"Yeah, news flash, Father Shen. We are now a loving couple," the fox spirit manages to say without stuttering, and he succeeds in making himself sound confident. However, deep inside, he’s as good as a blushing maiden.
He sat straighter than earlier and raised his forehead higher.
"But that doesn’t mean I’ll change my mind if you convince Bai Tingfeng to talk to me to get out of Hunter Association."
He said it in case Shen Zhaohui resorted to doing something funny.
Shen Yuan’s father didn’t look at his son and focused on his son-in-law instead, "Bai Tingfeng. The work that Shen Yuan has is hurting his image. He may just be an omega, but we can’t deny that staying in that low position hurts Shen Yuan’s potential."
"Grrr!" Shen Yuan loudly gnashed his teeth. He’s centimeters away from clawing this alpha’s face!
It was this righteous father of his who underestimated him! It came out of his lips! He referred to his son as just an omega!
"Father-in-law," Bai Tingfeng responded to Shen Zhaohui. His hands silently crept on his omega’s shoulder and soothingly massaged it to calm Shen Yuan down.
"Being a dungeon marshal is just a temporary posting for Shen Yuan. He’s doing it to be acquainted with the dynamics of the dungeon because, as you know, he doesn’t have any background in being a hunter or agent. He needs to gain knowledge and experience from the ground up," Bai Tingfeng said calmly.
"Besides, Shen Yuan’s strength is already well-developed. He was the most impressive awakener that I’ve ever seen. He could save many lives as a dungeon marshal while learning things," Bai Tingfeng turned to Chairman Mao.
"You don’t need to worry about his growth as an awakener. All this time, Chairman Mao was very supportive of my husband. For sure, our Yuan will learn a thing or two from him. Right, darling?"
Bai Tingfeng leaned to peck Shen Yuan’s head.
"Our Yuan?" Chairman Mao couldn’t help but react. That term is too sappy! Holy shit!
"Darling?!" Shen Yuan stupidly reacted, too.
Since when did they have a formal endearment?!
He was not informed!
"That..." Shen Zhaohui was also caught off guard by Bai Tingfeng’s honey-filled sentences. He didn’t expect this would be how the serious Bai Tingfeng would act once he fell in love. He did not see this coming! But on second thoughts, this attitude could also be helpful for him.
"I’m just thinking about what’s best for my son. I’m thinking that since you two are married, it would be beneficial to everyone if Yuan would help you manage the Baihu Guild."
Now, Shen Yuan knows what this concerned father wanted. He wants to get a piece of Baihu Guild! Like he said earlier, Shen’s money is the Shen Family’s money. Once Shen Yuan is inside the Baihu Guild, one of the top guilds in Country C, he slowly crawls in.
"What a very opportunistic man," The celestial fox spirit thought. His impression of Shen Zhaohui hit rock bottom this time. There’s no way he will let his innocent baby get close to this traitorous man.
"Don’t even bother to suggest that. I already turned it down when Tingfeng proposed the idea to me," Shen Yuan closed the conversation before Shen Zhaohui said anything more.
And as expected, his father reacted violently, "What? How could you turn it down?!"
The head of the Shen Family momentarily lost his cool. He hit the table, and his eyebrows were punching each other as he shot scorching glares at his omega son.
He looked like he was about to hurl curses at Shen Yuan, but fortunately, somebody stopped that from happening.
A little angel blessed them with his presence to calm down the tension.
"Daddy! Papa!" Yanyan came running in their direction. His jiggling buttocks are in full show.
In an instant, the adults reset their aggressive stance.
The first one was Chairman Mao, who heaved a big sigh. He didn’t expect to get stuck in a family war, but thankfully, he survived.
On the other hand, Shen Yuan cut a big piece of cake and ingested it in one gulp. Shen Zhaohui is lucky that Yanyan came; otherwise, he would have chewed him up piece by piece.
Don’t mistake him for the original Shen Yuan; if push comes to shove, he’s comfortable breaking Shen Zhaohui’s femur.
His husband beside him gave him a light squeeze on his shoulders before heading to pick up their son.
Meanwhile, Shen Zhaohui fixed his necktie and facial expressions. He calmed his twitching eyebrows and flattened his expression lines.
"Daddy! Grandpa Mao! What took you so long? You said well, be playing later!" Yanyan greeted them. He failed to notice his grandfather initially, but he let out an audible gasp when he finally did.
The boy then scrambled to go down from Bai Tingfeng’s arms, and like a miniature adult, he made a tiny shoulder bow at Shen Zhaohui.
"G-granpater Zhao, you’re here!" Yanyan nervously greeted Shen Zhaohui. He even accidentally bit his tongue.
Shen Yuan and Bai Tingfeng were attentive enough to notice it. But as for Shen Zhaohui, they are not confident if that is the same since he still strictly adheres to his stiff, unfeeling etiquette.
"Hmm, you did the greetings nicely. But next time, you better not stutter. People will look down on you if you don’t speak clearly and confidently."
Shen Yuan’s facial muscles palpitated. Yanyan is just a five-year-old! Can’t he be at least a little friendlier?!
"I understand, Grandfather Zhao..." Yanyan’s head was still lowered.
Seeing this, Shen Yuan couldn’t help but feel sorry for his son.
"Baby, open your mouth. Let me check your tongue. Does it hurt?" The celestial fox soothingly touched his son’s hair.
Yanyan shook his head. The poor boy is pouting his lips, still disappointed that he didn’t perform well in front of his Grandfather Zhao.
Bai Tingfeng let his husband and son take their moment.
"Father-in-law, why don’t you stay here for dinner? Both of my parents will be here by that time. You can catch up with them," The alpha said. "You too, Chairman Mao, let’s all have dinner together."
Chairman Mao politely declined it this time because he’s got a dinner date with his husband.
Shen Zhaohui pursed his lips, "I don’t think Rong Suyin would appreciate that. Besides, I need to attend a luncheon in the hotel nearby. A business friend hosts it, so I can’t miss it."
The alpha looked at Shen Yuan for the last time, and a frown automatically etched on his face.
"We will talk about the other matter later, my son. Hopefully, by that time, you are clear-minded enough to know what’s best for you," he meaningfully said.
The celestial fox spirit could feel that this man would do something to make what he wanted to happen. This is the typical move of control freaks like Shen Zhaohui.
As a thousand-year-old fox spirit, he never believed that history repeats itself.
It’s the people who keep on making the same mistake no matter what era are the ones who enable the same disaster to happen.
But despite that realization, Shen Yuan smiled a smile that reached his eyes, "Goodbye."
The veins on Shen Zhaohui’s forehead are on the verge of bursting. If he hadn’t taken a deep breath, then he would have exploded because of the uncaring manner of his rotten son.
Instead of stressing over Shen Yuan, he turned to his grandchild and rubbed the boy’s head.
"Yanyan, you must become a respectable alpha like your father once you grow up. Okay? Till we meet again."
And with that, Shen Zhaohui left, taking the celestial fox spirit’s animosity with him.
With only the people he trusts present, Shen Yuan turned to his husband and asked.
"Please correct me if I am wrong. My father and Dad are at odds with each other; what gives?"
Bai Tingfeng felt a little uncomfortable about that question. So, instead of answering it straight to the point, he replied, "Maybe you can ask him about that over dinner. It’s a story I couldn’t tell."
That response was thoughtful and reasonable, so Shen Yuan accepted it and no longer asked for it.
"Fortunately, your tongue isn’t bleeding. Does it still hurt?" He turned to his son.
Yanyan shook his head, "No, Daddy. I’m okay now."
Shen Yuan and Bai Tingfeng both smiled. It was great that their boy was finally relaxed. Seeing their son shaken in front of his authoritarian grandfather stresses them, too. It triggers their overprotectiveness.
The omega dad is on the verge of punching his father, while the alpha just wants to hug their son and murmur soothing whispers in his ears.
"Ehem," Chairman Mao’s voice snapped the parents back to reality.
"It appears that we will be having difficulty sending you back to the dungeon next time, Shen Yuan. And worse, it seems that you will be taken out of our ranks. Do you have a plan for how to work around that hurdle?"
Truthfully, Shen Yuan would have said: Fuck him! I don’t care if Shen Zhaohui drags him into the mud. However, saying that is undoubtedly not child-friendly, and he will come out brash. He doesn’t want that.
Instead, Shen Yuan snuggled his son into his arms. "Do you have news about Qin Mian?"
"If you’re asking if he plans to return to the dungeon soon, then the answer is no. His friend is still under treatment. As far as my intel goes, he felt responsible for his friend’s injury."
"Oh, is it that bad?"
Chairman Mao shook his head, "He was fortunate enough that his injury didn’t worsen when he was transferred out of the dungeon. The healers on the border were quick enough to repair his damaged nerves, so his mobility is restored— albeit still affected. A few physical rehabilitation and enough time to recover, that boy could move around like before."
"Great," Shen Yuan breathed a sigh of relief.
"For now, I will move passively while the investigation continues. And..." Shen Yuan trailed off, and his eyes stayed on Bai Tingfeng.
"I think celebrity Shen Yuan needs to stage a formal comeback. What do you think?"
Bai Tingfeng nodded, "Whatever you decide. I always have your back."
Shen Yuan couldn’t stop the smile from revealing on his face.
This is the kind of alpha that he would treasure. Handsome, understanding, supportive, and, most of all, has a big dick.