QT: Against My Will-Chapter 601 - 10.13 - Uncle William - Rebirth Of The Heart

Uncle William led XiaoPu to his condo, and the young boy couldn’t help but marwell.

"Wow, your place is pretty neat, Uncle William," XiaoPu remarked, looking around the stylish and well-maintained condo, "I guess being single has its perks, huh? No one to mess up your stuff."

"..." William almost choked on his saliva as he went to check if there was some milk in his fridge, "Aren’t you actually Seraphine and Edward’s son instead?"

XiaoPu shook his head as he took his pajamas from his backpack, "Their hair is blond and brown, while mine is black. Our eye color is different too. I’m not as smart as them, and my grades are average."

"But I heard you are popular at your school," chimed William, pouring a cup of milk into a glass and putting it in a microwave, "Edward was popular during his school days, too."

"I don’t know why I’m popular. I usually don’t talk to anyone because of my mouth." Already in his pajamas, XiaoPu made himself comfortable on the big couch in the middle of the living room, "Uncle William, can I watch a horror movie on your TV? It’s called the Haunting Hour, and it was just released."

"..." William set the cup on the coffee table and handed XiaoPu the TV remote, "Aren’t you scared to watch it alone? Do you want me to watch it with you?"

XiaoPu thought about how he would usually watch horror movies with Edward and Seraphine, who would cover Stinky Bun’s eyes half of the time, so he never found them scary, "I can watch it on my own."

"Alright," William shrugged his shoulders and went to take a shower.

However, as the movie’s tension built, and the eerie soundtrack filled the room, XiaoPu began to feel a growing sense of unease. The shadows in the dimly lit living room seemed to come to life, and every creak of the old house in the movie added to the suspense.

XiaoPu jumped up from the couch and hurriedly made his way to the bathroom. With a sense of urgency, he knocked on the bathroom door and called out, "Uncle William, Uncle William! You have a ghost in your house!"

"What? What happened?! Where?!" William flung open the door and looked around.

Some scary noises came from the living room, sending chills down their spine.

XiaoPu blinked back tears, his voice quivering, "I... I want to go back to Edward and Seraphine," he admitted, and then, unable to hold back his feelings any longer, he burst into tears, his sobs echoing in the room, "Wuwuwu."

· · ─────── · ⊱❈⊰· ─────── · ·

William arrived at Edward and Seraphine’s house with XiaoPu in tow, fear evident on their faces.

As they stood at the front door, William knocked firmly.

Moments later, the door swung open, revealing Edward with a puzzled frown on his face, "..."

With an exaggerated, theatrical gesture, William dramatically presented XiaoPu, who was trying hard not to burst into tears, "Edward, my dear cousin, I’ve brought you a surprise guest, Ta-da!"

With a big yawn, Edward ruffled XiaoPu’s hair and led him inside, "There are some spare rooms. Want to stay overnight?" he asked when he noticed the nervousness oozing from the man who remained to stay at his doorstep.

William coughed awkwardly, not wanting to return to his condo for a while, "Well, since you asked so nicely, I suppose I could stay for the night...or two."

· · ─────── · ⊱❈⊰· ─────── · ·

When William woke up the next morning, he was welcomed by the sweet scent of food wafting through the house. The delicious aroma filled the air, enticing him out of bed.

As he made his way out of the guest room, he noticed a clean outfit neatly folded on a stool next to his door. There was also a small note and a half-eaten meat bun?

Curious, he picked up the note and read it, "Hope you slept well. Breakfast will be ready at 8:30. Enjoy the meat bun for now. - Seraphine."

"Why is there only half of a meat bun?" William lifted the meat bun to check on it closer. It didn’t take long before the culprit showed up on his own.

Stinky Bun trodded toward the uncle, "Daddy, daddy," he opened his mouth in the bun’s direction.

"Eh?!" William blushed in embarrassment, realizing the mix-up, "I’m not your daddy," he stammered, feeling a bit awkward. It seemed like this little boy had mistaken him for someone else.

"Daddy, daddy?" Can uncle share some with Stinky Bun? Stinky Bun opened his mouth like a little bird waiting to be fed. He loved meat buns, and didn’t know why one appeared in the middle of the corridor, but Mommy told him that he could ask the uncle who was sleeping inside that room to share some with him later.

William held the half-eaten meat bun and gazed down at the expectant toddler. He knelt down to the boy’s level, offering him the remaining piece of the meat bun. As Stinky Bun eagerly took a bite, a sense of baby fever washed over William, "..."

Stinky Bun hugged William after he finished his meal, "Daddy." Thank you nice uncle.

"..." William felt his heart melt. He hugged the little boy back and lifted him up, "Who’s child are you, hm?"

Stinky bun pointed in the kitchen’s direction, "Mommy, mommy." Stinky Bun is mommy’s boy.

William walked toward the kitchen, still holding the little boy. "Is your mommy Seraphine?" he asked, curious and a bit surprised. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Seraphine and Edward would rarely show up in the public after what happened to their first son. Edward’s parents had also been devastated by the loss of their first grandchild, and the pain only intensified when even after three years, there was no sign of a second grandchild.

The boy he was holding carried some of Seraphine’s and Edward’s traits. Did Seraphine get pregnant secretly behind everyone’s backs?

Stinky Bun led William into the kitchen and called out to the woman behind the counter, "Mommy, mommy." Uncle woke up on his own.

"Oh?" Seraphine wiped her hands into her apron and looked at her son, "What about XiaoPu?"

The toddler’s eyes widened in realization, "PuPu!" Stinky Bun forgot! He wriggled out of William’s arms and scampered to wake up his little brother.

"Such an energetic boy," William commented, watching Stinky Bun dash away.

"You should see him when he has to clean up his toys," Seraphine said with a chuckle, placing a cup of coffee on the dining table, "It’s a whole different story then."

"I can imagine," William laughed, "Where is Edward?"

"He was summoned for a press conference again. Someone has been constantly digging out dirt on the Ashtor family," Bing Shi neatly arranged the plates, silverware, and napkins on the dining table before taking her seat next to William.

"Thank you for bringing back XiaoPu," she said, meeting William’s eyes with a warm smile, "He’s a prideful little boy who’s often reluctant to take the initial step."