Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

Li Yun's home was situated in a designated area under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, just a short walk from the core administrative offices.

Several cars pulled up outside the courtyard one after another, and Bao Yiming saw his grandfather quickly stepping forward, his face lit up with joy.

He was the first to jump out of the car. "Grandpa!"

Li Yun grasped his eldest grandson’s hand, barely concealing the excitement in his aged features as he affectionately whispered, "Thanks, Yiming, for getting both your dads to come."

Bao Yiming proudly lifted his chin before turning with his grandfather to look expectantly at another black car.

Bao Tingyuan stepped out, tall and imposing, firmly holding Wen Cishu’s hand as he helped him exit the vehicle.

Rarely seen in public, Wen Cishu carried himself with elegance, standing in the evening breeze with a soft smile on his face.

As the elder, Li Yun looked at the two men—who rarely visited—with warmth. "Cishu, Tingyuan, I'm very happy you could come."

Bao Tingyuan said, "Dad," then nodded to his assistant to bring the gifts.

Wen Cishu followed. "Happy birthday, Dad."

"That’s good, that’s good."

Li Yun watched as the two of them appeared with his young grandson, seeming briefly dazed before raising his hand.

"The wind picked up this afternoon. Tingyuan, help Cishu inside quickly—don’t let him get cold."

Wen Cishu studied the still-distinguished older man.

In his memory, their last meeting had been so long ago—back when Bao Yiming was just born.

Before his marriage, he hadn’t known much about the exact relationship between Bao Tingyuan and Li Yun as father and son. He only knew that Li Yun and Bao Tingyuan’s mother had never married, and Bao Tingyuan had always lived with his mother.

From the current situation, it seemed their relationship as father and son remained cool.

Cheerful but momentarily at a loss for words, Li Yun turned to Wen Cishu and said, "Yi Ming has grown taller since the New Year."

He reached out to ruffle the child’s hair but was dodged.

Bao Yiming stepped aside urgently. "Grandpa! I worked so hard to spike my hair up—it’s a full two centimeters!"

Wen Cishu listened as the boy blurted out in French, flustered, his words spilling out.

Pursing his lips, amusement flickered in his eyes, but when he glanced up, he found Bao Tingyuan gazing at him.

Li Yun wrapped an arm around Bao Yiming’s shoulders.

"Alright, Grandpa won’t touch your hair. But don’t stand so far away from me."

Then he turned to Wen Cishu. "Tonight’s guests are all colleagues and old friends I’ve met through work, along with some family members. Cishu, don’t feel out of place."

"I won’t."

Wen Cishu squeezed Bao Tingyuan’s hand lightly. "With Tingyuan here, I’m not uneasy."

His hand was gripped tightly in return, as if to say *I’ve got you*, warmth spreading between their clasped hands.

As the group entered the courtyard, the guests looked their way, their faces lighting up at the sight.

Everyone knew Li Yun’s connection to the Bao family and were aware of Bao Tingyuan, but none had met Wen Cishu before.

One had striking mixed-race features—sharp, sculpted Western bone structure—while the other possessed a classical Eastern beauty: delicate yet striking, graceful and radiant.

Their entrance alone commanded attention, as if they carried an invisible aura that captivated everyone’s gaze.

Li Yun gave a brief introduction. Unlike most parents who would brag about such accomplished children, he only called them “the two kids and my grandson.”

Given his political ties and the Bao family’s business dealings—a touchy subject—he played it down on purpose.

His friends noticed the birthday host was unusually upbeat, clearly because of these two VIPs.

As close friends, they were genuinely happy for Li Yun and steered clear of awkward topics in conversation.

Bao Yiming had great taste—the Beiyun he got for his dad really caught people’s eyes. After a few questions, the talk turned to traditional culture in China and Europe.

During dinner,

Wen Cishu sat down. To his right was Bao Yiming, to his left, Bao Tingyuan, whose hand still held his tightly.

He leaned in slightly and teased softly, “Aren’t you going to eat?”

Bao Tingyuan pulled his hand onto his lap. “Dinner’s not started yet.”

Wen Cishu felt his thumb running over the ring on his finger, gently confirming it was secure.

Bao Yiming whispered to his dad, “Little Dad, have you noticed? Grandpa looks especially happy today.”

“Mhm,” Wen Cishu replied. “He’s thrilled.”

“I’m happy too!”

Bao Yiming tugged at his little black bowtie. “You haven’t praised me yet. Am I handsome?”

Wen Cishu nodded, looking at his beaming face.

“C’mon, Dad, say it!”

Bao Yiming perked up, clearly waiting for praise.

Wen Cishu quickly pinched his cheek and murmured, “So handsome—the star of the night.”

“Yay!” He was satisfied.

When his big father looked over, Bao Yiming threw up two peace signs, beaming with pride.

Li Yun was a modest man with simple tastes, so his birthday celebration was equally low-key.

Dinner talk mostly stayed on work.

After the meal, Li Yun made sure to tell Wen Cishu, “Cishu, I know this isn’t as cozy as home. I hope you don’t mind.”

After years in government on a modest salary, he had never bought property domestically.

This courtyard home was provided by the government, and he only has to cover the annual maintenance fees.

"Don’t say that, Dad."

Wen Cishu remembered the purpose of his visit. While Bao Tingyuan and Bao Yiming were in the restroom, he motioned for Li Yun to step outside to the garden.

Li Yun, realizing Wen Cishu wanted to talk, asked first, "Cishu, is there something you want to tell me?"

Wen Cishu asked softly, "Dad, about the matter when Tingyuan and I got married. I remember my parents said that the family patriarch showed Tingyuan my photo?"

Li Yun: "Yes. At the time, Yiming’s great-grandfather wanted Tingyuan to return and take over the family’s affairs, so he wanted Tingyuan to marry someone from here."

Something about that didn’t sit right with Wen Cishu.

"So it wasn’t just my photo that was shown, right?"

Li Yun frowned as he recalled, "The details? I really couldn’t say. I hadn’t spoken to Yiming’s great-grandfather in years. It was only after Tingyuan returned to the country, you two got married, and before the old man passed away that we interacted more."

Wen Cishu nodded. "Dad, do you know if Tingyuan had any health issues before we got married?"

Li Yun: "He’s always been physically strong. His mother had him riding horses and fencing since childhood. Cishu, why do you ask?"

"Nothing." Wen Cishu realized his question was too direct and quickly changed the subject. "But it seems he’s always been fond of Eastern culture?"

Li Yun didn’t overthink it and simply followed along. "Now that you mention it, it’s quite a coincidence. About a year before your marriage, Tingyuan’s mother mentioned to me that he seemed suddenly fascinated by Chinese culture and might actually come back one day. You know, back then, he barely gave me the time of day. I wanted him to learn Chinese, but he never took it seriously."

"A year before the marriage?"

Wen Cishu thought back to his own circumstances. "At that time, I even went to France with my parents."

He had wanted to go alone, but no matter how hard he argued, his parents insisted on accompanying him.

Li Yun smiled. "If you were in Paris, it might just be a coincidence that you ran into Tingyuan. After all, central Paris is pretty small."

Wen Cishu wondered, could that really have happened?

Perhaps influenced by his innate romanticism, Li Yun grew more convinced by his own speculation as he spoke.

"I think it might really be true. Tingyuan saw you, took one look and was smitten, and then when the old master showed him your photo, he recognized you immediately and wasn’t about to let you get away. So he agreed to his grandfather’s request to return without hesitation."

Wen Cishu: "..."

No wonder you were so set on changing your last name—your style is indeed completely different from the Bao family’s.

Seeing his thoughtful look, Li Yun backtracked. "Cishu, don’t mind me. I’m just happy to see you all tonight. What I said was just speculation. But… is there something between you and Tingyuan that’s troubling you?"

"No, I just happened to think of it." Wen Cishu had barely finished speaking when he coughed lightly.

"Come on, let’s get you inside." Li Yun hurriedly ushered him back into the living room and told the housekeeper to bring some hot tea.

Just then, Bao Tingyuan returned with Bao Yiming.

Fretting, Li Yun said, "Tingyuan, Cishu coughed. Should we be worried?"

Wen Cishu almost laughed at how Li Yun spoke as if Bao Tingyuan were a doctor.

"I’m fine. Probably just talked too much."

Before he could finish, Bao Tingyuan’s hand settled on his shoulder, pulling him gently into his embrace, his chest warm against him.

An auntie served hot tea, and Bao Tingyuan lifted it to Wen Cishu’s lips, watching him take a couple of sips. "You sure you're alright?"

"Mhm." Wen Cishu lightly inhaled the tea's aroma. "The jasmine scent in this green tea is delicate and pleasant."

Li Yun remarked, "Good eye, Cishu. It was given to me by an old friend from the south. Take some home with you."

Wen Cishu didn’t stand on ceremony, smiling and nodding.

One perk of being younger was being able to ask for things unabashedly.

-

Soon after, Li Yun got the guests dancing, personally playing the piano as the guest of honor to liven the atmosphere.

Earlier, Wen Cishu had observed that the guests were mostly middle-aged elders, many likely from scholarly families—cultured intellectuals or precise government types.

Now, everyone danced with their partners, creating an old-school romantic vibe reminiscent of the last century.

Bao Tingyuan had been watching Wen Cishu’s expression closely, concerned he might be unwell, when someone nudged his outer elbow.

He turned his head, his gaze behind the glass lenses landing on his mischievous son.

"Hmm?"

Bao Tingyuan leaned down slightly to accommodate his small son.

Bao Yiming tiptoed and whispered, "Big Dad, hurry up and ask Little Dad to dance!"

Bao Tingyuan glanced at the lost-in-thought Wen Cishu but didn’t act immediately.

Ever the self-proclaimed “cutest little son of both dads,” Bao Yiming dutifully positioned himself between them and said just loud enough, "Little Dad, Big Dad says he wants to invite you to dance. Will you say yes?"

"Hmm?" Wen Cishu turned to look at his son, then at Bao Tingyuan, his almond-shaped eyes fluttering like butterfly wings.

Bao Yiming giggled, making his exit.

He gave his big dad a fist pump, mouthing: *Go for it!*

He was *very* eager to witness the rare sight of his dads dancing.

Bao Tingyuan raised his hand, and Wen Cishu placed his palm in it, soon drawn firmly against him.

Wen Cishu had just been thinking how stiff and old-school these middle-aged elders danced—now he was joining their ranks.

The others good-naturedly cleared space.

Seeing this, Li Yun threw himself into the piano playing, beaming.

Amid the lively rhythm of the waltz, Wen Cishu lifted his gaze slightly to the man before him, a playful note in his voice as he asked, "You didn’t actually plan to invite me to dance, did you?"

With that, he spun away gracefully.

His loose clothes fluttered, the jade pendant and beads of the Beiyun gently pulling at the fabric on his back, faintly outlining his slender waist.

Absolutely stunning.

Bao Tingyuan immediately pulled him back into his arms—so abruptly that it was out of sync with the music.

Wen Cishu noticed the misstep, catching his gaze in puzzlement. "Hmm?"

The hand at his back suddenly tightened, as if trying to press through the thin fabric to touch his skin.

To the music, Bao Tingyuan held him close in step with the dance and whispered in French, *"Je veux te ramener à la maison."* (I want to take you home.)