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Chapter 15
Editor: Princess
Qin Huanxi finally got to see his precious little boy, and the feeling of reuniting after so long had him so overjoyed he practically forgot time even existed. The whole night, he was just lost in that overwhelming happiness, until he noticed his little treasure who was sitting on his lap rubbing his eyes every now and then. That was when he finally snapped back to reality and glanced at the clock on the wall—it was already ten o’clock.
He had been so caught up chatting with Mo Shaoheng, plus having his baby boy right there with him, that he hadn’t even thought about checking the time. Every second spent with his treasure felt so precious, so fulfilling that he simply couldn’t bear to let go of the small body in his arms. And Mo Shaoheng surprisingly didn’t remind him either.
He scooped Mo Siyuan up and pressed a gentle kiss to his little one’s forehead, his voice filled with guilt. “Xiao Yuan, are you sleepy? I’m sorry, it’s all my fault. I was just too happy to see you and kept talking and talking. I didn’t realize how late it got. You must be really sleepy, right?”
Mo Siyuan lifted his little arms and wrapped them around Qin Huanxi’s neck, tilting his head to rest against his shoulder as his eyes slowly started to close. He didn’t want to part with Qin Huanxi either. Normally, by this time, Sister Shanshan would already be coaxing him to sleep, but he still wanted to talk to big brother Huanxi. No matter how sleepy he was, he didn’t want to go to bed just yet.
Qin Huanxi adjusted Mo Siyuan so he was cradling him in his arms, gently patting his back. “Xiao Yuan, be good. Let Daddy take you home to sleep, okay?”
Mo Siyuan was already on the verge of drifting off, but the moment he heard “go home”, his eyes shot wide open. He immediately grabbed onto Qin Huanxi’s arm, pouting as he whined, “Can’t Xiao Yuan sleep with big brother Huanxi? Big brother Huanxi, can you come home with me and Daddy?”
Qin Huanxi chuckled, but there was something deeply emotional in his smile, and his eyes suddenly felt a little hot. At this moment, he had the strongest urge to just hold Mo Siyuan tight and tell him the truth—that he was his daddy, that he was his son, his precious baby boy he would never, ever let go of.
But reason held him back. Now wasn’t the time. There were still things he had to take care of. Before he resolved everything, he couldn’t risk exposing his treasure to any danger. There were debts that had to be settled, things that rightfully belonged to him that he had to reclaim. His parents had left those things behind for him—how could he let the people who killed them take them so easily?
Forcing himself to calm down, he looked up at Mo Shaoheng who had already gotten to his feet, then lowered his gaze to Mo Siyuan. With a warm smile, he coaxed gently, “Xiao Yuan, be good. Go home with Daddy for now and tomorrow, I’ll come pick you up after school. We can have dinner together at my place, how about that?”
Mo Siyuan blinked his big eyes and stared straight at Qin Huanxi, struggling inside, clearly unwilling to give in.
Qin Huanxi sighed softly. His baby was so attached to him—it made him happy, of course—but this sudden stubbornness also left him with a bit of a headache. In the end, he decided to compromise one step further. “How about this? Tomorrow morning, I’ll come pick you up for breakfast before taking you to school. How does that sound?”
Mo Siyuan finally looked satisfied, his little face lighting up with a big smile. “Big brother Huanxi, you can’t lie to Xiao Yuan! We have to pinky promise!”
“Alright, alright, let’s pinky promise.” Qin Huanxi had to laugh at this, holding up his little finger and hooking it around Mo Siyuan’s. “Pinky swear, whoever breaks it is a little puppy… little puppy… little puppy…”
Mo Siyuan burst into giggles, wriggling in Qin Huanxi’s arms as he laughed nonstop, happy and satisfied.
Qin Huanxi coaxed him for a bit longer before finally standing up and passing him over to Mo Shaoheng. He said apologetically, “Uncle Mo, I’m really sorry for taking up so much of your time. I just… really like Xiao Yuan. He’s such a sweet and well-behaved child. Would it be alright if I picked him up for breakfast tomorrow morning?”
Mo Shaoheng took Mo Siyuan into his arms. Now that the little one had secured Qin Huanxi’s promise, the sleepiness hit him hard. He murmured, “Daddy, Daddy…” as he snuggled against Mo Shaoheng’s shoulder, drifting off just like that.
Mo Shaoheng’s gaze softened as he looked at Qin Huanxi. In a low voice, he said, “Xiao Yuan likes you too. He hasn’t laughed this happily in a long time. Thank you.”
Qin Huanxi patted Mo Siyuan’s back gently, his heart aching a little. He couldn’t blame Mo Shaoheng for this. Under normal circumstances, Mo Shaoheng had no reason to know anything. The fact that he had taken in his son and raised him with such care was something he was already deeply grateful for. So, he said, “Uncle Mo, you’re always so busy. It must be hard to look after him all the time.”
As he said this, a thought suddenly crossed his mind, and he brought up, “Yesterday morning, I saw Classmate Shanshan sending Xiao Yuan to school. He seems to rely on her a lot.”
Mo Shaoheng gave a slight nod. “When I’m not around, Shanshan takes care of him.”
Qin Huanxi understood immediately and felt even more grateful toward Mo Shanshan. “Uncle Mo, let me walk you two out.”
“Alright.” Mo Shaoheng carried Mo Siyuan and headed for the exit.
The October night air had a slight chill to it. Qin Huanxi reached out to check Mo Siyuan’s hands, but with Mo Shaoheng carrying him, he was bundled up just fine. That eased his worries a little. A parent’s heart was naturally full of concerns about their child’s well-being. Even in his past life, despite being busy with work, he had always been hands-on when it came to his baby.
Mo Shaoheng silently took in Qin Huanxi’s attentiveness, his doubts growing stronger. The entire night, his gaze had barely left Qin Huanxi and Mo Siyuan, carefully observing their interactions.
According to Old Master Qin, Qin Huanxi had never taken care of children before—he supposedly had no clue how to interact with them. What’s more the impression he gave people was that he was rigid, always following rules and regulations.
But seeing Qin Huanxi with Mo Siyuan tonight… it was obvious. Qin Huanxi knew exactly how to take care of a child. He was even more meticulous than he himself. He even knew Mo Siyuan’s favorite foods down to the smallest detail.
Mo Shanshan’s words echoed in his mind again. The way Qin Huanxi had looked when he first saw Mo Siyuan, the raw emotion in his eyes. What’s more every time they met, that familiar feeling lingered.
A crazy thought suddenly struck Mo Shaoheng, making him tighten his grip on the sleeping Mo Siyuan.
Qin Huanxi walked with them all the way to the entrance, where Mo Shaoheng’s driver had been waiting.
The moment the driver saw Mo Shaoheng coming out, he got out of the car immediately to open the door for him.
Right before getting in, Mo Shaoheng turned back and said in a deep voice, “I’ll pick you up at seven tomorrow morning.”
“Alright. Be careful on the way.” Qin Huanxi nodded, then watched as the car drove away. It wasn’t until the vehicle disappeared completely from sight that he finally moved again.
The joy and excitement he had been suppressing all night were now fully unleashed on his face, his mind replaying Mo Siyuan’s sweet little smile over and over.
Thinking about how he’d get to have breakfast with his little treasure first thing in the morning, he went back to his quiet little house. He let Auntie Li know he was turning in for the night and headed upstairs to rest.
Even when he lay in bed, his emotions were still all over the place. He tossed and turned for a long time before he finally fell asleep.
In his dreams, it was as if he had gone back three years. His parents were alive. His baby was still only three years old. Their family was whole, happy, living a simple and joyful life together.
Nothing had happened yet. There was no hatred, no destruction, no years of separation. He hadn’t lost his son. And he hadn’t become Qin Huanxi.
He was still—Ning Xue.
The next morning, Qin Huanxi woke up early. He had Auntie Li send word to Old Master Qin that he had planned to have breakfast with Mo Shaoheng and Mo Siyuan, so he wouldn’t be joining him in the main courtyard for breakfast today.
He didn’t bother explaining much. Because in a place like the Qin family’s estate, nothing ever really escaped the old man’s notice. Unless it was something as unexpected as the incident that had happened during the birthday banquet, where even the old man himself had been too preoccupied to catch every detail, then there was no point in making excuses. Given last night’s situation, the moment Mo Shaoheng showed up at the Qin residence, someone would have immediately reported it to the old man, so there was no need for him to say anything more.
By the time Qin Huanxi stepped out of the Qin estate, the driver Mo Shaoheng had sent for him was already waiting. The moment he appeared, the driver quickly got out of the car and respectfully opened the door for him.
“Sorry to keep you waiting.” Qin Huanxi said as he got into the car.
“Oh, no, no, not at all, Young Master Qin! You’re right on time.” The driver looked flattered by the courtesy but still responded efficiently, starting the car smoothly and pulling away from the Qin estate.
In many people’s eyes, Qin Huanxi’s status was very different. He wasn’t just any average wealthy heir, so even the way the driver addressed him carried an extra layer of respect.
When Qin Huanxi arrived at the Mo residence, Mo Shanshan was already outside, standing on the steps of the front hall, holding Mo Siyuan’s hand.
The little one was craning his neck, staring in the direction of the entrance anxiously, as if afraid Qin Huanxi wouldn’t show up. His fair little face was scrunched up in worry, looking all pouty and aggrieved.
However the second he saw Qin Huanxi stepping out of the car, his whole face lit up, and he bolted forward immediately.
“Xiao Yuan, slow down! Watch your step!” Mo Shanshan barely had time to react before the little guy slipped right out of her grasp and dashed toward Qin Huanxi.
Qin Huanxi took two quick strides forward and caught him mid-pounce. He sighed helplessly, reaching out to flick his tiny nose. “No running off like that, understand? What if you tripped and fell? Daddy, big brother Huanxi, and Sister Shanshan would all be distressed, you know?”
Mo Siyuan wrapped his arms around Qin Huanxi’s neck, beaming with joy, how could he care about Qin Huanxi’s admonishment? Big brother Huanxi really didn’t break his promise to come early in the morning to have breakfast with him. He had been up since early morning, waiting and waiting for big brother Huanxi to arrive but he hadn’t. He had even been worried that he wouldn’t come.
“Big brother Huanxi, Xiao Yuan waited for you for so long! Daddy specially told the Uncle Butler to prepare lots of food for breakfast. And since we didn’t know what big brother Huanxi likes to eat, Daddy said we should make a bit of everything. Big brother Huanxi, come on, let’s go eat breakfast!” The little one’s voice was full of excitement as he tugged at Qin Huanxi’s sleeve.
“Alright, alright, Xiao Yuan is the best.” Qin Huanxi couldn’t help but plant a kiss on his little treasure’s cheek before turning to Mo Shanshan with a nod. “Morning, Classmate Mo. Sorry for showing up so early and disturbing you all.”
Mo Shanshan chuckled. “Come on, Classmate Qin, don’t be so formal. Xiao Yuan really likes you, and you’re even teaching him the violin. I should be thanking you instead. Let’s drop the formalities—just call me Shanshan from now on, and I’ll call you Huanxi.”
“Alright.” Qin Huanxi nodded. Now that he had become Mo Siyuan’s violin teacher, he would be seeing more of Mo Shanshan in the future, so there was no need to keep things so distant, and besides, he was genuinely grateful to her for taking such good care of his baby.
“This little guy ran straight to me first thing in the morning, telling me over and over that you were coming for breakfast today. He was so excited he could barely sit still. If I hadn’t stopped him, he would have run out to wait at the gate.” Mo Shanshan shook her head with a smile. “Come on, Huanxi, Uncle Mo is waiting for us inside. Let’s go in and eat while we talk.”
“Alright, thank you.” Qin Huanxi carried Mo Siyuan in his arms and followed Mo Shanshan into the hall.