A Forced Promise

Xu Lan did not plan for Wu Wendi to be Bai Wu's caretaker. After all, she was not a part of the police station. On top of that, Bai Wu disliked her and had thrown a tantrum about it.

"Papa!" Bai Wu was held by Xiao Li, unsure of whether to enter or to remain outside. The awkwardness continued until Bai Wu spoke.

"Sergeant Xu, am I reporting to Section Chief Sun?" Xiao Li was as uncomfortable with the arrangement as Bai Wu was.

"Haha, why? Would you rather not be under my lead?" Sun Fei walked over to Xiao Li and smiled at him.

"That's not what I mean."

Xiao Li pinched his nose anxiously. Sun Fei chuckled in amusement.

"Comrade Li Fei!" Sun Fei shouted.

"Yes! Here!" Xiao Li was caught off guard and immediately stood at attention.

"You'll be working under me in the next few days. Please report to forensics at half past eight tomorrow morning," Hong Fei announced loudly.

"Yes!" Xiao Li answered respectfully.

"Alright, I shall make a move. See you tomorrow." After bidding his farewell, Sun Fei left.

"Sergeant Xu?"

"Papa!" Bai Wu let go of Xiao Li and marched toward Xu Lan angrily. "Why?" he asked.

Xu Lan sighed. Before he could even object, Sun Fei finalized the arrangement.

"Ah, let's talk about this later," whispered Xu Lan as he tapped his head helplessly.

Bai Wu remained silent and stared at the man. There was no way that he forgot how much Bai Wu hated the reporter.

"Wendi, could you please brief us on the progress we made today? We need this to follow up." Xu Lan digressed calmly.

"Hmm, okay. We shall start working on the article." Wu Wendi nodded and dragged her smitten statue of a friend along with her.

"Woah, Wendi. What do I do? I'm so smitten. He's so mature!" Shen Xiang spoke in admiration.

Wu Wendi could not help but to roll her eyes. She wondered if her friend was an idiot - the man merely uttered a short sentence!

"Let's focus on what's important. Otherwise, you wouldn't be able to stay here. When that happens, Sergeant Xu will be out of your reach," Wu Wendi said in a serious tone.

"Uh… Fine. I shall give it my best and impress Sergeant Xu," said Shen Xiang with determination.

Meanwhile, the atmosphere was tense in the conference room. Xiao Li, who had since escaped, thought, 'Maybe it's not a bad idea to be transferred to Section Chief Sun's team after all. It's my fault for being incompetent... even Zhu Jing didn't want me with her. Ah! This is saddening!' Xiao Li left the conference room unhappily.

"Papa, why did you agree to the arrangement?" Bai Wu questioned in anger.

"I did not agree to it." Xu Lan carried Bai Wu onto the table and looked him in the eye.

"You didn't say no either! Papa, is it true that you fancy Reporter Wu?" Bai Wu bit his lips as he asked, his face was full of aggrievement.

"I didn't have the chance to reject! Moreover, Uncle Sun really needed an extra pair of hands. There's nothing that I can do about it," Xu Lan explained to Bai Wu patiently.

He realized that the little guy was extremely insecure. Bai Wu was constantly comparing himself against others, worrying that Xu Lan would leave him someday. This explained why he was overly-attached.

"Hence, you want me to get along with Reporter Wu so that she can be my stepmother once the case has ended? I guess there's no going around this."

Bai Wu lowered his head so that Xu Lan could not see his face. However, Xu Lan knew that Bai Wu's face was drenched in tears, his lips pale from being bitten too hard.

"Sometimes, I wish that I would never grow up so that Papa can protect me and stay with me forever. Sometimes, I wish that I would grow bigger so that I can chase away all these people who try to steal you away." Bai Wu's nasal voice was shivering.

"Sigh, Bai Wu..." Xu Lan combed his fingers through Bai Wu's soft hair as he asked, "How can I make you believe me?"

Bai Wu did not say a word, even he himself had no clue about the solution as he had not experienced this sort of emotion before. Since young, he had always been a king-like being. Every single dragon looked up to him and worshipped him. During his time in various worlds, he was abandoned before he even opened up to anyone. This was the first time he was loved and cherished.

He was careful and cautious as he did not know what to expect.

"Bai Wu, I'm your father now. Is there no such thing in your world?" Xu Lan asked curiously.

Bai Wu shook his head. He had never seen his father before and his mother died in battle.

"Alright, just know that we have a bond that will last for a lifetime. Our father-and-son bond is something strong that ties us together. Got it?"

Xu Lan made himself clear. Since he could not send Bai Wu to a kindergarten, he took it upon himself to teach Bai Wu.

Bai Wu nodded before continuing, "You rejected my request to 'love me and me only'."

"This is a different concept altogether. Life is still…"

"Papa, you won't even tell me a lie now?" Xu Lan stunted. He could feel his heart sink. Bai Wu's misty eyes stared at Xu Lan hard.

"What do you want me to do? Of course, I'll always love my baby."

"Always?"

"Always."

"Just me?"

"... Yes, just you. Let's go, we should have dinner before we get back."

He found it hard to reject Bai Wu's request.

"Papa, thank you!" Bai Wu leaped into Xu Lan's embrace and locked his arms around Xu Lan's neck.

Xu Lan smiled bitterly as he hugged the child. He wondered if he had made a life-long commitment.