Chapter Text
“Brother, meet Ye Xiaoqing, your nephew.”
Ye Xiu stared in shock as Ye Qiu gently nudged a two-year-old boy towards him, his heart almost stopped working altogether.
“What kind of joke is this?” Ye Xiu demanded with a hiss towards his identical twin brother.
“Look at his face and tell that to me again,” Ye Qiu hissed.
Ye Xiu forced himself to look at the boy’s face- damn! This boy was a complete mini-me of the twins. Even without a DNA test, it was already possible to see the line of the twins’ gene in him. Fluffy black hair, straight nose, the eyes, the lips...
Ye Xiu looked back to his brother and pursed his lips. “I thought you don’t like women...” he said meekly.
Ye Qiu stared back in shock and offense. “Excuse me?” he shook his head and raised his hands. “You know what? Keep that to yourself.”
“Dad?”
Ye Xiu almost flinched when the kid spoke up- oh, oh no, it can- err he can speak.
The boy huddled close to Ye Qiu, holding him tightly while looking at Ye Xiu carefully. “Dad, he looks like you...”
Ye Qiu patted the boy’s head. “No, this is my twin brother, Xiaoqing, we’ve talked about this. This is Ye Xiu, your uncle, your deadbeat uncle.”
“What’s deadbeat?”
“Hey, don’t go around teaching children the wrong things,” Ye Xiu protested.
“Ye Xiu? Who’s at the front door?” Su Mucheng popped out and blinked when she saw Ye Qiu.
Ye Xiu recalled something. “Come on in first.”
“What is that?”
“Some toy cars I put around, want to see?”
“What is that?”
“My collection of math books, want to see?”
“What is that?”
“Some merchs for the team to use, want to wear it?”
“I want that!”
“Bun! Get that gigantic teddy bear off the shelves! Xiaoqing wants it!”
“Aye! Aye!”
Ye Xiu watched as his team’s youngs clamored over the boy, seemingly fascinated. Su Mucheng seemed to be the most eager to entertain him while Qiao Yifan seemed to be the most interested in making him feel at home.
“So, who’s the mother?” Ye Xiu asked seriously.
“Some woman I don’t even know of,” Ye Qiu groaned lowly.
“How could that happen?” Ye Xiu glared and looked back at the kid. “He looks two years at least, the hell did you do to knock up a woman three years ago?”
“He’s two and five months,” Ye Qiu corrected.
“My point still stands,” Ye Xiu glared.
“Ugh, it’s complicated.” Ye Qiu rubbed his head. “I got knocked up at some party without my aides, gotta say they did me good, those opportunistic corporate demons,” he said darkly. “But I somehow managed to get into an entirely different room than arranged because my mind was still unconsciously conscious enough to make a decision. But it seems like something did happen that night because about two years later, a woman grabbed me off the street and told me she had my son.”
Ye Xiu stared in shock when he heard the dogblood situation his brother managed to get into. “Continue.”
“Of course I told her that she’s delusional,” Ye Qiu snorted. “I genuinely thought I was still a virgin, but she went all aggressive and told me that I’ll regret it and that she couldn’t take care of the kid at all so either the kid would be sent to a foster care or die with her. Naturally, I couldn’t just ignore a possibility of child-abuse in the situation so I agreed to come with her.”
“You’re...” Ye Xiu was speechless. “What if that woman is an arranged assassin?”
“I have my bodyguard with me, okay?” Ye Qiu said. “A loyal one at that.”
Ye Xiu eyed the red wine in the middle of the table, it was something Wei Chen had won off of an arcade a week ago. However, he shook his head and rationalized that he still needed to be sober to take in all the news.
“I went with her to see over a-year-old baby. At this time, I still don’t believe her but I can see the baby was starving or had been starved. To entertain her, I did a DNA test with the baby, gave her some money to live off for at least a few months. When the result came in, I...” he shook his head. “I was pronounced the father. Not gonna lie, for a second, I thought you knocked up the woman and she recognized the wrong guy. I was so ready to fly to H City to demand an explanation because I truly don’t remember at all.”
Ye Xiu nodded. “I know it’s hard to digest.”
“But then the woman started rattling off how we came to be and I don’t think you got access to a top five-stars hotel to hook up with a random woman,” Ye Qiu said.
“Yes,” Ye Xiu nodded again.
“So, I took the child, gave the woman compensation, and we went off on our way,” Ye Qiu said. “She said she doesn’t want to be a part of this since she has a rich second generation to chase.”
Ye Xiu paused. “Which rich second generation richer than you?”
Ye Qiu smiled bitterly. “That woman is none the wiser of my real identity, after signing the papers to transfer all the custody to me, she went off to chase another.”
Ye Xiu shook his head. “Well, at least you dodged the bullet.” He frowned. “But... You truly don’t remember?”
“Not at all.”
“But she did?”
“Yes.”
“...That’s rape, right?” Ye Xiu frowned deeply.
Ye Qiu swirled his drink. “She said in her defense that she was drugged and had to.”
“That’s still fucking rape,” Ye Xiu furrowed his brows. “Fuck, she’s conscious and even remembers what happened afterward quite clearly, you didn’t.”
“Doesn’t matter, as you say, I don’t even remember. I can just treat Xiaoqing just came to be as my carbon copy,” Ye Qiu said. “What I remembered from that night was I got drunk, blank, and I woke up in the bathtub...” he frowned.
“So, how do mom and dad feel about this?” Ye Xiu asked as he opened a can of soda instead.
“They don’t know.”
Ye Xiu almost choked.
“It’s been almost a year, and I don’t have the intention to let them know,” Ye Qiu groaned. “Mom kept pushing for an engagement anxiously and the lady she chose would turn ballistic if she knew I have an illegitimate kid because she’s obsessed with me and Ye family, father will probably force me to give up the kid in favor of political engagement.”
“So, you’ve been hiding him?” Ye Xiu asked in disbelief.
“Mm, but lately the situation has changed,” Ye Qiu looked at Ye Xiu in the eyes.
Ye Xiu frowned solemnly. “What do you need?”
Ye Qiu pursed his lips. “Can you take care of him?”
“What?!” Ye Xiu cried out, effectively stopping the noises in the background. He forced a smile and turned around, “Continue on.”
Ye Qiu also forced out a smile for his son.
Su Mucheng smiled to Ye Xiaoqing. “I have a lot of toys in my room, want to go there?”
Ye Xiaoqing nodded. “Okay!”
Su Mucheng picked up the boy and signaled with her eyes to vacate the living room. The others picked up, those who didn’t, like Bun, still got up and followed Su Mucheng and Ye Xiaoqing like a lost puppy, eager to play with the toddler some more.
“You have got to be kidding me,” Ye Xiu turned back and hissed. “Why the fuck--?”
“Brother, I will be deployed out of the country soon,” Ye Qiu said seriously.
Ye Xiu paused, eyes widened in disbelief. “Deployed—“
“Yes. I don’t know when I could return. That boy is very mild-mannered, I can promise you this. But leaving him with a nanny for a whole year makes me anxious, also, I don’t want anyone to find out about his real identity while I’m away,” Ye Qiu said.
“Wait, wait, what do you mean deployed?” Ye Xiu interjected. “That’s not your job.”
“It is now,” Ye Qiu craned his neck tiredly. “Grandpa needs an heir too, he longed to see someone of his blood to be in his place before he go. It can’t be you.” He looked at his brother and smiled helplessly.
Ye Xiu’s heart fell into dread. “Ye Qiu...”
“Don’t worry, I’ll be back in, probably, a few months,” Ye Qiu said seriously. “But I need you to take care of your nephew for a while.”
“This doesn’t sit well with me,” Ye Xiu hissed. “You came over, dropping a child to my lap, and then telling me that you’re deployed? Are you trying to pass him off as my child?”
Ye Qiu frowned. “Are you saying that I’ll die?”
“I’m saying don’t go!” Ye Xiu exclaimed desperately.
A pregnant silence descended into the living room.
“It’s not like it’s a dangerous thing,” Ye Qiu shook his head. “It’s truly just an easy mission by standard. Do you think father will let me go if it’s dangerous? Don’t worry,” he smiled.
Ye Xiu slammed his hand on the table and stood up "How am I supposed to not worry?"
"I can handle myself," Ye Qiu said calmly.
"No. No... No. You can't leave your son here," Ye Xiu glared.
"You won't even help me for this?" Ye Qiu demanded.
"Don't go." Ye Xiu blurted out again. "Please..."
Ye Qiu sighed. "Brother, you underestimate me too much."
“Qing’er, dad has to go for a very long time. Be a good boy and live with your uncle and his friends, okay?” Ye Qiu said gently as he talked with his son at an eye level.
“When will you come back?” Ye Xiaoqing asked. Ye Xiu could clearly see the maturity beyond his age, he was indeed the Ye’s son.
“It’s not clear yet, but I need you on your best behaviour, okay?” Ye Qiu said. “If you’re lonely, you can look at your uncle Xiu. According to genetics, he’s also your dad,” identical twins and all.
“But dad is my dad,” Ye Xiaoqing frowned in confusion.
“He can also be your dad. You know what, call him daddy Xiu,” Ye Qiu said.
“Ye Qiu,” Ye Xiu said. “You don’t have to force the child.”
“Okay,” Ye Xiaoqing nodded. “Daddy Xiu,” he blinked at Ye Xiu.
“...” How could Ye Xiu refuse those pair of innocent eyes.
“Ah, so cute,” Fang Rui covered his mouth and retreated.
“Good boy,” Ye Qiu smiled. “Dad will go now, okay? I’ll give you a call when I’m free.”
“Okay,” Ye Xiaoqing nodded obediently.
Ye Xiu picked up Ye Xiaoqing to wave as Ye Qiu left, the boy didn’t let his eyes wander even after Ye Qiu was gone from their sight. Ye Xiu patted his head.
“You’ll live with me and my team now, if you need anything, just ask, okay?” Ye Xiu said gently.
“Mm,” Ye Xiaoqing nodded.
“So,” Wei Chen finally spoke up. “Who knows anything about child-rearing here? You know well it’s not about to just entertain him, right? And may I point out the league will start in a month.”
“We’ll figure things out along the way, you guys can stay focused, I’ll take most of the responsibilities of taking care of my Xiaoqing,” Ye Xiu said.
“It takes a village to raise a child,” Tang Rou pointed out.
“Yeah, yeah,” Chen Guo nodded seriously. “I know some things about it, you can leave him to me when you guys got busy.”
“Boss...” Ye Xiu hesitated.
“I only know Xiaoqing for less than a day, and I already decided that he’s my nephew too,” Su Mucheng stepped up. “I’ll do my best to assist.”
“Me too. I... I’m pretty good with children,” Qiao Yifan said.
“Thank you, everyone,” Ye Xiu smiled.