Chapter 108

Chapter 108

A few days passed.

When Wen Cishu came downstairs, he saw Uncle Xu carrying two large gift boxes into the living room. "Uncle Xu? Why are you back today?"

Uncle Xu smiled. "Yes, I just arrived at the mansion this morning."

He carefully observed his master's complexion, which seemed even better than the day he left, which reassured him further.

During his time at home, he'd called the mansion to check up.

Wen Cishu hurried over. "Why didn’t you stay home a few more days?"

Uncle Xu gestured for him to sit on the sofa and explained, "After wrapping things up, there was nothing left for me to do. Besides, Young Master’s school is starting soon, so I figured I’d come back early."

He placed the boxes in front of Wen Cishu. "Here are the new school uniforms the school just delivered."

In previous years, these items would have been sent directly to Bo Yiming’s room, and Wen Cishu had never dealt with them personally.

There were several boxes, clearly containing multiple sets.

Though curious, he didn’t want to ruin the excitement of the little one opening them himself, so he only took out the school greeting card from the top.

The note in both languages, Chinese and English, welcomed the students back to school and sent its best wishes.

Wen Cishu thought for a moment and decided he could prepare a back-to-school gift for the little one in advance.

Just as he was about to speak, he looked at Uncle Xu’s familiar face and said, "Uncle Xu, take today off."

Coincidentally, one of the maids came by, and Wen Cishu asked her to arrange for a driver.

"To the mall."

The maid nodded and went to arrange it.

Uncle Xu said, "I’m not tired. If you’re going out, maybe bring two bodyguards."

Wen Cishu considered it briefly and didn’t refuse.

After Uncle Xu left, he took the uniform boxes from the coffee table and stepped into the elevator.

He headed to Bo Yiming’s bedroom.

Wen Cishu placed the boxes on the vanity in the walk-in closet.

Opening the little one’s wardrobe, he looked through it thoroughly, thinking of getting him some more clothes.

-

When Bo Yiming returned home, he found his little father wasn’t home.

"Where did he go?"

He had raced home from a bike trip organized by his classmates, his face still red-faced from the ride. "How come he didn’t bring me?"

Uncle Xu replied, "Your father has his own things to do."

Before leaving, Wen Cishu had made sure to say not to reveal that he was going on a mall trip.

"But what if little father gets sick while out?"

Bao Yiming took the glass of warm water handed by the aunt and took a big swig. "Where's my Dad?"

Uncle Xu explained that he had taken two bodyguards with him.

"Young master, why don't you take a shower and change first? You might catch a cold after sweating." He mentioned the school uniform, trying to distract him.

But Bao Yiming still tapped his watch and called his Papa, grumbling as soon as the call connected about why he hadn’t been taken along.

Wen Cishu shot back, "Kiddo, can’t I have my own things to do?"

Bao Yiming pouted, "I could’ve waited for you wherever you were."

His tone sounded totally pitiful.

Uncle Xu immediately understood—he probably thought he’d missed a fun outing with his father.

Wen Cishu chuckled, "Such a devoted son~"

Bao Yiming said bye to Uncle Xu and headed toward the stairs, "Papa, what time are you coming home? Can I wait for you?"

In the VIP lounge of a brand boutique at the mall.

Wen Cishu took a sip of tea and quickly changed the subject, "How was your bike ride this morning?"

"It was okay, just a lot of riding." Bao Yiming, easily distracted, started recounting how two classmates had accidentally collided and scraped their knees.

"Were you okay?" Wen Cishu asked with concern.

A smug voice came through the phone.

"Of course! I’m the super athletic Bao family's little champ!"

Then he added, "Where are you, really? If you don’t tell me, I’ll… I’ll tell Dad you’ve disappeared!"

Wen Cishu frowned, "…Is that something a child should joke about?"

Bao Yiming, "Then… should I ask the driver? They’d definitely know."

Afraid he might actually run to his Dad with nonsense, Wen Cishu relented, "Alright, alright, I’m at the mall. Happy now, little tagalong?"

"Heehee~ I just care about you, Papa~" Bao Yiming said proudly. "Then I’ll come over after I shower!"

Wen Cishu still hadn't picked a gift, so he agreed.

After hanging up, his gaze landed on the deep blue velvet tray of men’s jewelry before him.

The small diamonds embedded in the accessories reflected a chilly sparkle.

In the original story, Yi Ming couldn’t stand not seeing the protagonist’s emotions and ended up illegally confining them.

Wen Cishu looked at his phone and murmured, "…Is this happening already?"

Without thinking, he raised his hand and accidentally knocked over the teacup on the table, spilling the remaining two-thirds of the water.

The small mishap made both sales associates jump simultaneously, both reaching for his phone.

Wen Cishu was never athletic, and due to health issues, his reflexes were naturally slow.

By the time he finally reacted, his phone had already been grabbed, while water droplets hit the jewelry tray.

The sales consultant quickly expressed concern, "Mr. Wen, we're so sorry. Did that scare you?"

He handed over the phone.

The other quickly tidied up.

Wen Cishu reached for the phone, "Thank you." Noticing they were about to take away the jewelry tray, he added, "Please package everything in this tray."

"What?" The two consultants froze, sharing a stunned look.

Two seconds later, they both smiled.

"Of course, of course. Thank you, Mr. Wen."

Originally, this tray of accessories had already been pre-selected by Wen Cishu as some of his preferred choices.

Though he hadn’t found the perfect piece for the tenth anniversary, they’d work for daily rotation.

The sales consultant asked, "Mr. Wen, for our cufflinks, collar stays, tie clips, tie pins, and suit buttons—except for mother-of-pearl pieces—all metal pieces can be engraved. Would you like that?"

Wen Cishu looked at him.

The consultant stiffened under his stare.

Last time, after Mr. Wen visited the mall, sales consultants from the brands he patronized had gossiped in the staff chat how refined and approachable he was, without any airs.

"Earlier, didn’t I set aside a pair of pure platinum collar stays with no logos?"

"Yes." The consultant immediately retrieved them.

Wen Cishu said, "Pack these as well."

A thought occurred to him.

In his youth, when he was stuck inside and grew weary of reading, he had practiced calligraphy, learned the piano, and even picked up basic engraving.

Today, those skills might finally come in handy.

By the time Bo Yiming arrived, his dad pinned him to the sofa, not letting him budge.

After the consultant served tea and left, only the two of them remained in the VIP lounge.

Wen Cishu walked circles into the soft rug.

Bo Yiming’s amber eyes followed his dad’s figure, shifting left and right. "Dad? What’s wrong? You’re not glad I’m here?"

Wen Cishu thought to himself: *Quiet down, kiddo—Dad’s thinking!*

"Yiming, you’ll be starting school in a few days. If I go out, you’ll still wanna come?"

Bo Yiming immediately countered, "Dad, you go out *every* day? Can’t it wait till my days off?"

Wen Cishu: "…What?"

He stopped, hands in his pockets, eyeing his son.

"Yiming, even your grandparents don’t boss me around like this. I can go where I… want."

He hesitated slightly halfway through the sentence but managed to finish it smoothly.

Bao Yiming remained completely unbothered, even reaching to unwrap a disposable dessert spoon and picking up a small fancy cake. He said matter-of-factly, "But Papa isn’t in good health. It’s not safe for you to go out alone."

Wen Cishu narrowed his eyes, frowning.

He now suspected that the original protagonist’s health wasn’t great either—at least in Bao Yiming’s eyes, the other party wasn’t healthy enough to warrant constant supervision.

He stepped forward and ruffled his hair. "Yi Ming, I know you care about Dad. But if Dad’s health is actually fine, then you don’t need to worry so much, okay? Look at your Daddy—he cares about me too, but he doesn’t hover like this."

Bao Yiming lowered his head and mumbled something.

Whether it was because his mouth was full of cream or he was doing it on purpose, his tone was so indistinct that Wen Cishu couldn’t make it out.

"What?" Wen Cishu sat down on the sofa beside him and tugged his little ear. "Hmm? Say it again."

Bao Yiming stuffed the rest of the cake into his mouth and pouted, cheeks stuffed. "Daddy is the one who wants Papa to stay home every day the most! Even more than me!"

Wen Cishu: "..."

So, he got it all from Daddy?

Bao Yiming, seeing Papa fall silent, grabbed another piece of cake and offered it. "Papa? Are you mad?"

"No." Wen Cishu pushed his hand away and said softly, "You eat it."

He had vaguely sensed a few times before that Bao Tingyuan seemed to want him to stay home, but he hadn’t taken it seriously or bothered to discuss it.

Plus, ever since he learned that Bao Tingyuan had mild separation anxiety issues, he hadn’t given it much further thought.

Now, with this little monkey’s words laying it bare, it suddenly reminded him again.

Wen Cishu shot a wary look at the little monkey, who was already on his third slice of cake:

*Your Daddy might be fine, but you’re worse than him!*

"Hmm?" Bao Yiming sensed the sharp look.

He shifted his knees slightly and asked carefully, "Papa, why are you looking at me like Daddy does?"

They say couples who’d been married a long time start to resemble each other.

Bao Yiming thought his two dads were indeed becoming more and more alike—especially in certain little mannerisms and habits.

Wen Cishu pinched his little cheek in frustration. "Why can’t you pick up the *good* habits from your Daddy?"

Then he stood up.

"What do you mean?"

Bao Yiming, mouth full, puffed out his cheeks, dropped his spoon, and quickly trailed after Papa. "I learned French—"

Wen Cishu teased, "Oh, you *learned* French? Didn’t you just inherit that?"

Bao Yiming pouted. "Hmph!"

"Then why didn’t you learn English properly? Isn’t your Daddy good at English too?"

Bao Yiming took another jab. "Hmph!"

But he still remembered to be filial and stepped forward to open the door for his little dad.

"That's my boy~"

Mr. Wen ruffled his hair and walked him out.

"And Chinese too. Your big dad studied it for ten years, you studied it for nine. Even though it's only one year less, you speak far less fluently than him."

"Ahhh!" Bao Yiming stomped his feet.

The sales consultants outside thought the young master of the Bao family, born with a silver spoon, was about to throw a fit with Mr. Wen. To their surprise, he didn’t even try to break free from his little dad’s arm.

Mr. Wen nodded in thanks and led the little rascal downstairs.

Just as they reached the first floor, a sales consultant handed over several shopping bags. Before passing them to the bodyguards, she went over the items with Mr. Wen.

"The plain platinum collar stays (collar stiffeners) are in a separate small bag for easy access if you need them immediately."

"Alright, thank you."

Mr. Wen took the Klein blue jewelry pouch.

He hadn’t expected the brand’s consultants to be so attentive.

Right then, Bao Yiming grabbed all the other bags, his tone childish and bratty: "I don’t care! Everything except what little dad is holding belongs to me! This is compensation for the hurt feelings I just suffered! Not a single gift for big dad!"

He turned and handed everything to the bodyguard, sternly instructing, "When we get home, deliver these straight to my room."

The sales consultants in the store couldn’t help but chuckle.

The bodyguard took the shopping bags but glanced at Mr. Wen with a look seeking approval.

Mr. Wen nodded, signaling that he’d handle the little rascal.

As they walked out, he said, "Baby, I picked everything based on your big dad’s style." Lowering his voice, he teased, "Very fuddy-duddy, you know~"

"Ooooh—"

Bao Yiming jumped back a step. "Little dad said big dad is fuddy-duddy!" He started tapping on his smartwatch to make a call. "I’m calling big dad right now to tell him!" he said smugly.

Mr. Wen: (facepalming)