The morning sunlight slipped quietly through the wide kindergarten windows, spreading a soft golden glow across the colorful classroom and making everything look peaceful and warm, as if nothing in this small world could possibly go wrong.
Children sat in small groups, laughing, drawing, and playing with toys, their innocent voices blending together into a cheerful background noise that filled the room with life. At the center of the classroom, Gu Wen sat calmly beside Liu Ruyan near the window, his small hands resting on the table as he watched her carefully draw on a piece of white paper.
Liu Ruyan held her crayon tightly, her small fingers moving slowly and seriously as she tried to color inside the lines, and from time to time she would turn her head slightly to look at Gu Wen, as if she wanted his approval before continuing.
Her drawing was simple.
Two small stick figures holding hands under a big sun.
One was labeled Gu Wen.
The other was labeled Liu Ruyan.
When she finished the last line, she gently pushed the paper toward him, her eyes quietly shining with expectation.
"Gu Wen… look," she said softly.
Gu Wen lowered his gaze and looked at the drawing, and after a moment, a faint smile appeared in his calm eyes.
"It looks good," he said gently.
The moment she heard his praise, Liu Ruyan's face immediately brightened, and she moved a little closer to him, her shoulders relaxing as if the entire world had suddenly become safe again.
Above her head, faint captions quietly appeared.
[Favorite Person: Gu Wen]
[Emotional Stability Increasing]
[Safe When Near Gu Wen]
Gu Wen noticed them, but his expression remained calm, as if he had already grown used to seeing these strange floating words.
At the same time, not far away, someone was watching everything.
Zhao Yichen sat quietly at his desk, his fingers lightly gripping a toy car while his eyes remained fixed on the two children by the window. Unlike the other kids who were laughing and playing, his face showed no childish excitement, only a cold and thoughtful calmness that did not belong to someone his age.
His gaze slowly moved between Gu Wen and Liu Ruyan, observing every small movement, every expression, and every subtle interaction between them, as if he were analyzing a complicated puzzle.
So this is them.
His eyes darkened slightly.
Gu Wen.
Liu Ruyan.
The arranged childhood fiancée.
The future alliance of the Gu and Liu families.
The biggest threat to the Zhao family.
His father's voice echoed quietly in his mind.
"Separate them."
"Break their emotional bond before it becomes unbreakable."
"You must act early."
Zhao Yichen lowered his head slightly, hiding the coldness in his eyes, but his thoughts were already moving carefully and precisely.
He did not need to fight.
He only needed to create distance.
And distance would slowly destroy trust.
After all, children were fragile.
Misunderstandings could easily break them apart.
Slowly, he stood up from his seat and walked toward the drawing table, his footsteps light and steady, like an ordinary child approaching new classmates.
Gu Wen noticed him first.
The moment Zhao Yichen stepped closer, a faint alert appeared in his vision.
[Perfect Life System Notification]
[Unknown Threat Approaching]
[Target: Zhao Yichen]
[Threat Level: Low]
[Potential Relationship Interference Detected]
Gu Wen's eyes narrowed slightly.
So it starts now.
But his expression remained calm as he looked up at the approaching boy.
Zhao Yichen stopped in front of their table and smiled gently, his expression polite and friendly, perfectly matching the behavior of a normal kindergarten child.
"Hello," Zhao Yichen said softly.
"My name is Zhao Yichen."
Liu Ruyan instinctively moved a little closer to Gu Wen, her fingers lightly grabbing his sleeve as she looked at Zhao Yichen with cautious eyes.
Above her head, the captions flickered.
[Unknown Person]
[Warning: Unfamiliar Presence]
[Stay Close to Gu Wen]
Gu Wen gently placed his hand on the table and looked at Zhao Yichen calmly.
"Gu Wen," he replied.
Zhao Yichen's gaze shifted toward Liu Ruyan.
"And you?" he asked.
Liu Ruyan hesitated slightly before answering in a soft voice.
"Liu… Ruyan."
Zhao Yichen smiled warmly.
"That's a nice name."
He then looked at the drawing on the table and pretended to be surprised.
"Wow, this drawing is beautiful."
Liu Ruyan blinked slightly, a little embarrassed by the sudden praise.
"Really?" she asked quietly.
"Yes," Zhao Yichen nodded gently, leaning slightly closer to look at it. "But… shouldn't friends share drawings with everyone?"
Liu Ruyan froze slightly.
Share with everyone?
She looked at Gu Wen, then at the drawing, her small hands tightening slightly.
Zhao Yichen continued in a gentle voice.
"If you only draw Gu Wen and yourself, other friends might feel sad."
His tone was soft and harmless, like a simple suggestion.
But his eyes quietly watched her reaction.
Liu Ruyan's expression slowly changed.
Sad?
Other friends would feel sad?
Her small heart suddenly felt uneasy.
Above her head, new captions appeared.
[Emotional Confusion Detected]
[Anxiety Increasing]
[Social Pressure Detected]
She slowly lowered her head and looked at her drawing again, and the happiness she had felt a moment ago quietly faded.
Maybe… she was wrong.
Maybe she shouldn't only draw Gu Wen.
Maybe she was selfish.
Her fingers trembled slightly as she picked up the crayon again and slowly added another small stick figure beside them.
But the moment she did, her heart felt uncomfortable.
Very uncomfortable.
Gu Wen quietly watched everything, his calm eyes slowly turning cold.
He understood.
This was not an innocent suggestion.
This was psychological pressure.
And Zhao Yichen was carefully planting doubt in Liu Ruyan's mind.
At that moment, the system notification appeared again.
[Perfect Life System Alert]
[Emotional Interference Detected]
[Target: Liu Ruyan]
[Cause: Zhao Yichen]
[Mission Triggered]
[Protect Liu Ruyan's Emotional Stability]
[Reward: Relationship Bond +5]
Gu Wen's gaze became steady.
Without hesitation, he gently placed his hand over Liu Ruyan's drawing.
"You don't need to change it," he said calmly.
Liu Ruyan looked up at him in surprise.
Gu Wen looked directly at her and spoke in a soft but firm voice.
"It's your drawing."
"You can draw whatever you want."
"No one will be sad."
The moment she heard his words, the anxiety in her eyes slowly faded.
Above her head, the captions changed again.
[Emotional Stability Recovering]
[Safe When Near Gu Wen]
[Trust Increasing]
Her fingers slowly stopped trembling.
Zhao Yichen's smile froze slightly.
Gu Wen then turned his calm gaze toward Zhao Yichen and said quietly,
"Everyone draws what they like."
"You don't need to worry about others."
The classroom suddenly felt slightly colder.
Zhao Yichen looked at Gu Wen for a moment, and for the first time, he felt something unexpected.
This boy…
was not easy to manipulate.
But Zhao Yichen quickly smiled again, pretending nothing had happened.
"You're right," he said softly.
"I just wanted to make more friends."
Then he slowly turned and walked back to his seat.
However, his eyes darkened slightly.
So Gu Wen noticed.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Meanwhile, Liu Ruyan quietly held her drawing and leaned slightly closer to Gu Wen again, as if seeking comfort.
Gu Wen gently patted her head.
"It's okay," he whispered.
She nodded softly.
But neither of them noticed that Zhao Yichen, sitting in the corner again, was already thinking of his next plan.
If emotional pressure doesn't work…
Then I will create misunderstanding.
His fingers slowly tightened around the toy car.
And his cold gaze quietly returned to Liu Ruyan.
The game…
had just begun.