Hawthorne had rarely seen anyone as good-looking as Shi Yuan.
But the little kid in front of him was clearly one of them.
He glanced at the child, then noticed the half-packaged cake and loose change on the counter of the dessert shop nearby, quickly realizing: “You want to buy a cake?”
Since birth, this was the first time the child had seen someone with the same eye color as his own, and he instinctively felt a sense of fondness for him. He held back his tears, letting them only well up in his eyes, making him look even more pitiful: “Baby wants to buy a strawberry cake, but baby doesn’t have enough money.”
The young woman behind the counter, seeing the man and child together, mistakenly thought they were father and son and said, “Sir, the cake is seventy-eight in total. You still need to pay fifty-eight.”
For some reason, Hawthorne couldn’t bear to see the child cry. Every time he did, it inexplicably reminded him of Shi Yuan.
He straightened up and pointed to the various cakes in the display window: “I’ll buy all of these. You can pick whatever flavor you like.”
But the child was a principled little one and firmly shook his head: “Thank you, uncle. Baby only wants the strawberry cake.”
The young woman packed the cake, and the child carefully took it with his chubby little hands, then corrected her with a serious expression: “Sister, this uncle is not my daddy. Baby’s daddy is a great beauty.”
A flicker of embarrassment crossed the young woman’s face.
She glanced at Hawthorne, thinking to herself that this man was already incredibly handsome, but from the child’s words, it seemed his own father might be even better-looking?
How unfair. With so many good-looking people in the world, why couldn’t there be one more—herself?
In the child’s heart, he had his own standards: no one could compare to his daddy and grandpa in looks!
Hawthorne looked around and frowned, asking the child: “Where are your parents?”
It seemed like this little one had come out alone.
Just then, the airport announcement sounded: “Attention, a parent is looking for a male child approximately two years old. If you see a child matching this description, please notify airport staff immediately…”
The child had always been taller than other kids his age. When Shi Yuan took him out, people often mistook him for two or three years old. Sometimes, to avoid lengthy explanations, Shi Yuan would simply say he was two when asked about the child’s age.
The child’s eyes widened: “Daddy is looking for me!”
So he really had gotten separated from his family. Hawthorne turned to the airport staff beside him: “Could you take him back? I know how to get to the departure lounge. I can go on my own.”
The child hugged the cake and waved at Hawthorne: “Goodbye, uncle. My daddy will pay you back for the cake.”
Hawthorne’s heart instantly softened.
What a well-mannered child.
Just as Shi Yuan had finished notifying the announcement desk, airport staff came over the next moment to tell him that the child had been found.
The staff member led the child over, and as soon as the child saw Shi Yuan, his eyes lit up. He toddled toward him on his short little legs.
“Daddy, baby brought you a strawberry cake!”
Shi Yuan was almost on the verge of tears from worry: “Didn’t I tell you to wait on the chair for Daddy? Why did you run off on your own? Do you know how worried Daddy was?”
Seeing Shi Yuan’s eyes redden, the child grew anxious, forgetting all about the kind uncle who had bought the cake. He clumsily wrapped his short little arms around Shi Yuan’s neck: “Daddy, don’t cry. Baby was wrong.”
“Don’t do this again, okay?” Shi Yuan said.
Next time, he definitely wouldn’t leave Caicai alone outside again.
Caicai nodded obediently. “Baby knows.”
The flight to Heathrow Airport began boarding announcements. Shi Yuan collected his emotions, picked up Caicai, and headed to the boarding gate to queue.
Once on the plane, Shi Yuan settled Caicai into his seat, checked his diaper, and reminded him, “Baby, be good later. If you need to do anything, tell Daddy. Don’t disturb others.”
“Okay, Daddy.” Caicai nodded vigorously.
The plane was still half an hour from takeoff, and most passengers were still scrolling through their phones.
Sitting next to Shi Yuan was an older sister who was on a call with a friend.
“I’m telling you, that guy of yours is a real piece of work. You’re pregnant, and he’s still fooling around outside. Listen to me, don’t torture yourself over it. Just get a divorce already.”
The older sister was quite considerate, speaking softly into the phone.
But just then, everyone else in the cabin fell silent, making her voice unusually clear.
Shi Yuan unconsciously held his breath.
The older sister continued, “I’ve been through it myself. Back then, my ex was even worse. Guess what? He didn’t just go after women—he went after men too. Talk about having no standards! I slammed the table and said, ‘That’s it, we’re done!’ I raised the kid on my own, and all these years later, I’m still here, aren’t I?”
Shi Yuan nodded repeatedly, casting an admiring glance toward the older sister.
Unaware, the older sister exclaimed as she held her overheating phone, “My phone’s about to die. Let’s talk after we land.”
Caicai didn’t quite understand most of what the older sister was saying, but he caught the last part.
He immediately chimed in, “Auntie, my daddy has a power bank.”
Whenever Daddy took him out, the most common thing he did was look for a power bank everywhere.
Daddy had battery anxiety!
The older sister was taken aback. She had noticed the little one as soon as she boarded, and now, hearing the baby’s sweet, milky voice, her heart melted. “Oh, sweetie, you keep it. Auntie doesn’t need it.”
Shi Yuan, who had been regretting that the gossip was cut off mid-story, silently praised Caicai for being so clever. New brains really worked better.
He pulled out the power bank and handed it over with a smile. “It’s fine, sis. You can return it to me after takeoff.”
“Alright then, thank you, young man.” The older sister accepted it gladly and resumed gossiping with her friend.
Passengers in several nearby rows stopped scrolling through their phones! They all pretended to be resting but were actually listening intently to the juicy story.
Hawthorne was the last to enter the cabin after all passengers had boarded.
The moment he stepped through the cabin door, a strange, indescribable feeling washed over him.
His heart was inexplicably racing, as if filled with a mix of anticipation and excitement.
How odd. It was just a trip back to England—was he really that thrilled?
“Sir, do you need any assistance?” a flight attendant asked, noticing him standing motionless in the aisle.
Hawthorne snapped out of it, found his seat in business class, and sat down.
Someone in the economy class behind seemed to be on a phone call, causing a bit of noise. He put in earplugs to block out all external sounds and closed his eyes to rest.
Over ten hours later, the plane landed at London Heathrow.
Hawthorne left as soon as he disembarked. There were several missed calls on his phone. The old duke had been trying to find a Chinese chef recently, and the butler said they hadn’t been satisfied with any candidates after a long search. He needed to hurry over.
Shi Yuan, with Caicai in tow, found it inconvenient to squeeze through the crowd. He waited until almost everyone had left the cabin before getting up.
It was the first time Shi Yuan had taken Caicai on a long-haul international flight. He had been quite nervous beforehand, but Caicai turned out to be very well-behaved. Midway through the flight, when it was time for a diaper change, a kind lady sitting next to them offered a helping hand. The journey went smoothly all the way.
“Thank you, ma’am,” Shi Yuan said goodbye to the lady and boarded the bus to Cambridge with Caicai.
He had returned to resume his studies, but there were no available dormitories on campus, so he had to rent a place nearby. Besides, living in a school dormitory wouldn’t have been convenient with Caicai anyway.
The new apartment was clean and tidy, and Shi Yuan was quite satisfied with it—except that the rent was a bit steep.
The wages he had saved from part-time jobs, combined with the scholarship he received two years ago, were almost entirely spent after paying a year’s rent in advance.
“Little one, you’ll have to live a tough life with Daddy from now on.”
Caicai hugged Shi Yuan. “Baby isn’t scared. Baby can handle it.”
Since nothing had been set up at home yet, Shi Yuan took Caicai downstairs for a meal. There was a Chinese restaurant right below their apartment. Shi Yuan noticed they sold porridge, which was perfect for Caicai.
He Jingchuan had once told Shi Yuan that Caicai was actually a baby with very particular tastes—he had his own standards when it came to the quality of food, clothing, and living conditions.
Shi Yuan had always thought Uncle He was joking.
What He Jingchuan hadn’t told him was that Caicai had a completely different set of standards for his dad.
Before turning one month old, Caicai had been a fussy baby. But ever since he was told that his dad was having a hard time, he truly stopped being difficult.
So, when eating porridge at the restaurant, even though Caicai didn’t really like it, he still ate it—though with some difficulty.
Shi Yuan noticed. “Does it not taste good?”
He thought it was quite nice—much better than the cafeteria food at the university.
Caicai said, “Daddy makes it better.”
“Really?” Shi Yuan was overjoyed to hear that, completely unaware that Caicai was just trying to make him happy.
Well, if that was the case, maybe he could actually apply for a job as a chef.