Chapter 190

## Chapter 190

## Little Uncle is Coming~ Is It a Surprise or a Shock? ##

Meng Kaize, not far away, whipped his head around with a look of utter shock, staring at Meng Qi, then at Jiang Baixi, his eyes wide as saucers. "Whose husband? Who are you saying has a husband?"

Jiang Baixi clicked his tongue, his expression shifting unpredictably and hard to describe—a mix of speechlessness and disdain. "How are your ears so sharp..."

"I've always had sharp ears and keen eyes, can't help it, but that's not the point, Brother Baixi," Meng Kaize said, a hint of grievance creeping into his voice as his lips jutted out in a pout. "Don't change the subject, and don't think you can fool me. I heard everything you said."

Since he'd heard it all, there was no point in hiding anymore. Meng Qi sighed, ready to throw caution to the wind and tell Meng Kaize the truth. The kid was genuinely hurt, and it looked like tears were about to fall.

But Jiang Baixi cut him off with a sharp retort, "If you heard it, why ask? Aren't you tired?"

Meng Qi: ...

He only then realized that Jiang Baixi's sharp tongue spared no one, indiscriminately aiming to wound everyone in his path.

Meng Kaize, dissatisfied with Jiang Baixi's dismissive attitude and not wanting to deal with him anymore, took a few quick steps to stop in front of Meng Qi, staring at him seriously and solemnly. "Brother, are you dating?" After asking, he narrowed his eyes, as if suddenly struck by a revelation, and exclaimed, "Brother, the reason you left the capital—was it to elope with someone? Who is it? What's so captivating about them?"

Meng Qi was mortified, thinking to himself, well done—Meng Kaize's imagination could rival the original author's.

"Of course not. Does anyone still choose to elope these days?" he replied with a wry, ambiguous smile.

"Not eloping, then... not..." Meng Kaize muttered, tilting his head, then suddenly had another flash of insight. His eyes wide, he asked, "Not eloping, that means you found a boyfriend here? What is that, 'fate brings people together from afar'?"

He deliberately put extra emphasis on "boyfriend"...

Meng Qi silently looked at Jiang Baixi, signaling with his eyes: you caused this, you answer it. Meng Kaize's train of thought was too scattered for him to handle, and he didn't want to discuss eloping or boyfriends under the guise of being his "real brother," especially since that boyfriend was none other than Ren Suiyi.

Jiang Baixi shrugged, then crooked his finger at Meng Kaize.

In the next second, Meng Kaize shuffled a couple of steps toward Jiang Baixi like a puppy called by its owner.

When he was close enough, Jiang Baixi teased him with a sly grin, "You little brat, why ask so many questions? Do you even know what 'husband' and 'boyfriend' mean?"

Meng Kaize shot back defiantly, "There are people in my class who secretly date! Of course I know!"

Jiang Baixi chuckled and quickly changed the subject. "Early dating is wrong, you know. As the class monitor, did you report it to the teacher?"

Clearly not.

Meng Kaize immediately felt guilty, then, out of embarrassment, snapped, "I don't want to talk to you anymore, you're so annoying!" and ran off to play.

After that, Jiang Baixi shot Meng Qi a triumphant look, as if to say, "See? Handled."

Meng Qi was speechless. "You might fool him for now, but not forever. Once he calms down, he'll come back to me."

Jiang Baixi shrugged and tilted his head. "By then, your husband should be back. Let him explain it to him."

Meng Qi: ...

The cook came in carrying a basket of fresh vegetables from the market. When she saw Meng Kaize and Jiang Baixi, she paused for a moment, then smiled and pointed at Meng Kaize. "Oh, what a handsome child! At first glance, you look like the Boy of Good Fortune beside the Bodhisattva."

Meng Kaize, embarrassed by the stranger's compliment, forgot he was still upset. He shyly pulled Meng Qi in front of him as a shield. "My brother is better-looking. I'm far from being as handsome as him."

"You're both handsome in your own ways. Your brother is delicate and refined, you're lively and sharp—both top-notch looks! Ah, wonderful. Your mother is truly blessed to have two such good-looking children." The cook's eyes then turned to Jiang Baixi, and she opened her mouth to compliment him too.

Jiang Baixi cut her off before she could speak. "We each have a different mother. That halves each mother's blessing."

The cook hadn't expected that, since both Meng Qi and Meng Kaize were Meng Zhenchao's children and shared some resemblance. Stunned, she stood there for a moment, then gave an awkward laugh. "All three mothers are blessed, fully blessed."

Meng Qi and Meng Kaize, who had been embarrassed by the cook's earlier words, exchanged a glance and burst out laughing.

The cook blushed, then stopped gushing over the three handsome faces. Instead, she turned to Meng Qi and asked about lunch. With two extra people, would it be okay to cook four more dishes than usual?

Meng Qi deferred to Meng Kaize, the youngest, asking if he had any particular cravings. Meng Kaize, who loved both fun and food, rattled off a whole list of dishes. The cook listened, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and shuffled away.

Qu Liang and Zhao Zheyuan arrived back at the villa just in time for lunch.

Both were sweating profusely and had taken off their jackets before coming in, walking back in the cold wind wearing only dress shirts. When they saw Meng Kaize and Jiang Baixi, they were equally stunned, then greeted them with smiles. Naturally, they also complimented their looks and asked what they ate to grow up so handsome.

Meng Kaize's eyes darted between Qu Liang and Zhao Zheyuan for a moment. No one could guess what he was thinking. Then, out of the blue, he narrowed his eyes at Zhao Zheyuan and, with a shocking question, asked, "Was it you who lured my brother away?"

The question was so abrupt that it caught everyone off guard. Before Meng Qi could even cover Meng Kaize's mouth, Zhao Zheyuan's back stiffened as if he'd been caught in a huge misunderstanding. He hurriedly explained to Meng Kaize, "No, Second Young Master Meng, you've got it wrong."

Meng Kaize then shifted his gaze to Qu Liang, making Qu Liang's body tense up as well.

This time, Meng Qi cut in before Meng Kaize could speak. He grabbed Meng Kaize and quickly led him to the dining room. As soon as Meng Kaize saw the spread of delicious food, his attention was immediately captured. He forgot what he wanted to ask and focused entirely on eating. While he ate happily, everyone else breathed a collective sigh of relief.

Ren Suiyi came back much earlier than usual today.

When he arrived, Meng Qi and the others hadn't finished lunch. Everyone stopped eating and listened to Meng Kaize recount a thrilling experience from a recent solo trip to Dunhuang with two bodyguards. They had been trapped in a sandstorm for nearly an hour before escaping. Meng Kaize narrated vividly, gesturing wildly, describing how the car was overturned by a fierce sandstorm and how the two bodyguards shielded him with their lives. There was no fear or lingering terror in his expression—only excitement. He even jumped up, one foot on the chair, continuing his story, while Meng Qi listened with bated breath.

Finally, Meng Kaize concluded with a bold declaration: "It was dangerous, but Dunhuang was still beautiful and totally worth it. Brother, next time we'll go together. I'll be your guide. Your little brother has plenty of experience dealing with sandstorms. I'll make sure you come out of that desert in one piece."

Meng Qi was tempted and almost nodded in agreement.

That was when Ren Suiyi entered the dining room.

As soon as he walked in, he saw Jiang Baixi and Meng Kaize. He greeted them by name, then naturally walked over to Meng Qi. He cupped Meng Qi's chin with one hand, bent down, and kissed him on the cheek, whispering softly, "How are you feeling today?"

"Ah!" Meng Kaize yelled, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets. He stared at Ren Suiyi in disbelief. "Bro... Brother Sui, what are you doing?! Don't tell me you're my brother's husband!"

Ren Suiyi raised an eyebrow and nodded in acknowledgment. Glancing at Jiang Baixi, he asked Meng Kaize, "Didn't Baixi tell you?"

Meng Kaize shook his head dizzily. "No one told me..."

"Well, it's not too late to find out now." Ren Suiyi smiled, then suddenly recalled something and spoke seriously to Meng Kaize. "Your brother is pregnant. You're going to be an uncle. From now on, you need to be more mature and stop roughhousing with your brother."

Meng Qi: ...

Was that too direct? Couldn't he give the little brother a bit of a buffer?

Looking at Meng Kaize, the kid was so shocked his chin almost hit the floor. His eyes swirled with confusion, and question marks seemed to float above his head. It was clear his worldview was being reshaped.

Jiang Baixi reached out and patted Meng Kaize's head, comforting him. "I was just as shocked when I first found out, but you'll get used to it, Xiaoze. See? Now when I hear about it, I'm as calm as if someone told me it's Friday. You'll be the same."

"Black Friday?" Meng Kaize muttered absentmindedly.

Ren Suiyi's expression cooled slightly. "Black Friday? You're going to be an uncle. Aren't you happy?"

Meng Kaize shuddered under Ren Suiyi's gaze, his eyes suddenly clearing. Then, a huge grin spread across his face. "Happy! Of course I'm happy! Not black—it's red! It's rainbow-colored! Oh my god, my brother is amazing! This is going down in the Meng family history!"

Meng Qi: ...

For the rest of the time, Meng Kaize stuck to Meng Qi like glue. Wherever Meng Qi went, he followed, his big eyes constantly fixed on Meng Qi's belly. Occasionally, he'd reach out and touch it, calling out to the baby, "Little Shian, it's your uncle!" Meng Qi was so annoyed he wanted to pack Meng Kaize up and ship him off to the vast sand dunes of Dunhuang.

Once the novelty wore off, Meng Kaize finally had the energy to think about other things. He then asked Meng Qi, "Brother, have you told Mom and Dad about you and Brother Sui yet?"

Meng Qi honestly told Meng Kaize what he was thinking, "No, I'm not planning to tell them until little Shi'an is born."

"Why's that? Such good news, I think Mom and Dad will be very happy to hear it too. Don't old folks just want to hold their grandkids?"

Meng Qi said calmly, "Wait until Shi'an is born and we bring him home; then it'll be an even bigger surprise for them."

Meng Kaize tilted his head and thought for a long time, then nodded emphatically with a smile, "You're amazing, bro. That really will be a big surprise."

"So, keep it a secret for me, and by then I'll let you hold Shi'an and show him to Dad."

These words struck a chord with Meng Kaize. As soon as Meng Qi finished speaking, he jumped up like he'd hit the jackpot, then bent over Meng Qi's belly and said to Ren Shi'an with a laugh, "Did you hear that, little Shi'an? Uncle will be the one to hold you and take you to see Grandpa and Grandma."

At this point, Meng Kaize suddenly stopped. Meng Qi looked down at him and saw him with an incredulous look on his face, asking, "So Dad and Mom become Grandpa and Grandma just like that?!"

Meng Qi retorted, "What else?"

Meng Kaize let out a long sigh, "Time really waits for no one. I always feel they're still young, no problem giving us a younger brother or sister if they tried."

Meng Qi: ...

"By the way, I remember my uncle told me that when I was born, I was only close to him. Anyone else who held me got a face full of tears. Will little Shi'an be the same, only letting me hold him?" Meng Kaize's thoughts really were all over the place; just a moment ago he was sighing, and suddenly he got all worried, so fast that Meng Qi couldn't keep up.

But Meng Qi, after snapping out of it, also worried for a while. From what Meng Kaize said, it was clear he had a deep bond with Li Jinqiu. So when he finds out that his most beloved uncle has been scheming to harm his most beloved brother, how devastated would he be?

And when he finds out that his most admired Brother Sui is trying to deal with his most beloved uncle, how would he feel?

So, little Shi'an might not be as lucky as little Kaize was, having a loving uncle to grow up with.

Thinking of this, Meng Qi sighed and cautioned Meng Kaize with a heavy heart, "About little Shi'an, don't tell your uncle for now, okay? We'll tell your uncle after the baby is born."

Meng Kaize nodded, "Of course! That way it'll be a surprise for my uncle too!"