Chapter 462: A Change in the Bed-Warming Rules

The moon set and the sun rose.

At seven o’clock sharp, the little tykes at the orphanage were awakened by the cheerful morning bell.

Inside the boys’ dormitory.

The little boy in the farthest corner grabbed his blanket and rolled over, kicking another young wolf-type boy. The latter’s lip trembled, and he immediately started to bawl.

The loud, piercing howl set off a chain reaction. The entire dormitory echoed with a rising and falling cacophony of cries, rivaling the sounds of Hell.

When Yuan Shiyao opened the door after washing up, he was met with this hellish scene.

His scalp instantly went numb.

Yuan Shiyao, who usually grew more determined in the face of adversity, suddenly had the urge to turn invisible.

The orphanage was short-staffed. The other worker who had spent the night with the children had already left early in the morning to help prepare breakfast, leaving the kids in Yuan Shiyao’s care.

Yuan Shiyao had barely slept last night, spending the whole time tucking the little ones in and shooing away mosquitoes. He had thought the morning would be easy, but who could have expected a scene like this...

But the legal education livestream was at nine, and all the children needed to be in the dining hall for breakfast by eight.

Yuan Shiyao could only brace himself, pick up the child crying the hardest, and pat his back to soothe him.

He was actually quite good at comforting children. In no time, the little one in his arms stopped crying and just watched him, chewing on his fingers.

But when the other kids saw this, they wanted to be held too. They all ran over, clinging to his legs and demanding to be picked up.

No matter how good he was at coaxing them, Yuan Shiyao only had two arms. There was no way he could handle more than twenty children.

The wailing grew even louder.

Just as Yuan Shiyao was scrambling, a pair of slender arms reached down and steadily lifted the child clinging to his pant leg.

He looked up and met Jiang Qingli’s gaze.

His heart suddenly sped up.

Yuan Shiyao was about to say something, but she had already turned her attention to the child, speaking in a low voice.

The weather wasn’t bad today. The thin mist had dispersed, and faint sunlight fell around the girl like a flowing, shimmering veil.

Even the sunlight seemed to favor her.

Yuan Shiyao glanced at the glass window, where their reflections were cast.

A man and a woman, standing side by side, each holding a child in their arms. The atmosphere was so harmonious...

’Isn’t this the picture of a typical married life—’

A rush of heat surged through him, turning the young man’s face and ears bright red.

But this fantasy lasted only a few seconds before two of her official Beast Husbands stepped forward. One took the child from Jiang Qingli’s arms, while the other gently had the little ones line up and stop crying.

Baili Jing was an excellent actor, and he was just as skilled at handling children. With just a few words, he got the group of kids to stop crying. They blinked their eyes and followed him to the dining hall.

Jiang Qingli tugged on the corner of Yuan Shiyao’s shirt. "You can put the little one down now. Let’s go eat together."

This was the first time she had ever taken the initiative to invite him to breakfast.

Yuan Shiyao wished he could immediately change into a three-piece suit for the occasion. But for now, he could only jiggle the child in his arms. "This one... can’t be left alone."

The one he was holding was the fussiest of them all. He would cry until he ate, only quieting down after his meal.

The good news, however, was that Yuan Shimo was holding the second-most difficult child, who was just like the one in his own arms.

’This way, neither my brother nor I can get close to my sister-in-law,’ Yuan Shiyao had thought. ’That’s fair.’

But who would have known that in the next second, Yuan Shimo’s shadow would transform into his likeness, take the child, and begin to somewhat clumsily entertain it.

As for the man himself, he curled his lip into a smile, took Jiang Qingli’s hand, and walked toward the approaching orphanage director.

Yuan Shiyao didn’t follow, his pupils trembling slightly.

He hadn’t expected that Yuan Shimo would not only stop hiding his Superpower but even dare to display it in front of others now.

’These changes... are they because of her?’

’Sister-in-law is amazing.’

Yuan Shiyao sighed with emotion once again.

And once again, he added a silent thought: ’It would be even better if I could join this family, too.’

...

During breakfast, the director discussed the upcoming arrangements with Jiang Qingli.

After the livestream was widely broadcast, many people had already called, wanting to adopt the children.

Due to distance and different mindsets, most of them were from the Lower District.

Many residents of the Twelve Cities had average financial situations.

However, Jiang Qingli had offered to cover all the children’s future educational expenses. This lightened the burden for many families, and a lot of people had expressed their desire to adopt.

The director was thinking of holding a public event in a few days, inviting prospective adoptive parents to come and interact with the children.

Jiang Qingli thought this was a good arrangement. She shared some of her own ideas with the director, emphasizing, "We need to verify the identity of every visitor. We can entrust the military district with this task."

The director had the same idea and thanked her profusely.

Jiang Qingli took a spoonful of porridge and unconsciously glanced in Yuan Shiyao’s direction.

He and Yuan Shimo’s shadow were gently coaxing a mischievous child to drink his porridge.

He was still so young, yet Yuan Shiyao already had his own effective methods for handling children, doing it with ease.

couldn’t help but comment: [This little black cat is actually not bad. He and the little white cat’s shadow can be the designated uncles from now on.]

Jiang Qingli had heard 030 explain this "designated uncle" role before; it referred to a young person who helps their older siblings raise children.

She pictured the scene and couldn’t help but let her lips curl into a smile.

Just then, Yuan Shiyao happened to look up, and his gaze met hers.

He had no idea he had already been slated for the role of "designated uncle." His shy smile was still tinged with a hint of anticipation.

...

The three-day event at the orphanage concluded smoothly.

When it was time to leave, a group of children, reluctant to see her go, followed her to the gate with longing eyes.

The little girl named Xiaoxiao, whose hand Jiang Qingli had held while drawing on the first day, hid behind the director, pretending not to care.

But just as Jiang Qingli was about to leave, Xiaoxiao suddenly reached out, grabbed the hem of her clothes, and looked up with red-rimmed eyes.

"Xiaoxiao, don’t be so rude," a staff member standing nearby reminded her.

"I’m sorry, Big Sister. I’m being a bother..." Xiaoxiao pursed her lips and said in a small voice, "I just... I wanted to say goodbye to you."

"Because before... I didn’t get to say goodbye to my mom, and then she was gone."

"Xiaoxiao, we will see each other again." Jiang Qingli crouched down in front of her and gently smoothed her hair. "When you go to your new family, I will be there with you."

"Really?" The little girl finally looked up, tears welling in her eyes.

"Really." Jiang Qingli smiled and held out her pinky. "Let’s make a pinky promise, okay?"

Xiaoxiao sniffled. After hooking pinkies with her, she realized what she was doing and pursed her lips shyly.

"You have a beautiful smile," Jiang Qingli said, gently pinching her cheek. "You should smile more."

"Okay!" Xiaoxiao smiled shyly and waved goodbye to her.

-

With the event over, it was time for Yuan Shimo to leave with Meng Xian.

Yuan Liang had other matters to attend to, so he had already left in another car with his secretary, asking Jiang Qingli to see his friend off for him.

The group said their goodbyes at the back gate of the orphanage.

Meng Xian got into the car first, leaving Yuan Shimo to chat a bit more with his female master.

However, Yuan Shimo could see that Jiang Qingli was a little tired, so he didn’t keep her long. He just gently squeezed her fingers and said softly, "I will wait obediently for my female master to come home."

His obedient demeanor made him look just like the most virtuous and docile consort in an imperial harem.

Greatly pleased, Jiang Qingli squeezed his hand, and the words just slipped out: "I’ll choose you first when I get home."

The moment she said this, both Baili Jing and the shameless Yuan Shiyao, who was hitching a ride, frowned from inside the car behind them.

Yuan Shimo took in his rivals’ displeasure and curled his lips. "Alright, then I’ll be waiting."

"But, Qingli."

Yuan Shimo lowered his voice, whispering in her ear,

"Should we perhaps change the rules for our nights together?"

"After all, our numbers are growing."