Chapter 327– The Domineering CEO’s Little Sweetheart – A Thief Broke Into My House (04)
As the world’s male protagonist, Xi Yuanhan’s identity was naturally anything but ordinary.
After his parents’ deaths years ago, he was taken abroad by his father’s close friend. It was only thanks to that that he managed to grow up safely.
During his years overseas, he never once forgot the tragic scene of his parents’ deaths.
When he later learned that Bai Kangsheng might be the culprit behind their murder, he resolutely returned to the country, disguising his identity to investigate the truth himself.
He thought his disguise was flawless, unaware that from the very moment he set foot back home, a hidden force had already set its eyes on him.
Every one of Xi Yuanhan’s moves was under someone’s watchful gaze — including his infiltration of the Bai family as a bodyguard to investigate what happened back then.
Since Father Bai would be staying abroad for half a year, Xi Yuanhan had plenty of time to gather clues.
He could afford to wait — but someone else couldn’t.
Seeing that Xi Yuanhan was taking no action, the person lurking in the shadows decided, after waiting for some time, to strike first.
One night, he sent several men to break into the Bai household.
Three men slipped toward the Bai residence under the moonlight. Wearing gloves, they located the power switch and cut the electrical wires.
In an instant, the Bai home was plunged into darkness. Even if someone inside noticed, they wouldn’t be able to turn the lights back on.
“What’s with the power outage?” Aunt Zhang muttered as she rummaged through the cabinet in the living room for candles.
“Xiao Xi, take care of the young master — he’s afraid of the dark. Xiao Mei, go to the kitchen and find a lighter,” she instructed.
Without needing to be told, Xi Yuanhan instinctively pulled the boy into his arms.
The sudden change in environment terrified Bai Tang, who suffered from autism.
The moment the lights went out, his body trembled uncontrollably — until Xi Yuanhan wrapped him in a protective embrace.
Gently rubbing the boy’s back, he whispered, “Don’t be afraid. I’m here.”
Xi Yuanhan’s voice seemed to carry a strange magic, soothing the boy’s anxious heart as if by miracle.
The teenager turned his head and buried his face in the man’s chest, refusing to look at the shadowy shapes of the furniture around them.
As long as he didn’t look, nothing strange would crawl out of the darkness.
“Aunt Zhang, the lighter’s out of fuel,” Liang Shaomei said as she emerged from the kitchen, holding a useless lighter.
Aunt Zhang glanced at Xi Yuanhan, who was still holding Bai Tang, and asked, “Xiao Xi, do you smoke?” Smokers usually had lighters.
“No,” Xi Yuanhan replied.
Father Bai’s top criteria for hiring both housekeepers and bodyguards were simple — no bad habits.
That meant no smoking, no heavy drinking, and nothing else of the sort.
It was nearing eleven o’clock at night. The stores outside had already closed, and the property management office was off duty as well.
Aunt Zhang sighed. “Xiao Xi, I’ll have to trouble you tonight. Keep a close eye on the young master. He’s afraid of the dark, so why don’t you sleep with him in his room?”
Ever since the last time Aunt Zhang had mentioned it, Xi Yuanhan hadn’t openly shared a bed with Bai Tang again.
He would only go to the boy’s room after Aunt Zhang and Liang Shaomei had gone to bed.
And as for Bai Tang—he had long since changed his sleeping schedule. He wouldn’t go to sleep until Xi Yuanhan came.
So, when Aunt Zhang gave permission, Xi Yuanhan could hardly have asked for more.
“Tang Tang, let’s not draw tonight. How about we sleep early?” Xi Yuanhan said softly, lowering his head to speak to the boy.
Bai Tang made a barely audible sound of agreement and obediently followed him back to the room.
After the start of summer, the weather had been growing steadily warmer.
Normally, the air conditioning kept things comfortable, but now that the power was out, there was neither cool air nor light.
Bai Tang, who was used to sleeping with a small night-light on, stared wide-eyed at the dark ceiling.
His imagination began to run wild, making him think something might appear up there at any moment.
During this time, Xiao A had been voraciously absorbing the male lead’s good fortune.
Unlike Qiu’er, whose energy came from the world itself, Xiao A’s power came from luck.
Even if the world granted him energy, it would eventually transform into good luck in his hands.
With Xiao A’s help, Bai Tang’s mind had grown increasingly clear — far better than when he first arrived in this world.
He could even take the initiative to speak to people now.
“A Han… I’m scared~” the boy murmured, curling up softly in the man’s arms.
Xi Yuanhan pulled the blanket that had slipped down from Bai Tang’s legs up to his stomach. It might have been summer, but the stomach was still the easiest place to catch a chill — one had to be careful.
The little blanket felt soft and pleasant to the touch, but without the air conditioning, it quickly became uncomfortably warm.
The little “squirrel” in his arms wouldn’t have it. No sooner had Xi Yuanhan tucked the blanket over him than the boy pushed it right back down.
“Tang Tang, be good,” Xi Yuanhan said helplessly, his tone firm with just a hint of command.
That tone always made Bai Tang nervous. When Xi Yuanhan covered him again, he didn’t dare push it off anymore.
“…Hot~” the boy whispered softly.
Xi Yuanhan picked up the palm fan that Aunt Zhang had given him and waved it gently toward the boy.
“Now it’s not hot anymore. Go to sleep — I’ll fan you.”
Feeling the cool breeze against his skin, Bai Tang relaxed and leaned against Xi Yuanhan, closing his eyes.
Xi Yuanhan kept fanning him slowly. A light night wind drifted in through the balcony from time to time.
Peaceful and quiet — perhaps this was what they called the serenity of ordinary days.
Humans adapt quickly. No matter how hot it was, eventually, one would drift off to sleep. Like Aunt Zhang. Like Liang Shaomei. Both of them had already done just that.
The rhythm of Xi Yuanhan’s fan gradually slowed. His arm came to rest around the boy’s waist, and he drifted into a light sleep while holding him.
Outside, the three men who had cut the power wires had been waiting patiently until midnight. When they estimated that everyone inside was asleep, they finally tossed a rope up to the balcony and began climbing.
The little “squirrel” in Xi Yuanhan’s arms couldn’t handle the heat well. Without Xi Yuanhan’s fanning, his sleep became restless — even the slightest sound could wake him.
Half-awake, Bai Tang blinked toward the balcony. It seemed… something was moving behind the window curtains.
Images from the horror movies he used to watch with Qiu’er flickered through his mind like a film reel, one after another.
His lips parted slightly, but fear choked his voice before it could escape.
Behind the pale curtains, something — or someone — was climbing up the balcony.
The rope swayed. A black hand grasped the edge of the railing.
Bai Tang’s eyes went wide with terror as a second hand appeared… then a third… followed by a shadowy head.
“Ah—ah—ah—!”
Tears welled up and streamed down his face from sheer fright.
He squeezed his eyes shut, repeating silently in his mind: You can’t see me, you can’t see me, you can’t see me.
It was his self-soothing trick — his way of pretending himself invisible whenever fear overwhelmed him.
With his eyes closed tight, Bai Tang could still hear every sound in the room.
Those figures came closer, approaching his bed. He could even feel the warmth of their breath brushing across his face.
He didn’t dare breathe.
After a few moments, the intruders seemed to lose interest in him. They moved quietly toward the door, opened it with careful stealth, and slipped out.
When he heard the faint click of the door closing, Bai Tang finally let out a shaky sigh of relief.
Then — a hand suddenly covered his mouth.
He instinctively tried to bite down, but before he could, a familiar, steady voice whispered beside his ear:
“Tang Tang, don’t make a sound.”
Tears streamed freely down Bai Tang’s cheeks. The moment Xi Yuanhan released him, he threw himself into the man’s arms, his voice trembling and muffled with sobs.
“I—I was so scared~”
Xi Yuanhan held him tightly, heart aching.
“Don’t be afraid. I’m here.”
Xi Yuanhan wiped away Bai Tang’s tears.
“I’m going to take a look outside. Tang Tang, stay here in the room and don’t move, okay?”
As soon as he said that and started to get up, a hand caught the back of his shirt. “D-don’t go…”
The tears that Bai Tang had just managed to stop began to fall again. His trembling, childlike voice was so soft and pitiful that it made anyone want to pull him close and comfort him.
Xi Yuanhan turned back, hugged the boy tightly, and pressed a gentle kiss on the top of his head.
“Our Tang Tang is the bravest, aren’t you? Don’t be afraid. Aunt Zhang and Xiao Mei are still downstairs — they might be in danger. We’re the only two men in the house, so we need to protect them, right?”
Xi Yuanhan’s words stirred Bai Tang’s sense of protectiveness. Both Aunt Zhang and the female lead had always treated him well — especially Aunt Zhang, whose affection could only be described as doting.
Bai Tang nodded, wiping at his tears. “I—I’ll go… with you… hic…”
“Alright.”
Xi Yuanhan took the kettle from the bedside table, poured Bai Tang a cup of water, and waited until the boy calmed down. Then, when they were both ready, he quietly opened the door.
Xi Yuanhan glanced both ways down the hallway.
It was empty — no sign of the three intruders.
The power outage and the timing of their midnight break-in made him certain they were well-prepared. Their purpose, however, was unclear.
Still, he doubted they were kidnappers — if they were, they would’ve acted the moment they saw Bai Tang earlier.
Xi Yuanhan could only hope the intruders were after money and nothing more.
Aunt Zhang’s room was closest to the staircase. Xi Yuanhan led Bai Tang there and instructed him to wake her, while he went to alert Liang Shaomei.
Bai Tang quietly opened the door and walked over to Aunt Zhang’s bed.
“Aunt Zhang… Aunt Zhang…” he called softly, reaching out to shake her shoulder.
“Wh-what is it?” Aunt Zhang opened her eyes, blinking. When she saw that it was Bai Tang, her sleepiness vanished instantly.
She quickly sat up, got out of bed, and helped Bai Tang sit down.
“Young master, what are you doing here? Where’s Xiao Xi?”
Her first thought was that Xi Yuanhan had bullied the boy again, and Bai Tang had cleverly run away.
But Bai Tang trusted Aunt Zhang deeply, so he wasn’t afraid to speak to her. His soft voice came out trembling: “There are thieves in the house… three of them…”
He raised three fingers to show the number. “A Han went to wake Xiao Mei~”
Aunt Zhang snapped fully awake.
What? Thieves? Someone had actually broken in to steal from the house?!
She grabbed the broom leaning in the corner and told Bai Tang, “Stay here, don’t go out.”
Then, clutching the broom tightly, she stepped out of the room.
Bai Tang didn’t have a phone — and he didn’t know where Aunt Zhang’s phone was kept either.
“Qiu’er, can you call the police?” Bai Tang asked.
“No problem. It’s just that I’ll need to explain the situation first—”
“Give me the phone. I’ll do it.”
Before Qiu’er could finish saying that he could easily mimic someone’s voice to make the call, Bai Tang interrupted, determined.
Xiao A sounded worried. “Host, are you sure you can?”
Bai Tang’s autism symptoms had improved significantly, but he wasn’t completely cured. Talking to strangers was still difficult for him, and Xiao A wasn’t certain he could handle speaking with the police.
“I’ll try~” Bai Tang said softly.
He had to take this step someday — so he might as well try now.
Soon, the emergency line connected.
“Hello, this is 110. How can we help you?”
“I… I…”
Bai Tang struggled to speak, unable to form a full sentence. Fear gripped him, freezing his tongue.
The policewoman on the other end was patient and gentle.
“It’s alright. Take your time. What can I help you with?”
“Come on, Tang Tang, you can do it!” Qiu’er encouraged.
“Host,” Xiao A added, “as long as you can say it out loud, it’s a huge step forward in overcoming your autism. You’ll be able to communicate normally with people around the male lead — and help him even more.”
As expected, the moment Bai Tang heard Xi Yuanhan’s name mentioned, he clenched his fists, took a deep breath, and blurted out into the phone—
“Someone broke into my house!”
Author’s Note:
Autism, also known as Asperger’s syndrome or autistic disorder, has been adapted in this story for the sake of the plot.
Tang Tang’s condition here isn’t exactly the same as real-life autism — he’ll gradually get better as the story goes on, so please don’t take it too literally~