"Hm? Wait—where's my daughter?"
After finally convincing the two women, Zhang Yichen suddenly realized something. His eyes darted around the room in panic, his voice tinged with anxiety.
Li Yue blinked, then laughed. "What are you panicking for? I bought her a cradle. She's been sleeping in it the whole time."
"This can't happen again!" Zhang Yichen let out a sigh of relief, though worry still lingered in his tone. "She's just a tiny baby. Won't she get scared being alone…?"
"Scared of what? She's sleeping like an angel. Do you really think I'd lose my goddaughter?" Li Yue teased, her eyes glinting with amusement.
Seeing this, Chen Xiaoxi leaned closer with a grin. "Look at you. Ever since you became a father, you think about nothing but her."
Zhang Yichen puffed out his chest proudly. "Of course. I'm her dad—it's only natural I worry about her. Unlike a certain someone who hogs my daughter all day long."
"Yixi is my goddaughter. Isn't it my duty to spoil her properly?" Li Yue shot back, even prouder.
Watching them bicker, Chen Xiaoxi couldn't help smiling. "Alright, enough. You two can fight all you want, but don't forget—I'm the one who gave birth to her."
Her words carried an unmistakable claim of ownership.
That was when Li Yue suddenly turned serious. "Speaking of the baby, Xiaoxi—Yixi doesn't have a household registration yet, does she?"
"Household registration?" Chen Xiaoxi froze, caught off guard.
She hadn't dared expose her whereabouts before, so she never applied for a birth certificate. After giving birth, she had been too busy just trying to survive.
But even if she had tried, it wouldn't have worked. Without a birth certificate, a child couldn't be registered.
To obtain one, both parents had to be present, and a paternity test was required. Most importantly—the parents had to be married.
All of this was to prevent illegal practices, like buying children for huge sums of money.
It wasn't that she didn't want marriage. The problem was, Zhang Yichen hadn't yet reached the legal age to marry.
They still had one year to wait.
She could wait. He could wait. But the child couldn't.
"A-Chen…" Chen Xiaoxi lowered her head, guilt filling her voice. "Yixi doesn't have a birth certificate. For now… she can't be registered."
"No birth certificate?" Zhang Yichen was surprised at first, but quickly pieced everything together. Then he smiled. "It's fine, Sister Xiaoxi. Who says you can't register without a birth certificate?"
He reached out, gently wrapping an arm around her shoulders to calm her.
For others, this might've been troublesome. But for him, it was nothing.
If no birth certificate meant no registration, then how had his household been registered?
He was an orphan. He had no birth certificate either.
Which meant… he had a way. He would ask his "orphanage mother" for help.
Without hesitation, he made up his mind. It wasn't even three o'clock yet—there was still time to visit the orphanage.
"Come on! Bring the baby—we're going to the orphanage," Zhang Yichen announced, pulling Xiaoxi toward the door.
"The orphanage? What for?" Li Yue asked curiously.
Xiaoxi also looked puzzled.
This man's thoughts really jumped all over the place. One moment he was worrying about registration, the next he wanted to visit the orphanage.
"You'll know when we get there!" Zhang Yichen deliberately kept them guessing.
"Fine, let's go." Li Yue pouted, then smirked. "Now I really want to see what you're up to."
When they entered the living room, the baby was still sound asleep.
Xiaoxi stepped toward the cradle to lift her daughter, but Li Yue beat her to it.
"Honestly…" Xiaoxi sighed helplessly, shaking her head with a wry smile. "At this rate, my daughter's just going to become your toy."
The orphanage sat on the outskirts of the city, about a twenty-minute drive away.
As always, Zhang Yichen was the one driving.
Halfway there, he pulled over to buy candy and snacks for the children. It was something he did every single time he returned—partly to fulfill the responsibilities of the body's original owner, and partly because, deep down, he saw this place as his true home.
By the time they arrived, they were about ten minutes later than expected.
Parking at the entrance, Zhang Yichen cut the engine and glanced back. "We're here."
Li Yue was gently rocking the baby in her arms. "This little one's amazing—slept through the whole ride."
Xiaoxi stepped out of the car and looked up at the old two-story building. Her eyes softened with a hint of sadness. "So this… this is where you grew up?"
"Yeah." Zhang Yichen nodded, his gaze carrying complicated emotions. "Let's go in."
As soon as they entered the orphanage gates, the faint smell of disinfectant mixed with a musty, old scent greeted them.
"Brother Chen! Brother Chen's back!"
"Brother Chen, did you bring us treats again?"
"Brother Chen, are these two sisters our sisters-in-law?"
"Brother Chen, the one she's holding—"
Before they could even take a few steps, a flock of chattering children surrounded them.
Which was fine—except the questions coming out of their mouths left the three adults red-faced.
"Alright, that's enough!"
Zhang Yichen quickly raised his voice to stop them. If he let them keep going, the questions would only get stranger.
"You, Iron Egg—come here." He beckoned to a skinny, dark-skinned boy about twelve or thirteen.
"Brother Chen!" the boy greeted him happily.
"You're the oldest here. Take these and split them up. And no fighting, you hear me?" Zhang Yichen handed over the bags of snacks, giving one last reminder.
With so many kids, squabbles were inevitable.
"Let's go."
He led the way into the first-floor corridor. The walls were plastered with colorful drawings—bright, messy, and full of childish imagination.
Zhang Yichen's steps grew steadier, heavier, as though each one pressed against his own past.
Reaching out, he brushed a hand over one of the drawings, a faint smile curving his lips. His eyes softened. "These are all drawn by the kids. Every month, they change them out."
Neither Xiaoxi nor Yue spoke. They simply followed, quietly observing everything.
"The director's office is just ahead." He pointed at a worn wooden door at the end of the hall, his stride quickening without realizing it.
Knocking three times, he called softly, "Mom, it's me."
"Come in," a gentle voice answered.
He pushed open the door. Inside, a white-haired elderly woman looked up, her face lighting with a kind smile.
"Xiao Chen? What brings you here?"
"Mom." Zhang Yichen stepped forward, his tone carrying rare relaxation and warmth.
He bent down, gently hugging her. "I brought some people to see you."
"Hello, Director!" Xiaoxi and Yue greeted respectfully.
"Hello, and you are?" The old woman's eyes moved past Zhang Yichen to the women behind him.
"This is Li Yue, a good friend of mine," he introduced first.
Then, turning to Xiaoxi, his tone grew solemn. "And this is Chen Xiaoxi—my future wife."
"Future wife?" The director blinked, momentarily startled. In her eyes, Zhang Yichen was still a child.
But quickly, she reminded herself—he had grown up. He was no longer the fledgling under her wings.
He would have his own life now. If he introduced her this way, then it wasn't said lightly.
Her gaze shifted to Xiaoxi, scanning her carefully.
Too thin. Maybe not easy to bear children. A bit on the older side.
But pretty. Very pretty. And she seemed like the kind who knew how to manage a household.
On looks alone, she earned a passing grade.
Forget it—children had their own fates. If Xiao Chen liked her, that was enough.
"Good. Live a good life," the director said simply, not commenting further.
Zhang Yichen understood her silence—her approval wasn't wholehearted.
But Xiaoxi didn't know that. Believing she had been accepted, her heart filled with joy.
For her, this was the best outcome.
"Mom…"
Just as Zhang Yichen was about to bring up Yixi's registration, the baby finally stirred awake.
"Yiya… ya…"
The director's gaze followed the sound, landing on the little one's face.
"Hm?" Her eyes lit up. The next second, she rummaged through her drawer and pulled out an old photograph.
In it was a young boy—completely naked, his tiny body exposed.