Chapter 4: Call Me Papa
Lin Huaichen couldn’t help but laugh. He wasn’t actually fond of children; coming to find Yu An this time was purely to make Wen Xun happy. However, in these few minutes of interacting with the little guy, he found that the child was indeed incredibly cute.
No matter how scared he was, he would only look at people earnestly with those beautiful large eyes, answering everything obediently. He was just as cute as his baby.
Lin Huaichenâs eyes were full of affection. One moment he was pinching the child’s soft cheek, the next he was bumping his nose against the boy’s small nose, having a grand time.
Yu An tensed his body in discomfort, his eyes full of panic. He instinctively cast a pleading look toward Wen Xun, his gaze accusatory: This uncle is so scary, he keeps trying to be all close to me.
Wen Xun expressionlessly pinched Lin Huaichenâs waist. The latter hissed in pain, asking with a bewildered look, “Whatâs wrong, baby?”
Wen Xun took Yu An from Lin Huaichenâs arms and placed him on the ground. Yu An immediately scrambled to hide behind Wen Xunâs legs, his clear eyes full of timidity as he peeked fearfully at Lin Huaichen.
Wen Xun frowned. “Youâre scaring him.”
Lin Huaichen looked at the childâs flushed face and paused. Most children he encountered were lively and extroverted, enjoying hugs and kisses from adults. For a moment, he had forgotten that not all children were outgoing.
The one in front of him had the personality of a shy little white rabbit. Seeing Yu An nervously clutching Wen Xunâs clothes, he looked exactly like a poor little thing who had been terrified by his intimate gestures.
Seeing Yu An reject Lin Huaichen like this made the red-haired youth behind them very happy. He laughed unceremoniously, gloating, “What now? The Little Prince isn’t close to the Old Demon King. Tsk tsk tsk, looks like no oneâs going to take care of you in your old age~”
Lin Huaichen looked at him gloomily. “Ling Xingcheng, how long has it been since I last beat you up?”
Ling Xingcheng didn’t panic at all. He made a face at Lin Huaichen, acting bold and fearless. “Old Demon King, I am your wifeâs only student. You dare touch me in front of him?”
Lin Huaichen: “…”
He instinctively glanced at Wen Xun. Wen Xun was currently staring at Yu An, the two of them like two unfamiliar cats, using their large eyes to familiarize themselves with each other’s scent.
Wen Xun blinked and opened his arms toward Yu An. Yu An hesitated for two seconds before lunging into his embrace, tentatively hugging his neck. Seeing Wen Xunâs gaze was soft, he nestled comfortably in his arms.
Wen Xunâs embrace was very warm, and he carried a faint scent of gardenias. He kept one hand on Yu Anâs back, holding him in a perfect child-carrying posture.
Yu An crinkled his eyes contentedly. With a red face, he leaned into Wen Xunâs ear and whispered, “I like the pretty uncle~”
“You can call me Papa.” Wen Xunâs voice was low and slow, the two of them sounding as if they were sharing a secret. “From now on, you will live with us. We will raise you.”
Papa… we will raise you…
Yu An stared blankly at Wen Xun, unable to believe that he, like that stray kitten, was actually wanted by someone. He was so happy he didn’t know what to do. He hugged Wen Xunâs neck tightly, thanking him over and over in his milky voice, “Thank you, Uncle. Uncle…”
Wen Xun tirelessly corrected him. “Itâs Papa.”
Yu An shyly buried his face in his neck and called out in a tiny voice, “Mhm… Papa…”
Wen Xun gave a happy “Mhm” and held the little guy even tighter. The soft child felt wonderful to hold; he couldn’t bear to let go.
Lin Huaichen watched with a complex expression as his lover and his new precious son shared an intimate moment. For a time, he didn’t know which one to envy. Clearly, he was the one who liked being close the most, so why wouldn’t they be close to him?
The Lin Patriarch was very confused. The Patriarch was very depressed.
Yu An was somewhat famous in this area; many people knew of the little baby who picked up trash. Seeing him surrounded by two people who were clearly wealthy and noble, they gathered around curiously.
Feeling the gazes of the people around them, Yu An buried his head in Wen Xunâs neck and called out fearfully, “Papa…”
Wen Xun responded and took a disposable mask from his pocket to put on the child’s face. Because it was an adult style, most of Yu Anâs face was covered by the mask, leaving only his watery lake-blue eyes visible.
With his face covered, Yu Anâs sense of security increased greatly. He touched the mask and gently rubbed his face against Wen Xunâs. “Thank you, Papa.”
Grandpa Wang, the recycler, rushed over upon hearing the news. He looked at Lin Huaichen and Wen Xun. Although he couldn’t see Wen Xunâs face clearly, he could tell from their aura that they were no ordinary people.
Grandpa Wang asked uneasily, “An-an, do you know these two?”
In front of an acquaintance, Yu An could manage a sentence or two. “Itâs Papa…”
Yu An had been here for a year or two, and he had never heard of him having a father. Grandpa Wang remained wary, looking at Lin Huaichen. “Are you really An-anâs biological father?”
“Iâm not his biological father, but I will be his father from now on.” Lin Huaichen was prepared. He took out pre-arranged documents to show Grandpa Wang and used his prepared explanation.
“We are friends of his mother. Weâve been looking for him all these years and plan to adopt the child. Weâve already handled his ID and residency. Please rest assured, we will not have other children. He will be treated exactly like our own biological child.”
There were many undocumented people in Luoyun County, and little Yu An was one of them. Grandpa Wang put on his glasses to inspect the documents. When he saw that Yu Anâs residency was clearly listed as Kyoto, he was shocked.
These two young men actually came from Kyoto. Grandpa Wang looked Lin Huaichen and Wen Xun up and down, thinking that such existences fit the image of Kyoto people perfectlyâfull of nobility.
“Little An-an, go with them and enjoy your blessings.” Grandpa Wang returned the documents to Lin Huaichen and patted the little guyâs shoulder with a smile. “In the future, you won’t have to suffer anymore. Live a happy life and grow up bit by bit… Itâs good… thatâs good.”
Grandpa Wang had essentially watched Yu An grow up. Now that the child was leaving, he was reluctant, but he knew the conditions in Kyoto were thousands of times better than this backward mountainous area. He was truly happy for Yu An.
Seeing the tears at the corners of Grandpa Wangâs eyes, Yu An reached out his small hand to wipe them away. “Grandpa, don’t cry.”
Grandpa Wang laughed through his tears. “Not crying, not crying. This is a good thing. Grandpa should be smiling.”
After talking with Yu An for a while, Grandpa Wang had to leave. Before going, he said to the tightly wrapped Wen Xun, “Daughter, please take care of this child. The child has had a hard life; he lost his mom when he was young. If anything doesn’t go smoothly, please be patient with him.”
Lin Huaichen burst out laughing at the word “daughter.” Wen Xun shot him a glare before responding to Grandpa Wang in a low voice, “Mhm, I know.”
Grandpa Wang paused as he walked away, muttering to himself: Why is that daughterâs voice a bit coarse? Sheâs also so tall, actually taller than a 175cm old man like me.
After picking up Yu An, Lin Huaichen and Wen Xun took him back to the tin shack to pack his things. There wasn’t much Yu An wanted to take, but his little tiger was a must.
Originally, he intended to take his clothes as well, but Wen Xun pressed his hand down, looking at the faded clothes. “Weâll buy you new ones when we get back.”
Yu An nodded. Then, he dug out all the money hidden in his pillow. He clutched the money and held it out to Wen Xun, insisting on giving it to him. He said bashfully, “I only have this much money. Iâm giving it all to you.”
He then looked up at Wen Xun cautiously, tugging at his clothes uneasily. He was terrified Wen Xun would find him troublesome and not want him. Like a dirty kitten afraid its owner wouldn’t like it, he obediently pushed all his savings toward his master.
Wen Xun took a deep breath, cursing the people in charge of the Shelter thousands of times in his head. He squatted down to look Yu An in the eye and said seriously, “We have money. When we go back, Iâll buy you a piggy bank. You can put all your money in there. This is your money; you don’t need to give it to us.”
This was the first time Wen Xun had spoken such a long paragraph. After finishing, he kept looking at Yu An, awkwardly raising a hand to pat his small head.
Yu An lowered his head, feeling ill at ease. “But raising me costs money.”
While other children were shamelessly demanding things based on their parents’ doting, Yu An already understood the hardships of life.
Wen Xun opened his mouth and once again cast a pleading look at Lin Huaichen. He didn’t know what to do.
Lin Huaichen sighed and also squatted before little Yu An. His casual tone held a hint of pity for the child. “But we are your papas. Itâs perfectly normal for us to spend money on you.”
“Besides, Papa has money. A lot of money. I can raise several little An-ans.”
Yu An repeated in shock, “Papa has money?”
Lin Huaichen smiled and leaned close to Yu Anâs ear mysteriously, as if telling a great secret. “Mhm. Little An-an doesn’t know, does he? In this world, Papa is the richest person.”
Yu An didn’t have that large of a range of understanding. He looked at him blankly. Lin Huaichen turned and tilted his chin toward Ling Xingcheng and the other man. “You two say, am I the richest person in the world?”
Ling Xingcheng rolled his eyes. “Yes, yes, yes. The Patriarch of the Lin familyâthe most heartless, most insane, and most ruthless capitalist. Naturally, he is the richest.”
Compared to his biased evaluation, the middle-aged man was much more respectful. He smiled at little Yu An. “Don’t worry, they can definitely afford to raise you.”
Yu An was terrified of strangers and immediately hid behind Wen Xun. Hearing them say this, he nodded his small head. “Thank you…”
“Little Prince, don’t be so polite.” Ling Xingcheng, ever the troublemaker, tossed him a piece of candy. “Being this obedient, you’ll be bullied in the future.”
Yu An scrambled to catch the candy. It was his favorite strawberry flavor. His beautiful lake-blue eyes crinkled into crescents as he hid behind Wen Xunâs legs again, shyly thanking Ling Xingcheng once more.
Ling Xingcheng looked at him in shock. God, this really is a ridiculously obedient kid!
Yu An packed his things and waited for a while in front of the shack, but Monday had yet to return. He stood at the door dejectedly, then turned back into the room to pick up his tiger plushie.
Wen Xun noticed his mood. “Whatâs wrong?”
“My doggy is missing.” Yu Anâs tone was discouraged. “It hasn’t come home.”
“Finished packing?” Lin Huaichen returned after taking a call. Seeing Yu An holding the tiger, he patted his head and said to Wen Xun, “The Baseâs detection department found some anomalies. We have to head back early.”
Wen Xun frowned. “An-anâs puppy isn’t back yet.”
Lin Huaichen saw how important the puppy was to Yu An. He waited with him for a while, but the dog never appeared. Yu Anâs mouth crumbled during the wait, his voice containing a sob. “Monday doesn’t want me anymore…”
Wen Xun pulled him into his arms, gently patting his back.
“Maybe itâs lost.” Lin Huaichen made up a random excuse to coax the heartbroken little guy. “How about we let the uncles help find the puppy?”
Ling Xingcheng was spacing out on the side when he suddenly felt the gazes on him. Recalling Lin Huaichenâs words, he flared up. “I am a grand S-rank Arbiter, and youâre telling me to find a dog?!”
Lin Huaichenâs expression remained unchanged. “An-an, say thank you to the uncle.”
Yu An looked up with reddened eyes, his voice soft and milky. “Thank you, Uncle.”
Ling Xingcheng: “…Do you have no shame? Besides, Iâm a ‘Brother’! What the hell is an ‘Uncle’?!”
He wasn’t that old!
Yu An was an obedient child who corrected his mistakes. “Oh~ then thank you, Brother.”
The child’s soft “Brother” seemed to strike right at the soul. Ling Xingcheng froze for a moment. It seemed this dog simply had to be found.
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