Chapter 25: The Crybaby
The golden sun hung high in the sky, which was a deep, almost purple-blue—a perfect day without a single cloud. However, the heat was also gradually rising. On the bustling square, many people already had a thin layer of sweat on their foreheads. But they were still cheerfully strolling along the streets or standing in front of the stage with light-up signs, waiting for the opening performance to begin.
In front of the parking lot, south of the stage, the huge branches of an old locust tree spread out like an umbrella, casting a circle of shade on the ground.
The manager sister stood in the shade, holding Nuonuo. Hearing the woman in front of her say she was Nuonuo’s mother, her brow couldn’t help but furrow.
She was very vigilant. Although Yuncheng’s security was extremely tight, human traffickers had endless tricks up their sleeves. Besides, she was holding Nuonuo, so she couldn’t be too careful.
“You’re Nuonuo’s mother? Why haven’t I heard Nuonuo mention you?” the manager asked cautiously.
The manager didn’t know much about Fei Jing’s family, but she vaguely knew who Fei Jing’s father was, which was why she was generally tolerant of Fei Jing’s various young master tantrums. Although she had only known about Fei Jing having a younger brother for the past two days, she didn’t believe the woman in front of her was Nuonuo’s mother.
When a normal child sees their mother, even if they’re not overly excited, they should at least happily lunge at them, right? But from the moment she saw this woman, Nuonuo had been dazed and unresponsive, even more distant towards this woman than towards herself. With Nuonuo’s clingy nature, how could he possibly be so quiet if he really saw his mother?
There must be something wrong here!
Faced with the manager’s cold words, the woman, Wen Yuan, just frowned slightly, her eyes turning even redder. She was pretty and graceful, with two thin eyebrows. Her red-rimmed eyes were very pitiful, especially when she looked at Nuonuo, the sadness and love in her eyes almost overflowing. If it had been anyone else, they might have thought this woman had some unspeakable secret and, with a sigh, would have given her a chance to explain.
But the manager wasn’t buying it. She had seen all sorts of pretentious “white lotuses” in the entertainment industry, and she could see right through someone like Wen Yuan. So, her voice turned cold again, and she spoke with a sour expression. “We don’t know you. There’s no need to put on such a show to gain sympathy. If there’s nothing else, we’ll be leaving now.”
Wen Yuan quickly stopped her, taking a step forward to touch Nuonuo’s little face, but the manager dodged to the side. “What are you doing? Don’t get so hands-on!”
“I’m sorry. I haven’t seen Nuonuo in so long, I was too excited.”
Tears streamed down Wen Yuan’s face. She really wanted to rush forward and hug the child, to hold him and kiss him. It had been too long since she had held her child, really too long… so long that it felt like a lifetime ago.
Thinking this, Wen Yuan wiped her tears and continued, “I really am Nuonuo’s mother. It’s just that something happened, and I haven’t seen him in a long time.”
The manager didn’t believe her nonsense and curled her lip impatiently. “Something? What happened to you? Even if something really happened and you abandoned Nuonuo, why are you looking for him now? And to just show up like this, isn’t that a bit too presumptuous?”
These questions struck Wen Yuan to the core, tearing open the rotten wounds she was unwilling to face, making her lips turn pale with pain. “I… I’m not…” Wen Yuan, in a daze, was greatly stimulated and covered her head, sobbing softly.
The sun was getting hotter, and Nuonuo’s little face was covered in a layer of sweat. Afraid that the sister was tired, he wanted to get down and walk by himself, but seeing that strange auntie, he shrank his little head back.
“Liuliu, there’s a really strange auntie blocking our way.”
The word “mother” had never appeared in Nuonuo’s life, so he didn’t quite understand its meaning, only feeling that this auntie was very strange.
006, on the other hand, had been in a state of data chaos since Wen Yuan appeared. Seeing the pained and self-reproachful Wen Yuan, 006 was also at a loss for words. It could only temporarily stabilize the program, which was prone to bugs when shocked, and comfort Nuonuo. “It’s okay, Nuonuo. You listen to the manager sister. I need to go see what’s going on. How did Wen Yuan suddenly become like this?”
With that, 006 temporarily went into hibernation to investigate what was wrong.
Nuonuo, on the other hand, nodded obediently. “Then I’ll wait for Liuliu to come back.”
Just as he finished communicating with 006, Nuonuo heard a sound that pierced the clouds. Not just them, but everyone in the square heard the trembling music. In that instant, everyone’s gaze converged on the central stage.
The parking lot wasn’t far from the stage. Nuonuo stretched his little neck and saw the sparkling person on the large screen in front of the stage.
It’s Nuonuo’s second brother!
Nuonuo’s bright black eyes also seemed to be filled with crushed stars, sparkling brightly as he stared unblinkingly at the person on the large screen on the stage.
The moment Fei Jing appeared, screams erupted from the girls in the square. In the hot weather, the heat wave, combined with the sound wave, rose higher and higher.
Nuonuo also waved his little fists, happily baring his little teeth and shouting towards the stage in his milky voice. “Brother! Brother, ya!”
On the large screen, Fei Jing tilted his head, his blond hair curving at a perfect angle. His light-colored eyes were dyed gold by the sun and his hair, even more brilliant and gorgeous than gemstones.
The girls screamed loudly. Hearing the shouts below, Fei Jing raised a finger and gently shushed them. The sound wave instantly receded like the tide, and the screams stopped in an instant.
Seeing his second brother’s action, Nuonuo also quickly covered his mouth with his little hands, afraid that his little milky voice would affect his second brother.
The manager sister saw Nuonuo cover his mouth, revealing only his two big, round eyes, looking both clever and silly. She couldn’t help but purse her lips and let out a soft laugh.
Hearing the sister laugh, Nuonuo quickly shook his head. “No… no, ya—”
Nuonuo whispered with his mouth covered, then glanced at his second brother on the stage, as if to say, Second Brother is still up there, so we’re not talking!
The manager sister smiled and nodded, also responding in a whisper. “Okay—”
As soon as she finished speaking, the music on the stage started again. Fei Jing’s highly recognizable youthful voice carried a magical quality that made people unconsciously fall for him, go crazy for him, as if they were addicted to him.
After one song, the atmosphere in the square was completely stirred up, and the open day was officially declared to have begun!
Nuonuo tilted his little neck up. It wasn’t until his brother’s figure disappeared from the large screen that he slowly took his little hand off his mouth. “Brother is there, ya. Nuonuo go find brother!”
It was one thing not to see him, but once he did, Nuonuo wiggled his body, eager to find his second brother.
The manager sister was about to say that Fei Jing would be coming to find them soon, but before she could speak, Wen Yuan cut her off. “Nuonuo, don’t go looking for Fei Jing! You have to stay away from him, you know?!”
Wen Yuan had just had a quiet cry, and the corners of her eyes were still red, but her eyes were filled with fear. She eagerly stepped closer to Nuonuo, wanting to tell him that Fei Jing was not a good person! Her once-gentle appearance now looked a little crazed. She stubbornly tried to grab Nuonuo’s hand, but her red-rimmed eyes scared Nuonuo badly.
“Brother, I want brother.”
Seeing Wen Yuan’s slightly crazed look, Nuonuo tightly hugged the manager sister’s neck, afraid, wanting to find his brother for a hug.
Wen Yuan’s voice became a few decibels shriller, her eyes widening slightly. “I’m your mother! I won’t harm you, you know?! You stay away from Fei Jing and Fei Han! They’re not good people!”
“Wuuu—Brother…”
Completely frightened, Nuonuo’s tears streamed down. His little chest hitched with sobs as he tried to go to the stage.
The manager sister didn’t expect this woman to suddenly go crazy. She took a few steps back, and after the bodyguards by her side stopped her, she quickly carried Nuonuo towards the underground parking garage.
This person must have mental problems! the manager thought with some lingering fear. I should have run the moment I saw her!
Wen Yuan was blocked by several tall bodyguards. She watched helplessly as Nuonuo was taken away, her tears no longer able to be suppressed, flowing like a broken dam.
Nuonuo, Mommy’s Nuonuo is still alright! Wen Yuan covered her mouth and cried bitterly. This time, I won’t give you up, no matter what!
Inside the car, the manager turned on the air conditioning. When the cool air came on, she took out a tissue and wiped the tears from Nuonuo’s little face. “Don’t cry, Nuonuo. Your brother will be here to find you soon.”
Nuonuo blinked his moist, bright black eyes, wiped the tears from his eyelashes with his little hand, and couldn’t help but let out a little sob. “Brother… brother, where is he, ya?”
The manager sighed. She had just gently comforted Nuonuo a couple of times when she saw the car door open, and Fei Jing, wearing a black hat, bent down and got in.
“Let’s go first. Don’t get blocked by the fans.”
The manager was very skilled at handling these things. She nodded and went to communicate with the driver.
Fei Jing was wearing a mask, and his voice sounded a little hoarse. Nuonuo next to him stared with his little mouth open for a long while before he recognized that this heavily covered person was his second brother.
Just as Fei Jing took off his hat and mask, he saw the little crybaby lunge into his arms and, not surprisingly, raised an eyebrow. “What’s wrong? Why is the little sticky rice ball crying?”
Nuonuo’s little face was flushed pink. He buried his face in his brother’s chest and shook his little head. “No, ya. Nuonuo no cwy.”
“Oh, come on.”
Fei Jing pinched Nuonuo’s little face, amused, but still lifted the little one into his arms. “Tell me, why were you crying? Were you scared because there were too many people here?”
Nuonuo felt he was a big kid now and was embarrassed to talk about his crying. He swung his little feet and pursed his lips, refusing to answer. “Brother eat candy, ya. Candy is sweet, sweet!”
Nuonuo, who had learned to change the subject without being taught, held up the little bunny cotton candy he hadn’t been willing to eat and offered it to his brother.
But when the cotton candy was held in front of Fei Jing, Nuonuo froze. The once-fluffy and soft cotton candy bunny had now shrunk into a small ball, the sugar threads all tangled together, looking rather ugly.
“My… my candy is gone!”
Pouting, he finally couldn’t hold it back, and the tears that had just been held back not long ago fell again.
Crying so sadly, Nuonuo even held the cotton candy forward for his brother to see. “My candy was eaten by someone, wuuu—”
Fei Jing’s lips curled up, and he burst out laughing, his blond hair bouncing cheerfully.
Compared to Nuonuo’s sad little face, Fei Jing looked a little too much like he was gloating, which made the manager sitting in the front row couldn’t help but roll her eyes at him. “You’re still laughing? You’ve made Nuonuo cry!”
Fei Jing let out a couple of “tsk”s and leaned back in his seat. “How did I make him cry? I didn’t eat the cotton candy.”
At the mention of this, Nuonuo became even sadder, his eyes red-rimmed, tears hanging on his eyelashes, on the verge of falling.
“Aiya, alright, alright, I was wrong. I shouldn’t have laughed.” Seeing the little dumpling start to cry again, Fei Jing quickly spoke up.
And so, Fei Jing coaxed and explained for a long time before Nuonuo reluctantly accepted the explanation that “the sugar melted because it was too hot.”
Wiping his tears with his little hand, Nuonuo held the cotton candy forward again. “Brother eat.”
Fei Jing flicked the stray lock of hair on Nuonuo’s forehead, a hint of a smile rippling in his light-colored eyes. “I’m not eating. I don’t like sweets. You eat it quickly, or it’ll all melt soon.”
Nuonuo held it up for a while. Seeing that his brother really wasn’t going to eat it, he took the candy back and started to eat it in small bites himself.
In the end, Nuonuo still couldn’t help but pout sadly. My big ball of candy is so small now. It’s gone in just two bites!
