Dou Dou cheered and covered his eyes, turning away and shouting loudly at the empty living room, "I’m starting to count, one, two, three..."

Tang Tang immediately pulled Xiao Ya and turned to run down the hallway.

Looking around, she saw the wardrobe at the end of the hallway, which had many large closets, with the lower compartments empty, just enough to hide two little children.

She pulled Xiao Ya inside, curled up her body, and was perfectly hidden by the hanging dresses, so she quietly huddled like a little silkworm cocoon.

Xiao Ya was so nervous that her heart was pounding, she didn’t even dare to breathe deeply, fearing that Dou Dou would hear her breathing.

But just as Dou Dou counted to "eighty-nine," Tang Tang suddenly moved.

Xiao Ya was startled, and then saw Tang Tang crouch down, sneak out of the wardrobe, and scamper around the living room, using the floor-to-ceiling curtains to quietly move behind Dou Dou.

"Eight, nine, ninety-one, twenty... twenty-eight, thirty, here I come."

Dou Dou, who couldn’t count to thirty, shouted randomly, and when she felt it was enough, she rushed out, heading straight for every corner of the living room.

First, she lifted the sofa cover; underneath was empty.

Then, she opened the drawer of the coffee table; no one was there either.

Next, she crawled under the dining table but still saw no one.

"Eh? Where are they?"

Dou Dou stood with her hands on her hips, frowning in confusion, "Could they have cheated and hid in Potato’s room?"

Just as she was about to head toward the room, a soft little hand suddenly reached out from behind and gently patted her on the back.

Dou Dou turned around sharply and saw Tang Tang standing behind her, grinning with pride, her little face practically shouting "I got you."

It turned out Tang Tang had already circled behind her and was just waiting for Dou Dou to get absorbed in her search for a "counterattack."

"You cheated."

Dou Dou’s eyes widened as she shouted angrily, her cheeks puffing out, "You’re supposed to be the ghost, I’m supposed to catch you, that’s how the rules are."

Tang Tang didn’t argue, instead standing with her hands on her hips, smiling foolishly as if to say, "I don’t understand what you’re saying, I caught you."

While the two were bickering, Xiao Ya accidentally knocked down a hanger in the wardrobe, making a soft clanging sound.

Dou Dou’s ears twitched, immediately forgetting her annoyance with Tang Tang, her eyes lighting up: "There’s another one."

She immediately shuffled her little legs down the hallway, yanked open the wardrobe door, lifted the dresses in front, and saw Xiao Ya curled up in the compartment, scared and huddled up, with her little hands tightly covering her mouth, her eyes full of panic.

"Caught you." Dou Dou said proudly, hands on her hips, smiling.

Xiao Ya immediately lowered her head, her eyes turning a bit red, as she whispered an apology, "I’m sorry... I didn’t hide well, and you caught me..."

Her cheeks flushed red as if she made a huge mistake, nervously twisting her fingers.

"Why are you apologizing?"

Dou Dou froze for a moment, then laughed, taking her hand and pulling her out of the wardrobe, "We’re playing a game, you got caught, I’m not going to hammer you."

Xiao Ya paused, looking at Dou Dou’s bright smile, her uneasiness gradually dissipated, and she also gave a genuine smile, nodding vigorously.

The second round of the game started quickly, and Tang Tang and Xiao Ya turned away to count, while Dou Dou disappeared in a "swish."

The area of this large flat was indeed huge, with no shortage of places to hide.

After counting, Tang Tang and Xiao Ya searched from the living room to the dining room, from the hallway to the guest bedroom, even opening the laundry cabinet on the balcony but still didn’t find any sign of Dou Dou.

Xiao Ya searched particularly diligently, even peeking at the study door, but still saw no signs, and a bit anxiously whispered to Tang Tang, "What do we do? We can’t find her."

Tang Tang thought for a moment, then led Xiao Ya to the storage room at the end of the hallway.

Many unused storage boxes were piled high there, with gaps just enough to hide a small child.

Tang Tang was just about to reach out to shuffle through the boxes when Xiao Ya accidentally knocked over an empty cardboard box at her feet, which fell to the ground with a clatter, followed by Dou Dou’s soft "ouch."

The two little ones exchanged a glance, lifted the storage box, and saw Dou Dou hiding behind the boxes, covering her mouth with a face full of regret.

"Caught you," Xiao Ya whispered, her eyes sparkling like stars, feeling a sense of achievement for catching someone for the first time.

"It doesn’t count, doesn’t count, it was the cardboard box that exposed me." Dou Dou immediately emerged, protesting indignantly.

But it was just talking; she quickly returned to the living room and took out two pieces of soft candy from a bag, handing one to Xiao Ya and one to Tang Tang.

Xiao Ya took the candy, feeling sweeter inside than the soft candy in her mouth.

In the following rounds, the three little ones took turns switching roles, filling the living room and hallway with their laughter and shouts.

Dou Dou was still the one with the most ideas, making new rules now and then and playing tricks to distract, always getting sulky when caught, but quickly sharing candies, her quirky antics making everyone laugh.

Tang Tang spoke little, looking simple-minded, but always managed to surprise; whether sneaking up from behind or hiding in plain sight, her little mischievous streak was undeniable every time she succeeded, grinning widely.

Xiao Ya gradually opened up, no longer as timid as she was in the beginning.

Although still very earnest and not one for tricks, she diligently searched every nook and cranny, chose hidden spots to hide, and when caught, just blushed shyly before immediately diving into the next round.

Ruan Hongzhuang and Taozi leaned against the study door, listening to the bursts of laughter coming from the living room, exchanging a glance, unable to help but smile.

"These three little ones, they have so much energy, playing for almost an hour, not tired at all," Taozi said with a laugh.

"Kids at this age love to play and mess around."

Ruan Hongzhuang shook her head with a smile, "Watching them like this is quite lively."

The sunset filtered through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the living room, casting a warm golden hue over the entire flat.

The three little ones played until they were drenched in sweat, sprawling on the floor, heads resting against each other’s as they shared candy, their laughter echoing throughout the spacious house.

At the street-side grocery store, Duoduo was helping her parents close up shop, the wind chimes jingling like they were saying goodbye to the evening breeze.

By the poolside, Xie Wanning held Du Zhiyuan’s hand, with Du Jianghe standing nearby, watching the sunset dip below the sea with gentle eyes.

The evening breeze of Bin Hai carried a salty warmth, mingling with the hustle and tenderness of the Mortal World, gently brushing over every corner.