"Do you remember what I told you?"
Mr. Yukinoshita said softly, "A man who leaves home is bound to meet many enemies."
Back then, it had only seemed like a cool line. Now, it carried a little more weight.
"Enemies should be exactly the right kind of existence." Dong Yunyan pressed his fists together. "The best kind are those who can contend with each other and spur one another to grow."
"Precisely."
"If one side suddenly pulls a gun, it stops being interesting." Dong Yunyan chuckled. "Everything we worked for all this time would be gone."
Mr. Yukinoshita answered with silence.
"Adults have adult ways, and children have children's ways." Dong Yunyan curled his lips. "Adults shouldn't use adult methods against children."
Mr. Yukinoshita said, "...Of course."
"As long as I know it wasn't you, that's enough. I originally wanted to talk some more." Dong Yunyan rose to his feet. "We can talk next time. I'm going to greet the others."
Watching him leave, Mr. Yukinoshita hesitated for quite a while before cautiously opening the briefcase.
Inside was a beautiful cake.
"Brother Yan..." Mr. Yukinoshita shook his head helplessly. "So it was you after all."
With complicated feelings, Mr. Yukinoshita ate the cake. Then something suddenly occurred to him, and he picked up his phone to dial a number.
It had been around twenty years since he got married, yet he still could not hold his head high and say, with perfect conviction, that he had fully fulfilled his responsibilities.
Especially his responsibilities as a father.
That became even more true once his daughters reached adolescence.
Both daughters took after their mother. They had grown into intelligent, graceful young women, and that was exactly what worried him as their father.
Would their talent and beauty draw senseless jealousy?
Would their