Bringing the Childhood Sweetheart Home

Li Yaonan's eyes gleamed with excitement at the mention of all those guns, finding them utterly fascinating.

Sichen Ai, noticing their interest in toy guns, added, "And they're all high-quality replicas, the latest models…"

Finally, Li Yaochen couldn't resist any longer—everyone knew how much he loved guns. His family had some, but they were mostly dismantled by him, and none of them were the latest models. He was eager to see what the new ones were like.

Li Yaonan shook his brother's hand, urging him, "Brother, let's go play! Come on, let's go!"

Li Yaochen: "..."

So much enthusiasm when it comes to fun. Li Yaochen could only nod helplessly, "Alright."

"Yes! Yes!" Li Yaonan was overjoyed.

Simoxuan thought to himself, *This really is a case of the childhood sweetheart being lured home!*

"Alright then, let's go." Simoxuan held his sister's hand and led them toward the villa.

Little Sichen Ai would occasionally glance back at them, then carefully remind them, "Don't fall behind!"

As they walked through the garden, Li Yaonan realized that what he had seen outside was just a glimpse—inside, it was even more beautiful, like stepping into a fairy tale.

The villa was surrounded by blooming white gardenias, their buds in the breeze giving off a faint, refreshing fragrance, as though they carried a smile within. It was intoxicating.

Dewdrops clung delicately to the velvety white petals, shimmering like crystals in the sunlight, casting a radiant, enchanting glow.

Not far from the villa's left side stood a greenhouse filled with a riot of colorful flowers, and a swing entwined with vines.

The round arched windows and semi-circular doors were perfectly designed, fresh and refined.

Inside the villa, Li Yaochen noticed the European-style décor. Plush wool carpets covered the floor, and a stunning crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, both intricate and alluring.

The spiral staircase exuded an air of romance and grandeur. 

Li Yaonan could hardly believe his eyes. Though their own home was luxurious, it was nothing like this dreamlike, fairy-tale setting.

Seeing all this, Li Yaochen's suspicions were confirmed—this girl was undoubtedly heaven's favorite child.

The household staff went about their duties with quiet efficiency. When they saw guests arriving, they simply went to the kitchen to prepare tea, snacks, and fruit to welcome them, demonstrating their impeccable professionalism.

Sichen Ai, assuming the role of a little hostess, warmly invited them to sit and enjoy the treats.

Li Yaonan's mouth almost watered at the sight of all the uniquely shaped snacks—each one looked so delicious.

Li Yaochen, however, wasn't much interested in sweets, but he did notice that Sichen Ai had a fondness for mango cake.

He watched as she happily munched on two small cakes, their golden mango toppings gleaming. 

Her cheeks puffed up adorably as she filled her mouth with cake.

Seeing this, Simoxuan reminded her, "Don't eat too much, or you'll get cavities."

With her mouth full, she mumbled, "Okay, okay, I know."

Li Yaonan, meanwhile, was locked in a fierce battle with the food. He wasn't picky—if it was delicious, he loved it and couldn't stop eating.

"Slow down, or you won't have room for lunch later," Li Yaochen warned him after seeing how much he'd already eaten.

"It's just too good!" Li Yaonan said, swallowing a mouthful of cake, then turned to Sichen Ai, not forgetting to offer praise. "Miss, your cakes are amazing!"

Sichen Ai beamed, happiness glowing on her face as she enjoyed her mango cake. "Of course! My daddy specially hired a pastry chef from England."

After finishing two cakes, Sichen Ai noticed that Li Yaochen hadn't eaten anything but a glass of milk.

She picked up another mango cake and offered it to him, "Brother Yaochen, aren't you going to eat? It's really delicious!"

Unable to refuse her, Li Yaochen took the cake under her expectant gaze, and after taking a bite, the sweet fragrance of mango instantly filled his mouth. It was sweet but not cloying—quite good, though he still wasn't a fan of sweets.

Once he finished the cake, Sichen Ai said, "Brother Yaochen, let me show you upstairs. All my toys are up there."

Li Yaochen nodded, casting a glance at Li Yaonan, who was still shoveling snacks into his mouth. "Stop eating already. We're going upstairs."

Li Yaonan now faced his second tough decision of the day—should he choose food or toys? Two impossible choices in one day! How was he supposed to live?

It was as if two little figures in his head were fighting—one wanted to play, the other wanted to eat! In the end, the one who wanted to eat won.

"You guys go ahead, I'm not done yet!" He decided to follow his heart and eat first.

Li Yaochen couldn't be bothered to argue. "Leave him be, let's go."

Sichen Ai glanced at her brother, who was still sitting on the sofa watching TV. "Brother, are you coming?"

"I'll stay here. You two go play." *Do you think I dare mess with our eldest brother's things? Only this little rascal Sichen Ai would dare!*

"Alright then." Sichen Ai grabbed Li Yaochen's hand and led him upstairs.

It was the first time Li Yaochen had ever held a girl's hand, and though he found it awkward, he didn't dislike it. He couldn't quite describe the feeling.

On the second floor, she brought him into a large room filled with toys of every kind, enough to dazzle anyone.

There were dolls, stuffed animals, Barbies, toy pianos for girls… 

And for boys, remote-controlled cars, model trains, Rubik's cubes, building blocks…

Everything you could imagine. As Li Yaochen took in the room, Sichen Ai ran off to her eldest brother's room and came back with two replica toy guns.

Handing one to Li Yaochen, she said, "Here, Brother Yaochen, this is for you."

He took the gun and inspected it. This new model was far cooler than any he'd seen before, with an even better feel in his hands.

Oh no, he felt an overwhelming urge to dismantle it and see how it worked! He was dying to know what made this new version different from the old ones.

But he restrained himself—after all, it wasn't his. He decided to ask his father to buy him one later instead.

His mother would be no help; ever since he developed a passion for taking toys apart without putting them back together, she had severely limited the number of toys he could have.

Sichen Ai, seeing him so absorbed in studying the replica gun with a conflicted expression, as if he wanted to take it apart but couldn't, grew curious herself about what the inside of the gun looked like. She took the other gun and tried to take it apart but found she didn't have enough strength.

Watching her attempt to dismantle the gun's grip, Li Yaochen asked, "What are you doing?" Oh no, I've corrupted her too!

"Take it apart and see what's inside! The guns on TV can kill people, so fascinating! But why can't I take it apart?"

Li Yaotian thought to himself, *It would be strange if you could.*

"Brother Tian, can you help me take it apart?" Si Qian'ai decided to give up—she just didn't have the strength.

Li Yaotian took the gun from her hand and, in a matter of seconds, had disassembled it into pieces with practiced ease.

Si Qian'ai was awestruck. "Wow, that's amazing!"

It wasn't until he heard her praise that Li Yaotian realized what he had just done, *It was purely instinctual! I didn't mean to…*

When Si Qian'ai saw the pile of tiny parts inside the gun, she was disappointed, "So that's it? Not as fun as I thought." She turned away and went to play with her dolls.

*That's not the point!* The point was that her brother's gun had been disassembled, and Li Yaotian was already too exhausted to comment. Instead, he focused on studying the gun.

After they had been playing for over twenty minutes, there was a knock at the door. A stunning, elegant woman entered the room.

Si Qian'ai looked up and, upon seeing the visitor, beamed brightly and ran toward her. "Mommy, you're back!"

The beautiful woman quickly knelt down to catch her, "Sweetheart, don't run so fast."

Downstairs, Si Moxuan had already told her that Si Qian'ai had invited two young friends over, so she wasn't surprised to see Li Yaotian.

She smiled at him, and as her gaze met his dark eyes, a sense of familiarity washed over her. *Where have I seen those eyes before?* Yet, she couldn't quite recall.

Redirecting her attention to Si Qian'ai, she asked, "Aren't you going to introduce Mommy to your new friend?"

Si Qian'ai released her mother's hand and eagerly introduced them. "Mommy, this is my new friend, Li Yaotian!" Then, turning to him, she added, "Brother Tian, this is my Mommy!"

Li Yaotian greeted her politely, "Hello, Auntie."

"Hello there."

Yimeng Yao couldn't shake the feeling that his eyes were strangely familiar, though she still couldn't place it. Casually, she asked, "How old are you this year?"

"Four."

Yimeng Yao marveled, "Only a year older than our little Ai, and already so tall!"

Suddenly recalling the items she had yet to unpack downstairs, she told them, "You all play now, I'll head down for a bit."

...

Meanwhile, outside the Si family's grand gates, a young woman asked the security guard, "Excuse me, have you seen two four-year-old boys? I came home, and they were both gone, so I rushed out to look for them."

The guard, who had earlier let the boys in, responded immediately, "Two young boys? They must be the friends of our little miss. They're inside playing."

*The rival's children are friends? Since when?* she wondered, bewildered.

"Could you kindly call them out for me, please? Thank you."

"One moment, I'll check for you." The guard dialed the house's intercom.

After a short while, the guard came back out, "Our lady said one of the boys is still enjoying snacks. You're welcome to come in and wait."

*That greedy little rascal, Li Yaonan, of course.* She sighed and headed inside to wait.

Crossing the garden, she too was awestruck by the beauty around her before finally arriving at the entrance of the villa. The door was open.

She noticed a woman standing beside a large potted plant, but since the woman was facing away, she couldn't clearly see her face. Still, judging by the figure, the elegance, and the way she was dressed, it was undoubtedly the lady of the house.

She was about to step forward and introduce herself since her kids had already imposed on their home for so long.

But then the woman turned, and when she saw her face, Yutian Tian froze in place, stunned.

Yimeng Yao also saw Yutian Tian standing not far away. At that moment, the watering can in her hand slipped to the ground with a clatter.

Both women were filled with shock and disbelief. Tears shimmered in Yutian Tian's eyes as her voice quivered, "Yao Yao, is it really you?"

The most familiar voice from the past reached Yimeng Yao's ears, and tears started to fall uncontrollably. "Tian Tian! It's been so long…"

Before they knew it, both were crying, tears streaming down their faces.

Memories of the unforgettable times they had shared flooded their minds—the inseparable bond from middle school through high school.

After they had cried their fill, they finally let go of each other. Yimeng Yao wiped her friend's tears, holding her hand. "It's been six or seven years since we last saw each other, hasn't it? You haven't changed much at all—you still look like you did in high school."

"And you," Yutian Tian teased, "After you went abroad, I couldn't get in touch with you, no matter how hard I tried."

"I'm truly sorry. It wasn't intentional. It's a long story. Let's go inside, and we can talk about it. I never imagined I'd run into you here!" Yimeng Yao said, taking her hand and leading her inside.

Simohan had recently returned home with Yimeng Yao and was now sitting in the living room watching TV with Simoxuan, while Li Yaonan was still hard at work devouring the snacks laid out before him.

In the blink of an eye, both women had built families of their own, and their children were already so grown.

Back then, they had promised each other, *When you walk down the aisle in your wedding dress, I'll be right behind you in a short skirt.* But now, they hadn't fulfilled that promise—a lingering regret.

Still, at least they had reunited and lived so close now. They could be together more often from now on.

Once inside, Yutian Tian noticed two boys sitting on the couch watching TV and asked, "Which one of these is yours?" Since the boys didn't look alike but seemed close in age, she assumed only one of them could be her friend's child.

Yimeng Yao smiled as she explained, "They're both mine—fraternal twins, five years old."

"Wow! You're so lucky!" Yutian Tian exclaimed, feeling a twinge of envy.

"Yes, I am," Yimeng Yao replied, and then, as if remembering something, she asked, "What about yours? Your kids must be close in age too, right?"

"They're both four. The one eating over there is my sister's. She passed away when he was three, so I've been raising him as my own," Yutian Tian whispered in Yimeng Yao's ear.

Yimeng Yao nodded in understanding and consoled her, "Don't think too much about it. Come, let's sit down and chat."

Turning to her sons, Yimeng Yao said, "Xuan Xuan, Han Han, come here. This is Mommy's best friend. Say hello to Auntie."

Both boys chimed in unison, "Hello, Auntie."

Yutian Tian beamed and responded, "Hello, boys!" Then she turned to Yimeng Yao, smiling, "They're so handsome!"

One boy was quiet and cold, while the other was warm and lively—such a perfect contrast, just like her own boys.

"Your little one is handsome too," Yimeng Yao remarked. "No wonder I found Yaotian so familiar—the eyes are just like yours."

Realizing she hadn't yet seen her own son since entering, Yutian Tian looked around.

Li Yaonan finally heard her voice and lifted his head from his snacks. "Auntie," he called out before promptly returning to his meal.

"You're still eating? Be careful, or you'll grow so round you won't be able to walk," she teased, feeling too happy to reprimand him like she usually would.