She yawned, pretending to slump slightly against her father's side. "I'm sleepy now, Daddy. Let's go home, please?"
Yuanfeng, without hesitation, took her words as gospel. "Alright, my little princess. Let's return home," he said, guiding her with gentle authority.
His protective gaze swept over the park, noting the subtle maneuverings of the other children, the disappointed looks of Yuanying and Lingxi, the indifferent stance of Song Jue, and the quiet retreat of the mysterious boy's companions.
Huaijin's strategy had worked perfectly.
She had protected herself from the social battlefield that Yunyin and Lingxi had tried to create, secured an ally in the calm, mysterious boy, and returned to her father unscathed, all while reinforcing her image as the clever, charming, and utterly unassailable little princess.
Meanwhile, the defeated children watched from a distance, powerless and silent.
