Chapter 71: Interaction Between Father and

Today was a beautiful day, with gentle breezes and warm sunshine. Everyone basked in the light and enjoyed the leisurely flow of the river, their moods lifted. Suddenly, the door to the suite across the deck swung open. Bai Mucheng stepped out, his expression stern, with Yu Qiu following closely behind.

The sight of Bai Mucheng startled everyone, especially Xu Feiyan. The group hurriedly stood to greet him with respectful bows.

“Rise,” Bai Mucheng instructed, his tone softening slightly.

Xu Feiyan, trying to find an excuse to leave, quickly said, “I haven’t checked out my room yet. I’ll go take a look,” and darted away.

Chen Miaomiao, sensing an awkward atmosphere, chimed in, “I should go see how Grandma is doing—she said her room is quite spacious,” and promptly followed suit.

Spring One, Two, and Three, holding the two babies, couldn’t help but feel uneasy. They had long guessed there was an unusual relationship between the prince and the young lady.

When Bai Mucheng approached to see the children, the sternness on his face vanished, replaced by a gentle warmth. He gazed at Tian Mi’s children, and a wave of sweetness welled up in his heart.

“Lady Junzhu, your children are so adorable. May this prince hold one of them?”

He motioned for Yu Qiu to bring a child over.

Yu Qiu hesitated. These were Doctor Tian’s children; was it appropriate for the prince to hold them? Unsure, he glanced at Tian Mi for guidance.

Tian Mi, noticing Yu Qiu’s thoughtfulness and his reluctance to compete with her for the children, instructed Spring One to hand Tian Lin over to Yu Qiu.

Yu Qiu, in turn, passed the child to Bai Mucheng. Nervous but careful, Bai Mucheng held the baby delicately. It was his first time holding a child, and the tiny infant giggled, utterly adorable.

A warm, maternal smile spread across Bai Mucheng’s face as he carried the baby to the edge of the boat to show him the scenery.

“Look, those are wild geese flying by,” he said, pointing to the sky.

Baby Tian Lin responded with a delighted “Ah!” as if acknowledging the sight.

Yu Qiu, observing the prince and the baby, was struck by how similar they looked. A realization dawned on him, and his breath hitched. But he distinctly remembered that when Doctor Tian first arrived at the military camp, the prince hadn’t known her. How could this be?

Bai Mucheng alternated between holding his son and his daughter, his heart filled with joy as he relished this rare moment of father-child bonding.

From afar, Jin Wenwen, on the escort ship, watched Bai Mucheng cradling the children. She was in disbelief. Could it be that the Prince Ding was now so close to the widow’s children?

What an incredible turn of events!

Meanwhile, Tian Mi’s grandmother, having familiarized herself with the lower deck, came up to check on her. The moment she stepped onto the deck, she saw Bai Mucheng holding the children.

About to greet him with a bow, Bai Mucheng preemptively said, “No need for formalities, elder.” To her surprise, he lifted the child higher so that their cheeks touched.

The grandmother looked at the prince’s face on one side and the baby’s face on the other. The resemblance was uncanny. She felt her head spin from the implications.

Tian Mi, delighted to see her grandmother, began showing her around. However, the older woman pulled her into the suite.

Watching the two figures retreat, Bai Mucheng smiled smugly, kissed little Tian Mei on the cheek, and said affectionately, “What a good baby you are!”

Once inside the room, the grandmother, having ensured they were alone, lowered her voice and asked, “Tell me, what’s going on with Prince Ding?”

Tian Mi, caught off guard, blinked in confusion. “What do you mean, ‘what’s going on?’”

The grandmother felt exasperated. This girl still hadn’t caught on! “Why does that child look so much like him?”

Realizing the implication, Tian Mi panicked internally. She couldn’t let Bai Mucheng keep holding the children—they did indeed bear a striking resemblance to him.

However, Tian Mi was unwilling to acknowledge the resemblance. She had no desire to get too entangled with the royal family. First, the political waters were treacherous and could easily cost one their life or affect the quality of living. Second, all her hard-earned money was for her future plans—she couldn’t let all her effort go to waste.

“Grandmother! What are you thinking? There are so many people in this world who resemble each other. He’s a bona fide prince, and when I was pregnant, I weighed over 200 pounds! How could you even think that way?”

Her words left her grandmother less confident. It was true—Tian Mi was indeed lovely now, but back then… well, honestly, it seemed implausible.

Even ordinary people wouldn’t go that far, let alone a prince. If it were true, how desperate would he have to be?

Her grandmother shook her head and chuckled. “I must be getting senile.”

Seeing her grandmother drop the matter, Tian Mi let out a quiet sigh of relief.

The arrangements on the boat were well-managed, and at mealtime, food was brought directly to them—lavish and plentiful. Tian Mi invited her grandmother to join her for the meal.

She sent Spring One to call Tian Dabiao, but he and Huang Yuanying were already eating, as meals had been arranged on the boat.

Bai Mucheng said, “This boat isn’t very convenient, and I’m alone here. Instead of dining separately, may I join you for the meal, Junzhu and elder?”

In someone else’s domain, how could you refuse?

Tian Mi and her grandmother smiled politely and said, “It’s our honor to host Your Highness.”

Bai Mucheng carried himself with the demeanor of a cultured junior, much to Tian Mi’s annoyance but greatly to her grandmother’s liking. Such a noble prince, yet so approachable and gentle!

Meanwhile, the four sheep belonging to the little ones had also been brought onto the boat—two milk sheep and two lambs, now fully grown. Having drunk the spiritual spring water often, they were particularly clever and cooperated with Spring Two and Spring Three to produce milk.

Life on the boat was novel and enjoyable, but by the afternoon, everyone felt tired. Tian Mi’s grandmother, assured that everything was fine, retired to her quarters for a nap.

Tian Mi also put the little ones to sleep.

This left Bai Mucheng in a bind. His energy was boundless, and he wasn’t accustomed to napping during the day. He was thrilled to have finally gotten close to Tian Mi and the children, but now they were all out of sight.

Holding a book, he pretended to read but kept glancing toward their suite, hoping to catch a glimpse. However, the room remained quiet.

Yu Qiu, noticing the prince’s impatience, hurried to the kitchen to have some fruit and snacks delivered to Tian Mi’s suite under the guise of checking on them.

Spring One received the items and explained, “The Junzhu and the little ones are napping.”

When Yu Qiu relayed this to Bai Mucheng, presenting the fruit, Bai Mucheng merely nodded, his eyes on his book, saying nothing.

In the afternoon, once the little ones woke up, Tian Mi instructed Spring One, Two, and Three to take them out to play. She, however, stayed back to plan her future as a wealthy businesswoman.

The apothecary was no longer her concern, as her second uncle’s family was running it smoothly. The cosmetics shop could be managed by Qiu Yi and her team, but her product line needed expansion. After some thought, she decided to introduce a skincare cream, a shampoo, and a hair dye.

With these, wealth was practically guaranteed.

Finally, there was the bookstore. This was truly outside her expertise, and she needed to plan carefully.

After acquiring her space ability, she had moved her entire study into it and even added some representative books later.

Though she lacked experience in running a bookstore, her rich academic background, having been raised by her strict grandmother, gave her confidence. She imagined transcribing a few books to create a buzz and attract scholars—what a plan!

Moreover, she had to conceal her extraordinary strength. The most cunning hunters often disguised themselves as prey.

She planned to present herself as a delicate, talented little white rabbit—weak, lovable, and full of charm.

“Hehehe!” Tian Mi chuckled to herself, thrilled at the thought of interacting with her future handsome, wealthy suitors.

However, she knew better than to target someone with too high a status—too much trouble, too much drama. Someone like Bai Mucheng, no matter how attractive, was entirely out of the question. Who could tell who the real prey was?

Bai Mucheng, holding the little ones and playing with them, couldn’t help but feel deflated. He hadn’t seen Tian Mi come out all day, dampening his spirits.