Rebirth, but baby, where are you?

Chapter 49

Qin Huanxi smiled as he watched Mo Siyuan and Su Yang chase each other around the hall, the innocent and cheerful voices of the children echoing in his ears.

Qin Yu pulled up a chair and sat beside Qin Huanxi, glancing at the textbooks and homework scattered across the table. This suddenly reminded him of his childhood. Back then, his mother was still alive, but ever since she gave birth to him, her health had never been good. Although his mother loved him dearly, she was uncompromising when it came to his studies.

“What’s wrong?” Qin Huanxi was chatting leisurely with Mo Shaoheng when he turned around to see Qin Yu lost in thought with a complex expression.

These past few days, he had deliberately kept Qin Yu by his side, frequently inviting him to go out for dinners and shopping together. Even when coming to the Mo residence to teach Mo Siyuan violin, he would bring him along. After all, Qin Yu was his little uncle, and even though his uncle had hurt Qin Yu so deeply, his companionship might not count as compensation, but he had developed genuine fondness for Qin Yu.

Qin Yu smiled faintly, speaking with some nostalgia: “I was thinking about my childhood, probably around elementary school age. There was so much homework – the kind where you had to copy vocabulary words and texts several times over. My mother was very strict about my studies. Several times, it would be late into the night and I still couldn’t finish my homework. I would cry quietly while writing.”

Hearing this, Qin Huanxi laughed and almost blurted out stories from his previous life as a child.

During his time as Ning Xue, he had been the leader among children from a young age. Forget about doing homework – he had lost his textbooks and homework several times. Other children would cry their hearts out if they lost their textbooks, too scared to tell their teachers or parents, but he remained perfectly calm and simply bought new ones to continue his homework.

Although he was mischievous and gave his parents and teachers quite a headache, his excellent grades, quick wit, and diverse talents meant that teachers would turn a blind eye. He had never been a low-key person – he had his own measure for being flamboyant and his own bottom line for restraint.

Seeing Qin Huanxi spacing out, Qin Yu chuckled softly: “I thought you would be very strict with Xiao Yuan.”

After all, Qin Huanxi was a genius violinist who had emerged from strict discipline. Compared to ordinary people, Qin Huanxi indeed possessed talents that left others in the dust. But if people knew what kind of childhood Qin Huanxi had, they would no longer see only his talent.

Qin Huanxi shook his head gently: “I don’t want Xiao Yuan’s childhood to lack laughter and joy. When he grows up and looks back on his childhood memories, I don’t want there to be only endless repetitive practice and nothing but regret. My childhood has already lost enough – how could I let Xiao Yuan walk the same life path as me?”

Qin Yu nodded deeply in agreement. He hadn’t been without resentment toward his mother as a child. It wasn’t until after his mother’s death, when he entered the Qin family, that he truly understood his mother’s good intentions. His mother probably knew early on that her body wouldn’t last much longer, and that he would eventually enter the Qin family, which was why she had been so determined in teaching him.

Qin Huanxi turned to look at Mo Shaoheng, propping his chin on his hand as he asked: “Uncle Mo must have been a top student from childhood, right?”

As soon as Qin Huanxi finished speaking, Qi Fengyu burst into laughter. He blinked in confusion: “Did I say something wrong?”

Mo Shaoheng’s mouth twitched as he reached out to pinch the back of Qin Huanxi’s neck, the gesture quite intimate.

Qi Fengyu ignored Mo Shaoheng’s warning look and leaned close to Qin Huanxi’s ear to whisper quietly.

Qin Huanxi’s smile grew wider and wider until he could no longer suppress his laughter and burst out laughing.

Mo Shaoheng looked helplessly at the highly amused Qin Huanxi, the corners of his mouth gradually showing a hint of a smile, his eyes becoming gentler. The hand pinching the back of Qin Huanxi’s neck applied a bit more pressure, causing Qin Huanxi to instinctively scrunch up his neck.

“It tickles…” Qin Huanxi grabbed Mo Shaoheng’s arm, slowly sliding his hand down along the arm until he grasped his hand, saying teasingly, “So Uncle Mo had such a cute contrast when he was little. Uncle Mo with his serious face while being mischievous must have been absolutely adorable. I’d love to hear more stories about Uncle Mo’s childhood.”

Qin Huanxi started laughing as he spoke: “Just imagining Uncle Mo as a child with that serious little poker face while doing things completely opposite to his expression – no wonder his classmates and teachers were driven to tears by Uncle Mo. Just picturing that scene seems incredibly amusing.”

“Amusing? You want to hear more? I’ll tell you all about it in private later.” Mo Shaoheng squeezed Qin Huanxi’s palm, the suggestive meaning quite obvious.

“Ahem!” Qin Huanxi couldn’t help but blush, pretending to cough calmly.

When lovers were alone together, it was inevitable that emotions would run high, and he and Mo Shaoheng were naturally no exception. Although they had just started dating, it was precisely because of this that they were more easily overwhelmed when alone together. Occasionally he would stay over as before, and sharing a bed was unavoidable. If not for maintaining some rationality, they might have already been living a shameless life together.

Qin Huanxi realized his thoughts were drifting in a strange direction and was about to change the subject when he looked up to see Mo Shanshan coming down the stairs. Mo Shanshan was already a goddess-level beauty at T University, and after careful grooming, she was even more radiant, with a faint blush of shyness on her face.

“Going out again?” Su Yang approached Mo Shanshan with a playful smile. “On a date with Jun Yan?”

“Don’t talk nonsense. We’re just having lunch together, and I’ll be back right after we eat.” Mo Shanshan glared at Su Yang with a red face, then looked up at Mo Shaoheng: “Little Uncle, I’m going out.”

Mo Shaoheng nodded: “Have the driver take you.”

“There’s no need…” Mo Shanshan lowered her head shyly: “Jun Yan is already waiting for me outside.”

“Alright, be careful on the road.” After Mo Shanshan left, Mo Shaoheng turned to look at the thoughtful Qin Huanxi and asked quietly: “What’s wrong?”

Qin Huanxi shook his head, hoping he was overthinking things. Mo Shanshan had just started confirming her relationship with Li Jun Yan and was in the passionate honeymoon phase of their romance. He had only met Li Jun Yan once at Fu Zecheng’s banquet, and such brief contact wasn’t enough to understand a person. Moreover, Li Jun Yan had indeed seemed quite reliable at the time.

Both Su Yang and Mo Shanshan had very good impressions of Li Jun Yan – handsome, hardworking and ambitious, diligent and willing to endure hardship, young and accomplished, modest and polite. Indeed, there seemed to be no faults to find.

But for some reason, whenever Qin Huanxi thought about what happened at that banquet, he couldn’t help but think of Li Jun Yan. However, Li Jun Yan had already gone to the restroom before Mo Shanshan brought him that drink. Besides, he and Li Jun Yan had been strangers before that day, so there was no way to connect that incident to Li Jun Yan.

“Sister Su Yang, is Sister Shanshan going on another date with Uncle Li?” Mo Siyuan looked up at Su Yang with his little face: “Sister Shanshan hasn’t been home much lately. It’s been a long time since she ate with us. Does she spend every day with Uncle Li?”

Su Yang patted Mo Siyuan’s little head: “That’s right. Does Xiao Yuan miss Sister Shanshan?”

Mo Siyuan thought for a moment and nodded his little head: “Yes, I do. But Uncle Fengyu said we can’t disturb Dad and Big Brother Huanxi when they’re dating, so we also can’t disturb Sister Shanshan and Uncle Li when they’re dating. But Sister Su Yang, why don’t you go out on dates with Uncle Guan Yi? Aren’t you dating too?”

Su Yang was taken aback and pinched Mo Siyuan’s little nose: “You little rascal, delivering critical hits like that. Who told you I’m dating that block of wood? Who would want to date a piece of wood? It would be boring to death.”

“Big Brother Huanxi said that Sister Su Yang’s behavior is called being tsundere.” Mo Siyuan grinned mischievously and immediately hid in Qin Huanxi’s embrace for protection.

Qin Huanxi looked helplessly at Su Yang and Mo Siyuan as they started chasing each other again. The little guy was smart and knew he couldn’t outrun Su Yang, so he hid behind him for cover. He turned around, picked up the little guy, and placed him on a nearby chair, pointing to the practice book: “Now that you’ve played enough, start doing your homework.”

Mo Siyuan glanced at Qin Huanxi and obediently began his homework.

Qin Huanxi was very satisfied, propping his chin on his hand with gentle eyes.

Although the little guy was quite boisterous, especially when Su Yang and Qi Fengyu were around – children naturally get distracted easily, and if someone played and fooled around with him without timely reminders, he could go a whole day without thinking about homework. Fortunately, Mo Siyuan was very obedient. When told to play, he would play to his heart’s content, and when told to study, he would study seriously and diligently.

Su Yang also stopped teasing him and pulled up a chair to sit across from Mo Shaoheng. After hesitating for a moment, she said: “Uncle Mo, do you really not object to Shanshan dating Li Jun Yan?”

Everyone looked toward Su Yang and Mo Shaoheng upon hearing this. No matter how unfavored Mo Shanshan might be, she was still the eldest daughter of the Mo family.

“Why do you ask?” Mo Shaoheng inquired.

Su Yang changed hands to prop up her chin: “You know Shanshan’s mind is actually quite sensitive. She’s had feelings for Li Jun Yan for a long time, and I can see that Li Jun Yan really likes Shanshan too. It’s just that due to their difference in social status, neither of them broke through that barrier. Shanshan is very worried that Uncle and Aunt will oppose their relationship once they find out. If Uncle Mo agrees, even if Uncle and Aunt object strongly, I think Uncle Mo would still stand by Shanshan’s side, right?”

Upon hearing this, Mo Shaoheng first turned to look at Qin Huanxi beside him, then said indifferently: “That’s her personal freedom. Others have no right to interfere unless this person has serious problems. Otherwise, I won’t oppose it.”

“That’s wonderful! Now Shanshan won’t have to feel anxious every time she goes out on a date.” Su Yang was very happy.

She was genuinely happy for Mo Shanshan. Young ladies from wealthy families like them might appear glamorous and lacking nothing to outsiders, but in reality, many things were predetermined from the moment they were born, and they had no say in the matter. The most tragic was marriage – for the family’s interests, their marriages became sacrificial pawns in exchanges of power and profit.

Even if they found someone they wanted to spend their lives with, unless that person was also born into wealth and could cooperate with or even be mutually exploited by the family, wanting to be with someone they liked could only happen in dreams.

After lunch, Qin Huanxi coaxed Mo Siyuan to sleep and pulled Mo Shaoheng to the observation room to rest.

Miss Su was probably bored and pestered Qin Yu to teach her violin.

Qin Yu already had a good impression of Su Yang, so he indulged her willfulness and patiently guided her.

Taking advantage of having the observation room to themselves, Qin Huanxi found a comfortable position in Mo Shaoheng’s embrace: “Little Uncle’s mood has recovered quite well these past few days. As long as Ning Shen doesn’t appear in front of him, I think time will eventually heal his wounds. Have you been having Ning Shen watched continuously?”

Mo Shaoheng lowered his head to plant a series of light kisses on his lips, saying in a low voice: “He returned to S City the day before yesterday. It seems someone in the Ning family is getting restless again.”

Qin Huanxi chuckled softly: “Don’t tell me you’ve been stirring up trouble from behind the scenes?”

Mo Shaoheng just smiled without answering, gently stroking Qin Huanxi’s arm. He didn’t care who Ning Shen appeared in front of, as long as he didn’t hover around Qin Huanxi. He had learned everything about what happened that day from the driver. Ning Shen’s actions were probably aimed at Qin Huanxi.

“Are you worried about Shanshan?” Mo Shaoheng suddenly asked. “Do you need me to investigate that person?”

Qin Huanxi found himself in a dilemma. He had no evidence, and his feelings about Li Jun Yan were purely based on intuition. If he rashly investigated Li Jun Yan, given Mo Shanshan’s personality, even if she wouldn’t get angry, she would definitely feel uncomfortable. But if he didn’t investigate thoroughly, he really couldn’t feel at ease. If Li Jun Yan really did have problems, it would allow Mo Shanshan to see through this person early on. Better short-term pain than long-term pain, avoiding greater harm.

“Let’s observe for now. Shanshan really likes him, and she’s so sensitive – she should be able to distinguish between genuine feelings and false pretenses. If Li Jun Yan really has problems, I think Shanshan would notice.” Qin Huanxi ultimately decided to respect Mo Shanshan’s thoughts and decisions. “Su Yang will be with her, and we can observe from the sidelines too.”

When dealing with enemies, he could investigate someone’s privacy without restraint, preparing for any eventuality. But in normal circumstances, no one would like to get to know each other through such methods. When one cared about and liked someone, they hoped to use their own eyes and ears to personally observe that person. Even if the other party turned out to be scum, they should personally expose and sever that relationship themselves.

“When Li Jun Yan really shows any strange behavior, we’ll investigate then. I think Shanshan herself will notice by that time. Even if love makes people stupid, we can still subtly remind her…”

Mo Shaoheng chuckled softly and leaned down to kiss Qin Huanxi’s lips: “I’ll have Fengyu investigate later.”

Qin Huanxi wrapped his arms around Mo Shaoheng’s neck with some annoyance and bit Mo Shaoheng’s lip gently, earning himself a lingering deep kiss that almost left him breathless. He panted: “Don’t let Shanshan know. It would be best if we’re just being overly cautious.”

Mo Shaoheng lowered his head to rest against his forehead, his voice hoarse: “Mm!”