Chapter 15 SJC

Shen Jinnian held the baby in one arm and sat up in a swift motion before jumping off the bed. He didn’t even bother putting on slippers as he rushed to the window of the nursery, pulling back the curtain to look down.

Just as expected.

Gu Yan stood downstairs, dressed in a crisp white shirt, holding onto a shared bicycle while taking a phone call. The spring sunlight shone through the gaps between the leaves, casting mottled shadows of the trees, floating on his shoulders.

He looked like a picture-perfect ‘first love’ figure from youth. But to Shen Jinnian, it was infuriating.

He slammed the curtains shut with a swish and yelled at the phone: "Gu Yan, will you die if you earn one cent less?"

Yesterday, he had mocked Gu Yan for not having enough money to call for delivery, but never in his wildest dreams did he expect Gu Yan to personally take up a side gig—and worse, for him to end up paying for it in the end.

Gu Yan, however, remained unbothered. His voice was calm, without the slightest ripple of emotion. “If I don’t earn money, how will I get married?”

Shen Jinnian: “…”

Gu Yan added, “Omegas are expensive to take care of. If I don’t have money, I’ll have to marry an easy-to-maintain Alpha instead.”

Shen Jinnian: “…”

—"Dream on! You can’t even afford an Alpha!"

The sarcastic words in the chat records turned into sharp blades, piercing Shen Jinnian's pride. The more he thought about it, the more his own words came back to bite him.

Fuming, he grabbed the clothes he had worn yesterday, stuffed them into a bag, and tossed them out the window—landing right at Gu Yan’s feet. Then, speaking into the phone with absolute righteousness, he ordered:

“My clothes can only be hand-washed in warm water. No scented detergent. No machine drying. After washing, just air-dry them—don’t fold them. And don’t even think about slacking off and sending them to some random dry cleaner.”

“From now on, just deliver them back every two days.”

“Got it?”

Gu Yan carefully placed the clothes into his backpack and chuckled lightly. “Relax, I have experience.”

He was obviously referring to washing Shen Jinnian’s clothes yesterday, making it sound like they shared some kind of deep bond. Just hearing it made Shen Jinnian’s skin crawl. With a scowl, he ended the call.

The annoying voice vanished, and the world instantly felt brighter again.

But the momentary peace was short-lived.

The baby who had been quiet all the time suddenly pursed his lips, and tears suddenly welled up in his round eyes, blinking at Shen Jinnian aggrievedly.

He was clearly about to throw a tantrum—like a silent warning shot before the storm.

Shen Jinnian, like a startled bird, hurriedly covered the baby’s mouth to block the wail forming in his throat. His face darkened as he whispered a threat, “No crying. I’ll make your formula right now.”

The baby shook his head, dodging Shen Jinnian’s hand.

His eyes were red, he waved his little hands pitifully and called anxiously: “Papa! Papa!”

Shen Jinnian was baffled. “Aren’t I right here?”

But the baby kept shaking his head, stretching out his tiny hands toward the window, reaching for the empty air. “Papa!”

Realization dawned on Shen Jinnian. So the little one wanted to play by the window?

After being bored at home for so many days, he must want to see the scenery outside the window. The conditions are reasonable and can be met.

Shen Jinnian opened the curtains and carefully carried the baby to the windowsill again: "Look, see which direction your home is. Gege will send you home in a few days."

The little cub hurriedly leaned against the window and looked down, purposefully looking for the person who had just stood under the tree, but things did not go as he wished. The direction he was looking for was empty, not to mention people, not even a bird.

A strong sense of loss and pain spread in his chest in an instant.


He didn’t understand why his little dad didn’t like him.

And he didn’t understand why his other dad hadn’t come home in so long.

…

Shen Jinnian also didn’t understand why the cub, instead of enjoying the view, was growing more and more heartbroken.

A baby less than six months old was now slumped against the windowsill, silently shedding tears—like a middle-aged office worker drained by life.

Was he… acting in a tragic drama or what?

"Hungry?" Shen Jinnian asked.

The little baby touched his flat, empty stomach, wiped away his tears, and stretched out his arms for a hug.

"Want milk?" Shen Jinnian asked again.

Still caught up in his sadness, the baby slumped into his arms like he had no bones, and nodded weakly.

Shen Jinnian let out a long sigh. "You should've said so earlier. A real man crying from hunger—imagine how embarrassing that would be!"

The baby curled up in his arms, still feeling low. "Wu..."

After their brief exchange, the two made their way to the kitchen. Shen Jinnian prepared a bottle of formula for the baby and made himself a pack of instant noodles to fill his stomach.

Then, one lay sprawled on the carpet holding a shirt, while the other clutched a phone, both motionless like corpses.

Maybe it was the comfort of the shirt, but the little one was unbelievably well-behaved. He opened his mouth when fed, closed his eyes when told to sleep—an absolute angel.

And so, the days passed, each one a copy of the last.

Three whole days.

Shen Jinnian was going stir-crazy from babysitting at home, practically growing mushrooms from boredom.

Finally, when the nanny returned to work, he was so excited that he burst into tears on the spot.

The moment he handed the baby over, he bolted out the door, desperate for fresh air at school.

The nanny assumed Shen Jinnian had reached his breaking point. With a chuckle, she looked at the baby and asked, "Did you make Papa mad again?"

"Mu~" The little one clung to her neck innocently and planted a loud kiss on her cheek.

"My sweet baby~" The nanny rubbed her cheek against his, smiling warmly. "What did Papa do with you these past few days?"

But the baby was too young to process such a long question. His little brain froze, holding his fingers in his mouth, blinking blankly like a tiny, confused dumpling.

The nanny nearly passed out from how cute he was.

Seizing the moment, the little one pointed excitedly at the pile of clothes stacked on the sofa and proudly introduced, "PaPa!"

Only then did the nanny notice the freshly washed clothes—Shen Jinnian’s usual shirts and T-shirts, but also two extra-long winter coats.

"Did Papa wash all these himself?"

The baby sucked on his fingers and nodded. "Wu!"

The nanny had no idea why Shen Jinnian was washing winter coats in early summer, but she figured he had his reasons. Smiling, she said, "Let's help Papa put them away, okay?"

The little cub refused without hesitation, twisted his little body violently, and struggled to go to the sofa.

With no choice, the nanny set him down in the pile of clothes.

The little cub immediately changed his expression, hugged the clothes tightly in his arms with happiness and satisfaction, and even lay down with his chubby little body pressed on the clothes, breathing hard on the smell of the clothes.

He even proudly introduced her: "su, PaPa~"

The confinement nanny thought it was the child absorbing the father's pheromones, but when she got closer, she could smell that the smell on the clothes was different from the laundry detergent Shen Jinnian often used.

It was like a hint of refreshing cedar wrapped in the sweet strawberry, smelling particularly comfortable and reassuring, and a little familiar.

She didn't know if this smell would harm the baby, so she sent a message to ask Shen Jinnian.

His reply was instant: "Don't worry, it's just the laundry detergent."

Only then did the nanny relax.

Shen Jinnian was about to put his phone away when a text notification popped up—

【DNA Testing Center】Your encrypted package is out for delivery. Please keep your phone available. For inquiries, contact: 302100.

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Nahhhh seriously where did the baby come from???????

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