Chapter 459: An Inexplicable Male Competition

In the end, Jiang Qingli never answered the question.

Because before she could speak, the translucent figure materialized out of nowhere again. It squatted beside Jiang Qingli and pointed to itself.

Yuan Shimo’s brow furrowed. He stared coldly at his own shadow, silently commanding it to retreat.

Ever since he’d gained his Superpower, the shadow had been Yuan Shimo’s most obedient and useful tool.

But whenever Jiang Qingli was around, it would lose control.

This time, it went so far as to pretend it couldn’t see Yuan Shimo. It nuzzled its cheek against the back of Jiang Qingli’s hand, burying its face between her fingers to take a sniff.

Yuan Shimo’s patience snapped. He seized the shadow and forcibly stuffed it back where it belonged.

The shadow stretched out defiantly at his feet, a clear sign of its displeasure.

Yuan Shimo didn’t even deign to look at it. He took Jiang Qingli’s hand and led her away. "Ignore it," he said.

The two of them arrived at the dining hall. It was still a while before dinner.

The orphanage staff led the children to wash their hands, and they all sat in neat rows inside the cafeteria.

Her secretary came over and reported in a low voice, "Advisor Jiang, the livestream has been a remarkable success. Several families have already called the orphanage to express interest in adoption."

"As for the girl who was drawing with you today, four or five different families are vying to adopt her."

Jiang Qingli’s lips curved into a smile. "Good. Run thorough background checks. After the event, we can let them come and spend some time with the children. If it’s a good fit, we can proceed from there."

The secretary nodded. "Okay."

As she watched the children sitting obediently in the distance, her thoughts couldn’t help but drift to Gu Nian and his time in the orphanage.

’If only he’d been adopted by a good family back then,’ she thought, ’he wouldn’t have had to endure so much hardship.’

Jiang Qingli didn’t want to see such a tragedy repeat itself.

-

After dinner, Jiang Qingli played games with the children for a while. Around nine o’clock, she and the dean took them to their dorms to go to bed.

The orphanage had two dormitories: one for the girls and one for the boys.

The girls were close, so they had pushed their three beds together. A few dolls sat at the head of the beds. They were donations from kind strangers—a little old, but kept very clean.

The three little girls adored Jiang Qingli. They insisted on sharing their dolls with her and clung to her side. As she told them stories, they stared up at her with sparkling eyes, and Jiang Qingli felt her heart melt.

By the fourth story, the energetic children finally grew sleepy, dozing off haphazardly on their beds.

Jiang Qingli and the dean tucked them in, then quietly left, one after the other.

Once the door was closed, Jiang Qingli mentioned to the dean her idea of inviting specialists to fit some of the girls with mechanical arms.

The dean’s eyes instantly reddened. She grasped Jiang Qingli’s hand, thanking her profusely.

They had only exchanged a few more words when they heard a commotion in the distance.

As they drew closer, they realized it was coming from the boys’ dormitory.

There were many more boys than girls at the orphanage. Dozens of them were gathered around Baili Jing, the two brothers from the Yuan Family, and a male staff member.

Baili Jing was a natural with children. Even when holding the youngest, most boisterous child, he could soothe them with ease, patting their back until they drifted off to sleep.

The young man’s head was bowed, a gentle smile playing on his lips as he radiated a paternal glow.

A nearby staff member stared, wide-eyed, and couldn’t help but remark, "Mr. Baili, you’re so good with children. You’ll definitely be a wonderful father one day."

Hearing this, the White Fox Actor broke into a blissful smile. "Thank you."

The staff member was something of a fan. Seeing his idol so happy up close, his curiosity about Jiang Qingli got the better of him. "Mr. Baili," he couldn’t help but ask, "when do you and Advisor Jiang plan on having children? You’re both so handsome; your child is bound to be even more beautiful! If you have a daughter... I can’t even imagine how gorgeous she’d be!"

Baili Jing’s smile froze for an instant. "Ah, well, that sort of thing... I’m a traditional male. I defer to my female master on all matters."

This remark only made the staff member more impressed. "So, do you hope for a boy or a girl?"

A soft chuckle came from nearby.

It was faint and brief, yet it carried the sharp edge of someone who had just spotted an enemy’s fatal weakness.

It was as if to say—

’With a Match Value that low, you think you’re in any position to have children?’

Baili Jing turned his head, his eyes meeting Yuan Shimo’s.

He narrowed his eyes slightly.

’Just before dinner, Yuan Shimo and Jiang Qingli had disappeared together. When they returned, they were wearing different clothes. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what they’d been up to. To think he puts on such a cold, academic front in public, only to engage in such sordid business behind closed doors. Seducing an innocent female master in private is bad enough, but now he’s here being passive-aggressive. What a waste of all the effort and money the Yuan Family spent cultivating his ’male virtues’.’

Baili Jing smiled warmly and replied to the staff member, "I’d be happy with either a boy or a girl. In fact, I’d love to have a pair of identical twins who share the same tastes. Wouldn’t that be interesting?"

At his words, the expressions on both Yuan Shimo and Yuan Shiyao’s faces froze for an instant.

The two brothers glanced at each other, each letting out a soft scoff of contempt before looking away.

Baili Jing raised an eyebrow and asked with feigned concern, "Is something wrong? The tension between you two seems a little thick."

"Mr. Baili must be tired. You’re imagining things," Yuan Shimo said, his lips forming a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. "I was just wondering which storybook I should read to them."

Yuan Shiyao grabbed a book from nearby and handed it to him. "Brother, how about this one?"

Yuan Shimo shot his twin brother a look before taking the book.

’Of course, this didn’t mean he’d reconciled with Yuan Shiyao. But no matter how viciously he and Yuan Shiyao fought, that was the Yuan Family’s private affair. What business was it of an outsider?’

The young man opened the book and asked the little boy beside him which story he wanted to hear.

The boy was only three and hadn’t yet learned to retract his beast ears. He scrambled to climb into Yuan Shimo’s arms, eager to listen.

Yuan Shimo wasn’t very good with children. His movements were clumsy, and he fumbled as he held the boy, whose tail was still dangling and wagging.

In the end, it was Yuan Shiyao who had to lend a hand.

The black-haired youth’s movements were far more practiced. As he looked after the surrounding children, he even took a moment to wipe the face of one who was drooling.

Looking at the room full of children, Yuan Shiyao remarked, "I’ve always preferred girls, but looking at them now... boys aren’t so bad either."

Yuan Shimo didn’t even lift his gaze. "No one asked you," he said coolly.

Yuan Shiyao completely ignored him.

He glanced toward the doorway, obviously checking to see if Jiang Qingli had arrived. He seemed embarrassed by his own action and pinched his flushing earlobe.

Yuan Shimo: "..."

’Heh. When I asked Lin Yuan to come this afternoon, I should have told him to bring a psychiatrist. To treat Yuan Shiyao’s delusions.’

...

As the story was nearing its end, Baili Jing’s terminal vibrated. He glanced down, his brow furrowing.

After handing the child he was holding to someone nearby, Baili Jing clutched his terminal and strode quickly out of the room.

He was in such a hurry that he wasn’t paying attention and nearly collided with Jiang Qingli at the corner.

Jiang Qingli asked, "What’s wrong? You’re in a rush."

Baili Jing paused, then put on his usual gentle smile. "A call from my agent. We’re just discussing the livestream."

With that, he gave the dean a nod and hurried off in the other direction.

Jiang Qingli watched him go, her brow furrowed in thought.

’She’d just glimpsed the number on Baili Jing’s screen. It wasn’t Liu Wu’s. Besides, this wasn’t the first time in the past few days that Baili Jing had received a call from an unknown number. Each time, he grew visibly tense. Jiang Qingli was now even more certain that Baili Jing was hiding something from her.’