Chapter Text
“Daddy”
“Daddy”
“Daddy please wake up!”
Sheng Shaoyou felt small hands slapping and pushing his shoulder in panic. He forced himself to open his heavy lids. They were blurred at first, but as they became clearer and clearer, he found a child in school uniform with tear-stained face calling him desperately.
“I-I’m sorry”, he said between his sobs.
It took a minute of getting up and taking his surroundings. It was the same soft bed with gray bedding. On his left side, there is a white nightstand and small stool with a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf filled with books behind it. The ceiling also got a small black stain from when he accidentally threw a tennis ball way too hard out of boredom. It is his apartment unit after all. This wasn’t a dream.
Shaoyou’s gaze then moved to the crying boy on his bed. He noticed the blood dripping from the boy’s head. The boy’s left sleeve, that should’ve been white, was stained red too.
“W-Wait… Who are you?”, Shaoyou asked with hoarse voice, mind still hazy from deep sleep. He rummaged through the sheet to find his phone by instinct. “Are you hurt?”
“I’m sorry daddy, I’m sorry.”, the child said while keep crying his heart out.
“Why do you keep calling me daddy?”
“You’re my daddy!”, the boy replied in frustration, hands moving frantically.
“W-What?”, Shaoyou asked in confusion.
Shaoyou finally found his phone under the blanket near his foot. He was about to call someone when the boy’s eyes suddenly lost focus and went shut, his body fell onto the stained sheets.
“Oh shit!”, Shaoyou was about to lose his mind.
There’s a fainted and bloodied boy on his bed, in his apartment. He couldn’t remember much about the party last night, but after drinking enough liquor and bid everyone good bye, he was pretty sure he went home by himself. He locked the door, turned off the lights, and went straight to his bed without changing his clothes. How on earth did the boy ended up here?
It took around 15 minutes until Chen Pinming, his father’s secretary, arrived with several medics. They quickly checked the boy’s vitals and performed first aid. It happened so fast, Shaoyou couldn’t do anything but stood frozen in shock.
“Don’t worry sir. These are our men, they will not speak a word.”, Chen Pinming said while giving Shaoyou a glass of water in which he immediately took and drank.
The alpha realized that the scene had spoken for itself. He was drunk, his body still drenched in foul odor. S-Class alpha like him is on top of the chain, he had every ability to hurt anyone. But he just had to defend himself. Shaoyou glared at the beta secretary, “I didn’t do it! I don’t know how he got injured but I had nothing to do with this!”
Chen Pinming just nodded and moved closer to the bed, ignoring the desperate alpha. Shaoyou ruffled his own hair in frustration. He forced his legs to walk to the bathroom. He took a shower while examining his own body. If he did it then there must be a trace remains. But his body is as flawless as it could get. He scrubbed the alcohol away and quickly change his clothes.
When he was out, the boy was already sitting straight on his bed with a big lump of white bandage on his small head. The boy looked around 6-7 years old, his sharp eyes were glistening with tears, he got black straight hair that reach his neck and bangs. He seemed awkward being surrounded by bunch of strangers.
However, he began his second round of wailing when his orbs caught Shaoyou’s figure. He went as far as standing up and running before bumping his small body and wrapping his hands around the alpha’s leg.
“I’m sorry daddy, I’m sorry! I should’ve listened to your warning but Lele was there and I panicked!”
Shaoyou had enough. He grabbed the boy’s hands and freed himself. He kneeled down so he could be in line with the boy’s face. He signaled the beta secretary for some tissues and wiped the boy’s tears away with them. “Hey, it’s okay… I’m not mad at you.”, he reassured the boy with a forced smile. “Take a breath, I’m here. You’re safe.”
Shaoyou didn’t know where he got that patience. He had never taken care of a child in his life. He grew up with no siblings, at least not until few years ago when his father introduced him to his illegitimate heirs. He was as clueless as his already passed away mother.
Maybe it was a magic of children. They just have a way to make adults pitied them and went all soft by their looks. Just like what the boy did, he wrapped his hands around Shaoyou’s neck and continued to sob and wet his freshly changed shirt. The alpha had no choice but sighed and hugged the boy back. He carried him to the living room, with a beta secretary following them quietly.
The medics were gone. There were just three of them, sitting on the long sofa. After some time, the boy sipped his warm water and calmed down. Chen Pinming came from the kitchen while holding a plate of chicken nuggets. There was not much food in the bachelor’s apartment, only instant ones.
“Thank you uncle Pinming”, the boy welcomed the dish with a big grin. He quickly munched the nuggets with enthusiasm. Completely unaware of the frozen adults around him.
Somehow, this boy also familiar with the timid beta secretary. The alpha found it even more strange and the theory of the impossible time travel immediately crossed his mind.
Shaoyou ended up trying to focus to the adorable sight in front of him, especially the boy’s now chubby cheeks that urged to be pinched. He kept staring until the boy noticed the silence. The boy then stopped chewing and looked at the adults while pouting, “I forgot how many nuggets I ate, but can I eat one more?”
The adults giggled at the cute remarks.
“It’s okay, you can eat them all.”, Shaoyou said.
The boy looked at him suspiciously. Acting as if the alpha would take the plate away or punish him later. Shaoyou just smiled, earnestly, and nodded at the boy. Signaling him to continue eating. The boy shrugged and grabbed another piece of nugget, “You’re weird today daddy.”
“It’s just nuggets.”
“I can only eat nuggets in Lele’s house, right daddy? Hua Yong only cooks good food.”, the boy said before raising his four fingers up, “And I can only eat this many”.
Shaoyou frowned at the mention of strangers’ names. He figured that the boy would not appreciate him asking his name, especially with how he expected Shaoyou to be his daddy. No parents would forget their child’s name. He would rather keep his mouth shut until the boy is calmer. But he needed to know who Lele and Hua Yong are. Maybe those names can provide more clues to the boy’s identity.
“Hey… Umm... Daddy is feeling sick today so I forget some things. Who is Lele again?”, Shaoyou tried to make up lies. The boy was conflicted for a second, eyes furrowed in confusion. But he replied nonetheless, “He’s… my best friend? Daddy if you’re sick you have to go to hospital.”
Shaoyou shook his head, reassuring the small boy that he’s not that sick. He continued to ask him question while stealing one of the nuggets, biting on it with ease. “What about Hua Yong? Is he your friend too?”
The boy was frozen instantly. He put away the plate and ran ten steps away from Shaoyou. “Y-You’re not daddy”, he said trembling. He went on full panic again and tears started to fall again. But this time, he also fiddled with the cartoonish watch that wrapped around his small left hand. He pressed the buttons on its side while chanting “Hua Yong, Hua Yong, pick me up” over and over again.
Sheng Shaoyou and Chen Pinming were flabbergasted. The alpha took the initiative to get closer to the trembling boy. But the boy just walked backwards while still keeping an eye on the two men, afraid that they might do something to him.
“Hua Yong! Hua Yong! Hua Yong! Father please pick up!!”, the boy said desperately.
Shaoyou stopped his movement. He sighed at the pitiful boy. He didn’t mean to scare him like this. How could he possibly know that Hua Yong is his father. This small child really needs manner lesson.
“Look, I am not your daddy. I don’t know why you kept calling me that. But I’m trying to help you. Do you remember where your house is? Or your parents’ full names? I can find them for you.”
“My daddy is Sheng Shaoyou! He looks like you! But I know you’re not him!”, the boy replied defensively.
The alpha scratched his head in confusion. He pointed at himself and said, “But I’m Sheng Shaoyou…”.
The boy just ignored him and continued to yell at his watch.
.
.
.
.
Sheng Shaoyou was a regular 22 year-old University student. Well, as regular as he could get, cause he is also the only legitimate heir of the multi-billion company, Shengfang Bio. He was majoring in business management and has been spending most of his time juggling between being a student and his father’s trainee. He helped around the company and accompanied his father to many important meetings too. His father always had high hopes of him, he went as far as saying he wanted to retire the moment Shaoyou received his graduation letter.
Shaoyou did not know how to feel about it.
Deep inside he knew that the company would appreciate a better and a more reliable leader. He was aware of his father bad habits. Sheng Fang took all shortcuts that came to his way, never really care about the ethics and the legality of his actions. If they served his purposes then his father couldn’t careless about the consequences. However, his father’s health was deteriorating, and his relationships with his mistresses and illegitimate children were starting to affect his jobs too.
Shaoyou thought about how much he wanted to have the life of his own. But on the other hand, he wanted to break his father’s toxic chains so much. He was fully aware that he had to be the leader in order to take fully control of his life and people around him. So, he followed the line with all schedules and responsibilities stacked up day after day.
Last night was truly an exception. He was one of the seniors, last year student as a matter of fact. His college routine only consisted of lectures, essays, and final projects. It was very dull and stressing, so one of his classmates threw her birthday party in a club and invited all seniors. Shaoyou did not plan to attend, let alone drinking that much. But his friends pushed him into a car and brought him to the party after the last lecture, leaving no room for objections.
Then, he found himself in the middle of morning mess that involved the particular crying boy in his unit. It took both him and Secretary Chen to coaxed the boy with promises for sweet treats in order for him to stop yelling. It took him offering his own phone and the boy experimenting it for solid 30 minutes for the boy to realized that there’s no way to contact Hua Yong nor “Daddy Wenlang” nor “Uncle Tutu”. There were not any pictures of the boy nor the supposed to be lovely married couple in the gallery too.
“You know what, let’s start over again.”, Shaoyou said while making the boy sit on the sofa beside him again. “I’m Sheng Shaoyou, 22-years-old. I’m a student. I never marry anyone. I don’t know what’s happening here, but I swear I’m not going to hurt you. You are safe here. I just want to help you go back to where you belong.”, he continued with the softest tone possible. He also intentionally wrapped the boy in his soothing pheromones too.
The boy’s eyes were still glistening with tears, but Shaoyou’s explanation and soothing pheromones helped him to calm down and think clearer. Well, as clear as a 7-year-old boy could be.
“You really smell like daddy. I miss him.”
“Of course, I’m sorry. I want you to see your real daddy soon too.”
The boy then stared at Shaoyou’s chest while pouting, “I know you’re not my daddy, but can I hug you?”
Shaoyou immediately welcomed him to his arms. He rubbed the boy’s back while letting the smaller body get comfortable on top of him. The boy settled his face on his shoulder, moving closer and closer to his glands. The orange scent was truly work wonders, Shaoyou should have released it sooner, he thought silently.
The alpha felt the boy’s breathing became steadier each second. His heart beat became calmer.
“I’m Hua Sheng”, the boy muttered while burying his face to Shaoyou’s chest.
“Hua Sheng?”
“Yes, Hua Sheng”, the boy stared at the alpha’s eyes convincingly. Daddy and Father call me “Huasheng” (peanut).
Shaoyou smiled at the nickname. This adorable kid is truly deserved such cute nickname. “Okay Peanut. How old are you?”, the alpha tried to start a light conversation.
Hua Sheng raised his 7 small fingers in front of the alpha’s face.
“Do you have a brother or sister?”
“No. I’m alone. I want a little sister like Lele, but Hua Yong said no.”
Shaoyou couldn’t help but flinched at the name again. This boy really used to call his father by his name. He was no parent, but he thought it wouldn’t hurt to teach some manners to him.
“Hua Sheng, you must not call your father by his name. It’s impolite.”
The boy then pouted and whined, “But I call him Father too sometimes when he’s not annoying”
“You have to call him Father all the time, not just sometimes”, Shaoyou reprimanded him again. Hua Sheng just nodded in defeat. “Is he that annoying though?”, the alpha added curiously.
The boy sat up straight on his lap and started to spill every annoying thing his father did. He moved his hands around to express his frustration too.
“He’s old and strong but he acted like a weak in front of daddy! I want to sleep with my daddy but he stole him from me every night! He messed with my hair and pinched my cheeks every day. He always says no. I can’t go to the mall, I can’t go to Lele’s house, I can’t have a sister, I can’t have ice cream and candy, I can’t eat nuggets. He makes me eat green food all the time. I told him I don’t like broccoli! He still cooks it! And daddy never defend me, he always says yes to Hua Yong. He--“
The boy rambled on and on with various expressions on his face, mostly with furrowed eyebrows and scrunched nose. Shaoyou found him hilariously cute. The kid just described a good parent. But he could see why this Hua Yong sounded like a villain in the story of a 7-year-old. The alpha listened to the boy with a big smile on his face, mentally imagining the scenes in his head.
“But that’s what parents do, Hua Sheng. I’m sure your father loves you so much. He wants you to be safe and healthy.”, Shaoyou said while poking the boy’s belly playfully. “I bet you love your father too, didn’t you just yell at your watch, calling him an hour ago?”
Hua Sheng stared at the watch that wrapped around his small wrist with a sad look, “He promised”. Shaoyou raised his right hand to pat the boy’s head, “what did he promise you?”.
“He said he can find me anywhere and I can ask for his help all the time with this watch.”
“Can I see it?”, the alpha asked and the boy nodded.
Shaoyou took off the watch from his hand and inspected it. It was not just any watch that any kid usually has. It was a smart watch with a fully functioning advanced features like call, phone, maps, health monitor, internet, and it even has a camera. Although some the features were restricted and limited to kids friendly mode, the alpha was in awe at the technology on his hand. He believed that smart watch like this was already exist but with less features and obviously expensive and only available for adults. So, this child was probably came from the future.
Shaoyou went through the speed dial to find some contacts like himself, Uncle Pinming, Lele, Daddy Wenlang, and Uncle Tutu. He tried the camera and amazed at the quality of it. He looked through the gallery that were mostly random. Well, it’s not like a kid can take proper photos anyway, most are blurry and taken in a dark light. But some photos took his attention. There was one with a zoom on his face, he was smiling tenderly. The other one had a big warm living room behind his pristine figure that draped in an expensive suit. He was facing sideways, looking at someone offside the camera with a big smile. Shaoyou had obviously never seen that living room in his life before. The sight sent chills into his body. It’s like seeing himself in another universe.
“That’s Hua Yong- Father I mean”, the boy pointed at one picture.
Sheng Shaoyou had seen many beautiful omegas, men and women. He had dated more than his fingers can count times with both genders. But he was absolutely in awe at the figure in the picture. The small screen and worse photography skill could not make the omega’s beautiful appearance less attractive at all. This omega is absolutely ethereal. Shaoyou’s mouth went agape. Hua Sheng said that his father is old and strong, so this was not the figure Shaoyou had in his mind. He was far from it.
Hua Yong was holding what look like a cup of tea on his hand, standing behind the kitchen’s aisle in the picture. He has dark neck-length hair with bangs, a slender face, rosy lips, alluring eyes, and porcelain-like skin. The stunning omega just like a fragile flower he wanted to pluck, place it in a vase, and keep it hidden at home. Shaoyou knew that if somehow the figure stood in front of him right now, he wouldn’t stand a chance and give him whatever he wants.
“Are you okay?”, Hua Sheng poked Shaoyou’s cheek.
If Hua Sheng came from the future, then this rare beauty will become Shaoyou’s mate, Shaoyou’s husband, a father of his offspring. The thought alone made the alpha so happy and excited, heart beats fast like a drum. He wondered about whether was it love or not, but one thing for sure, he was absolutely attracted.
He knew that this Hua Yong was a good parent for Hua Sheng, but so many questions still lingered. He wondered what kind of person Hua yong was, what he could possibly like and dislike, what drove them to settle with each other. Hua Yong must be so kind and good for him cause Sheng Shaoyou had never been in any emotional relationship before. He only dated and involved physically with several omegas. Never once it crossed his mind that he was someone capable of settling down with someone. Buth the truth lies in front of him; he will marry a beautiful omega and have an adorable child. He will have a happy ending, a warm family to go home to.
His hands kept clicking the screen, trying to find more photos of Hua Yong. It was like searching needles in a haystack and the small watch is just not enough. Shaoyou raised the watch, signaling Chen Pinming to take it. “Find a way to send the photos to my phone. Wait, no. Just put it in a hard drive, I want to see them in my laptop”, he ordered the secretary. The beta nodded and immediately looked through the device.
Shaoyou moved his attention to the boy on his lap. He shook the small body in excitement.
“Tell me more about your father! Please!”
Hua Sheng giggled for a while. Then he looked up, trying to think about strategy that could benefit him.
“Umm… I will tell you if you buy me ice cream”
Shaoyou glared at the boy menacingly, “You are really lucky today, young man. Cause I will take you the best ice cream shop in town right now!”
“Can I get 2 cups?”
“I’ll give you 3 cups!”
Sheng Shaoyou knew that he shouldn’t have spoiled the little brat. But he can act like a parent later, today was just special he needed all information about his future mate. Hope bloomed in his chest, he believed that maybe he can find the omega sooner in this life and have his happy ending as soon as possible.
He took the small hand and guided him towards the exit. He told Secretary Chen to cancel all his plans for that day cause the alpha and the boy will have a hell of schedule. He had to find new clothes, buy some toys and real foods, and he will do anything to extort information about the future from this little peanut.