Traveling Through the Book and Becoming a Cub Among the Villains - Chapter 106

Qin Cheng stared at his father in disbelief.

Mu Zheng pulled him into his arms and explained gently, “Your mother and I didn’t mean to deceive you. Things happened so suddenly, and we were afraid you’d worry. We thought it best to wait until things stabilized before telling you, so you wouldn’t have to live in fear. You’re our child, and of course you should know when your mother is ill. That’s why I came back specifically to tell you. Xiao Cheng, would you like to visit your mother with me tomorrow?”

Qin Cheng nodded eagerly.

“Is Mom still feeling unwell?”

“She’s much better now. The doctor says she needs to stay in the hospital for a few more days for observation. If everything looks good, she can go home. Then you can come home, too.”

Qin Cheng hummed in agreement, “I can take care of Mom.”

Mu Zheng stroked his hair, “You’re such a good boy, Xiao Cheng. But you’re still young. Let Auntie, the nanny, handle the caregiving. You can spend extra time talking with your mother. That would be wonderful.”

“Okay,” Qin Cheng agreed.

Mu Zheng kissed him.

Qin Cheng hugged him tightly, his small arms unconsciously squeezing with all their might.

He had never known that while he was happy and carefree, his mother was ill.

Qin Cheng felt a pang of sadness, but even more, he was terrified.

He was a very clever child, and despite Mu Zheng’s efforts to downplay the severity of Qin Luan’s condition, Qin Cheng sensed the danger.

His mother wouldn’t hide a simple cold or fever from him and send him to Grandpa’s house.

Colds and fevers were minor illnesses, so his mother’s illness must be something far more serious.

Qin Cheng didn’t want to lose his mother.

He loved her dearly and wanted to stay with her forever.

Sensing his tension and fear, Mu Zheng gently patted his back and soothed, “It’s okay, Xiao Cheng. Mommy’s fine now. Don’t be scared.”

Qin Cheng clung to him for a long time before finally giving a soft, almost imperceptible nod.

He spent the night with Mu Zheng, and the next day, they went to the hospital together, accompanied by Ye Qingxi.

Ye Qingxi bought flowers.

He chose a bouquet of pristine white calla lilies for himself and helped Qin Cheng pick out a bunch of pink carnations.

Qin Cheng held the flowers close as they boarded the car together.

Qin Luan was staying in a VIP hospital room, which was spacious and comfortable.

Ever since receiving Mu Zheng’s messaGe that they were on their way, she had been unable to sleep, eagerly awaiting their arrival.

Every time she heard a sound outside her door, Qin Luan would sit up and peer toward the entrance.

But it was never the people she was waiting for, instead, doctors and nurses came and went.

Finally, after repeatedly checking the time on her watch, the person she longed to see gently pushed open her hospital room door and walked in.

Qin Luan immediately sat up in bed, smiling warmly at them.

Qin Cheng’s footsteps slowed involuntarily as he gazed at her, his eyes stinging with emotion.

His mother had grown so thin.

Ye Qingxi stepped forward first, presenting the bouquet of calla lilies to Qin Luan.

“Thank you,” Qin Luan said softly.

Ye Qingxi shook his head, “Eldest Aunt, please get well soon.”

“Mm, I will,” Qin Luan replied.

“I really owe you a debt of gratitude for this, Xiao Xi,” she said.

“You’re welcome,” Ye Qingxi said with a warm smile. “I’m just glad you’re alright, Eldest Aunt.”

Qin Luan chuckled, “Thanks to you, I’m fine now.”

With that, she turned to look at her son.

Qin Cheng slowly walked toward her.

He handed her the pink carnations he was holding.

Qin Luan took them and said, “They’re beautiful. Mommy loves them.”

Qin Cheng stared at her, wanting to say something but unsure of what to say.

His heart was a tangled mess of emotions, like an endless drizzle of rain, heavy and oppressive.

Qin Luan turned, placed the two bouquets of flowers on the nearby table, then pulled Qin Cheng close and hugged him.

“It’s alright now,” she reassured him. “Mommy’s fine. After a few more days of rest, I’ll be discharged, and we can go home together.”

She lowered her gaze to her son and gently stroked his cheek.

For once, Qin Cheng allowed his emotions to surface.

Qin Cheng buried his face in his mother’s arms, clinging to her tightly. Qin Luan patted his back, soothing him gently.

Ye Qingxi heard a faint whimper, like a small animal sobbing. He instinctively wanted to leave, to give Qin Cheng more privacy to express his hidden emotions with his mother.

But as he turned, he saw Mu Zheng standing behind him.

Ye Qingxi, “…..”

Ye Qingxi remembered he was a 5-year-old. Leaving the hospital room alone was impossible. His uncle would never allow it.

So Ye Qingxi grabbed Mu Zheng’s arm and led him out of the room.

Mu Zheng assumed Ye Qingxi had something to tell him. At the doorway, he asked, “What’s wrong, Xiao Xi? Is there something you want to say?”

Ye Qingxi shook his head, “I just want Brother Qin Cheng to have some time alone with his mom.”

Mu Zheng was touched by Ye Qingxi’s thoughtfulness and gentleness. He led the boy to a nearby chair and said, “Your uncle is very grateful to you. If you hadn’t warned us, Brother Qin Cheng might have lost his mother.”

“I don’t want Brother Qin Cheng to lose his mom,” Ye Qingxi replied.

Mu Zheng listened to Ye Qingxi’s words and asked, “What about you? Do you want a mother? Do you miss your mother?”

After Ye Qingxi joined the Mu family, everyone instinctively avoided mentioning his biological mother. It was as if they believed that if they didn’t bring it up, Ye Qingxi would never realize he had one.

But how could he not know?

Even if he truly didn’t, wouldn’t he wonder where his mother was when he saw other children with their mothers, spending time together? Wouldn’t he wonder why she wasn’t there for him, why she never came to see him?

No one had ever asked Ye Qingxi this question.

Because everyone wanted to keep him away from his biological mother.

Ye Qingxi himself never asked, fully aware that the Mu family had taken him in. Asking about his biological mother would seem like ingratitude toward the Mu family, as if he longed for someone else more.

They had maintained this unspoken balance of “you don’t ask, I don’t tell.” But now, Mu Zheng wanted to shatter that equilibrium.

Ye Qingxi was just a child.

A 5-year-old child.

He was so young, he had every right to ask.

Mu Zheng didn’t want him to hide this longing beneath his cheerful exterior, carrying the weight of it in his heart.

It was perfectly natural for a child to miss their mother, especially when everyone around him had one except him.

Ye Qingxi couldn’t help but see his former mother’s face in his mind.

He shook his head, “I don’t want to.”

“Really?” Mu Zheng asked gently. “Xiao Xi, you’re still young. It’s perfectly normal to miss her.”

Mu Zheng suspected Ye Qingxi was just embarrassed to admit he missed her, hence his denial.

But Ye Qingxi genuinely didn’t miss her.

There was nothing to miss.

Their mother-son bond had been severed completely the day he attempted suicide.

What followed was nothing but a karmic entanglement—an inescapable, unbreakable tie of fate.

“I don’t like her,” he murmured.

Mu Zheng watched Ye Qingxi’s downcast eyes, then wrapped an arm around his shoulders, pulling him close.

“It’s good you don’t,” Mu Zheng said. “She was the one who wronged you first. You have every right not to like her.”

Ye Qingxi nodded.

He wasn’t the one who had wronged her, she had wronged him first. He had every reason and right to dislike her.

Ye Qingxi turned and hugged Mu Zheng.

He didn’t know why.

Why, at this moment, he felt the urge to hold onto the person beside him.

Why, even though he no longer cared for her, he still felt a pang of injustice.

Perhaps this sense of injustice had nothing to do with affection, but everything to do with what had happened.

Ye Qingxi thought, I don’t need a mother. I won’t miss her. I’m perfectly fine as I am.

No further changes were needed.

Mu Zheng gently stroked Ye Qingxi’s back, soothing him, “It’s alright now. If you don’t like her, she’ll have nothing to do with you from now on.”

“Mm,” Ye Qingxi murmured in response.

Mu Zheng touched his face. Ye Qingxi’s skin was soft and warm, not cold—he hadn’t cried. Thank goodness.

Mu Zheng sighed in relief, his voice softening, “Your Eldest Aunt adores you. If you ever feel like you need a mother, you can think of her as your own. She would be overjoyed and more than willing.”

Ye Qingxi, “????”

Huh?

Ye Qingxi looked up, meeting Mu Zheng’s tender and earnest gaze.

Ye Qingxi, “…..”

Before he could explain that his father had already appointed a surrogate mother for him, Mu Zheng continued, “Actually, from the very beginning, I wanted to adopt you. Your father was so young, and I worried he wouldn’t be able to care for you properly. But I already had your brother, and your father didn’t have any children yet, so your Grandpa insisted on making him your father.”

Mu Zheng ruffled Ye Qingxi’s hair. “Otherwise, you’d be my and your Eldest Aunt’s child right now.”

“Of course, your dad’s doing a great job raising you.”

Ye Qingxi, “????”

Ye Qingxi had never known about this.

He looked into Mu Zheng’s gentle, almost doting eyes. Does your younger brother know you feel this way?

His uncle had actually wanted to adopt him and be his father—he’d said it was just an initial thought, but judging by his current expression, he didn’t seem to have given up on the idea!

Ye Qingxi, …Some people might appear to have only one father, but in reality, they have three!

My life is truly full of hidden fathers!

After Ye Qingxi and Mu Zheng had been outside for a while, Qin Cheng finally emerged.

Having finished crying, he turned around to find his father and younger brother gone. Realizing they might have noticed his tears, he quickly wiped his eyes, exchanged a few words with Qin Luan, and hurried out to find them.

Seeing him approach, Mu Zheng stood up and walked to meet him, “Did you finish talking to Mom?” he asked.

Qin Cheng nodded, a little embarrassed.

Mu Zheng ruffled his hair, then turned and waved to Ye Qingxi. He led Qin Cheng back to Qin Luan’s hospital room.

Qin Luan would need to stay in the hospital for a few more days, and Mu Zheng wanted to be there for her. Naturally, Qin Cheng would continue living at the old mansion.

Ye Qingxi went home with him.

Mrs. Zhang had baked egg tarts for them.

Ye Qingxi pulled Qin Cheng to the coffee table in the living room, and they began eating.

“Is it good, Brother?” Ye Qingxi asked.

Qin Cheng nodded.

His mood had unconsciously dipped again after Mu Zheng’s departure.

Ye Qingxi placed a chocolate-drizzled egg tart in front of him, “Brother, if you want, you can visit Mom again tomorrow. I’ll go with you.”

Qin Cheng looked up at him.

Ye Qingxi smiled, “We’ll ask Aunt Zhang to make some delicious soup to take with us.”

Qin Cheng gazed at Ye Qingxi’s adorable face, brimming with concern, and whispered, “Xiao Xi, don’t get sick, again.”

Ye Qingxi froze, startled.

Qin Cheng stared at him, his unspoken words hanging in the air, Don’t get sick. Don’t leave me.

He was still shaken.

For Qin Cheng, this period had been the happiest time of his life. He had the mother he adored, the father he longed for, a loving grandfather, and a younger brother he cherished. Every day felt like a dream. The sky seemed brighter, the wind crisper, and even the moon at night appeared to follow him.

But now, his mother’s sudden illness had shattered this illusion, reminding him that nothing was permanent. What he held dear could vanish in an instant.

Qin Cheng was afraid. He didn’t want to lose anyone he cared about. He wanted everyone to stay healthy and safe, right by his side.

He turned and hugged Ye Qingxi tightly.

“Don’t get sick,” he repeated.

Let me be the one to fall ill.

“But don’t get sick yourself.”

Ye Qingxi listened to his words, remaining silent for a long moment.

After a long pause, he finally hummed in agreement.

The sound was soft, yet resolute.

He wouldn’t get sick, again.

He refused to. He couldn’t bear to be sick, again.

Author’s Notes:

Xiao Xi: I want to be a healthy person both physically and mentally in this life!

[Small Theater]

Xiao Xi: Is daddy the specialty of your Mu family? There are so many daddies!

Mu Shaowu said sarcastically: That’s right, I didn’t even know it before~