As Seraphine stepped out of her booth, a friendly man greeted her warmly. "That was an incredible performance, wasn’t it?" he began, eager to engage her.
"It was amazing," Seraphine exclaid, her eyes shining with the afterglow of the performance. "The way the solo violinist carried the lody was simply breathtaking."
The man nodded, seizing the mont. "Would you be interested in discussing it further over dinner?" he ventured.
Before she could respond, William approached with a friendly nod, "Seraphine, there you are! Would you like a lift ho?"
XiaoPu, standing by his side, brought a hand to his face in a quiet facepalm. Why was this man ddling in soone else’s affairs again?
Seraphine shook her head in apology, "I’m waiting for my husband to pick up. He should be here in a few minutes."
William’s innate tendency to assist won was instinctive, not driven by a desire to pursue romantic interest. Though admirable, he had already gone into trouble with a few powerful people because of it — Daniel included.
Battered by a trail of broken hearts, the ache of unrequited love, countless sacrifices without seeing the rewards he’d hoped for — his soul could no longer take it. While his caring nature persisted, his capacity to fall in love had been drained to emptiness — why even bother to fall in love when the ending would always be the sa?
"Oh..that’s good to hear," William stood next to her closely, "I’ll keep you company until he arrives then."
Seraphine glanced at him, whispering discreetly, "Just because a woman doesn’t have her man by her side 24/7 doesn’t an she needs company or protection. Thanks for your concern, but please, it’s unnecessary. Focus on XiaoPu instead."
William was stunned, his good intentions seemingly misplaced. "What?" he stamred, a pang of hurt in his chest, "No...I just..."
Dragging William away, XiaoPu gave him a look that said: See? I told ya. Stop embarrassing us already.
William was unafraid to stand up to Daniel or any challenge. He wasn’t intimidated by danger and would turn his back against the whole universe for his favorite person. A small spark of love was enough to set him ablaze. This particular trait had already caused him to destroy himself and a few leads.
Even though he looked like a harmless bunny at first glance, he was far from harmless in reality. Bing Shi kept him in check by giving him zero mixed signals through the years.
The Ashtor family’s refusal to push him beyond certain boundaries clearly indicated the underlying influence he wielded behind his laid-back facade.
As they walked away, William’s confusion was palpable. "Does she hate ? She must, right?" he asked XiaoPu, seeking so understanding from a child.
XiaoPu let go of William’s hand. "Edward had told not to try to be the most likable guy around," he said, "It will only feed my ego, not my soul."
William rubbed the back of his neck, a clear sign of his embarrassnt. Being lectured by a ten-year-old was a new low even for him.
His prank about XiaoPu being his long-lost son got busted fast, but he smoothly transitioned, declaring himself XiaoPu’s godfather instead.
After all, the boy had word his way into his heart—prank wars and all.
· · ─────── · ⊱❈⊰· ─────── · ·
One year later...
"Hey Edward, mind opening the doors for ?" William called out as Edward parked a truck in front of William’s new villa.
Edward hopped out and swung the doors open wide. "After you," he said, making a mock bow as William got off carefully, arms full.
Stinky Bun, XiaoPu, and Seraphine ran outside to welco them.
Before Stinky Bun could bolt towards the truck in awe, his mommy caught him and told him to say hello to his uncle and daddy first.
Stinky Bun looked at the pillow in William’s arms, "Daddy, daddy." Hello Uncle. Hello Daddy.
"Hey, kiddo." Carrying the baby girl, William looked up at Seraphine, "I’m holding her right, aren’t I?" he asked, "She’s not going to, you know, break?"
"You are a natural," Seraphine picked up Stinky Bun, letting him get a view of the baby girl.
XiaoPu sized up the mountain of baby essentials in the back of the truck, "You’ve got enough baby stuff there to start a daycare."
"Don’t give him any weird ideas, or he will really open one," Edward said, grabbing a few bags and boxes and distributing them to the boys.
"I just want to get it right, you know? Be prepared for everything." William cradled the baby girl with a tenderness that surprised even him. Each gentle sway, each careful touch, conveyed his awe and reverence for the fragile new life in his arms. The baby was, in that mont, his entire world.
[World mission success. Reward: 7500 points. Host can leave the world.]
After much contemplation, William made a profound decision to pursue parenthood through surrogacy.
Bing Shi observed that William’s generous heart often led to his heartbreak. She believed that diving into another romance might not be the best path for him, especially given his tendency to care for many at once.
She contemplated a different kind of love that could surpass all others for William. Perhaps, if she nudged him toward the idea of fatherhood, he would discover a love so profound and fulfilling that it would eclipse any he’d known before—a love pure and unconditional, many say it could only be found in the bond between a parent and child.
· · ─────── · ⊱❈⊰· ─────── · ·
In the backseat, Isabelle’s five-year-old daughter, Bella, fidgeted with the tiny violin case clasped in her small hands while her seven-year-old son, Knox, sat next to her, sheet music for his piano lesson perched neatly on his lap.
Together, they exited the hover car and entered the bustling music academy, where they soon spotted Seraphine holding her own violin case.
Bella, observing this, turned to her mother. "Mom, do you see that lady? She is the one I talked about before," she said, pointing towards Seraphine. "My teacher said she got in because of connections."
Isabelle was a bit taken aback but kept her silence. Coming from a privileged background, she had the advantage of early music education. Seraphine, perhaps, didn’t have the ans back then but did now, thanks to Edward.
Seraphine’s gaze caught a familiar face, prompting her to wave at Knox, "Hi, there."
"Hi, Mrs. Ashtor," Knox waved back with a small smile, "Are you waiting for your violin classes?" He would sotis et her during XiaoPu’s school events and in the hallways of the music academy, so he was not as surprised as his mom when he saw her.
Seraphine nodded in response to Knox’s greeting. "Yes, I am," she said with a hint of pride in her voice. "I’ve finally moved up to an advanced class. It’s been quite the journey, but here I am." Her eyes glead with the quiet satisfaction of personal achievent.
Isabelle felt a gentle tug on her skirt. Looking down, she saw her daughter’s determined face.
"What a coincidence, my daughter also got into the advanced class recently," Isabelle smiled, thinking how funny it was for Seraphine to boast about such a little achievent.
"We’ve seen Belle’s potential and invited her here when she was only three," Belle’s teacher said as she walked out of her classroom.
"I know, I heard a lot about her," Seraphine bent down to the little girl’s level, "It’s really impressive for soone your age."
Seraphine’s teacher erged from the classroom and spotted her in the hallway. She said warmly, "Seraphine, co on in. Let’s see what we can accomplish today," beckoning her inside with a friendly gesture.
Seraphine excused herself with a nod to Isabelle and a smile to the children. "Well, I must be off to my lesson. It was lovely seeing you all," she said before turning and walking towards her class, her violin case in hand.
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