"Take Haoyu from Hong yi " she said quickly to the maid , rejecting the warmth creeping toward her. "We're leaving."
Hong Yi stepped closer—still carrying the child.
"Leaving won't fix the danger."
"You don't decide what I do with my son."
Haoyu blinked between them, confused by the tension.
Hong Yi inhaled slowly, controlling the frustration rising in his chest.
"I'm not trying to take him from you."
"Then stop acting like he's yours," Xiamen snapped.
Hong Yi's entire body stilled.
Haoyu looked up at him, sensing the sudden heaviness.
But instead of anger…
Hong Yi's expression turned heartbreakingly gentle.
His voice becomes softer than twilight.
"I know he's not mine," he said.
"And yet…"
He looked down at the little hands gripping his shirt.
"…he's the only child who ever looks at me without fear."
Xiamen's breath caught.
Hong Yi swallowed, lowering his eyes.
"I don't want to take your son."
"I only want to protect him."
For the first time, Xiamen saw something raw in him.
Not arrogance.
Not control.
But longing.
A quiet, painful longing for something he told himself he didn't deserve.
Before she could speak, Haoyu hugged his neck again.
"Mom," he said brightly, "Mr. Hong Yi said he will show me the unicorn ice cream!"
Xiamen blinked.
"I said no such thing," Hong Yi muttered.
Haoyu giggled. "But you will, right?"
Hong Yi sighed.
"I suppose I will."
Despite everything, the corner of Xiamen's lips twitched.
Just a little.
Just enough for Hong Yi to see—and breathe easier.
But across the garden…
someone else was watching.
The same man from earlier, hidden deeper among the trees.
He stared at Hong Yi holding Haoyu.
His smile sharpened.
"So the man who feels nothing…"
"…now cares for a child that isn't his."
The wind shifted.
"And the woman who left him—still stays within his reach."
He stepped back into the shadows.
"This is getting interesting "
The man who had been hiding slipped silently between the trees, his polished shoes barely disturbing the fallen leaves. His expression had lost its playful edge—replaced by cold intention.
He pulled out his phone.
"It's me," he said quietly. "Prepare the car. We're going to the meet Xiamen father."
A pause.
"And inform Xiamen's father…"
His eyes glinted as he watched Hong Yi lift Haoyu higher, the child's laughter echoing like a tiny bell.
"…that the boy he never approved of is inside Hong Yi's company."
He ended the call.
By the time Haoyu begged Hong Yi to show him the fish pond again, the man was already stepping into the back of a waiting vehicle. The door closed with a soft thud.
"Let's see how the mighty Xiamen family reacts to this little piece of news," he murmured.
Xiamen's father lifted his head from the garden desk as the secretary rushed in.
"Sir… there has been a report."
The old man's jaw tightened.
"About her?"
"No, sir."
The butler swallowed nervously.
"It's about the child. Haoyu."
The old man froze.
Haoyu ..who is this ?
We only know he is Xiamen son with another man not Hong yi .
A storm gathered behind his eyes.
He rose slowly, every movement controlled, dangerous.
"So the boy is Xiamen son;
Find out whose dirty blood she has brought with her.