Chapter 158 Thank You for Choosing Me

Chapter 158: Thank You for Picking Me

"He's gone..."

Jian Ye’s voice quivered slightly on the phone.

Yi Siyu could tell something was off and immediately dropped everything, headed straight home.

He rushed inside to an empty living room. The bedroom was empty too. He finally discovered Jian Ye curled up on the nursery rug.

Yi Siyu approached slowly, as if afraid to startle a wounded puppy. Only after stepping onto the rug did he crouch beside him, pulling Jian Ye into his arms.

"Shh, it’s okay. He’ll be back."

Yi Siyu wasn’t sure why he felt so sure, but ever since they’d brought the child home, he’d felt this way deep down.

But Jian Ye wasn’t convinced. He lifted his head, eyes red. "Last time he left, it took three years before he returned. You think... we’ll have to wait another three years?"

Yi Siyu had no answer to that.

"Brother Siyu, what do we tell our parents? They love Second Baby so much..."

If they didn’t see the kid, they’d definitely ask questions.

"We’ll handle it together. Don’t stress."

They stayed like that, holding each other quietly for a long while before finally getting up from the floor.

Jian Ye touched the baby toys the system used to love playing with, deep in thought, before leaving the nursery.

The day after the system disappeared, work called Jian Ye back. After finishing his last job, he’d taken some time off—now it was time to get back to it.

Maybe keeping busy would distract him from the system being gone. Staying home only made him sadder.

Fortunately, neither the Yi nor Jian families had asked about the child during this time, so he didn’t have to lie again.

Both men returned to their routines, both thinking privately about what to say if their families ever asked. They needed a unified explanation.

This went on for half a month.

Then one day, while away, Jian Ye received a call from Old Mr. Jian.

"Ye'er, I’m on my way to your place. I want to see Second Baby."

Jian Ye’s heart raced. "Ah! Um... I’m working out of town right now, Grandpa. Maybe another day?"

"It’s fine. I’ll call Si Yu to let me in. You focus on work—I just want to hold my precious great-grandson for a bit, then I’ll leave."

"Brother Siyu isn’t home either! He’s... he’s busy with work too! Grand—"

*Click.*

The call ended abruptly, leaving Jian Ye stunned.

No! There was no way he could let his grandfather go to their house—the child wasn’t even there! Hold what, thin air?

Jian Ye had known this day would come, but he hadn’t expected it to happen so suddenly.

He dialed Yi Siyu right away, but the call wouldn’t go through.

Is Grandpa on the phone with him?

Jian Ye then called Special Assistant Xu, who answered almost immediately.

"Hello, Young Master Jian."

"Give the phone to Yi Siyu!"

"But President Yi is on another call..."

"Hurry up! This is more urgent!"

"Oh, alright! Don’t worry, I’ll give it to him right away."

So Yi Siyu ended up with a phone to each ear—one with Jian Ye frantically talking, the other with his mom chattering away.

Yu Xinran: "A Yu, I ran into Old Mr. Jian at the entrance of your neighborhood. Talk about coincidence! I wanted to see the baby, and so did Old Mr. Jian. Perfect—I brought him up. Why aren’t you and Jian Ye home? Where’s the nanny? Didn’t Aunt Wen come? I’ve been ringing the doorbell forever, but no one answered!"

Jian Ye: "Are you on the phone with my grandpa? If Grandpa asks for the door code, don’t give it yet! We need to figure out how to cover this up! The baby isn’t home, so where could he be... What if we say, ‘Foreign scientists took the successful genetic fusion sample back for further research’? How’s that?"

Yi Siyu's head was spinning...

Here's the situation—

Old Mr. Jian wants to see the baby and is heading to Lanfeng Bay.

His mother wants to see the baby and is also heading to Lanfeng Bay.

Old Mr. Jian called his wife before going.

His mother has already successfully met up with Old Mr. Jian and is now waiting for the front door to open.

Both his wife and mother are calling him simultaneously—one demanding he open the door, the other forbidding it while attempting to make up some crazy story to control the situation.

Assistant Xu watched as his boss started sweating.

What were they talking about in these calls? So urgent that President Yi was sweating? That doesn't happen often.

Yu Xinran: "Hello? A Yu? Can you hear me... Is there no signal?"

Jian Ye: "Brother Siyu? Hello? Husband? Are you listening? Why is there no sound? Did my phone break?"

Yi Siyu: "..."

He was exhausted.

Just as he was about to respond to them one by one, Yu Xinran suddenly yelled.

"Mom? What’s wrong?"

Yu Xinran was no longer listening to the call. She stared as the front door swung open, revealing a little toddler in a diaper peeking out.

"Grandma~ Great-grandpa~"

"Oh my god! Honey, are you home alone?" Yu Xinran shrieked.

"Great-grandpa’s sweetie, how did you open the door by yourself? And you’re barefoot—quick, let’s get you to the sofa," Old Mr. Jian exclaimed.

It was so loud that even Jian Ye, on the other phone, could hear it clearly.

Yi Siyu and Jian Ye were both shocked: "What the—?!"

The system’s back!!

Jian Ye was overjoyed: "Brother Siyu, hurry back and check the situation. I’ll ask the director for leave now and fly back immediately. Gotta go, talk later!"

Yi Siyu stood up, grabbed his coat, and bolted out.

"Third Young Master, about the meeting later..."

"Cancel it. We’ll discuss it tomorrow. Something came up today—reschedule all work stuff." Yi Siyu had just stepped out but then turned back, remembering something. "Also, not a peep about today."

Special Assistant Xu: "Wait—what?! Got it, not a word!"

So... what exactly is going on? He still has no idea!

...

Lanfeng Bay.

By the time Yi Siyu rushed home at top speed, the living room was already a scene of family bonding time.

Yu Xinran was holding the child, feeding him milk, while Old Mr. Jian was shaking a rattle nearby, keeping the baby entertained while he drank.

"Mom, Grandpa..."

Before Yi Siyu could finish his first sentence, Yu Xinran cut him off. "Oh, look who decided to show up! Might as well move into the office!"

"Xiao Ye had to go out of town for filming and was tied up, but you work locally—how could you just leave the baby alone?"

"Didn’t you worry something could happen to him? He’s so little, can barely walk straight. What if he touched an electrical socket, or... tripped and hit his head..."

"Forget it, my bad. I didn’t think it through, knowing you two have no experience raising a child and just letting you figure it out alone. I’ll stay here for a while and help take care of him."

After Yu Xinran’s long rant, Old Mr. Jian had little left to say.

He comforted from the side, "Just be more careful in the future. New dads always struggle at first—you’ll get used to it."

"Daddy~"

The little one, done with his milk, reached out his chubby arms, wanting a hug.

Yi Siyu and his child stared at each other in silence: "..."

He thought with a sigh, finally got why Jian Ye was so stressed.

This little guy really disappears when he wants and reappears just as suddenly.

He picked up the child, snuggling close to breathe in his baby’s sweet milky smell.

"Don’t be so sudden next time. Your daddy and your Jian Daddy can’t handle the surprises," Yi Siyu whispered into the little one’s ear.

The baby let out a little "mwah," then leaned in to plant a kiss on Yi Siyu’s cheek.

By evening, Jian Ye arrived home, looking worn out from the trip. Dinner was already spread out on the table, and the little one sat in his high chair, scooping baby food with his tiny spoon.

Old Mr. Jian, Yu Xinran, and Yi Siyu were all there, clearly just starting dinner.

"Oh? Xiao Ye’s back! Go wash your hands and join us!" Yu Xinran beamed.

"Jian Ye, didn't you say you were working out of town today? Why did you suddenly come back?"

Grandpa Jian hadn’t seen his grandson in a long time, and now that he saw Jian Ye, he was quite happy.

Coming here today was truly fulfilling—not only did he get to hold Second Baby, but he also got to see Jian Ye.

"I knew you and Grandpa were coming, and I... I was afraid Siyu wouldn’t be able to handle it alone, so I came back from out of town."

Yu Xinran said, "We don’t need looking after, but your son—such a tiny baby—definitely needs care. If both of you have to work, you should at least have a nanny come over."

Jian Ye obediently lowered his head in apology while secretly glaring at the system.

You little rascal, you’ve really got us into so much trouble!

The system guiltily stuffed food into his tiny mouth.

...

That night.

After Yu Xinran had gone to bed, the two fathers secretly took the baby from the nursery to their own room and had him stand facing the wall in reflection.

"Can you stop disappearing without warning?! Today, I almost—almost thought we wouldn’t be able to cover it up!" Jian Ye was still shaken up by how close it was.

"I’ll never disappear again~" the system said pitifully.

Yi Siyu played the good cop, reaching out to pat the baby’s head. "Your dad was just worried about you. The day you disappeared, he was really upset."

Jian Ye turned his face away in embarrassment and muttered, "Who was upset... I wasn’t upset at all."

The system scurried over and hugged Jian Ye’s leg. "I’m sorry, Daddy. I was wrong. I won’t make you worry anymore."

Jian Ye wasn’t truly angry at the system—he just disliked uncertainty. When he first arrived in this unfamiliar world, everything had been unknown, and he had proceeded cautiously at every step. Even deciding to commit to Yi Siyu for life had required careful consideration.

Once Jian Ye accepted someone into his life, he would give them his all.

After everyone acknowledged the system as his son, he had genuinely treated it as his own child.

The system’s sudden disappearance had brought back Jian Ye’s fear of abandonment.

In his previous world, he had grown up in an orphanage...

Jian Ye had principles, but he was also soft-hearted. The moment the system looked so pitiful and apologized, he couldn’t bring himself to blame it anymore.

Holding the baby close and snuggling him, Jian Ye noticed the little one hesitating. "If there’s something else, just say it," he urged.

"I’ve decided to stay in this world permanently as a human and never return to the system world."

"What?!" Jian Ye’s eyes widened in shock.

"Actually, I made this decision right after separating from you, but for a system to stay in a world, there’s a long application process. After submitting my request, I was immediately transferred to the support department."

"When I came back to see you last month, I was waiting for the moment I could truly leave my system identity behind. I didn’t disappear on purpose—I was recalled by the main system. In that situation, I couldn’t establish a mental connection with you."

"After going back for a week, the approval finally came through. The main system saw my attachment to the human world and decided to grant my wish. At the same time, I’ll lose all my original system abilities. Now, I’m just a normal human baby."

"But because you were my most successful host, I was allowed to keep one privilege—I can still maintain a mental connection with you. We can’t talk freely, but we can sense each other’s presence."

"Daddy, you’ll never lose me again. Try to sense it now..."

Jian Ye seemed to hear another heartbeat—small but strong and steady.

This was a true mental connection, a presence deeply connected to him.

As he pulled the small body close, a tear fell onto the baby’s collar.

"Mm, thank you for choosing me."