CHAPTER 615: CHAPTER 527: WHY IS EVERYONE ACTING SO WEIRD TODAY? (PART 3)

Sangyu was crying uncontrollably, making Haotian Emperor immediately tense up. Even though his beard was being tugged painfully by his grandson, he acted as if he didn’t feel a thing and carried Ziyan over to Sangyu.

"Sangyu, dear child, don’t cry, don’t cry now." Haotian Emperor softened his voice as much as possible.

Upon hearing his voice, Sangyu peeked at Haotian Emperor secretly, then started crying even louder.

"She must be scared of you." Long Che, distressed, took his granddaughter from Tong Yao’s arms and gently asked, "Sangyu, tell Grandpa, is it that you’re afraid of this big beard?"

As Long Che spoke, he carried her further away from Haotian Emperor.

Sangyu’s crying subsided a little, her chubby little hands holding tightly onto Grandpa’s lapel as she sniffled sadly.

"She really is scared of me?" Haotian Emperor asked awkwardly.

Randy walked over, laughing, "Dad, Sangyu’s scared of hairy things. Clearly, it’s your beard that frightened her."

Haotian Emperor was feeling regretful when Ziyan suddenly yanked out several strands of his beard.

Haotian Emperor gasped sharply in pain.

Yi Luowa quickly came over and, displeased, patted Ziyan’s little bottom. "No being naughty!"

"Don’t hit the child..." Haotian Emperor instinctively shielded Ziyan. "Randy, go call my barber."

Randy paused, surprised. "Dad?"

Haotian Emperor firmly stated, "Shave the beard!"

Randy glanced at his father, perplexed. That beard had been there for as long as he could remember, and now he suddenly wanted to shave it off!

Tong Airui looked deeply at Haotian Emperor. This gesture of shaving his beard for the children moved him.

Yi Luowa, not understanding the situation, grew a bit embarrassed and quickly held Randy back from rushing out. She said to Haotian Emperor, "You’ve kept this beard for so long; you can’t just shave it off like that. I’ll take Sangyu upstairs, and she won’t cry if she can’t see it."

"No, please don’t take the children upstairs; I like having them here..." Haotian Emperor, afraid he might say something wrong, quickly turned to Tong Airui for help.

Tong Airui walked over, rubbed his wife’s head, and smiled as he spoke, "Let’s respect the elder’s wishes."

"Elder? Elder! Haotian Emperor isn’t old; it’s just this beard that makes him look a little..." Yi Luowa stuck out her tongue, let go of Randy, and reached out to hold her son. "Since you’re going to shave the beard later, let me hold him now."

Haotian Emperor’s arms felt empty, and he looked wistfully at Ziyan.

Ziyan, deprived of entertainment, immediately began pouting.

Haotian Emperor smiled and gently stroked Ziyan’s small face, "I’ll play with you in a little while, okay?"

Ziyan pouted while looking at him expectantly.

Yi Luowa suddenly felt bewildered. What on earth was going on today? This was Haotian Emperor’s first meeting with the children, but the two of them were acting so inseparable.

Haotian Emperor’s barber arrived shortly after, and the two of them headed into the bathroom.

Tong Yao looked at Randy and joked, "When your dad shaves off his beard, he’ll definitely look more handsome than you!"

Randy laughed and nodded, "My mom said the same thing. She always said I wasn’t as good-looking as Dad was when he was young."

Long Che gave a light cough. "Honey, can you go check if breakfast is ready? We’ve got a full house today, so let’s split up to eat. Send my breakfast with Randy’s to the small dining room."

Tong Yao pouted in annoyance. This guy! Just because she praised Haotian Emperor, he’s jealous again.

Yi Luowa laughed and addressed her mother-in-law. "Mom, let me go instead."

"No need. Since this gentleman wants me to go, I’ll go!" Tong Yao snorted at Long Che and headed into the dining room.

Haha... The entire room erupted in laughter.

Long Che raised his eyebrow slightly and gently bumped his forehead against Sangyu’s. "Sangyu, tell Grandpa—who’s more handsome, Grandpa or that bearded Grandpa?"

Yi Luowa giggled and chimed in with a babyish voice, "Grandpa is handsome!"

Sangyu, thinking Grandpa and Mom were playing with her, chuckled gleefully.

Haha... Everyone burst into laughter again.

Fifteen minutes later, the bathroom door opened, and everyone turned to look at the entrance.

When Haotian Emperor stepped out, the entire room was momentarily stunned. With that beard shaved off, Haotian Emperor looked twenty years younger. That face of his—other than "perfect," no other word could describe it.

Yi Luowa secretly marveled to herself: A man looking like that? There’s truly no one else like him!

Long Che glanced at Haotian Emperor with a hint of disdain. "I finally understand why you kept that beard!"

Unused to being beard-free, Haotian Emperor looked down at himself and asked with a smile, "Why?"

"You’re forty-six, right? But now, looking at you like this, you’re practically the same age as Randy. Randy, go stand beside your dad so we can see if you two look more like father and son or brothers."

Randy obediently walked to stand next to his father.

Everyone unanimously nodded and said, "Like brothers!"

Long Che chuckled, "Randy, with a face like yours, if you didn’t keep the beard, no one would take you seriously."

Haotian Emperor shook his head with a laugh. "I didn’t keep the beard to scare anyone; it’s just to cover up the scars left by peach-blossom encounters."

Without the beard, Haotian Emperor suddenly seemed much more approachable. Long Che’s teasing only made the group warm up to him even faster.

Haotian Emperor laughed and said, "If I’d known shaving the beard would make you all eager to chat with me, I’d have shaved it before I came."

"Dad, you flew here on a private jet, right?" Randy asked with a smile.

"Why?"

"I was worried that if you flew commercially, they’d refuse to let you board because your face doesn’t match your passport."

"Haha..." The group laughed uproariously.

Tong Yao smiled and said, "Let’s talk after breakfast, okay? For now, let’s eat."

Everyone waited until Haotian Emperor stood up before they followed suit.

When Haotian Emperor heard they wanted to send him to the small dining room, he quickly waved them off. "I love the atmosphere of this big family. If Long Che is unhappy with a crowd, he can go to the small dining room himself. I’ll eat with everyone right here."

Long Che gave him a sideways glance. "Turning goodwill into sabotage, huh? Come on, let’s head to the big dining room."

As Long Che spoke, he carried Sangyu over. Sangyu curiously looked at Haotian Emperor and suddenly reached out her tiny hands. Both Haotian Emperor and Long Che were caught off guard.

"Yaya..." Sangyu stretched her little arms out toward Haotian Emperor and started calling out.

Yi Luowa wrinkled her nose and mouthed to Tong Airui, "Can your daughter stop embarrassing us like this? Just because he’s good-looking, she wants him to hold her!"

Tong Airui smiled and said, "Everyone has a love for beauty; our eldest daughter has great taste!"

"Dad, Sangyu wants you to hold her," Randy said with a smile as he touched Sangyu’s little hand. "Sangyu, did Uncle translate that right?"

Sangyu seemed to understand, batting her curled lashes and laughing gleefully.

"Sangyu called you Uncle?" Haotian Emperor asked, delighted.

Randy pouted, "She’s Yi Luowa’s child, so of course she calls me Uncle. Dad, quickly hold Sangyu, or she’ll start crying again."

Haotian Emperor looked at Long Che. "May I hold her for a bit?"

Long Che hesitated but couldn’t bring himself to refuse, considering Haotian Emperor was her maternal grandfather.

"We’re about to eat. After we finish, you can hold her," Yi Luowa, sensing her father’s thoughts, quickly stepped in and gently coaxed her daughter. "Sangyu, dear, let Grandpa eat first, okay? Afterward, he’ll hold you."

"Don’t call me Grandpa. Since she calls Randy Uncle, she should call me Grandfather." Haotian Emperor reached out to Sangyu and smiled. "Grandfather’s going to hold his little darling—we’ll eat together."

Before Grandpa could let go, Sangyu threw herself into Haotian Emperor’s arms.

Long Che couldn’t help but laugh in exasperation. "This little ingrate! Found someone handsomer than Grandpa and now doesn’t want me anymore, huh?"

Yi Luowa froze. Her dad had said "Grandfather" so smoothly. And why was Haotian Emperor treating these two kids so well?

Tong Airui chuckled and nudged her. "Our dad’s jealousy is filling the skies right now!"

Yi Luowa was amused by his remark and didn’t dwell on it further.

Everyone entered the dining room, and Long Che made a point of requesting two baby chairs be placed between him and Haotian Emperor.

Without his beard, Haotian Emperor didn’t seem to pique Ziyan’s interest anymore, but Sangyu was glued to his side. Eventually, Sangyu sat next to Grandfather while Ziyan stayed near Grandpa.

Apart from those who knew the truth, everyone else felt confused. Haotian Emperor was, after all, a king, yet he was holding children during a meal—it felt somewhat improper. Especially Yi Luowa; if it weren’t for Tong Airui keeping her calm, she would’ve moved the kids to her side long ago.

Though the kids sat beside Long Che and Haotian Emperor, their nanny took care of them. The pair simply played with the kids occasionally. Seeing Haotian Emperor grinning from ear to ear, everyone decided not to say anything.

Sangyu, eating her specially prepared meal, kept staring at Haotian Emperor. Her dark eyes never left his face.

Haotian Emperor chuckled and said to little Sangyu, "If you keep staring at me, I might just bring you back to Haotian!"

"Haha!" Sangyu waved her tiny hands, laughing.

Long Che gave him a look. "It’s fine for you to visit now and then, but taking her away is an absolute no."

Yi Luowa glanced at her father. What was up with everyone today? They all seemed odd.

After breakfast, both Tong Airui’s and Haotian Emperor’s phones chimed with notification tones simultaneously. Each looked at their phones briefly, then exchanged knowing smiles, the kind that only the two of them understood.