Chapter 51: The Consequences
The meeting Fei Zhiyan was in today had basically gathered all the big shots of Yuncheng. It had been going on from morning until night and still wasn’t over.
Seeing that the sky had completely darkened, Fei Zhiyan, who was usually a workaholic, had been somewhat absent-minded ever since he received the phone call from Auntie Wu in the morning saying that Nuonuo had run off. He simply raised his hand and suspended the meeting.
“We’ll continue tomorrow.”
Fei Zhiyan felt that he still needed to go home and have a good talk with Nuonuo. How could such a small little one run out by himself?
Zhao’s mother, in her high heels, saw Fei Zhiyan’s car approaching in the parking garage, and her expression became slightly anxious. “Mr. Fei, my car has run out of gas. Could you give me a ride?”
At that time, Fei Zhiyan only glanced at her coolly with his cold eyes, as if trying to remember who she was.
Zhao’s mother didn’t expect that after living in the same complex as Fei Zhiyan for so many years, she still hadn’t left an impression on him. She was so embarrassed she wanted to find a hole to crawl into.
“I’m also from your complex. Speaking of which, my son seems to be about the same age as your little son. Does your son also go to kindergarten?”
Zhao’s mother had heard that Fei Zhiyan cared a lot about his little son and subconsciously led the conversation to this topic.
Sure enough, Fei Zhiyan lowered his eyes and pondered for a moment. After a while, he signaled for the driver to open the door and let Zhao’s mother in.
“Are there any good kindergartens around the villa?”
Fei Zhiyan thought of the little one running around all day with nothing to do and felt that he should find a kindergarten for him. But he didn’t know much about this, which was why he had let Zhao’s mother in the car, to ask her some questions along the way.
Zhao’s mother was well-prepared. She listed several good kindergartens in Yuncheng and gave her recommendations and suggestions.
Fei Zhiyan secretly took note, thinking that when he had time, he would still need to go and see them for himself. After all, it was the child’s first time going to school, so he had to choose carefully.
And so, the two of them, who had a rather pleasant conversation, returned to the villa entrance together.
Who knew that the moment Zhao’s mother got out of the car, before she could even compliment Fei Zhiyan a couple of times, she saw her son lying on the ground, unconscious.
“Xiaodong?! What’s wrong with you! Don’t scare Mommy!”
Zhao’s mother doted on this little son of hers to the extreme. You could tell from the way she had spoiled Zhao Xiaodong into a brat.
Now, seeing her son’s face full of injuries and a big, purple bump on his head, Zhao’s mother forgot to pay attention to her image for a moment, her voice becoming a little shrill.
“Who pushed my son?! Stand up for me!”
Zhao’s mother was so angry her chest was heaving. Her fierce eyes swept over the few of Zhao Xiaodong’s little brothers who were still crying, and she gritted her teeth and continued angrily, “Xiaocheng, you tell me what happened! Who did this to my Xiaodong?”
While calling the doctor, Zhao’s mother stared at the child, waiting for him to speak.
Zhao Xiaodong’s little brothers were already so scared by this series of events that they couldn’t stop. Snot and tears smeared all over their faces. They grabbed the bodyguard uncle’s trousers and hid behind him, not daring to make a sound.
After a long while, a little brother finally wiped his tears and said, out of breath, “Auntie Zhao, is… is Xiaodong dead? Wuuu—”
Zhao’s mother’s eyes widened in anger, and she roared, “What nonsense are you talking about?! Our Xiaodong is fine! If I find out who harmed Xiaodong, I won’t let them off lightly!”
Amidst the rising and falling cries of the children, Zhao’s mother’s voice was still extremely penetrating, reaching the ears of everyone present.
And Nuonuo, who had lunged at his papa after seeing him, was now being held in Fei Zhiyan’s arms, looking at Zhao’s mother with a dazed expression.
“Xiaodong… Xiaodong is a bad kid.”
Perhaps because Zhao’s mother had just finished shouting, the scene suddenly became quiet for a few seconds. Therefore, although Nuonuo’s voice was small, Zhao’s mother still heard it.
“What nonsense are you talking about! Whose family are you from? How can you be so impolite…”
Zhao’s mother turned her head, her anger simmering. Seeing the person holding the child, the angry expression on her face froze in an instant.
“Mr… Mr. Fei… I’m sorry, I was too anxious. My child is lying here, and I don’t know if he’s alive or dead, so I couldn’t control my temper… You’re also a parent, so you can definitely understand this feeling, right?”
At this moment, Zhao’s mother’s easily-angered nature finally calmed down, and she stammered, quickly trying to remedy the situation.
Most of the people living in this area were not as powerful as her husband. Zhao’s mother was used to being domineering outside, and it wasn’t the first time she had caused a scene at someone else’s house, and it was considered light if she didn’t skin them alive.
That was why she had made a scene regardless of the consequences when she saw her son’s miserable state.
She was too skilled at using her power to oppress others, and she was not a tolerant person. The moment something happened, she would subconsciously look for trouble with others.
But in her impulsiveness, she had also forgotten that she was still at Mr. Fei’s house.
By the time her mind cleared, she looked up and saw the faint smile on Fei Zhiyan’s face, and an inexplicable shiver ran down her spine.
Fei Zhiyan’s silver-rimmed glasses reflected a silver light under the streetlights, making his eyes hard to see, but the curve of his lips was definitely not friendly.
“Mrs. Zhao, perhaps your son lying here is because he brought it upon himself?”
Hearing Fei Zhiyan’s words, Zhao’s mother’s hands trembled. She didn’t dare to lose her temper anymore and forced an ugly smile. “That’s right. I didn’t get the situation clear. Xiaodong has always been a well-behaved child. I, as a mother, was just anxious.”
Fei Zhiyan was not an empathetic person. He let out a contemptuous scoff. “What’s there to be anxious about? Things have to be settled one by one. Don’t worry, it’s your fault, and others won’t take the blame.”
Fei Zhiyan’s icy tone made Zhao’s mother’s heart skip a beat. She still wanted to save her and her child’s image in front of Fei Zhiyan, but she was blocked by a few bodyguards who had walked over, so scared she couldn’t speak.
“What are you a bunch of kids doing here?”
Perhaps because Fei Zhiyan’s voice was too cold, the few children shrank their shoulders and trembled. Finally, a slightly braver one let out a sob and said, “Xiaodong said he was going to take us here to beat up Nuonuo.”
“Beat up who?”
Fei Zhiyan’s face instantly turned dark. He glanced over, and his cold gaze directly scared the child into a wail.
Nuonuo lay on Fei Zhiyan’s shoulder, also pouting and frowning his little brow. He whispered in his papa’s ear, “Papa, they want to beat me up, ya—”
Fei Zhiyan couldn’t help but turn his face slightly. Seeing Nuonuo still flashing his little baby teeth at him with a big heart, he was so angry he laughed. “You can still laugh knowing they want to beat you up? Who did you get this carefree nature from?”
Fei Zhiyan himself had a vengeful personality. He probably would have never thought that he would one day give birth to such a silly little merman cub.
Rubbing his forehead with a slight headache, Fei Zhiyan didn’t want to waste his breath on this group of people. He tilted his chin and signaled to the bodyguard. “Hand them over to the police. Trespassing, group brawling… I don’t need a private settlement. Just get a lawyer and press for a heavy sentence.”
Hearing Fei Zhiyan’s words, Zhao’s mother felt as if she had fallen into an ice cellar. Half of her body went cold. She struggled to take two steps forward but was blocked by a few bodyguards again. “Mr. Fei, it’s just children fighting. We don’t have to make it so ugly…”
Seeing that Zhao’s mother was finally panicked, Fei Zhiyan let out a soft laugh. “Don’t you like to make a big scene? Don’t worry, this time it will definitely be to your liking.”
The moment these words came out, Zhao’s mother’s legs went weak, and she slumped to the ground, her face as if all her energy had been drained, completely devoid of her previous arrogance.
Everything she had carefully planned and arranged, her beautiful and smooth career had just begun, but because of her little son, it was all ruined.
Zhao’s mother couldn’t even imagine her future. She held her breath and took her son home, even sending away the doctor she had called halfway.
After Zhao Xiaodong slowly woke up, Zhao’s mother slapped him, which directly stunned him.
The little tyrant, Zhao Xiaodong, started to cry and throw a tantrum at his mother. Then Zhao’s father came back, and upon hearing from his mother what Zhao Xiaodong had done, he gave his son a mixed doubles beating.
The other children were taken away by their parents, who had rushed over, and they left the villa with repeated apologies.
Gu Ze also left with the crowd. At the main gate, he turned back to look at Nuonuo, who was lying in his papa’s arms, and gave him a small wave.
Nuonuo found it very novel. It was probably the first time someone had waved goodbye to him, so he also imitated the other’s action and waved his little hand.
Seeing this, Gu Ze pursed his lips and ran out with a smile in his eyes.
The commotion finally came to an end, and the villa returned to its tranquility.
Fei Zhiyan carried the sleepy Nuonuo back into the house, placed the little dumpling on the bed, and bent down slightly to be at eye level with him.
“Did you get into a fight with someone outside today?”
Nuonuo let out a soft “ya,” tilted his little head, and thought to himself, How did Papa know I got into a fight?
“I… I… I’m sorry.”
Nuonuo, feeling he had done something wrong, lowered his eyes, twisted his little hands in an anxious tangle, and didn’t dare to look up at his papa.
“You know you were wrong? What were you wrong about?”
Fei Zhiyan felt it was necessary to give the little one a good lesson. To cause such a big trouble so casually, what if he got hurt?
At this thought, Fei Zhiyan, for some reason, felt a sudden pain in his heart.
Nuonuo whimpered and, after a long while, finally said, “I shouldn’t have fought with people. That would make me a bad kid.”
Fei Zhiyan saw Nuonuo standing on the bed, his lips pursed, his cheeks slightly puffed up, his fair, soft, and pitiful little appearance making it impossible for him to get angry.
“That’s not right. You weren’t wrong for fighting with people, but for not calling your brothers to go with you.”
Otherwise, none of this would have happened.
Whether it was Fei Jing or Fei Luo, they were like gods of death to that group of children. If they had gone, would they have let the little one suffer so much?
Hearing his papa’s words, Nuonuo wrinkled his little nose in confusion. He felt that something was not right, but he couldn’t say what it was.
“Then… then I’ll go with my brothers next time, ya,” the very obedient Nuonuo said softly.
Only then did Fei Zhiyan nod with slight satisfaction. “Just remember. You have a bunch of brothers. They’re not just for show. They’ll naturally have your back.”
Nuonuo nodded obediently. Seeing that his papa didn’t seem so angry anymore, he clingily pressed against his neck again.
Time gradually moved to the latter half of the night, and the people in the villa had all fallen asleep.
Zhou Xiaole, who was still hanging on the fence, was also dozing off. But when he tilted his head, his clothes tore in half with a rip, and he fell directly from the fence.
He rubbed his bruised head, pouted, and wiped his tears as he ran home.