Dabai looked up at Xingchen, then at his father, whose expression had turned positively glacial. "So… you won't need Daddy anymore? Right?"
Him?
Xingchen froze. She didn't need to look directly at Bai Yeqing to feel the weight of his gaze suddenly fixed on her.
"Eat your breakfast," she deflected, her cheeks warming. The question was absurd. What claim did Bai Yeqing have on her 'need'? There was nothing to need or not need.
Dabai tapped his chin thoughtfully with a chopstick. "Well, Daddy won't marry you anyway. Probably doesn't care if you don't need him." He nodded sagely. "Smart move if you marry another uncle instead."
Across the table, the air temperature plummeted. A frosty glare landed on the boy. Dabai promptly shielded his face behind two large slices of cheesecake. Can't see me! Can't see me!
Xingchen watched the bizarre exchange, utterly baffled by both father and son.
"With me. Now." Bai Yeqing's chopsticks clattered onto the table. He stood, rapping his knuckles sharply on the polished wood.
"Waaah!" Dabai's face crumpled. He burrowed deeper into Xingchen's side, clutching her sleeve. "Big Treasure! Save me! He looks scary!"
Bai Yeqing paused at the door, turning back. Seeing his son cowering, he attempted an unnervingly gentle tone. "I'll drive you to school."
The unnatural softness only heightened Dabai's terror. His suspicions proved correct as Bai Yeqing snapped, "Steward. Extract him."
"No! Big Treasure! Don't let him take me!" Dabai wailed, kicking futilely as the steward lifted him, his face scrunched like a distressed dumpling.
Xingchen stifled a laugh. "Go on, mischief-maker. We'll all be late."
...
Dabai felt like a hostage. A hostage to tyranny!
The sleek car glided through the morning traffic. Dabai sat ramrod straight, puffing his cheeks in silent protest. Opposite him, Bai Yeqing crossed his legs, his gaze drilling into his offspring.
"Recognize your error?"
Dabai shook his head violently. "Nope! Did nothing wrong!"
"My instructions. Your execution. Compare."
"You said 'tell Big Treasure no more blind dates'!" Dabai protested, eyes wide with innocence. "I did that!"
"I did not authorize—" Bai Yeqing stopped, an uncharacteristic flicker of discomfort crossing his features. He glanced out the window, undoing a button on his impeccably tailored jacket collar before continuing, his voice tight. "The… additional commentary was unnecessary."
"Ohhh!" Dabai's eyes lit with wicked understanding. A slow grin spread. "So Daddy got his feelings hurt when I said Big Treasure might ditch you?"
Bai Yeqing sniffed dismissively, turning his gaze to the passing cityscape.
Dabai leaned forward, propping his chin on his hands, the picture of exaggerated wisdom. "Admit it, Daddy. You like our Big Treasure, don't you?"
"Ridiculous." The denial was clipped.
"Fine! Don't like her!" Dabai chirped, swinging his short legs. "Lots of uncles do! I'll just… hold auditions! Pick the nicest one to call Daddy!" He mimed pointing at an imaginary lineup. "Ping! Pong! You're the new Daddy!"
A muscle ticked in Bai Yeqing's jaw. "Firearm assembly. Off the table."
"Okay!" Dabai shrugged, remarkably unfazed. He hauled his oversized backpack onto his lap like a smuggler unveiling contraband, rummaged inside, and pulled out a giant lollipop. He unwrapped it with deliberate slowness and popped it into his mouth with a satisfied smack. "Guess I'll just tell Big Treasure the truth then." He sucked loudly. "That you made me say 'no dates'. And since she's meeting that nice Uncle Yu soon…" He beamed. "…I'll tag along! See if he's Daddy material! Might even call him 'Daddy' right there!"
"..."
Bai Yeqing stared at his son, the picture of serene, sugary rebellion. His expression darkened to volcanic levels. Whose demon spawn is this?!
...
Xingchen took a taxi to the Foreign Ministry.
Entering the Translation Department felt like stepping onto a stage under harsh spotlights. Complex stares followed her – envy, admiration, thinly veiled contempt. It was jarring. As a lowly intern, she'd been invisible. Now, she was the center of unwanted attention.
She knew exactly why.
Chi Weiyang pulled her into a vacant conference room. "Xingchen! Unbelievable! I heard whispers yesterday, but couldn't believe it! Spill! How did you pull this off?"
Xingchen sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Honestly? I'm as clueless as you are."
"Bull! I overheard Personnel saying the President pulled strings! That you two are… close?" Weiyang waggled her eyebrows suggestively.
The inaccuracy stung. Close? They were planets orbiting different stars. And he'd never intervene for her.
"Do you believe that?" Xingchen countered.
Weiyang eyed her friend's striking features. "Well… you are stunning. And he is human… maybe?"
"Shh!" Xingchen clapped a hand over Weiyang's mouth, glancing nervously at the door. "Don't be ridiculous! People will laugh us out of the building!"
Too late. The door swung open. Xiao Xin stood there, ceramic mug in hand, a sneer twisting her lips. She'd clearly heard.
"Well, well," Xiao Xin drawled, stepping inside. "At least someone here possesses a modicum of self-awareness."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Weiyang snapped, stepping protectively towards Xingchen.
"Exactly what it sounds like," Xiao Xin retorted, her gaze raking dismissively over Xingchen. "The President? Fantasizing about someone so far above your station? Your ambition far exceeds your grasp." She took a slow sip of tea. "Some fantasies are simply… pathetic."
Weiyang bristled. "Oh? And you're the gatekeeper of presidential fantasies now? Xingchen got her job back effortlessly. Maybe you should try cozying up to power sometime? Xingchen, darling, perhaps introduce our dear colleague here to the President?"
Xingchen, flustered by the escalating tension and Weiyang's trap, blurted, "He's always swamped. Getting an audience is nearly impossi—"
She choked on her words, eyes widening. Realization slammed into her. She'd just admitted she knew his schedule.
Weiyang's eyes locked onto hers, sharp with sudden, dawning comprehension.
Xiao Xin, however, merely snorted. "Keep digging that hole, dear. We all know he's busy. Groundbreaking insight."
Weiyang drew breath for a fiery retort, but Xingchen caught her arm. "Save it, Weiyang. Not worth your energy." She checked her watch, a welcome distraction. "Exam time. Wish me luck?"
"Luck? You don't need it!" Weiyang squeezed her shoulders, whispering fiercely as Xingchen gathered her things: "But after… you will spill. Every. Single. Detail."
Xingchen managed a weak smile. The secret was out with Weiyang. But if anyone could be trusted… it was her.
(Continued tonight...)