"...And so, the Little Mermaid and the Prince lived happily ever after."

Huo Tingyan finished the last sentence and closed the storybook. He looked down to find the little girl wide-eyed, listening with rapt attention, looking completely alert.

"Alright, story's over. Time for you to sleep," Huo Tingyan announced, rising to his feet as if to leave.

"Daddy, that's it?" Su Luo blinked her large eyes, seeming rather unsatisfied.

Huo Tingyan glanced at her impassively. "What else?"

"No, no, Daddy, you got it wrong! That's not how the Little Mermaid story goes." The little girl frowned disapprovingly, her look clearly saying 'Daddy, you're lying.'

"Then how does it go?" Huo Tingyan raised an eyebrow, a flicker of interest appearing.

Seeing his interest, Su Luo immediately launched into her version of the story with enthusiasm, her jewel-like eyes sparkling with an unusual light.

"After the Prince and the Little Mermaid got married, they lived a happy and beautiful life.

But their happiness didn't last. People in the palace started mysteriously disappearing. The King ordered a thorough investigation, but no results were ever found.

Day after day, more and more people vanished, and panic spread throughout the kingdom."

The little girl paused here, adopting a mysterious tone. "Daddy, guess where they went?"

"Where did they go?" Huo Tingyan asked patiently, playing along.

"You'd never guess, Daddy," the little girl said animatedly, "because the Little Mermaid ate them all!"

"Why would the Little Mermaid eat people?" Huo Tingyan's eyebrow twitched violently. It seemed strange knowledge was being added once again.

Su Luo savored the suspense before continuing, "Later, even the King disappeared. The Prince, worried about his Princess, rushed to her chambers. There, he saw the Princess with her back to him, and on the floor... was a pile of bones and blood."

Here, the little girl put on a suitably sinister expression, her voice dropping to a haunting whisper. "The Princess turned around. She saw the Prince, smiled at him... and revealed a mouth full of dagger-sharp teeth."

Su Luo paused again. "Daddy, guess what she said?"

"What did she say?" Huo Tingyan's lips twitched.

"She said..." Su Luo drew out the words, mimicking perfectly, "'When I was just a little shark, I yearned for the human world. But when I became human... I found I couldn't control the urge to eat people.'"  Huo Tingyan listened, the smile vanishing completely from his face.

This wasn't a fairy tale! This was a dark, twisted horror story!

"What happened next?" the man couldn't help but ask.

"Then the Prince got gobbled up by the Little Mermaid! Crunch, crunch!" The little girl blinked her innocent, wide eyes, her face the picture of angelic sweetness.

"Where on earth did you hear such nonsense?" Huo Tingyan sighed, massaging his temples. He felt his entire childhood was being overturned!

"Daddy, you need to accept reality," the little girl said, shaking her head sagely. "Fairy tales are just for fooling little kids."

Even she didn't believe them anymore! How could Daddy still be so silly!

Huo Tingyan: "..." He felt his intelligence being subtly insulted.

No, his daughter absolutely could not be this terrifying.

"Daddy, goodnight," the little one yawned, her face showing clear signs of drowsiness.

"Goodnight," Huo Tingyan replied, his mood rather complicated.

Just as he turned to leave, his sleeve was tugged.

"What now?" The man turned back slightly.

"Daddy... goodnight kiss," the little girl mumbled, clutching her blanket and squirming slightly, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. "All the other kids get goodnight kisses. Luoluo wants one too."

Huo Tingyan couldn't help but chuckle. "Troublemaker. You sure have a lot of demands."

Su Luo's little mouth drooped, thinking she'd been refused, her mood instantly plummeting.

At that moment, a shadow fell over her head. A kiss, light as a feather, landed on her forehead.

"Alright. Go to sleep properly." Huo Tingyan patted the little girl's head, turned, and strode out, his steps seeming just a little hurried.

Su Luo's eyes widened in delighted surprise. She cupped her face and grinned foolishly.