Chapter 7
The late spring evening breeze was gentle and warm, softly caressing their faces.
Xing Nuo started to feel sleepy on the way home, his head nodding, his eyelids almost glued together.
As soon as they arrived home and he touched the pillow, he fell asleep.
“Xing Nuo is too tired today, let him sleep peacefully.” Shen Wen glanced at Shen Baizhou.
Shen Baizhou, who was looking at his younger brother, his hand outstretched to ruffle his hair, was forced to retract it. He gave an “Oh” and left the bedroom.
The door closed softly, and Shen Wen’s emotionless, indifferent voice echoed:
“Shen Baizhou, you will live here from now on. I’ll find a school for you and handle the enrollment procedures.”
Shen Baizhou knew what “going to school” meant, and the casual look in his eyes vanished.
“I’m going to school?” He opened his eyes slightly, incredulous.
Shen Wen glanced at him, the upward curve of his lips seeming cold.
“What? Is there a problem?”
Then, his tone mocking:
“Learn something useful at school, your lack of intelligence is too obvious.”
Shen Baizhou didn’t dare disobey Shen Wen’s order. He opened his mouth, trying to defend himself weakly.
“I’m quite smart.”
Shen Wen’s expression remained unchanged: “Oh.”
Shen Baizhou felt belittled but didn’t dare argue, so he changed the subject:
“Where will I sleep at night?”
Shen Wen pointed to a table:
“I bought you a fish tank. Move it to the bedroom, don’t scare people in the living room.”
Shen Baizhou finally perked up. He gave an affirmative hum, walked over, picked up the fish tank which was about the size of a bathtub, and carefully carried it to the bedroom.
After filling the fish tank with cold, clear water, Shen Baizhou plunged in, transforming into a small, almost transparent, white octopus.
The morning air was slightly cool. Sunlight filtered through the clouds, painting the room in a golden glow.
Xing Nuo stood on his special little stool, toothbrush in hand, his mouth full of foam, learning how to brush his teeth.
“Cold.”
The mint-flavored toothpaste was cold and tingly. Xing Nuo kept pulling his head back, clearly not accustomed to the taste.
Shen Wen gently held Zaizai’s hand, helping him brush his neat little rice teeth.
“We’ll get a different flavor next time, how about strawberry? That one’s a bit sweeter.”
Xing Nuo hummed in agreement and swallowed the foam with a gulp.
“Okay~” he said, tilting his face up.
Shen Wen froze, quickly pinching Zaizai’s mouth open.
“Why did you swallow it?”
Then he couldn’t help but laugh, tapping Xing Nuo’s forehead.
“Don’t do that next time. You can’t eat toothpaste. Now we’re going to learn how to rinse.”
After rinsing, Xing Nuo swallowed most of the water, only spitting out a small amount.
Finally, the toothbrushing ordeal was over, and the light yellow toothbrush was placed back on the shelf.
After wiping his face, Xing Nuo was picked up by his dad and placed in the newly bought baby chair, happily eating his sweet breakfast.
Shen Baizhou sat beside them, swallowing a small steamed bun in one gulp, his eyelids drooping, looking listless.
The thought of going to school today made him feel uncomfortable.
“Can I…”
Shen Wen knew what he wanted to say and coldly refused: “No.”
Pointing to something on the sofa, Shen Wen said flatly:
“Take your backpack and go. Private high school starts at eight, don’t be late.”
The school Shen Wen had chosen for Shen Baizhou wasn’t far, a high school with a relaxed atmosphere, no morning or evening self-study.
Shen Baizhou knew he couldn’t escape. After eating a steamer basket of buns and two bowls of porridge, he finally took his backpack and left.
He walked out of the house, looking back repeatedly, his face stiff, his lips pressed tightly together, slowly and reluctantly making his way to school.
Rongcheng Private High School.
Although the school’s academic performance wasn’t particularly high, its discipline was relatively good. Just before class, the students hurried to their seats.
The teacher led Shen Baizhou into the classroom, coughed, and raised his voice to introduce him to the class:
“This is our new student, Shen Baizhou. He’ll be your classmate for the next three years. Let’s give him a round of applause.”
Shen Baizhou, wearing the blue and white school uniform, stood with his hands casually in his pockets, exuding a don’t-mess-with-me aura.
He lifted his eyelids, glanced at everyone, and, as instructed by the teacher, sat in the last row.
The students whispered amongst themselves, some turning around to steal glances at Shen Baizhou.
“So cool!”
“I live in the same complex as him. You wouldn’t believe it, yesterday he was even more flamboyant, with a head of white hair!”
“Whoa, do you have a picture?! He must have looked awesome with white hair!”
“Can you not be so boy-crazy? Look at me, I’m handsome too!”
Shen Baizhou had excellent hearing. All the whispers in the classroom reached his ears.
He glanced at them but didn’t bother saying anything.
Opening his textbook, Shen Baizhou lowered his head and began reading attentively.
He would prove his intelligence.
Just high school, how difficult could it be for a boss-level monster like him?
Xing Nuo leaned against the window, his small hand pressed against the glass, watching his brother’s small, black figure disappear at the entrance of the complex.
He widened his eyes, turned his small head to look at his dad, pointed outside, his small face filled with worry:
“Brother…gone!”
Xing Nuo spread his small hands, expressing his confusion and surprise.
Shen Wen hummed in response, ruffled Zaizai’s head, and explained:
“Your brother went to school. Zaizai will also go to school after a while.”
Xing Nuo repeated in a daze: “School.”
After mumbling it a few times, Xing Nuo tilted his head, his curly hair falling over his cheek, tickling him. He reached out his small hand to brush it away.
“School…Zaizai…go?”
Sunlight streamed through the window, painting Shen Wen’s eyes with a golden light. Bathed in the warm glow, even his voice was gentle.
“Yes, Zaizai will go too. Every human cub needs to go to school, to learn many useful things and skills.”
Zaizai listened, still not quite understanding what “school” meant.
He turned his little head, looking at the entrance of the complex where his brother’s figure had completely disappeared, and asked again:
“With…brother…together?”
Shen Wen shook his head. “Of course not, your brother is in high school.”
He paused, tapping his chin lightly:
“Perhaps…he’ll go to kindergarten with you?”
Shen Baizhou’s level of knowledge, in Shen Wen’s opinion, was quite concerning.
This concern soon became reality.
At noon, Xing Nuo eagerly peered out the window, waiting for his brother to come home from school.
Seeing his brother’s figure appear at the entrance of the complex, Xing Nuo let out a “Wow!” and pressed his face against the window, his eyes wide with anticipation.
Shen Baizhou, just entering the complex, sensed something and paused, then looked up.
Despite the distance, Shen Baizhou could still pinpoint his younger brother’s location.
The little one’s chubby cheeks were flattened against the glass, his round eyes bright and watery, looking eagerly in his direction.
Seeing this, Shen Baizhou couldn’t help but smile.
His classmate, who was walking home with him, looked at him, scratching his head in confusion.
“Why are you smiling like that?”
Shen Baizhou’s expression held a hint of unconscious pride:
“My little brother is watching me from the window. He’s waiting for me to come home from school.”
Then, Shen Baizhou sighed. “He’s so well-behaved!”
His classmate looked at the distant, high-rise building and fell silent.
“Are you sure you’re not imagining things?”
From that distance, he couldn’t see anything!
Shen Baizhou didn’t want to bother with this foolish human. He lifted his chin and gave a small snort.
“You’re just jealous.”
Someone without a younger brother couldn’t possibly understand how well-behaved his brother was!
Classmate: “…”
After a brief silence, the classmate cursed inwardly.
Damn bro-con!
Shen Baizhou, in a good mood, reached the elevator just as a small, milk-scented bundle launched itself into his arms.
“Brother!”
Xing Nuo buried his head in his brother’s embrace, nuzzling him affectionately for a moment, then reached out to be held.
Shen Baizhou expertly picked up Zaizai and pinched his chubby cheeks.
The little one’s face was soft and smooth, and Shen Baizhou kneaded them for a long time, finally satisfied.
“Why are you standing by the elevator? Wait for brother at home next time, it’s dangerous outside.”
A couple of nights ago, a little monster that specialized in scaring people had appeared in the stairwell.
Shen Baizhou had easily captured it, rolled it into a black ball, and swallowed it whole.
Otherwise, if this little bun had seen it, he would have turned into a crying mess.
Xing Nuo’s fair cheeks were flushed from being pinched, and he turned his head away, slightly unhappy.
“Don’t pinch.”
Shen Baizhou stopped, not responding.
In the dining room, Shen Wen served the lunch he had meticulously prepared.
“Home from school? Come and eat.”
Shen Baizhou’s demeanor became much more docile in the presence of his father. He gave an affirmative hum and obediently sat down to eat, holding little Xing Nuo.
Looking down at the table of dark, unappetizing food, Shen Baizhou paused with his chopsticks.
“Are we out of money?”
Why not order takeout?
After only a few days in the human world, Shen Baizhou had already learned how to order takeout.
These addictively convenient things were often easy to learn.
Shen Baizhou thoughtfully offered:
“Father, I still have quite a bit of money.”
Loot from the instance worlds, gold and glittering silver, filled his underwater lair.
Shen Baizhou’s true form was enormous, like a dark mountain peak, his tentacles extending for dozens of meters from the seabed.
The fact that it filled his lair showed just how much loot he had accumulated.
Shen Wen’s expression remained unchanged. He walked over with a dish, sneered, and slapped the back of Shen Baizhou’s head.
“Just eat. This is the lunch I meticulously prepared.”
Xing Nuo, ever the good little cub, looked up and praised his dad in his childish voice:
“Yummy~”
Xing Nuo had already sniffed the food; it had a bitter smell, unlike anything he’d had before!
“Dad…amazing!”
Shen Wen, basking in Zaizai’s praise, his light-colored eyes curving into a smile, felt a renewed sense of pride in his culinary skills.
“The presentation isn’t great, but it tastes good.”
Since he said so, Shen Baizhou believed him.
After a morning of studying in high school, Shen Baizhou was starving. He lowered his head and quickly shovelled half a bowl of rice into his mouth.
As soon as he swallowed, Shen Baizhou stiffened, and without a sound, toppled sideways.
Xing Nuo, who was just about to start eating with his little spoon, was startled by the thud. His spoon trembled and fell onto the table.
His small mouth agape, Xing Nuo blinked a few times, still processing what had just happened.
That afternoon, Shen Baizhou was absent from school.
Xing Nuo, nestled in his dad’s arms, sat in an ambulance with flashing lights and sirens, dazedly on his way to the hospital.
In the ambulance, Shen Wen looked at the doctor and asked with feigned concern:
“Doctor, is he going to be alright?”
The doctor checked Shen Baizhou’s eyes, looked at the monitor readings, and paused.
“Preliminary diagnosis, it appears to be food poisoning.”
