Just as he reached the staircase, a cheerful male voice echoed from the hall downstairs.
“Brother Bai Mo, how have you been lately?”
The unfamiliar man had short, tousled golden hair, thick eyebrows, and large eyes.
His emerald-like pupils carried a sense of age and history.
He wore a black suit, looking every bit like a mafia boss, but his eyes didn’t match that image at all—there was none of the arrogance or recklessness you’d expect.
Right now, his face was full of warmth and friendliness.
As soon as he entered, he greeted Bai Mo and pulled him into a big bear hug.
Behind him followed a boy around seven or eight years old.
A closer look revealed that the child bore a strong resemblance to the man in front of him—eight or nine parts alike.
But unlike the man’s warm demeanor, the boy’s eyes were cold, proud, and full of arrogance.
He looked like a little punk.
He was dressed in black just like the man.
With that expression and outfit, he was definitely going to grow up to be a gang leader.
Bai Mo was startled by the man’s enthusiasm, but despite being caught off guard, he still had basic manners.
He reached out and returned the “enthusiastic” bear hug, replying, “Same old, same old.
Nothing good or bad.”
At that moment, the Bai sisters had also come down the stairs and entered the hall.
Seeing them, Bai Mo waved them over.
“Come here, Ting’er, Ling’er.
Come greet Uncle Qiao!”
Hearing their father’s words, the two girls immediately realized that the visitor was none other than Qiao Yun, the head of the Qiao family.
They walked up to Qiao Yun and said in unison, “Hello, Uncle Qiao!” Their voices were so sweet it could melt bones, making Qiao Yun feel like he’d just swallowed a spoonful of honey.
After that, Bai Ting added playfully, “I’m Bai Ting.”
In their family, there was a rule: “Juniors must not interrupt when elders are speaking.”
Bai Ling followed this rule, so she waited quietly for Bai Ting to finish before saying, “I’m Bai Ling.”
After years of being glued together, and being “real” sisters, the two of them had long since developed a silent understanding.
Bai Ting knew this too.
Even though she wasn’t shy around Bai Ling, in front of outsiders she always played the role of the perfect girl.
Listening to the sisters introduce themselves—even though Qiao Yun already knew their names—he still felt delighted hearing their (albeit brief) self-introductions.
“Good! Good! Good! You’ve both grown more and more beautiful over the years.
You might even outshine your mother back in the day.”
He burst into hearty laughter after saying that.
Hearing this, the girls’ cheeks instantly flushed red.
Seeing their bashful expressions, Qiao Yun laughed even harder.
Bai Mo, standing to the side, couldn’t take it anymore.
How could she stand her daughters being teased like that? She said sourly, “You’ve got some nerve.
Already that old and still flirting with young girls.
Where’s your shame?”
That made Yue Xin, standing behind Bai Mo, chuckle softly behind her hand.
She knew her husband was getting jealous.
Hearing Bai Mo’s jealous tone, Qiao Yun nearly choked on his own spit.
His face turned red, and to cover up his embarrassment, he coughed twice and said seriously, “I’ve built up a wall of shame.”
Bai Mo was clearly stunned by how shameless he was.
She pointed at Qiao Yun’s nose, “You… you…” but couldn’t get a full sentence out, her face turning red with frustration.
Yue Xin was already laughing so hard she was shaking, but years of etiquette training kept her from losing composure completely.
After all, there were guests present.
Even if Qiao Yun didn’t count as an outsider, as the former little princess of the Yue Kingdom, she couldn’t allow herself to lose face.
So after laughing for a bit, she stepped in to smooth things over.
“Alright, you two, enough.
Qiao-ge didn’t come here just to bicker with you.”
Hearing his sister-in-law’s timely rescue, Qiao Yun almost wanted to clap in joy.
He immediately turned to Bai Mo and teased, “See that, old bro? Sister-in-law’s the real MVP.”
Seeing the smug look on Qiao Yun’s face, Bai Mo got even more annoyed.
Then, as if remembering something, Bai Mo’s tone suddenly shifted.
“Hmm? I’ve been itching for a good sparring partner lately.
Haven’t practiced in a while—wonder if my magic skills have gotten rusty.
Qiao-ge, once we’re done here, don’t be in such a hurry to leave, yeah?”
Seeing Bai Mo suddenly calm down, Qiao Yun was briefly confused.
But before he could think too much about it, Bai Mo continued speaking.
When he realized Bai Mo wanted to use him for practice, Qiao Yun immediately chickened out.
Even though he was now a top commander in the Magic Combat Division, he still didn’t have the confidence to beat Bai Mo.
Back when Bai Mo was the head of the division, Qiao Yun had just been a small fry.
It was only thanks to Bai Mo’s promotion that he rose to his current position.
Back then, Bai Mo often used Qiao Yun as a benchmark to test his magic level.
Qiao Yun knew Bai Mo meant well—trying to help him improve his magic and combat skills—but every time, he got beaten half to death.
He still had trauma from it.
Qiao Yun definitely didn’t want to be used as a punching bag again after all these years.
So he quickly changed the subject to distract him.
He turned to the boy behind him and said, “Ah, right! I almost forgot.
Qiao Shan, go greet Uncle Bai.”
But Qiao Shan had been staring at the two sisters the whole time, completely entranced, practically drooling.
Since the sisters were standing together, it looked like he was staring at both of them.
But only they knew—Qiao Shan had been staring at Bai Ling the entire time.
He’d never seen such a cute girl before.
That delicate face, that stunning smile—it was like a ray of sunshine in winter, warming his heart and making him completely mesmerized.
He decided then and there that he would marry her one day and take her to see the world.
But just as he was lost in his daydreams, a voice snapped him out of it.
He looked up and realized it was his father telling him to go say hello.
So Qiao Shan quickly pushed aside his fantasies and walked up to Bai Mo, politely saying, “Hello, Uncle Bai!”
Bai Mo was still fuming, but when he heard Qiao Shan’s greeting, he immediately switched to a warm smile.
“Hey! Good, good kid!”
Bai Mo had great self-control—he could separate people from the situation.
After that, Qiao Yun hesitated for a moment but finally walked up to Bai Ling.
He scratched his head shyly, not daring to look her in the eye.
“Um… can I know your name?”
He completely ignored Bai Ting.
Who would like a girl taller than them? Bai Ting looked like she was a whole head taller than him.
But Bai Ling was different.
She looked even shorter than him (though in reality, they were about the same height—he just thought she was shorter).
Plus, she looked so delicate, it triggered his protective instincts.
Bai Ting looked at this little brat trying to steal her girl and was about to say something, but her father cut her off.
“Hahaha, Qiao-ge, your son really is just like you, huh.”
He shot Qiao Yun a sly smile.
Of course he had to take this chance to get back at him after being teased earlier.
Qiao Yun saw the teasing in Bai Mo’s eyes and felt a little embarrassed, but still shamelessly said, “What? Is it bad he’s like me? If he wasn’t, how would he ever pick up girls?”
Bai Mo snorted, annoyed that his jab didn’t land, and said nothing more.
Yue Xin looked at the two clowns and once again stepped in to mediate.
“Alright, alright, you two.
You’re not kids anymore.
Arguing like this in front of the children—aren’t you ashamed?”
Then she turned to the two girls and said, “Ting’er, Ling’er, take Qiao Shan out and show him around today.”
Though reluctant, Bai Ting had no choice but to respond with a drawn-out “Oh~.” Orders from elders weren’t to be disobeyed.
