Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Huo Xiaobao was taken by the staff to change into play clothes, and Zhong Xi accompanied him. On the way, they met several children his age, and Zhong Xi urged Huo Xiaobao to say hello.

Huo Xiaobao tends to be a bit shy in public. He glanced at Zhong Xi, and after receiving an encouraging look from Zhong Xi, he finally mustered the courage to wave at the children and said, "Hello, my name is Huo Xianyun."

This was the introduction Zhong Xi had been training him to say.

Because of his father's high status, Huo Xiaobao rarely got to interact with the outside world or have many peers. Most of the time, he stayed at home, playing with his parents, Xiao Xu, and the guards at the gate. His activities rarely extended beyond the botanical garden that Huo Sicheng had built for him.

Zhong Xi worried he might be slow to develop his language skills, so he studied child-rearing techniques on his own and trained Huo Xiaobao to speak at home. He practiced introductions the most.

Noticing the children's lack of response, Huo Xiaobao added, "You can call me Huo Xiaobao."

A bubbly little girl was the first to reply to Huo Xiaobao, saying, "Hello, I've seen you before."

Zhong Xi knelt behind Huo Xiaobao and softly asked, "Do you remember her?"

Huo Xiaobao shook his head, and Zhong Xi said, "That's fine, you can say hello again."

Huo Xiaobao thought for a moment, leaned against Zhong Xi, held out his tiny hand, and waved shyly, saying, "Hello, sister."

He immediately looked to Zhong Xi afterward.

Zhong Xi smiled, hugged him, and said, "Great job!"

Huo Xiaobao was led by the staff to change into play clothes. When he came out, he was raring to go. Zhong Xi saw him dash to the slide and was about to step in to watch over him when the staff said, "Mr. Zhong, no need to worry, we'll keep an eye on the kids."

Zhong Xi headed to the VIP room.

When he arrived, Huo Sicheng was checking the surveillance feed, with Huo Xiaobao at the center of the screen.

Huo Xiaobao was seen clambering up the slide, then crouching at the top, too scared to move, glancing around as if looking for Zhong Xi. The staff was comforting him.

"He's timid," Huo Sicheng remarked.

Zhong Xi sat down, "After all, he wasn't born to a high-level omega, so it's natural for him to be average. There's nothing we can do about it."

"...Do you feel uncomfortable if you don't provoke me at least twice a day?"

"Am I wrong?" Zhong Xi shot him a cold look, "Anyway, Huo Xiaobao is like this. Even if he's timid, he's still my child. If you dislike him, go find someone else to have a child with."

Huo Sicheng was so angry that he had a headache, "Who said I dislike him? If I disliked him, would I have built a 500-square-meter children's playground for him?"

"But you forgot about him."

"I—" Huo Sicheng was speechless.

This comment hit like a bombshell, and Huo Sicheng had no retort. He had indeed forgotten his wife and child.

Even when looking at Huo Xiaobao up close, he couldn't recall what the little one looked like when he was born, his first steps, his first words calling for mom and dad, or his first time making friends outside... Losing these memories, Huo Sicheng couldn't help but feel regret.

Zhong Xi calmly sipped his hot tea.

A moment later, both of them turned their attention back to the surveillance footage. On the screen, Huo Xiaobao, encouraged by the staff, finally sat at the top of the slide, straightened his legs, and, following the staff's guidance, moved his bottom forward and slid down.

He turned to smile at the staff, who rewarded him with a knitted flower.

As if sensing something, Zhong Xi had just put down his teacup when Huo Xiaobao ran into the VIP room and handed the knitted flower to Zhong Xi.

Zhong Xi hugged him tightly and kissed him, deliberately raising his voice, whether for Huo Xiaobao or Huo Sicheng to hear, "Huo Xiaobao is so brave."

Huo Xiaobao beamed.

Huo Sicheng awkwardly rubbed his forehead and asked Huo Xiaobao, "Is it fun here?"

Huo Xiaobao replied, "It's fun."

He wanted to help Zhong Xi wear the knitted flower bracelet, but he couldn’t tie the knot. Gripping both ends of the string, he turned to Huo Sicheng for help, "Dad, help me."

Huo Sicheng took the string and fastened it for Zhong Xi.

They were sitting side by side, and Zhong Xi didn’t bother to extend his hand, so Huo Sicheng had to lean closer. He caught a whiff of lavender from Zhong Xi’s neck. Even though Zhong Xi was a beta, Huo Sicheng always noticed a faint floral sweetness on him.

The closer he got, the stronger the scent became.

Zhong Xi’s wrist was slender, with blue veins visible beneath his pale skin. As Huo Sicheng fastened the knitted flower and adjusted the bow, his fingers occasionally brushed against Zhong Xi’s hand. Zhong Xi lazily lifted his eyelids, seemingly accustomed to Huo Sicheng’s subtle advances.

Huo Xiaobao sat on Zhong Xi’s lap and said earnestly, "Mom, I want ten little flowers."

In truth, he had no concept of "ten" and was likely just mimicking what he had heard at home.

Zhong Xi pretended to be surprised and asked, "So many? Who are they for?"

Huo Xiaobao started counting on his fingers, "Mom, Dad, Xiao Xu, Uncle Wen..."

Once the number exceeded five, Huo Xiaobao got confused. He stared blankly at Zhong Xi, then collapsed into his arms, whining, "Huo Xiaobao doesn’t know, Huo Xiaobao can’t."

Zhong Xi chuckled and tousled his hair, "It’s okay, Huo Xiaobao. Go play and have fun, then you can win more little red flowers."

With Huo Xiaobao, Zhong Xi always had endless patience, a smile on his lips, and eyes full of affection—a tenderness Huo Sicheng would never receive.

Huo Xiaobao snuggled in Zhong Xi’s arms for a while before following the staff back to the play area.

After four o’clock, as if kindergarten had let out, more children and parents gradually arrived.

Since Huo Sicheng was present, the playground staff specially arranged interactive games. All the children sat in a row, answering questions or completing tasks to earn small gifts.

Parents were seated in the second-floor viewing area. Huo Sicheng initially didn’t want to be seen, but fearing Huo Xiaobao might look back and not see his parents, he eventually took a seat in the center of the viewing area.

He overheard whispers.

"Is that Zhong Xi? It’s my first time seeing him. He’s not as plain as the rumors suggest—he’s actually quite handsome."

"I think so too. He’s quite easy on the eyes."

"Little Huo takes after Zhong Xi more."

"I think his face shape is like Zhong Xi’s, but his features are more like the Chairman’s."

"The kid is so cute. You can spot him in the crowd at first glance, and he’s not spoiled at all—so well-behaved."

"And he looks so lively. They say the more loving the parents, the more beautiful and cute the child."

"Is that true? There’s no scientific basis for that."

"Whether there’s scientific evidence or not, just look at the Chairman and Zhong Xi—doesn’t it prove it?"

Huo Sicheng, having overheard the whole exchange, couldn’t help but touch the tip of his nose.

Even though they were talking about him and Zhong Xi, Huo Sicheng felt like an outsider, watching the happiness that once belonged to Huo Sicheng and Zhong Xi with an indescribable sense of jealousy.

Zhong Xi said he didn’t love him, but could a child full of love be born in a loveless marriage?

Huo Sicheng glanced at Zhong Xi beside him and inexplicably thought of the photo on the bedside table taken on a snowy mountain. He thought: Maybe there’s some love after all, because Huo Xiaobao is beautiful and adorable.

Zhong Xi noticed Huo Sicheng's gaze and turned to look at him.

The lights in the children's playground were warm-toned, surrounded by pink and blue decorative balloons and string lights like stars, which fell into Zhong Xi's eyes. His once ink-black pupils now looked like melting snow. Huo Sicheng tried to find the affectionate tenderness he desired in them.

Zhong Xi slightly lowered his eyes.

To others, Zhong Xi might seem cold and aloof, but Huo Sicheng detected a hint of elusive grievance in his expression.

He remembered clearly the same expression on Huo Xiaobao’s face when he didn’t hear "Daddy loves you."

Just as he was thinking, laughter suddenly came from downstairs. A staff member held up a sign and said, "Now, parents need to help their children complete a task. The tasks are divided into four levels of difficulty: blowing up balloons, building blocks, rock climbing, and shooting. Completing one task will add points to the child's score. The family with the highest score wins, and the child will receive a beautiful gift!"

The parents chuckled, "They never let us catch a break."

Huo Sicheng asked Zhong Xi, "How many points does Huo Xiaobao have now?"

Zhong Xi looked at the screen, "Fifteen points."

"How far behind first place?"

"Three points."

Huo Sicheng was used to aiming for first place, though most of the time he didn't need to. The top-tier alpha pheromones gave him strong confidence, superior intelligence, and a robust physique. First place was always within his grasp.

Zhong Xi, on the other hand, didn’t care about the results of these kids’ games. He only hoped Huo Xiaobao would have fun, but he knew Huo Sicheng well and understood that Huo Sicheng wouldn't want Huo Xiaobao to fall behind.

He glanced at Huo Sicheng’s leg and said, "Never mind, I’ll go with Huo Xiaobao. You don’t need to bother."

Huo Sicheng started to rise but was waved off, so he sat back down, his face stern.

Zhong Xi followed the parents to the first floor.

He picked the hardest task, shooting, which offered the most points but was also the toughest, so no other parents went for it.

Huo Xiaobao sat on a little stool, his eyes wide as he watched Zhong Xi head to the shooting area alone. He proudly told the kindergarten teacher beside him, "That’s my mom!"

The kindergarten teacher squatted down, and Huo Xiaobao told her, "My mom’s the best, the greatest in the whole world!"

Zhong Xi picked up the toy submachine gun hanging on the wall, a proportional toy submachine gun. Gripping the gun stock, muscle memories rushed back, leaving Zhong Xi momentarily dazed. It had been almost four years since he left the military academy, and during those four years, he had been writing papers every day, completely deviating from his original Ammunition Engineering major.

The shooting range felt like a distant memory.

The only thing he vaguely remembered was the military exercise in his freshman year. After demolishing the bunker, he was driving the mine-clearing vehicle back to camp when Huo Sicheng intercepted him. Huo Sicheng opened the hatch of the mine-clearing vehicle that he hadn't had time to close properly and aimed a special carbine at him.

At that time, Zhong Xi only thought about surviving, hoping to secure second place for credits, but his hand shook, and he accidentally wounded Huo Sicheng.

It was a gorgeous day, the sun shining brightly. After the smoke grenades slowly dispersed, the strong light shone into the vehicle, blurring Zhong Xi's vision. He looked up and saw a tall figure.

At that time, he didn't know the person in front of him was Huo Sicheng, nor did he know that it was that shot that cost him his entire life.

A staff member came over, snapping Zhong Xi back to reality.

The staff member said, "Mr. Zhong, if you hit the target three times in a row, you’ll earn ten points for your child. Hitting twice adds six points, and hitting once adds four points. You have five chances in total."

To fit the vibe of the kids' play area, they put a doll on the moving target, slowly shifting from side to side.

Zhong Xi raised the gun, resting the butt against his shoulder.

A nearby parent saw and quickly tugged on a friend's sleeve, "Hey, Mr. Zhong's going for the shooting game."

"Does he know how to shoot?"

"Did you forget? He and the Chairman went to military school together."

"Oh right, I forgot about that. I remember... he caught the Chairman's eye with his shooting..."

Zhong Xi caught some of the whispers but didn’t let it bother him. After being with Huo Sicheng for these years, he was used to the gossip and it didn’t faze him.

He squinted, focusing on the target.

His first shot went wide.

Zhong Xi wasn’t surprised, as it had been years since he last held a gun. He took a deep breath and aimed again.

He missed again.

Huo Xiaobao dashed over, bouncing around and cheering for Zhong Xi, who smiled at him.

Huo Xiaobao said, "Mom’s the best!"

Zhong Xi honestly replied, "Mom might not win this one."

Huo Xiaobao immediately hugged Zhong Xi, looking up and saying, "It’s okay, Mom’s still the best!"

"Thanks, Xiao Bao," Zhong Xi slightly raised the gun, chuckling, "Xiao Bao, move back a little."

The teacher quickly led Huo Xiaobao back.

Zhong Xi looked back at the target, and suddenly a familiar voice came from behind, "Get lower, lean your shoulder forward."

Zhong Xi paused.

For a second, it was like he was back in military school.

Back then, Huo Sicheng would always pop up during Zhong Xi’s training, finding various opportunities to tease him, making Zhong Xi feel like he was always on edge, looking over his shoulder, afraid Huo Sicheng would suddenly appear and boldly announce their relationship to everyone.

Even after Huo Sicheng joined the Navy Commando, Zhong Xi would still glance back in class.

"Step back with your right leg, keep your left foot planted, bend your knee a bit, and twist your body forward," Huo Sicheng said.

When Zhong Xi ignored him, Huo Sicheng leaned on his cane and walked over. He stood behind Zhong Xi, raised his right arm, and had his right cheek rest on the gun butt. Before he could finish adjusting, Zhong Xi shot him a cold glare.

Huo Sicheng instinctively withdrew his hand, "What’s wrong?"

"Who allowed you to command me?"

Zhong Xi rolled his eyes at him and continued aiming at the target according to his own habits.

Huo Sicheng was furious.

Back at the military academy, people would line up from the school auditorium to the artillery unit just to receive Huo Sicheng’s personal guidance. Now, he was offering professional advice voluntarily, and Zhong Xi actually looked down on it.

Huo Sicheng thought, annoyed: Zhong Xi’s so spoiled. Day after day, not only does he not give me a good look, but he also rolls his eyes at me.

At the sprawling Blue Rock Base, who would dare give him a dirty look?

As he thought this, when Zhong Xi raised the gun, he couldn’t help but take a step forward, his chest pressing against Zhong Xi’s back, gently supporting Zhong Xi’s wrist.

A position resembling a back hug, Zhong Xi froze in surprise.

Huo Sicheng’s arm completely covered Zhong Xi’s arm, his fingers pressing Zhong Xi’s right wrist, applying slight force to adjust Zhong Xi’s aim to the optimal position. Then, he held Zhong Xi’s hand and, before Zhong Xi could fully recover, quickly pulled the trigger.

The next second, the doll was hit.

Everyone’s gaze quickly gathered.

Gasps of surprise echoed around.

Zhong Xi twisted his shoulders, trying to break free from Huo Sicheng’s embrace, but Huo Sicheng didn’t let go.

Out of a sniper’s instinct, before the task was completed, Huo Sicheng’s attention was entirely on the target ahead. He automatically ignored Zhong Xi’s struggles, aimed, and whispered in Zhong Xi’s ear, "Stay still, don’t move."

He didn’t even understand why he said that.

Zhong Xi actually stopped moving.

Huo Sicheng was somewhat surprised, glancing at him distractedly.

Zhong Xi held the gun with a blank expression, but without force, like a puppet, entirely controlled by Huo Sicheng. Huo Sicheng still encircled him from behind, this time closer, his breath warm against Zhong Xi’s ear as he spoke.

"The peep hole should line up with the top edge of the front sight, not the center."

Zhong Xi didn’t look at the target, only felt his index finger being pressed, and then the system prompt sounded: "Congratulations! Direct hit!"

During his time at the military academy, Huo Sicheng was highly ambitious, striving to be the best in all courses, his sharpness fully exposed. It was only after returning from the Navy Commando that he put aside his competitive spirit and gradually became more composed.

This unexpected nerve damage seemed to revert his temperament to what it was five or six years ago.

Zhong Xi was lost in thought when Huo Sicheng’s voice came to his ear: "Win one more time, and Huo Xiaobao can get ten points."

Zhong Xi sensed the youthful bravado in his words, "Are you winning for Huo Xiaobao, or for yourself?"

"Of course for my son."

Hearing Huo Sicheng casually say "for my son," Zhong Xi’s expression suddenly changed. Huo Sicheng actually dared to say such a thing, having forgotten his son and unable to control his pheromones, several times making Huo Xiaobao uncomfortable and frightened.

Zhong Xi pulled away from Huo Sicheng’s grip and muttered, "I’ll handle the last shot myself, no need for your help."

Huo Sicheng couldn’t grasp Zhong Xi’s sudden change in mood, nor did he know where he had offended Zhong Xi again, so he could only reluctantly withdraw.

But fearing Zhong Xi might fail and be discouraged, he moved closer to offer guidance, but Zhong Xi had already assumed the position, his head tilted to the right, his right cheek against the stock, his shoulders forward, his gaze passing through the peep hole, to the front sight, and then to the aiming point, forming a straight line.

One shot, direct hit.

In an instant, the whole room was in awe.

Yet Zhong Xi remained calm and composed. When the system prompt sounded again, he quickly set down the gun, curled his lips into a smile, and waved at Huo Xiaobao, who was eagerly running over.

Huo Xiaobao instantly leaped into Zhong Xi’s arms.

Everyone gathered around, clapping and congratulating, praising "Mr. Zhong is incredible," and the staff also presented a children’s balance bike. Huo Xiaobao’s hands were filled with several knitted flowers, and Zhong Xi and Huo Xiaobao were almost overwhelmed by the swarming parents.

Amid the noise, Zhong Xi suddenly turned back to look at Huo Sicheng through the clamoring crowd.

A cold gaze, yet it seemed to conceal a hook.

Huo Sicheng felt his heart skip a beat, like a buoy on a calm lake suddenly bobbing and then swaying violently. It was as if a small fish had bitten the hook in his chest and was struggling desperately.

Suddenly, Sheng Xuan's words echoed in his ears: "He was your only loss during your four years at the military academy."

He suddenly understood his younger self in that moment.

It seemed...

Falling in love was indeed a possibility.