TDSDE 29

29. Meeting the Parents

Bai Yuanxiu stepped forward and shielded Xiao Qing behind him, face cold as he stared at the furious man in front of them.

The man’s beard trembled beneath his chin—he was clearly fuming. “In broad daylight—have you no shame!”

Faced with this scolding at such close range, Bai Yuanxiu blinked in confusion. “Sorry, and… you are?”

That one sentence was like a spark thrown into a barrel of gunpowder—the man’s hair nearly stood on end from rage. “I’m your father!”

The hidden spies from the Demonic Sect watching from the shadows all paused with the same thought: What’s with this guy? He just opened his mouth and started cursing people?

They were about to step out and back up their Protector when they heard Bai Yuanxiu say, “Didn’t you say before I wasn’t allowed back home? You forgot?”

And so the followers who had just been about to make a move quietly retreated again.

Oh. Not an insult. It’s actually his dad.

The man—Bai Shutai, now past fifty—was breathing heavily, so fast and hard that onlookers worried he might pass out then and there.

Seeing he was about to topple, one spy disguised as a teahouse worker quietly moved over to help, hoping to avoid a scene.

But before he could reach him, the man—who’d looked so shaky just a moment before—suddenly twisted and flipped the “teahouse worker” straight over his shoulder and slammed him to the ground.

Everyone: ???

Bai Yuanxiu clicked his tongue, helped the dazed spy back up, stuffed a few silver coins into his hand, and mouthed silently: Go eat, go drink tea.

The Demonic Sect had strict rules: no investigating the personal matters of its members without the Sect Leader’s permission. Backgrounds of Protectors certainly counted.

They’d originally stayed because they were nosy about the two Protectors, and then out of worry Bai Yuanxiu might get bullied. But since he’d opened the topic himself, they took the hint and left.

Just like that, the once-bustling street emptied out nearly completely.

Bai Yuanxiu: ……

Okay, but how many spies were actually watching us just now!? Has the Vermilion Bird Hall gone overboard or what!?

Still, he didn’t have time to worry about that. He stepped between Bai Shutai and Xiao Qing again, standing firm under his father’s glare. “It’s exactly like I said before. Nothing’s changing!”

Bai Shuda wasn’t quite as worked up as before. Hearing that, he leaned to the side to try and get a better look at the person behind Bai Yuanxiu.

Seeing his father trying to peek, Bai Yuanxiu got even more stubborn—every time his father stepped to one side, he moved with him, shielding the person behind him perfectly.

Then suddenly, Bai Yuanxiu’s smug expression stiffened. He gritted his teeth and reluctantly stepped aside.

And with that, Bai Shutai finally saw a pale, delicate face.

The youth standing there, all frailty and softness, gave him a shy, obedient smile. Both hands were nervously clenched, face tense, as though mustering all his courage.

He finally said, “Hello, Uncle,” his voice sweet and gentle—exactly the kind of tone that could melt any older person’s heart.

Bai Shutai blinked in surprise.

They say you don’t hit someone who’s smiling at you—and this smile really was sweet and well-mannered. No matter how furious he still was inside, Bai Shuda couldn’t unleash it. He slowly straightened his back and responded with a cold but civil nod.

He glanced at Xiao Qing, then at his pouting youngest son, lips twitching as though he wanted to say something else—but in the end, he just let out a sharp huff, flung his sleeves, and turned to leave.

Only after Bai Shutai’s figure had disappeared from view did Xiao Qing let out a long breath. The deceptive smile on his face vanished, and he lowered his head slightly, lost in thought.

Bai Yuanxiu followed his gaze—and saw that the vibrant flowers from earlier had been trampled into mush, petals stuck to the ground, dirty and crushed.

He’d wanted to offer to buy more later, but then he remembered—those flowers had come from the Sect’s spies. Now that they were gone, who knew if there’d be any left?

And just as he hesitated, he noticed a crumpled petal stuck to the top of Xiao Qing’s head.

Without thinking, Bai Yuanxiu reached out. But when his fingers brushed Xiao Qing’s hair, the silky touch made him instinctively smooth it down—his hand gliding over the strands twice more before he realized what he was doing.

And by then, Xiao Qing was staring at him wide-eyed.

Heat rushed straight to Bai Yuanxiu’s face. Embarrassed, he was just about to explain himself—when Xiao Qing lowered his gaze and lightly leaned the crown of his head against Bai Yuanxiu’s palm.

In that single moment, all the irritation that had been churning inside Bai Yuanxiu ever since his father showed up simply dissolved.

He gently tucked a few strands of Xiao Qing’s hair behind his ear, then let his hand fall and laced their fingers together.

The two of them walked side by side, heading east through the city.

Bai Yuanxiu hadn’t been back to Yuling City in a long time. The last time he came back, he and his family had fought so fiercely it nearly ended with the dining table flipped.

(Well, not by him—his father flipped it.)

The Bai family was a well-known scholarly household in the region. The family head, Bai Shuda, had placed third in the imperial exams at a young age. But after being sidelined by political rivals, he only ever became a seventh-rank official before retiring and returning home a few years ago.

Everyone knew that was just an excuse. He wasn’t even that old—it was clearly a move to make way for the younger generation.

His eldest son was smooth and diplomatic, a natural-born bureaucrat with a sharp mind and strong backing—his future was limitless.

His second son might not have had a knack for politics, but he’d loved books and painting since childhood and had become a famous scholar in his own right.

But then there was Bai Yuanxiu… who had gone way off track.

“When I’d only just learned to read,” Bai Yuanxiu said, “my dad stuffed a bunch of ‘thus saiths’ and ‘herefores’ in front of me. Those books were so heavy. He told me if I didn’t finish them, I wasn’t allowed to eat.”

He gave a couple of indignant snorts. “But my mom and brothers pitied me and always snuck me snacks. When my dad found out, he whipped both my brothers for a whole day. Their backs were raw. Tell me he’s not heartless.”

As he recounted his childhood, Bai Yuanxiu’s face lit up with expression. The whole way he carried himself suddenly seemed too lively for his age.

Although Bai Yuanxiu had been talking about his family the entire way, and what he was saying now wasn’t the first time he’d told it to Xiao Qing, Xiao Qing still listened quietly and attentively, without the slightest trace of impatience.

Noticing how often Xiao Qing glanced over at him, Bai Yuanxiu wiped his face with the back of his hand and asked, somewhat puzzled, “Do I have something on my face?”

Xiao Qing responded seriously, “Yeah. Come a little closer, I’ll wipe it for you.”

Bai Yuanxiu didn’t suspect anything and crouched down halfway, leaning in toward Xiao Qing and letting him do as he pleased.

The two were nearly the same height, so it was rare for there to be any noticeable difference in their line of sight. And even if there was, it was usually when they were fighting like mad — not in such a peaceful moment like this.

As Bai Yuanxiu felt the cool touch brushing against his cheek, he couldn’t help but marvel at how unpredictable life was. If someone had told him a few years ago that he’d one day get along so well with the Left Protector, he probably would’ve shuddered so hard he’d shake loose a whole mess of goosebumps.

—

Under the bright sunlight, Bai Yuanxiu and Xiao Qing arrived in front of a modest courtyard residence. Bai Yuanxiu’s sharp eyes caught the details as he walked quickly over to the door. He touched the brand-new, gleaming door knocker and immediately had a guess.

He grabbed the knocker and started pounding — fast and frantic, the kind of knocking that made one’s heart race just hearing it.

Sure enough, before even a single breath passed, the freshly painted door swung open with a bang. The person inside covered one ear and stared out, full of grievance.

Bai Yuanxiu wore a mischievous grin. “Big Brother, long time no see?”

The man inside glared at him. “You did that on purpose, didn’t you!”

Even though he said that, he still grabbed Bai Yuanxiu’s wrist and whispered, “Father originally wanted to let you suffer a little longer, but I figured if we waited any more, you’d probably tear the whole door down.”

Bai Yuanxiu gave him a thumbs-up. “Big Brother knows me best.”

After that, he introduced Xiao Qing to his older brother. Once the two exchanged a few polite greetings, Bai Yuanxiu urged them, “Come on, Big Brother, my legs are going numb standing here!”

And so, with Bai Yuanxiu’s relentless whining pushing them along, the three of them made their way to the main hall at a brisk pace.

Both Bai Yuanxiu and Xiao Qing were trained martial artists, and even from a distance, they could already hear a woman’s voice in full-blown lecture mode. Her tone was gentle, but the force behind it was anything but.

At this moment, Bai Yuanxiu couldn’t very well shout out, “We’re here, we heard everything,” so he could only flash Xiao Qing an awkward smile and keep following behind his big brother.

Sure enough, the moment they stepped into the hall, they were greeted by the sight of Master Bai Shutai and his wife in the middle of a quarrel.

Actually, calling it a “quarrel” wasn’t quite accurate — the lady of the house, with her face like a silver plate, was frowning sternly, while Bai Shutai was curled up in a chair trying his best to make himself invisible.

When she heard them enter, the lady turned her head. The moment she saw who it was, her cold expression instantly melted into warmth.

“Why so early? Didn’t you say you’d arrive after dark?” She took Bai Yuanxiu’s hand in hers, joy practically bubbling out of her eyes and forming fine lines at the corners. “Come, come, sit down, take a rest.”

Madam Bai held onto Bai Yuanxiu with one hand and Xiao Qing with the other. At an angle where no one else could see, she shot her husband a sharp glare.

“Here, try this. Yuanxiu said you liked snacks, so I had these prepared first thing in the morning — they’ve got lotus petals in the filling.”

“And this one, this sticky rice cake just came out of the pot. It’s not sweet, but it’s soft and chewy, very nice.”

Xiao Qing looked at the growing mountain of treats in front of him, half worried he couldn’t possibly finish it all, half feeling he couldn’t turn down such sincere kindness. In the end, he helplessly glanced at Bai Yuanxiu.

Bai Yuanxiu had been deliberately staying quiet, wanting to give his family and Xiao Qing more time to get familiar. But now that he saw Xiao Qing silently pleading for help, he finally spoke up. “Mom, where’s my share?”

Madam Bai blinked. “You don’t even eat this stuff, do you?”

Bai Yuanxiu pouted and looped his arm through hers, swinging it back and forth. “I haven’t been home in so long, I wanted to try a bit.”

After that, he let go and turned around, grabbing a still-warm rice cake and stuffing it in his mouth. “I’ll share with Ah Qing. Oh, and I—”

Before he could even finish his sentence, his gaze suddenly caught a shadow in the corner of the hall. In an instant, all the hairs on his body stood on end.

At some point, a chaotic, indistinct figure had appeared in the corner of the room, standing silently and watching everything happening inside the hall.