Chapter 262: Rest

*Runze’s POV*

The nursery clock reads three-twenty in the afternoon when my phone vibrates in my pocket.

I am sitting on the edge of the low nursing armchair with Siying resting across my thighs, her tiny legs twitching inside her swaddle as she finishes off her bottle. Her eyes are fixed on the white ceiling light, her mouth making steady, eager swallowing sounds around the rubber nipple.

I keep one hand behind her head, using my shoulder to balance the small bottle, and reach into my pocket with my free hand.

It’s Liang Feng.

I slide the screen open and put the phone to my ear, keeping my voice low so I don’t disturb Siying’s pace.

"Yes, Liang Feng?"

"Young Master Runze." There’s a brief pause before Liang Feng continues, like he’s choosing his words carefully. "I’m calling about Young Master Ling. An Alpha came into the boutique while he was inside. They came out together, and the Alpha was... he was carrying Young Master Ling, to a car that was already waiting outside."

I stop moving the bottle for half a second before adjusting my grip.

"What? Carrying Ling Yue?"

"Yes, Young Master. But Young Master Ling wasn’t fighting it." Another pause. "That’s why I didn’t step in. But I wanted to check with you before I did anything."

I glance down at Siying.

She is still drinking peacefully, completely unaware that her uncle has apparently been carried out of a boutique by a stranger.

"What did this Alpha look like?"

"Tall, older, and well dressed." A brief silence. "Actually... Young Master, I think I’ve seen him before. At your presentation for the Dingshan project, months ago. He was watching from the back. I never found out his name, but I remember his face."

I go still.

The Dingshan presentation. Watching from the back.

Jin Hao.

"Follow them," I say. "Don’t let them see you... Just find out where he takes him and send me the address."

"Should I be worried about Young Master Ling?"

"No," I say. "Just follow."

There is a brief pause before Liang Feng answers.

"Understood."

I end the call and set the phone on the small side table.

Siying chooses that exact moment to let go of the bottle with a soft lip-smack, her eyes fluttering shut as her little face relaxes.

"Finished?"

She gives no answer.

I shift her carefully, lifting her against my shoulder and supporting the back of her head with one hand. With the other, I pat her back in slow, rhythmic strokes.

She makes a tiny grumbling sound.

I smile despite myself.

"Your uncle," I tell her quietly, "is having a day."

She blinks up at me, her small mouth opening slightly before she lets out a tiny, soft squeak.

I continue patting her back until a surprisingly loud burp escapes her.

I pause.

Siying settles her cheek against my neck as though nothing happened.

I shake my head.

Eleven days old and already capable of making an entire room revolve around her.

I reach for my phone again, open Ling Yue’s contact and type a short message.

*Call me when you can.*

No frantic questions, no mention of Jin Hao, no demand for an explanation.

If Ling Yue calls back in an hour or two, I’ll know he’s fine. If the sun goes down and I still haven’t heard from him, I’ll use whatever address Liang Feng sends and go get him myself.

Until then, there is nothing to do except trust that Ling Yue, who spent months carefully not getting over someone, has finally been found by that someone and is probably exactly where some part of him wanted to be.

***

I leave Siying sleeping in her crib, the baby monitor clipped to my pocket, and walk down the hall to our bedroom.

Bael is sitting on the edge of the mattress in his soft home trousers and a plain grey shirt. He has his tablet in his hand, his thumb resting against the glass screen. To anyone else, he looks perfectly fine—his back is straight, his jaw is set, and his expression is clean and composed. But his eyes haven’t moved across the text on the screen for three solid minutes.

He has barely slept properly since Siying was born eleven days ago. Between keeping track of company reports from home and stepping into the nursery every three hours to check on her, he has been running on empty.

"Bael," I say quietly, stepping into the room.

He looks up the moment I enter, setting his thumb on the frame of the tablet. "Is Siying sleeping?"

"She just did," I say, walking directly up to him. I reach out and take the tablet right out of his hands, setting it on the nightstand behind him. "Give it a rest for an hour."

Bael blinks, his brows drawing together slightly as his hands go empty. "I was reading through the quarterly reports Shen Rui sent—"

"Shen Rui can manage, he has two assistants now," I say, placing my palms against his chest and pushing him gently backward. "You haven’t rested well since we brought her home. Lay down."

He looks at me, his mouth set in a firm line as if preparing to tell me he isn’t tired. But he knows I see right through him. He lets out a quiet breath, turns around, and lowers his body flat on his stomach against the mattress, resting his cheek on the pillow.

I climb onto the bed behind him, straddling his thighs to get a proper angle.

I place my palms flat on his broad back, pressing the heels of my hands into the tight muscles around his shoulders. He is holding so much tension in his frame that his back feels like solid marble under my touch.

"You’re tight everywhere," I say softly, working my thumbs in small, deep circles near the base of his neck.

Bael lets out a long breath into the pillow, his eyes closing as the tension begins to give way. "I haven’t had time to think about anything else."

"I know," I say, shifting my weight to press deeper into his shoulder blades. "By the way, Liang Feng called earlier."

Bael turns his head slightly on the pillow, opening one eye to look toward me. "Is something wrong?"

"Jin Hao picked up Ling Yue from the boutique he went to."

Bael stays quiet for a beat, his eyes tracking mine in the dim light. "Jin Hao?"

"Liang Feng was waiting outside," I explain, moving my hands down his back to knead the firm muscles along his spine. "He said Jin Hao carried him right out to his car, and Ling Yue didn’t fight him or make a scene. He just let him."

Bael rests his cheek back down on the pillow with a quiet exhale. "Then it shouldn’t be a big deal."

"Exactly," I say. "I told Liang Feng to follow them and send the address just in case. Well, we don’t need to talk about that anymore. What you need to do right now is go to sleep, or I’m going to start worrying."

Bael turns his head slightly, a faint, amused curve touching the corner of his mouth. "Are you threatening me?"

I let out a soft chuckle, leaning down until my voice is just above a whisper near his ear. "No. I’m begging you. I’ll be happy if you’re well rested."

Bael lets out a low hmm, his smile lingering against the pillow as his eyes slowly close, his shoulders finally dropping all the way into the mattress.

Under my hands, the steady pressure slowly works through the tightness in his back. His breathing deepens, taking on a slow, rhythmic pace as his arms relax against the sheets.

I keep my movements slow and constant, working from his neck down to his lower back until I feel the final bit of resistance leave his frame. His head turns limp against the pillow, his chest rising and falling in deep, even cycles.

I carefully shift my weight, climbing off his back so I don’t wake him. I pull the light blanket up over his shoulders, lean down to press a quick kiss against his cheek, and quietly step away from the bed.

***

It is nearly seven in the evening when the sky outside turns dark.

I am sitting on the sofa near the bedroom window with the baby monitor beside me. Siying is still resting quietly in her crib, her faint breathing coming through the small speaker.

Around six, after checking on Siying, I had pulled out my phone and sent Ling Yue a second message: *Should I come get you?*

Now, almost an hour later, I pick up my phone from the table and light up the screen. Two notifications are waiting for me.

The first is from Liang Feng, sent around five-thirty after he followed them to their final destination: Villa 12, Lakeside Drive, East District. Private residential area. Car is parked in the driveway. No signs of conflict.

The second is a reply from Ling Yue that came in just a few minutes ago.

I open it.

*I’m okay. Don’t. I’ll call later.*

I read the short text twice, a faint smile touching my lips.

*Don’t.*

Don’t come get me. Don’t send security. Don’t step in right now.

It’s clear as day. Ling Yue knows he walked right back into Jin Hao’s space, and he wants the time to handle it on his own terms. He isn’t trapped; he is right where he chose to be the moment he left his phone on.

I type back a short reply: *Eat something. Talk tomorrow.*

I set the phone face-down on the table and look over at the bed.

Bael hasn’t shifted at all. He is sleeping deeply, his face relaxed and calm in the dim evening light filtered through the blinds.

I stand up from the sofa, walk over to the side of the bed, and slip under the blanket beside him.