“We’re playing hide-and-seek now!” He squatted by the railing, lifting his grubby chubby face, clutching his schoolbag as he whimpered. “Starting the countdown from five!”
“When the count’s done, Daddy and Mommy will come pick you up!”
“Five, four, three, two, one…”
He covered his eyes. When he moved his little black hands away, all he saw were white foam-capped waves.
“Wah wah wah.”
He gripped the railing and wailed loudly.
The strong wind pulled everything wantonly, making the fence clank
He couldn’t dodge in time, and his chubby face got pinched hard.
“It hurts so much.”
He winced and shrank away, then knelt on the ground and hurriedly pulled out his Phone Watch from his schoolbag to call Butler Uncle.
It was already evening by now.
Nightfall enveloped everything in vast darkness.
Fear crept over him relentlessly. He rummaged and rummaged but couldn’t find the Phone Watch after a long search.
At that moment—
A faint light in front of him was blocked by a shadow.
He rubbed his eyes and suddenly found himself scooped up by several burly uncles and stuffed into a car.
Half an hour later, the car pulled slowly into Hillside Villa.
“Mr. Zhou, we’ve brought the kid. Used a bit of sedative.”
The bodyguards carried Zhou Chiyu and handed him over to the old man seated at the head.
Though the old man had a full head of white hair, he looked spirited and robust.
He lifted the clothes wrapped around Zhou Chiyu and narrowed his eyes. “Why use a sedative? If word gets out, what will people think of us?”
The bodyguard nodded. “The kid’s no lightweight. He thrashed around in the car, and we couldn’t hold him down. We thought of tying him with rope, but that might affect your relationship with him, so we used a little gamma-hydroxybutyric acid.”
“He’s filthy all over.” Zhou Yonghe beckoned, and four or five servants hurried over to pick up Zhou Chiyu.
“Clean him up and take him to the room we’ve prepared.”
“Yes, Mr. Zhou.”
“Make some food he likes.” Zhou Yonghe smiled meaningfully. “Little Fish seems even fatter than last time I saw him. Looks like that old man Gu Songyuan took good care of him.”
Zhou Yonghe’s assistant said uneasily nearby, “Bringing this child back like this—will Gu Songyuan let it slide? And your brother seems to have designs on the kid too, or he wouldn’t have gone to pick him up from kindergarten.”
“That fool.” Zhou Yonghe crossed his legs and sipped his tea. “But we should thank him. Without him, we couldn’t have gotten Little Fish back so easily. As for Gu Songyuan, don’t worry. I’ve prepared a deal for him.”
The assistant frowned. “What do you plan to…?”
Zhou Yonghe flicked away some tea leaves. “Hand the Foundation over to him to manage, and the child comes under my custody.”
…
Two hours later, Zhou Chiyu slowly opened his eyes.
This was… Uncle Grandpa’s house.
But not the Uncle Grandpa who had picked him up from kindergarten today.
It was Little Uncle Grandpa.
The pain in his body started to surface. He had forgotten how he got here, but he noticed bruises on his plump little arms.
“Little Young Master, dinner is ready.”
Zhou Chiyu turned his head in a daze and saw three unfamiliar sisters standing by the bed.
“Shall we carry you to eat?”
“Who are you?” Zhou Chiyu knocked on his little head, and the afternoon’s memories gradually resurfaced.
Daddy, Mommy, Grandpa?
He jumped off the bed and pounded frantically on the locked door. “I want to find my mommy! Let me out right now!”
Impatience flickered across the servants’ faces. They exchanged glances, and the maid named Xiao Li stepped forward, wrapping her arms around Zhou Chiyu from behind.
Xiao Li feigned patience and soothed him gently, “Little Young Master, you need to accept it. Your parents have passed away. The dead can’t come back to life. Are you going to dig them up from their coffins?”
They had originally tended to Zhou Yonghe’s comfortable daily life, but now assigned to Zhou Chiyu, it was nothing but extra hassle, so they weren’t pleased.
Moreover, from Zhou Yonghe’s attitude toward Zhou Chiyu, there wasn’t a shred of familial affection, so they saw no need to care for him diligently.
“Bad sister! You’re lying!” Zhou Chiyu’s eyes bulged wide. He put his hands on his hips, fat teardrops streaming down his cheeks. “They’re not dead! They’ll live forever!”
Xiao Li sneered twice, restrained his little hands, and continued, “Baby, this is your home from now on. We’ll give you whatever you need. Your parents aren’t immortals—how could they live forever?”
“I don’t want this!” Zhou Chiyu struggled fiercely, kicking with all his might to shove the person in front of him away. “Let me go!”
Slap!
A sharp slap rang through the air.
Xiao Li brushed the dirt off her skirt and smiled with fake concern. “Little Young Master, how could you be so careless? You bumped into my hand. Does it hurt?”
The unfamiliar pain made Zhou Chiyu’s mind go blank with a buzz. It took a long, long time before he raised his little hand to cover his stinging right cheek, his lips trembling with sobs.
Terrified, he shrank into the corner, staring at these strangers with eyes full of fear.
“Don’t come near me!”
His shoulders trembled lightly. When Xiao Li reached out again to hug him, he bit down hard.
“Let go!”
A vicious glint flashed in Xiao Li’s eyes, and she smacked Zhou Chiyu’s bottom hard.
Zhou Chiyu lost his balance and pitched forward, banging his head against the wall. Intense pain surged through him. He clutched his face, tears slipping through his fingers. Like a frightened kitten, he cautiously eyed his surroundings, his breathing quick and erratic.
