moment little Yuanyuan left, an overwhelming exhaustion washed over Leng Siyu.
Boxing, cooking, cleaning, carrying her young sister back and forth through the concrete jungle of the city—busy from before dawn until the sun set—no amount of physical strength could withstand such constant wear and tear.
Leng Siyu returned to her bedroom, collapsed onto the soft bed, and stared up at the ceiling. She let her thoughts settle amid the chaos, and allowed her weary heart a brief moment of rest.
She reached for a photo frame on the bedside table. Her slender hand slowly brushed across her father's handsome, stern face in the family portrait. A mist gradually covered her bright eyes… She tried to hold it in, but ultimately failed to suppress the surge of emotion, and sobs escaped her lips…
Time drifted back to twelve years ago, when five-year-old Siyu began boxing training under Leng Xiang.
"Heh! Heh! Heh!" Little Siyu followed Leng Xiang's instructions with great enthusiasm. But after the novelty faded, she quickly grew bored, tired, and annoyed.
"Daddy, punching the sandbag isn't fun at all. I'm not playing anymore!" She ripped off her gloves and wraps and threw them to the floor.
Leng Xiang picked them up patiently and tried to persuade her. "You must stay persistent. Skill isn't mastered in a day or two—it requires daily practice. Come on, just a bit more. Be good, listen."
Unable to resist his coaxing and encouragement, Siyu reluctantly put her gear back on and resumed training.
But not long after, her hands were swollen and red.
"Daddy, my hands hurt! I don't want to train anymore! And besides, there aren't that many bad people in the world!" She threw her gloves and wraps down again.
"All right, we'll train again tomorrow," Leng Xiang said gently.
But the next day, when he told Siyu to put on her gear for training, everything was gone.
"Where did you hide them?" he asked.
"I didn't take them!" she denied with feigned innocence, her eyes sparkling with mischief.
"You can choose not to train, but you cannot lie," Leng Xiang said seriously.
"I threw them in the trash. The sanitation worker already took them away," she admitted. "Daddy, I protest! You can't force me to train just because you're my father. This isn't something a kid my age should have to endure."
"Okay. If you don't want to train, the sandbag will stay here. You can come back to it whenever you're ready." Seeing the stubbornness in her eyes, he sighed and reluctantly gave up. His plan to train his daughter had failed—for the moment.
Unexpectedly, a month later, things changed.
That day, Leng Xiang was watering the violets on the balcony when little Siyu, just back from kindergarten, threw herself into his arms in tears.
He put down the spray bottle and picked her up gently. "Who bullied our little Siyu?"
"It was Wang Xiaobao! He stole my picture book and my pencil case!" she wailed.
"There, there, don't cry," he said, wiping her tears. But the more he comforted her, the harder she cried.
Leng Xiang said, "Don't let outsiders see your tears. Tears don't solve anything. If you want to cry, find a place where no one can see and cry your heart out. When you're done, put your armor back on and become an iron warrior—invincible."
"I can't cry in front of Daddy either?"
"In front of Daddy, you can cry as much as you want."
"What about in front of Mommy?"
"You can cry for now. But when you grow up, you'll have to protect Mommy. By then, don't let her see your tears."
"Daddy, Wang Xiaobao is really strong. I used my tiny fists to hit him, but I still couldn't win!"
"If you encounter something you truly can't handle, you can ask others for help. But outsiders can only help for a moment, not a lifetime. Only when you become strong yourself can you protect yourself and your family."
"Daddy… then buy me new gear. I want to train seriously."
"You're not afraid of hardship or pain anymore?"
"I am… but I'm even more afraid of meeting someone stronger and worse one day!"
And so, practicing with the sandbag became an essential part of Siyu's daily routine—and she kept at it all the way until now.
Lying in bed, Leng Siyu soon stopped crying. She wiped her tears with a few tissues, composed herself, and looked back at Leng Xiang in the photo. With firm resolve, she said:
"Daddy, don't worry. I'll protect Mom and Yuanyuan."
…
At the same time, Room 0301 had a completely different atmosphere.
The adorable trio—Chongchong, Yuanyuan, and the golden retriever Bao Bao—were getting along cheerfully.
"Bao Bao, roll over!" Chongchong called from the sofa.
The golden retriever rolled on the floor. "Woof woof!"
"Bring me the remote!" Chongchong commanded again.
Bao Bao wagged his tail and quickly retrieved the remote from the TV stand. "Woof woof!"
"Wow! Bao Bao is so cute and so smart!" Yuanyuan giggled happily.
"Chongchong, better not let Bao Bao play with the remote," said Hao Xiaoli, the newly hired caretaker. "My golden retriever at home chewed ours to pieces."
"Okay, Auntie Hao."
Suddenly, Bao Bao dashed toward the entrance, barking excitedly.
"Gege is home! He's early today," Chongchong said to Yuanyuan.
Yuanyuan whispered into her ear, "Pengfei-gege had an argument with my sister today."
Xia Pengfei walked into the living room, brushing the overly affectionate golden retriever aside. He turned to Hao Xiaoli and said, "Auntie Hao, please take Bao Bao for a bath."
She nodded and led the dog away.
Pengfei sat down next to Yuanyuan and looked at her. "I get the feeling someone was talking bad about me."
Yuanyuan grinned. "Pengfei-gege is such a good person. How could I say anything bad? I was praising you!"
"It wasn't a fight with your sister," he said calmly as he accepted a cup of tea from Lanlan. "It was a friendly exchange of ideas."
"Huh? You have super-hearing? But there's no wind here," Yuanyuan said in amazement.
"I can read minds," Pengfei joked, taking a sip.
"You're tricking me again!" Yuanyuan stood on the sofa and pinched his nose. "You can't fool me! I'm not Chongchong! Pengfei-gege doesn't treat me like a real friend anymore!"
"If you weren't my friend, would I practice ball with you?"
"Daddy says you can't lie to friends or family."
"Is that so?" Pengfei set down his cup, leaned in, and whispered, "Then can you tell me when your mother started working part-time?"
"She's been working for half a year now, and she rarely comes home. Daddy has been gone even longer—almost a year."
Pengfei fell silent. He seemed to understand something. He walked to the floor-to-ceiling window and looked out. The sky had already swallowed the last of the sunset, and the world had dimmed…