Chapter 18: Father and Son of the Frosty Abyss

That afternoon, Shi Chuchu bit the bullet and attended Long Xiaobao’s playdate. She had tried to feign illness to get out of it, but after a thorough check-up by the doctor, she had no choice but to comply. Besides, Long Xiaobao had gazed at her with such teary eyes that it clearly implied if she didn't go, he wouldn't go either.

Shi Chuchu dared not ruin the playdate that Long Yuan had gone to such great lengths to arrange for his cub. After a difficult internal struggle, she finally decided on a plan: she would wear a face mask. No matter what, covering her face provided an extra layer of security. As long as Shuang Ming could not confirm her identity, how could he possibly do anything suspicious? Surely he wouldn't dare kidnap her in front of Long Yuan and his son! She was currently a favorite in Long Xiaobao’s inner circle; even for that reason alone, Long Yuan wouldn't let Shuang Ming do anything to her.

At 2:00 PM, Shi Chuchu carried Long Xiaobao into the reception hall and sat quietly on the sofa, waiting for their guests to arrive.

At 2:10 PM, Long Yuan appeared in her line of sight, walking alongside a tall, strikingly handsome man with frost-white hair and a cold, aloof air. Shi Chuchu couldn't help but fix her gaze on the white-haired man, silently grumbling to her system, "It’s been... no, wait, years since I’ve seen him, so why is Shuang Ming’s 'ice-cold flower' aura getting even stronger? You’d never guess he had a child."

[...Shouldn't you be the one answering that question, ancestor?]

Shi Chuchu rubbed her nose in embarrassment and decided to skip that topic. Her eyes wandered further, and she finally spotted the other protagonist of the playdate in the arms of a servant following behind Long Yuan and Shuang Ming—Shuang Ming’s son, Shuang Ci.

He was also her son.

The little one looked as if he had been carved from the same mold as Shuang Ming: the exact same frost-white hair, the same porcelain-pale complexion, and the same cold, detached expression. Despite his young age, there was not a trace of childhood innocence on his small face.

Shi Chuchu felt a momentary pang of shock. When she had left, the little one wasn't like this; he used to break into silly giggles whenever she teased him with her fingertips. However, her daze didn't last long, as she soon sensed a cold, piercing gaze fixed on her face.

It was Shuang Ming’s gaze. Calm, analytical, and devoid of any emotion.

Shi Chuchu snapped back to reality, her heart leaping into her throat. She instinctively touched the mask on her face to ensure it was securely covering the majority of her features, feeling only slightly relieved once she was certain.

After they were seated, Long Yuan noticed the mask on Shi Chuchu’s face. He paused for a moment before remembering to introduce her to the father and son sitting on the sofa opposite them. "This is my only son, Long Ye. He is four years old, and his nickname is Xiaobao."

Shuang Ming nodded gently. "He is about the same age as Shuang Ci. I’m sure the two children will have plenty to talk about."

Shuang Ci sat beside Shuang Ming, his posture upright and elegant, a mirror image of his father. Shi Chuchu sighed internally once more; this child’s demeanor was even more mature than her own. In contrast, Long Xiaobao, curled up in her arms, was as relaxed as could be, his short limbs sprawled out like a soft, squishy little rice cake. Long Xiaobao was blinking his large, ink-black eyes, curiously observing the long-haired little boy across from him. He looked at the other boy’s slender, well-proportioned frame, then looked down to pinch his own round belly, falling into deep thought.

Long Yuan noticed the cub’s little movements and chuckled softly. Just as he was about to pull Long Xiaobao into his own arms, he heard Shuang Ming suddenly ask, "And this lady is?"

Long Yuan’s brows twitched; he was surprised that Shuang Ming would, for the first time ever, take an interest in a stranger. Still, he introduced her briefly: "She is Long Ye’s nanny, Chu Shi. Because Xiaobao is unwilling to be separated from her, I invited her along to accompany the two cubs."

"Chu... Shi?" A subtle expression finally flickered across Shuang Ming’s cold face, his gaze locking directly onto Shi Chuchu’s face.

Shi Chuchu’s heart raced. She instinctively lowered her head slightly to avoid his gaze, pretending to be focused on playing with Long Xiaobao. Fortunately, Shuang Ming quickly withdrew his eyes and said coolly, "Since Ms. Chu is here to look after them, let’s leave the space to the children. I actually have some matters I need to discuss with the Marshal."

Long Yuan nodded. Before leaving, he whispered a reminder to Shi Chuchu to take good care of both children and to call the butler if any issues arose. Shi Chuchu felt a wave of relief, nodding repeatedly. After watching the two men disappear from sight, she let out a long, shuddering breath.

With the adults gone, Long Xiaobao could no longer contain his curiosity. He kicked his short legs, slid off Shi Chuchu’s lap, and toddled toward the ethereal-looking little boy sitting on the opposite sofa, stopping right in front of him.

"Brother, I... Xiaobao." Long Xiaobao was a bit shy and nervous when introducing himself. And whenever he got nervous, he tended to drool. Consequently—

"Hmm, Xiaobao. You’re drooling," Shuang Ci said calmly, observing the glistening drop on the corner of his mouth.

Long Xiaobao froze. Before he could even feel embarrassed or indignant, the little boy reached out, pulled two tissues from a nearby box, and wiped the corner of his mouth for him.

Long Xiaobao was stunned again, and he said uncertainly, "Brother... thank?"

Shuang Ci continued to observe Long Xiaobao with the same calm expression before pointing out again, "Xiaobao, your collar is crooked." With that, he hopped off the sofa and, with a very serious look, helped straighten Long Xiaobao’s collar. After finishing that, he realized Long Xiaobao’s buttons were not perfectly aligned, so he began to struggle with the buttons...

After a thorough tidying up, Shuang Ci looked at the finally well-groomed Long Xiaobao, sighed in relief, and sat back down on the sofa.

Long Xiaobao was dumbfounded, and so was Shi Chuchu. She whispered to the system, "Is this kid... a bit obsessive-compulsive?"

The system pondered for a moment: [I suggest intervening as soon as possible. In my many years of experience, any male with OCD usually ends up with 'Darkened CEO Syndrome' when they grow up. It’s very easy for them to become the type who pins you to a wall with red eyes and says, 'I’ll give you my life,' which is quite terrifying.]

Upon hearing the words "darkening value," Shi Chuchu immediately went on high alert and became serious. Such a nice little boy—he must not grow up to be a cold, domineering CEO.

What kind of place is best for curing obsessive-compulsive disorder? Naturally, it would be Long Xiaobao’s chaotic, impossibly messy block room.

Ten minutes later, Shuang Ci stared at the blocks scattered all over the room and fell into a silence. For the first time in his life, he felt a desperate urge to turn and run away.

"Brother... play." Long Xiaobao, unable to read the room, was still tugging at him with hopeful eyes, pulling him inside.

Shi Chuchu could see that Shuang Ci wanted to shake off Long Xiaobao’s hand several times, but perhaps out of good breeding or some other reason, he ultimately endured it. In reality, Shuang Ci was simply remembering his father’s instructions: get on good terms with Long Xiaobao and fish for information from him.

The boy with skin like jade and bones of ice pressed his lips together and resigned himself to his fate. *Fine. For the sake of finding Mother, I’ll endure it.*