Chapter 110

Chapter 110

That night.

"Tap tap."

"Yiming?"

Upon hearing his father's voice, Bao Yiming immediately stuffed the pile of items in front of him into a box, hastily covering it with a cushion.

"Come on in."

Bao Tingyuan, dressed in a robe, pushed the door open and scanned the living room, noticing his youngest still up so late.

He walked over to the sofa. "Busy with something? Homework?"

"No way!"

Bao Yiming slightly turned his body, attempting to block his father's line of sight.

Bao Tingyuan patted his son’s head, leaned forward, and lifted the pillow.

Tucked in the sofa corner was the newly delivered school blazer, along with threads and needles sticking out.

Bao Tingyuan reached for the uniform.

Bao Yiming tensed. "Dad, don’t mess with my stuff! You’ll mess up my buttons!"

He pressed down on the sleeve, revealing a gemstone button tangled in thread.

Bao Tingyuan recalled how, after arriving home earlier, his son had insisted on having all the shopping bags sent to his room.

"Did Dad Wen pick these today?"

"Yeah!" Seeing that he was already "exposed," Bao Yiming laid everything back out on the coffee table, slumping onto the carpet as he focused on untangling the threads.

Finally, Bao Tingyuan understood he was sewing new buttons onto his school uniform.

"Is this even allowed at school?"

Bao Yiming nodded, straightening the thread before continuing his awkward sewing.

Bao Tingyuan didn’t press further, grabbing a cushion to slide under his son.

He settled into the sofa behind him. "Why not let Auntie help?"

"I wanna do it my way."

Bao Yiming pointed at the sleeves and lapels. "I’m figuring it out as I go—it’s not set in stone."

Bao Tingyuan watched his small back, so skinny.

For some reason, this angle gave him the feeling that the boy needed more attentive care.

Especially after hearing Wen Cishu’s concerns earlier, a twinge of guilt for not paying enough attention stirred within him.

Bao Yiming focused on threading the needle, once the new button was in place.

He fumbled with the knot, cut off the extra thread, and made sure it looked clean.

"Yiming?"

"Yeah?"

Bo Yiming put down the needle and thread, leaned back against his dad's lap, smoothing the clothes over his knees. "Dad, look, how's my sewing?"

Bo Tingyuan ruffled his son's hair, eyeing the unique emerald buttons—they were really special.

He nodded, praising his son's good taste and neat stitches.

Bo Yiming was puzzled by his father's sudden visit and weird mood.

He hugged the clothes to his chest. "Where's Dad? Aren’t you with him?"

"I stayed till he fell asleep before coming over."

Bo Tingyuan had wanted to have an open talk with his younger son, but seeing the buttons now, he changed his mind.

After all, he was still just a kid, only nine.

If the boy needed more attention, it was his responsibility—there was no need for such a young child to understand the burdens of a thirty-something adult.

Bo Yiming blinked up at him, as if asking: Then why did you come, Dad? Was it really just to check my homework?

Bo Tingyuan changed the subject to arrangements for the tennis court and mentioned the upcoming hospital check-up.

"Okay." Bo Yiming suddenly rubbed the new buttons on his clothes, asking for what seemed like the hundredth time, "Dad, Papa will stay healthy like this forever, right?"

"Yes." Bo Tingyuan regularly communicated with the doctor to stay updated on Wen Cishu's condition.

Finally, he squeezed his son's narrow shoulders and gave them a reassuring squeeze. "I’ll take care of your Papa’s health. You just focus on your own things. Don’t fret about it."

"Oh, okay." Bo Yiming felt more at ease hearing his father say that.

He cocked his head adorably. "Want me to sew a button onto your suit too?"

He picked up a button from the accessory box. "Dad chose every single one~"

Bo Tingyuan had initially planned to decline, but at the last moment, he changed his mind. "Come on, let’s go get my suit."

"Hehe!" Bo Yiming knew his father couldn’t resist "Papa’s carefully selected items" and bounced after him.

Seeing how energetic he was—his height likely soon to surpass 170 cm—Bo Tingyuan asked, "Want me to carry you?"

"No need~" Bo Yiming was extra filial. "Don’t wear yourself out, Dad."

He skipped ahead.

Bo Tingyuan paused, frowning at his retreating figure.

-

The next day.

The family of three headed to the Bo family’s private hospital for a full-body check-up.

Wen Cishu had agreed readily the day before, but at the last moment, he got cold feet.

If the tests revealed something else, that would be serious.

"Papa, are you afraid of needles?" Bo Yiming noticed his father’s face looked a bit pale. "Don’t be afraid, it's not bad."

Wen Cishu naturally wasn't afraid of needles.

He'd been getting shots since he was a kid, so he was long accustomed to it.

"No, I'm just hungry."

Bao Tingyuan said, "Once we finish the fasting tests, we'll grab something to eat first."

Wen Cishu nodded.

Something felt off—he couldn't shake the feeling that today's schedule was backward; they should have gone to Yongning Temple first, then the hospital for the checkup.

Bao Tingyuan noticed him suddenly fiddling with the bracelet on his wrist, clearly agitated.

After Bao Yiming left for his kids' tests, he asked, "Feeling unwell all of a sudden?"

Wen Cishu gave a weak laugh and said half-jokingly, "What if they find something else wrong with me? I'm so scared of dying."

As soon as he said it, he added, "Really, I've never been this afraid before."

His new life had barely even started.

The thought of losing it terrified him.

Bao Tingyuan quickly pulled him into an embrace, rubbing his back firmly with a big hand. "That won't happen. The doctor's been saying you're healthier now than in the past few years."

Wen Cishu nodded.

During the blood draw, he watched as the dark red liquid slowly filled the small tube, muttering a prayer under his breath.

When it was over, Bao Tingyuan helped him up. "Feeling dizzy?"

Wen Cishu still looked fine as he shook his head.

He’d rather they took all four tubes in one go instead of spreading it out over multiple visits—it just dragged out the anxiety. But the doctor wanted to space out the blood draws.

Fortunately, the preliminary tests showed no new conditions apart from his preexisting heart disease.

At least for now, he could breathe easy.

They grabbed breakfast before leaving the hospital and heading to Yongning Temple.

Bao Yiming wasn’t entirely sure about the day's arrangements, but since it was his favorite kind of trip—all three of them together—he didn't ask too many questions.

From the back seat, he noticed Dad holding Papa’s hand the whole time.

Even though he was in the back seat too, the two of them were whispering like teenagers.

Eh, what could he say? He was a filial kid! No use getting worked up over grown-up stuff!

-

Yongning Temple.

After the Bao family's car pulled up outside, all three got out and entered the temple grounds.

Uncle Xu and Auntie Zhong, who had followed in another car, followed close behind, carrying offerings of fresh flowers and fruit.

Seeing no other visitors inside, Wen Cishu asked and learned that the temple had issued advance notice—citing renovations as the reason—to close to visitors for the morning.

"Then let's just offer incense and head back. No need to stick around."

Bo Tingyuan guided him inside with an arm around him: "Mm."

Then Bo Tingyuan lit the incense and handed it to Wen Cishu and Bo Yiming.

Wen Cishu raised the three sticks of incense, pressing his thumb to his forehead, silently praying for a few more years of life.

He didn’t know that at this very moment, the family beside him were making the same wish.

In the courtyard, an ancient tree that had weathered generations, its broad canopy cast deep shadows.

Wen Cishu looked up, squinting at the treetops.

Bo Tingyuan also raised his head, following his gaze. "After we had Yiming, I often had a dream."

"Oh?" Wen Cishu immediately turned to him.

"Dreaming of you..."

Bo Tingyuan paused before continuing, "falling ill."

Wen Cishu detected the hesitation in his voice.

Clearly, it wasn’t just "unwell." "Did you dream something happened to me?"

Bo Tingyuan didn’t deny it, only studied him intently and pulled him closer into his embrace.

A chill ran down Wen Cishu’s spine.

Was it possible Bo Tingyuan also knew—beyond his own awakening—? "And then?"

Bo Tingyuan turned slightly, looking toward the main hall.

At that moment, they stood on the central axis of the temple, their gaze met the Bodhisattva’s serene, downcast eyes.

Wen Cishu froze, breath catching.

Bo Tingyuan withdrew his gaze and looked at him. "One day, after having the same dream again, I kept watch over you all night. On my way to the office in the morning, I heard a news segment about Yongning Temple’s urgent fundraising campaign for repairs."

Wen Cishu recalled what his mother had said—she’d left out the details at the time.

"What happened after that? Did you keep having that dream?"

"They tapered off over time," Bo Tingyuan said. "The last time was during your variety show filming."

"The variety show?" Wen Cishu mused aloud.

"The second episode, at the hotel near the film studio."

Bo Tingyuan remembered clearly—he’d creased the poetry book’s cover that night.

He rubbed the bracelet on Wen Cishu’s wrist. "Perhaps it worked."

Wen Cishu lowered his gaze, his lips pressed into a thin line, viscerally understanding the anguish Bo Tingyuan had endured over the past decade.

If it were him, he too would seek whatever spiritual comfort he could find.

To steer him from dark thoughts, Bo Tingyuan added, "I haven’t had those dreams in a long time. Not since we began sleeping together."

Wen Cishu, still weighed down seconds earlier, felt heat rise to his cheeks.

—Indeed, who even has time to dream?

Yet he tightly grasped Bo Tingyuan's hand in return. "You know what? I actually had a strange dream before too."

Perhaps it was the temple's unique atmosphere, or perhaps Bo Tingyuan's "dream" had inspired him.

He decided to share the original novel's plot he knew, also presenting it as a "dream."

However, he omitted the parts about himself and Bo Tingyuan, focusing only on Bo Yiming.

"You're saying you dreamed that Yiming grew up and became a..."

Bo Tingyuan struggled to use negative words to describe his own child.

Wen Cishu nodded. "Promise me, no matter what happens in the future, you'll guide Yiming onto the right path."

Putting it all together, Bo Tingyuan understood why Wen Cishu was so concerned about their child's psychological state and nodded solemnly.

Wen Cishu asked cautiously, "Would you ever disagree with Xingxing and Yiming continuing to play together?"

Bo Tingyuan watched their younger son running over. "In this matter, our opinions might not matter much."

Hearing this, Wen Cishu realized it was indeed the case. "Then we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

"Dad? What are you talking about?" Bo Yiming squinting as he came closer. "I just called Xingxing, you know. He's really jealous I've gotten taller."

He shuffled his feet, squeezing between his two fathers, looking up at each of them before asking, "Can I bring Xingxing here to visit the Bodhisattva? We won't be noisy, just praying."

Wen Cishu exchanged a glance with Bo Tingyuan, then smiled gently and said, "Of course."

"Mm-hmm~" Bo Yiming hugged his younger dad and started chattering excitedly about his new discoveries from earlier.

Bo Tingyuan gazed at Wen Cishu, whose health kept improving, then lowered his eyes to their younger son, who had become the villain in his dreams.

Before leaving the temple, he donated additional funds for the restoration of the Bodhisattva statue's golden coating.