If he could win over this woman—this future final boss of the Douluo Continent—then Yun Chuan's future in the Spirit Hall would be smooth sailing.
If he could cling to Bibi Dong's long, slender leg—figuratively speaking—and couple that with his identity as Tang San's twin brother, then no matter which side ultimately won the war—Tang San's or Spirit Hall's—it wouldn't matter. He had ties to both. Truly a masterclass in hedging one's bets.
No matter who won or lost, Yun Chuan would never be on the losing side. This… was what you'd call a guaranteed win!
Just thinking about it…
A pure and innocent smile suddenly bloomed on Yun Chuan's small face, making his adorably cherubic features seem to radiate light. It was a smile that could sweep away the darkness in any soul—like the first golden light of morning that signals the arrival of a new day.
Bibi Dong stared at this smile, completely caught off guard. She stood there in a daze, staring at the baby. Something stirred deep inside her—though she couldn't quite say what it was. Something new… and yet familiar.
Taking advantage of her dazed moment, Yun Chuan seized her delicate jade-like hand still pinching his cheek, pulled it close—and promptly bit down on her finger with an "ah-wooo!"
"…?"
The soft warmth of his bite snapped Bibi Dong from her thoughts. She looked down at the baby chewing on her finger—his teeth not even fully grown—and let out a soft laugh, the corners of her cold face relaxing into a smile… a genuine one.
This wasn't the twisted, hysterical grin of revenge. No, it was light, gentle—a fleeting smile of someone who—for just a moment—forgot her burdens.
From that day on, Bibi Dong came to visit the baby nearly every day.
Her smiles became more frequent, and the warmth in the way she looked at him grew deeper. Unconsciously, she began to treat him as a substitute for the daughter she could never bond with—as though she were making amends for the love she'd withheld. Two months later, she finally began to hold him in her arms…
By then, Yun Chuan was three months old.
He could just barely walk, and his vocal cords had developed enough for him to say basic words.
The moment had come.
Time to deliver… the killing blow.
"…Ma… ma…"
That day, he looked up at Bibi Dong with wide, innocent eyes and uttered his first blurry syllables.
Boom!
It was like a muffled thunderclap in her soul.
Bibi Dong's flawless body went rigid, as though struck by a petrification spell. Her glittering, soulful eyes stared blankly at the little boy before her. Waves of overwhelming emotion surged through her—raw, unfamiliar, and heart-wrenchingly intimate.
A joy she had never dared believe she could feel.
Her real daughter, Qian Renxue, also called her "mother"… but every time she heard it, Bibi Dong couldn't help but think of the man whose vile blood flowed through that child. The bitter memories, the hatred—they drowned out any sliver of maternal warmth she might've had.
But this child?
This innocent little soul had nothing to do with him.
And when he called her "Mama"—no resentment came with it.
For the very first time… she truly felt like a mother.
"…Say it again…" she whispered, trembling.
Her voice trembled with emotion as she scooped the child into her arms like a little girl clutching a beloved toy. "Sweetheart… Say it one more time."
"...?"
The too-adorable baby tilted his tiny head in confusion, clearly unaware of the emotional turmoil he had just unleashed.
"Please," she said again, voice trembling with hope. "Like you just did… Say 'Mama.'"
Finally understanding, the baby blinked his crystal-like black eyes, opened his rosy lips, and mimicked the sound once more:
"…Ma… ma?"
Bibi Dong's eyes fluttered shut.
Tears nearly slipped free as the soft, blurry word echoed in her ears. A warm wave of something indescribable—healing, filling, sanctifying—rushed through her hollowed-out soul.
All from that simple, imperfect, childlike "Mama."
It shattered the steel shell around her heart… and awakened the maternal instinct that had slumbered within her all these years.
"Good boy… Mama's here…"
When she opened her eyes again, the coldness that usually glinted in them had all but vanished. Replacing it was the warm, radiant joy of a mother who had found her world—wrapped snugly in her arms.
Nothing else mattered anymore.
Not vengeance.
Not betrayal.
Not Yu Xiaogang.
As long as… she had this child.
In that moment, time itself seemed to pause.
A long while passed.
Then suddenly…
The tiny bundle in her arms began wriggling—not mischievously, but urgently—like he was looking for something.
He was hungry?
At this point, utterly overwhelmed by maternal love, Bibi Dong didn't even think twice about his movements. Acting entirely on instinct, she slowly undid her robe…
And then—
With one hand, she gently supported the back of the little one while the other guided him closer. As the baby began to nurse, she lightly patted his back, her heart surging with emotion with every tiny gulp.
It was her first time breastfeeding a child.
Even her own daughter, Qian Renxue, had never been granted this closeness. After Renxue was born, every time Bibi Dong saw her, she was reminded of the man who defiled her—so she gave the baby to a wet nurse, refusing to get close. She even endured physical agony when her milk didn't dry up—sometimes using her soul power just to relieve the pressure.
And this continued for nearly a decade… all without anyone ever discovering.
Until now.
Now, she'd given that first connection—the nurturing a mother offers her child—to Yun Chuan.
If Qian Renxue ever learned of this? She would probably be red-eyed with jealousy. This—this very thing—was the love she had desperately craved since birth. Yet now it had fallen into the hands of an unknown baby from who-knows-where.
'Even I never got to taste this…'
"Glup… glup…"
Yun Chuan drank quietly, perfectly mimicking a content infant.
He couldn't help but feel a little guilty about the nursemaid who'd cared for him the last three months… but he had to admit:
Bibi Dong's "life essence"?
Totally unmatched.
There was simply no comparison. One was an ordinary woman. The other was a titulary Douluo—an absolute beauty and a powerhouse of spirit energy.
Whether in taste, comfort, or nutrition—the difference was night and day.
Right now, Yun Chuan didn't feel like thinking about anything else…
He just wanted to drown in this sweet warmth and soft embrace, letting himself fully bask in this world made of love and tenderness.
As his thoughts drifted in and out, one random notion popped into his mind:
'I wonder how Tang San is doing… is he also right now… soaking in this kind of infant-only paradise?'
(End of Chapter)