Chapter 14

Behind the bedroom door came the stealthy rustling of a little one—clearly, a small child pressing his cheek against the door, eavesdropping with a soft "thump."

The basic principle of adult morality is not to argue in front of children.

So, Ren Yuan He swallowed the question he was about to ask. "Does my aunt know?"

Am I the only one who doesn’t?

Qingyu Bai looked embarrassed. He didn’t want to implicate the housekeeper and wanted to say that he had only just brought the child in yesterday. But once Ren Yuan He grew suspicious, he could easily check any home surveillance and see the little one’s lively figure.

"I'm sorry."

Ren Yuan He stepped closer, lowering his voice. "Do you really think I wouldn’t dare to fire you?"

Qingyu Bai said, "Of course you would."

Seeing the nanny completely honest now, Ren Yuan He felt no satisfaction, only the bitter sting of deception. He blamed it on the conniving alliance of his aunt and the housekeeper, who had concealed the truth from him, masking a trivial bitterness beneath it all.

He finally understood why Qingyu Bai, physically capable and not foolish, ended up here—it was because having a child made finding work difficult.

The child was Qingyu Bai's weakness; only now would he obediently keep quiet.

Ren Yuan He’s lips tightened as his eyes flicked toward the door. The little one at the threshold was surely straining to listen, his round eyes unblinking, just as when they had met Ren Yuan He’s gaze before.

So late, and none of them were asleep.

An untimely tenderness rose within Ren Yuan He, something he despised in himself. Yet, he had no choice but to say, "Go to sleep. We’ll deal with this tomorrow."

Qingyu Bai was surprised. “The boss only said three sentences and left?”

Luckily, he was already prepared to resign. With Ren Yuan He gone, he hoped the anger would subside.

Worried, Qingyu Bai watched Ren Yuan He’s retreating figure. Had he caused him pain?

Lowering his eyes, Qingyu Bai tapped the door gently. “Baby, step back. I’m opening the door now.”

Ren Yuan He paused at the stairwell corner when he heard those gentle words soothing the child.

Qingyu Bai entered, carrying the little one to the bed. "Time to sleep."

Since Ren Yuan He had already found out, there was no need to stay up late squinting and erasing the marks left by Bai Xiaocha.

“Daddy, is Boss Uncle angry?” Bai Xiaocha asked.

“No, Boss Uncle isn’t the type to smile much,” Qingyu Bai replied.

...

The next morning at six-thirty, Qingyu Bai packed clothes for himself and his son, placing them at the bottom of a large green bin. The bin was narrow at the bottom and wide at the top; small items went at the bottom, and finally, the small cotton blanket from the child was folded neatly on top.

He dressed the fast-asleep Tea Baby in a spring jacket and laid him on the soft blanket. Then, he clipped the edge of the bin’s lid so that when closed, there was a small gap for ventilation.

Since arriving in South City, Qingyu Bai hadn’t acquired much. Carrying a single bag on his back was all his belongings.

He pushed the bin, the wheels scraping softly against the floor, stopping before the elevator.

He glanced back at the third floor and took a photo with his phone.

He rarely took pictures, but this was the second place on earth where he and Bai Xiaocha had settled—it was worth commemorating.

The elevator descended and stopped. Qingyu Bai thought it had reached the first floor, but when he looked up, he saw the doors had opened on the second floor. Standing there was Ren Yuan He.

Ren Yuan He stood motionless—he never rode the elevator with a trash bin. Qingyu Bai was taking out the trash so early? Did raising a child really produce so much garbage?

He recalled visiting a client’s home before, where a child had shredded tissues beside him for ages, piling up a little snowdrift.

Wait... why carry a bundle while taking out trash?

Ren Yuan He stepped inside immediately and lifted the lid—inside was a child. His expression darkened instantly.

He hadn’t even fired Qingyu Bai yet, and here the nanny was leaving—so disgracefully, storing the child in a trash bin? Did she not have enough money for a stroller?

Anger surged in Ren Yuan He’s chest. Buying a trash bin just to sneak the child in and out under his nose? Had she watched too many detective dramas?

Qingyu Bai reached in and pinched Bai Xiaocha’s cheek, using the little one’s innocence to ease the tension. “His name is Bai Xiaocha. Cute, right?”

Ren Yuan He remained silent.

Qingyu Bai let go. Well, not everyone liked children.

The elevator stopped on the first floor. Seeing Ren Yuan He unmoving, Qingyu Bai pushed the child out first.

The butler was instructing Nurse Liu to steam extra buns for Qingyu Bai today when he turned and saw the young master arrive with Qingyu Bai. Seeing their serious expressions, his face fell.

“Uncle Qi, I’m going to a wealthy fellow townsman’s place,” Qingyu Bai said, eyes fixed on Ren Yuan He. “I won’t be coming back. Thanks for the care from you and Nurse Liu, and also for the boss’s generosity.”

Ren Yuan He walked over and sat at the dining table, silent.

The butler grew anxious. “Young master, please say something.”

Ren Yuan He replied, “He’s going to rely on a wealthy townsman. Should I try to stop him?”

The butler whispered, “Surely the townsman isn’t richer than you.” You could also throw money to keep him here.

Nurse Liu had only learned Qingyu Bai was leaving that morning; her eyes remained red. Li Ruli and Jiang Mengmeng looked as if struck by thunder.

Ren Yuan He pressed his lips. Indeed, he was the only tyrant in the family. Why didn’t they band together to cling to Qingyu Bai’s leg so he couldn’t leave?

Qingyu Bai smiled faintly. “I’ll be going now. I still have to catch the early bus.”

The butler lifted the bin’s lid and saw Bai Xiaocha, finally understanding why Qingyu Bai had bought such a bin. His eyes twitched. “Wait, I’ll get you some buns for breakfast.”

He quickly ran into the kitchen, ignoring the heat, grabbed seven or eight buns—steamed buns, meat buns, custard buns—packed them in a paper bag, and handed it to Qingyu Bai.

The fragrant buns awakened Bai Xiaocha, who had been disturbed several times during sleep.

Like a little mole, he pushed open the green lid and peeked out, immediately spotting the butler’s buns. “Uncle Butler.”

The soft, innocent voice injected a spark of life into the heavy atmosphere of the mansion.

“Here you go.” Qingyu Bai wrapped a warm steamed bun in paper, not daring to give Bai Xiaocha a filled bun lest the filling burn him.

“Thank you, Daddy.”

...

“Look at such a sensible child…” The butler glanced at Ren Yuan He, silently asking, With such a good kid, don’t you feel tempted?

Ren Yuan He remained unmoved.

The butler, receiving no response, awkwardly whispered to Qingyu Bai, “The young master was pushed off a cliff by a child three years ago; he’s a bit averse to kids.”

At that time, a law firm partner had tricked Ren Yuan He into going to Wuyi Mountain for a public interest lawsuit. On the mountain, they bribed a strong but mentally challenged boy who pretended to ask Ren Yuan He for directions, then suddenly pushed him...

Ren Yuan He dealt with many people afterward, but the perpetrator’s mental state and age made it impossible to prosecute. Since then, he hated children.

Qingyu Bai suddenly understood; it was truly tragic. His actions had unwittingly touched Ren Yuan He’s pain.

All he could do was disappear swiftly from the young master’s sight.

He quickened his pace.

“Stop.”

Ren Yuan He’s sudden voice made the butler’s face brighten.

Ren Yuan He paused ten seconds before forcing out, “Leave the tea.”

Bai Xiaocha, who was eating, asked, “Huh? Boss Uncle’s here too?”

Qingyu Bai said, “There’s none left.”

Ren Yuan He said, “I will trust—”

Bai Xiaocha repeated, “Boss Uncle, there’s no tea left.”

“Baby drank it all,” Bai Xiaocha said, biting his bun. “Daddy’s out.”

Qingyu Bai: “That’s right.”

Two against one, there was no winning. Ren Yuan He had no room to question further.

He could still assert the boss’s authority over Qingyu Bai, but with a child added, an adult’s dignity must be maintained.

Besides, those four words “Boss Uncle” grated on his ears, showing that even if Bai Xiaocha was cute enough to want a hug, he still didn’t really like children.

Qingyu Bai successfully escaped with Bai Xiaocha. The bin lid remained open. Bai Xiaocha nibbled on his bun in the morning light, lying on the soft blanket, as comfortable as first class.

Qingyu Bai messaged his new employer, Mr. Jiang, saying he would arrive earlier than expected and was en route.

Jiang Libo was abroad on exchange, with a time difference, so no immediate reply.

Qingyu Bai wasn’t in a hurry, leisurely pushing Bai Xiaocha as they strolled.

Once out of the Ren family villa district, the streets grew busier. People noticed Qingyu Bai’s unusual method and glanced sideways, eyes reluctant to look away—Could that child in the trash bin be picked up?

Qingyu Bai didn’t want to become the center of attention and urged Bai Xiaocha to finish eating quickly. “Baby, you’re too conspicuous. I need to close the lid.”

“Oh,” Bai Xiaocha replied.

Pushing a trash bin onto the bus was tricky. Qingyu Bai thought for a moment; with plenty of time, why not just walk? It would only take two hours.

Back at the Ren family residence:

The butler was still applying eye drops. “Qingyu Bai is very frugal. He won’t buy much food or clothes, living tightly with his son.”

“I’ve never seen such a well-behaved child; otherwise, he couldn’t have hidden for so long.”

“Qingyu Bai came here right after entering the city. He’s still like a blank sheet outside, not sure if he’ll get scammed.”

“I’ve never met his townsman either. What if he’s tricked into Southeast Asia to have kidneys harvested or sold?”

Ren Yuan He couldn’t listen any longer. Grabbing his car keys, he dashed out.

“Where are you going, young master?”

“To work.”

“You haven’t eaten breakfast.”

“I’m not going.”

...

Qingyu Bai looked around and spotted a breakfast shop, deciding to buy soy milk for Bai Xiaocha.

He wheeled the cart over and saw they offered more than soy milk. A little kid happily bought a milk tea.

Milk tea was a new trend mixing tea leaves and milk, reputedly delicious.

Qingyu Bai bought milk tea for his son, three yuan, in a package identical to soy milk.

“You behave and drink milk tea inside the cart.”

“Okay.” Bai Xiaocha sipped, and upon tasting, his little face froze. Swallowing hard, he said, “Daddy, it’s not tasty.”

Bai Xiaocha rarely gave negative reviews of human food, but with anything tea-related, he could immediately tell if it was poor quality tea powder.

There really was something that tasted bad!

Qingyu Bai took the milk tea, sipped it, and furrowed his brow. It was awful—was this real tea or fake?

He quickly tossed the milk tea and swapped it for soy milk.

Because Bai Xiaocha said the milk tea was bad, the shop owner, both embarrassed and enthusiastic, waived the soy milk charge.

Qingyu Bai closed the lid and pushed the cart toward the Jiang family’s place. Light drizzle began, fine as cow hair, touching skin with no feeling of wetness, only coolness.

Spring rain is precious—cool for humans, just right for a tea spirit.

Qingyu Bai hadn’t brought an umbrella and didn’t want to use one. If they were in Wuyi Mountain, where spring arrived earlier, he’d have long been letting Bai Xiaocha play in the rain.

But it wasn’t practical to change clothes on the road, so he didn’t want Bai Xiaocha to get soaked.

The rain grew heavier. The tea spirit child was naturally sensitive to spring rain, like a seedling beneath a rock crack, summoned to sprout.

“Daddy, I want to get rained on too.”

“All right.”

...

Qingyu Bai stopped, lifted the lid, and took out the little one, whose clothes were dry.

Bai Xiaocha laughed, eyes curved into crescents, toddling with short legs, pushing the green bin with all his might, like a tiny ant shaking a tree.

The rain intensified. On the road, car wipers worked harder. Passengers on a bus looked down through windows, seeing a city cleaner working in the rain, hair soaked, accompanied by a toddling child. They took a photo and posted a heartfelt message to social media:

[He is a cleaner and a father.]

The bus wheels splashed water, droplets landing precisely on the child’s head.

Bai Xiaocha touched his head and exclaimed, “Daddy, I’m wet!”

Qingyu Bai received a message from Jiang Libo asking about luggage. He told him a friend would pick them up.

In the rain, Qingyu Bai didn’t refuse, spotting a bus stop ahead to shelter from the rain, and sent Jiang Libo the location.

“It’s raining heavily; we’re taking shelter,” Qingyu Bai said.

“All right.”

They arrived under the bus shelter; the heavy rain was blocked, but fine droplets still drifted in.

Nearby, a black car flashed red lights and stopped at the roadside.

Ren Yuan He didn’t know where Qingyu Bai would go, so he searched seven or eight bus and subway stations along the way. Finally, he saw Qingyu Bai.

He watched the drenched father and son, as if all the rain in South City had poured into his heart, swelling it until it nearly burst.

Qingyu Bai would rather get caught in the rain with his son than stay at the Ren residence?

Outside, the temperature hovered around twenty degrees Celsius. Getting wet and chilled, it was no surprise if they caught colds.

Yes, they would catch colds.

Ren Yuan He found his moral high ground, unbuckled his seatbelt.

Bai Xiaocha’s cloth shoes were soaked; he stomped, squelching.

Qingyu Bai grabbed the back of his neck. “The water here is dirty.”

He opened the cart lid, pulled out a dry towel, and wiped the child’s face.

Bai Xiaocha tilted his head back, eyes closed. His long lashes were tousled by the towel.

Qingyu Bai smiled faintly. Fortunately, he had anticipated such needs and bought a covered “stroller.” Though unusual, it had no flaws.

A student hurried by holding an umbrella, carrying a trash bag filled with breakfast waste—milk cartons, peels, paper. His mother had sent him downstairs to dispose of it, but he hadn’t seen a bin outside.

On a rainy day, juggling umbrella and trash bag was annoying. Spotting a new green trash bin, his eyes lit up, and he quickly tossed in the bag.

Thump.

Qingyu Bai was startled, lifted the lid, and realized a flaw in the bin.

Bai Xiaocha laughed heartily. “Daddy, my nest turned into a trash bin!”

Qingyu Bai said, “Yes, it did.”

Ren Yuan He witnessed this unfortunate scene and saw the optimistic father and son. His heart felt crushed.

If this was Qingyu Bai’s self-sacrifice plan, it had succeeded beyond measure.

Ren Yuan He was about to call someone when a Mercedes pulled up beside the bus stop.

A cheerful young man with an athlete’s aura stepped out, smiling brightly. “Qingyu, I’m Jiang Libo’s friend. I’m here to pick you up.”

Jiang Libo had described a dad with a kid, and that kid was especially cute—recognizable even without a photo.

“Where’s your luggage? I’ll load it into the car.”

Qingyu Bai sheepishly said, “This is it.”

The young man paused at the trash bin, then opened the trunk and hefted it inside, lid facing inward. The trunk space was tight, so the lid couldn’t close.

“Get in quickly.”

Qingyu Bai carried the little one into the car.

The young man turned up the air conditioning. “Sorry for being late. We’ll arrive in about twenty minutes. Here, have some hot water.”

Qingyu Bai accepted it. “You’re very kind.”

Bai Xiaocha said, “Thank you, Uncle.”

The young man glanced back at Bai Xiaocha with a gleam of hope. “Don’t mention it. Uncle’s happiness depends on you, little friend.”

Qingyu Bai was puzzled. Huh? What connection was there?

The Mercedes started, driving into the heavy rain.

Bai Xiaocha leaned against the glass and suddenly pointed outside. “That’s Boss Uncle’s car.”

The young man smiled slyly, a hint of pride. “Ah, is it that obvious? This really is Professor Jiang’s car.”

Bai Xiaocha’s attention drifted away. Oh, he had a new Boss Uncle now.

The rain-thickened bus stop was nearly empty. After Qingyu Bai left, no one else came.

Ren Yuan He stood quietly for a while, wiping rain from his face.

He seemed to have lost something suddenly, his heart hollow. But soon, the cold rain soaked him through.

Good. He knew that man—a small rich second-generation, with good character. His close friends wouldn’t trick him into Southeast Asia.

Qingyu Bai was smart enough to seek out a townsman to rise in the world.

So, why was he still standing here?