CHAPTER 361: EPISODE 34.2 AO YICHEN AND BAI SHENGYAN

The commotion among the children quickly drew the adults’ attention.

Teachers stationed around the auditorium hurried over, weaving carefully through the rows of little ones.

One crouched beside Ao Yichen, her voice soft and warm.

"Oh, sweetheart, what’s the matter? Your uniform looks so nice and tidy—let’s not let it get messy on the floor. Come on, let’s stand up together, okay?"

But the boy didn’t move. He only cried harder, his small body shaking.

"Chen-chen?" A gentle voice called. His mother hurried forward—a frail, kind-looking omega in her mid-twenties. Her light makeup couldn’t fully hide the shadows of grief carved deep by sleepless nights.

"Baby, don’t cry. Tell Mom what’s wrong. I’ll try to fix it."

Ao Yichen finally looked up through swollen eyes and pointed a trembling finger at Yanyan.

"They gave my speech to him! It was supposed to be mine! My dad just died—my speech was for him!"

The words hit like a stone. Yanyan froze, his throat tightening. He didn’t know what to say. The weight in his chest grew heavier until tears blurred his vision. He wanted his parents.

"Yanyan!" His Daddy’s voice cut through the noise like sunlight breaking through clouds.

Yanyan looked up. There—hovering in the air—were Shen Yuan and Bai Tingfeng, sharp and protective, eyes burning as if ready to battle the world for him.

The other children instinctively shrank back. Even Ao Yichen’s sobs faltered. They are blankly looking up at the newly arrived pair.

"Daddy! Papa!" Yanyan lifted his arms like a baby begging to be held. He didn’t need to say more. In perfect sync, his parents dropped to the ground, scooped him up, and wrapped him in a shield of warmth.

"It’s okay. It’s okay," Bai Tingfeng murmured, his touch steady and soothing. The sharp edge he usually carried melted away into gentleness. Inside, though, anger seethed—furious that his son had been driven to this—but none of it touched his tone.

Shen Yuan was different. He held Yanyan close, but his gaze swept the crowd like a blade. The teacher who first went to check on the kids instinctively tucked her neck, feeling as if her head would roll down the floor if she made a mistake.

"Can somebody tell me what’s going on?"

His voice was deceptively light, but paired with that merciless expression, it pressed down on everyone like a heavy boulder.

Adults and children alike stiffened.

Words died in their throats. Just Shen Yuan’s presence alone pinned them in place.

Ao Yichen’s mother went pale, trembling as she realized her son had just offended the child of such a person. Both of them may be an omega, but if a fight breaks out, she is almost certain she could never stand against Shen Yuan.

"Mom!" Despite his tears, Ao Yichen threw himself in front of her, tiny arms out as though he could shield her from Shen Yuan.

The celestial fox spirit’s eyes narrowed, something flickering there.

"Oh? Interesting?"

It was barely more than a word, yet the weight of it almost made knees buckle. The air itself seemed to freeze.

And then—relief. Someone appeared behind the crowd. Someone capable of diffusing the escalating tension.

"Whatever the matter is, let’s not handle it here," Director Song’s calm voice cut through the tension like cool water over fire.

"The children are already upset," he said gently, his gaze softening on the little ones. "Let’s move somewhere private, where they can feel safe again. That way, we can easily discuss what went wrong and resolve it without giving more pressure to the children."

At that, Shen Yuan finally let his oppressive aura fade. He drew in a steady breath, pressed a kiss to the top of Yanyan’s head, and murmured, "Indeed. Let’s do that."

With calm efficiency, he guided the parents of both children backstage. Behind the heavy curtains, away from the buzzing crowd, the adults settled into a circle while the boys clung to their parents’ sides.

Director Song used his gentle prompting and soothing gestures to ask the boys about what happened.

Ao Yichen finally gathered the courage to speak after seeing his mother nod her head. He poured out the tangled story of his outburst between sniffles.

"So, it was about the welcome speech..." Bai Tingfeng exhaled heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Ao Yichen’s mother immediately bowed her head, her voice flustered and apologetic. "W-we’re sorry if my son dragged yours into this mess." Her eyes darted nervously between Shen Yuan and Bai Tingfeng, her posture small and trembling, like a frightened rabbit.

"We already declined the school’s request weeks ago. It’s only right that your son should deliver the representative’s speech."

"Mom!" Ao Yichen suddenly protested, his little voice cracking with hurt. "That—y-you decided that by yourself!"

His small fists curled, and he wiped his round cheeks with his knuckles, smearing his tears. "Dad and I promised each other—I’d take the top spot in the exams and give the best speech ever!"

He gulped, his words wobbling but firm with conviction. "Even if Dad can’t hear me anymore...I still want to do it! That is the only way I know to make him proud."

The adults felt their hearts squeezed after hearing Ao Yichen’s side of the story. Even Yanyan couldn’t help but tear up.

Shen Yuan crossed his arms over his head and squeezed his eyes shut.

Shit. This is not the drama he wanted. How could he even be mad at the grieving child?

Yes, it was wrong for the boy to angrily point fingers at Yanyan. Yanyan didn’t do anything wrong.

However, for a young lad who is just processing the loss of one parent, it is surely a confusing and gripping experience. It is not surprising to have outbursts like this.

"I want to thank Papa in my speech. I want my schoolmates to know that I have a wonderful father who died fighting against the bad guys!" The little boy cried so hard.

Hearing the outburst of his son, Ao Yichen’s mother collapsed on the ground, crying.

"I’m sorry! I’m sorry," She said repeatedly.

"Mom!" Without thinking, Ao Yichen hurled himself into his mother’s arms, clinging tightly as tears fell.

For the first time, Director Song found himself at a loss for words. No gentle phrase came to mind, so he closed his lips and simply watched the grieving pair in silence.

"Papa..." On the other side, Yanyan could no longer hold back. He buried his face into Bai Tingfeng’s shoulder, hot tears soaking through his father’s clothes.

"Son..." Bai Tingfeng murmured, helplessly rubbing circles on his boy’s back.

Then, to everyone’s surprise, Shen Yuan suddenly dropped to one knee, lowering himself to eye level with Ao Yichen and his mother.

"What was your father’s job?" Shen Yuan asked, his tone quiet but intent.

Startled, Ao Yichen pulled back from his mother. His eyes widened, uncertain of what this beautiful yet unreadable man was thinking.

"H-he was a paramedic," the boy stammered, then straightened as though to defend him. "Dad said it was a thankless job, and his D-class awakened power could only stop people from bleeding out—but I thought it was amazing! He saved lots of people!"

His small fists trembled. "He would’ve saved even more if those bad terrorists hadn’t pushed him to..."

Ao Yichen can’t bring himself to say that his father is already dead.

"Bad terrorists?!" Shen Yuan inhaled sharply, his foxlike eyes narrowing. Could it be what he thought?

"My... my husband..." Ao Yichen’s mother managed between sobs, her voice breaking. "He was one of the first responders kidnapped by the Cardinals when they tried to—"

"I understand." Shen Yuan cut in gently, nodding with rare solemnity. His interruption wasn’t dismissive but protective—halting her before she could wound herself further by speaking the unbearable truth aloud.

There was no sense in reopening them, no use in letting pain fester.

Right now, what mattered was helping this mother and child find the strength to stand again—both in spirit and in body. And yes, he meant it literally.

These two truly were alike—both collapsing to the floor whenever their hearts couldn’t carry the weight.

Shen Yuan rose from his kneeling position, then extended both hands toward them.

The celestial fox spirit’s hands were warm and steady. As if drawn by an invisible pull, Ao Yichen and his mother each took one. Together, they found themselves gently lifted from the ground.

"Your father sounds like a great man," Shen Yuan said quietly, his usual sharpness softened by sincerity. "He raised a boy brave enough to protect his mother without hesitation."

Ao Yichen blinked through his tears, looking up at him.

"And just as you said," Shen Yuan continued, "I believe he’d be proud if you mentioned him in your speech." His tone then shifted, calm but firm. "However... It’s never right to blame someone else, especially when they’ve done nothing wrong. Think about it—would your father be happy knowing you took back your chance by hurting another kid who just wanted to do his best?"

Ao Yichen lowered his head, shame clouding his little face.

"Daddy! It’s okay!" Yanyan spoke up, his voice trembling but clear. "I’ll let him do the welcome speech. It was supposed to be his anyway."

Tears shimmered in Yanyan’s eyes. It was obvious he was sad—after all, he had spent the past week practising so hard for this moment.

But when he looked at Ao Yichen, crying beside his mother, Yanyan decided that his own disappointment didn’t matter as much. Compared to what the other boy had gone through, his wish to deliver the speech just felt small.

"No." But to Yanyan’s surprise, his Daddy shook his head.

On the side, Ao Yichen’s mom silently nodded.

But that was when she heard a voice talking to her.

"I am not someone to talk about other people’s parenting style. But if I were to have a son who is as brave and strong-minded as your Yichan. I will fight tooth and nail just to give him everything he wants and needs."

"You must learn how to become your son’s backbone. That is, if you want him to soar and reach his full potential."

She looked at the owner of that voice— at Shen Yuan—and she couldn’t help but tear up. She nodded, accepting Shen Yuan’s words to her heart.

Shen Yuan discreetly withdrew his power and continued as if he had done nothing.

"I have a better suggestion. This one will not call for any sacrifice. Why don’t these two children share the floor and deliver the welcoming speech? They tied in the first place, anyway."

Shen Yuan smiled a genuine smile. "They both have the right to be the student representative."