Five minutes later.
Yin Kairui moved to another spot to play games.
He had changed into his pajamas and was now sitting propped up against the headboard of the bed, only then turning to Shan Shan to ask, “Ready to go to sleep?”
He had just gotten into the script he was reading and had no real desire to turn in right away; his tone was nothing more than a casual inquiry.
Shan Shan’s eyes lit up like bright little stars as she nodded vigorously. “All ready!”
As long as she stayed this close, she would never have to worry about that bad man sneaking around to hurt her brother while she was fast asleep and completely unaware.
From this distance, she would be able to sense anything that happened to him, no matter how small.
With that thought in mind, Shan Shan who had actually been fighting drowsiness for quite some time finally felt safe enough to drift off to sleep.
The next day.
Having stayed up late the night before, Shan Shan was still heavy-eyed and groggy when she woke up.
But the moment she heard Yin Kairui say, “If you don’t feel like getting up, you can sleep some more. Come find me whenever you wake up,” she immediately sat bolt upright.
Her eyes were still half-closed, her hair sticking up in every direction, yet her voice was clear and determined: “I’m coming. I want to be with my brother.”
Yin Kairui had long since decided not to argue with her about these little things. After all, he only needed to look after her for one more month before she would be sent away, and several days had already passed their time together was running short anyway.
So even though her words struck him as a little silly and overly clingy, he still reached out, gently lifted her up, and set her down next to the washstand. He soaked a towel in warm water, wrung it out, and placed it against her face.
The warm cloth against her skin cleared her foggy mind a little. She rubbed her cheeks with both hands, then suddenly froze. “I haven’t brushed my teeth yet.”
“Then go brush them,” Yin Kairui replied simply.
Once she had finished, she washed her face carefully all over again, and only then let Yin Kairui help her get dressed and apply her medication before they headed off to the film set.
Shan Shan’s hair only reached her chin, which was long enough to tie up into little tufts, but since Yin Kairui had no idea how to style hair, he just let her wear it loose and she looked utterly adorable that way. All he had to do each morning was smooth down the stray strands that stuck up at odd angles.
As soon as they arrived at the set, Shan Shan behaved perfectly, waving cheerfully at Yin Kairui. “Go on and get busy, Brother! I’m going to go play with Uncle Luo!”
Yin Kairui hummed in acknowledgment and turned to head toward the makeup room.
Director Luo was sitting nearby, and when he saw Shan Shan coming over, he waved her over with a smile.
Shan Shan hurried toward him with quick, small steps, but before she could get close, she suddenly covered her nose with both hands.
Her eyes went wide as she stared at the person sitting next to Director Luo, looking utterly stunned.
Just yesterday, she had been trying to figure out where to find this person and today, here he was, standing right in front of her?
“Why aren’t you coming any closer?” Director Luo asked, noticing her hesitation.
Instead of moving forward, Shan Shan actually took a step back. She spoke quickly and loudly, “I just remembered I have something really important to tell my brother! I’ll come back in a little while, Uncle Luo, I promise!”
With that, she turned and ran off as fast as her short legs could carry her.
Shan Shan had a great sense of direction, and she had been to Yin Kairui’s makeup room before, so she headed straight there and knocked urgently on the door.
“Who is it?” a voice called out from inside.
“It’s me, Xiao Liu,” the assistant, who had followed after her, answered from behind.
Hearing his voice, the person inside opened the door right away.
“What’s going on? Is something wrong with Shan Shan?” Yin Kairui had only just started getting his makeup done, and he couldn’t very well walk around the set with half-finished work, so he stayed seated in front of the mirror as he asked.
Xiao Liu scratched his head, looking confused. “I’m not sure either… I don’t really know what’s gotten into her.”
Shan Shan had rushed over in a panic, fully intending to tell Yin Kairui immediately that the bad man was here but the moment she caught sight of the makeup artist working beside him, she fell silent. She just gazed up at Yin Kairui with big, pleading eyes and said softly, “I just missed my brother.”
“I thought you were happy staying with Uncle Luo,” Yin Kairui said, feeling that something was off.
But then he remembered how strange Shan Shan had acted the night before, clearly so upset and worried about this so-called “bad man,” and it all started to make sense to him.
Still, he couldn’t help but wonder who exactly was this person?
What had he done to make Shan Shan care so much, and feel so afraid?
Shan Shan obediently pulled over a small chair and sat down to watch Yin Kairui finish getting ready.
This was the first time she had ever watched the whole makeup process so closely. It looked as though Yin Kairui’s appearance hadn’t changed at all, yet once the makeup was applied, there was something subtle but different about him a shift in his whole presence and aura that she couldn’t quite put into words. All she knew was that it felt… amazing!
She turned her gaze to the makeup artist, her eyes shining with pure admiration.
While the artist was carefully working on Yin Kairui’s look, she had been stealing little glances at Shan Shan too.
Everyone on the crew knew that a young child had joined their set, and that she was the younger sister of award-winning actor Yin Kairui. They all knew how sweet and beautiful she was, yet no one had dared to go over and play with her.
For one thing, Shan Shan was always very well-behaved, and she almost never strayed far from either Yin Kairui or Director Luo.
For another, everyone had heard how Qin Qinzhuang had tried to get close to the little girl, only to be firmly turned away. They all genuinely liked Shan Shan, and they were afraid that if they tried to approach her, she might reject them too, simply because she was shy or wary of strangers.
And why was she so comfortable around Director Luo, if she was so careful around everyone else?
Because Director Luo was someone Yin Kairui trusted completely, and Shan Shan knew it.
Over the past couple of days, everyone had seen how sweet and affectionate she was toward her brother how she looked up to him, listened to everything he said, and praised him at every turn.
It was clear that whatever Yin Kairui told her to do, she would do without hesitation.
Even so, none of them dared to ask Yin Kairui for permission to spend time with her.
Everyone knew that although he was still quite young, he had a straightforward, no-nonsense personality, and he never held back his words or softened his tone for anyone’s sake.
This makeup artist was one of the many crew members who had been dying to get closer to Shan Shan.
For the past few days, her biggest disappointment had been that Yin Kairui always came to get his makeup done without bringing Shan Shan along. He had done this because the makeup room was full of bottles, jars, and sharp tools, and he had worried that Shan Shan might accidentally hurt herself or make a mess though in truth, he hadn’t even stopped to consider how much everyone else wanted to see her. Still, the artist couldn’t help but feel sad about it.
Now that Shan Shan was finally here, she took every chance she could get to look over at her while she worked. Every time she caught sight of Shan Shan’s soft, round cheeks, she found herself fighting the urge to reach out and give them a gentle squeeze.
Once the makeup was finished, the artist helped Yin Kairui put on his outer layers and adjust his accessories to make sure everything looked perfect.
When she was done and began to pack up her supplies, Shan Shan finally asked the question that had been on her mind since she walked in one she had forgotten all about while watching the makeup process unfold.
“Sister, why have you been looking at me this whole time? Is there something on my face?” She reached up and touched her cheeks as she spoke.
The artist had never expected that her secret glances would be noticed by such a small child. Her face turned bright red with embarrassment, and she quickly glanced over at Yin Kairui to make sure he wasn’t upset before answering. “It’s because you’re so lovely. I really like you a lot.”
“Is that so?” Shan Shan said, as if a lightbulb had just gone off in her head.
Seeing her nod in understanding made the artist think she was even more adorable than before.
Then Shan Shan spoke again, her voice clear and earnest: “Well then… I think I like you just a little bit too, Sister!”
The artist froze for a moment, and then her eyes lit up with pure delight.
Oh my goodness!
A little one saying something so sweet and sincere was just about the cutest thing she had ever seen!
She couldn’t hold herself back any longer. “Little one… I have some really pretty hair clips here. Would you let me do your hair for you today?”
Yin Kairui, standing off to the side, let out a quiet huff of amusement.
Oh, I see.
So was she trying to say he hadn’t been doing a good enough job with Shan Shan’s hair?
But Shan Shan shook her head firmly. “Thank you, Sister, but I can’t. I have something really, really important I need to talk to my brother about right now.”
“Then… can I do it for you tomorrow?” the artist asked before she could stop herself, suddenly worried she had been too forward.
But Shan Shan simply nodded happily. “Yes, that would be nice! And I want my hair to look just like my brother’s!”
The artist laughed softly. “Of course, we can do that.”
Understanding that the two of them needed some privacy to talk, she quickly gathered her things and left the room.
Only then did Yin Kairui turn to face Shan Shan, crossing his arms over his chest. “I know you’re worried about me, but I’ll be careful. You don’t need to be afraid.”
At the very same moment, Shan Shan blurted out in a rush, “Brother! I saw that bad, stinky man from yesterday! He’s here!”