Lu Shan, with his chubby cheeks and determined expression, was seen stumbling around with a blindfold tied around his eyes. However, as his cultivation was sealed by a small tal bracelet hugging his wrist, the little boy appeared more like a normal child, enjoying the ga with other kids of his age.
anwhile, Song Yue sat beside the courtyard pavilion, quietly watching them with a mother’s content smile. Despite the fact that she is the principal wife and living in the imperial palace, she was seen wearing a simple and plain shirt and full-length jeans instead of luxurious traditional wear like a noble, the new trend that is introduced by Genesis Enterprises, and currently only popular among the masses, and has not been acknowledged by the Elite circle yet. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail.
She wasn’t doing much, except for watching the child playing with others, and there was a pleasant smile on her face.
Then suddenly, Lu Shan stopped.
He pulled off the blindfold abruptly and turned his head sharply, as if sensing sothing impossibly familiar. His violet eyes widened.
Without a word, he bolted.
"Shan Shan?" Song Yue stood up instantly, her eyes widening in surprise. "Where are you running? Wait!"
Lu Shan sped toward the moon-arched bridge. Song Yue imdiately flicked her fingers. Purple Chaos aura generated from her and imdiately struck the bridge at a blazing speed.
And in the next second, the entire bridge rose upward like a moving wall, blocking his path and causing him to slide down onto his bottom.
The boy puffed his cheeks in frustration.
He yanked off the bracelet on his arm.
A shockwave of spiritual power erupted from him. His cultivation instantly returned to the 5th circle while his own Chaos energy surged forward. The bridge lowered itself automatically, and the reality that bent was restored in an instant.
Seeing his path cleared, He took off running again.
Song Yue gasped. "Shan Shan, don’t! Wait! You two! Stop him!" She waved at two robotic servants nearby, who imdiately activated pursuit mode and began chasing after the child.
But Lu Shan, still only three years old, was already faster than grown n.
The robotic servant bent down, its chanical arms extending to intercept the small runaway child. But Lu Shan, his eyes brimming with tears, suddenly leapt into the air with surprising agility and landed right on top of the robot’s head.
The machine paused in confusion, servos clicking softly, as the little boy tried to jump down, only for his foot to slip down and Lu Shan tumbled.
Song Yue gasped, "Shan Shan..."
But before the child could even fall halfway, a soft wave of invisible force manifested beneath him like a cushion of gentle air. The energy coiled around him tenderly and lifted his small body upward, steady, warm, familiar.
And then a figure materialized beneath the falling child.
Mark caught Lu Shan with both arms, pulling the boy into his chest with shaking hands. For a mont, everything froze, the wind, the servants, even Song Yue’s breath, as the father who had disappeared for more than a year held his son again.
Lu Shan’s face scrunched painfully, and his voice broke into a sob. "Baba..."
The single word shattered Mark completely.
His eyes wavered, reddened instantly, tears brimming at the edges without restraint.
He hugged his son, burying the boy’s head against his shoulder, caressing his soft hair again and again like he was afraid the child might slip away.
"I’m here... Baba is here, Xiao Shan... shh... It’s alright... I’m here."
He could barely speak without his voice cracking.
Song Yue had stopped mid-step, frozen as though struck by lightning. Her hands trembled, and her lips parted soundlessly as she stared at the man she had longed for, worried for day and night, standing there, holding their son.
Mark lifted his gaze.
Their eyes t.
And whatever strength Song Yue had gathered to restrain herself completely collapsed. Tears spilled down her face instantly, her body trembling as she took a step forward... then another... until her walk beca a run.
Mark shifted Lu Shan to one arm, his other arm opening for her even before she reached him.
She crashed into him.
"Markie..." Her voice broke as she clung to him fiercely, burying her face against his chest as though afraid he would vanish again. Her sobs were soft but unrestrained, soaked with months of longing and fear. "You’re really here... you’re really back..."
Mark closed both arms around her and their son, pulling her tightly against him, one hand gripping her back while the other held Lu Shan safe between them. He kissed her hair, stroked her trembling shoulders, and whispered, voice thick with emotion, "My schatz... I missed you..."
Song Yue’s tears grew heavier, her body shaking against him in sheer relief. Mark rested his forehead atop hers, breathing in her familiar scent, letting the warmth of his family fill the hollow in his chest he’d carried for far too long.
Behind them, Alina, Shen Ling, and Sylvandria stood at a respectful distance, watching quietly.
Alina’s eyes softened, a faint sad smile forming on her lips. "Big Brother really loves her the most... doesn’t he?"
Shen Ling exhaled slowly, her expression touched by a lancholy acceptance. "Yes. He does."
Sylvandria lowered her gaze. The sadness in her eyes was fleeting but real. Her fingers tightened around her sleeve as she muttered under her breath, barely audible, "I suppose no one can take her place."
Shen Ling glanced at her sidelong and gave a small nod. "We all knew this from the beginning. That’s why... when I realized I was developing feelings for him, I severed them myself. I didn’t want to grow jealous of Sister Yue. She endured too much and loved him too deeply."
Alina let out a tiny laugh, gentle, not mocking. "When I first began to understand emotions, I was jealous too. Not that in a way you humans think, but it was a different kind of jealousy... She received every part of his heart first. But now... seeing him smile like that..."
Her eyes ward, and she clasped her hands in front of her chest.
"It just makes happy to see Master happy."
The three won, one android, one elf, one monarch, watched quietly as Mark embraced the wife he loved and the son he had longed to see. And for a mont, the palace grounds felt peaceful, warm, and whole... as though the world itself paused to welco the family back together again.
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