Chapter 164
Wen Xingxue didn’t tell Shen Wen about Xing Nuo being pulled into the Memory dungeon.
That dungeon was special, appearing only in dreams, silently claiming its victims.
He was afraid Shen Wen would blame himself, thinking he hadn’t been a good enough father.
But the truth was, Wen Xingxue was the one who had failed.
Shen Wen noticed that Wen Xingxue had been appearing more frequently lately.
Sometimes, he would catch him in the living room, the bedroom, the kitchen…
As a monster, Shen Wen, unaffected by the props that limited other people’s perception, could always see Wen Xingxue.
Like now, in the early evening, the sky darkening, the clouds thick and heavy, threatening rain,
Xing Nuo was in the living room, making a paper lantern, and Wen Xingxue was watching him, his chin resting on his hand, his eyes filled with a soft, gentle affection Shen Wen had never seen before.
Even when Xing Nuo made a mistake, sighing in frustration, Wen Xingxue wouldn’t say anything, just ruffle his hair gently.
Xing Nuo, feeling a breeze ruffle his hair, knew his invisible daddy was there.
Shen Wen, watching them, felt his nonexistent heart soften.
The evening breeze drifted in through the window, the room quiet and peaceful.
After over an hour of hard work, Xing Nuo finally finished his lantern.
He held it up, making it spin, and, giggling, yawned and waved at his invisible daddy.
“I go sleep now!”
Wen Xingxue’s heart melted at his sweet voice, and he replied, his own voice unusually soft:
“Okay!”
Shen Wen, his skin crawling at their exchange, led Xing Nuo to his bedroom, tucked him in, and, after he fell asleep, returned to the living room, where Wen Xingxue was still playing with the lantern, and said, his arms crossed:
“Can you be normal?”
Wen Xingxue, his voice still soft, turned around, his eyes sparkling in the lamplight.
“Am I not normal?”
Shen Wen paused, looking at Wen Xingxue’s wide, bright eyes, so similar to Xing Nuo’s, and felt a strange dizziness.
Oh no!
He actually found Wen Xingxue…cute!
Shen Wen took a deep breath, schooled his features into his usual cold indifference, and returned to his bedroom,
leaving Wen Xingxue standing there, holding the lantern, puzzled.
What was that about?
The next day was cloudy, the threatened rain still holding off.
Xing Nuo, carrying his paper lantern, skipped to his classroom and placed it on his desk.
An Zimuo, having completely forgotten about the homework assignment, his face pale, slumped in his chair and wailed.
“I forgot! Waaah!”
Xing Nuo wasn’t surprised. An Zimuo always forgot his homework, either Chinese or math.
Just forgetting his art homework was an improvement!
Almost half the class hadn’t done the assignment, and the others had clearly rushed through it, making Xing Nuo’s slightly imperfect lantern look exquisite in comparison.
The teacher gave Xing Nuo an “Excellent” and hung his lantern behind the blackboard.
Xing Nuo, beaming, would admire his lantern during every break.
At ten o’clock, it was time for their morning exercises.
Xing Nuo, squeezing through the crowd of chattering children, almost squashed flat, reached his class’s designated spot.
He brushed his sweaty curls away from his face, his eyes bright and clear,
and joined the other children, waving his arms and legs, following the broadcast exercises, their movements clumsy and uncoordinated.
Wen Xingxue, invisible, holding a video camera, took several pictures of Xing Nuo, his heart swelling with pride as he watched the little one’s energetic movements.
Xing Nuo’s curls bounced as he jumped, occasionally obscuring his face, and he would quickly brush them aside.
His face, flushed and healthy, looked like a ripe persimmon.
The more Wen Xingxue looked at him, the more his heart melted.
Such a cute little boy, and he’s my son!
He couldn’t believe it.
After the exercises, just as he was about to leave, he saw three older boys walking towards Xing Nuo, shoving and pushing each other.
Wen Xingxue’s eyes narrowed, and he concealed himself, following them.
Xing Nuo, having PE next, went to the stairwell to escape the heat, planning to go to the playground later.
The stairwell was quiet, the other children having returned to their classrooms, and he sat down on a step.
He looked up, seeing the older boys approaching.
They were probably fourth or fifth graders, much taller than Xing Nuo, making him look even smaller.
Xing Nuo, taking his hands off his cheeks, his eyes clear and curious, asked:
“Who you?”
Wen Xingxue, watching from the shadows, his eyes cold and menacing, ready to attack if they tried anything funny.
The boys, pushing each other, one of them stepped forward and offered Xing Nuo a candy, his voice slightly nervous.
“Um, we’re from the upper grades. What’s your name, little sister?”
Xing Nuo and Wen Xingxue both froze.
Wen Xingxue’s mind screamed, No! My precious son is being hit on by these punks!
So, they weren’t here to bully him, but to flirt with him!
Wen Xingxue, his anger exploding, kicked each of them.
The boys, who had just wanted to make friends with the cute little Xing Nuo, yelped, clutching their bottoms, confused.
What just happened?
Did someone kick us?
Xing Nuo, also puzzled, looking at the bewildered boys, didn’t take the candy, but took a couple of steps back.
“I can’t eat candy. Losing teeth. And I’m a boy.”
The boys, having finally mustered the courage to approach him, their faces falling, their earlier confidence crumbling, felt their hearts sink.
“You’re a boy?!”
Not only their bottoms, but their hearts ached now.
Their faces flushed crimson, they mumbled apologies and quickly ran away.
Xing Nuo, taking out the chocolate candy his dad had given him that morning, popped it into his mouth and shrugged.
Wen Xingxue, seeing this, sighed in relief, but his eyes were still cold.
Trying to flirt with my son? Over my dead body!
After PE class.
Xing Nuo went to the restroom and noticed a boy staring at him.
He went to wash his hands, and the boy also came over, still staring, sneaking glances.
“Why you looking at me?” Xing Nuo asked.
The boy chuckled awkwardly and scratched his head.
“Your hair so long…I thought you in wrong westwoom.”
Xing Nuo looked at his reflection in the mirror, touched his hair, and sighed.
It was quite long.
The next day was Saturday, and to avoid further misunderstandings, Xing Nuo went to the hair salon with his brother.
Shen Baizhou also wanted to dye his hair back to black. His silver hair was too conspicuous, making it difficult to skip class.
The hairstylist, recognizing Shen Baizhou, didn’t even have to ask, knowing what he wanted.
He shook out a hairdressing cape, about to put it around Shen Baizhou,
when Shen Baizhou said:
“My little brother first.”
Xing Nuo hummed, climbed onto the tall barber chair, and disappeared under the cape, only his head peeking out.
“Cut vewy short! So no one thinks…I girl.”
The hairstylist chuckled, looking at Xing Nuo’s fluffy curls, which did make him look a bit androgynous.
“Don’t worry, you know my skills. I won’t disappoint you.”
Xing Nuo watched as his hair fell to the floor in clumps, and half an hour later, he looked at his reflection, nodding in satisfaction.
Much better!
Now no one will mistake Zaizai for a girl!
On Monday, Xing Nuo, his hair short and neat, went to school and was immediately surrounded by his classmates.
“Xing Nuo, you got a haircut!”
“Looks good!”
“But long hair pwettier! Xing Nuo looked like pw-incess!”
Xing Nuo was happy with his new haircut, although he preferred long hair, like his dad’s. But to avoid being mistaken for a girl, he would have to wait until he was older to grow it out again.
Thanks to his new haircut, several teachers noticed him and called on him to answer questions, much to his surprise.
After school, An Zimuo, seeing his new haircut, also declared his intention to get one.
But the next day, Xing Nuo saw An Zimuo with puffy, red eyes and a shaved head.
Xing Nuo, startled, patted his shoulder.
“Zimuo, what happened?”
An Zimuo, his face streaked with tears, wailed:
“I said…I want haircut…my cousin said he can cut…then…he shaved my head! Waaah!”
He was so heartbroken that Xing Nuo spent the entire morning trying to comfort him.
Back home, Xing Nuo, thinking about An Zimuo’s shaved head, shuddered.
Lately, he had been more concerned about his hair than his new tooth, checking it every morning in the mirror.
That Friday was the elementary school’s autumn field trip.
Xing Nuo, wearing his favorite hat and backpack, went with his classmates to a mushroom farm in the suburbs.
An Zimuo, excited about the trip, his shaved head temporarily forgotten under his hat, ran around, picking mushrooms.
The mushrooms were cultivated, and the teachers, leading the children, reminded them to watch their step.
Xing Nuo, as he walked, kept touching his hair under his hat, making sure it was still there, then hurried to catch up to the others.
