Chapter 345: Episode 32.6 Late-Night Apology
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. You really screwed up this time."
In the dim bedroom, shadows stretched along the walls like lazy cats. Shen Yuan and Bai Tingfeng sat slouched against the headboard, exhaustion clinging to their faces.
Shen Yuan threw his feet onto Bai Tingfeng’s lap and wiggled his toes with a sigh.
"So tell me—what’s your problem with your dad buying me and the baby things?"
Bai Tingfeng cleared his throat, stiff. "It’s not that I have a problem. Maybe I overreacted. But... look. He went overboard. How many pregnancy pillows do you have now? Blankets? Moisturizers?"
"We’re drowning in gifts," he muttered, eyes drifting to Shen Yuan’s toes—pink, smug little things that he had to resist the urge to grab.
Shen Yuan slapped his shoulder. "If that’s your concern, then say it better! You made it sound like your dad was being a nuisance. Aish!"
Pak!
He smacked Bai Tingfeng’s hand for good measure. "And besides, this from the man who bought his kindergartener a school bag worth millions. Since when are you Mr. Frugal?"
"Since you preached mindful consumption at the bookstore," Bai Tingfeng shot back. "We should only buy what we’ll actually use."
Shen Yuan clicked his tongue. "Ah, so now you’re trying to reform your shopaholic dad. Cute."
He suddenly crawled onto Bai Tingfeng, their faces only inches apart. Shen Yuan’s eyes gleamed. "I’ll give you this: good intentions. But your execution? Awful. You made him feel like a burden. If you said that to me, I would’ve kicked you in the crotch and twisted your nipples on the spot."
Bai Tingfeng winced, guilt creeping in.
"Next time, pick your words. And learn timing." Shen Yuan pinched his husband’s cheeks, deceptively sweet. "You can’t drop your lecture when your dad’s in the middle of celebrating. That’s like peeing on his birthday cake."
"...So what now?" Bai Tingfeng asked warily.
Shen Yuan’s grin was pure mischief. "Now? Punishment."
Before Bai Tingfeng could react, Shen Yuan snatched the vibrating pregnancy pillow, shoved it over his chest and crotch, and switched it on.
The hum filled the room.
Bai Tingfeng swallowed hard.
"Don’t overthink it, darling. Just a lesson for tactless boys." Shen Yuan’s smirk was devilish.
"Yuan—ahhh! Damn it!"
And so, Bai Tingfeng became the first victim of his father’s wonderful gift.
~~~
"Oh, the prodigal son is here," Rong Suyin exclaimed the moment he opened their home’s door, only to see his son, Bai Tingfeng.
The big man was sporting a suspicious blush in his face. It was already nine in the evening. Rong Suyin can’t think of any reason why his son would drop by this late.
He scanned his son from head to toe. Disheveled hair, messy clothes, and a stressed face. Rong Suyin’s mind ran and connected the dots.
A small, lopsided smile blossomed on his small face. "Did Yuan chew you out?"
Bai Tingfeng pressed his lips, looking frustrated. "Almost, but it ended before we even started."
"Huh?" What on earth was that?
Rong Suyin just shook his head at his stupid son. He opened the door wider and let his big son in. "Whatever. Were you going to stay the night? I think Yuan will appreciate it more if you sleep on the couch despite the many bedrooms in this house."
Bai Tingfeng followed his father in. He plopped down on the couch, making its leather cover squeak.
"Tucked yourself in. I will go back to your sleeping father’s side now." Like that, Rong Suyin excused himself, silently keeping the smirk.
c
"Dad," Bai Tingfeng called out before Rong Suyin’s foot even touched the first step of the staircase.
The older man froze mid-step. "What?" His voice carried in the quiet house, heavy enough to make the silence ring louder.
"I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings earlier," Bai Tingfeng said, words tumbling out before he could second-guess them. "I know I came off like I was brushing aside your good intentions, but that was never what I meant."
There it was—the apology. The whole reason he dragged himself here, at this ungodly hour, was instead of sleeping peacefully in his own bed.
Not that he had a choice. His very pregnant, very bossy fox spirit of a spouse had ordered him to apologize, declaring that he was forbidden to return home—and, more critically, forbidden from sex—until his father’s mood was mended. Shen Yuan specifically ordered Bai Tingfeng to have Rong Suyin say, "I forgive you", or else, there would be no sharing a bed for the couple.
So here he was. Standing in the dark, tail tucked between his legs like a scolded schoolboy.
Even so, Bai Tingfeng had to admit—Shen Yuan’s threats aside—he meant every word of his apology. The timing might have been forced, but the sincerity behind it was solid. If this was what it took to keep both his father and his celestial fox happy, then fine. He’d swallow his pride.
"Thank you for caring for my family," he said earnestly. "I really appreciate that you’re looking out for Yuan."
Rong Suyin’s lips twitched, his earlier smile softening into something steadier as he turned fully to face his son. "Family takes care of each other. Don’t forget that. But..." he sighed, "I admit, I went a little overboard. Your Dad and I talked about it, and he said I should’ve asked Yuan what he actually needed instead of giving him random things like a madman."
His eyes crinkled with a hint of self-conscious humor. "I even caught Yuan’s brows twitch earlier. That’s usually his polite way of saying, ’Please stop before I lose it,’ isn’t it?"
Bai Tingfeng laughed softly. "That is far from accurate, but I must tell you, he was concerned more about the money and not the quantity of gifts. He told me that he would be happy even if you just gifted him one of your premium birds’ nests." His eyes softened. "Yuan is not fussy or hard to please, Dad. When given presents, he is more appreciative of the gesture rather than the gifts."
"Really?" Rong Suyin was amused and touched. "He’s just like his Dad in that aspect, then."
Bai Tingfeng pursed his lips. Of course, he will never tell his father that the Shen Yuan they know now is different from the one before.
"So, are we good now, Dad?" Bai Tingfeng secretly tapped his phone, ready to record.
Rong Suyin hummed, "Hmm. Let’s just say that nothing happened."
Bai Tingfeng blinked fast. "Wait, does that mean you forgive me?"
Rong Suyin just continued going his own way. In other words, he just walked out of his son’s hopeful face.
Obviously, Yuan and Tingfeng had some kind of bet. Call this being petty, but while he was not offended by his son’s mistake, he doesn’t want Tingfeng to get off easy.
"Good night." Rong Suyin waved his hand once he was at the top of the staircase, looking down at the disbelieving face of Bai Tingfeng.
"Seriously, Dad?"
Bai Tingfeng was left with no choice.
~~~
Days rolled uneventfully for Shen Yuan and his family.
With the Cardinals keeping quiet and pregnancy tying him down, most of his days were swallowed by mind-numbing office work. Whether at home or tucked into his cozy office at Hunter Association HQ, his life had become a cycle of paperwork, screens, and—most importantly—snacks. Endless, glorious piles of snacks.
Shen Yuan can’t pinpoint whether it’s the lethargy of having nothing to do or the pregnancy requiring him to intake more food, but he’s really hungry these days. Eating was no longer his way of nutritional sustenance; it’s his new hobby.
"I think I’m getting fat," Shen Yuan announced with grave seriousness, staring into his phone’s front camera like it was a mirror of doom. He tilted his head left, then right, as if expecting to discover a whole new chin lurking in the shadows.
Gu Jinpeng, who had just walked in with a stack of files, froze. If this man thought he was fat, then what did that make Gu Jinpeng, who had been bulking up thanks to his boss’s generous paychecks and nightly hotpot indulgences? A human dumpling?
"Ehem, Master Shen," he ventured cautiously, like approaching a ticking bomb. "You still look fit. Very fit. Actually... you look healthier than ever."
"Yeah, shit," Shen Yuan muttered, eyes glued to his reflection. "My cheekbones look puffier."
Gu Jinpeng glanced at those exact cheekbones. They looked the same as before.
"Can I not attend the auction? I honestly feel not up to it. I don’t want to go around and mingle when I feel like a ten-ton truck is pressing down on my feelings."
"That... Chairman Mao specifically asked that you should be there. And besides... your presence also means a lot to Master Bai."
At the mention of his husband, Shen Yuan couldn’t help but smile. He could still vividly remember the night he pushed Bai Tingfeng to apologize.
With no recording to show him, that husband of his crawled his way back to his bed right before midnight, probably thinking that he was already fast asleep.
But he was not. Shen Yuan felt it the moment Bai Tingfeng carefully snaked his arms around his waist to pull him closer. He just let him be since it seemed like everything was finally settled between him and his dad.
But it has to be said that they haven’t been intimate until now.
"Fine. I will go. It’s been a while since I gave Bai Tingfeng some loving."