What's Wrong with This Alpha? - Chapter 74

Chapter 74 – Dad!

Duan Yi asked them how they had ended up in his room.

Neither child could explain clearly. One said he had just woken up and found himself there, while the other claimed Uncle He had brought them.

Who the hell is Uncle He? Duan Yi wondered. He racked his brain but couldn’t recall anyone by that name in his social circle. Could it be Old He?

Sheng Xi’s stomach rumbled, snapping Duan Yi out of his thoughts.

“Stay here,” he said. “I’ll go make you some noodles.”

At this hour, the housekeeper was asleep. Feeling guilty, Duan Yi peeked back several times before leaving the room to make sure the children were sitting obediently on the bed.

They were being perfectly well-behaved.

Duan Yi sighed in relief and tiptoed into the kitchen to cook a bowl of egg noodles.

The noodles were thin and overcooked until they were mushy.

The older brother liked his eggs soft-boiled, while the younger one preferred them hard-boiled.

One refused scallions, the other cilantro.

A single bowl would be enough for both of them. Duan Yi expertly removed the ingredients the children disliked and scurried back to his bedroom with the steaming bowl of egg noodles, looking as guilty as a thief.

The savory aroma drifted into the bedroom as Duan Yi placed the bowl on the low desk.

He closed the window to keep out the light snowfall.

He brought the two precious boys out of the bedroom and arranged them side-by-side at the desk.

Duan Yi prepared two small bowls and ladled in a spoonful of noodles—they were so overcooked that they kept slipping off his chopsticks.

He gave one bowl to Sheng Ming and the other to Sheng Xi.

Two delicate little bowls sat with spoons beside them. Duan Yi blew on the noodles twice, gave the soft-boiled egg to his older son, Sheng Ming, and the hard-boiled one to his younger son, Sheng Xi, urging, “Eat quickly.”

Sheng Xi, ravenous, grabbed his bowl and slurped down the noodles.

“Hey!” Duan Yi snatched the bowl away. “Slow down! You’ll burn yourself.”

Sheng Xi stuck out his tongue, indeed scalded.

Duan Yi took over feeding him. Sheng Ming mercilessly exposed Sheng Xi’s little act, “He did that on purpose.”

As if I didn’t know, Duan Yi thought.

Sheng Ming pursed his lips. “I want to be fed too.”

Damn it, Duan Yi thought. I knew history always repeats itself. You two were just waiting for me here!

After feeding both sons, a bit of noodles remained in the bowl. Duan Yi finished them in a few bites before climbing into bed, remembering he hadn’t asked Sheng Yunze if he was home yet.

He reached for his phone under the covers, then hesitated.

Damn… why are Sheng Ming and Sheng Xi here?

Am I really not dreaming?

I just confirmed it wasn’t a dream.

Sheng Ming had washed his face first, then his younger brother’s.

With their short arms and legs, they clambered onto Duan Yi’s bed, each finding a comfortable spot to lie down, their eyes shining as they stared at him.

Duan Yi tucked them in. “Go to sleep. I’ll take you shopping for clothes tomorrow.”

Sheng Ming refused to close his eyes. “I want to look at you a little longer.”

“Can you see the flowers?” Duan Yi asked.

“Can I hug you?” Sheng Ming asked.

Duan Yi’s heart ached. “You don’t need to ask.”

Sheng Ming looked at him expectantly. “Can I have another kiss?”

Duan Yi leaned down and gently kissed Sheng Ming’s forehead.

Then he kissed Sheng Xi’s cheek and smiled. “Alright, all kissed. Can we sleep now?”

Sheng Ming clung to Duan Yi’s arm, his soft cheek pressed against him.

Sheng Xi lay on Duan Yi’s other side, struggling to lift Duan Yi’s arm. He carved out a small space for himself and then nestled into it.

He closed his eyes, and large tears instantly rolled into the quilt, dampening a patch.

Sheng Xi buried his face deep into the bedding, so no one could see he was crying.

Duan Yi waited until both children were asleep before getting out of bed, intending to move Sheng Xi closer to Sheng Ming.

When his hand touched Sheng Xi’s face, he discovered tear tracks that hadn’t fully dried, with droplets clinging to his eyelashes—evidence that he had cried himself to sleep.

Duan Yi’s heart twisted with pain. After tucking the two boys together under the covers, he sat on the edge of the bed, pondering the unbelievable events of the night.

After a moment, he picked up a pen and paper from the desk and began writing down his thoughts.

He wrote “Parallel World” first, followed by a question mark.

Is this truly a parallel world?

Only today did Duan Yi begin to doubt everything he had previously believed.

He had been in a car accident during the summer vacation after his second year of high school. Duan Yi struggled to recall the details of the crash.

The more he tried to remember, the worse his headache became, and he couldn’t piece together any cause or consequence.

Who had hit him? Why had he been hit? How had he gotten to the hospital? How had he woken up?

If he had transmigrated to a parallel world because of the accident, had over a decade truly passed there?

Why were Sheng Ming and Sheng Xi only five years old?

As these thoughts swirled, Duan Yi couldn’t help but consider the most pressing question: If Sheng Ming and Sheng Xi could come here, then—

What about Sheng Yunze?

The Sheng Yunze from that world?

Duan Yi felt his brain reaching its limit.

The white paper before him blurred as he wrote, and he slumped over the edge of the bed and fell asleep.

The next morning, Duan Yi opened his eyes.

First, he saw Sheng Ming, then Sheng Xi.

All three blinked in unison.

In the sunlight, the children’s faces appeared even paler.

Overall, Sheng Ming and Sheng Xi resembled Sheng Yunze, but their chubby cheeks bore an uncanny resemblance to Duan Yi’s own.

They looked like two soft, fluffy steamed buns.

This isn’t a dream…

Duan Yi’s mind snapped into focus. He grabbed his phone and saw it was already seven in the morning.

The nanny downstairs was already awake and would likely call Duan Yi for breakfast around 7:30.

Sheng Xi stared wide-eyed at him, pinching his cheek. “It’s really Mom! I don’t think I was dreaming last night.”

Duan Yi gently removed his younger son’s hand. Sheng Ming reached out and touched Duan Yi’s other cheek. “You’re so much smaller now.”

Xiaoduan Mom’s footsteps approached the door, followed by her soft voice, “Baby, breakfast time!”

“It’s Grandma!” Sheng Xi exclaimed, leaping out of bed and preparing to jump to the floor.

Duan Yi intercepted him mid-air. “No running around!”

After a moment of hesitation, he looked earnestly at his sons. “Brother, sit properly. Younger brother, sit next to your brother.”

Sheng Ming and Sheng Xi gazed at him expectantly. Duan Yi cleared his throat. “I have something important to tell you.”

He rubbed his nose. “Um… you can’t call people randomly, okay? You can’t just call anyone ‘Grandpa’ or ‘Grandma.’ And you can’t call my mom ‘Mom’ or me ‘Dad.’ You have to call me ‘Brother,’ understand?”

Duan Yi struggled to explain to the two children, opting for the simplest explanation possible. “Look, I’m still in high school. You know, studying. I’m not married to your dad yet, and you two don’t exist yet. So you can’t call anyone ‘Mom’ or ‘Dad’ or ‘Grandma’ or ‘Grandpa’ yet.”

Sheng Xi and Sheng Ming listened, understanding only bits and pieces.

Duan Yi racked his brain, struggling to explain. Sheng Ming and Sheng Xi exchanged glances, then suddenly declared, “We understand!”

Duan Yi: …

“Really?”

Sheng Ming nodded vigorously. “Really!”

Sheng Xi nodded too. “If Brother understands, then I do too!”

Duan Yi warned sternly, “You know how fierce Grandpa is. If you don’t want your butts whipped, you’d better listen to me, understand?”

Sheng Ming nodded. Duan Yi sighed in relief. “Keep an eye on your brother. I’ll go get breakfast.”

After Duan Yi left, Sheng Xi asked Sheng Ming, “Why can’t we call Grandma ‘Grandma’?”

Sheng Ming scoffed at his younger brother. “Didn’t you say you understood?”

He paused, then admitted, “I don’t know either.”

Sheng Xi persisted, “Why doesn’t Mom sleep with Dad?”

Sheng Ming hesitated. “…I don’t know.”

Sheng Xi’s eyes lit up. “You don’t know anything! You’re so dumb! A dumbass can’t be an older brother. From now on, I’m the older brother!”

Sheng Ming protested, “I was born first!” He argued fiercely, “I’ll figure it out soon!”

Duan Yi’s phone screen lit up.

A message from Sheng Yunze, “Free this afternoon?”

Sheng Xi jumped off the bed and picked up Duan Yi’s phone, which had fallen to the floor.

Duan Yi had saved Sheng Yunze’s contact as “School Beauty.” Sheng Ming and Sheng Xi glanced at it and expertly unlocked Duan Yi’s phone.

The two little ones squatted on the floor, studying the phone for a while, when another message from Sheng Yunze arrived: I’ll come find you at one o’clock.

“Who is he?” Sheng Xi asked, looking at Sheng Ming.

“What’s a ‘school beauty’?” Sheng Ming replied.

Sheng Xi, embarrassed to admit he didn’t recognize the character for “school,” stared intently at the screen for a moment. Then another message from Sheng Yunze popped up.

“Why is he always messaging Mom?” Sheng Ming grumbled.

“Uncle He said ‘school beauty’ just means ‘woman,'” Sheng Xi explained.

What does that mean?

Had their mother found them a stepmother while they were away?

Sheng Xi snatched the phone and furiously typed: Who are you?

When Sheng Yunze received this message, he was in the middle of an exam. His eyebrow twitched at the sight of the words, and without hesitation, he called the number.

After a moment, the call connected. A childish, high-pitched voice answered, “Hello?”

Sheng Yunze: …

The voice asked, “You still haven’t said who you are!”

“And who are you?” Sheng Yunze retorted.

Sheng Ming mouthed, “Don’t tell strangers your name.”

Sheng Xi nodded, about to say something, when Duan Yi returned.

As the door opened, Sheng Yunze faintly heard someone on the other end call out “Mommy.” Then the phone crackled with static before Duan Yi’s voice boomed, “What the hell? Why are you calling me?”

Sheng Yunze cut to the chase. “Who was that kid who answered the phone?”

Duan Yi was uncharacteristically silent for a moment before bursting into laughter. “Hahaha! Oh, that’s my relative’s kid. They dropped him off for a few days over the New Year. He was just playing with my phone.”

Sheng Yunze retorted sharply, “Your laugh sounds fake.”

Duan Yi: …

Sheng Xi pouted. “Why am I suddenly your relative’s kid? Yesterday I was your precious darling.”

Duan Yi pushed Sheng Xi toward the door. “Go eat with your brother. Go, go, go…”

Sheng Xi pouted, clearly displeased.

He’d picked up this bad habit from Sheng Yunze—pouting whenever something went wrong. And with his face so similar to Sheng Yunze’s, he looked like a miniature version of his brother.

Sheng Yunze changed the subject. “Let’s hang out this afternoon.”

Duan Yi: “I’ve got some family stuff to deal with. I can’t make it.”

Duan Yi glanced at Sheng Ming and Sheng Xi, who were both staring intently at his phone. Duan Yi felt a pang of guilt under their scrutiny. “I probably won’t be able to go out for a while.”

This time, Sheng Yunze was the one who looked displeased. “What’s going on?”

Duan Yi forced himself to answer, “It’s about a relative’s child…”

Having dealt with the bigger issue, now he had to handle the two little ones.

Duan Yi still didn’t understand what was happening with these children. Why had they appeared in the real world? Had they always been here, or would they eventually return to their own world?

And who was this “Uncle He” they kept mentioning? How had he brought them here?

His mind raced with questions, but when Duan Yi noticed the twins’ light summer clothes, he decided to focus on getting his son some warm winter clothes first.

An hour later, at a shopping mall in the city center, Duan Yi walked into a children’s clothing store, carrying one twin and holding the other’s hand. Despite the freezing winter weather, he wore a mask and sunglasses.

It was the same baby store he had visited with Sheng Yunze before.

The female clerk’s heart melted at the sight of the twins. She couldn’t stop gushing about how adorable they were, and Duan Yi basked in the praise, thinking smugly, Well, they didn’t just inherit their looks from anyone, did they?

On the way, Duan Yi asked the children many questions about Uncle He.

But the two kids’ stories were all over the place, and after listening for a long time, Duan Yi still couldn’t make heads or tails of it, let alone figure out how they had ended up there.

After successfully getting through the first day, Jiang Wangshu suddenly called to ask if Duan Yi was free the next afternoon.

Duan Yi checked his calendar and realized it was Jiang Wangshu’s birthday.

He had booked a private room at a hotel in the downtown shopping plaza for an afternoon meal.

Duan Yi couldn’t possibly refuse. After hesitating for a moment, he first asked Jiang Wangshu if he had invited Sheng Yunze.

Jiang Wangshu replied directly, “Yes, I did. But Secretary Sheng seems to have something going on. Didn’t he mention it to you?”

I’ve been taking care of his son all day! Duan Yi thought. How could I have possibly contacted him?!

Jiang Wangshu continued, “It seems his family is going back to Beijing for the New Year. Anyway, he hasn’t confirmed whether he can make it. Why don’t you give him a call? If you come, he’ll definitely come too.”

“No, no, no, no…” Duan Yi stammered.

He breathed a sigh of relief: It’s better if he doesn’t come.

“It doesn’t matter if he comes or not. Who else did you invite?”

“Just the people you know,” Jiang Wangshu replied.

“Alright, got it,” Duan Yi said. “Oh, and reserve two extra seats. My relatives’ kids are coming with me.”

“Since when did you have relatives with kids?” Jiang Wangshu asked.

Duan Yi grew impatient. “Just reserve the seats, okay?”

The next afternoon, Duan Yi changed Sheng Ming and Sheng Xi into new outfits.

After spending a day there, Sheng Ming finally couldn’t hold back any longer. “Where’s Dad?” he asked.

Duan Yi finished buttoning his shirt. “Your dad’s busy with work. We’re living apart now, understand?”

Sheng Xi fiddled with his glasses. “Why do I have to wear these? They’re so uncomfortable!”

Duan Yi grabbed his hand. “Stop pulling at them! This is called a disguise, got it?”

As if that’s not obvious.

Taking two kids who looked exactly like Sheng Yunze to a meal was practically announcing they were his sons.

Of course, Sheng Yunze was too young to have two sons this old.

When they arrived at the shopping mall, Duan Yi carried the boys out of the car and took the elevator upstairs.

“Once we’re in the private room, no talking and no shouting out names, understand?”

Sheng Ming and Sheng Xi nodded.

But the moment Duan Yi pushed open the door, Sheng Yunze was sitting on the sofa inside.

Their eyes locked.

Fuck. I thought he wasn’t coming.

Before Duan Yi could close the door, Sheng Xi’s eyes lit up. Like a puppy, he chirped, “Dad!” and dashed toward Sheng Yunze on his short legs.