From the funeral hall to the Nie family mansion, the drive took thirty minutes in total.
Old Shen, the driver, had been with the Nie family long enough to know when not to pry.
Still, when he heard the man in the back seat, his employer, the ever-calm and formidable Mr. Nie, make a single phone call, even his fingers gripping the steering wheel began to sweat.
“Find out whether my half-brother in the United States has an illegitimate child.”
The moment the word “illegitimate” left Mr. Nie’s lips, every hair on the back of Old Shen’s neck stood up. The interior of the car, though air-conditioned, suddenly felt a few degrees colder.
When the light turned green and the car began to move again, he risked a glance in the rearview mirror.
Unfortunately, at that very moment, Mr. Nie was looking up.
Those dark eyes, black as deep water, still and bottomless, met him for a brief second. Mr. Nie said nothing, but that silence was enough to make the driver’s blood freeze.
Old Shen swallowed hard, snapped his gaze back to the road, and pretended as if he had heard nothing. In all his years serving the Nie family, he had learned one thing: knowing too much was dangerous.
The Nie family, for three generations, had been locked in a brutal internal war for power and inheritance. It wasn’t a family, it was a battlefield dressed in fine silk.
The “second young master,” the so-called illegitimate son, had once been arrogant in his youth, flaunting the favor he received from their father.
He had thought himself untouchable, even daring to provoke his elder brother. But arrogance in the Nie family was a death sentence.
When his wings were barely formed, he was crushed, forced out of the family, sent overseas, and forbidden to ever return.
He wasn’t allowed even to attend their father’s funeral. His name was erased from the family’s obituary notice, as if he had never existed.
Everyone who had witnessed that blood-soaked internal feud, including Old Shen and the other servants, understood one truth too well:
The word “illegitimate” was like a knife forever embedded in Mr. Nie’s spine.
To leave it there meant constant pain;. To pull it out meant blood everywhere.
So now, hearing of yet another “illegitimate child” surfacing, how could that not be a death wish?
And worse, someone had dared to let that phrase reach Mr. Nie’s ears.
At the mansion.
Because the little boy, Yuanbao, recognized Aunt Zhao and could even describe the layout of the estate, everyone present was forced to draw their own conclusions.
The two police officers on scene speculated that the child must have lived here before and that, for some unknown reason, the family no longer wanted him.
If that were true, this would amount to child abandonment, a serious criminal matter.
After ending a phone call, Aunt Zhao quietly pulled the butler into another room.
Neither of them could reconcile this soft, round-faced little dumpling with the cold, distant Mr. Nie they knew. When their gazes met, they both had the same unspoken suspicion.
“Could it be Second Young Master’s…” The butler began in a whisper.
Aunt Zhao quickly frowned and shook her head, motioning him to stop talking. Even if it were true, such words could never be spoken aloud.
But the butler’s suspicion only grew stronger.
How could a child who had supposedly never lived here know so much about the house?
Unless someone had told him, someone who once belonged here.
Coincidentally, the second young master had been sent abroad about four years ago.
It wasn’t impossible that the flirtatious young man had left behind a child before leaving.
When they returned to the main hall, the little boy, round cheeks puffed up, voice sweet as sugar, looked up from the couch and pleaded, “Grandma Zhao~ Yuanbao’s so hungry…”
Those wide eyes, brimming with innocent sorrow, made everyone’s heart ache just to look at him.
Aunt Zhao’s heart softened at once. For now, it didn’t matter whose child he was. She smiled kindly, “All right, all right, Grandma will ask someone to make you something to eat.”
Yuanbao pursed his small lips and nodded obediently.
Aunt Zhao contacted the kitchen to prepare some snacks suitable for children.
Yuanbao tilted his head and asked in a tiny voice, “Can Yuanbao have french fries?”
He held up one small finger to demonstrate the exact size: “This big!”
Aunt Zhao hesitated. “Ah… little one, we don’t have fries at home. How about some bread instead?”
Though his wish was denied, Yuanbao didn’t pout or fuss. According to his “big dad and little dad’s eating rules,” he was only allowed to have french fries once a week.
He had already eaten them yesterday, fried by Big Dad himself.
Watching him behave so sensibly, Aunt Zhao’s heart clenched again. She told the kitchen to prepare extra food just in case.
The two officers exchanged glances for the umpteenth time. What kind of family is this? They were beginning to think they might need to call the station for backup.
By the time Yuanbao was nibbling on delicate little pastries, a sound of footsteps echoed through the hall.
He immediately perked up, chubby face lifting, eyes shining bright, “Big Daddy~~~!”
He lifted both arms and both feet at once, forming the perfect little “pick me up” pose every toddler knew instinctively.
Three men entered the hall together, the air pressure in the room dropping instantly.
The police officers rose to their feet. They hadn’t expected the formidable Mr. Nie to appear in person, but here he was, his aura so sharp and oppressive that it seemed to steal the air from the room.
He didn’t even glance at them. Those cold, dark eyes went straight to the child.
This time, the officers truly understood that the rumors were no exaggeration, Mr. Nie’s indifference was bone-deep.
After a long moment, his lips moved. His tone was calm but carried the weight of command, “Good afternoon. I need to speak with this little boy alone.”
Speak with him?
That sounded far too formal for a child.
Before the officers could respond, the man behind him stepped forward and handed over a business card, “Good day, I’m Mr. Nie’s attorney.”
While the lawyer began talking to the police, Yuanbao slipped off the couch like a little mochi and ran across the room.
He wrapped his short arms around Mr. Nie’s leg and looked up, his voice soft and sweet, “Big Daddy~~ it’s Yuanbao!”
Mr. Nie looked down at the small bundle of warmth clinging to him, brows drawing tightly together.
Aunt Zhao rushed forward in panic to pull the child away, “Sweetheart, no, no… you can’t just call strangers ‘Daddy’.”
After a brief discussion, the police agreed to give them a few minutes of “private conversation.”
In the small sitting room on the first floor, Yuanbao was placed by Aunt Zhao onto a stiff wooden armchair. He puffed up his cheeks, turned his face away, and refused to look at Mr. Nie.
Mr. Nie sat opposite him, expression unreadable.
Aunt Zhao, seeing the tension in the air, tried to smooth things over, “Little one, weren’t you looking for… Mr. Nie? Well, he’s here now. Why don’t you talk to him?”
“Humph!” Yuanbao snorted through his tiny nose, furious.
Whenever he met people who didn’t know his “Little Daddy,” they’d at least pick him up when he ran over. But this man, this scary, cold “Big Daddy” didn’t even bend down!
After a brief moment, Mr. Nie gestured for Aunt Zhao to leave them. She hesitated but obeyed.
When the room fell quiet again, Mr. Nie undid the top button of his jacket, leaned back in his chair, and said evenly,
“Besides calling out my name whenever you see me, what else has your father taught you?”
Yuanbao didn’t really understand what that meant. But the tone ah, he recognized that tone. It was the same one Big Daddy used when talking to “uncles” at the company.
He took a deep breath, chest puffing up and down dramatically. His little face twisted into a scowl.
Fine! He would tell the police aunties he wanted to live in an orphanage!
Mr. Nie frowned slightly as he watched the child squirm and wiggle in indignation.
Finally, the small bundle of energy turned around, glaring at him with bright, watery eyes.
He slipped off the tall chair with practiced ease, planted his tiny white hands on the edge of the coffee table like sharp kitten paws, and declared fiercely, “If Yuanbao becomes an orphan, then Big Daddy will be all alone too!”
Mr. Nie’s expression didn’t change. He was used to being alone.
But the boy wasn’t done yet. Seeing that his “Big Daddy” didn’t react, didn’t scoop him up or comfort him like before, Yuanbao grew so angry his chubby cheeks trembled.
Then, his eyes caught a glimpse of two silver strands of hair above Mr. Nie’s ear.
Aha. His ultimate weapon.
“Then I won’t let Little Daddy pluck out Big Daddy’s white hair anymore!” he shouted, his baby voice trembling with righteous fury. “Let Big Daddy’s whole head turn white forever!”
For the first time, Mr. Nie’s expression shifted ever so slightly.
Those few stubborn silver hairs near his temple had been there since adolescence, impossible to remove. He had never cared about them but his late father had always found them displeasing.
The child had noticed them too?
Yuanbao saw his Big Daddy’s gaze flicker, and hope bloomed again in his heart. He didn’t really want to be an orphan.
He just wanted to go home, to eat the crispy golden fries Big Daddy made with his own hands.
So he began explaining, his tone serious and earnest, about how he came to “see Big Daddy and Little Daddy in a dream.”
Between his childlike rambling came surprisingly specific details about Mr. Nie’s private habits,
details no outsider could possibly know.
“Big Daddy likes to turn the air conditioner down really low, and then he wraps Little Daddy and Yuanbao up in a blanket and hugs us all tight~”
Finally, Yuanbao leaned forward over the table, his little voice ringing with pure conviction.
“Big Daddy! Yuanbao is your precious late-in-life treasure!”
Outside the door, Lawyer Zhou froze mid-step.
…Was that something he was supposed to hear? Probably not. He backed away three paces on instinct.
Inside, Mr. Nie simply stared at the little boy, his expression unreadable.
“So,” he said at last, voice cool, “While your father was abroad, it seems his thoughts never truly left the Nie family mansion.”
Yuanbao blinked. His small brow furrowed in confusion, “Big Daddy, what are you talking about?”
Mr. Nie’s tone turned faintly mocking, “Your father may look like a crooked melon, but you … somehow, turned out better than him.”
Yuanbao didn’t understand the insult, but he knew it felt like a bad thing.
His round face scrunched up, and he stomped his foot in outrage.
At that moment, a knock sounded on the door.
“Come in.”
Lawyer Zhou pushed the door open carefully. The phrase “late-in-life treasure” was still ringing in his ears, so he didn’t dare take another step forward.
Believing, like Aunt Zhao, that the child was likely the second young master’s, he reported in a cautious tone,
“Mr. Nie, the personnel from the private hospital have arrived to perform the DNA test. I asked them, “the latest equipment allows for an immediate preliminary result.”
He hesitated, glancing between the solemn man and the bright-eyed little boy. To his surprise, he noticed something, their eyebrows had a similar arch, only differing in shade: one darker, one softer.
If nephews could look like uncles, wasn’t that still a kind of family resemblance?
Mr. Nie caught his wandering gaze and lifted an eyebrow.
Lawyer Zhou quickly cleared his throat.
“The child is very young, so the officers will remain present while the sample is taken and results are processed.”
At that, Yuanbao muttered softly under his breath, “I’m too little? But Big Daddy is the one trying to send me away!”
The lawyer nearly dropped his folder. Whose side are you on, kid?!
Mr. Nie didn’t respond, but inwardly he had already reached a conclusion.
He rose from his seat.
Yuanbao craned his neck to look up at him, eyes glimmering with hope.
Mr. Nie showed no reaction, simply walking toward the door and gesturing for Lawyer Zhou to handle the rest.
Panicking, the lawyer hurried back to the child, crouching down to explain gently what the DNA test was and what they were going to do.
Yuanbao listened carefully, his little face serious, his small hands clenched in his lap.
He understood.
It turned out that Daddy didn’t believe what he said, he wanted confirmation.
Lawyer Zhou grew tense, half-expecting the little boy to burst into tears right in front of him.
He’d spent years in the courtroom, eloquent and sharp-tongued, able to debate and dismantle any adult opponent but when it came to comforting children, he was utterly helpless.
Yet, unexpectedly, the child only let out a long, weary sigh.
That soft, round belly of his visibly deflated with the breath, like a small balloon losing air.
In a tiny muttering voice, Yuanbao complained, “Little Daddy was right. Big Daddy really is such a bother.”
Lawyer Zhou: “…?”
Who on earth was this Little Daddy, and how dare anyone teach the kid to say something like that?
But Yuanbao only shook his head, wearing the most grown-up expression imaginable, like he was reluctantly forgiving an annoying parent.
His chubby cheeks puffed slightly as he patted his tiny palms and added in a comforting, sing-song tone,
“Don’t worry, Mister Stranger, I won’t cry. You don’t have to be scared, okay?”
Lawyer Zhou was completely speechless.
How could the simple-minded Second Young Master possibly have produced a child this perceptive, this sharp? Was this some kind of genetic mutation? Or had the kid simply taken after Mr. Nie instead?
Oh no…
The police officers, the butler, and the lawyer all stepped out to give space while the testing staff stayed behind. No matter what the result turned out to be, it was a serious matter, so everyone stood on edge, faces taut with tension.
According to the technician, blood testing was the most accurate method.
But after a pause, Mr. Nie’s cold voice cut through the quiet, “Test the hair instead.”
He glanced briefly toward the little boy sitting farthest away, clearly intent on keeping his distance. Yuanbao had deliberately chosen that seat himself, to make it clear, with both body and willpower, that he was very, very upset.
That was important. Very important!
Nie Shenyuan’s dark eyes lingered on him for several seconds before he said no more. Removing the black gloves that he always wore, he leaned back in the chair, signaling the technicians to proceed as instructed.
The others assumed it was because he didn’t want to scare the child with a needle, and that was why he’d chosen hair instead of blood.
After a few words of gentle explanation from one of the female technicians, Yuanbao obediently tilted his head and let her carefully comb through his hair.
Fortunately, a strand with the root still attached came off easily, so there was no need to pull any.
Even with the newest rapid-result technology, it would still take a bit of time.
While waiting, Yuanbao kept both eyes fixed sharply on his Big Daddy, like a tiny, vigilant guard watching a suspicious adult.
Mr. Nie met the stare without expression, perfectly composed.
Then
Whoosh!
The little boy darted a pudgy hand toward the tea table, stole a small pastry, and took careful bites while still glaring at the man, as if challenging him.
Nie Shenyuan had the faint, absurd realization that this was probably the first time in his life he’d ever dealt directly with such a small child.
A stray thought even flickered across his mind, When this kid grows up, he’ll probably be far more interesting than that brainless illegitimate son from years ago.
At that moment, a stir rippled through the technicians.
The lead scientist’s expression shifted from concentration to confusion, then to outright disbelief. He refreshed the data multiple times before finally freezing, face pale.
Mr. Nie’s tone was low, controlled. “What’s the result?”
The man quickly handed over his tablet. “Mr. Nie, this is… Uh”
Mr. Nie’s gaze fell on the report.
[Parent–child relationship probability: 99.9999%]
His brows furrowed.
Cold sweat the size of beans rolled down the technician’s temple. “According to all measured markers, sir… you are indeed this child’s biological father.”
The words made the air tighten.
Mr. Nie flung the tablet back into the man’s hands. “Your equipment is faulty.”
He said it with absolute certainty. For years, he had never once been intimate with a woman. He alone knew that his orientation made that impossible.
The technician swallowed hard. “There’s… there’s a chance the use of the child’s hair sample caused some… statistical distortion, but…. ”
Nie Shenyuan’s gaze returned to the boy. His look had changed, no longer distant but heavy with scrutiny and complex calculation.
Because in this age of advanced biotechnology, there were, indeed, ways for a child to exist without traditional conception.
Around the room, everyone else stiffened, thoughts racing to the same unspoken possibilities.
Meanwhile, oblivious to the adults’ shock, little Yuanbao’s eyes sparkled with triumph. He lifted his chin proudly.
“Humph! Now you know Yuanbao wasn’t lying!”
Nie Shenyuan recalled how the child had earlier mentioned “making a wish before bed to come see Daddy and Daddy’s wedding.”
He lifted his head and motioned for the technicians to leave. They fled the room in record time.
Once it was only the two of them again, the man’s tone was calm but edged with curiosity.
“Repeat what you said earlier, about traveling from the future.”
Yuanbao puffed his cheeks, indignant. “Big Daddy isn’t polite at all. You’re supposed to say, ‘Please, adorable little Yuanbao, would you tell me again?’”
Silence.
Nie Shenyuan didn’t answer. His earlier remark about “faulty instruments” had sounded final, yet the child’s words stirred something unsettling in his mind.
He asked coldly, “You said that, in the future, I’m your father. And I talk to you like this?”
Yuanbao’s eyes widened. “Future Big Daddy always picks me up when he comes home! He lifts me high in the air, kisses my cheeks! Every single day!”
As he spoke, his little face softened, glowing with innocent happiness. He poked at his own dimples proudly.
“Big Daddy says if he kisses here, my dimples will grow deeper!”
Nie Shenyuan stared as if listening to a story from another planet.
A man’s imagination defines the limits of his world and for the thirty-one-year-old Nie Shenyuan, this was far beyond anything he could believe himself capable of.
He couldn’t imagine himself behaving that way, warm, affectionate, smiling. Impossible.
“Huuh…”
Yuanbao exhaled, disappointed that Big Daddy still didn’t believe him.
A knock came. Lawyer Zhou entered again, looking uncertain as he glanced between the two, one small, one tall were locked in their strange standoff. He came to ask how they should proceed next.
Nie Shenyuan didn’t take his eyes off the child, “Schedule another detailed test for tomorrow.”
The lawyer didn’t dare ask what would happen to the boy in the meantime. He simply waited.
After several seconds, Mr. Nie gave a quiet, decisive command: “Arrange accommodations, he will stay…. ”
Lawyer Zhou’s mind immediately filled with logistical questions. Stay where? the main residence or a side building? but he wisely kept his mouth shut and went to inform the butler.
When they were alone again, Mr. Nie looked down at the fidgeting child. “For now, don’t tell anyone else about your appearance here.”
Yuanbao nodded solemnly, pressing both tiny hands over his mouth, peeking out through his fingers as he mumbled, “Yuanbao only talks to Little Daddy and Big Daddy, promise.”
He tilted his head, noticing that Big Daddy’s expression had softened ever so slightly. “Big Daddy,” he asked hopefully, “can I have a hug now?”
Nie Shenyuan had lived a life too full of power struggles and losses to be easily shaken, but facing a suddenly-appeared child calling him “Daddy” was… something else entirely.
He hesitated. Then, in a quiet voice, said, “Come here.”
Yuanbao froze.
Ugh, so stingy!
He wanted a hug, and Big Daddy still made him walk over himself!
He slid off the sofa, ran to the man’s side, and lifted his chubby little hands, giving them a small shake in appeal.
Mr. Nie didn’t move. He realized, a bit stiffly, that he had never actually held a child before. His posture locked, uncertain.
“….”
With a tiny sigh, Yuanbao took matters into his own hands. He clambered up onto his father’s lap, settled sideways, and leaned his soft little face against the man’s suit collar. Like a kitten rubbing against its favorite human, he nuzzled and whispered,
“Big Daddy~~”
Nie Shenyuan lowered his gaze.
His fingers, resting on the chair’s armrest, twitched almost imperceptibly. Some instinct buried deep in his bloodline urged him, against all logic to reach out.
Finally, he did. Awkwardly, almost mechanically, his hand brushed through the boy’s fine, silky hair.
When Yuanbao looked up, smiling, he withdrew his hand quickly, letting it fall back to his side.
Their eyes met, one clear and innocent, the other shadowed and restrained.
“What do you want to say?” he asked.
Yuanbao suddenly raised his tiny fists and pounded gently on Big Daddy’s arm, puffing his cheeks in mock anger.
“Big Daddy, hurry up and take Yuanbao to find Little Daddy already!”
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Cressilia
[Translator]
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ChaptersChapter 1 · YaunBao in wrong Time lineChapter 2 · Finding Big DaddyChapter 3 · DNA ProofChapter 4 · Hospital visitChapter 5 · New RoleChapter 6 · Meeting Daddy SoonChapter 7 · New NeighbourChapter 8 · Moving inChapter 9 · Meeting Little Daddy again!Chapter 10 · WhiteChapter 11 · Car for Little DaddyChapter 12 · Live StreamChapter 13 · KittyChapter 14 · Bonding Time~Chapter 15 · White CatChapter 16 · Yuanbao, your dad is terrifying!Chapter 17 · Will Dad blow up the kitchen?Chapter 18 Part 1 · Little Dad, let’s get New Big Dad!Chapter 18 Part 2 · Little Dad, let’s get new Big Dad!Chapter 19 · Yuanbao doesn’t have a loving big dadChapter 20 Part 1 · Dad never holds back Yuanbao~ No, no~Chapter 20 Part 2 · Dad never holds back Yuanbao~ No, no~Chapter 21 · Little Dad’s friendChapter 22 · Our Child from future!Chapter 23 · Little Daddy Knows!Chapter 24 · How did the two fathers meet?Chapter 25 · They really treat him like a gold ingot!Chapter 26 · Big Daddy really likes little daddyChapter 27 · Hehe, Yuanbao’s dad is such a humorous personChapter 28 · This name sounds like some kind of unspoken codeChapter 29 · Don’t you dare steal Yuanbao’s little dad!Chapter 30 · You’re so smart, it’s only natural that our child is clever too.Chapter 31 · That’s definitely a hickey!Chapter 32 · We simply can’t compete!Chapter 33 · Big Dad, you’re not allowed to bully Little DadChapter 34 · Amusement ParkChapter 35 · Big Dad, you have to protect Little DadChapter 36 · Go eat friesChapter 37 · These fries are so deliciousChapter 38 · Yuanbao imitated his dad’s tone: “No, no~”Chapter 39 · Did you hurt Daddy’s hand?Chapter 40 · Were the father and son plotting something behind my back?Chapter 41 · They really went a little too far in the future.Chapter 42 · Sudden feeling of being “needed”Chapter 43 · The little guy tells his dad everythingChapter 44 · Why was Dad secretly observing him?Chapter 45 · I’ll introduce you to these two adorable peopleChapter 46 · According to family hierarchyChapter 47 · Yuanbao is mine and Jingyuan’s childChapter 48 · Little Yuanbao, you sound just like your dad talking right now!Chapter 49 · Are you happy today?Chapter 50 · Waaah, how could Daddy say such bad things about Yuanbao to Little Daddy?!Chapter 51 · Dad, will Yuanbao have a younger brother or sister?Chapter 52 · Let him handle the whole “conquering” thing!Chapter 53 · Dad, do you miss dad?Chapter 54 · Yuanbao’s Dad, how about we start dating?Chapter 55 · Did the two fathers talk for two days before telling Yuanbao?Chapter 56 · I’d like a different birthday presentChapter 57 · I love playing like this with my two dadsChapter 58 · Dad, come home soonChapter 59 · Jingyuan, let me hold you for a whileChapter 60 · Big Dad and Little Dad are just like Yuanbao’s left and right feetChapter 61 · Yuanbao, how about letting your father sleep in the middle?Chapter 62 · Waiting for your goodnight kissChapter 63 · Philodendron, McDowellChapter 64 · Little Dad is so badChapter 65 · Yuanbao wants to stay home and play every dayChapter 66 · Where’s my little Yuanbao?Chapter 67 · He’s my childChapter 68 · Two fathers?Chapter 69 · Does French Fries taste the same?Chapter 70 · Teacher AnnieChapter 71 · You’re bullying meChapter 72 · Big Dad asked Little Dad to kiss you for himChapter 73 · I think what’s missing is a formal confessionChapter 74 · If the ingot is an inward square, thenChapter 75 · Little Potato Ball and Daddy PotatoChapter 76 · That must be some other silly kidChapter 77 · In the future, how about I help you pluck out your white hairs?Chapter 78 · Little Dad already tried his best to help you!Chapter 79 · You can only blame the prize for being too temptingChapter 80 · Little Dad will hold a personal art exhibition just for youChapter 81 · Shall I make it up to you?Chapter 82 · Little Dad, kiss kiss~ Help Yuanbao give Big Dad a kiss tooChapter 83 · You’ll just say he’s a relative’s childChapter 84 · #PeiJingyuanMalePregnancy#Chapter 85 · Family GatheringChapter 86 · Yuanbao will work hard and make lots of money!Chapter 86 · Extra 1Chapter 87 · Who’s he messaging?Chapter 87 · Extra 2Chapter 88 · Why are you blushing?Chapter 88 · Extra 3Chapter 89 · Let’s get marriedChapter 89 · Extra 4Chapter 90 · Hair CutChapter 90 · Extra 5Chapter 91 · They’re willing to accept you as part of the familyChapter 92 · A Family DinnerChapter 93 · This is Yuanbao’s… very, very tall Big Dad, Nie ShenyuanChapter 94 · The wedding