Shuangshuang didn’t notice that the person wearing a long white fake beard and a red hat was her father, whom she had been thinking about for several hours, but simply assumed that Santa Claus, who existed in fairy tales and brought her Christmas gifts every year, had finally appeared.
The little girl was stunned and widened her eyes. Her small hand clenched onto Su Xiaomeng’s clothes, while the other hand covered her mouth, too excited to speak!
Santa Claus walked over to them...
After recovering from the shock, Shuangshuang immediately jumped off the bed and ran directly to "Santa Claus," hugging him tightly.
"I caught you! Santa Grandpa, you are just as tall as I imagined!"
"..."
"My dad is just this tall! Santa Grandpa, thank you for always giving me gifts."
Shuangshuang was so excited that tears flowed down her cheeks...
Yin Shixiu crouched down, making direct eye contact with the little girl, wiping away her tears, and in a lowered voice, seriously asked her, "So...do you want to see Santa Claus or...your dad more right now?"
Shuangshuang hesitated for a moment; this was obviously a dilemma, but...
"Santa Grandpa, I’ve already seen you... This year for Christmas, I just want to see my dad. He’s been on a business trip for over a month and hasn’t come home. Both Mom and I miss him very much."
"Well...turn around first."
Shuangshuang blinked her tear-filled eyes; she was still caught up in the excitement and surprise of seeing Santa Claus,
"If I turn around, will you disappear?"
"You’ll know when you turn around."
Shuangshuang sniffed and still turned around full of anticipation, holding her hands over her heart, her face and heart filled with expectation.
Su Xiaomeng sat on the bed, watching Yin Shixiu remove his white beard after Shuangshuang turned around... Their eyes met, and she had long recognized Yin Shixiu. When Yin Shixiu saw Su Xiaomeng’s expression, he knew that his childish disguise couldn’t escape the eyes of his partner.
He took a deep breath, feeling somewhat anxious, fearing that after Shuangshuang turned around and saw him instead of Santa Claus... she would show disappointment.
Perhaps... this little surprise wasn’t planned carefully enough.
"Okay, turn around now..."
Shuangshuang turned around, and the instant she saw the red-hatted Yin Shixiu...
"Dad..."
Yin Shixiu said, "Merry Christmas! My baby."
"Dad! Santa Claus really brought you out!"
Shuangshuang exclaimed excitedly, rushing forward to embrace Yin Shixiu.
Yin Shixiu mumbled, "Well...actually...Dad disguised himself as Santa Claus..."
"Haha, I know! Dad, I love you so much!"
Shuangshuang’s expression showed no trace of disappointment. Maybe the Santa Grandpa from the fairy tales who gives children Christmas gifts didn’t appear, but... no person in the world is more incredible than a father appearing before you from thousands of miles away.
"Dad, this is truly the best Christmas gift I’ve ever received!"
Shuangshuang could not contain her ecstatic mood, embracing Yin Shixiu and kissing him several times, causing Yin Shixiu to be momentarily rendered speechless.
Su Xiaomeng wiped away the tears she couldn’t hold back...
Yin Shixiu has always been a qualified father...
This fourth son of the Yin family, viewed by outsiders as emotionally cold, is a father who gives his children ample warmth.
Xiao Meng thought, for the young Shuangshuang, the moment Yin Shixiu appeared in front of her dressed as Santa Claus sent her into a fairy tale, building her a fantasy castle with his own hands.
And years later, Shuangshuang finally knows that the Santa Claus from Western biblical stories is just a myth, a fairy tale, and understands that it’s parents who guard their pure and beautiful fantasies with well-intentioned lies.
When Shuangshuang becomes a parent herself, she will remember all that her father did with heart for her.
Remembering that phrase... A father’s love is as steadfast as a mountain.
Shuangshuang didn’t want Yin Shixiu to take off these Santa Claus clothes; instead, she let him wear them to lull her to sleep. Su Xiaomeng touched these clothes of Yin Shixiu’s, covered in the chill of the outside air.
Shuangshuang fell asleep with a smile lingering on her lips...
Xiao Meng and Yin Shixiu went to take a bath, the large bathtub filled with a thick layer of bubbles, Yin Shixiu leaning against the bathtub edge, hugging Su Xiaomeng, a true warmth and softness.
"I wondered why you weren’t replying to my messages. Since you left a message saying you’d video chat with Shuangshuang in the evening, I haven’t been able to reach you."