Chapter 3: “This Has to Be a Joke… Right?”

Wang Peizhen stood frozen in his small apartment, his back pressed against the door he had opened just minutes ago.

That little girl—Ruoyu, as she confidently introduced herself—was now curled up on his couch, munching biscuits like she belonged there.

“You took forever to open the door, Daddy,” she’d pouted.

And then, she’d hugged him. Just like that.

Like she knew him. Like she had every right.

But how could she? He had never seen her in his life.

“Okay,” he whispered to himself, pacing in slow circles. “This is either a dream… or some sort of prank show.”

He glanced at her again.

She had thick, dark lashes, a round face, and a stubborn pout that looked hauntingly familiar.

Too familiar.

“Wang Ruoyu…” he muttered. “Five years old, maybe?”

She had told him that—just the name—before hopping onto his couch like it was her daily routine.

Now, she was curled under his throw blanket, watching him with calm, curious eyes.

Peizhen grabbed a glass of water, trying to process the impossible.

“This makes no sense. I’m not even dating anyone. I’ve never—”

His brain slammed the brakes as a name surfaced.

An Ruoran.

Quiet. Shy. Always scribbling something in her notebook in the last row of their high school classroom.

She never talked much, but he remembered the way she looked at him when she thought he wasn’t paying attention.

Years had passed since they last saw each other.

Sure, they still texted every once in a while. Birthday wishes, quick check-ins during exam season—but that was it.

They weren’t close. And they’d never… done anything.

So how could this little girl be saying—

“You’re my daddy.”

No. That wasn’t just impossible. It was insane.

That night, he barely slept.

Every time he closed his eyes, he saw that small face again.

That firm voice. That innocent smile.

The way she held his hand like she had done it a hundred times before.

By morning, the girl was already awake and brushing her teeth in his bathroom. With his toothbrush.

“Wait—what—hey!” he sputtered. “That’s not for you!”

“But it was already here,” she said, mouth full of foam. “And we’re family, right?”

He blinked hard.

No one in their right mind dreams this vividly.

“Kid… listen.” He crouched down. “You said I’m your dad. Do you even know what that means?”

She nodded matter-of-factly. “Of course.”

“So, where are your real parents?” he asked slowly. “Where do you live?”

“Right here,” she said, looking around his apartment like it was home.

Peizhen rubbed his forehead. “You're not answering the question.”

She tilted her head.

“It’s hard to explain. But I belong with you. I came here because… it’s time.”

Peizhen stared at her, dumbfounded.

“Time?” he echoed. “Time for what?”

She gave him a sleepy smile.

“For you to stop being lonely.”

His chest tightened unexpectedly.

“You don’t even know me,” he whispered.

“Of course I do,” she said, softly now. “I know you better than anyone.”

---

By evening, he was staring at his phone screen.

An Ruoran – Highschool classmate

He hadn’t talked to her in over a year.

She was probably still living in her hometown, studying literature or education—something soft and quiet, like her. She had always been kind. Smart. A little awkward. The type of girl people overlooked… but he hadn’t.

He remembered her smile.

He remembered thinking once, maybe—

But then he left for university in another state. Life moved on. Feelings faded.

Or so he thought.

---

Peizhen looked up from his phone.

Ruoyu was now sitting cross-legged on the floor, drawing crayon doodles on the back of his discarded receipts.

She had drawn a stick figure with a lab coat and messy hair.

“That’s you,” she grinned, showing it to him. “In the future.”

He stared at the messy figure, heart thudding.

“How do you know I’ll wear that?”

She smiled mysteriously. “I just know.”

---

That night, as she nestled under his blanket again, she whispered:

“I was scared before coming here.”

“Why?”

“Because you don’t recognize me yet.”

His throat went dry. “And now?”

She looked up at him with warm eyes.

“Now I think… maybe it’ll be okay.”

Peizhen sat in silence as she drifted off to sleep again.

He had a million questions. None of them had answers.

But deep inside, something about this girl made his heart ache.

Not because she was strange.

But because she felt—familiar.

Too familiar.

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