Behind him stood an elderly lady.
Feng Yuan didn’t know her.
He pressed his lips together and didn’t say anything to her.
“You really have no manners at all.”
A few companions walked up behind the stranger.
They seemed to be accompanying the elderly lady. After she expressed her hostility toward Feng Yuan, they all joined in, mocking him with their words.
Feng Yuan ignored them, holding up his little hands high to grab a few pastries.
After getting the pastries, he also poured himself a cup of juice.
He placed the food and drink on the small coffee table in front of the sofa. Feng Yuan didn’t sit on the small sofa. He crossed his little chubby legs and sat on the floor in front of the table.
The pastries were delicious, and the drink was sweet.
He didn’t just eat by himself. He also started a video call with Qin Xun, letting him watch him eat.
It happened to be Sunday on Qin Xun’s end as well.
Sitting at his desk, Qin Xun didn’t do any homework, focusing solely on watching Feng Yuan.
“Yuan Yuan, don’t eat too many sweets, or your teeth will get bad.”
“Go get something savory to eat.”
Qin Xun didn’t even blink as he watched Feng Yuan, also keeping an eye on how much sweet food he was eating.
Feng Yuan loved video calling Qin Xun the most.
Even when they didn’t video call, Feng Yuan would sometimes send Qin Xun little video clips.
Most of the little videos he recorded were just of his own face.
He was small and didn’t really know how to handle recording properly.
So, anyway, he just aimed the camera at his own face.
Many of the videos Qin Xun received started with Feng Yuan’s face pressed up close to the camera.
His face was naturally small and round. But filmed like that, it sometimes looked a bit bigger.
Qin Xun didn’t mind whether his face looked big or small.
As long as Feng Yuan was in the video, Qin Xun thought it looked perfect.
Sometimes he even found it a little strange himself.
There were lots of kids in kindergarten. He’d met many others elsewhere, too.
But out of all the children in the world, Qin Xun thought Feng Yuan was the cutest.
“Qin Xun, did you see this star? When I go back, I’ll give it to you!”
“Okay.”
Qin Xun nodded. “I’ve also saved up a lot of things for you. I’ll give them all to you when you come back.”
Feng Yuan, eyes curving into a smile, nodded along.
The two little ones were video calling, while the few people who had mocked Feng Yuan earlier had all taken seats on the sofa.
They faced Feng Yuan with a lingering, somewhat relentless attitude.
At first, Feng Yuan ignored them completely.
But as they chatted, the conversation turned to his grandmother’s name.
“Frida is still separated from Li, huh? Do you think they’re close to divorcing?”
“Maybe. I heard their relationship has completely broken down.”
“Frida has failed.”
“She must be regretting marrying Li so much right now.”
“She really is a failure.”
These people weren’t young. Although they were talking about Feng Yuan, he still hadn’t paid them any mind.
But they had no right to speak about his grandmother.
Hearing them mock his grandmother, Feng Yuan pushed himself up from the floor using the coffee table with his chubby little hands.
Then he grabbed a tissue and wiped his mouth, took another sip of his drink, and after swallowing, cleared his throat.
After completing a set of preparatory actions, the little chubby cub who had just been calm now frowned, transforming into a battle-ready little warrior.
“Does it feel good to talk behind other people’s backs?”
“Yuan Yuan feels like throwing up.”
As he spoke, Feng Yuan scrunched up his face, making a gagging expression.
“You’re talking about my grandma because you’re jealous of her! Look! Your faces are all twisted!”
“So ugly!”
Feng Yuan wasn’t deliberately attacking anyone’s looks.
It was just that these people’s expressions, whether from earlier when they deliberately spoke badly about Feng Yuan’s grandma, or now being called out by Feng Yuan, were genuinely unpleasant to see.
Feng Yuan’s words about their ugliness were simply stating the truth.
“Our family doesn’t have any little weirdos. My older brother has won so many awards, and my older sister is amazing, really amazing.”
Although the Li family twins were famous for their difficult personalities, their excellence was obvious to anyone who wasn’t blind.
In many fields, these twins were winning awards left and right, even at such a young age.
Feng Yuan had also seen many of his older cousins’ medals at home.
There were so many awards from his brother and sister that he couldn’t even count them on his little chubby fingers.
“I’m not a little weirdo either. I’m Yuan Yuan!”
A child’s innocent words have a way of striking straight at an adult’s heart.
Feng Yuan hadn’t even used any swear words yet, but these older women couldn’t take it.
They scowled and shouted, “No manners!”
“All the kids from the Li family are not normal!”
“Bah! You’re the abnormal one! You’re an old witch!”
Feng Yuan, who had no intention of swearing, was forced to let a little scolding word slip out in his soft, high-pitched voice.
As the older and younger women’s argument grew louder and nastier, a person in a blue coat walked over.
“The exhibition is a place of elegance. Arguing here isn’t very appropriate.”
Brother Zhu, who had only just arrived and hadn’t reunited with his old friend yet, first encountered his friend’s little golden grandson.
He walked over and positioned himself in front of Feng Yuan, whose little face had already turned red with anger.
“Bella, Li Heng is here today, too. If you have something to say to his grandson, why not say it to Li Heng himself?”
Bella, the one who had first stirred trouble, fell silent, her expression dark.
Brother Zhu smiled and didn’t press the matter further.
When she was young, Bella had been a fervent admirer of Li Heng.
Unfortunately, Li Heng never had any feelings for her.
After Li Heng married Frida, Bella also harbored resentment toward Frida, who had once been her friend.
The relationship among them had never been good.
Bella came from a royal background and was used to being arrogant and overbearing. But with Li Heng, she had taken quite a few hard falls.
Now that she learned Li Heng and Frida were separated, she was the happiest of all.
The cutting remarks she was making just now were exactly the kind of things she would never dare say in front of Li Heng.
Brother Zhu had known her for many years and was familiar with her temperament and character.
Seeing that Bella had settled down, Brother Zhu turned around and crouched down.
He greeted Feng Yuan.
“I’m your grandfather’s friend. My name is Brother Zhu. Do you know where your grandfather is right now?”
“In…the lounge.”
Feng Yuan tilted his little face and looked at Brother Zhu with a slightly awkward expression.
He had heard from Grandpa and his aunt that the feng shui in their home had been designed by Brother Zhu.
Even the tree and the pond that he had exploded were supervised and completed by Brother Zhu personally.
Now that there were problems with both the tree and the bottom of the pond, this supervisor, Brother Zhu…
It was starting to seem very questionable.
Even before meeting Brother Zhu, Feng Yuan had already been full of speculations about his grandfather’s friend. Now that he saw him, his little eyes couldn’t help but study the man.
Just looking at Brother Zhu, he gave off a very approachable and friendly impression.
He made people feel at ease.
Feng Yuan didn’t want to alert anyone unnecessarily.
He raised his little hand and waved, greeting Brother Zhu as well.
Brother Zhu seemed like a person who loved to smile.
He gave Feng Yuan a gentle smile. “Can you take me to find your grandfather?”
“Sure!”
“Then…can I hug you?”
Feng Yuan: “……”
Feng Yuan: “Okay, I guess.”
He also wanted to get a closer sniff of Brother Zhu’s scent, so he obediently spread his little arms and let Brother Zhu pick him up.
The big and small walked toward the lounge.
Feng Yuan rested his chin on Brother Zhu’s shoulder, looking back with his little face.
The few people from earlier were still watching him.
“Hmph!”
Feng Yuan let out a huff at them, then propped open his eyelids and made a funny face: “Bleh, bleh, bleh.”
Bella, trailing behind: “……”
She was furious.
Brother Zhu also turned his head slightly to glance at Feng Yuan’s little mischievous expression.
He laughed aloud. “Among all the Li family kids, you’re the most lively one.”
This child really did look special.
After making faces at the people behind him, Feng Yuan turned back to look at Brother Zhu.
He sniffed a little, testing the scent.
Brother Zhu smelled very clean—completely neutral.
But being too clean was a bit strange.
Everyone actually has a scent, whether strong or faint, fragrant or unpleasant, without exception.
Feng Yuan himself had a scent.
He just couldn’t smell his own. His dad could.
His dad said he smelled sweet!
What Feng Yuan detected from his dad was a bitter, clean fragrance—bitter from medicine, clean and fragrant from Dad himself.
“Grandpa Zhu, how do you know me?”
Unable to judge from scent, Feng Yuan could only chat casually with Brother Zhu.
Brother Zhu smiled. “I can calculate. I counted with my fingers and figured out that you’re Li Heng’s grandson, and your name is Yuan Yuan.”
Feng Yuan: “!”
Feng Yuan: “Are you really that amazing?”
The two of them—old and young—hadn’t walked far before reaching the lounge door.
Feng Yuan sat on Brother Zhu’s arm. He leaned forward, stretching his little body to push the door open.
“Grandpa! Yuan Yuan is back!”
Pushing the door open, Feng Yuan shouted, “Yuan Yuan brought Grandpa Zhu over!”
Li Heng lifted his eyes, letting his gaze casually sweep over Brother Zhu’s face.
They had been close friends for many years. He truly didn’t want there to be any problems with Brother Zhu.
After bringing Brother Zhu back, Feng Yuan was ready to leave.
He hadn’t found any clues from Grandpa Zhu earlier. Now that Grandpa Li was here, he could just chat with Brother Zhu.
Feng Yuan was ready to go. Brother Zhu didn’t stop him.
“Go ahead, but be careful while playing. Try to avoid the grandma from earlier.”
“Okay!”
Feng Yuan agreed enthusiastically. But as soon as he went out, he ran straight toward Bella again.
He felt he hadn’t done a good job in the earlier argument.
He wanted to argue once more.
As Feng Yuan’s little footsteps faded from the lounge doorway, several friends had already gathered inside.
Yu Lian casually asked, “Who did you tell him to avoid?”
“He ran into Bella outside just now.”
Yu Lian: “……”
He knew Bella was mean. His expression shifted slightly. “Did Bella bully Yuan Yuan?”
“They argued.”
Brother Zhu recounted what had happened: “It looks like Yuan Yuan didn’t lose out.”
The little one faced several adults alone and showed not a hint of fear.
That spirited determination was actually quite endearing.
Hearing that Yuan Yuan hadn’t lost out, Yu Lian felt a slight sense of relief.
ButMadam Fang was still uneasy.
“You two chat, I’ll go check on Yuan Yuan. Bella’s really annoying. I don’t even know who invited her to today’s exhibition.”
Anyway, Madam Fang, as the host, definitely hadn’t invited her.
Worried about Feng Yuan, Madam Fang pushed the door open and went out.
With her gone, the remaining three sat together. Yu Lian sighed, “It would be nice if we had some wine right now. It’s been ages since we drank together.”
“I won’t drink,” Li Heng said calmly. “There’s been a lot going on at home lately.”
“I’m remodeling my courtyard,” he added.
Yu Lian: “?”
Yu Lian froze for a moment. “Wasn’t your courtyard set up with feng shui? Why are you remodeling it? Brother Zhu, was this your idea?”
Brother Zhu didn’t reply. He was watching Li Heng as well.
Li Heng’s expression was as calm as usual. He explained in a low voice, “The kids at home were being mischievous and accidentally blew up the courtyard.”
Yu Lian: “……”
Yu Lian’s mouth fell open in shock.
After a few seconds, he composed himself and said seriously, “Blowing up the courtyard… that must have been Si Si and Xiao Wang, right? I don’t think Yuan Yuan would dare.”
Little Yuan Yuan looked soft and obedient, completely harmless.
Something as dangerous and reckless as blowing up the courtyard was absolutely not his doing!
Li Heng neither confirmed nor denied it.
He simply spoke in a casual, everyday tone and asked Brother Zhu, “Brother Zhu, you said before that the feng shui in my courtyard shouldn’t be moved. Now that it’s been blown up, what do you think we should do next?”
Brother Zhu was silent for a moment.
After a while, he leaned back slightly and sighed.
“The feng shui I set up for you back then was specifically meant to protect you. Now that it’s destroyed, even if we rebuild it, I can’t guarantee it will still be able to protect you.”
“If you trust me, leave the courtyard’s remodeling to me. How about that?”
“I think that works.”
Yu Lian chimed in from the side: “Leaving it to you would be easier, but you’re getting old. Are you still up for it?”
His last remark was purely teasing.
But there was no smile in Brother Zhu’s eyes, and he didn’t respond.
He was staring straight at Li Heng.
Li Heng, in turn, was staring back at him.
The two longtime friends locked eyes silently. No one could tell what they were thinking.
Yu Lian, like a one-man show, kept babbling on the side. But neither of them paid any attention to him.
Frustrated, he crossed his arms over his chest, let out a heavy huff, and decided to sulk for a while.
The atmosphere in the lounge was oppressively tense.
Li Heng didn’t answer Brother Zhu’s question.
Instead, he replied indirectly: “Have you gone to see Frida? How is she doing?”
Frida and Brother Zhu shared a blood relationship.
Their somewhat complicated familial ties had never been made public. But Li Heng knew them all too well.
Now that Frida had left, it was because she felt she hadn’t been able to create a normal, warm family.
She had poured her whole life into it, yet couldn’t give her children a proper, stable home. So she left, disheartened.
If his own home had really been tampered with by Brother Zhu, Li Heng wanted to know what kind of mindset Brother Zhu would have when facing Frida, and when facing him.
“Frida is resting. I didn’t disturb her.”
Brother Zhu said. “If you want to see her, I can persuade her to come back.”
“No need.”
When the adults sparred earlier, it was like solving a riddle.
Even with Feng Yuan here, he probably wouldn’t understand.
By now, he had already moved some distance away from the lounge.
Behind him, Madam Fang had followed but didn’t call out to him.
She dialed Frida.
It took several attempts before Frida finally picked up.
Once the call connected.
Madam Fang didn’t exchange greetings with Frida. She made a “shush” gesture.
“Keep your voice down. I’m going to show you something nice.”
“See it? That little one up front.”
Madam Fang rotated the camera toward Feng Yuan.
“This is Yuan Yuan, your little grandson.”
“He just had a conflict with Bella because she spoke badly about you.”
“Brother Zhu took him away, but now he’s gone after Bella again.”
Madam Fang was not only filming in real time, but she also lowered her voice and explained the whole situation to Frida.
“Look! The little one has his hands on his hips.”
“Oh my gosh, he’s too cute! Can you hear what he’s saying? I need to get closer to him.”
Madam Fang continued moving forward as she spoke.
She carefully positioned herself in a hidden spot. From there, she could film Feng Yuan clearly while avoiding being noticed.
In Madam Fang’s video, the little chubby Yuan, hands on his hips, was already in the heat of his argument with Bella.
He tilted his beautiful little bun-shaped face upward, his mouth chattering nonstop.
“You’re lying!”
“Grandma doesn’t dislike Grandpa!”
“She doesn’t dislike our family either!”
Though small, Feng Yuan’s fighting spirit was extraordinary.
Faced with Bella’s various arguments, he could counter them all.
He puffed out his little chest and, under Bella’s almost exasperated glare, continued to insist in his sweet, resolute voice:
“The children in our family are not those little monsters who can’t like others.”
“I, Yuan Yuan, love Grandma!”
“And Grandpa, Daddy, Auntie, Uncle, Brother, Sister, Qin Xun!”
“I like them all!”
Feng Yuan rattled off a long list of people in one breath, almost running out of air.
Sigh.
It seems that liking too many people can be a little troublesome.
For example… you’d have to express your feelings to several people at once!
ObObrigada pelos capítulos 😘💞