The Whole Family Are Villains, I’m the Group Pet 176

Chapter 176

On Thursday, Xing Nuo faced his first high school placement exam.

The exam room seating was completely randomized, the desks spread far apart.

The students, having found their assigned seats, sighed and groaned, looking at the teacher distributing the test papers with weary resignation.

Xing Nuo, his entrance exam scores excellent, sat in the front row of the first exam room.

He stared at his pen, his mind a jumble of thoughts about the recent events.

The teacher called his name, and Xing Nuo, startled, quickly passed the test papers to the student behind him.

After two days of exams, his head was pounding, the beeping in his mind growing louder, almost deafening.

He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts, and went to the cafeteria for dinner.

The cafeteria was crowded and noisy, the students in their uniforms, their youthful energy filling the air.

Xing Nuo, his appetite small, bought two steamed buns and was walking back to his classroom when he saw An Zimuo.

He walked over and called his name a couple of times, but, getting no response, tapped him on the shoulder.

An Zimuo jumped, his body stiffening, his eyes wide as he looked around.

“Who?! Xing Nuo?”

Seeing Xing Nuo, he relaxed, letting out a long breath.

“You scared me! Why did you sneak up on me like that?”

Xing Nuo, puzzled, tilted his head.

“I called you. Didn’t you hear me? What were you thinking about?”

An Zimuo hesitated, opened his mouth, then just scratched his head.

“Nothing. Just…upset about the exams.”

Xing Nuo, sensing something was off, was about to ask more questions when a classmate called him over, and he had to drop the subject.

During evening self-study, the students, too restless to focus, were comparing answers.

Xing Nuo sat quietly at his desk, his eyes half-closed, his long eyelashes casting shadows on his cheeks.

The girl in front of him, wanting to ask Xing Nuo about the last problem, turned around, saw his fair skin glowing in the lamplight, and thought, He’s so beautiful!

She quickly turned back, her heart pounding, then, unable to resist, secretly took a picture and posted it on the school forum.

Xing Nuo, who had been zoning out lately, noticed the flash and sighed, rubbing his forehead.

After self-study, he left the classroom with his backpack.

An Zimuo, who didn’t ride a scooter, was waiting for him at the scooter parking area.

Xing Nuo, seeing him, hurried over, smiling.

“An Zimuo? Waiting for me? You’re acting strange. Something happen?”

An Zimuo hesitated.

“Let’s go home. I’ll tell you on the way.”

Xing Nuo, sensing his unease, hummed, and they rode home.

As they rode, enjoying the cool evening breeze, An Zimuo suddenly spoke:

“Xing Nuo, do you ever think…your family is a bit…strange?”

Xing Nuo’s eyes widened, and his grip on the handlebars tightened.

The wind ruffled his hair, and he relaxed slightly, forcing a smile.

“What do you mean? Did you find something?”

An Zimuo, Xing Nuo’s close friend, didn’t want to keep secrets.

“I don’t mean your family. I mean…I think my cousin is back. And he’s acting weird.”

An Zimuo’s cousin was the one who had given him that disastrous haircut.

But he had disappeared a few years ago, presumed dead after a hiking accident.

And now, An Zimuo was saying he was back?

“What? Wasn’t your cousin…lost on a hiking trip?”

A suspicion formed in Xing Nuo’s mind, but he didn’t voice it, his expression turning serious.

An Zimuo sighed, his brow furrowed.

“We were close. He lived with us during high school. Like a brother to me.”

“My family was devastated when he disappeared. I had finally moved on, but a few days ago, I heard his voice.”

“Just…floating in the air. Sounds crazy, right? But I’m sure it was him!”

He still couldn’t quite believe it.

“What did he say?”

Xing Nuo stopped the scooter under a tree and looked at An Zimuo.

An Zimuo, still confused and disturbed, didn’t notice Xing Nuo’s intense gaze.

“The first time, he just called my name. Then disappeared. The second time, he said he couldn’t stay long, because he didn’t have enough points. The third time, he told me to befriend you, because your dad is high-ranking…on their leaderboard.”

He hadn’t had a proper conversation with his cousin, just these brief, cryptic messages.

And, “Is my cousin…not dead? Did he go to…that other world?” he wondered.

He had been troubled by this for over a week and had finally decided to tell Xing Nuo.

Xing Nuo nodded, understanding what his cousin meant by “leaderboard.”

“Leaderboard? My daddy is on it?”

An Zimuo was also confused. Wasn’t Xing Nuo’s dad that beautiful, blond man? What did he have to do with a leaderboard?

“I don’t understand. Xing Nuo, do you think…I’m imagining things?”

He had told his mom, but she had just dismissed it as stress and almost taken him to a therapist.

Xing Nuo, looking at the dark sky, licked his dry lips and sighed.

“You’re not imagining. I hear it too.”

An Zimuo, relieved, patted his chest.

“I knew it! I’m not crazy! You hear it too…wait, what?! You hear it too?!”

He was stunned.

“My…my cousin talked to you too?”

Xing Nuo smiled, his eyes sparkling.

“Of course not. An Zimuo, your cousin said…my daddy…high-ranking, right?”

An Zimuo, his mind reeling, stammered: “Your daddy? But your daddy is…here? Do you have…another daddy?!”

Xing Nuo nodded, a proud smile on his face.

“Yes. I have two daddies.”

An Zimuo’s mind short-circuited. Two daddies? And hearing voices?

After a stunned silence, he finally asked:

“So, the voice you hear…is your other dad?”

Xing Nuo nodded, his dimple appearing.

“Yes. I heard it…for long time.”

An Zimuo, still confused, his mind buzzing with questions, asked:

“Did your other dad tell you anything? What’s going on? Are they…dead or alive?”

Wen Xingxue rarely told Xing Nuo anything, especially about the horror world. He and Shen Wen had both kept it a secret.

When he was younger, Xing Nuo hadn’t understood.

But time had clarified things.

Xing Nuo smiled, looking at the twinkling stars.

“My daddy no tell me much. He said…I just be happy and healthy…he’ll take care of everything.”

Wen Xingxue had said that many times.

And Xing Nuo had stopped asking.

An Zimuo, his mind still troubled, sat on the back of the scooter, deep in thought, and only after Xing Nuo called his name did he finally sigh.

“So, you don’t know much either. But my cousin told me…to get stronger.”

Although a bit slow, his intuition was sharp.

“I feel like…something’s going to happen. Like in movies…aliens invading? I don’t know…but Xing Nuo, you be careful too.”

Xing Nuo patted his shoulder, his curls bouncing.

“It’s okay. Nothing will happen. Don’t worry.”

An Zimuo nodded, his mind still troubled, and went home.

Xing Nuo rode back to his apartment, parked the scooter, and took the elevator upstairs.

Shen Yan, in his pajamas, was working on his laptop. He closed it, stood up, and brought Xing Nuo a bowl of soup from the kitchen.

“What did you have for dinner? Did you eat properly?”

Xing Nuo smiled, sitting down at the table, stretching his arms.

“I had buns. But not as yummy as yours, Big Brother.”

He often acted spoiled around his family.

Shen Yan, his sharp features softened by his rimless glasses, his eyes filled with warmth, asked:

“Have some soup. Is high school stressful?”

Xing Nuo sipped the soup, enjoying the warm, savory flavor, and, looking at his brother’s concerned expression, shook his head.

“No. Big Brother, you go sleep. I finish soup…then sleep too.”

With no homework after the exams, he could finally go to bed early.

He lay in bed, his mind racing, thinking about his family, their loving gazes.

A faint sound reached him, a familiar presence.

But the scent was so familiar that he didn’t open his eyes, just pretended to be asleep.

Wen Xingxue stood by the window, gently stroking Xing Nuo’s hair.

“You’ve lost weight. High school must be tiring.”

His voice was low and soft, and after kissing Xing Nuo’s forehead, he turned to leave.

Xing Nuo opened his eyes, watching Wen Xingxue’s retreating figure, his mouth opening slightly, then closing.

Outside his bedroom door,

Shen Wen and Wen Xingxue’s hushed voices reached him.

“Don’t come so late. Xing Nuo is asleep.”

“I was worried. Had to see him. What about you? Did you miss me?”

“You can leave now.”

Xing Nuo, listening to his daddies’ voices, a sense of peace and comfort settling over him, smiled and rolled over, falling asleep.