Chapter 69 part 1
Everyone in the Qin family was an excellent cook. This wasn’t Bai He’s first time visiting the Qin residence, nor was it his first time tasting their handiwork.
The home-cooked meal was delicious, with every dish perfect in color, aroma, and taste. In addition to the main courses, there were two desserts: Cheese Soufflé and Strawberry Cream Toast.
The light and fluffy soufflé caught the eye of Bai He, who had a sweet tooth. He couldn’t help but glance at it several times. Unbeknownst to him, both Qin Yao and Nan Yu were secretly watching him with smiles on their faces.
Soufflés have a short window of perfection and need to be eaten immediately. Making them right at this moment as a post-dinner dessert was perhaps a bit mistimed, but Nan Yu had made them anyway. It was a new pastry he had learned in his cooking class today. Besides, he had heard Qin Yao mention that Bai He loved sweets.
Nan Yu rested his chin on his hand, smiling as he observed Bai He’s face closely. Bai He was fair and delicate; up close, he looked like an exquisite porcelain doll with black hair and dark eyes. His eyes, in particular, were beautiful and pure, reflecting the surrounding light. At that moment, he was staring at the soufflé, but perhaps feeling a bit shy, he slowly looked away, only to steal another glance a moment later.
He was just too cute.
Thinking that such a lovely treasure would soon be his child made Nan Yu feel incredibly happy.
There was an interesting story from the past. When Nan Yu was pregnant with Qin Yao, Qin Wei had asked him if he wanted an alpha or an omega. Nan Yu had answered ‘omega.’ It wasn’t that he didn’t want an alpha, but he really wanted a precious omega baby.
Later, Qin Yao was born. When he turned eight and went for testing, the doctor said the child would be an alpha. Nan Yu thought, An alpha big brother is good too; we can have an omega sister or brother later. Years later, he was pregnant with Qin Diandian. Last New Year’s Eve, Qin Diandian had just turned eight, the age eligible for testing.
Just a few days ago, the same doctor saw Qin Diandian and said, “This little girl must be an omega.”
But when the results came out, Qin Diandian was a female alpha. Certain internal structures would undergo subtle changes during her first susceptible period. Nan Yu, carrying a bag of educational pamphlets for female alphas, had felt a bit dazed when he returned home. He lightly punched Qin Wei, laughing, “Sure enough, they all take after you!”
At the time, Qin Wei had held him and said, “Isn’t taking after me a good thing? They can all protect you.”
Nan Yu had been amused, but his desire for an omega child was genuine.
In fact, long before taking Qin Diandian for the check-up, he had somewhat expected this. The genes of beastman alphas were very dominant. In the beastman population, alphas outnumbered omegas, and beastman omegas were very rare.
Before differentiation, a female alpha was similar to an undifferentiated male omega, with some organs not fully developed. During the differentiation period, internal and external changes would occur. This would take time and require re-educating her on certain knowledge.
However, Nan Yu had always been at ease with Qin Diandian’s carefree and bold personality. There was still a long time before her differentiation, so he could teach her slowly.
Nan Yu just felt a twinge of regret. He had subconsciously raised Qin Diandian as an omega. Only later did he realize, somewhat belatedly, that this little girl was ruthless when fighting others in private. The teacher mentioned that Qin Diandian always liked to cling to and hug the pretty little girls in her class. Before, he thought it was just a sign of close friendship; now Nan Yu realized the little girl just liked them.
Snapping out of his thoughts, Nan Yu lifted his eyes. His gentle gaze fell on Bai He’s face again. Seeing the boy steal another peek at the soufflé, his heart practically melted. Nan Yu brought the soufflé over and placed it in front of Bai He. “This is the soufflé I learned in my cooking class today. Try it and tell me how it tastes.”
Bai He’s expression went blank for a moment. He looked up, a flash of surprise in his eyes. He rarely showed much expression on his face, but those beautiful eyes could never hide his emotions.
Seeing this made Nan Yu happy. “I’ve been learning to make desserts recently. The rest of the family isn’t keen on sweets, and Diandian will get cavities if she eats too much. I haven’t had the right person to help me taste-test yet.”
Bai He felt flattered. He looked at the soufflé in front of him—exquisite, soft, tender, and slightly collapsed, looking like a very soft jelly. It was garnished with blueberries, mangoes, and chocolate powder, looking truly appetizing.
He really did want to taste it. Unable to resist Mr. Nan’s expectant gaze any longer, he was about to pick up a spoon when Nan Yu beat him to it. Nan Yu scooped up a spoonful of soufflé and held it to Bai He’s lips. “Here, open wide.”
Bai He’s eyelashes trembled lightly, his gaze a bit dazed. Hearing the command, he instinctively opened his mouth. Nan Yu smilingly fed him the spoonful and asked, “How is it?”
A soft, light sensation filled his mouth. It felt as if Bai He had taken a bite of a light ‘cloud’ or cotton candy—ethereal, moist, and soft. The sweetness was just right. The bits of mango mixed with the rich egg aroma, making it not cloying at all.
It was delicious.
Whenever Bai He ate sweets, he couldn’t hide the happiness on his face. He swallowed slowly and looked at Nan Yu with surprise. “Brother Nan, you’re amazing. It tastes even better than the ones from the shops.”
“Really?” Hearing this made Nan Yu even happier. He scooped another spoonful and offered it to Bai He. Bai He continued to eat from the spoon offered to him. After several rounds of this feeding, the dining table grew increasingly quiet.
Old Mr. Qin’s expression remained unchanged as he calmly ate his meal, occasionally using the serving chopsticks to help the short-armed Qin Diandian get food. Qin Diandian, too, quietly and seriously ate the food in her bowl without fuss.
But then there were the other two…
Qin Yao and Qin Wei sat completely still. They both stared with resentful, longing eyes at Bai He and Nan Yu feeding each other across the table. The envy in their eyes couldn’t be concealed.
One envied being able to feed his Xiao Bao, and the other envied being fed by Nan Yu. Half the soufflé was gone, yet the father and son hadn’t moved their chopsticks once, just staring over there.
Old Mr. Qin glanced at the two guys, then put more food in Qin Diandian’s bowl, speaking loudly on purpose. “Diandian is so good, eating so much so quickly. Ordinary kids aren’t as impressive as you. Some people don’t eat and just wait for their food to get cold.”
Qin Diandian, floating on the praise, started shoveling rice into her mouth, mumbling with her cheeks full, “I’m always good! I eat seriously every time!”
Qin Yao and Qin Wei, who had just been sarcastically called out: “…”
Hearing this, both Nan Yu and Bai He turned their heads. Nan Yu narrowed his eyes at Qin Wei beside him, then suddenly curled his lips in a smile. He used his own chopsticks to pick up a piece of meat and held it out to the other man. Not placing it in the bowl, but holding it to his lips. He even smiled and said, “Come on, Brother Wei, open wide.”
Qin Wei’s eyes darkened slightly. He stared at Nan Yu, opened his mouth, and silently took the meat, chewing slowly.
Not far away, Qin Yao’s expression was solemn. He abruptly looked toward Bai He beside him, the movement startling Bai He so much he flinched.
“Xiao Bao.” After calling him, Qin Yao pressed his lips together, the anticipation in his eyes practically overflowing.
Bai He’s ears burned. To be honest, he found it incredibly shameful when Qin Yao called him Xiao Bao in front of his family.
Seeing Nan Yu looking over and Qin Yao seemingly about to call him again, Bai He hurriedly picked up some food and put it into Qin Yao’s bowl.
Qin Yao’s expression was so resentful he looked a bit aggrieved.
Bai He just felt his face heating up.
After dinner, Bai He wanted to help wash the dishes, but Nan Yu pushed him out of the kitchen again. “Leave it to Qin Yao. Besides, we have a dishwasher. Come with me.”
Old Mr. Qin went out for a walk, Qin Wei was studying the unfinished chess game, and Qin Diandian had homework to do. As for Bai He, he was led upstairs by Nan Yu.
Nan Yu held Bai He’s hand the entire way. They entered a walk-in closet. It looked spacious, decorated in dark tones, with different formal wear stored on either side. Bai He looked around as Nan Yu pulled him to one side.
Opening a cabinet door, Nan Yu searched through a row of clothes and soon pulled out a white suit.
He held the suit up against Bai He, leaned back to check, and couldn’t hide the smile on his face. “I knew it would suit you.”
Before Bai He could react, Nan Yu shoved the suit into his hands and pushed him by the shoulders toward the opposite side. “Go over there, into the fitting room, and try it on.”
Bai He entered the fitting room, looking blankly at the pure white suit in his hands. Although he didn’t understand what this was for, he followed Nan Yu’s instructions and began changing.
This suit was exquisite, different from the usual cumbersome formal wear. The top resembled a French shirt with a high collar, vintage ruffled edges, and slightly puffed sleeves that tightened at the forearms with several cufflinks. The detailing on the edges was intricate. It tapered at the waist, and the moment he put on the white high-waisted dress trousers, they hugged his full curves perfectly. It was an outfit that accentuated the waistline. After putting it on, Bai He looked at himself in the mirror and suddenly felt he didn’t recognize the person staring back.
He pushed open the fitting room door and walked out, running right into Nan Yu, who had returned with accessories. Seeing Bai He, Nan Yu was stunned at first, then his eyes lit up with delight. He stepped forward, taking Bai He’s hand and spinning him around, looking at him with pure adoration, like admiring a flower he had raised himself.
“So beautiful.”
Nan Yu took a sapphire crystal cufflink out of a small box. He lifted Bai He’s hand and slowly replaced the previous cufflink with this one. Then, he took out a gold rose chain brooch and carefully pinned it on him.
After finishing everything, Nan Yu stepped back two paces to observe, the smile never leaving his face. He walked back, raising his hand to gently arrange Bai He’s hair. Nan Yu’s fingertips were warm; his grooming felt just like petting Bai He’s head. Bai He was about the same height as Nan Yu, so he instinctively lowered his head slightly as he listened to Nan Yu speak while combing his hair.
“I ordered this suit before I gave birth to Qin Yao. Back then, when I was pregnant with him, I thought he would be an omega baby, so I designed this suit myself.”
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