Chapter 347: Episode 32.8 Easy!
Yanyan, their fluffy five-year-old, had just bought himself a customizable magic spear forged from S-Class materials—for the modest price of 5.3 million dollars.
Five. Point. Three. Million. The kind of money most people wouldn’t see in a lifetime vanished in the span of one unsupervised moment.
"Oh, come on, Tingfeng, don’t look like we’ve just lost our entire fortune," Shen Yuan sighed, though his chest tightened inside. "It’s only a fraction of what we’ll make back tonight. Besides, this one’s on us as parents."
"Papa... I’m sorry." Yanyan tugged at his alpha father’s pants, lips pushed into a pout, and his eyes were shining just enough to sting the heart.
Bai Tingfeng swallowed hard and looked away. He wasn’t angry—just conflicted. If they let this slide, what was to stop Yanyan from treating money like confetti in the future? There is no way he will let Yanyan grow up with a crooked attitude towards money.
"Master Bai, regarding the item you just bid on..." The auction manager that Madam Zhen had approached their box, wearing a carefully polite yet uneasy smile. She had heard whispers that Bai Tingfeng intended to cancel his bid. She was here to confirm whether it was true or not, and if it was, she intended to dissuade him.
Because come on! Who cancels their bid in a high-end auction? That’s like a social suicide for these elitists!
"We’re buying it," Shen Yuan cut in without hesitation.
Bai Tingfeng shot his omega the look.
"You’re a mage. I’m a swordsman. No one’s going to use it."
Shen Yuan only lifted a shoulder in a casual shrug. "You don’t know that. I may or may not have picked up a little spear training on the side."
Bai Tingfeng turned to him, a skeptical expression on his face. "Really?"
"When you get to my age, you either blow a head up or pick up new tricks just to cure the boredom." Shen Yuan smirked. "You know what I mean, babe."
Such a statement unsettled the manager, but since she no longer needed to persuade the S-class hunter, she simply ignored it.
Bai Tingfeng looked at his husband, then at the manager, and finally at his pouting son.
"Let’s not stress ourselves about this," Shen Yuan said, casually rubbing his belly. That action sold well, and it thankfully helped to make Bai Tingfeng take a step back.
"Fine. We will buy it." Bai Tingfeng lowered himself to match his gaze with his little boy. "However, Yanyan must apologize to the kind miss. You played around with the bidding paddle when you were not supposed to. That caused her unnecessary trouble."
Yanyan waddled towards the manager and tugged the edge of her shirt. "I am sorry."
’Oh my!!!’
When a cute-looking kid with innocent eyes approaches you, there is no way that your heart will not melt.
"Everything is okay. It is no trouble at all." The manager waved her hand around. "In fact, we are happy since Yanyan helped drive the price up! The sale of the items, especially the materials from Eight-Headed Hydra, exceeded what we expected!"
She was all smiles, but Shen Yuan and Bai Tingfeng were not.
"Hey, isn’t that a textbook example of price manipulation? We are not getting sued after this, right?" Shen Yuan blurted out the thought that stunned Bai Tingfeng.
In the midst of the shocked adults, Yanyan stood there, looking innocent and baffled.
~~~
Thankfully, the auction wrapped up without a single lawsuit in sight.
Shen Yuan was relieved—no one had accused them of "manipulating" the prices, and that alone was enough to put his mind at ease.
Still, he couldn’t believe it. Never in his wildest imagination did he think his sweet, well-behaved little boy could stir up so much chaos. If Yanyan could cause this much trouble just by slipping out of their sight, what on earth would happen once he actually started school?!
"You little troublemaker!" Shen Yuan groaned, pulling his son into a tight hug. He smothered the boy’s cheeks with loud kisses.
The auction might have ended, but the evening was far from over. Bai Tingfeng and Madam Zhen had arranged a lavish feast for the guests—a clever way to capitalize on the rare gathering of so many powerful and influential figures under one roof.
And, of course, these people adored socializing.
"Hahaha!" Yanyan cackled, soaking in his Daddy’s doting without a care in the world.
The father-and-son duo seemed oblivious to the curious stares around them. Bai Tingfeng, watching from the side, wasn’t much different. He was blatantly ignoring the guests hovering nearby.
He knew he should be making the rounds, shaking hands, at the very least thanking them for participating in the auction. But honestly, none of that mattered in the face of the heartwarming chaos that was his family.
"Yanyan, be careful around your Daddy’s tum—" Bai Tingfeng started to remind gently, only for the words to choke in his throat at the sight of his husband’s expression.
Shen Yuan’s fox-shaped eyes had widened so drastically that they resembled an owl’s, radiating silent fury. Bai Tingfeng almost gagged.
"What did we talk about?" Shen Yuan mouthed with lethal precision, every syllable packed with unspoken warning.
Bai Tingfeng immediately zipped his lips. Right—pregnancy was still a tightly guarded secret. For his husband’s safety. For their son’s safety. For all their sakes.
Suddenly, when saying the above words to himself, he found himself hating the reason for the trouble they had to go through. The reason they can’t openly celebrate their second pregnancy is.
Those Cardinals!
Frowning, Bai Tingfeng looked around, hoping to see Lee Jinhyuk’s crew. How good would it be if he had someone he could pour his frustrations on?
"What is wrong?" Shen Yuan asked his husband after seeing him almost breaking his neck, looking around.
"I wonder if your new business partners are still here."
Shen Yuan cocked an eyebrow. Well, why did that come up out of nowhere?
"I don’t know. Probably? They might be following Chairman Mao like little ducklings, so if you want to meet them, better look for a stressed-out old man."
Bai Tingfeng gave his husband a look. He suddenly feels bad for Chairman Mao. The guy was getting cooked by his hormonal, preggy husband.
"You know—"
"Oh! Look no further. Enemies approaching."
Bai Tingfeng had to swallow his words as he saw Chairman Mao approaching their table.
And his husband was right. Lee Jinhyuk’s crew is following him.
"What a successful auction, Bai Tingfeng. Congratulations!" Chairman Mao came forward with a tap on Bai Tingfeng’s shoulder. His smile, though genuinely happy, has an underlying meaning hinting that one should be careful.
Bai Tingfeng didn’t need long to decipher the situation. He already knew exactly what it meant.
He’d been waiting for a chance to deal with these undercover terrorists.
"Thank you," he said, turning to the group. "You must be Lee Jinhyuk’s crew."
The words carried no warmth, no courtesy—just a flat, dismissive tone. To any outsider, it sounded less like an introduction and more like a challenge.
Shen Yuan kicked his husband under the table.
"Honey," Shen Yuan blurted out, scrambling for a cover story, "I know you’re still salty I rejected your proposal for a quickie, but don’t drag innocent people into our mess! My gosh!"
Silence.
"Daddy, what’s a quickie?" Yanyan asked with wide-eyed curiosity.
Like dominoes toppling in slow motion, the faces of Bai Tingfeng, Shen Yuan, Chairman Mao, and every unfortunate soul who overheard were drained of color.
Shit. Shen Yuan’s brain scrambled. He glanced around for rescue, but Chairman Mao only widened his eyes, silently mouthing, You dug this hole—get out yourself.
Swallowing hard, Shen Yuan forced a strained smile. "Well... that’s an adult thing. You’ll learn about it once you’re old enough and... in school."
Chairman Mao nearly choked. "Are you serious, Shen Yuan?!"
The fox spirit blinked innocently. "What was I supposed to say? Quickies were practically invented by hormone-crazed teenagers with no pla—"
Before he could finish, Bai Tingfeng clamped a hand over his mouth. "You’re making it worse, Yuan!"
Shen Yuan pried it off with a sharp glare. "This is all your fault! Who told you to act like a snob?"
"Fine, fine—I’m sorry," Bai Tingfeng conceded quickly, softening his tone. He reached over to ruffle Yanyan’s hair with a fond smile. "I was too caught up in my own head. I wasn’t thinking straight."
Chairman Mao’s exasperated groan broke through the tender moment.
"See? This is exactly why I don’t like dealing with you two at the same time. Heaven help me—get a room already! You’re embarrassing yourselves in front of our business partners."
Lee Jinhyuk’s crew, however, seemed amused. One of them smiled warmly. "No problem at all. Honestly, it’s refreshing to see a power couple this openly affectionate."
"Exactly. They just showed us their chemistry firsthand—perfect for highlighting the cooperation between the Hunter Association and the guilds!"
"Not to mention, the public will eat this up. Their fans will love it."
The sudden wave of compliments about their "perfect couple image" finally cooled the tension, and Bai Tingfeng and Shen Yuan reluctantly eased apart.
Well, at least the comic relief worked, Shen Yuan thought grimly. Still, Tingfeng’s hostility toward Lee Jinhyuk’s people nearly blew our cover.
He glanced at his husband, now chatting with newfound enthusiasm with Lee Jinhyuk’s crew, as if nothing had happened.
"I’d prefer it if my husband and I had a close-up shot together."
’That easy man.’ Shen Yuan thought, clicking his tongue.