FCC Chapter 28.1

“Dad… I’m fine, Ah Lin was just playing with me.”

 

Qiu Qiu sat precariously on his father’s palm, unable to resist looking back at Ah Lin, who had been isolated not far away.

 

“Son, this isn’t playing, you were being bullied, do you understand??”

 

Qiu Chongshan was heartbroken, suddenly realizing he hadn’t had the chance to give his son basic safety knowledge.

This little guy was usually well-protected at home and never encountered any bad people. He probably naively thought everyone in the world was a good person!

Just like those ridiculous posts on the StarNet, saying things like if you put a small pink sack filled with candy on the ground, you could just wait for the little guy to crawl in and be lured away and kidnapped!!

 

“…Bullied? But A’Lin wouldn’t bully me, Ah Lin is very good and very capable.”

 

Listening to his father’s words, Qiu Qiu frowned and thought seriously for a moment, then gently explained, his two short, dangling legs under his robe tapping unconsciously.

The night Ortnes first appeared, it was Ah Lin who saw at a glance that there was something wrong with the dragon blood.

Although he didn’t know how Ah Lin did it, Ah Lin wasn’t the kind of dragon who would bully others.

 

“…??”

 

And Qiu Chongshan, seeing his son didn’t even realize he was being bullied and was actually foolishly speaking up for that sub-dragon, his eyes widened.

 

“Son, this is just a sub-dragon. Look how strange his temper is, how ugly he looks, you just—”

“Absurd, utter nonsense!! Our Majes… this dragon, is clearly imposing and distinguished! A natural-born king!!”

 

However, just as Qiu Chongshan was earnestly trying to persuade him, another furious, aged voice suddenly rang out.

Heber was suddenly overcome with anger.

 

It would be one thing to say other things; after all, his far-sighted Majesty might be hiding his true strength!

But! As the only pure-blooded young dragon in the entire galaxy, His Majesty’s appearance had never failed to amaze every dragon clan member since birth!!

This was clearly their dragon clan’s most handsome cub! Handsome from childhood to adulthood!!

 

“???”

“Imposing and distinguished?? That’s hilarious! I see a lump of coal so black you can’t even tell what it is, and that’s supposed to be called imposing and distinguished??”

 

Qiu Chongshan was stunned for a moment. Having run rampant for nearly tens of thousands of years based on his strength, he had almost forgotten what it felt like to be contradicted to his face. He couldn’t help but immediately retort sarcastically.

Although this sub-dragon might look a tiny bit different upon closer inspection, compared to his own fair and clean son, he was indeed a black coal briquette.

 

“Outrageous!! Simply treasonous, what rudeness…”

 

As a dragon elder, Heber had always received the highest respect, and high-ranking dragon clans always emphasized elegance and restraint. He had almost never encountered such a rude conversation.

He was immediately choked red-faced by Qiu Chongshan’s words, trying to reorganize his language.

 

“Da-Dad! Grandpa? Don’t fight…” QAQ

 

Anxiously flying in mid-air, trying to grab his father’s hem to prevent Qiu Chongshan from rushing over, Qiu Qiu didn’t know what was happening for a moment.

 

Why did they suddenly start arguing…?!

 

[…Host baby, your dad’s villain value suddenly started soaring!? What’s going on!?]

 

Arguing with an old man counts towards villain value these days!?

 

This system is quite sensitive…

Detecting that the data was amiss, the system immediately appeared in alarm, trying to tell its host baby that the situation was not good.

 

So sensitive, what if it disrupts their host baby’s plan!?

 

!

 

“I, I just said… we shouldn’t treat the old grandpa like that. Why does Dad have to argue? We should be polite…”

 

Qiu Qiu immediately looked around anxiously, and in the next second, hurriedly flew to Ah Lin’s side, who had unknowingly reopened his eyes, his gaze inexplicably helpless.

 

“Ah Lin, you hold onto Grandpa, and I’ll hold onto Dad, okay? They’re arguing!”

 

Looking at his Ah Lin, Qiu Qiu quickly sought a solution.

And Jin Lin glanced at this little beast, whose wing feathers were even a bit messy from anxiety, and sighed subtly.

In the next second, under the astonished gazes of the surrounding onlookers, the two cubs stepped forward.

One flew directly over and tightly hugged his own dad’s neck, while the other, with an inexplicable air of aloofness, poked the old man who had suddenly become angry.

 

“Hey, good boy, how did you…”

 

Qiu Chongshan, being clung to by his son around his neck like this, immediately swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue and couldn’t help but look down to see what was going on.

 

As for Heber…

After feeling that familiar majesty, he was instantly speechless and turned his head to nervously glance at his own Majesty, who was looking at him for the first time today.

 

Ah, this old man is so embarrassed…

He actually lost face in front of His Majesty again!! His image is completely ruined!

It’s this old servant’s incompetence, failing to win the argument against that rude beast!

Sure enough, that beast, devoid of any noble temperament, couldn’t change its rude temper from tens of thousands of years ago even after tens of thousands of years!

 

…

 

And listening to Heber’s dragon-tongue transmission in his ear, filled with shame, reluctance, and a hint of unwillingness, Jin Lin coiled up again to the side, his expression unusually subtle.

 

He had already snuck down the mountain to buy candy, why would he still think he had an image…

Besides, he hadn’t known before that Heber from the Elder Council had this kind of personality.

Being pestered by that little demon to go out today really showed him a different side of the dragon clan…

No, to be precise, the dragon clan members he had encountered since leaving the High Order, none of them behaved as a descendant of the dragon clan should…

 

Jin Lin recalled all this and suddenly, for the first time, felt a deep sense of worry for his entire dragon clan.

As for the others on the sidelines, who hadn’t dared to move earlier, seeing that the situation was finally stopped by the two little cubs, they all breathed a sigh of relief and rushed up to mediate.

Some offered water, others offered greetings.

And Qiu Chongshan, being clung to by his son and gently coquetted with for a while (? as he perceived it), his mood instantly and effortlessly soared.

 

Alas, his son’s favorite was still Dad.

However, speaking of which…

 

“Who on earth are you??? Why do you look a bit…” familiar?

 

After calming down, Qiu Chongshan suddenly realized something was amiss.

 

He had just educated his own kid to be careful of that young dragon, so why was this old fellow even angrier than if he himself had mocked him?!

 

And Heber suddenly realized something was wrong.

He quickly touched his forehead, smoothed his coattails, and then slowly breathed a sigh of relief.

 

Ah, thankfully…

The old man was disguised this time when he went out!!!

Otherwise, if those guys from the Council knew that he, a dignified Fourteenth Elder, had sneaked out of the High Order just to buy candy, and hadn’t even won an argument with this rude beast…

He could practically fly himself to the Dragon Clan’s burial grounds in the Ridge of Slumber!

 

“Dad, don’t keep guessing, you’ll scare Grandpa.”

 

Before Heber could find a reason, Qiu Qiu flew in front of his dad and seriously advised him for the first time.

 

It had finally ended; if Dad’s explosive temper continued like this, they would end up arguing again sooner or later.

 

“Kid, your dad didn’t!!”

 

Qiu Chongshan was even more agitated by the little beast’s slightly disapproving gaze than he had been by the old fellow’s scolding earlier!!

 

He clearly hadn’t done anything wrong from beginning to end, okay?!

 

“But Grandpa is already very old, and he was pushed and fell before, he’ll be sad or scared, we should take care of Grandpa.”

 

Qiu Qiu glanced at the vulnerable old man, trying to reason with his dad.

 

Besides, if Dad’s temper was so violent, what if things really developed like in the original book’s plot, and he ended up becoming the big villain!

QAQ

 

Qiu Chongshan: !!!

 

Damn it, this old fellow!!! He even made his own kid dislike him?!

 

Hearing this, Qiu Chongshan took a deep breath and glared even more furiously at Heber, who had a strange expression on the side.

 

“What are you looking at? Who am I? I’m just an old man who couldn’t stand what I saw.”

 

Seeing Qiu Chongshan glare over, Heber forced himself to glare back.

But the anticipated counterattack didn’t come. This time, Qiu Chongshan frowned and fell silent, instead scrutinizing him closely.

The more Qiu Chongshan looked at Heber in front of him, the more uneasy he felt. This inexplicable sense of familiarity in his heart…

And those ridiculous affected mannerisms and catchphrases he kept using during the argument earlier…

 

Heber: ?

Jin Lin: …?

 

With Qiu Chongshan’s temper, it was rare for him to be quiet for such a long time, to the point where everyone around them exchanged puzzled glances. The only two dragons present felt a subtle unease for the first time.

Heber even regretted provoking this rude beast so much.

 

Who would have thought that this guy had finally grown a brain after a few years and was no longer the savage tiger with well-developed limbs and no sense of direction?

 

Heber had actually been recognized…?

 

And Jin Lin, rarely showing a hint of surprise, glanced at Qiu Chongshan not far away, who was stroking his chin.

 

If he was really recognized, then things would probably be quite troublesome.

After all, this whole family was currently in the Ring Star Port, and Elder Heber wasn’t ranked fourteenth solely based on absolute power.

Facing three or even four of them, unless he intervened, it would be almost impossible to clean up the mess without any commotion.

But if he did intervene…

 

Jin Lin silently glanced at the little beast on Qiu Chongshan’s shoulder, and in the next moment, his eyes met Qiu Qiu’s, who seemed to have sensed his gaze.

 

Ah Lin~!

 

Although no sound was made, looking at the relieved smile in the little one’s eyes as he looked over, he could almost hear the countless times he had been called that name.

 

Actually, it was quite nice to hear. At least…

Not unpleasant.

Maybe if he couldn’t hear it anymore one day, there might be a tiny bit of insignificant regret.

 

“Hmph, you good-for-nothing, I get it!!!”

 

However, just as Jin Lin was about to mobilize his mental power, Qiu Chongshan, who had been pondering for a long time, sneered and slammed his hand on the table.

Instantly, everyone in the room looked over with expressions of surprise and suspicion.

 

“People like you, you’re clearly one of those people online who deliberately fall down! You just wanted our kid to help you up!! And now you’re deliberately provoking me to make the kid feel sorry for you!!!”

 

Qiu Chongshan looked at Heber word by word as he pronounced his conclusion, his eyes filled with nothing less than disgust for a “green tea”[mfn]someone who acts innocent to manipulate others[/mfn].

 

In this day and age, at such an old age, still using such tricks to play the victim!! Absolutely disrespectful of the elderly!!

 

Heber: ??????

Jin Lin: …………

 

“Non… nonsense! How could this old man possibly want to deceive a little cub!?”

 

He just thought this little one was really adorable!

 

Although completely deviating from the truth, Heber’s chest ached with anger for a moment, completely unable to accept being labeled with such a hat.

 

Most importantly, what if the little cub really believed this nonsense and thought he was a bad person?!

 

“Dad… you, you’re guessing randomly again, Grandpa was really queuing to buy candy back then.”

 

Qiu Qiu looked at his dad helplessly, feeling for the first time that being a little cub was also quite difficult.

 

Why was Dad always so childish?

Q^Q

 

【…Host baby, you’re the little cub.】

 

The system, which had witnessed the whole process, silently added a sentence, feeling that its host was quite tired.

After all, the villain parent was rather unreliable…

 

“But young master, I can testify to His Highness… the entire internet wants to squeeze into the Ring Star Port now, all claiming they’ll fall down and wait for you to help them up!!”

 

However, the person-in-charge of security on the side firmly stood by their Highness at this moment.

 

“Just today, our security team has already stopped nearly six attempts to deliberately fall down inside the mall!”

 

And quite seriously provided evidence, finally glancing coldly at the instigator not far away.

 

Heber: ???

 

“…Ah?”

 

Qiu Qiu tilted his head in confusion and looked blankly at the person-in-charge.

 

“Yes, there were too many people outside today, otherwise His Highness wouldn’t have come to pick you up personally, young master, it was to prevent you from encountering any accidents.”

“There are so many bad people who want to abduct little cubs now!”

 

The group behind Qiu Chongshan added one sentence after another, everyone having a particularly deep impression of the strange influx of visitors brought by the Star Network.

 

“Not only that, but some people are saying they want both older and younger brothers, so they want to marry the eldest young master!! They want to be your sister-in-law!!”

 

Seeing the somewhat disbelieving look in Qiu Qiu’s eyes, someone else in the crowd silently added a point, immediately triggering a strange and unified condemnation from the group.

 

These young people nowadays have absolutely no bottom line when it comes to deceiving cubs!!

 

!?

 

“Wha… what is all this… wasn’t it just about buying candy?”

 

Qiu Qiu’s face flushed slightly, not understanding why such a simple thing as buying candy had now fermented into this.