Chapter 105

Chapter 105

The inauguration ceremony of the Nuoxin Charity Fund was in progress.

Before Wen Cishu took the stage to deliver his speech, Bao Yiming gave his little dad a tight hug, standing on tiptoe to whisper, "Little Dad, you can do it!"

Wen Cishu wasn’t exactly nervous about speaking in public, but given the formal and special nature of the occasion, he didn’t want to make even the slightest mistake.

Standing at the podium, he looked at the assembled leaders and numerous doctors from partner hospitals. He briefly shared his experience as a congenital heart disease patient and expressed his hope to help many children in need.

Bao Tingyuan watched him quietly the entire time.

He had heard the draft of the speech many times at home and had even read it himself.

It was written by Wen Cishu.

Initially, Wen Cishu felt the first draft was too emotionally charged and overly sentimental, so he revised it repeatedly before settling on the final version.

When Wen Cishu first proposed the idea of establishing the foundation, Bao Tingyuan’s immediate reaction was to delegate the task to someone else.

But as things progressed, Bao Tingyuan genuinely sensed Wen Cishu’s heartfelt desire to do something for others with the same condition.

So, putting aside his own wish for Wen Cishu to rest more, Bao Tingyuan threw his full support behind his involvement in the foundation’s work.

He understood deeply that, if not for congenital heart disease, Wen Cishu’s life could have been much more.

Behind his glasses, Bao Tingyuan’s intense gaze reflected the shining presence of Wen Cishu.

Seated beside him, Bao Yiming listened intently to his little dad’s speech, hearing him talk about the hardships of illness as well as his determination to help children in need.

He suddenly recalled his own past tantrums about wanting to become a celebrity in the entertainment industry and pouted involuntarily.

Then, a large hand gently mussed his hair.

Bao Yiming glanced at his big dad and automatically snuggled against his shoulder.

—Hmph, he felt his nose tingle.

As Wen Cishu concluded his speech, he bowed solemnly to the audience, his eyes slightly reddened.

Only after quickly returning to his seat did he dare to let out a relieved breath.

His slightly cold hand was immediately claimed by Bao Tingyuan, who held and rubbed it gently.

Neither spoke, but in that shared glance, they communicated volumes.

This was followed by the donation ceremony.

As the founder, Wen Cishu made a personal donation of ten million yuan.

Other enterprises joined in contributing an additional fifty million yuan, all of which would be dedicated to congenital heart disease treatment programs.

After the event, journalists requested a personal interview with Wen Cishu, but he politely declined, not wishing to detract from the cause.

He added politely, "I hope everyone can help spread the word so that more children in need can receive proper medical care."

One reporter asked, "Mr. Wen, was your previous participation in that reality show with your child intended as preparation for the charity foundation?"

Before Wen Cishu could answer, the little one standing beside him, thinking his little dad was being misunderstood, couldn’t help but blurt out, "That’s not true! I was the one who wanted to go on the show, and my little dad only went along to keep me company."

The reporter turned the camera toward him: "Ming Zai, do you still want to participate in other shows now?"

Bao Yiming shook his head: "I'm only nine years old. I should focus on studying."

The thought of his dad mentioning in the speech how his health often interrupted his studies made him so sad he nearly cried. With a touch of childlike sincerity, he added, "I think all kids should go to school first."

Alongside the news about the Nuoxin Charity, this interview clip went viral.

On Weibo, the hashtag "#MingZaiFamilyNuoxinCharity" shot to the top of trending. Many reality TV fans and netizens didn’t expect to see them again in this context.

"At first glance, I thought there was a new show to follow! (Of course, the charity is a great thing—supporting Ming Zai’s family!)"

"Awwww, today I finally learned the full name of the gorgeous mommy—Wen Cishu, such an elegant and beautiful name!"

"So mommy has congenital heart disease? No wonder he often feels unwell... my heart aches for him."

"The otherworldly beauty standing among a group of officials looks like an anime character edited in—so funny (sorry, this is serious news, I shouldn’t laugh)."

"Mommy! The non-celebrity I follow is doing charity work! I’ll repost this everywhere—I hope it really helps kids with congenital heart disease."

Fans scoured through numerous group photos and live interviews but found little intimate interaction between Wen Cishu and Bao Tingyuan.

"Big Daddy Ming Zai stayed expressionless the whole time as a background figure—was it to avoid stealing mommy’s spotlight? Or was he just grumpy from waking up?"

"Seriously, giving us the cold shoulder is fine, but don’t go home and do the same to your wife and son!"

In the family’s super topic, a fan finally found a video posted on a government media website.

After panning over Wen Cishu delivering his speech on stage, the camera swept across the audience, briefly capturing Bao Tingyuan in the distance.

In the footage, Bao Tingyuan sat silently, his green eyes fixed intently on the stage.

"Wow, this is so clear! Daddy looks really supportive of mommy’s work!"

"In another interview clip, a reporter tried to ask Daddy questions, but he gracefully deflected the questions."

"The couple are so sweet~ (Too bad none of this family is breaking into showbiz—so frustrating!)"

Not long after the event ended,

On Xiao Digua, a fan tagged Wen Cishu:

"Mommy, can you have your team contact this account? @XiaotianMom. Xiaotian is a congenital heart disease patient! OMG, mommy, please save him!"

Thousands of fans amplified this plea, and soon Wen Cishu replied:

"Thank you, we’ve already connected with them. Everyone can also follow @NuoxinCharityFund—staff will respond to messages promptly."

Shortly after, XiaotianMom’s account shared an update, acknowledging the contact and vowing to provide updates. "On behalf of our Xiaotian, thank you all for your help, and thank you to the Nuoxin Charity Fund team for reaching out."

"It feels like witnessing something truly impactful happen..."

"Having watched mommy’s full speech, I can tell he must be so happy to help these kids."

"I feel you, sis! Mommy appears delicate yet powerful... it’s really moving."

After learning more about four-year-old Xiaotian’s condition, Wen Cishu was profoundly moved, further reinforcing his determination to run the foundation effectively.

Bao Tingyuan took the documents from his hands and set them aside: "Don’t overexert yourself."

Wen Cishu let out a sigh: "Yeah! I need to stay healthy." In my short life, I want to help as many children as possible.

He collapsed onto the couch and shot him a glance: "I'm so tired today."

No sooner had he spoken, Bao Tingyuan stood up.

"Hmm?" Wen Cishu blinked, lifting his gaze, not understanding what he meant.

Then, he was scooped up and settled onto Bao Tingyuan’s lap.

The two locked eyes, noses nearly touching.

Wen Cishu couldn’t help but laugh, tilting his head to brush a kiss against the corner of his mouth: "Not tired, not tired—just kidding."

Bao Tingyuan’s hand slid down his long hair, resting on his shoulder.

Honestly, Wen Cishu didn’t even have to say it—he could see the exhaustion himself.

"What did you think I wanted?"

"Um..."

Wen Cishu toyed with the mother-of-pearl buttons on his black shirt, "Just... you know… *that*..."

Bao Tingyuan gave a low chuckle, leaning back as he took off his glasses and let out a sigh, eyes fixed on him.

Wen Cishu: "?"

Wasn’t removing his glasses usually his way of asking for a kiss?

But what did this expression mean?

Wen Cishu squinted in confusion, conveying his bewilderment.

Just as Bao Tingyuan was about to speak, unexpected footsteps cut in.

Bao Yiming burst in like a one-man parade.

The couple on the sofa snapped their heads toward him in unison.

Unsurprisingly, Wen Cishu went stiff with embarrassment, while Bao Tingyuan’s thick brows furrowed slightly.

Bao Tingyuan put his glasses back on, his voice edged with sternness: "Why didn’t you knock again?"

The word "again" told Bao Yiming loud and clear that Big Dad was keeping score.

Holding the doorknob, he pulled a Chaplin-worthy exaggerated shrug, "How was I supposed to know Big Dad was here?"

Stuck in Bao Tingyuan’s arms, Wen Cishu could only squeak out, "What’s up, Yi Ming?"

Bao Yiming bounced on his heels, grinning: "My little potato plant is growing so well—it’s sprouting fresh green leaves! Little Dad, wanna come see?"

Before Wen Cishu could answer, Bao Tingyuan cut in: "Little Dad’s wiped out today. He’ll go see it tomorrow morning."

Bao Yiming just nodded cheerfully: "Okay~ Then little dad, get some shut-eye! As for big dad—remember to work overtime!"

With a cheeky laugh, he ducked out the door.

Another set of footsteps echoed down the hallway, quickly fading into the distance.

Wen Cishu withdrew his gaze and looked at Bo Tingyuan. "You heard that, right? Yi Ming wants you to work late."

Bo Tingyuan had accompanied him to the event today and indeed hadn’t been to the office all day.

Wen Cishu noticed the thoughtful look in his dark eyes and asked softly, "Hmm?"

Bo Tingyuan looked at him. "If Yi Ming knew the potatoes he planted had actually rotted—"

"Wait, what?" Wen Cishu was shocked. "What rotted?"

Bo Tingyuan frowned. "You didn’t know?"

Wen Cishu shook his head. "How the hell would I know? I couldn’t possibly dig them up to check."

"Uncle Xu told me about it before," Bo Tingyuan finished under his puzzled gaze. "I had him plant new ones."

Wen Cishu said, "You’re such a good dad."

When it finally dawned on him, he quickly asked, "So you’re going to tell Yi Ming now? Don’t crush the kid like that."

Bo Tingyuan put his foot down. "I’ll tell him the next time he doesn’t knock."

Wen Cishu: "???"

He recalled one time when Bo Tingyuan seemed to have deliberately waited behind their little monkey to "scare" him.

He’d totally do something like that.

Wen Cishu hurriedly "warned," "Don’t you dare tell him! Did you hear me? Yi Ming might cry."

Bo Tingyuan narrowed his green eyes slightly, giving off a look that was both mysterious and dangerous.

Wen Cishu leaned back slowly, bracing his palm against the armrest of the sofa. "I’m gonna—I’m gonna go lie down."

The moment he stood up, he was yanked back down.

After this repeated three times, Wen Cishu looked at him. "Hmm?"

Bo Tingyuan took his hand and slowly guided it downward.

"Whoa, whoa—" Wen Cishu panicked, lowering his voice to remind him, "We’re in the damn living room!"

Even if they were going to get up to no good, they couldn’t just pick any place.

Bo Tingyuan grinned, amused, then redirected his hand upward, resting it on his own shirt button. "Unbutton this for me. Let’s go take a bath."

Wen Cishu fiddled with the shirt button, his eyes trailing over Bo Tingyuan’s thin lips and Adam’s apple before murmuring, "I’m actually kinda tired."

Bo Tingyuan leaned down and kissed his lips. "So I’ll soak, and you can watch—help you unwind."

"Ah?" Wen Cishu stared straight at his face, so damn sexy it was hypnotizing.

—Was this even okay?!