That night, Yibo struggled to force himself to sleep, determined to wake up early the next morning and behave properly, a sight so rare that it left his father and all the mansion's staff utterly stunned.
Little Yibo had never been the kind of child to sit still and obediently follow orders.
He was a ball of endless energy, constantly dashing through the grand halls of the mansion, his bright laughter echoing as he played from morning until night.
Mischievous to the core, he found great joy in pulling lighthearted pranks, not just on his father, but also on his nannies, the driver, and even the household staff, who had long since grown accustomed to his antics.
His reputation had even spread beyond the mansion's walls.
Some of his father's business associates, unfortunate victims of his playful tricks, had dubbed him a sassy, bratty, and utterly spoiled troublemaker.
Though his pranks were harmless, they were unpredictable enough to leave an impression on anyone who encountered the young master's antics.
And so, when the very same child, who was notorious for his mischief, suddenly started behaving, following instructions without complaint, it felt nothing short of miraculous.
The entire household watched in disbelief, exchanging looks as if they had just witnessed the impossible.
For the rest of the week, Yibo did his best to stay still, resisting every urge to stir up chaos or test the patience of their staff. He refrained from playing pranks on his father, keeping his mischief bottled up, all because of one very important reason, his gege had told him to behave.
More than anything, Yibo feared the thought of someone tattling on him. If word got back to his gege that he had been disobedient, there was a real possibility that he wouldn't be allowed to see him that weekend.
The mere thought was making him overthink.
For once in his life, little Yibo was determined to be on his best behavior, even though, for him, the days seemed to crawl by at an agonizingly slow pace.
But no matter how restless he felt, all he could do was wait patiently.
Then, just when he thought he couldn't wait any longer, his bottled-up excitement finally exploded the moment the long-awaited day arrived.
It was Saturday, and the little one was already dressed and more than ready to depart. He had woken up far too early, his excitement refusing to let him sleep a minute longer.
Practically bouncing on his feet, he rushed to his nanny's room and knocked insistently, eager to start the day. The moment she opened the door, he wasted no time demanding a bath, wanting to change into the outfit he had carefully laid out the night before.
His father accompanied him to the Xiao residence in Henan.
Yibo had been told that this particular mansion wasn't the Xiao family's main estate.
The original and primary residence of the Xiao family was located in Chongqing, but since the headquarters of the Xiao Corporation was situated in Luoyang, Henan, the former patriarch of the Xiao family had commissioned the construction of another grand mansion there.
The estate in Chongqing had been left in the name of Xiao Zhan, the only heir of the late CEO, Xiao Lan.
What Zhan would eventually do with it was entirely up to him once he reached the appropriate age to make such a decision.
The ride to the Xiao residence was quicker than expected, as the roads were clear, free of the usual traffic that often turned a simple drive into a tiresome ordeal.
As they neared their destination, President Wang, who had already reminded Yibo to behave himself countless times, stole a glance at his son.
Seeing the little one sitting unusually quiet and composed, he finally allowed some of his worries to subside. There was still an overwhelming amount of work waiting for him at the company, and he couldn't afford to linger for too long.
With no other choice, he would have to leave Yibo in the care of the Xiao family, hoping, praying, that the boy would not stir up any trouble as he so often did.
Once President Wang departed, Zhan took Yibo's small hand in his and led him inside the grand residence. He had decided to give the younger boy a brief tour of the mansion, allowing him to familiarize himself with the space.
Meanwhile, Madam Fengyin made her way to the kitchen, eager to assist the maids in preparing a selection of snacks for the little ones to enjoy as they played later.
As they wandered through the sprawling halls of the mansion, Zhan held Yibo's tiny hand securely in his own.
No matter how familiar the surroundings were to him, the younger boy seemed utterly mesmerized by everything around him.
As expected, Yibo was once again bombarding him with an endless stream of questions, his curious eyes darting from one fascinating detail to the next, his little finger pointing at anything that caught his attention.
"Gege, did you like being at school?" Yibo asked out of nowhere as they strolled along.
Zhan glanced at him before replying, "You could say that."
"Did you eat well? Did you have fun with your friends?" Yibo pressed on, his mind already coming up with more questions to ask his gege.
Raising an eyebrow, Zhan let out a small chuckle.
"I don't have that many friends, Yibo. I spent most of my time at school alone. My priority was graduating on time so I could help Mom, not to have fun. Though, of course, I did have fun sometimes, it just wasn't my main focus," he explained, amused at how long-winded his answer had become.
"Really? Then how many friends do you have, gege?"
"Hmm… I'm closest to Wang Haoxuan and Liu Dongqin, but I also get along with Gu Jiacheng, Wu Jiacheng, and Peng Chuyue."
"Who's your favorite among them, gege?"
"I don't have a favorite, Yibo. They're all the same to me."
"Why?"
Zhan narrowed his eyes at the question. "What do you mean why? Are you asking who my best friend is?"
"Isn't that the same thing?"
"Not exactly. But no, I don't have a favorite."
"Okay… then how about me, gege?"
"Hmm?"
"Nothing."
Yibo pursed his lips, his thoughts suddenly tangled in their conversation.
Why wouldn't his gege have a favorite?
Ever since he was little, people had constantly reminded him that he was the sole heir to his father's empire. That had instilled in him a belief that he should always be the only one, the most important, the favorite. In his world, there was always a favorite.
So when Zhan claimed that he didn't favor any of his friends, Yibo found it confusing.
But what confused him even more was when his gege didn't immediately understand what he meant when he asked, what about me?
Zhan glanced down at the little boy whose pout had deepened. He squinted slightly, considering Yibo's words more carefully. When it finally dawned on him, he let out a quiet chuckle before tightening his grip around the younger boy's hand.
"Yibo," he called softly.
"Yes, gege?" Yibo responded, tilting his head up to look at him.
"Do you want to be gege's favorite?" Zhan asked with a teasing smile.
Yibo's eyes widened, a mix of surprise and uncertainty flashing across his face. "Uhm… yes?" he mumbled hesitantly.
Xiao Zhan smiled warmly, his voice gentle as he reassured him, "You're already my didi. So of course, you'll always be my favorite."