Chapter 377: Chapter 375: Kid, I’m Your Stepdad
"Fine! I’ll take my son away right now!"
She patted the adorable baby in her arms. "Mingming, don’t be afraid. Mommy will take you home now."
"No way!" The maid was terrified, grabbing Jian Xi’s arm, her voice cracking with sobs. "If you take the child, the Young Miss will kill me! You can’t take him!"
After shouting this, she yelled towards the outside, "Someone, quickly! She’s trying to take the child!"
Instantly, several bodyguards hidden in the shadows appeared.
There were more than ten of them.
Jian Xi was truly shocked. It was hard to imagine so many Secret Gate elites hiding in such a dilapidated Tongzi Building.
Hearing the commotion upstairs, Xinxin rushed up from downstairs. "What is all this racket about?"
She looked at Jian Xi impatiently, a glint of sharp, murderous intent flashing in her eyes.
Jian Xi was not intimidated in the slightest. "I want to take him to the hospital for a thorough checkup."
"Absolutely not!" Xinxin immediately looked at Si Yuhuan. "I agreed you could see the child, but I never agreed you could take him away. What do you mean by this?"
Si Yuhuan stepped forward, took Jian Xi’s hand, and whispered in her ear, "Don’t be impulsive."
Jian Xi looked up, her eyes bloodshot with fury. "Mingming was abandoned here without even a doctor. He has a heart condition! Look how frail he is for a three-month-old. I’m afraid he..." Jian Xi finished, her voice choked with sobs.
Si Yuhuan gazed at the child in Jian Xi’s arms. He looked so much like her—a very handsome little boy.
"We’ll take the child for a checkup and treatment," Si Yuhuan said. "Afterwards, I’ll arrange for a family doctor to come here, and you can watch over him. I absolutely won’t remove him from the Secret Gate’s control without your permission. How’s that?"
Dissatisfaction flickered across Xinxin’s face.
Jian Xi clutched the child tightly, looking as if she would fight to the death if they disagreed. It was an emotion she couldn’t control; she simply couldn’t think rationally.
Si Yuhuan patted her shoulder, then walked over and put his arm around Xinxin’s waist. The two of them moved a short distance away. It was unclear what they discussed, but Xinxin kept glancing at Jian Xi, seemingly lost in thought, before finally nodding.
After a moment, she walked over.
"For Director Si’s sake, I’ll make an exception today, Miss Jian. Don’t make things difficult for me. You should be aware that the Secret Gate’s relentless pursuit isn’t something an ordinary person can handle. Especially a child—he should live in the sunlight, not in darkness forever. You don’t want that for him, do you? I truly have no intention of making an enemy of you."
She gave Jian Xi a charming, almost coquettish smile, but it was as chilling as a viper’s, sending shivers to the bone.
Jian Xi, ignoring everything else, nodded. "Sorry, I was just overly emotional."
Under the circumstances, she had to yield. She couldn’t afford to antagonize Xinxin, not only for her own sake but also for her family and children.
"It’s okay. I can understand a mother’s feelings," Xinxin said, glancing at Si Yuhuan. "Hurry and take the child to the hospital. The sooner you go, the sooner you return."
As Xinxin brushed past, she said softly to Jian Xi, "It seems Director Si doesn’t know the child is his?"
Jian Xi’s eyes widened as she stared at her.
"Don’t worry, I’ll keep your secret."
「On the way to the hospital with Mingming」
Jian Xi’s heart was in her throat. Would Xinxin really not tell Si Yuhuan?Suddenly, she felt as if Xinxin had leverage over her.
"What’s wrong?" Si Yuhuan asked, noticing her distracted state and placing a hand on her shoulder.
Jian Xi shivered and instinctively tried to create distance. "I... I’m fine."
She clearly had something to hide from him! Si Yuhuan thought, his gaze shifting to the small child in her arms. Perhaps she was thinking of Zhang Yaxuan.
A pang of jealousy welled in Si Yuhuan’s chest. He reached out his hand. "Let me hold him."
Jian Xi nervously clutched the child tighter. Though their son resembled her more, a closer look revealed traces of Si Yuhuan. After all, the child was his.
"What? I risked life and limb for him, and I can’t even hold him for a moment?" His eyes, full of reproach, bored into Jian Xi.
A suffocating anger welled up inside him.Their relationship had just begun to thaw after days of effort, but now it tensed up again. For a fleeting moment, Si Yuhuan actually considered letting Xinxin take the child. That way, Jian Xi would always stay obediently by his side.
"No, it’s not that," Jian Xi said, and as if having made a monumental decision, she handed the child to him. "Be careful. He has a heart condition."
Si Yuhuan took the child, and as he looked at him, an inexplicable pang of heartache struck him.
"A heart condition? Is it serious?"
Jian Xi nodded, her eyes red like a frightened rabbit’s—a truly heart-wrenching sight.
"Don’t worry. I’ll take down the Secret Gate soon. Then you can bring the child out openly and legitimately."
"Mhm," Jian Xi nodded vigorously. She believed that Si Yuhuan could definitely do it!
Si Yuhuan carefully examined the little one in his arms. Restless just a moment ago, the baby was now as docile as a ball of cotton candy, all soft and fair.
Don’t people say newborns are usually ugly? Yet, at only three months, this one was already quite handsome.No wonder—he was Jian Xi’s child, after all. He took after his mother: beautiful.
"He’s very good-looking," Si Yuhuan commented sincerely. He’d imagined this scene countless times, and now that it was happening, he found he didn’t dislike it. On the contrary, he quite liked it.
"Perhaps it’s true that affection can extend to those connected to the one you care for. This child... I like him," Si Yuhuan said, nearly scaring Jian Xi out of her wits.
Jian Xi exclaimed, "Stop talking nonsense! We’re almost at the hospital. Let me hold him."
"No need. I’ll hold him." Si Yuhuan was stubbornly unwilling to let go of the little baby. So cute!
Jian Xi followed, her heart pounding anxiously the entire way.
Si Yuhuan ordered the hospital director, the chief physician, and everyone necessary to come and treat Mingming immediately. He busied himself helping to soothe the little one. The little one, who should have been crying and fussing, didn’t even whimper when his blood was drawn, thanks to Si Yuhuan’s clumsy attempts to distract him.
What a brave little boy, Jian Xi thought. Watching vial after vial of blood being drawn, Jian Xi wished she could take the child’s place.
"Don’t be scared, Stepdad is here," Si Yuhuan cooed, oblivious to the shocked stares of everyone around them.
Jian Xi staggered, nearly falling.
Si Yuhuan glanced up at her.
Jian Xi glared at him. Had some switch flipped in this man? He dared to say anything!
Fortunately, this was a private hospital, and the medical staff were discreet.
After a swift series of tests, they waited quietly for the results.
Jian Xi hesitated. Should she tell her fourth brother about this?
KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK.
Jian Xi looked up.
Jian Sirun stood at the door, looking travel-worn.
Seeing her brother, Jian Xi’s tears began to fall uncontrollably.
"Mingming?" Jian Sirun rushed over, his steps unsteady.
He took Mingming from Si Yuhuan’s arms. "He’s so light." Distress was plain on his face. "I’ll personally review the test results. Don’t worry, the child will be fine."
"Okay!"
Jian Xi finally felt a wave of relief. She looked at Si Yuhuan, a complex mix of emotions swirling in her eyes. Her fourth brother wouldn’t have arrived so promptly. Si Yuhuan must have been the one who called him.