Yan Qingyuan usually kept to himself and rarely interacted with other bosses. His only close associates were Xing Zhinan and Li Xian, and the news of him having a child was spread by Xing Zhinan, that big mouth.
It was a night with the bright moon high in the sky. Xing Zhinan and Li Xian casually found a patch of grass, set up a table and chairs, and began drinking. Fireflies flew around them, landing on Li Xian's long silver hair, their tips glowing.
After a few bottles of baijiu, Xing Zhinan was a little tipsy. He swayed and beckoned to Li Xian, "I'll tell you a big secret, but you can't tell anyone else."
Li Xian, munching on peanuts, immediately jumped up like a rabbit with perked-up ears at the mention of a secret. "Yes, yes! I promise I'll keep it a secret. Tell me, tell me."
"Qingyuan is having a child." Xing Zhinan leaned on the table, his head resting on his arm, his eyes full of laughter. "I went to see him, and the baby is so adorable! That little face, so pink and tender, looks exactly like Yan Qingyuan."
Li Xian's eyes lit up. He stuffed all the peanuts in the dish into his mouth and eagerly handed the empty dish to Xing Zhinan. "I'm going to see the baby right now."
Then he dashed off.
"Wait!" Xing Zhinan's alcohol-induced haze cleared for a moment. He remembered Yan Qingyuan's stern warning: he was forbidden to spread the news of his child.
The thought of Yan Qingyuan finding out he told Li Xian, Li Xian telling Feng Yun, and Feng Yun telling Shen Mingsu and Yi Luo… sent chills down Xing Zhinan's spine, as if Yan Qingyuan's slap was already on his face.
No, he had to go and catch Li Xian.
Desperate to survive, Xing Zhinan took only one step. His alcohol-fueled body lost its balance, tripping over his own feet, and he fell to the ground with a thud.
"Where are the peanuts?" Xing Zhinan pushed himself up from the ground and went to find the dishes on the table, but every dish was empty. Li Xian had eaten all the peanuts.
Xing Zhinan finally understood why he was so drunk this time; Li Xian had eaten all the peanuts.
Helpless, he could only wait for the slap. Xing Zhinan sighed, slumped to the ground, closed his eyes, and fell asleep.
Meanwhile, Li Xian excitedly returned home. The servants in the castle stopped what they were doing and watched him go upstairs. Li Xian went straight to the playroom on the second floor, pushed open the door, and said, "Xiao Wang, Xiao Huai, hurry up and pack your things; let's go see your little brother."
Li Huai and Feng Wang looked about the same age as ordinary seven-year-old children. The brothers' baby fat hadn't faded yet, and they were engrossed in building with blocks.
Upon seeing Li Xian, Li Huai was the first to run towards him, throwing himself into his arms and hugging his waist affectionately. "Which little brother are you seeing? Sethia?"
Feng Wang frowned like a little adult. "I don't want to play with Sethia, he always steals my food."
"It's a new little brother," Li Xian's bright blue eyes crinkled into crescent moons with laughter. "Uncle Qingyuan's little brother, he's only a few days old."
Hearing it was a new little brother, Feng Wang and Li Huai nodded with great interest. Li Huai packed a few of his favorite toys, intending to give them to his little brother later.
"Yan Qingyuan has a child?"
Feng Yun's deep, resonant voice sounded from the doorway. Li Xian turned and smiled at him. "Yes, Zhinan told me. Do you want to go see him?"
Feng Yun's relationship with Yan Qingyuan was lukewarm; they only exchanged nods and greetings occasionally because of Li Xian.
Before Feng Yun could make a decision, Li Xian stroked his chin and walked to Feng Yun's side. He circled around Feng Yun, until finally his delicate face was suddenly right in front of him.
"Smile."
Feng Yun forced a smile. His appearance was fierce, exuding an imposing aura. The smile he wore didn't seem friendly; instead, it gave off a menacing, dagger-like feeling, as if he might kill the other person at any moment.
Li Xian remained silent for a long time. "I think if you go, it might scare the baby. What do you think?"
Feng Yun pursed his lips, raising his eyelids to look at him. "So... you don't want me to go with you?"
His words sounded so pitiful, as if he were about to be abandoned. Li Xian hugged his neck, looked up at him, and gently coaxed him, "This time, I'll go see if the baby is afraid of people. Maybe he's a brave baby?"
Feng Yun hugged his waist, reluctantly nodding. "...Okay, come back soon."
...
The weather was sunny and warm today. The osmanthus trees in Yan Qingyuan's courtyard were in full bloom, their fragrance filling the air.
The ground was spotless, and a sponge mat was laid out. The baby, a few months old, was placed on it. He was delicate and adorable, with chubby cheeks and bright, lively amber eyes.
Several little white rabbits darted around little Yan Chi, whose gaze followed them, sometimes even reaching out to grab their round tails.
The rabbits were very curious about the baby, sniffing him all over. One mother rabbit, overflowing with maternal love, kept tucking her fur around the little one.
The next second, a slender hand grabbed the rabbit by the ear and tossed it aside.
When little Yan Chi saw his father, his eyes widened in surprise, kicking his little feet and reaching out his little hands for a hug.
"You're so clingy," Yan Qingyuan said, but there was no impatience in his eyes. He skillfully picked up the little one, supporting his bottom with one hand.
Little Yan Chi hugged his father's neck, affectionately rubbing his face against his father's, while tightly clutching a strand of his hair with one hand.
"What are you holding in your hand?" Yan Qingyuan noticed that little Yan Chi was tightly clutching something in his other hand. Worried the little guy might accidentally swallow it, he asked him to hand it over.
Little Yan Chi shook his head, "Mmm~"
He put his little hand behind his back, not letting Yan Qingyuan see.
Yan Qingyuan frowned at him, then carried the child back to his room. His room was filled with parenting manuals. Holding little Yan Chi in one arm, Yan Qingyuan opened one, looking for the answer to his question—What should you do if your child doesn't want to give you what they're holding?
After searching for a while, the book didn't provide an answer.
Displeased, Yan Qingyuan set the book on fire and burned it. He sat under a tree with little Yan Chi in his arms and tapped his little fist. "Give it to me."
Yan Chi still shook his head.
Yan Qingyuan didn't force him. He pondered how to get Yan Chi to give him the thing willingly. He rested his head on little Yan Chi's head, lost in thought.
Fortunately, little Yan Chi was a very well-behaved boy. His father sat idly in his arms, doing nothing, and he didn't cry or fuss.
When Li Xian arrived, he saw the father and son cuddling together, lost in thought. He ran over to Yan Qingyuan, "Hi! Yuanyuan!"
Feng Wang and Li Huai also walked over to little Yan Chi. Looking at their little brother, they both thought in unison, "He's so tiny… just a tiny bundle, smaller than a snow beast's paw, nestled obediently in his father's arms."
The little guy seemed to sense their intense gazes, lifting his eyelids to look at them with his round eyes. Because they were unfamiliar faces, he tilted his head in confusion.
"Why are you here?" Yan Qingyuan suddenly snapped back to reality.
Li Xian gazed intently at the little one in his arms, his affection overflowing. "Come see you and the baby! He's so cute! Is he afraid of strangers? Can I hold him?"
Yan Qingyuan hugged Yan Chi tighter. "How did you know?"
Li Xian, completely absorbed in the little one, immediately and without hesitation betrayed Xing Zhinan. "Zhinan told me."
Xing Zhinan… Yan Qingyuan silently made a mental note of this, determined to give him a slap in the face later.
Li Xian took out a rattle drum and waved it in front of the little guy. The clear drumbeat attracted Yan Chi's attention, and Yan Chi's little head followed the rattle drum, turning back and forth.
"Do you want me to hold you?" Li Xian squatted down in front of little Yan Chi. "I'm your uncle, okay? Let uncle hold you, okay?"
Little Yan Chi hesitated for a moment, glancing at Yan Qingyuan. He tentatively snuggled into Li Xian's arms, and seeing that Yan Qingyuan didn't react, he jumped directly into Li Xian's arms. Li Xian naturally picked him up.
The little guy was soft and cuddly, smelling sweetly of milk. Li Xian kissed and hugged him affectionately, murmuring, "So cute, such a good baby."
Little Yan Chi understood that he was being praised and smiled, revealing his bare gums.
His cuteness charmed Feng Wang and Li Huai, and the two children crowded around, gazing longingly at their little brother. Feng Wang tugged at Li Xian's sleeve, "Can I hold my little brother? I'm strong, I won't drop him."
Li Huai's request was even simpler, "I want to touch my little brother's face too."
Seeing how popular his child was, Yan Qingyuan felt a surge of pride, but didn't forget to instruct, "No hugging, but you can touch him, just once."
Li Xian smiled at him, squatted down, pointed at Feng Wang and Li Huai, and taught Yan Chi to call him "brother," "This is your brother, baby, say it after me, 'Brother~ Brother~'"
Yan Qingyuan: "He can't say 'Dad' yet."
The implication was: Forget about calling him "brother," don't even think about it.
Sure enough, little Yan Chi didn't open his mouth, but just stared at Feng Wang and Li Huai with wide eyes, then suddenly opened his little hand, "Hey~"
His palm was clutching a tuft of rabbit fur.
Feng Wang and Li Huai didn't understand his intention. Li Xian guessed, "Baby, do you want to give this to your older brothers?"
Little Yan Chi pushed the rabbit fur forward a little more, "Here~"
Feng Wang and Li Huai tentatively took a little rabbit fur each. Little Yan Chi came over, smiled, gave the rest of the rabbit fur to Li Xian, and then reached out to Yan Qingyuan.
Yan Qingyuan hugged him, and Little Yan Chi yawned, leaning on his shoulder and falling asleep.
Li Xian cherished the rabbit fur, "So it really is a greeting gift, Yuanyuan. Your baby is more sociable than you."
Yan Qingyuan: "...Give it back if you don't want it."
"No way, this is a greeting gift from your baby." Li Xian sealed the rabbit fur in a piece of crystal-clear ice, "I'll treasure it carefully."
Feng Wang and Li Huai also treasured the rabbit fur in their own ways. They both adored this unexpectedly cute little brother.
In particular, Xiao Yanchi is very well-behaved. Even without adults around, he can play with his toys without crying or fussing, accompanied by his two older brothers. Sometimes he will even kiss his brothers' cheeks to express his affection.
Before leaving, Feng Wang and Li Huai discussed what reason they could use to persuade Uncle Qingyuan to let them take the baby home.
Li Huai was the first to think of a solution. He ran to Li Xian and said, "Dad, can you invite Uncle Qingyuan to our house to play? Bring the baby along too."
Feng Wang nodded in agreement, "I can take the baby out to play. I've beaten up all the snow beasts around the house. I can also teach the baby to fight so he won't be bullied in the future."
"No way." Li Xian flicked Feng Wang's forehead. "Don't even think about taking the baby to fight. You better behave yourself."
Feng Wang pursed his lips and muttered, "But the baby looks so easy to bully. What if he gets bullied by bad guys later if I don't teach him to fight?"
Who would dare bully Yan Qingyuan's child? Li Xian found it amusing. "No, besides, won't you protect your little brother?"
Upon hearing this, Li Huai and Feng Wang both nodded.
Li Huai earnestly promised, "I will protect my little brother well."
Feng Wang clenched his little fist. "From now on, if anyone bullies my little brother, I'll beat them up!"
Meanwhile, little Yan Chi slept soundly in Yan Qingyuan's arms, looking more like a harmless little rabbit than a high-risk boss.
Soon, news of a well-behaved and adorable newborn in Yan Qingyuan's home spread among the various bosses, and several Super S-class bosses frequently came to see the little guy.
Meanwhile, in Yunzhou, Shen Ruoqin planned to take Shen Chang Le to see his younger brother. Before setting off, she looked at Shen Mingsu, who was lying in the courtyard sunbathing, and asked, "Brother, are you going to see Qingyuan's baby?"
Shen Mingsu waved his hand. "No."
"I heard the baby is super cute. You really aren't going?"
Shen Mingsu said confidently, "Hmph, what kind of good person could Yan Qingyuan's child be? Most likely a wolf in sheep's clothing. If you touch him, he'll bite you until your hand bleeds."
Shen Ruoqin, holding Shen Chang Le's little hand, scoffed, "I think you're just holding a grudge because you never beat Qingyuan, and you're dragging the baby into it too. How petty."
Back then, Shen Mingsu challenged Yan Qingyuan, only to be brutally beaten and forced to flee home in a sorry state. He hadn't left the house for half a year afterward—this wasn't a secret among the bosses.
Shen Mingsu, a blade of grass dangling from his mouth, readily admitted, "Yes, I just don't like Yan Qingyuan, and I don't like that little thing either."
"I don't know why you guys like little brats so much. Those creatures cry all the time, are weak and pathetic, and are a real pain in the ass."
Shen Ruoqin rolled her eyes, rarely arguing with him again. "Qingyuan should have slapped you to death back then."
Shen Mingsu exuded an aura of utter defiance, his tone smug. "Too bad I'm still alive."
"Hmph, you'll get slapped again sooner or later."
Of course, Shen Ruoqin didn't expect her words to come true.
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