CHAPTER 85 — A Father's Place, A Home Takes Shape
The afternoon sun washed the Mu estate in soft golden light, the kind that made everything feel warmer than it truly was. The garden behind the mansion glowed with color — freshly trimmed hedges, a small stone path, and a fountain whose water sparkled like scattered diamonds.
But the truly beautiful part of the scene was not the scenery.
It was the three small figures running across the grass with unrestrained joy.
Shi Yichen sprinted ahead with the speed of a tiny rabbit, Qing'er chased after him with her braid bouncing wildly, and Mu Rui jogged behind them with the stern determination of a miniature security guard.
And somewhere in that frenzy of energy and laughter…
Mu Lingchen stood watching them, completely mesmerized.
He had seen countless deals, conquered hostile takeovers, survived business wars, and faced ruthless competitors.
But nothing in his entire life had ever prepared him for something as simple, as pure, and as utterly disarming as watching his children play.
His children.
All three.
Every time he said it in his head, something deep in his chest trembled.
"Daddy!" Qing'er's voice cut into his thoughts.
Lingchen snapped back to reality just in time for a small pink figure to collide into him.
She wrapped her tiny arms around his leg, pouting. "Yichen isn't waiting for me!"
Yichen's indignant voice immediately followed from across the yard, "I DID wait! She's slow!"
"I'm not slow!" Qing'er shouted back.
"You are a little slow," Rui said honestly, coming up behind her. "But it's okay. I'm fast enough for all of us."
Lingchen chuckled.
Yunxi, who had been quietly observing from the patio, sighed as she approached.
"What did they break this time?"
"Nothing," Lingchen said, though his expression softened when he saw the exhaustion behind her smile.
She'd been tense all morning — checking her phone for news of the Shi family meltdown, reading the children's schedules, reviewing documents from the studio.
Trying to hold everything together.
"You can rest," he said gently. "I'll watch them."
Yunxi shook her head. "No, I should—"
A loud scream cut her off.
"CATCH ME IF YOU CAN!"
Yichen shot past like a bullet.
Qing'er chased him.
Rui chased her.
And all three somehow ran directly toward the flower bushes.
Lingchen didn't hesitate — he stepped forward, blocking them like a human shield.
The triplets bounced off him one by one, squealing in laughter.
Yunxi pinched the bridge of her nose. "I… I give up."
Lingchen's gaze softened. "Sit. Breathe. I'll take it from here."
She hesitated again.
Then finally…
She sat.
And exhaled.
Inside the garden, Lingchen knelt down to the children's height.
"Okay," he said firmly, "new rule. No running into the flowers."
"Why?" Yichen asked.
"Because they're expensive."
"Are they edible?" Qing'er asked with great seriousness.
"No."
"Then what's the point?" she demanded.
Lingchen blinked. "…They look nice."
"Mommy looks nicer," Qing'er replied confidently, and then happily skipped away.
Lingchen didn't even try to argue.
Meanwhile, Yichen tugged his sleeve. "Daddy, can you teach me how to climb trees?"
"No," Lingchen said immediately.
"Why not?"
"Because you are three."
Yichen frowned deeply. "When can I?"
"Never."
Yichen gasped dramatically, looking betrayed. "You're too strict!"
Qing'er nodded in support. "Yes! Daddy is very strict."
Rui, however, crossed his tiny arms and nodded approvingly. "He's right. We're too small. Safety first."
Lingchen felt oddly proud.
At least one child had sense.
Yunxi watched the interaction from the patio, unable to stop the faint smile curving her lips. Seeing Lingchen on his knees in the grass with the children… it felt unreal.
He didn't look like a distant CEO or a ruthless businessman.
He looked like a man who was finally learning what family meant.
The kids ran off again, but this time Lingchen followed them with a watchful eye.
Yunxi stood and approached him slowly.
"You… you're good with them."
Lingchen turned, surprised. "Am I?"
"Yes," she said softly. "Better than I expected."
He swallowed.
"Yunxi," he said quietly, "I don't know how to be a perfect father. I don't even know how to be a good one yet. But I want to try."
Her breath caught.
He wasn't asking for a chance.
He was promising effort.
"I'm learning," he said, looking at the triplets chasing butterflies. "And they're helping me more than they know."
Her chest tightened at the sincerity in his voice.
But before she could respond—
A small hand tugged her dress.
"Mommy," Rui said softly, "I want to stay here."
She froze. "Here? In the Mu estate?"
Rui looked down. His little fingers curled nervously.
"Yichen and Qing'er like it. We sleep well. No loud neighbors. No scary people. And Daddy…"
He glanced at Lingchen shyly.
"He feels safe."
Yunxi's heart squeezed painfully.
Rui was the most mature of the three.
The one who noticed things she wished he didn't.
"He watches us," Rui whispered. "All the time. He makes sure nothing hurts us."
Yunxi's throat tightened.
"And Mommy…" Rui looked up, eyes brimming with innocence, "you're less sad here."
She inhaled sharply.
Lingchen froze behind her.
He heard every word.
Yunxi struggled to speak. "…Rui…"
He took her hand gently.
"Can we stay? Just a little longer?"
Her eyes stung.
Lingchen stepped closer, voice soft but steady.
"You can stay as long as you want," he murmured. "As long as you feel safe."
Yunxi looked away.
Safe.
It had been years since she felt that.
She looked at the triplets — laughing, carefree, running with Lingchen as if they'd done it their whole lives.
She looked at the estate — warm, quiet, protected.
She looked at Lingchen — steady, gentle, patiently waiting.
And she whispered:
"…Okay."
Lingchen's breath caught.
Rui lit up like a star.
"Mommy agreed!" he shouted. "We can stay!"
Yichen and Qing'er screamed in triumph.
Lingchen didn't celebrate.
But the smile that touched his lips was the softest, happiest smile Yunxi had ever seen.
For the first time in three years…
She wasn't running.
Her children weren't hiding.
And the man she once left behind was now the man standing beside her — not demanding, not forcing, simply welcoming them into a home that finally felt like theirs.
The Mu estate didn't feel cold anymore.
It felt alive.
It felt healing.
It felt like…
A beginning.