Chapter 63

Chapter 63

The next morning, the family of three went to the airport to see Wen Cishu's parents off. They boarded the Bao family's private jet.

After takeoff, the older couple learned that Bao Tingyuan had specially prepared two gifts for them on the plane.

For Wen Minghui, there were two bottles of French Romanée Conti wine.

When he saw the box, his face brightened. He took out one bottle and examined it closely before frowning slightly. "A '78 vintage?"

Zhu Qianya teased, smiling, "Tingyuan really knows how to pick gifts. He gave you two of the finest vintages—now you have to decide whether to drink them or not."

Wen Minghui had loved drinking in his youth, but as he aged, he couldn't drink much anymore.

Studying the rich liquid in the bottle, he nodded with satisfaction. "Tingyuan is hinting I should savor it slowly."

A million-dollar bottle of wine wasn’t that extravagant for the Wen and Bao families.

However, this particular vintage was now rare and hard to find, typically only appearing at wine auctions. It was truly a case of something rare and valuable—each sip meant one less in the world.

For Zhu Qianya, he had prepared several pieces of high-quality fabric: velvet and gambiered Canton silk.

Wen Minghui opened the brocade box and glanced inside. "You only mentioned to Cishu recently that you wanted to make a couple of new qipaos, didn’t you? He must have told Tingyuan."

"Mm." Zhu Qianya thought to herself that both children were thoughtful and considerate.

Her fingers, adorned with a carnelian ring, gently brushed over the velvet. "I'll get them made as soon as we get back, just in time for winter wear."

Looking out the plane window at the clear blue sky, Wen Minghui said cheerfully, "Seeing Cishu’s health improve, they should come home for the New Year."

"That's up to them."

Zhu Qianya thought about how her son now had his own life to live, needing to build his own little world behind closed doors.

As their elder, she only wished for their happiness—everything else could wait.

On the way back from the airport, Wen Cishu suggested that he and Bao Yiming first take Bao Tingyuan to work.

-

So the car headed toward the company.

Two days earlier, Bao Yiming had mentioned his idea to spend a day alone with Xingxing at the farm, though he hadn’t yet gotten approval from his fathers.

Now, he had come up with a complete plan and announced cheerfully, "Xingxing and I figured out—we’ll install reality show-style cameras at the farm. That way, you and Xingxing’s parents can watch us anytime. Perfect, right?"

Wen Cishu, sitting between his husband and son, considered the idea and thought it might work. "What about meals?"

Bao Yiming, as if anticipating the question, answered right away, "We’ll ask Grandpa Xu to prepare food that just needs reheating in the microwave or oven. Sandwiches would work too—the farm kitchen has a fridge!"

He hugged his father’s arm, nuzzling his shoulder. "Just one night—it won’t be dangerous at all, Dad~~~~"

Since getting into the car, Wen Cishu’s hand had been held by Bao Tingyuan. Now, he lightly scratched the back of his husband’s hand, urging him to speak.

Bao Tingyuan turned his head slightly, looking at his pleading son. "Where do you plan to get the budget for the surveillance equipment in your proposal?"

Bao Yiming: ==

Peeking past his father at Bao Tingyuan’s mostly stern profile, he whispered, "I’ll pay for it with my lucky money and allowance, okay~? Besides, the cameras can be reused. Right, Dad? Pretty smart, right?"

Wen Cishu pinched his lifted cheek. "Alright. Daddy's fine with it—should I talk to Auntie Chu Han about it?"

Bao Yiming shook his head. "Xingxing said if we do that, his mom will agree. He wanted me to ask both daddies first."

He glanced again at the silent big daddy and asked brightly, "So now three parents have agreed—how about big daddy?"

Wen Cishu caught the little monkey’s implied meaning: now big daddy’s outvoted.

Bao Tingyuan: "What day?"

"Today or tomorrow is fine. Just whenever they can get the cameras set up."

Bao Yiming grinned. "ASAP."

After a pause, he blinked with loving hesitation: "But if that's the case, little daddy, I won't be home to chat with you one night. You'll just see me on screen—don’t get too lonely."

Just as Wen Cishu was about to comfort the little monkey, the person beside him spoke: "I’ll make arrangements first thing at the office."

"Yay!" Bao Yiming, hearing big daddy’s approval, squirmed with excitement in his seat.

Wen Cishu got scooped right onto Bao Tingyuan’s lap, held by his arm. "..."

Bao Tingyuan held him steady with an arm around his waist, one hand resting on his knee, reminding his excited kid, "If we or Xingxing's parents feel unsafe at any point, we're coming straight to the farm."

"Oh."

Instantly, Bao Yiming transformed from a fluttering skylark into a turtling quail, sitting properly in his seat.

Wen Cishu bit back a smile, only to straighten his face when he noticed Bao Tingyuan’s gaze fixed on him.

—Hmm? So tonight, would it just be him and Bao Tingyuan at home?

The car arrived at the company building.

Before getting out, Bao Tingyuan hugged Wen Cishu, glanced at his still-excited little son, and asked quietly, "Shall we go out for dinner tonight?"

"Sure."

Wen Cishu suddenly felt a flicker of anticipation—was this going to be some alone time?

"How about catching a movie?"

"Daddies, I'm still here!"

Bao Yiming raised a hand in protest. "I heard that! Uncle Liu heard it too!"

He pointed at the driver, Master Liu.

Master Liu panicked.

After years of playing deaf and focusing on driving, he never expected this “act of God” today.

"Young master, I was busy parking and didn’t notice what the elder young master and sir were saying."

Bao Tingyuan gave his son’s hair a ruffle. "Be good."

He released Wen Cishu and got out of the car.

Wen Cishu watched him and the bodyguards enter the company building before poking his pouting son. "What’s wrong? Not happy even though you got permission to go to the farm with Xingxing? Then we’ll skip it today—why don’t you come to the movies with us instead?"

Bao Yiming let out a "hmph" and threw himself into Papa's arms, unwilling to make a choice, so he simply squirmed on Papa's lap.

Wen Cishu told Master Liu to slow down, holding him tight so he wouldn't fall.

"Alright, alright. I'll go with you to the farm later to set up and test the cameras. I'll also call Xingxing's mom and have Uncle Xu prepare your overnight luggage and food for the farm. That way, you and Xingxing can have fun there. Okay?"

Sprawled on Papa’s lap, Bao Yiming smiled but deliberately whined in a plaintive tone, "Then when you and Dad go to the movies, remember you still have an adorable little son."

Wen Cishu couldn’t help but laugh—his eyes crinkled with laughter. His slender hand brushed over his little monkey of a son’s head. "Of course we’ll remember. But we might not even go—it was just a passing thought."

Bao Yiming lifted his face. "Next time, I want to go with you too, okay?"

"Of course." Wen Cishu pinched his cheek—such an adorable kid.

As promised, Wen Cishu accompanied Bao Yiming to the farm to install and test the surveillance equipment, ensuring clear signal coverage in most rooms.

-

Afterward, he went with the child to pick up Xingxing and Chu Han. Since they had already called ahead and shared the surveillance footage with Chu Han, they easily met up with Xingxing and headed to the farm.

Naturally, Wen Cishu couldn’t fully trust the two children to stay overnight alone, so he arranged for several family bodyguards posted around the perimeter for quick response.

He also specifically warned them, "No playing with fire."

Xingxing nodded. "Don’t worry, Uncle. We won’t play with fire."

Bao Yiming bounced around the spacious living room. "We won’t, bok bok~ Papa, hurry home now."

The thought of having the entire farm to play with just him and Xingxing already had him excited.

Wen Cishu lowered his voice and spoke to the seven-year-old boy in front of him. "Xingxing, help Uncle watch over Yi Ming. Don’t let him go near the lake, and you shouldn’t go either. Stay within the surveillance range as much as possible, okay?"

Though young, Xingxing clearly understood that if this overnight stay didn’t go well, neither his parents nor Yi Ming’s two dads would allow it again.

He nodded firmly and promised, "Other than going to the bathroom, we’ll stay inside to play."

"And no using knives either," Wen Cishu added, thinking—what else?

At first, he hadn’t been too concerned, but as departure neared, his worries grew. "Yi Ming, you have to watch out for Xingxing. Don’t eat anything random, and don’t bother the poultry in the coop."

"I know, I know!" Bao Yiming pushed his Papa lightly. "Papa, go home now. See ya~"

Wen Cishu knew he was being told he was nagging.

"Mm-hmm."

Indeed, as the saying goes, parents worry for a lifetime.

Once Wen Cishu got into the car back to the mansion, he quickly grabbed his tablet and opened the surveillance feed, seeing the two children washing fruit by the kitchen sink.

Bao Yiming rinsed a strawberry the size of his palm and held it to Xingxing’s mouth.

Xingxing opened his mouth wide to take a bite, nodded, and said cheerfully.

Bao Yiming washed another one and popped it in his own mouth, his cheeks puffed out.

Wen Cishu felt a wave of relief.

—Good. Keep it up.

But then he thought of Bao Tingyuan, and he felt uneasy again.

Just like before, nothing happened last night.

Wen Cishu grew suspicious and blurted out if Bao Tingyuan had been taking his separation anxiety meds every day—Bao Tingyuan confirmed he was.

Was it because of the long-term meds?

Wen Cishu pulled up a search on his phone and typed: “What are the side effects of medication for separation anxiety?”

“Fatigue and drowsiness,” “nausea and vomiting,” “dizziness and headaches,” “memory loss”…

He tried to recall—Bao Tingyuan hadn’t shown any of these.

Next, the screen listed long-term effects:

—“Addiction and dependence” and “liver and kidney damage.”

The words “kidney function” seemed to loom large, as if magnified a hundred times, towering over Wen Cishu like a skyscraper rising from flat ground.

Was a urologist visit really necessary?

Wen Cishu fell silent, his stomach twisting with worry.

If he asked directly, he didn’t want to bruise Bao Tingyuan’s ego—he was a grown man, after all.

But not asking meant Bao Tingyuan might be bottling it up, letting the pressure build over time.

As he stared at his phone, it hit him: even if Bao Tingyuan wasn’t in great health, it didn’t matter at all.

It wasn’t like that was the most important thing—it would never affect how he felt about Bao Tingyuan.

But should he ask?

Or just pretend he didn’t know?

The same Wen Cishu who’d been blunt yesterday was now inexplicably hesitating.

With his phone still open, he mindlessly scrolled and his eyes snagged on a post title:

“My husband just turned thirty and has issues—how do I gently convince him to see a doctor?”

Curious, Wen Cishu tapped it. It was a forum thread—someone asking for advice, others chiming in below.

Dude, thirty’s when things start falling apart. One year of post-grad 996 and you’re already wrecked. Hitting thirty in one piece’s a miracle.

Wen Cishu: ?

If any hospital could fix this, its CEO would be Elon Musk rich.

Wen Cishu: ??

What kind of forum was this?

Eyes wide, he backed out to the homepage: The World’s Biggest Love-to-Hate Forum.

The entire homepage was filled with post titles discussing all sorts of privacy issues.

Wen Cishu clicked back to the post, his fingers shaking unsteadily as he typed, "When faced with something like this, should we really pretend not to know? Shouldn’t we address it head-on and seek treatment?"

The forum was highly active, with new replies popping up with each refresh.

Netizen 1: "Think about it—if this organ were part of your body, wouldn’t you already know whether it’s up to par? Do you really need someone else to tell you?"

Netizen 2: "I agree with seeking treatment—at least give it a try. People online these days are too negative, always jumping straight to finding someone new. Chances are, the next one might be just as bad."

Reading these replies, Wen Cishu grew so anxious he felt like biting his fingers. "Does taking anti-anxiety medication cause problems in this area? What if you stop taking it? (Given long-term use, age over thirty.)"

Netizen 3: "You've got it worse than OP—at least their partner isn’t on medication."

Netizen 4: "I’m not trying to be harsh, but you all need to confirm one thing first: Is your partner getting satisfied elsewhere and coming home with no appetite left for you? What if they’re perfectly functional but just not interested in you? After thirty, if you’ve been together for over five years, it’s normal for both men and women to lose that spark. Don’t be too pessimistic—look on the bright side, alright?"

"Uh…"

Wen Cishu was speechless, his expression blank as he turned off the screen.

Only then did he realize the car had stopped, but the view outside the window wasn’t the Bao family mansion.

Just as he was about to speak, a figure blocked the window, and someone pulled open the car door, stepping in with long legs.

Bao Tingyuan sat down in the car, looking at Wen Cishu’s stunned expression. "Why that look?"

Wen Cishu glanced at the man beside him—broad-shouldered, long-legged, narrow-waisted, standing at 190 cm—and thought to himself: It must be the atmosphere, not that he's incapable.

As a partner, he had to face this actively! Stay optimistic!

He quickly glanced at the driver, Master Liu, then turned to kiss Bao Tingyuan on the temple. Meeting his mysterious, alluring green eyes, he whispered, "Let’s roll, CEO Bao. We’re off to our date!"

In the sweet, cheerful tone of his voice, Bao Tingyuan’s eyes—like still waters—crinkled with matching smile lines as he pulled Wen Cishu into a tight embrace.