Chapter 48

Chapter 48

In the elevator.

Wen Cishu stage-whispered to the audience, "I wonder how Yi Ming is doing. Can you see him? I’ll sneak a peek."

Even in his own home, he moved like a thief, sneaking down the long hallway toward the kitchen.

"Babe, you can’t sneak around. Ming Zai’s got his eyes on you!"

Bao Yiming had indeed noticed and was excitedly about to rush into the kitchen to surprise his Little Dad.

But the moment he took a step forward, a hand landed on his shoulder.

Bao Tingyuan glanced at the smiling face on the screen and reminded his son, "Don’t scare your Little Dad."

"Ohhh," Bao Yiming quickly remembered his Little Dad’s heart condition. "Should I hide then? Big Dad, get Little Dad to come find me!"

Bao Tingyuan pointed to the other side of the kitchen island.

Bao Yiming darted over.

Outside the kitchen, Uncle Xu offered to hold the camera. Since there was already equipment inside, Wen Cishu handed it to him.

"Is Yi Ming handling this alone? No chef helping him?"

Uncle Xu nodded and held the door open for him.

Wen Cishu peeked in carefully and saw a tall figure taking a baking tray out of the oven.

He stepped into the kitchen, equal parts surprised and delighted. "You’re helping Yi Ming with lunch? Did the crew okay this?"

"Mhm." Bao Tingyuan set the tray on the counter, the smell of roast meat and grilled veggies filling the air.

Noticing the curiosity in Wen Cishu’s eyes, he tilted his head slightly. "Want to try some?"

Wen Cishu walked over.

Bao Tingyuan loosely wrapped an arm around his waist and picked up a small piece of roasted pumpkin with chopsticks, bringing it to his lips.

Wen Cishu took a bite. The sauce was flavorful but not too salty, and his dark eyes sparkled with joy. "It’s delicious."

He had no idea Bao Tingyuan could cook.

The camera angle was a bit low, but the audience could clearly see the two dads standing together.

When Ming Zai’s Big Dad casually rested his hand on the Little Dad’s waist, the chat blew up.

"Actual couples hit different! His hand just naturally goes there! [Yellow heart]"

"The height difference is so obvious—Little Dad’s waist is probably as slim as Ming Zai’s Big Dad’s thigh, hahaha."

"Forget about the couple’s interaction! Someone tell me where this steak is from—perfect crust, tender inside—so juicy it’s unfair. I’m drooling!"

"Having a Chinese-French mix at home who knows his way around French roasting? Talk about lucky~"

After tasting a small piece of roasted beef, Wen Cishu looked around. "Where’s Yi Ming?"

Bao Tingyuan shot him a look. "Wanna go find him?"

He slid the baking tray back into the oven to keep everything warm, fired up the stove to boil water, took out a bag of pasta, and prepared the main course.

Wen Cishu caught his meaningful look right away and deliberately pretended to search. "Hiding from me, Yi Ming? Let’s see if I can find you!"

He first walked toward the connecting door of the Chinese-style kitchen and opened it to look. "Not here? Where could you be?"

Hiding, Bao Yiming held his breath, heart racing.

Hearing his little dad's footsteps moving toward the other side, he quickly circled around the island counter to his big dad's side.

He didn’t often get to play hide-and-seek with his little dad, so he was so giddy he almost toppled over.

Bao Tingyuan threw out a leg to steady his son, preventing him from falling.

Suddenly, Bao Yiming couldn't hear his little dad's voice anymore and was wondering whether to peek when his little dad suddenly appeared at the corner of the island counter. "Boo!"

Wen Cishu laughed and pounced beside him, "Gotcha, Yi Ming!"

Bao Yiming yelped, then burst into giggles, hugging his little dad and bouncing.

Good thing big dad had his back—otherwise, it would have been his little dad getting scared instead.

"So lame! (Totally not jealous...)"

"Your hubby laughing, your kid goofing off—living the dream."

The trio laid out lunch across the table.

After Wen Cishu took his seat, he noticed there were only two servings of the main course.

As Bao Tingyuan turned to leave, Wen Cishu automatically caught his wrist, looking up softly to ask, "Aren’t you eating with us?"

As he spoke, the thought of Bao Tingyuan eating alone made his chest tighten, and his fingers unconsciously tightened their grip.

Bao Tingyuan gazed into those eyes that could so easily hold him in place, his skin registering the faint pressure of Wen Cishu’s fingers—like ivy curling stubbornly around him, tugging to keep him from leaving.

"Mm. Then I’ll do the filming."

"Great!" Wen Cishu beamed, quickly letting go.

Bao Tingyuan went to fetch the small camera, while Wen Cishu, satisfied, turned his head only to find their adorable little son aiming the lens right at him—so had he been filmed just now?

In the live stream, he instantly put on a flustered expression.

"Pfft—mommy’s blushing! We’ll pretend we didn’t see~"

"Pulling and tugging in front of Ming Zai, so shameless *tsk tsk*"

Afterward, with Bao Tingyuan filming, Wen Cishu and Bao Yiming sat across from each other to eat.

Bao Yiming spun his fork through the pasta, bubbling over with little hums.

"What’s got you all smiley?" Wen Cishu asked, puzzled.

Bao Yiming was just happy to have both dads close.

He stood up, grabbing the tongs to dish out beef. "One for little dad, one for big dad, one for me. Another for little dad..."

Wen Cishu bit back a laugh at his antics. "Alright, two’s plenty for me."

However, he finally noticed something off about the beef. A glance at the grill revealed two different cuts of meat.

"Did we buy this at the supermarket? Did you pump up the steak while I was away? It’s gotten so thick."

Bo Yi Ming poked at the meat with tongs. "This one's from the supermarket; this one’s from home. Dad just brought it out."

Bo Tingyuan took the tongs and moved the supermarket beef to his own plate, then served his son the home-prepared cut.

"Yi Ming, sit down and eat."

"Okay~"

Bo Yi Ming plonked back into his chair, but his feet couldn’t stay still, kicking happily under the table like a seal’s flippers.

"Oh right, I almost thought they were giving the worse beef to Ming Zai and saving the good stuff for Mommy! [Totally wrong assumption]"

"Ming Zai [yells]: I’m their actual kid, okay?!"

-

As the family enjoyed dinner together, the “Bo Family” was all over social media—Weibo, Xiaohongshu, and other short-video platforms were buzzing with discussion.

The hashtag #BoYimingAndBoTingyuan quickly trended, drawing tons of netizens’ attention. Yet no one could uncover the real name of “Little Dad.”

"Can you believe it? They found out Big Dad’s name even though he never showed his face, but Little Dad—who appeared in three episodes—still doesn’t have a full name?"

"Turns out the real mystery is actually Ming Zai’s mommy."

[Catching a whiff of that 'we Bo men can be fully exposed, but our wife stays mysterious' vibe.]

Just as curiosity about Ming Zai’s Little Dad hit its peak, a fan artist posted two sketches of the same scene from different perspectives.

In the first sketch, Little Dad was captured in profile, tilting his head upward. His neck was slender, skin delicate, black hair lightly grazing his collarbone. He gazed upward with those phoenix eyes, lips slightly parted.

The artist had an eye for detail—even capturing the tiny mole beneath his earlobe.

The second sketch offered Big Dad’s point of view, looking down at his stunning partner. The image perfectly conveyed the wordless yearning in those beautiful eyes.

Fans immediately recognized the moment—it was from earlier, right before dinner.

"Woah… Now I get why Big Dad hesitated a bit after Mommy pulled him aside. I thought he wasn’t going to agree."

"From Big Dad’s POV, seeing your gorgeous wife pleading with you—how could you say no? Forget dinner—he’d walk through fire for that."

"Taken out of context, this feels kinda spicy."

"Only real married couples can pull off this kind of tension. Beats any idol drama couple—so ship-worthy!"

-

Back at the Bo family mansion.

After dinner, Bo Tingyuan had to go handle some work and wouldn’t return until evening.

As soon as he said that, the father and son looked bummed.

Bo Tingyuan explained, "There’s a game challenge from the crew tonight."

"What challenge?"

"What game?"

They blurted in unison, sharing a look.

—Why, does this scene feel so familiar!

Bao Tingyuan replied as usual, "Top secret for now."

Wen Cishu muttered, "Then get going already, bye!"

Under the table, someone’s hand gripped his tightly for a moment before quickly letting go.

"Tonight? Is it answering audience questions?"

"It has to be! Looking forward to Ming Zai's dad asking the questions!"

"Mommy’s getting the cold shoulder, huh? Papa’s seriously not gonna cheer me up? Hmph."

Bao Tingyuan stood up, ruffled his son’s hair, and left.

Wen Cishu also reached out to boop their son’s cheek. "Sweetie, dishes are your job tonight."

"Huh?" Bao Yiming blinked in surprise. "Alright, alright~ Guess that’s what I get for being the poor little son."

"Nah, you’re the *adorable* little son." Wen Cishu poked his cheek.

The little monkey seemed extra happy today. Guess he’s happiest when both dads are around.

Wen Cishu mused—in the original story, the little monkey wasn’t completely shattered only after seeing his big dad take his own life. The damage was done long before, back when he himself had fallen ill and couldn’t spend much time with him.

Thinking this, Wen Cishu wrapped his arms around the little monkey and gave him a tight hug.

Holding a plate, Bao Yiming turned his head at the sudden embrace.

He blinked. "You okay, little dad? Need a break?"

Wen Cishu kissed his hair. "Nothing, just wanted to hug our adorable little son."

"Mommy, gimme a random hug too, pleaaase?"

"Parents just get random urges to hug their kids. So sweet—their family moments just melt your heart."

By the sink.

Wen Cishu kept the little monkey company while he washed dishes, wondering where Bao Tingyuan had disappeared to this time.

Just then, a new message came through on his phone.

Wen Cishu opened it and couldn’t help but laugh at the question.

Bao Tingyuan texted: "How was lunch?"

Lunch was ages ago—why ask now?

Wen Cishu savored the memory—the roast beef had been *so* good.

He drifted to the window, smirking as he typed back.

"Wolfed it down too fast to taste it. Maybe you’ll treat me again?"

Bao Tingyuan: "Hm."

Wen Cishu saw that "Mm" and, for some reason, found himself unable to suppress his growing smile.

He scrolled through the chat history, locating the last occurrence of "Mm."

He was starting to realize that "Mm" seemed to be Bao Tingyuan’s signature response.

Leaning against the glass window, Wen Cishu continued typing.

["What does 'Mm' mean?"]

He smiled as he hit send, feeling like a playful nuisance.

Before long, a reply appeared on the screen: [It means the same thing as the "Mm" you replied to me with last night.]

Wen Cishu's pupils slightly contracted, and a flush of heat spread across his back.

—Last night, when Bao Tingyuan had asked him to stay in his room, he had simply responded with a "Mm."

He didn’t reply, instead placing the suddenly too-hot-to-handle phone on the kitchen counter and calling out, "Yi Ming, do you want little Dad to help with the dishes?"

Bao Yi Ming turned his head: ==

"Little Dad, I already finished washing them."

"Aiyaaa!"

Wen Cishu sprang into action, scooping up the little monkey and mushing his cheeks playfully. "I’m so sorry, it’s little Dad’s fault. Yi Ming is so amazing—cooking for Daddy today and even doing the dishes! You’re the absolute best, sweetheart~"

After getting his cheeks thoroughly smooshed, Bao Yi Ming finally burst into giggles.

"Ming Zai, your little Dad is putting you under his spell—snap out of it!"

"Mommy’s sweet-talking magic is terrifyingly powerful—give me some of that too!"