After he finished speaking, the little one beside him fell silent.

He looked down, expecting her to feel a bit sad, but upon closer inspection, she had actually fallen asleep.

Bo Xichen chuckled softly, truly like a child.

He reached out to pick her up, settled her in, took off her shoes, covered her with a light blanket, and then went into a laboratory in Si Garden. This lab was the one his father used to extract Jing for An An. She didn’t come often later, and he realized she had a child’s mindset, completing things without pursuing more, and maybe having children for her was just having another toy, without much thought...

Professor Bo thought about a toy resembling either him or her, cute and all, couldn’t help but smile... and then sighed while rubbing his forehead, knowing he wanted children, and today he probably had a bit too much to drink from happiness.

After absentmindedly thinking about various things, he finally focused on his experiment.

Professor Huoer’s project had a broad scope and was very bold. If successful, it would be a major breakthrough in medicine, shocking the world, which is why King Jingyao valued it so much.

Of course, the project was challenging; otherwise, Professor Huoer wouldn’t have been unable to continue halfway, and all the numbers had stalled... Bo Xichen had reviewed the project data countless times, realizing it would take one to two years to complete it on his own. If An An was interested and helped, it might take only half a year, but he didn’t want to force her; she would come around if interested.

Thinking of the little one again, he smiled, calmed himself, and focused on the basic data, redoing all the figures provided by Huaer Laboratory...

Late at night, light highlighted the depth and allure of his profile.

Around two o’clock, soft footsteps sounded behind him. Not concerned, he continued with his experiment.

Sure enough, a pair of thin arms wrapped around him, followed by a soft voice: "Uncle, you’re still busy, huh?"

He hummed: "Working on the project."

Gu Anxi buried her face in his back, yawning: "Seems hard. Do you need my help?"

He smiled silently: "If you’re not interested, play with your own stuff."

"I’m only interested in you," she murmured, face pressed against his back, yawning again.

Professor Bo’s hand shook slightly. After a moment, he set aside the half-done experiment, maintaining a neutral face: "It’s late, go to sleep."

Saying that, he turned her little face upright.

She seemed to wake up a bit, blinked her eyes, "Uncle? Didn’t you say your experiment was unfinished?"

"Don’t feel like working on it." He hugged her shoulder, half-hugging and half-carrying her back to Orchid Room, stumbling all the way.

At Orchid Room, after he closed Fengxi, the little one was pinned against the wall by him.

She immediately held his shoulder, looking pitiful: "Uncle, you drank."

He laughed deeply: "Hmm?"

She repeated: "Uncle, you drank."

He laughed softly, then took her to the sofa, holding her with one arm while grabbing his laptop with another, typing single-handedly, Googling some phrases...

Gu Anxi blushed, unable to speak clearly, stammering.

Little Uncle Bo’s voice was pleasant: "Now, hmm?"

Gu Anxi’s small fist hit his shoulder—

She was wrong; academic men are really quite gentlemanly rogues...

...

In the early morning, Bo Xichen opened his eyes, some thoughts in his mind, and immediately got up to go to the lab.

When Gu Anxi turned over and couldn’t find him, she called out and then went back to sleep.

The small garden of Orchid Courtyard.

Bo Xichen met the elder Bo doing tai chi early in the morning. The elder greeted with a smile: "Morning, Xichen."

Bo Xichen lightly smiled: "Morning, Grandpa."

He looked at the sky, "Grandpa, you’re up for tai chi at six. Why not sleep a bit longer?"

While practicing, the elder kept a calm demeanor: "Old age, sleep quality is poor. Last night, the cat was noisy, meowing persistently at midnight, how could I sleep? But you, Xichen, seem in good health. I heard you worked late last night, and after just two or three hours you got up to work again."

The elder chuckled: "Energetic young man."

This comment made Little Uncle Bo a bit awkward, lightly clearing his throat: "Really? I didn’t hear."

The elder smiled, stayed calm, and after a moment said, "Xichen, not to nag, but a young beautiful girl should be cherished when you bring her home. It might not be right to leave her and go to work so early in the morning, don’t you think?"

Little Uncle Bo found it challenging, too much time spent with her and his mother would say he lacks restraint, always bullying her little grandchild. Now, working diligently in the morning, the elder has something to say too...

The elder finished his tai chi routine, clapped Bo’s shoulder: ’Alright, alright, know you have work. The child doesn’t mind, we old folks really meddle too much. Go, but don’t forget to have breakfast.’

"Yes, thank you, Grandpa." Bo Xichen tried to leave quickly, but the elder stopped him again: "Xichen, the child already calls me Grandpa, perhaps ’Grandpa’ instead of ’Elder’ from you, the real grandson, would sound less distant, more genuine than brought-in."

Little Uncle Bo was torn between laughter and tears, what does ’real’ vs. ’brought-in’ mean?

How could Anxi, being so grown, be ’brought-in’?

He exchanged a few more remarks before it was over...

As he walked away, the elder cheered energetically—

So great, Xichen woke up early today, later he can offer his attentions, have someone prepare the breakfast that little child likes; if lucky, they might even have breakfast together.

Hehe!

...

However, Gu Anxi only woke up near noon, roused by a phone call.

The call wasn’t from someone else but the stammering man from yesterday, Old Brother Wang.

Old Brother Wang roared over the phone, and Gu Anxi immediately distanced it—

That familiar shout.

King Jingyao was infuriated.

Discharging today, everything was calm, in the office with everyone dutifully submissive, very dignified, he was satisfied, in a good mood, but by noon Jingchuan rushed in with news, not gossip but widespread—

A gossip column reported Jiang Chaoge had moved in with the old lady, already being the Wang Family’s chosen daughter-in-law.

The old brother was shocked and angry, when did he settle things with Jiang Chaoge, he didn’t even like her!

No need to ask, certainly some brat’s doing; he had Jingchuan check, and indeed, Manager Ma from Cloud He Group had leaked it to the media, making the old brother furious, detaining Manager Ma there, not releasing.

This call, made in fury, was full of rage.

"You’re so bold, to spread such news." Old Brother Wang was furious: "How to clean this up? Give me a plan. Haven’t seen you in days, thinking you’d tone down, turns out you’ve gotten bolder, huh, Gu Anxi, think I daren’t touch you?"

"Why wouldn’t you dare?" Gu Anxi snorted: ’My leg still has a bruise.’

The old brother paused, then sneered: "Are you playing the victim? Do you have any idea what big thing you’ve done? Only caring about those you protect, when do you ever notice me?"

Gu Anxi kept listening.

King Jingyao spoke coldly: "This call is to tell you, don’t think you can act however you please. I won’t touch you, but that Manager Ma... I won’t let him go."

He expected her to plead, to humble herself, but Gu Anxi scratched her head saying: "Oh, then I’ll prepare for new hires. The new ones might be more obedient, and their salary demands probably not as high as Manager Ma’s. If you handle him, that’d be splendid."

Manager Ma cried online...