On a snowy night, the moon concealed, and dark clouds hung like a blanket. Within the elegant Yaoting Waterside Pavilion, Fang Wenxun, together with Xiao Qingyu, felt the crackling sound of sparks in the air, sending shivers down their spines.
These two individuals, nobody could mess with them. Playing dead might be the wisest move.
After a moment, Shen Tanqi adjusted his disrupted emotions and weakly said, “If it’s something I can’t fulfill, what then?”
As the words fell, Yu Ce calmly responded, “No, I will only suggest things you can fulfill.”
How did it turn from rewards to demands?
Shen Tanqi felt he had spoiled him.
Oh well, it’s because Yu Ce is the male lead. If it were someone else, they might not even give him room for negotiation and just draw their sword to settle things.
After careful consideration, Shen Tanqi readily agreed and upped the stakes, “Fine, but remember, keep it a secret from the two kids as well.”
At this moment, Xiao Qingyu timidly raised his hand, “Um… Senior brother, I might have accidentally let the kids know just now.”
Shen Tanqi: …
“Well, it doesn’t matter. Kids are smart; maybe they’ve already figured it out,” he comforted, patting Xiao Qingyu on the shoulder, “Besides, it’s not that important.”
Yu Ce’s brows furrowed slightly, a hint of dissatisfaction lingering.
Why was it that whenever Xiao Qingyu made a mistake, Shen Tanqi seemed nonchalant, displaying an indifferent demeanor? Senior brother was indeed biased.
His gaze darkened as it fell on the slender, immaculate wrist resting on Shen Tanqi’s shoulder. The wrist seemed delicate, almost fragile, as if a slight squeeze could break it.
However, seeing it draped over his junior brother was truly irksome.
The Dragon Clan had a penchant for hiding treasures; it was instinctive for Yu Ce.
He really wanted to separate them, to take Shen Tanqi back to his cave.
Hide.
Let no one see.
In his mind, the words ‘hide’ lingered like undispelled gloom, and the desire to possess Shen Tanqi grew stronger. Suddenly, he realized the wicked thoughts he harbored. There was a momentary pause, then a suffocating and awful feeling of guilt washed over him.
How… how could he think like this?
This wasn’t right; Shen Tanqi was his Senior brother.
He absolutely couldn’t entertain such thoughts.
Otherwise, he feared they wouldn’t even be able to maintain their brotherly bond.
“If there are no objections this time,” Shen Tanqi glanced at Yu Ce and said, “let’s adjourn completely. Those unrelated can leave.”
At his words, Fang Wenxun, Xiao Qingyu, immediately stood up, not daring to linger for a moment, swiftly bidding their farewells and escaping from the Yaoting Pavilion.
However, before Fang Wenxun and Xiao Qingyu left, Fang Wenxun’s gaze seemed to linger momentarily on the wine jug. His gaze then landed on Shen Tanqi with a complex expression, but ultimately, he ran off without looking back.
Once they were gone, Yu Ce remained seated at the table, showing no intention of leaving.
Shen Tanqi’s mouth twitched slightly. He tapped the table and reiterated, “Those unrelated can leave.”
Upon hearing this, Yu Ce, holding the kids, slowly raised his eyes to look at him and softly said, “You said it yourself, at least we are still friends.”
Back when he was about to part ways after laying an egg, Shen Tanqi saw Yu Ce in a sulky mood, so he said those words.
Thinking back to the days spent together in the cave, Shen Tanqi’s heart softened a bit.
When Yu Ce was still Bai Long, he indeed treated him exceptionally well, taking care of him meticulously, staying by his side every step of the way during pregnancy, and even using his blood to alleviate the birthing pains.
However, times have changed now. Shen Tanqi couldn’t be the same laid-back person he used to be. He had tasks to fulfill and a home to return to.
After a moment of contemplation, Shen Tanqi chose to tell a white lie, “Yes, we are friends.”
In his heart, they were friends, but in the plot, they couldn’t be.
A little lie wouldn’t hurt; after all, once he left this world, everything here would just be a fictional story, without Yu Ce, without Shen Tanqi, and without the children.
Thinking of this, Shen Tanqi felt a heaviness in his chest.
However, Yu Ce seemed to brighten up at this answer, his mood visibly lifting. He let out a light laugh, “Hmm, okay.”
Seeing him being deceived so easily, Shen Tanqi felt even more reluctant, the guilt suddenly surging within him.
But Yu Ce quickly spoke again, shattering his fleeting sense of compassion, “Since we’re friends, then tonight, accommodate me.”
Shen Tanqi: ?
After three years of not seeing each other, some people seem to have developed an unparalleled audacity.
He widened his eyes, extended his hands in a presenting gesture, and pointed to his bed, signaling to Yu Ce, “See, it’s this big.”
Yu Ce calmly removed the storage ring from his finger and nonchalantly placed it on the table, “No problem, I brought my own bed.”
Shen Tanqi: ??
He couldn’t comprehend. He was planning to discuss strategies with the system later, but Yu Ce had just moved in without any prior consultation?
Infiltrating the enemy’s camp, was that the idea?
“Do you not have your own place to stay?” Shen Tanqi pondered, utterly puzzled. He remembered Fang Wenxun mentioning that there were plenty of vacant spaces in the disciples’ sleeping quarters, and Yu Ce, being a genius disciple, should have his own room at least.
In response, Yu Ce casually lifted his gaze and patted the kids, saying, “It’s inconvenient with the children. Senior brother, can you understand?”
After all, these were Shen Tanqi’s children. Even if he couldn’t understand, he had to. Otherwise, he would be inhumane.
After a long pause, Shen Tanqi sighed, pressed his forehead, thought for a moment, and finally chose to give up the resistance, waving his hand dismissively, “Fine, stay then.”
Soon, he heard the sounds of moving beds and the rustling of sheets.
Curious, he turned his head just in time to see Yu Ce gently placing the little ones into the bed, his eyelashes drooping, eyes tender and affectionate. He took care to tuck them in, ensuring the sleeping little ones were comfortable.
To be honest, Yu Ce is really good with the children.
With a dad like him, the little ones will surely grow up to be kind, brave, and with righteous values.
Shen Tanqi couldn’t help but be captivated. Before Yu Ce noticed his peeping gaze, he quickly averted his eyes.
This guy is indeed the male lead. The protagonist’s halo is too bright and dazzling; he almost got swayed by it. He’ll have to be more careful in the future.
Shen Tanqi cautioned himself in this manner.
As he stood up and walked to the bed, he realized that Yu Ce had somehow merged their beds together.
Fortunately, the children were in the middle; otherwise, he would seriously doubt Yu Ce’s intentions.
Stealthily, Shen Tanqi tiptoed to the foot of the bed, slid in cautiously, and lay down. If he tilted his head slightly, he could see the adorable faces of Little Goldfish and Little Taro Ball sleeping soundly.
When the twins were asleep, it was impossible to tell them apart. Both were peacefully dreaming. However, he remembered that Little Taro Ball seemed to have a tiny, tiny mole at the corner of his lips, while Little Goldfish did not.
And the little one beside him had a mole at the corner of his lips.
Unable to resist, Shen Tanqi reached out and poked the cheek of the one closest to him, Little Taro Ball.
So soft.
This was his baby.
A strange feeling swept through every fiber of Shen Tanqi’s being. He couldn’t help but poke again and again…
“Don’t poke them awake.”
A very light and gentle voice came through.
Caught doing something mischievous, Shen Tanqi awkwardly withdrew his hand.
In the deep silence of the night, it was well past midnight, and the system and Little Black were nowhere to be found, inexplicably absent the entire night.
Shen Tanqi tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Every time he thought about Yu Ce lying beside him, he felt that tonight’s events were simply too surreal.
Yu Ce was Bai Long, and Bai Long was Yu Ce.
He slept with the male lead and even let the male lead take care of his own children.
Just the thought of it seemed absurd. If the story really went this way, he would probably be cursed by the readers.
He turned over countless times, and his gaze landed on Little Taro Ball’s face.
He pondered.
In truth, both children’s features resembled Yu Ce, with a cold yet youthful charm, fair and delicate faces. However, he couldn’t pinpoint exactly where they resembled him.
As if sensing Shen Tanqi’s thoughts, a very soft sigh came through the quiet night.
“Yu Jin looks a lot like you, while Yu Yuan looks more like me.”
Yu Jin was Little Goldfish’s name, and Yu Yuan was Little Taro’s name. Hearing his voice, Shen Tanqi quickly closed his eyes, pretending to be asleep.
Unbeknownst to him, the voice continued slowly.
“When they were just born, they looked like two little bugs. If you saw them, you would be scared.”
Shen Tanqi imagined the scene, indeed quite bizarre. But when he thought that they were his own children, the discomfort vanished instantly.
“When they were learning to walk, they stumbled and were clumsy. Every time they came back after playing outside, their bodies were covered in bruises. Especially Yu Jin, he loved to play and couldn’t learn to walk properly. He insisted on following his brother to pick apples, and the two ended up falling into a mud pit, coming back all dirty. It took three washes to get the mud smell off their bodies,” Yu Ce sighed again, “Sometimes, being too much like you is not a good thing.”
Shen Tanqi, pretending to be asleep: …
Why is he getting blamed for this?
When he was three or four years old, he might have been a bit mischievous, but that doesn’t mean others were necessarily more well-behaved during their childhood!
Not getting a response from Shen Tanqi, Yu Ce gradually fell silent.
The two were like in the old days in the cave, sleeping in different corners, except that they were separated by their children in between.
Silence enveloped them.
What he sought was surprisingly simple.
Yu Ce didn’t want Shen Tanqi’s favor; he just wanted him to spend a little more time with their two children.
He knew that Shen Tanqi might leave soon.
Whether it’s after a year, a month, or even a day.
He wanted Yu Jin and Yu Yuan to know that they had a daddy.
As for what to do if Shen Tanqi returned to his original dandy self in the future, Yu Ce didn’t want to think about it.
For now, it was good. As long as Shen Tanqi didn’t avoid him and the children, even if they kept it a secret from the whole world, he would be content.
After a while, drowsiness overcame Shen Tanqi. The lingering effects of the strong liquor, however, resurfaced slowly after the shock of Yu Ce revealing he was the male lead faded.
His head felt heavy, as if weighed down by a thousand pounds.
His chest felt like it was being nibbled by ants, both itching and painful.
Opening his eyes, he looked around in the dark. After confirming that the person beside him wasn’t making any movements, he shyly slid his hand slowly into the covers.
The tips of his ears burned as if they were on fire.
Why… did he become like this as soon as Yu Ce returned?
Hasn’t that damn dependency period passed yet?
His heartbeat quickened, and Shen Tanqi’s breath became more rapid.
After some time, the heat beneath his body gradually dissipated into his palms.
His heart, which had been wildly pounding in mid-air, landed.
“Senior brother.”
The voice was faint, but it caused a sudden tremor in Shen Tanqi’s shoulders. His eyes were moist, reflecting a crimson hue, unbearable after being poked.
“If you need…”
He bit his lower lip, his voice carrying a hint of frustration, “I don’t need.”
For a long time, it was so quiet that Shen Tanqi thought there wouldn’t be any more sound.
But that strange sensation unexpectedly surged again. This time, he was sure it wasn’t the result of the dependency period but that damn strong liquor that Fang Wenxun had somehow acquired!
He curled up, enduring the sensation, letting out a low, soft sob.
Fang Wenxun, you’ve killed me!
There was a sound of someone rising from the covers behind him. Shen Tanqi turned around in surprise to see Yu Ce propped on his chin, smiling at him through Little Goldfish and Little Taro.
“This scene seems familiar, doesn’t it, Senior brother?”
After Shen Tanqi’s stubbornness, it seemed that the next step should involve grabbing his collar and begging for help.
Shen Tanqi fell silent, recalling the scene during the dependency period in the cave. He gritted his teeth and squeezed out a few words, “Don’t remember.”
Yu Ce thoughtfully hummed a soft “Hmm” and replied in a low voice, “Well, I don’t remember either.”
Some people always liked to resist for a while. Oh well, if they didn’t listen to advice, they would suffer the consequences.
Just as he was about to crawl back under the covers, he heard the other person, seemingly in a fit of self-abandonment, lower his voice with a hint of anger.
“Do you… want to do it or not? If not, I’ll find someone else.”
Find someone else?
Find Xiao Qingyu, or someone named Zhang Qingyu or Li Qingyu?
Upon hearing the second half of the sentence, Yu Ce’s eyes darkened slightly, suppressing the desires surging in his eyes.
After a while, he slowly reached out, spanning the sleeping children, and extinguished the candles in the room.
In a calm tone, he said, “Go out, wait for me outside.”
Hello, everyone ヾ(＾∇＾). I hope you enjoyed the story! If you’re feeling generous, please buy me a coffee, share/comment on my translated works! Check out the link below for early chapters. (๑>ᴗ<๑)
