Chapter 22 – Sweetheart from the Sky: The Gentle CEO’s Sweet Kiss (22)
Once the plan was set, it was time to take action. That evening, He Yuning dashed into the study on his tiny legs, his arms spread wide before he clung to Bai Mo’s leg with a loud “pa”. His soft, milky voice was as innocent and adorable as ever.
“Brother Mo, I want to play hide-and-seek~” After all, what mischief could a little cub possibly have in mind? He just wanted to have fun.
Ever since Mother He had backed him up, Dan Sihe had successfully stolen the task of tutoring Bai Mo away from He Yuchi.
For several nights in a row, Bai Mo had been drowning in a sea of endless study materials. Unlike He Yuchi, Dan Sihe wasn’t gentle at all—his explanations were strict and serious, leaving Bai Mo too intimidated to even act cute or try to win him over.
This left Dan Sihe quite frustrated. Why was his little brother still so distant from him? After thinking it over, he concluded that He Yuchi must be behind it, deliberately turning Bai Mo against him in an attempt to drive a wedge between them.
But now, He Yuning was here—Bai Mo’s savior! Help! He didn’t want to do any more practice questions!
The teenager immediately scooped up the child. Their large and small sets of round, bright apricot eyes blinked expectantly at Shan Sihe.
“Big Brother… / Brother He…”
One was a tiny dumpling, the other a bigger one. How could Dan Sihe, a devoted little brother fanatic, possibly resist? By the time he came to his senses, he had already nodded in agreement. The two across from him cheered and ran off hand-in-hand to find He Yuchi to join their game.
“I’ll hide with Brother Mo and Brother He, and Big brother will be the seeker,” He Yuning declared. Since this was his game, he naturally got to divide the teams. “We can’t hide together—we have to split up!”
No one objected to the arrangement. With that, the game began. While He Yuchi stood at the staircase entrance and counted, Ning Ning giggled as he pushed Dan Sihe in the opposite direction just as he was about to follow Bai Mo. Then, grabbing Bai Mo’s hand, he sprinted up to the third floor, only to split up again once they reached the stairway landing.
Ning Ning thought to himself with satisfaction—he was definitely playing by the rules!
Before long, He Yuchi finished counting to one hundred. He glanced toward the far end of the second floor, then headed straight to the third floor to search downward—an efficient strategy. Perfectly reasonable, wasn’t it?
Unlike Dan Sihe, Bai Mo and Ning Ning had played hide-and-seek before. And every single time, the little snow ferret always hid in the same place—He Yuchi’s wardrobe. After all, once the wardrobe doors were shut, it was sealed on all sides, and the faint woody scent of He Yuchi’s clothes always made Bai Mo feel safe. So, naturally, the wardrobe had earned the title of the little ferret’s favorite hiding spot.
He Yuchi, well-versed in Bai Mo’s habits, headed straight for the wardrobe. Sure enough, as soon as he opened the door, he was greeted by the sight of the teenager curled up in the corner, his face hidden against his arms, his backside slightly sticking out.
“Found you, Mo Mo.”
As soon as he spoke, the teenager turned around and leapt directly into his arms, his restless little hands roaming as he puckered his soft pink lips, pleading for a kiss.
“My soul has been wounded from doing so many problems… Only a kiss from Brother Yuchi can heal me~”
Faced with his beloved acting this way, He Yuchi didn’t hesitate. He lifted the boy into his arms and indulged him without reservation.
In the unlit room, the sound of soft, intimate murmurs filled the air.
—Meanwhile, on the second floor.
Dan Sihe perked up his ears, listening carefully to the sounds outside. After hearing footsteps head up to the third floor, there was nothing but silence. He patiently waited and waited, yet he never heard the telltale sound of someone being caught, nor did he see He Yuchi come back downstairs.
After about ten minutes, Dan Sihe finally realized he had been tricked. With a dark expression, he stepped out of his hiding spot. As he passed by a certain room, he caught the sound of something… inappropriate coming from inside, and his irritation reached its peak.
That little bast*rd! Using his three-year-old brother as a distraction just to take advantage of someone—how shameless!
Just as he was about to kick open the door, a soft, childish voice piped up from beside him.
“Brother He, you broke the rules.”
A pair of big, round eyes stared up at him in accusation.
“You’re supposed to stay hidden! Stay hidden!”
Thank goodness he had come out to check—otherwise, this person would’ve caught Brother Mo and forced him to do homework again! And then his bedtime stories would’ve been taken away again.
As far as story privileges were concerned, He Yuning felt this was a very serious issue.
With the little one here, Dan Sihe couldn’t just force open the door—if the child saw something he shouldn’t, that would be a problem. He tried coaxing Ning Ning, telling him to go play while he hid properly.
But unfortunately, in Ning Ning’s eyes, Dan Sihe had zero credibility. The little boy refused to buy it. Left with no choice, Dan Sihe could only suppress his burning urge to beat He Yuchi to a pulp and focus on fulfilling the child’s demands.
At three years old, kids could be both reasonable and unreasonable—it all depended on their mood and how they were raised.
Normally, He Yuning was quite well-behaved, but today, he was dead set on keeping Dan Sihe busy, refusing to let him get anywhere near Bai Mo.
One moment, he insisted Dan Sihe color with him. The next, he declared he was hungry and demanded milk. And every time Dan Sihe so much as moved toward the edge of Ning Ning’s line of sight, the little boy would immediately cause a commotion, ensuring that Dan Sihe was the one who had to tend to his needs.
He Yuning’s little brain had come up with a very simple plan: As long as Dan Sihe doesn’t get near Bai Mo, he can’t bother Brother Mo!
To achieve this, he fully embraced his inner mischievous child. Even at bedtime, he dragged Dan Sihe along, demanding that he be the one to tell him a bedtime story.
Mother He was both surprised and delighted by Ning Ning’s willingness to be close to Dan Sihe.
Ever since Ning Ning had returned, he had been timid around strangers, reacting strongly if they got too close—let alone initiating contact himself. Seeing such progress in his emotional recovery, Mother He sincerely asked Dan Sihe to continue spending time with Ning Ning.
And just like that, Dan Sihe lost his chance.
That night, the ultimate winner of the game, He Yuchi, was happily holding his beloved boy close as they lay on the rooftop, gazing at the stars. Every now and then, they exchanged kisses and hugs, basking in their sweet and blissful moment.
Where there was one, there would always be another—chaos and laughter frequently erupted in the He household, making it a lively and joyful place.
In stark contrast, the Shan household was eerily quiet. Dan Sihe had personally prepared a room, leading Dan Xiaowen and her daughter to believe he was expecting some important guest. But no guest ever arrived—instead, Dan Sihe silently packed up and moved out.
The household staff of the Dan family had been working there for decades, and their loyalty naturally leaned toward the original wife and Dan Sihe. Now that Dan Sihe had left, rumors began to spread quietly within the community that the stepmother could not tolerate her stepson.
Some people questioned why Dan Sihe hadn’t been forced out years ago—why wait until now?
Those in the know speculated: Old Master Dan used to be sharp and decisive. How could the new wife have dared to act recklessly back then? But now, the old man has grown muddle-headed, and she’s spent years coaxing him into submission. Wasn’t it just a couple of years ago that she managed to push Dan Sihe overseas? Now that he’s back, she’s getting anxious. Besides, she’s been sweet-talking the old master into giving her daughter a high-ranking position in the Dan Group…
Every word sounded logical and well-reasoned. The wealthy ladies of the social circle had never taken a liking to this latecomer, Mother Dan. It wasn’t because she came from a poor background, but rather because her behavior was utterly disgraceful. She always put on a pitiful act, and she had even raised her daughter to be just like her—a delicate, manipulative “white lotus.”
What made things worse was that the mother-daughter duo constantly set their sights on the younger generation of the elite, as if the sons of these wealthy families were nothing more than produce in a marketplace, waiting to be handpicked.