Chapter 17: Failure
Dan Ran remembered a senior once saying not to use those kinds of seductive methods to attract the attention of the villains in this world. Especially not Fei Jing.
Fei Jing was naturally suspicious. His looks and his personality were two complete extremes; you could say he was black to the bone. There was once a person who used all sorts of tricks to become Fei Jing’s bed partner, only to be personally ended by Fei Jing. But even so, that person was smiling as they died, feeling that being killed by Fei Jing’s own hands was an incredibly happy and blissful thing.
Fei Jing too easily became a belief for others. Even though he was disgusted and disdainful on the inside, as long as he beckoned, people would still flock to die for him.
At this thought, Dan Ran felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over her, chilling her from head to toe. Her mind instantly cleared. In the face of death, any romantic fantasy was just a bubble, bursting with a single poke.
Dan Ran swallowed, the smile on her lips completely gone, replaced by an uncontrollable panic. “No… no, how could I push a child? There must be some misunderstanding.”
Fei Jing didn’t speak, his beautiful eyes raising slightly, a hint of almost imperceptible sarcasm in them.
The director next to them, hearing Fei Jing’s words, widened his eyes and let out an “ah.” “Little Jing, what’s going on? Didn’t this girl save your brother?”
How did she suddenly become the culprit? the director thought. Where did I miss a step? Why can’t I understand?
The viewers watching the live stream were also a little confused, but since most of them were Fei Jing’s fans, they immediately declared their trust in Jingjing, saying this woman looked suspicious!
The onlookers in the mall remained rational, but since they were witnessing the event firsthand, they couldn’t just take a side.
“That can’t be right, was the child not being held by this girl just now?”
“I don’t know, let’s just wait and see.”
The director also found the matter strange. He glanced at Fei Jing, wanting to speak but hesitating.
Fei Jing, on the other hand, pinched Nuonuo’s chubby chin. It was his first time holding a child, but he was surprised to find that the soft, fluffy feeling was actually quite nice.
“Nuonuo, what do you say happened?”
Nuonuo was usually shy in front of many people and had been burying his head in his brother’s neck. Hearing his brother’s words, he slowly lifted his little head. “Baddie, ya. Nuonuo walk, walk, she hwug &% me, plop, faw down.”
Nuonuo tilted his fair little face up, trying very hard to speak. After he finished, he looked at his brother with a serious expression, even the chubby cheeks on either side of his face exuding a hint of earnestness.
The live camera happened to sweep past Nuonuo in Fei Jing’s arms at that moment. The soft, cute little dinosaur with his big, round eyes instantly captured the hearts of countless viewers.
[Wow, our little brother is so cute!]
[Ahhh, I want to sit on him and squish him to death!]
[This little green dinosaur costume is just perfect, it’s so cute on the little cub!]
[Where are all the anti-fans who said Fei Jing’s family was ugly? Why are they so quiet now?!]
The human instinct to love and protect cubs is written in our genes, especially when the cub is this cute. People just wanted to go up and squish him.
Nuonuo didn’t know that many people online were already plotting to kidnap him and take him home. He pointed his little finger at Dan Ran and pouted with a slight grievance. “Baddie!”
Once or twice might be a coincidence, but since Nuonuo had called Dan Ran a “baddie” so many times, the onlookers couldn’t help but become suspicious.
Dan Ran lowered her eyes, took a deep breath, and finally spoke up to defend herself. “I was just afraid the child would get hurt, so I was taking him to find his brother. Then I was accidentally knocked over by the crowd.”
Dan Ran had completely given up on the idea of a romantic encounter with Fei Jing. Fear had already taken over her heart, and her instincts were urging her to leave, quickly!
Fei Jing let out a soft “oh” and sneered. “How did you know Nuonuo is my brother? Did Nuonuo tell you?”
Before this incident, Fei Jing had never revealed that he had a younger brother. Fei Zhiyan was the highest official in Yunzhou. When it came to power, no one could bypass him and dig up information on the other members of the Fei family. Not to mention, Nuonuo had only arrived at the Fei household a few days ago. In such a short time, even Fei Jing was seeing this brother for the first time. How did this woman know so clearly?
If there was nothing suspicious about this, Fei Jing wouldn’t believe it for a second.
Dan Ran’s pupils dilated slightly, and she clenched her fists.
It’s true. Nuonuo never said his brother was Fei Jing.
In fact, Dan Ran had seen Nuonuo at the candy shop entrance earlier. Even if she were taking him to find his brother, it should have been Fei Luo, whom she had seen once. There was no way it could have been Fei Jing.
Opening her mouth, Dan Ran wanted to lie, but such a clumsy lie seemed completely unnecessary. She looked at Fei Jing, and for some reason, for a split second, she felt as if Fei Jing had already seen through everything.
Seeing Dan Ran’s expression, the coldness in Fei Jing’s eyes intensified. This woman is very strange.
She seemed to know a lot of things, yet her personality was so foolish. There was a hint of superiority in her eyes, but when she looked at him, she showed a fear completely different from others. It was as if he had done something unforgivable.
Fei Jing thought about it. If his guess was right, then this would be fun.
Nuonuo tugged at his brother’s clothes, his little brow furrowed tightly. After thinking for a long time, he finally said in his milky voice, “Nuonuo no say!”
Fei Jing looked down at Nuonuo’s incredibly serious little expression, was slightly taken aback, and then suddenly burst out laughing. “Silly little thing.”
I wasn’t asking you. Why are you thinking so hard? And for so long, too.
When Fei Jing laughed, he was as beautiful as layers upon layers of blooming flower petals, making one’s heart tremble just by looking at him.
Nuonuo also liked this beautiful brother very much. He touched Fei Jing’s face with his little hand, grinned, and rubbed against him.
Fei Jing only felt a tickle on his neck. The soft little dinosaur hat was pressed against him, and he felt as if even his fingertips were getting itchy. Fei Jing wasn’t used to such a soft feeling, so he reached out to push his little brother’s head away. But the moment he pushed, Nuonuo stuck back to him, his eyes blinking at him.
Fei Jing: “…”
This little brother feels a bit silly.
Although he felt a little helpless, Fei Jing didn’t push Nuonuo away again.
Just as Fei Jing’s mind was racing, thinking of how to secretly deal with this woman, Fei Luo arrived with the assistant uncle.
Fei Luo had run so fast that his little forehead was slightly sweaty. Seeing his little brother being held safely by Fei Jing, his clenched fists finally relaxed, and he stopped to call out, “Second Brother.”
Fei Jing had no particular feelings for Fei Luo and just gave a cold acknowledgment. “Fei Luo, did you bring little brother here?”
Fei Luo nodded. He still hadn’t recovered from the panic of his little brother going missing, and his lips were a little pale.
The assistant next to him looked even worse. He had already lost Nuonuo once. When he discovered Nuonuo was missing again, he felt like he could just die. “Second Young Master, I didn’t watch the child properly. I’m so sorry.”
Fei Jing just glanced at the assistant, didn’t say much, and continued to ask, “Do you know this woman?”
Fei Luo looked at Dan Ran. Not understanding what was happening, he still nodded. “I saw her at the candy shop. She was mean to little brother.”
The moment Dan Ran saw Fei Luo, she knew her plan was completely ruined. It was her own fault for not paying much attention to the other members of the Fei family beforehand. It was only after contacting “Yingying” that she found out the plot of this world had been changed somehow, and Fei Nuo had arrived at the Fei household early. And he even had a good relationship with Fei Luo and had come to the mall with him today.
She had thought that since Fei Nuo was only two now, and Fei Jing was not yet the vicious character from the later stages of the plot, she had decided to give it a try. It seemed she had overestimated her charm. Seducing him is not going to work, Dan Ran thought.
“I’m sorry.” Seeing that things had come to this, Dan Ran lowered her head and apologized, wanting to quickly put this matter behind her and get far away from Fei Jing.
The onlooker who had spoken up for her before couldn’t help but feel angry. “What’s wrong with you, woman?! You pushed his brother and then pretended to be a good person to take credit! Are you really treating us like fools!”
The director was also stunned, but when he inadvertently glanced at the number of online viewers, he was shocked to find that it had reached several tens of millions! Indeed, the essence of humanity is to love gossip!
Even though the live broadcast had been filming a blank white tile wall since Fei Jing had refused to be filmed, the sound of the confrontation was still recorded, and the netizens quickly pieced together what had happened. In short, this girl had somehow found out about Fei Jing’s brother and put on a show to get attention, only to fail because Fei Jing had never publicly revealed his brother’s information.
[Fuck! This woman is deliberately trying to cause trouble, disgusting!]
[I really thought she had helped the child before. Oh my god, I can’t believe she’s so good at pretending, she’d even stoop to harming a child!]
[She either wanted to take the opportunity to get some money, or she wanted to use this to get close to Fei Jing and make him feel grateful to her. Her scheming is on another level!]
Just as everyone was filled with righteous indignation, Xiao Li, who had finally found her good friend, ran over. Hearing what Dan Ran had done, her pupils dilated in shock. “I’m so sorry, Dan Ran just likes you too much. We will take full responsibility!”
Although she found it unbelievable, Xiao Li still quickly apologized on Dan Ran’s behalf. Dan Ran and Xiao Li were both orphans who had supported each other through university and had finally made it to Yuncheng. Xiao Li couldn’t bear to see Dan Ran go down a path of no return. She knew that Dan Ran had been frantically checking Fei Jing’s schedule recently, but she had just thought Dan Ran had a new idol and wanted to see him at the airport or attend an offline event. She never expected Dan Ran to be so crazy as to do something to harm a child.
Xiao Li couldn’t even believe it. Dan Ran was always the most passionate and righteous person.
Fei Jing was not a good-tempered person. He saw the director sneakily trying to point the camera at him and Nuonuo and directly blocked the lens with his long fingers. “Still filming?”
Fei Jing hated this kind of secret filming, so his tone was tinged with anger.
Faced with Fei Jing’s cold face, the director quickly apologized and told the cameraman to turn off the camera. “Sorry, sorry, I wasn’t paying attention just now.”
In the end, it was the manager who saw that Fei Jing was on the verge of losing his patience. He stepped in, made a phone call, and instead of opting for a private settlement, directly had the police take Dan Ran away.
Before she left, Nuonuo bared his little baby teeth at her with extreme anger.
Seeing Nuonuo’s completely non-threatening little expression, Fei Jing was amused, and his previous annoyance dissipated completely.
Did Father keep this little brother because he’s so silly and cute? Fei Jing couldn’t help but wonder.
“What are you doing, little one?” Fei Jing tapped Nuonuo’s chubby chin.
Nuonuo tilted his little face up, his little brow furrowed in anger as he said, “I’m gonna eat her!”
Fei Jing let out a “tsk,” pinched Nuonuo’s little chin, and looked at his teeth. “You might have to wait a few years for that.”
After all, his teeth haven’t even fully grown in yet.
After all that commotion, the live broadcast naturally couldn’t continue. Fei Jing also disliked this director and simply broke the contract, skipping the rest of the filming and carrying Nuonuo home.
Fei Luo saw Nuonuo being carried away by his second brother and quickly ran after him, the little curls on his head bouncing.
Nuonuo lay on Fei Jing’s shoulder, saw his third brother chasing behind, and anxiously kicked his little legs. “Brother, ya, gettin’ wost!”
Afraid that his third brother wouldn’t be able to keep up, Nuonuo patted his second brother’s shoulder, trying to get him to slow down.
Fei Jing nodded perfunctorily, but his speed didn’t slow down at all. This young master was not the type to accommodate others.
By the time they got to the car, Fei Luo was a little out of breath from running.
Nuonuo, imitating how Auntie Wu would soothe him, patted his third brother’s back and even used a tissue to wipe his face.
“Thank you, little brother.” Fei Luo took his little brother’s chubby hand again, and his heart suddenly felt at ease.
Just now, when Fei Luo had finished changing and came out, he hadn’t seen his little brother outside the door. For a moment, his heart had seized up, and a feeling of fear had almost instantly overwhelmed him. He thought it was because he had been changing that he had lost his little brother. He had asked the assistant uncle several times if his little brother would come back.
Fortunately, he had found his little brother again. At this thought, Fei Luo couldn’t help but smile.
Seeing his brother smile, Nuonuo also grinned foolishly.
Fei Jing watched the interaction between the two and let out a soft “tsk.” In his memory, Fei Luo was withdrawn and reclusive, and besides that doll, he didn’t seem to care about anything. Before, Fei Jing would occasionally tease Fei Luo, but Fei Luo would never speak, which Fei Jing found incredibly boring.
Fei Jing propped his chin on his hand, thinking that it was probably only this silly little cub who could get along with a block of wood like Fei Luo.
The assistant sat in the front, reporting what had happened today to Fei Zhiyan, who couldn’t make it, over the phone. Hearing that his bonus was being docked for his incompetence, the assistant had a long face as he drove the young masters home.
Because they couldn’t find any evidence that Dan Ran had stolen Fei Jing’s information online, and what she had done hadn’t caused any serious consequences, the police could only give her a lecture.
After leaving the police station, Dan Ran followed a worried Xiao Li back to their apartment. She was impatient with Xiao Li’s useless lectures and directly closed her door, trying to contact her friend “Yingying” again.
But for some reason, Dan Ran found that the energy she could use had inexplicably disappeared! She hadn’t been too panicked when she was exposed in public just now, but now, Dan Ran was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, frantically calling for the system.
But all her calls fell on deaf ears. Dan Ran’s system panel showed no signs of appearing.
This is impossible, Dan Ran thought of Fei Jing and shook her head. Fei Jing’s abilities are not like this, and he shouldn’t have grown so strong yet.
She spent the whole night muttering and calling for the system, but since she had no energy, the system couldn’t be summoned. In the end, she was too tired and fell into a hazy sleep.
In her dream, Dan Ran saw flower petals falling from the sky. The petals were small, and most of them were held high on thorny vines. As far as the eye could see, it was a sea of purple clouds.
Dan Ran had completely forgotten that these thorny flowers were exactly the same as the ones she had seen in the mall. She just foolishly immersed herself in the happiness of the sea of flowers, finally lying down on the ground with a smile on her face.
The next day, when Xiao Li came to wake Dan Ran up, she found a thorny vine had inexplicably climbed up her window, and Dan Ran herself looked visibly withered.
Xiao Li was startled. She didn’t even have time to worry about the strange plant on the window and quickly hugged Dan Ran and called for an ambulance.
The check-up didn’t reveal any major problems, just that Dan Ran was severely anemic.
Xiao Li was puzzled. “How could she be anemic? Dan Ran’s health has always been very good.” In school, Dan Ran was someone who could win championships at the sports meet!
Dan Ran, however, knew why. She leaned against the hospital bed, her face pale, the fear in her heart overwhelming her like a tide. Before, she had treated this as a game, but it was only now that she realized how real this world was. So real that she felt a deep sense of despair, so dazed she wanted to escape this place immediately.
She finally understood the pity on the faces of those seniors when they heard she was coming to this world.
Thinking of her mysteriously disappeared energy, the system she couldn’t contact, and the trembling sensation of having her blood sucked in her dream, Dan Ran covered her face and burst into tears.
