Xie Shuheng stared at the cigarette and lighter in Xie Shuling's hand. Xie Shuling furrowed his brow and generously handed him a cigarette, then tossed the lighter to him.

A faint blue smoke rose slowly as the two brothers, with equally exquisite brows and eyes, silently exchanged glances. It was Xie Shuheng who finally broke the silence.

"I have a child, a boy," Xie Shuhan rubbed his forehead and showed a rare trace of exhaustion on his usually expressionless face.

Xie Shuling froze. The cigarette in his hand dropped straight down, nearly burning a hole in the carpet beneath him. He quickly stepped on it to put it out and couldn't help but ask in return, "You have a son?"

Xie Shuheng nodded.

Xie Shuling exclaimed in amazement, "Which woman is so awesome that she can even tolerate someone like you?"

Xie Shuheng: "......" That's why it's infuriating that this idiot is his own flesh and blood brother!

Xie Shuling lit up another cigarette and asked curiously, "So what? What does it have to do with me that you have a son?"

Xie Shuheng rubbed his forehead again and whispered, "I want to ask you to take care of him for a while. I'm about to go to the headquarters in the United States for a year, and I might not be able to..."

"What??" Before he could finish his sentence, Xie Shuling's startled voice interrupted him. Xie Shuling hurriedly caught the cigarette that had fallen down again, looking shocked as she exclaimed, "You want me to help you raise a child?!"

Xie Shuheng frowned and scrutinized him for a moment before murmuring, "I probably shouldn't have come to you. It's even a struggle for you to take care of yourself..."

"What did you say?" Xie Shuling was instantly infuriated. "I won't raise a child, do you?"

Xie Shuheng honestly said, "I don't know either, to be honest. I only found out yesterday that I have a child."

Xie Shuling caught wind of the gossip and managed to calm down, asking, "What exactly happened? Where is the child's mother?"

"She passed away," Xie Shuheng's face clouded with melancholy. "She was my girlfriend in high school, and we broke up when we went to college. I never knew she was pregnant until she passed away. The court reached out to me regarding the custody of the child."

Xie Shuling listened in astonishment, exclaiming, "Wow, incredible! Even a robot like you has experienced romantic love, it's truly unbelievable..."

Veins popped out on Xie Shuheng's forehead as he angrily said, "Is this not important? So, are you going to help me or not?"

Xie Shuling really wanted to refuse. After all, Xie Shuheng was right. Without a housekeeper, he could barely take care of himself, let alone a little child. But...

Xie Shuling's mind flashed back to the funeral of his parents in his previous life. He recalled Xie Shuheng's cold, hateful gaze directed at him, and a sharp pain crossed his heart.

If it weren't for running around and seeking help to salvage his ruined future, how could his parents have died in a car accident? Xie Shuheng had always been close to his parents since he was young, so those series of unexpected events must have deeply hurt his heart...

Forget it, after all, they are biological brothers, blood is thicker than water. I don't know if reliving can avoid the tragic events of our parents' death and the conflict between brothers... Xie Shuling sighed and nodded in agreement, saying, "How old is the child? If they are too young, I won't take care of them."

Xie Shuheng was somewhat surprised, but also felt quite delighted. The corners of his lips curled up slightly, revealing a very shallow smile. He whispered, "He's over five years old now and has just started primary school this year. If you don't have time, you can arrange for an assistant to pick him up. Other than that, you don't have to worry about anything. He's a very obedient child."

More than five years old... Xie Shuling calculated for a moment, looked at Xie Shuheng with admiring eyes, and praised, "Wow, impressive! You little brat actually had a child at eighteen!"

The momentary feeling of warmth that had just risen in Xie Shuheng's heart was quickly extinguished. He expressionlessly turned around and shouted, "Xie Lan!"

As soon as the words fell, a cute boy with a blue backpack on his back came running in. With big blinking eyes, he looked back and forth between the two men on the balcony, and obediently called out, "Daddy."

Xie Shuheng pointed at Xie Shuling and said, "Call him Uncle."

The boy looked at Xie Shuling and obediently shouted, "Uncle!"

Xie Shuling was caught off guard, his expression momentarily in disarray. He awkwardly forced a smile and pulled Xie Shuheng by the hand, lowering his voice as he said, "Are you crazy? Bringing a child to a place like this!"

"No way, I have a direct flight to the United States tonight, so I have to go to the airport. I was thinking that if you're unwilling, I'll ask Pei Shuo for help."

Xie Shuling's expression was weird as he asked, "Tell me the truth, does Pei Shuo have feelings for you?" Pei Shuo sighed! Pei Shuo, notorious for being a carefree playboy, actually willing to help Xie Shuheng take care of the child?

Xie Shuheng gave him a cold glare and said to the little boy, "Xie Lan, Daddy has to go far away to work. He can only come back after a year. You have to behave well and not cause any trouble for Uncle."

His tone was very stiff, clearly indicating that he was a novice father. However, the boy named Xie Lan listened attentively and nodded obediently with a serious expression on his face.

Xie Shuheng patted Xie Lan's head and bid farewell in a low voice before hastily leaving the private room. Xie Shuling leaned against the door frame and glanced briefly, noticing that Pei Shuo had also departed.

"There's definitely something wrong with Pei Shuo..." Xie Shuling murmured to himself, when suddenly someone tugged at the corner of his clothes.

Xie Lan said obediently, "Uncle, Lan Lan is tired. Can we go home?" After speaking, she even raised a big, pleasing smile.

Xie Shuling stared at him for a while, marveling at the wonders of the creator. It was a miracle that such an adorable child could be born from Xie Shuheng, who had such an impassive face like a coffin.

To be honest, Xie Shuling doesn't dislike children. As long as they are not mischievous, he can usually get along with them well. He winked at Xie Lan with his charming eyes, a hint of a smile appearing in his peach blossom eyes, and said, "Let's go, Uncle will take you home now."

Xie Shuling took Xie Lan's hand and led him out of the private room. Just as they turned the corner, they bumped into someone head-on.

"Sorry," Xie Shuling casually apologized, intending to bypass the person and continue walking. Suddenly, he felt something was off. He lifted his gaze, only to meet Xiao Mo's incredulous eyes.

Xie Shuling looked skeptical and asked, "How come you are here?" Why did Xiao Mo appear in this place? Wasn't he the one who resented places like clubs and bars the most?

Xiao Mo's gaze fell upon the hands that Xie Shuling and Xie Lan were holding, leaving him utterly shocked and speechless. "You... a child..."

Xie Shuling realized his mistake a little too late. Just as he was about to explain, he found himself thrown against the wall by an enraged Xiao Mo, who had turned red with anger and was clutching his neck.

With a loud "bang", Xie Shuling felt as if his back had collided with something, causing him to gasp in pain. He tried to push Xiao Mo away, but to his surprise, the man's hand was as solid as a rock, completely immovable.

Xie Lan was so scared that she almost cried. Xiao Mo stared at Xie Shuling intently, his voice coldly commanding the servant behind him, "Take the child away first and take good care of him."