Li Sheng’s villa not only occupied a large area, but the rooms inside the villa were also not small.
This was the second time Feng Yuan had slept in such a big room, on such a big bed.
The first time was when he had slept at Qin Xun’s house. Back then, with the sunlight shining in and Qin Xun keeping him company, he hadn’t been afraid at all.
Now, in the pitch-dark, large room, with nothing inside, his little body stiffened in fear, not daring to move.
“Chirp.”
The light in the room was switched on. Sitting on the bed wiping his tears, Feng Yuan immediately saw Li Sheng.
“Chirp!”
Bad father!
Feng Yuan’s black bean-like eyes brimmed with tears. In a flash, he rushed over.
He rushed so fast that Li Sheng reflexively opened his hands to catch him.
“Chirp.”
Feng Yuan successfully pounced into Father’s hands, his two little claws tightly grabbing onto him, and buried his little head down.
Li Sheng: “…”
Although Li Sheng could not, like Qin Xun, accurately translate Feng Yuan’s chirping sounds—
At this moment, he felt as though he could also guess what this little bald chick was chirping about.
He switched off the light, allowing the round, bald chick in his hands to clutch at him. With a few steps, he returned to his own room.
Li Sheng’s room was lit.
Feng Yuan clung to his father. His black bean-like eyes filled with tears sweeping around the room.
“Chirp chirp.”
No Dad.
Feng Yuan hadn’t found Dad in this room either. His little head turned to look toward the doorway.
Li Sheng carried him out again, this time to the dining room.
This villa had quite a few people hired to manage it, but Li Sheng hadn’t hired a cook.
He had always cooked for himself.
Feng Yuan hadn’t eaten for most of the day. According to Feng Qi’s “Raising Yuan Yuan Guide”, he now needed to prepare food and warm water for Feng Yuan.
“Chirp, Chirp chirp.”
I don’t want to eat, I want Dad.
Feng Yuan lifted his little face, chirping nonstop at Li Sheng.
Supporting him with one hand, Li Sheng used the other to take ingredients from the fridge and skillfully began preparing them.
Under the warm yellow glow of the kitchen lights, this scene looked rather cozy.
If Feng Yuan hadn’t chirped himself into anger and gone to peck at his father’s big hand, this scene would surely have carried even more father-and-son warmth.
“Chirp!”
Put me down.
Ignored and aggrieved, Feng Yuan angrily pecked at Li Sheng’s hand, then struggled with his chubby little body, wanting to get down.
Li Sheng lowered his eyes to glance at him. The next second, he really did put him down.
Feng Yuan’s little claws landed on the ground. He immediately turned his head to walk away.
But aside from the dining room and kitchen area, all the other places were dark.
After taking a few steps, Feng Yuan’s small body stopped.
He turned back, letting out a weak little “chirp”.
Li Sheng acted as if he hadn’t heard, his hands not stopping as he washed the rice and started cooking.
No one knew how much time had passed.
The aroma of food drifted out. Lying on the floor missing his Dad, Feng Yuan smelled the fragrance. His belly let out an uncooperative growl.
Li Sheng brought out a bowl of congee, two side dishes, and a basket of little steamed buns, setting them on the dining table.
He said in a calm voice: “Come eat.”
Feng Yuan: “Chirp.”
Not eating!
Lying on the floor, Feng Yuan held his ground with stubborn dignity, sulking and refusing to eat.
He didn’t even lift his head!
Seeing this, Li Sheng walked over, stopping right in front of him.
“Feng Yuan, did you pee on the floor?”
Li Sheng looked at the small patch of water on the wooden floor and asked.
Feng Yuan: “?”
Feng Yuan, furious: “Chirp!”
He did not pee on the floor! The water on the floor was all from his crying!
The angrily chirping Feng Yuan hadn’t even chirped twice before he was scooped up by Li Sheng’s big hand.
Li Sheng’s figure was tall. Because he had the habit of working out, the muscles on his body were smooth and solid.
Holding Feng Yuan in his large palm, the already tiny Feng Yuan looked even smaller in contrast.
“Just teasing you, stop chirping.”
Li Sheng placed the little bald chick onto the dining table, letting him eat.
Feng Yuan glanced at the fragrant dishes in front of him. His originally resolute little black bean-like eyes began to waver bit by bit.
After putting him down, Li Sheng turned to tidy up the kitchen.
He was used to cleaning the pot and stove while they were still warm after use, so they would be thoroughly neat.
Sitting before the food, Feng Yuan looked at the bad father busying himself in the kitchen, then looked back at the delicious-smelling dishes.
He swallowed.
“Chirp.”
Yuan Yuan will just eat one bite.
Feng Yuan kept brainwashing himself. He would only eat one bite and then stop!
“Chirp chirp chirp.”
However, after the first bite came the second, then immediately the third and fourth…
Feng Yuan simply couldn’t stop eating!
The bad father’s cooking was too delicious.
His tender yellow little beak pecked rapidly at the bowl and plates.
After tidying up the kitchen, Li Sheng stood at the doorway, his deep eyes quietly observing the little bald chick who was eating with such abandon.
The little bald chick’s head was practically buried in the bowl.
As Li Sheng watched him, all of a sudden, he recalled this little bald chick’s Dad.
Feng Qi had said he had things to do and wouldn’t be living here with Feng Yuan.
Feng Qi had also said that Feng Yuan’s eye color and ears were the same as his.
Finally, Feng Qi had hammered in the key point, warning him—
He was not allowed to say again that his son’s bottom was bald.
All of Feng Qi’s instructions were based on the premise that Feng Yuan was their shared son.
Li Sheng’s gaze dimmed. When he looked at the little chick on the dining table, there were still far too many doubts in his heart.
He still did not have the real feeling of taking the little chick as his son.
In the living room adjacent to the dining room, a high-priced custom wall clock hung on the wall.
The hands of the clock ticked, pointing to two o’clock.
After pecking the last bite of food, Feng Yuan’s little body, stuffed even rounder, slowly slumped down.
“Hic.”
He let out a full burp.
Seeing that he had finished eating, Li Sheng neatly tidied up the dining table, then carried him back to the room.
“Don’t chirp.”
“Sleep.”
“Your Dad won’t be coming tonight.”
As soon as Li Sheng returned to the room, he gave the little chick this prior notice.
Hearing his words, Feng Yuan still looked out the window unwillingly.
Without Li Sheng taking him, he didn’t dare to go back at night.
The “Raising Yuan Yuan Guide” had another rule: before sleeping, he must bathe.
Li Sheng’s master bedroom came with its own bathroom, which had a fully automatic massaging bathtub.
Li Sheng placed the little chick inside and started the wash.
He remembered that in the guide, this rule came with an additional note: when bathing Yuan Yuan, pay attention to safety.
At first, he hadn’t taken that note seriously.
Until, after the chick was accidentally pushed under the water, and started flailing in panic. Feng Yuan’s claws scratched across Li Sheng’s neck and the right side of his face near the ear.
Beads of blood seeped out and instantly sank into Feng Yuan’s claws.
Unfortunately, neither the big one nor the small one noticed this. One was chirping nonstop, trying to escape from the bathtub, while the other, with a handsome face set in cold ruthlessness, continued washing the cub.
For a while, the bathtub was filled with loud chirping and flying tufts of feathers.
By the time Feng Yuan was finally washed clean and wrapped up in a big towel, the floor was splattered with water, and Li Sheng’s pajamas were soaked through completely.
His strong, lean chest was outlined entirely by the wet fabric. Such a sight, in the eyes of an adult, would be striking and tempting.
Unfortunately, the only one in front of Li Sheng right now was a drenched, bald chick.
The bald chick didn’t know how to appreciate his bad father’s physique in the slightest. With a tuft of silly hair sticking up, he was so angry at his bad father that he didn’t even have the strength left to stay mad.
Li Sheng didn’t bother with his own wet clothes.
His long-fingered, well-defined hand held the towel, rubbing the little bald chicken with a force that was neither too light nor too rough.
Very soon.
Except for his bottom, the little bald chicken’s feathers all puffed up fluffy again.
Li Sheng scooped him up and placed him at his own bedside.
“Stay here.”
After saying that, Li Sheng picked up a fresh set of pajamas and walked into the bathroom.
Inside the frosted glass of the bathroom, the steam from Feng Yuan’s bath had yet to disperse.
Water from the showerhead poured down.
Li Sheng ran his hands through his hair, slicking back the strands that Feng Yuan had already soaked earlier.
His strikingly handsome face, within the mist, seemed to lose a bit of its sharpness.
The little bald chick was still out on the bed, so Li Sheng didn’t stay in the bathroom for long.
He quickly dried himself off and walked out.
The bedroom lights weren’t off.
Bathed in the soft glow at the bedside, Li Sheng caught sight of a plump little butt sticking out from under the pillow.
It was Feng Yuan’s.
Most likely, he had tired himself out. While Li Sheng was only partway through his shower, Feng Yuan had already fallen asleep.
With his dad not by his side—
Feng Yuan, suddenly in a new environment, felt very insecure.
That was why he had hidden himself under his father’s pillow.
This pillow was the one Li Sheng used, carrying his scent.
What Feng Qi and Bai Ze once discussed wasn’t wrong. Feng Yuan was still too small, and what he needed most was the comfort of his biological father.
And a father’s scent was the best comfort for a young cub.
Although Feng Yuan said with his mouth that he hated his bad father, when he felt insecure, the place he instinctively chose to hide himself was precisely the pillow carrying the strongest scent of his father.
Li Sheng sat down, lifted the quilt, and lay down.
The pillow he usually used had been taken over by Feng Yuan, so he casually grabbed another one as a substitute.
Li Sheng always went to bed late, but the next day, he never got up late.
While Feng Yuan was still lazing in sleep, he had already been sweating it out in the villa’s gym for two hours.
His physique was far, far better than Feng Qi’s current sickly body.
Workout, shower, make breakfast, check over the day’s schedule.
Li Sheng’s life was extremely disciplined.
Of course, his disciplined routine could only proceed smoothly when Feng Yuan was still asleep.
Once Feng Yuan woke up, Li Sheng could forget about having anything to do with the word “routine”.
He had to wash the little chick’s face and claws, prepare breakfast suitable for him, and, most importantly, he had to deal with his endless chirping.
This completely disrupted Li Sheng’s usual time arrangements.
After finally getting Feng Yuan settled at home, when Li Sheng was about to take him along to work, the little chick kicked at his face with his claws, firmly refusing.
“Chirp!”
Yuan Yuan is not going to work!
Feng Yuan had plenty of things to do. He needed to find his dad, he had to scavenge for junk without fail, and he also wanted to check on how Li Ting was doing.
In short, he was extremely busy.
Following the second rule in the “Raising Yuan Yuan Guide”, Li Sheng, with an equally unyielding attitude, insisted on taking him away.
Father and son reached a stalemate.
Just as it seemed their conflict was about to become irreconcilable, Qin Xun, who lived not far away, arrived in time.
“Uncle Li, you go to work. I can take care of Yuan Yuan.”
As Qin Xun spoke, he opened his hands, asking for the little one.
Held tightly in Li Sheng’s hand, Feng Yuan also stretched out his claws toward Qin Xun.
The two little ones—one wanted a hug, the other was more than happy to give one.
Li Sheng was silent for a few seconds before handing the chick over.
“If anything comes up, go to Li Corporation’s building.”
“I’ll come back at noon to cook.”
Leaving those two reminders, Li Sheng got into his car.
Just one night and half a day of looking after the chick had already left his head aching.
The driver drove the car smoothly.
Sitting in the back seat, Li Sheng massaged his temple with one hand, his face expressionless, as he thought—he really had no idea how Feng Qi had managed to raise him these past few years.
He’d heard the little chick was already three years old.
For such a difficult cub to raise all the way to three years old, the effort Feng Qi had put in was truly hard to imagine.
The Feng Qi who was on Li Sheng’s mind at that moment was not at home in the little alley on Huasheng Street.
He had gone to the city’s film and television base.
Within this well-known film and television base, there was a demon ghost he had been searching for a long time, hiding there.
Taking advantage of Feng Yuan being with his biological father, Feng Qi planned to carefully search for the traces of this demon ghost and execute it.
He went to the film base without telling Feng Yuan.
At home, when Feng Yuan ran into this obstacle, his little head drooped in dejection.
“Chirp?”
Did Dad not want Yuan Yuan anymore?
Hearing his low, uneasy chirps, Qin Xun rubbed his head and coaxed him, “No, your dad would never not want you.”
The love Uncle Feng Qi had for Feng Yuan, Qin Xun could clearly see.
He didn’t believe Feng Qi would ever abandon Feng Yuan.
“Your dad must just have something he needs to do and couldn’t bring you along, that’s why he let Uncle Li take care of you.”
Qin Xun reasoned calmly, “Yuan Yuan, don’t be sad. Just wait patiently for your dad to come back.”
To lift Feng Yuan’s spirits a little, Qin Xun deliberately took him to the hospital to see the Li Ting he wanted to check on.
The two little ones hurried to the hospital. They did see Li Ting, but he was lying in the intensive care unit, still not out of danger.
Feng Yuan: “……”
Feng Yuan’s mood became even worse.
He sniffled and didn’t even feel like scavenging for junk anymore.
Qin Xun had no choice. After accompanying him on a long walk around, seeing that it was nearly noon, he simply went straight to the Li Corporation building.
Inside the Li Corporation building.
During break time, in a small anonymous chat group made by the company’s employees, gossip was flying around whenever they had a spare moment.
Because these people were using the anonymous feature, the names that showed up were all fruits or other odd little nicknames.
Apple: “Help help help help! Did anyone see President Li today? His right cheek, and his neck!”
Banana: “I saw it! There are scratch marks on his neck, super obvious!”
Ultraman: “Are you guys serious? How could President Li have those kinds of marks on him?”
Eggplant: “No idea. What on earth happened with President Li?”
A group of anonymous users buzzed with curiosity about Li Sheng’s situation.
Then, a Watermelon sent a few sunglasses emojis.
Watermelon: “What’s there to discuss? There’s only one answer—our President Li has a little vixen by his side, and not just any vixen, but an especially fiery one!”
Watermelon: “Looks like Miss Zhao has no hope anymore.”
The Miss Zhao Watermelon was referring to was the award-winning actress Zhao Jie, currently filming at the film city.
Zhao Jie came from a very good family. Her family also had a decent relationship with the Li family.
Her own personality was gentle and graceful, and she had more interactions with Li Sheng than he ever had with other women.
To outsiders, many people simply assumed she was Li Sheng’s unannounced girlfriend.
As soon as Watermelon mentioned her name in the group, her fans immediately spoke up for her.
Banana: “Miss Zhao looks like the gentle type, but in private, when she’s with her boyfriend, who knows, maybe she’s really passionate! I think those marks on President Li’s neck could very well have been left by her.”
Watermelon: “?”
Watermelon: “Stop trying to force connections, okay? President Li doesn’t treat Miss Zhao at all like a girlfriend.”
Watermelon: “I saw with my own eyes, when Miss Zhao lost her balance in front of President Li, our President Li didn’t even bother to lend her a hand.”
Banana: “You’re lying!”
As Banana and Watermelon started quarreling, the group owner quickly came out to mediate.
Everyone’s fingers were flying across the keyboard in the little group chat.
Meanwhile, the Miss Zhao they were gossiping about had no idea about this fan-versus-anti war.
At the moment, she was in a very good mood.
That evening’s All-Star Banquet was being held at a clubhouse very close by.
According to what she knew, Li Sheng would also be there that night.
“Xiao He, have the styling team I booked come earlier. I want to do a trial makeup in advance.”
“Alright.”
While Miss Zhao was carefully trying on makeup, the Li Sheng she was thinking about was instead frowning as he examined the little chick cub Qin Xun had brought over.
The little chick looked listless; even his chirps were weak.
He lay sprawled on Li Sheng’s hand, feeling both drowsy and hot.
And in fact, this symptom had started not just that morning…
It had begun from the moment he fell asleep last night.
He felt that this was a bit like the first time he transformed.
But no matter how hard he tried to force it, he still couldn’t transform.
“Uncle Li, touch Yuan Yuan and see. His body’s been hot all this time. Is he sick?”
