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Chapter 11
Editor: Princess
Qin Huanxi wandered around the plaza for a bit before deciding to head back. Even though he had calmed down, he couldn’t stop thinking about his precious son, and he really wasn’t in the mood to keep strolling around. Besides, judging by the driver’s hesitant expression, it was clear he wanted to say something but was holding back, so he figured he might as well just go home.
He had no idea why his son was with Mo Shanshan. Mo Shanshan was Mo Shaoheng’s niece, and back in the day, she had been his classmate at T University. She was a top student in the fine arts department, super talented at painting, with her own unique style. And even though she was still young, she was already a well-known artist.
His son seemed really attached to Mo Shanshan. This realization made Qin Huanxi pause for a moment. If it weren’t for Mo Shanshan taking good care of his baby all this time, his son wouldn’t be so dependent on her. Children were simple, but their instincts were sharp. They could sense the good and bad in people.
Leaning back against the car seat, he watched the scenery passing by outside quietly. Initially, he had planned to hire a private investigator to look into his son’s whereabouts, but now that didn’t seem necessary. The bigger problem was right in front of him: how had his son ended up in the Mo Family? And did Mo Shaoheng have anything to do with it?
To be honest, when he first saw his son with Mo Shanshan, a ridiculous thought had flashed through his mind.
Mo Shanshan was still a student. From what he knew, her status in the Mo Family wasn’t great. Madam Mo didn’t like her, and there were probably some hidden reasons behind that, so there was no way she had the ability or the right to adopt a child.
As for Mo Shanshan’s parents, ever since Mo Shaoheng took over the Mo Family’s inheritance, their standing within the family had been shaky at best. They were too busy trying to hold onto what little power they had left, so there was no way they had the energy or the motivation to take in a child. The rest of the Mo Family was in the same boat, each trying to survive.
So the only person in the Mo Family who could have adopted his son was Mo Shaoheng. No matter what, seven years ago, he and Mo Shaoheng had spent that one night together. He wasn’t delusional enough to think Mo Shaoheng still remembered him, but if Mo Shaoheng had taken in his son, then maybe their past had played some role in that decision.
Unless, of course, there was an even crazier reason, like Mo Shaoheng falling for him at first sight or something. But that was even harder to believe than the idea that Mo Shaoheng had figured out the truth. With the way Mo Shaoheng operated, if he had really decided to investigate, there was no way to hide what had happened back then.
Qin Huanxi felt torn. He had never wanted to be tangled up with Mo Shaoheng again, and he definitely hadn’t wanted Mo Shaoheng to find out about his son. But seeing how well his baby had been taken care of, he couldn’t help but feel relieved.
If Mo Shaoheng was personally looking after his son, then the Ning Family wouldn’t dare make a move. That meant his son’s safety was guaranteed. But then, what excuse could he use to go see his baby? Now that he knew his son was in the Mo Family, there was no way he could just pretend everything was fine.
He let out a frustrated sigh, feeling both annoyed and conflicted. He even had a sudden urge to just rush over to the Mo Family’s place and hug his baby tightly. While he had been completely in the dark, his child had already grown so much. Meanwhile, his memories were still stuck on his son as a three-year-old—he had missed out on three whole years of his baby’s life.
But he still had some sense left. Before doing anything, he needed to be absolutely sure that it was Mo Shaoheng who had adopted his son.
**
When Qin Huanxi got back to the Qin estate, he made a quick stop to check in with Old Master Qin before using violin practice as an excuse to leave the main house. On the way, he was still thinking about who he should ask. The best person to get information from would obviously be Old Master Qin, but he was worried that asking directly might raise suspicions.
Just as he stepped out of the main house, he saw the butler walking toward him. An idea popped into his head instantly. The butler had been with Old Master Qin for decades, which meant he knew almost everything about the old man. And given the connection between Old Master Qin and Mo Shaoheng, the butler probably knew a fair bit about Mo Shaoheng too.
“Uncle Zhao.” He called out with a smile, stopping in his tracks.
“Little Young Master?” Uncle Zhao looked a little surprised. “You’re back so soon?”
“It’s hot outside, and I didn’t really have anything I needed to buy, so I just took a quick walk and came back.” Qin Huanxi brushed off the question casually. Then, as if it was just an offhand comment, he added, “I ran into my old classmate Mo Shanshan earlier. She was with a child, about five or six years old. I don’t remember her ever mentioning having a younger brother. And, honestly, that child looked a lot like Uncle Mo. He wouldn’t happen to be Uncle Mo’s son, would he? But Uncle Mo isn’t even married yet, right?”
Uncle Zhao coughed lightly. It wasn’t often that the Little Young Master showed interest in anything besides the violin, so he was happy to explain. Plus, since the Little Young Master seemed to get along well with Mo Shaoheng, he didn’t want any misunderstandings between them.
“Little Young Master, you’ve got it wrong.” Uncle Zhao chuckled. “Young Master Siyuan is actually a child that Master Mo adopted.”
Qin Huanxi’s heart sank. So it really was true.
Keeping his expression neutral, he acted confused. “Young Master Siyuan?”
“Yes.” Uncle Zhao nodded with a smile. “That’s the child you saw today. I don’t know what his original name was, but Master Mo brought him back from S City three years ago and changed his name to Mo Siyuan. Honestly, I can see why you were mistaken, because everyone who meets Young Master Siyuan assumes he must be Master Mo’s biological son. Even the old master was shocked the first time he saw the child. The resemblance is uncanny, especially the eyes and nose—they look like exact copies of Master Mo’s.”
Qin Huanxi’s emotions grew even more complicated. Of course they looked alike. Mo Siyuan was his and Mo Shaoheng’s child—how could he not resemble his own father?
When his baby was born, he had thought the child mostly took after him, except for the eyes and nose, which were just like Mo Shaoheng’s. At first, the similarity wasn’t that obvious, but as his baby’s face grew, the resemblance became undeniable. That just meant his little treasure was going to be an absolute heartthrob when he grew up.
“Grandfather has met the child?” Qin Huanxi asked curiously.
“Yes, Master Mo brings Young Master Siyuan over sometimes. The Old Master really likes him, but it’s only been two or three visits. You happened to be away each time, so it’s no surprise you didn’t know about him.” Uncle Zhao explained with a smile. “Master Mo dotes on that child, he treats him like his own son.”
Qin Huanxi felt a strange mix of relief and emotion. He had no idea why Mo Shaoheng was taking care of his son, especially since no one would ever suspect that a man like him could have given birth. Mo Shaoheng definitely wouldn’t have guessed the truth.
Even so, Mo Shaoheng had taken care of his son so well. Was it the pull of blood ties? Even without knowing their connection, was it possible that deep down, Mo Shaoheng had still felt the bond between them?
“Uncle Zhao, do you know who the child’s biological parents are?” Qin Huanxi asked, probing for more information. “Uncle Mo wouldn’t just randomly adopt a child, right? And he even went all the way to S City to bring the child back. He must’ve known about him beforehand. Why would he adopt this particular child?”
Uncle Zhao thought for a moment, then shook his head and said, “Sorry, little young master, I’m actually not too sure about the details either. Maybe the old master knows something, but then again, Master Mo’s thoughts aren’t easy for outsiders to figure out. But I did hear Young Master Qi mention to the old master once that Young Master Xiao Yuan was a child Master Mo brought back from the Ning Family in S City. The Ning Family went through a huge upheaval, and in the end, the only one left was Young Master Xiao Yuan, that poor child. Back then, it was a huge scandal, so I’m guessing Master Mo and Young Master Xiao Yuan’s biological father, Ning Xue, must have had some kind of connection. After Ning Xue passed away, Master Mo adopted Young Master Xiao Yuan.”
Qin Huanxi lowered his head slightly, staying silent as he concealed the complicated emotions in his eyes. Then, as if suddenly realizing something, he said with a look of surprise, “So, right after the Ning Family’s incident, Uncle Mo adopted this child? No wonder—so it wasn’t for no reason that Uncle Mo suddenly took in a child.”
“You’re absolutely right, little young master. If you want to know more, you can ask the old master. He knows way more than I do.” As the butler said this, he pulled out a custom-made pocket watch and glanced at the time. Then with an apologetic expression, he added, “Sorry, little young master, the old master asked me to go to the main house earlier. I really have to head over now. Would you like to come with me?”
Qin Huanxi smiled and shook his head. “Since Grandpa is looking for you, Uncle Zhao, you should go ahead. I just happened to run into you and got a little curious.”
The butler didn’t think much of it. After apologizing again, he left hurriedly.
Qin Huanxi watched as the butler hurried away, his expression darkening slightly. The butler was right about one thing. If Mo Shaoheng were that easy to read, he wouldn’t be Mo Shaoheng. But at least he had gotten the most important piece of information he wanted. In that moment, he even felt a little grateful to Mo Shaoheng.
Even though the Ning Family was far away in S City, they had once been a powerful and wealthy family. With such a major event happening, the media must have made a huge fuss about it at the time. If Mo Shaoheng had seen the news and rushed to S City to adopt his little one, it at least proved that after losing him, his little one hadn’t suffered too much.
Suddenly, Qin Huanxi felt drained. As soon as he entered the living room, he collapsed onto the sofa and raised his arm to cover his forehead.
“Little Young master, are you alright? Should I call a doctor to check on you?” The one taking care of Qin Huanxi was an older woman who had been looking after him for more than ten years, treating him like her own child. Seeing that he seemed unwell, she became anxious.
Qin Huanxi sat up and said, “No need, Auntie Li. Just ask someone to make me a cup of coffee.”
“Alright, little young master. Then you should rest for a bit first.” Seeing that Qin Huanxi didn’t seem to be seriously ill, Auntie Li finally turned and left.
Qin Huanxi leaned back against the sofa. In the past, the original owner of this body had no real interaction with Mo Shaoheng. Mo Shaoheng would occasionally be summoned to the Qin residence by the old master, but even then, the original owner rarely had any contact with him. The only real time they had spent together was last night and this morning over breakfast.
Qin Huanxi suddenly felt a headache coming on. He really couldn’t think of a good excuse to get close to Mo Shaoheng. From what the butler said, even if Mo Shaoheng didn’t know the full truth, he clearly adored their son. In fact, just from that quick glance today, he could already tell that the little one was being well cared for.
That made things even harder for him, because without a good reason, it would be difficult to approach Mo Shaoheng. He had even considered using last night’s incident as an excuse to invite Mo Shaoheng out to dinner to thank him and use that as a way to get closer. But the old master had already invited Mo Shaoheng to breakfast this morning, and they had thanked him over and over again. If he were to extend another invitation now, it would seem too deliberate.
With how sharp Mo Shaoheng was, he would definitely sense there was another motive behind it. If that ended up annoying Mo Shaoheng, it wouldn’t be worth the risk. He needed to come up with a better plan, or maybe he could wait until he was back at school and try approaching Mo Shanshan instead. He and Mo Shanshan were already acquaintances, so it wouldn’t be too hard to naturally close the distance between them.
He sighed. This was already the most clumsy method, but what could he do? Mo Shaoheng was just that hard to get close to. Not only was he surrounded by layers of impenetrable defenses, but getting him to let his guard down was even harder. If he made the slightest mistake and aroused suspicion, it would be a disaster with no way out.
Thanks for the chapter!