The Extra Child

Everyone, including the system, fell into silence, creating an awkward atmosphere. Nan Pei communicated with the system telepathically, trying to salvage the situation:

“Can you change back?”

The little kid blinked innocently, responding telepathically, “The system transformation has a time limit; it’ll take a while to revert.”

Nan Pei was furious, “Isn’t this supposed to be a reward for reaching 30% progress? Are you sure this is a reward?!”

The system quietly replied, “It’s not up to me, and if I suddenly transformed back, the plot might collapse faster than if you confessed to all three on the spot.”

Nan Pei struggled to control his emotions, reluctantly admitting the system had a point.

Watching Nan Pei and his “son” staring at each other, Duan Heng was in shock, unable to process it.

At nineteen, he had never faced such a complicated scene. He always thought Nan Pei was a clean-living, abstinent investor, and the child’s appearance shattered his worldview—

Nan Pei already had a child??

Duan Heng was utterly bewildered.

Beyond shock and disbelief, he felt hurt and angry at being deceived by Nan Pei.

“…Nan Pei!” Duan Heng gritted his teeth, his fingers clenched into fists, nails digging into his palms, “Five years ago, how old were you?? You were still in your sophomore year, right?! Did you even think about the consequences?!”

Nan Pei was startled by Duan Heng’s angry voice and tried to explain, “No, it’s not…”

However, Duan Heng, in his anger, seemed ready to explode.

He stepped forward, glaring at Nan Pei, asking word by word:

“And why did you keep this a secret from everyone?”

Song Jingchen stood aside, frowning at the child, also asking:

“Does the Nan family know about this?”

Lu Bairan pursed his lips, his eyes showing not only shock but also a hint of complex emotion.

He slowly asked Nan Pei:

“So is this a mistake from your youth?”

Nan Pei: “…”

Faced with the barrage of questions, Nan Pei opened his mouth, only able to offer a weak explanation:

“This child isn’t what you think…”

Song Jingchen’s brows furrowed, staring at Nan Pei, he coldly said, “Then where did he come from?”

Nan Pei rubbed his forehead, trying to explain, “No matter how he came, he’s not my child.”

Duan Heng’s gaze swept between the two, his tone not very friendly, “Then why does he look so much like you?!”

Lu Bairan also frowned and asked, “Can you tell me who the child’s mother is?”

At this point, the system helpfully chimed in:

“I don’t have a mom.”

It wanted to add “I came from Nan Pei’s body,” but saying that would only make things more chaotic, so it swallowed the words.

The three male leads: “…”

Wow, the kid doesn’t even know who his mom is! How tragic!

Their gazes towards Nan Pei became even more complicated.

“Nan Pei, you, you’re just…” Duan Heng’s face turned ashen, unable to form a complete sentence, “Have you considered others’ feelings?”

Song Jingchen seemed slightly calmer, pursing his lips, he seriously asked, “Are you afraid this will get out and affect the Nan family’s reputation? Don’t worry, I’ll help you keep it under wraps.”

“Although I don’t know the full story,” Lu Bairan looked at the little Nan Pei, pursing his lips, “the child is innocent. You should treat him well.”

Nan Pei: “…”

Wow, he thought only Song Jingchen was the type to overthink like a CEO, but these three had wild imaginations.

Luckily, the system didn’t intend for Nan Pei to crash and burn.

In a childish voice, it said:

“I’m Nan Pei Gege’s little brother, not his son.”

The three indignant male leads collectively froze.

Nan Pei wanted to say, I don’t have a troublemaking little brother like you, but given the situation, he could only go along with it:

“…That’s right, he’s my little brother.”

Song Jingchen quickly reacted, knowing the Nan family never mentioned another son, so he questioned, “How come I didn’t know the Nan family had another son?”

Nan Pei smiled slightly, “Cousin.”

The three showed skeptical expressions.

Duan Heng looked at the little kid, hesitated for a moment, and asked, “A cousin who looks so much like you?”

“Not that much,” Nan Pei chuckled awkwardly, “once he grows up, his face will change, and he won’t look like me.”

Although the sudden appearance of a “cousin” seemed strange to the three, based on their understanding of Nan Pei, they knew he wouldn’t like anyone else, let alone have an illegitimate child.

So, they accepted the “cousin” explanation.

The system obediently clung to Nan Pei’s pant leg, chirping, “Pei Gege, I want to go home.”

Nan Pei squatted down, pretending to affectionately ruffle the system’s hair, then picked it up and told the three male leads:

“It’s late, I’m taking my cousin home.”

The system looked at the three tall men, waved at them, saying “Gege goodbye” to Lu Bairan and Duan Heng, and “Uncle goodbye” to Song Jingchen.

Song Jingchen’s face darkened—why was he called uncle?

After Nan Pei left, the three male leads, having no good impressions of each other, saw no need to communicate and left one by one.

Nan Pei loaded the bike and system into the car, closed the door, and clenched his fists, “You little brat, do you think my task isn’t hard enough, so you’re causing trouble on purpose?!”

The system pitifully said, “How could I? If I really wanted to make it hard for you, I would’ve called you ‘Daddy’ right away.”

Nan Pei’s scalp tingled, that “Daddy” made him feel like exploding.

He glared at the system, “Don’t! Say! Those! Two! Words!”

For someone who’s never been in a relationship, having a son appear out of nowhere was terrifying!

“Okay.” The system nodded, quietly saying, “Besides, didn’t I successfully help you escape the mess? Without me, you’d still be stuck with them.”

Nan Pei took a deep breath, forcing a difficult smile, “Then I really should thank you.”

The system coolly said, “It’s my duty.”

“How long until you can change back?” Nan Pei asked.

The system replied, “Probably over ten hours.”

Nan Pei: “…”

“I mean,” Nan Pei maintained a smile, but it felt like a hidden threat, “don’t you think you’re quite redundant now? Where should I take you?”

The system nonchalantly said, “I can go anywhere.”

“Should I take you to Huo Yao’s and explain your origins again,” Nan Pei asked word by word, “or go back to the Nan family and get my legs broken?”

System: “You can stay at a hotel.”

Nan Pei sighed, “I didn’t bring my ID.”

System: “Go back to Huo’s to get it.”

Nan Pei had no choice but to follow the system’s suggestion.

He drove back to Huo’s villa.

Huo Yao seemed to be out, as the bedroom lights were off.

Nan Pei breathed a sigh of relief.

He turned to the system, “Stay in the car, I’ll get my ID. Don’t move, don’t talk, don’t get out.”

The last few commands sounded a bit harsh.

The system obediently nodded.

Nan Pei got out, pretending to be calm as he entered Huo’s house, went upstairs, and returned to the bedroom to find his ID.

Outside Huo’s villa.

Huo Yao had been busy all day and had a very important international meeting in the evening, only returning home now.

When he arrived, Nan Pei’s sports car was parked at the entrance, its lights still on.

Huo Yao was surprised; he didn’t expect Nan Pei to be back so late.

Huo Yao got out, intending to check why Nan Pei’s car was still running.

At that moment.

Nan Pei happened to come out of the villa with his ID.

Seeing Huo Yao approaching his car, he widened his eyes and instinctively called out, “President Huo, don’t…”

However, Huo Yao had already reached the car by the time he heard the voice.

He looked inside and was immediately stunned.

In the passenger seat sat a well-behaved “little Nan Pei.”

Seeing Huo Yao’s reaction, Nan Pei knew a misunderstanding was inevitable.

Usually, Huo Yao showed little emotion, but at this moment, his eyes were filled with disbelief.

He mechanically and stiffly turned to Nan Pei, his lips moving awkwardly as he asked:

“This… this is…”

Nan Pei quickly answered, “This is my five-year-old cousin.”

“Cousin?” Huo Yao’s expression froze, his long eyes filled with confusion and surprise, as he asked a shocking question:

“Is this cousin… yours?”

Nan Pei: “…What kind of question is that?!”

Actually, Nan Pei understood; it wasn’t Huo Yao’s fault.

The system looked way too much like Nan Pei now!

Nan Pei swallowed, slowly walked forward, and resignedly opened the car door, pulling the system out and placing it in front of Huo Yao: “Here, explain yourself.”

The system looked pitiful, clinging to Nan Pei’s pant leg, softly saying, “I’m really Nan Pei Gege’s cousin.”

Seeing the child, Huo Yao’s tense shoulders finally relaxed.

He quietly exhaled but still felt uneasy, looking up to ask Nan Pei.

“Really your cousin?”

Nan Pei nodded, feeling defeated, “Why would I lie to you?”

Huo Yao glanced at Nan Pei’s cousin, muttering softly, “Your cousin really looks like you.”

“From a genetic standpoint,” the system seriously explained, “the probability of this happening isn’t zero.”

Huo Yao’s eyes widened—

Is this something a five-year-old should say?!

Nan Pei maintained a smile, calmly saying, “He’s a bit precocious.”

Huo Yao’s gaze shifted between the two, the shock in his heart undiminished.

After a while, he finally slowly said:

“…As long as he’s not yours.”

God knows, when he first saw the child, he thought Nan Pei had taken a shrinking potion, but then realized, wasn’t this obviously Nan Pei’s kid?

If it were true, Huo Yao would go crazy.

“Don’t worry, Uncle Huo,” the system obediently said, “I can’t possibly be Nan Pei Gege’s biological child.”

Huo Yao felt the child was overly precocious, raising an eyebrow, he asked.

“Why not? You look so much alike.”

To help Nan Pei clear suspicion, the system seriously replied.

“Because Nan Pei Gege is still a pure… mm!”

Before the last two words were out, Nan Pei quickly picked up the system, covering its mouth, his face turning red, and he said fiercely, “If you say one more word, you’ll sleep in the oven tonight!”

Huo Yao was stunned.

The next second, his expression also became a bit unnatural.

Because he seemed to understand the child’s implication.

Author’s Note:

Nan Pei: Tonight, I’ll roast a system for dinner.