Tristan was just as capable as Shin when it came to business, and his appearance was equally impressive. But when it came to his personal life, especially where his son was concerned, he was clearly not your typical responsible father figure.
If anything, compared to Shin, Tristan's reputation as a father was even more questionable.
Xati, who had been throwing a tantrum moments ago, suddenly spotted Yeri's parents walking toward them.
He immediately stopped crying, stood up, patted his clothes as if nothing had happened, and rushed toward them.
"Grandpa! Grandma! Can you please let Big Sister stay with Xati tonight?"
Master Zhi froze.
He looked behind him to make sure Xati wasn't talking to someone else.
Grandpa?
Xati tilted his head and pouted. "I also like Grandpa and Grandma the most. If you want, I can stay with you every weekend too. How about it?"
Master Zhi "..."
Madam Zhi smiled awkwardly, completely unsure of what to say.
Had they somehow skipped an entire decade and suddenly gained a grandchild, or was the Keir family tree so tangled that even a five-year-old was confused about who his grandparents were?
Shin, who had heard everything, couldn't have been more frustrated.
"Xati Keir, that's enough. Stop causing trouble. Also, they aren't your grandparents, so don't be shameless."
Xati blinked, looked toward Yeri, and his eyes immediately filled with tears again.
"What do you mean?! I remember they're Big Sister's parents, so doesn't that mean they're my grandparents?"
The nearby guests perked up at the sudden controversy. Did this mean Xati wanted Yeri to become his stepmother?
But before anyone could speculate further, Xati continued.
"You let me call your dad my Grandpa, so what's wrong if I have more Grandpas? And for the record, I don't have a Grandma yet."
The guests fell silent.
Well... It seemed the child simply wanted a complete family, grandparents included.
Although that wasn't exactly how family relationships worked.
"It's fine," Madam Zhi said shyly. "We're just surprised that Xati is so close to our Yeri."
Even Master Zhi, who usually wore a stern expression, softened slightly.
"Isn't he adorable?" Yeri said to her parents. "And he really likes our café's products."
Xati, who had been crying only seconds earlier, nodded vehemently and lifted his chin proudly. "I can give business advice too! So can I come over on weekends?"
The Zhi couple laughed, and Master Zhi reached over to pat Xati's head.
"How cute~"
Anri suddenly appeared beside them.
"If Brother Jj and I had a son, wouldn't he be cute too?" she said, turning toward Jj. "Don't you agree, Brother Jj?"
Jj felt a shiver run down his spine.
He had already run out of ways to get rid of her. Yet, because of his upbringing, he simply couldn't bring himself to be deliberately rude or treat a woman like a complete scumbag just to make her leave.
Of course, the Zhi couple had known about Anri for a while now. Even they were speechless at how straightforward and shameless she could be.
"You really shouldn't say things like that to someone you're not even dating," Yeri finally said, crossing her arms. "You don't want to become infamous for all the wrong reasons or damage your reputation."
Anri didn't seem bothered.
"Big Sister, you already have CEO Shin Keir. Don't worry too much about other people's relationships. Besides, I think I'm more than qualified to be your sister-in-law."
Yeri raised an eyebrow and looked toward her brother.
Jj looked like he wanted the ground to swallow him whole.
"Well, it's already late. We should head back," Madam Zhi quickly said, and turned toward Yeri. "Since today is Xati's grand welcome banquet, I don't think it would be too much of a favor to agree to his request."
Xati immediately brightened.
He secretly stuck his tongue out at Shin.
Shin "..."
After chatting briefly with her parents, they left with Anri tagging along, claiming she couldn't contact her chauffeur.
--
"Empress Mother, look! I got another laptop as a present!"
Xati excitedly opened one present after another.
Yeri had changed into her pajamas, courtesy of Shin bringing some things she needed for the night.
"Hmm. It's the latest model. I guess giving a child a laptop means they think you're smart or hope you'll grow up to be smart."
"Then can I open yours now?" Xati asked excitedly. "I've been wanting to open it since the party."
Butler Steve had already brought several of the easier-to-carry gifts to Xati's room, although many were still downstairs in the living room.
Yeri's gift wasn't particularly small, but it wasn't large either.
When Xati opened the box, he froze, eyes widening.
Wasn't this one of his orb snakes?
He remembered fighting with Tristan on an island, where Tristan had taken one of his snake orbs.
"I got it at an auction," Yeri explained. "Brother Shin confessed to me later that it was actually from the demon realm and that it belonged to you. He had it turned into a gold sculpture because it might harm humans."
Xati immediately looked displeased.
"He didn't just seal my powers. He took two of my other orbs too. That's why I'm weak."
Yeri felt sorry for him.
But this was the condition Xati had to follow, as well as one of the Light Realm's demands.
"If you want, you can always go back to the demon realm," Yeri said gently. "That's where you should be. Not here, where you have to constantly compromise and tolerate things you dislike."
Hearing that, Xati immediately shook his head. "No! I won't complain anymore."
But Yeri knew better.
Just like Shin, Xati had been forced to remain there because of her.
She sighed softly before pointing toward the box.
"That snake orb doesn't count as a present. I'm simply returning it to you. Your actual present is in that other box."
Xati's eyes immediately lit up as he opened the second box.
Inside was a small red bonsai tree.
"Empress Mother... is this made with your blood? You can still use that ability?" His eyes widened in shock.
Yeri nodded.
Truthfully, it had taken her a long time to master the technique. She had also kept it hidden from Shin because she knew he would be furious once he found out.
Xati was ecstatic.
He practically jumped up and down before immediately searching for the perfect spot to place the bonsai.
"Do I have to take care of it like a normal plant? Does it need sunlight? What about watering? How often should I..."
"You don't have to," Yeri interrupted with a small smile. "Since it was transformed with my blood, it can survive anywhere."
The bonsai's red leaves were so vivid and alive that they seemed to dance even though there wasn't a trace of wind.
"Transformed with your blood?"
A cold, deep voice suddenly echoed from behind them.
The two froze, turning around.
Shin stood in the doorway, his dark eyes fixed on the red bonsai.
Neither of them had noticed him approaching.
Xati immediately hugged the tree, looking like a fierce little cub guarding its food.
Yeri swallowed.
She considered making up an excuse, but then again, who could fool him?
"Uhm... would you believe me if I said it just happened?" she asked, trying to sound nonchalant. "I just thought of doing it, and somehow, I actually did."
Shin "..."
"If you like, I could have another one made for you," Yeri quickly added.
"Is this why you often went back to your parents' house under the excuse of visiting them?" Shin asked. "That's where you hid it?"
His tone made it sound as though she had committed some grave crime. The accusatory look in his eyes made Yeri feel strangely guilty.
Before she could come up with another excuse, Shin held up the paper bag he had brought.
"The skincare products you mentioned are here."
Yeri took the bag. "Thanks, that..."
"If there's nothing else, I'll be at my villa. Contact me if you need anything."
Shin turned around and left just like that.
Yeri remained frozen for a moment, surprised he hadn't started another argument with Xati.
"He must be up to something," Xati sneered.
"You think so?" Yeri asked, suddenly concerned. "What if he's upset or hurt?"
She considered following him, but Xati rolled his eyes.
"Empress Mother, don't you know the Mad Emperor? So what if he's upset? You always upset him back then, but he kept coming back anyway."
Yeri "..."
No. That was precisely why she was even more guilty now.
And knowing Shin Keir's personality, he was definitely not the type to simply let something go.
--
Sure enough, the next morning, Yeri was awakened by Xati's frantic scream.
"Empress Mother!"
Yeri jolted awake.
Did he fall out of bed?
She quickly looked around and Xati was already running around the room, so apparently that wasn't the problem.
"My red bonsai is gone!" Xati exclaimed.
Yeri blinked sleepily.
Xati had been afraid that Shin would steal it, so he had carefully placed the bonsai inside the vault. Since the tree didn't need sunlight or water to survive, there was no risk of it dying.
That morning, he had happily planned to take it out and water it anyway.
But when he opened the vault, it was already empty.
"Someone stole it!"
Butler Steve knocked on the door after hearing the commotion.
Within minutes, the entire villa was awake and searching for the missing red bonsai tree.
--
Meanwhile, at KGG's headquarters, Shin sat in his office admiring his newest desk decoration.
Secretary Yun had just entered when he noticed the beautiful red bonsai sitting prominently on the desk.
"Boss, is this bonsai real or artificial?"
He had seen maple bonsai trees before, but this one was unusually vibrant. Its red leaves were so vivid that they almost looked as though they could bleed.
"Of course it's real," Shin replied, his eyes remaining fixed on it.
Secretary Yun assumed it must have been an incredibly rare specimen obtained through an auction.
For his boss to bring something like this into his office, just how special was the source of this tree?
Before he could wonder any further, Shin's phone rang.
It was a voice message from Yeri.
"Do you have the bonsai tree?"
Perhaps for the first time ever, Shin didn't immediately reply to her message.
He simply placed his phone back on the desk and returned to work. A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
Secretary Yun stared at his boss.
Had the two fought again?
If that was the case, he wanted absolutely no part of it, and hurried out of the office.