Chapter 101

Chapter 101

Wen Cishu woke up from his afternoon nap and immediately reached for his phone by the pillow.

Still no reply.

He tossed the phone aside and sat up, his long lashes casting shadows over his eyes. The more he thought about it, the angrier he got, clenching his teeth—

Bao Tingyuan, you’re sleeping on the floor tonight, got it!

A few minutes later, Wen Cishu washed his face in the bathroom to wake himself up, then dragged himself downstairs.

Just as Aunt Zhong was about to go upstairs, she ran into him and said, "Second Master, Bao Yiming’s grandfather is here."

Wen Cishu glanced toward the bright living room. "How long has he been here? Why didn’t you wake me?"

Aunt Zhong replied, "He insisted we let you sleep."

Still groggy, Wen Cishu nodded.

Aunt Zhong helped him downstairs, saying, "The two of them are playing tennis on the court now."

"Hmm." Wen Cishu seemed to recall something and asked casually, "Did Uncle Xu inform their precious eldest young master? What’s the arrangement for tonight?"

"Their family’s eldest young master"—what a way to put it.

Aunt Zhong saw right through his pout.

"I don’t meddle in their eldest’s business. Should I go ask for you now?"

Wen Cishu smirked faintly—Aunt Zhong always knew what to do.

Looking at his bright, smiling eyes, Aunt Zhong thought he didn’t seem like a father of a nine-year-old. His temper and personality were just like a little kid’s.

Later, Wen Cishu drank a bowl of sweet soup and hopped into the family’s golf cart to head to the tennis court.

From a distance, he watched the grandfather and grandson on the court.

Li Yun wore a white-striped sporty casual outfit, moving with surprising agility that belied his age, his playing style calm and controlled.

From behind, Bao Yiming looked like a towering teenager, his swings crisp and powerful, highly professional.

Wen Cishu couldn’t help but take a photo with his phone, instinctively about to open a certain someone’s chat.

Then he realized there was still no reply. His mood soured, and he gritted his teeth as he exited the app.

He cropped out the little monkey and posted it on Xiao Digua: "Hot off the press: Ming Zai!"

Under the sunlight, the boy sprang up, raising his arm to swing the racket.

His tall figure was graceful and confident, his movements professional.

"Wait, this is Ming Zai? Then who was the one sitting next to his little dad earlier, leaning in with a goofy grin?"

"Ming Zai is so handsome! Hypothetically speaking, why can’t he be my brother/son?"

"Mommy, if the votes exceed 100K, can we get Ming Zai to debut? (Or you could debut too!)"

"Sis, 100K? Who do you think you’re underestimating? A million’s nothing!"

"Millions of fans are rooting for Ming Zai’s debut—he’s got this!"

Wen Cishu chuckled at the cute comments. As he scrolled down, a WeChat notification popped up at the top of the screen.

Seeing who it was, he huffed and continued browsing the comments, liking each one.

Only when the second message alert appeared did he leisurely tap to open it.

Bao Tingyuan: "Is Yiming playing with my dad?"

No surprise—Uncle Xu must’ve already told him about Li Yun’s visit.

Wen Cishu thought, *Shouldn’t you be working instead of browsing social media?*

The old Bao patriarch would be rolling in his grave.

He ignored it, locking his phone and looking toward the approaching little monkey.

"Papa!" Bao Yiming skipped over, pulling off the black headband from his forehead and shaking it, his face radiant with excitement. "I won!"

With the sun low in the sky, Wen Cishu squinted slightly and nodded in acknowledgment.

When Li Yun reached the car, he handed him a bottle of water. "Dad, go take a shower first."

"Alright." Li Yun accepted the water.

Grandfather, father, and son walked back together toward the mansion.

Li Yun threw an arm around his grandson and patted his shoulder. "Cishu, Yiming looks much sturdier than during your birthday last time."

"Tra-la-la~" Bao Yiming sang, squirming happily.

"Papa, can we have hotpot by the lake tonight? We’ve never had hotpot with Grandpa before."

Wen Cishu suggested, "How about the farm instead?"

The farm was prettier, and he thought Li Yun might enjoy it too.

Li Yun, naturally aware of the farm’s existence, immediately agreed. "Sounds good."

But Bao Yiming ducked his head, quietly sipping water, and stayed quiet.

He even walked more stiffly.

Li Yun quickly asked, "What’s wrong? You’d rather go to the lake? Then let’s go. Grandpa’s fine with either."

Wen Cishu caught on immediately.

He ruffled his son’s fluffy short hair. "Don’t wanna share your secret hideout with Brother Xingxing?"

"Uh-huh."

Bao Yiming tugged at his dad’s shirt pocket, mumbling, "Papa, is this wrong of me?"

"Of course not."

Wen Cishu hugged him. "Just give us a heads-up next time, okay?"

Hearing no scolding in his dad’s tone, Bao Yiming started squirming again. "’Kay!"

As the three of them entered the mansion, the grandfather-grandson pair went upstairs to shower and change clothes.

Wen Cishu walked into the sunroom and comfortably settled onto the plush daybed.

When Aunt Zhong brought over the tea, he said, "Aunt Zhong, could you ask Uncle Xu if we have a Chinese-style rocking chair at home?"

Aunt Zhong put down the teacup and went to inquire.

About ten minutes later, Uncle Xu somehow procured a vintage rosewood rocker.

A plush throw was spread over the rocking chair, and Wen Cishu sat in it, gently swaying as he gazed at the garden scenery—the picture of relaxation.

On the second-floor staircase.

Li Yun said, "Yi Ming, let your Big Dad know about the hotpot dinner tonight."

Bao Yiming nodded in agreement and lowered his head to message him via his watch.

Once in his room, the call connected.

After he finished speaking and didn’t immediately hear his Big Dad’s response, he considerately added, "Big Dad, if you’re really busy, you don’t have to join us."

"I’m not busy."

Bao Tingyuan replied, "I’ll be there on time after work. You can go ahead and order first."

"Oh..." Bao Yiming kicked off his shoes and made for the bathroom. "Big Dad, why did you hesitate just now?"

Bao Tingyuan asked, "What is your Little Dad doing?"

Bao Yiming gave a detailed report of Wen Cishu’s entire day’s activities without missing a detail.

Finally, he asked softly, "Big Dad, did you make Little Dad angry?"

"No." Bao Tingyuan denied firmly. "Alright, see you tonight. I have work to do now."

"Bye, Big Dad."

Bao Yiming said dutifully before ending the call, placed his watch on the sink, shook his head, and ran a hand through his hair with a sigh. In a tone far too mature for his age, he muttered, "Geez, Big Dad!"

-

Evening.

The car arrived at the secluded courtyard of the restaurant.

Li Yun, in the passenger seat, spotted the parked car ahead at a glance.

He smiled. "Tingyuan beat us here!"

Bao Yiming craned forward from the backseat and saw his Big Dad’s long legs stepping out of the car.

Wen Cishu arched a brow.

As soon as their car stopped, Bao Tingyuan came over and opened the rear door, leaned down to meet his gaze.

Their eyes met, each full of unspoken meaning—electric tension crackling between them.

When Bao Tingyuan’s gaze lingered on his lips, Wen Cishu quickly averted his eyes and stepped out of the car. As Bao Tingyuan reached for his hand, he nimbly twisted his arm free to avoid the touch.

Undeterred, Bao Tingyuan simply raised his arm and pulled him into a one-armed hug, acknowledged Li Yun with a nod.

The family of four walked into the dining room.

Li Yun stepped toward the floor-to-ceiling window to admire the view. "The sunset over the lake here is truly beautiful."

Bao Yiming looked pleased with himself.

He was the one who picked this place, after all.

Bao Tingyuan pulled out a chair, and Wen Cishu took his seat.

Neither spoke a word, yet they were perfectly in sync without speaking.

The restaurant attendant came to arrange the dishes, then left, leaving only the family to dine in peace.

At one point, when Wen Cishu's hand was suddenly grasped by Bao Tingyuan under the table, he quickly shook it off, afraid that Li Yun or the little monkey might notice.

To his surprise, Bao Tingyuan's palm slid to his thigh instead, pressing firmly and kneading.

Wen Cishu abruptly recalled the two photos he had sent before his nap, and he felt heat rising up his back. He hastily picked up his cup and took a few sips of the sour plum tea.

Seeing the cup nearly empty, Bao Tingyuan quietly reminded him, "Don't drink too much."

He pressed the call button and asked the attendant to bring a pot of warm water.

Li Yun nodded in agreement. "Indeed, this tea may stimulate the appetite, but it's cooling in nature. Cishu, go easy on it."

Wen Cishu thought to himself: *If only you knew—I need something to cool me down right now.*

He raised his hand to push Bao Tingyuan's palm away, but it didn't move at all.

To make matters worse, through the thin, breathable fabric of his pants, Bao Tingyuan's fingertips seemed to press into the soft flesh, rubbing back and forth.

Wen Cishu: *Enough!* he thought.

He scooped food from the spicy side of the hotpot and placed it into Bao Tingyuan's bowl. "You've had a long day—eat more."

"Thank you." Bao Tingyuan's hand lingered, giving his thigh a couple light pats before finally withdrawing to pick up his chopsticks. He took a bite and nodded. "Mm, cooked just right."

Wen Cishu: "..."

Li Yun watched the two with quiet satisfaction.

Just yesterday, he had received a call from Wen Minghui, who asked him to visit the family home when possible to check on the three children—a way to keep an eye on them for their in-laws, who were far away in the south.

His gaze shifted from the two adults to his eldest grandson's face, and he felt completely reassured. *What was there to worry about?*

He asked, "Yi Ming, want to come stay with Grandpa tonight?"

"Sure!"

Bao Yiming agreed immediately.

"Then later, will you and Dad drop me and Grandpa off?"

"Of course." Bao Tingyuan agreed, then glanced at Wen Cishu.

"I have no objections." Wen Cishu felt that Bao Tingyuan's lingering looks all day were too suggestive. He lowered his voice. "Why are you staring at me?"

Under the table, he gave Bao Tingyuan's hand a warning flick.

He suspected a red mark had already formed there.

Dinner ended.

Bao Tingyuan had originally planned to share a car with Wen Cishu, letting the grandfather and grandson take a separate car.

But Bao Yiming was the first to squeeze into the backseat next to his little dad.

Bao Tingyuan had no choice but to enter from the other side and sit on the opposite side of Wen Cishu.

Wedged between them, Wen Cishu thought to himself: Perfect. The little monkey’s worst habits all come from this so-called ‘big dad.’

Li Yun still sat in the passenger seat, occasionally turning back to chat with the kids.

He was in unusually high spirits today—all charm and effortless grace.

Wen Cishu privately noted that Bao Tingyuan didn’t seem to have inherited this trait from Li Yun—perhaps he took after his mother in France.

A sidelong glance, and Bao Tingyuan’s eyes pinned him in place, making him sheepishly avert his eyes, looking straight ahead.

Bao Tingyuan still held his left hand, and now the ring on his ring finger was being twisted.

Wen Cishu inhaled deeply, mentally chanting a mantra to steady himself.

After a few lines, it proved utterly ineffective, so he gave up, thinking irritably: Where’s an exorcist when you need one? Come and subdue this fiend.

Bao Yiming burrowed into his little dad’s side and whined, "Little Dad, I’ll miss you. You’ll miss me too, okay?"

"Mm," Wen Cishu replied, reaching back to pat his face. "Yeah, yeah."

Bao Yiming blinked up at him. "I’ll call you tonight, okay?"

Wen Cishu deadpanned, "Oh."

Bao Tingyuan’s frown was barely there.

Upon arrival, Li Yun initially wanted to invite them in for tea.

Bao Tingyuan politely declined, citing the late hour, and ruffled his son’s hair. "Behave and get to bed."

Bao Yiming was baffled. "It’s seven o’clock. Since when is that late?"

Li Yun didn’t mind. "Your little dad needs his rest. Early nights are best."

Wen Cishu seethed internally: Oh, wonderful. Dad’s playing the saint now.

-

Heading back to the estate, they took Bao Tingyuan’s car.

As soon as they got in, Wen Cishu watched him hit the control button, and the divider between front and back seats slid up, sealing them in silence.

Wen Cishu pressed into the seatback, shooting him a warning look.

Yet Bao Tingyuan hauled him effortlessly into his lap.

Bad idea.

Wen Cishu shoved a hand against his shoulder, only for Bao Tingyuan’s palm to rub soothing circles on his lower back.

Somehow—how?!—that hand slid under his shirt, fingertips skimming the curve of his waist.

Bao Tingyuan asked unhurriedly, "What was with those photos this afternoon?"

Wen Cishu thought to himself, *So you do remember.*

*No reply, how rude.*

He answered coolly, "Oh, the photos? Sent to the wrong person."

Bao Tingyuan hadn’t expected that answer. One eyebrow arched slightly. "Who were they originally meant for?"

"For..." Wen Cishu tilted his head back, avoiding the lips pressed near his face. "Why do you care?"

Bao Tingyuan’s hand moved to his thigh, slowly descending to his knee before gliding back up...

Wen Cishu quickly grabbed his wrist, feeling the tense veins.

They struggled silently, the confined space growing increasingly heated.

As Bao Tingyuan turned his face to kiss him, Wen Cishu dodged and muttered, "You reek of hotpot. Don't even think about it."

His voice was hushed, as gentle as evening air.

Bao Tingyuan lowered his head, nuzzling his nose against Wen Cishu’s neck, and murmured, "Mmm, you smell delicious."

Wen Cishu: "..."