Chapter 37

Chapter 37

Does the dog agree?

The dog seems not to understand.

"I'm its owner, so I'll agree on its behalf," Mo Yikai said.

Yuan Ting glanced at Cheng Nanyi, whose face was quite displeased, and jokingly asked: “How old is Big Silly this year?”

"Just over six months, not yet a year old," Mo Yikai replied.

"Oh, haha..." Yuan Ting laughed, patting Cheng Nanyi's shoulder reassuringly, "No worries, just treat it like gaining a little brother, relax…" Then he whispered into Cheng Nanyi’s ear, audible only to the two of them: "Just play along, don't provoke him."

Cheng Nanyi, with a stern face, thought accepting the role of a younger brother was somewhat bearable.

Seeing Cheng Nanyi’s softening stance, Yuan Ting breathed a sigh of relief. Wasn't it tough for him?

"Not a younger brother, but an older brother," Mo Yikai corrected seriously, "A dog's life is short. At over six months, a dog is like a teenager, so I am the eldest brother, Big Silly is the second, and you two are the younger brothers."

Yuan Ting: "???" Are you joking with me?

Mo Yikai, I'm warning you, don't push your luck.

"Less than six months, let's say nine years old," Cheng Nanyi said coldly.

Nine years old?

Mo Yikai glanced at Cheng Nanyi, hesitated for a moment without speaking, seemingly agreeing.

And so, Yuan Ting found himself dazedly participating in the swearing of brotherhood. Mo Yikai held the dog's head, Cheng Nanyi held his, as the three men and a dog bowed towards the distance.

Mo Yikai: "With the heavens above and the earth below, today the four of us become brothers here, to share our fortunes and face our challenges together, unswerving until death."

Cheng Nanyi: "..." Just speechless.

Big Silly: "Woof..."

Yuan Ting: "Huh?" Did he just gain three brothers like that?

Why did he feel like he was the only one hurt in this?

But after the ceremony, Mo Yikai seemed much happier, even eating an extra bowl at lunch.

Well, as long as he's happy, it's fine.

Maybe he's just deeply shaken and needs more security; they should offer him more love now.

Yuan Ting, petting Big Silly's head: "Third Brother Dog, do you like eating poop as much as my other two brothers?"

Big Silly: "Woof woof woof... woof woof woof..."

Yuan Ting dodged Big Silly's playful headbutt: "Why the rush now?"

……

After school in the afternoon, Aunt Zhu came to take Mo Yikai to her place for dinner, so Mo Yikai didn't stay at Cheng's house that night.

Seizing the opportunity, the next morning Yuan Ting threw a tantrum, complaining of foot pain and refusing to go to school. Without Mo Yikai, the incubation period maniac, no one could stop Yuan Ting.

However, Yuan Ting's foot really was inconvenient for school, still aching, so Cheng Shaolin made a call to excuse him for another day.

Yuan Ting once again relished lounging on the couch, his feet up, watching TV and munching on chips, basking in a sense of rebirth.

Shu Zhilan went out with a wealthy friend for a shopping spree, and Cheng Shaolin, having a light schedule, stayed home, watching TV with Yuan Ting and even enthusiastically prepared a bowl of salt-free, lovingly made noodles for him.

Yuan Ting, somewhat speechless, shared half of it with his Dog Third Brother: "Share joys and sorrows alike!"

Witnessing this, Cheng Shaolin was greatly impressed: "Our little Ting really has a heart of gold, such a kind child."

Yuan Ting: "..." Just speechless.

The phone rang, and Yuan Ting answered: "Moshi moshi, this is the Cheng residence, operator Little Ting speaking. May I ask who you're looking for?"

"Is this Mr. Cheng's house? There is a Mr. Yuan here to visit at the front gate."

"Mr. Yuan?" Yuan Ting immediately sat up straight, "Which Mr. Yuan?"

"He said his name is Yuan Qingguang."

Yuan Qingguang?

His biological father?

Why has he come here?

"Let him in," Yuan Ting quickly said.

Hearing the voice, Cheng Shaolin looked over. Yuan Ting hung up the phone and, blinking innocently, looked at Cheng Shaolin: "Dad, my biological father's here, I've let him in."

"Your biological dad?" Cheng Shaolin was somewhat surprised. Realizing the situation, he quickly said, "Of course, Uncle Liu, hurry to the front gate to welcome him."

Yuan Ting was also quite surprised; his biological father had never visited the Cheng residence in his past life, only once confronted him at the school gate.

It must have been around this time, Yuan Ting didn't remember clearly.

It's impossible to remember everything, especially from childhood. You only selectively remember the most impactful things.

Yuan Ting remembered that Yuan Qingguang once stopped him at the school gate for a chat. He couldn't recall what was said, but one sentence stuck with him: "Yuan Ting, your dad won't be your dad anymore. Let's end our father-son relationship here."

Since then, these words had been deeply etched in Yuan Ting's memory, even in his second life.

Because back then, he had been very upset.

After that, Yuan Qingguang truly never visited Yuan Ting again. Yuan Ting occasionally saw him when visiting his grandmother, but they barely spoke, and Yuan Qingguang even avoided him.

Uncle Liu soon led a middle-aged man back. Cheng Shaolin warmly greeted him: "Hello, you must be Yuan Ting's dad. My name is Cheng Shaolin."

"Hello, hello," Yuan Qingguang greeted Cheng Shaolin awkwardly, then quickly explained, "I just wanted to see Little Ting at the school gate, but I haven't seen him for a few days. I saw him yesterday and noticed his injured foot. This morning, I couldn't find him again, so I was really worried and decided to visit. Sorry for the intrusion."

"No problem at all, you're just concerned about your child," Cheng Shaolin gestured invitingly, "Please, come sit over here. Yuan Ting is here. Uncle Liu, please bring some tea."

Yuan Qingguang took a few steps forward, meeting the gaze of his son, who sat on the sofa with his foot propped up.

The man in his early thirties looked like he was in his forties, appearing much older than Cheng Shaolin, who was actually in that age group.

Perhaps due to the heavy blows life had dealt him in recent years, Yuan Qingguang's eyes lacked sparkle, revealing only world-weariness and fatigue.

"Xiaoting, how's your foot?" Yuan Qingguang asked with concern.

Seeing Yuan Ting just blinking and not speaking, Cheng Shaolin spoke up: "It's just a sprain. He needs some rest and he'll be fine. Mr. Yuan, you needn't worry."

"Oh, that's good. Make sure to take care of it properly. Don't be too active too soon, or it might lead to complications," Yuan Qingguang advised Yuan Ting.

Yuan Ting remained silent.

Yuan Qingguang felt awkward, his gaze lingering on Yuan Ting's face for a while before reluctantly addressing Cheng Shaolin: "Well, now that I've seen my son, I'll leave. I've brought some snacks he likes, all bought from the supermarket… you can be assured..."

"You've just arrived and hardly spoken," Cheng Shaolin patted Yuan Ting's head, "Why don't you call him to stay?"

Yuan Ting still didn't speak.

Cheng Shaolin looked between them: "I have some work to attend to, I'll make a call upstairs. Mr. Yuan, please don't hurry off, could you look after Yuan Ting for me?"

After saying this, Cheng Shaolin signaled the butler and went upstairs.

Having heard some things about Yuan Qingguang from Shu Zhilan, Cheng Shaolin didn't have a good impression of her former husband. But a husband and a father are different roles, and he couldn't deny Yuan Ting the chance to connect with his father just because Yuan Qingguang wasn't a good spouse.

So, Cheng Shaolin didn't truly leave Yuan Ting in his care. The butler, understanding his signal, discreetly stood in a corner, watching the father and son.

Yuan Qingguang stood beside Yuan Ting, awkward and unsure. It had been a long time since he last saw his son. Yuan Ting had grown a lot, but his gaze was that of a stranger, which pained Yuan Qingguang.

"Xiaoting, are you doing well here?"

"Yes." Yuan Ting nodded, finally speaking his first words.

Yuan Qingguang gave a bitter smile, sighed, and gently touched Yuan Ting's head: "Son, don't worry, your dad won't hold you back. You don't need to worry about me becoming a burden to you in the future. I won't depend on you, and you don't need to take care of me in my old age. Just consider Mr. Cheng as your real father and live your own life. I can't provide you with a stable life, nor will I become a burden to you. That's probably the best I can do for you."

As he spoke, Yuan Qingguang couldn't help sniffling, his voice choked with emotion: "I'm not capable enough, let's end our father-son relationship here. I won't come to see you anymore. Live a good life, make something of yourself."

Having said that, Yuan Qingguang turned and walked away.

Yuan Ting blinked; the words he remembered differed significantly from what Yuan Qingguang had just said.

Watching Yuan Qingguang's lonely figure, Yuan Ting rubbed his face helplessly, realizing that it was his seven-year-old self who had misunderstood his father's words.

No wonder Yuan Qingguang, despite his hardships, had never sought out his son in his previous life.

Of course, Yuan Ting couldn't simply base his feelings on these few words, but he still needed to go to his father in the future, with plenty of time to understand in detail.

"Dad..." Yuan Ting called out.

Yuan Qingguang turned in surprise, incredulous: "Did you call me?"

"Yes, I called you." Yuan Ting patted the sofa beside him, "Sit down."

Yuan Qingguang swallowed hard, disbelieving his son's sudden warmth and awkwardly sat down, even reaching out to touch his foot: "Does it hurt?"

"It hurts," Yuan Ting yelled, "Uncle Liu, has my dad finished his call? The tea's gone cold."

The butler hurriedly responded, "Oh, right, I'll check."

Cheng Shaolin soon reappeared, seeing a much warmer atmosphere between Yuan Qingguang and Yuan Ting, he felt quite happy. After all, children should be happy, and the rest is for adults to handle. Especially after the recent events in the Mo family, Cheng Shaolin realized how fragile children are and how much love they need to grow up healthy.

"Dad..." Yuan Ting called out, and both men looked at him, responding in unison, "Ah..."

Then they exchanged glances, sharing an awkward smile.

Yuan Ting also started to laugh. Was this awkwardness just beginning?

What followed was even more awkward.

"Dad, why did you and Mom divorce?" Yuan Ting asked Yuan Qingguang innocently.

As expected, both Cheng Shaolin and Yuan Qingguang were taken aback, and even the butler's expression cracked. The young master sure dared to ask; truly, the frankness of a child.

Yuan Ting thought: Come on, biological dad, here's your chance to openly criticize your ex-wife, to reveal how she coveted your money and betrayed you. Vent your grievances, let the world explode for a moment.

Yuan Ting looked expectantly at Yuan Qingguang. Dad, this is a rare opportunity, don't disappoint me.

Yuan Qingguang, awkward and unsure of what to say, was about to be further pressed by Yuan Ting when the phone rang again.

Ah, the timing of this call couldn't be more perfect.

Yuan Ting, in a fit of temper, picked up the phone: "Moshi moshi, Cheng residence, operator Little Ting speaking. May I ask who's calling?" Though slightly irritated, he maintained his manners.

"There's a Teacher Zhao on the line, claiming to be your young master's homeroom teacher. She's requesting a home visit. Shall I let her in?"

"Teacher Zhao? A home visit?" Yuan Ting widened his eyes in surprise. Why a home visit? Is it to check on the prominent patient?

Hearing Yuan Ting's words, Cheng Shaolin took over the phone, inquired briefly, then said, "Please let her in."

After hanging up, Cheng Shaolin turned to Yuan Qingguang: "Mr. Yuan, please have a seat. Yuan Ting's teacher has come for a home visit, I'll go and receive her."

It's three in the afternoon, and a teacher is making a home visit?

"Xiaoting, have you done something wrong?" Yuan Qingguang whispered.

"No, how could I, such a well-behaved child, do anything wrong?" Yuan Ting's claim was based on solid ground, having not attended school for several days. "It must be because of my foot injury. The teacher is probably visiting me out of concern." After all, it was a prestigious school, and such courtesy was expected.

Soon, Teacher Zhao followed Cheng Shaolin into the room, carrying a gift, confirming Yuan Ting's guess. She was indeed representing the school to visit him.

Author's Note:

A big thank you to the little angels who supported me with their Overlord Votes and Nutrient Solutions from August 7, 2023, 20:44:11 to August 8, 2023, 22:21:24~

Special thanks to the little angels for their Nutrient Solutions: Ning Weiyi, Shishi Dashi (10 bottles each); 180.94 (6 bottles); Girl's Skirt (3 bottles); Never Fail Exams!, Eating Watermelon Without Spitting Seeds (1 bottle each);

I'm deeply grateful for everyone's support and will continue to work hard!