Chapter 55: Framing
The sky was a purplish blue, and the whole earth seemed to have been thrown into a furnace to be roasted. Even the cicadas on the treetops sounded listless.
The heat wave rolled in, making the summer heat unbearable. In this scorching weather, a sip of iced fruit juice would probably be instantly refreshing to every pore.
Gu Ze pushed the door open and, seeing his grandfather at home, asked, “Grandpa, would you like some plum juice?”
Grandpa Gu’s arms were still a little weak. His cloudy, drooping eyes were fixed on the shy little dumpling at the door, and he coughed out a hoarse, “No need, Little Ze, you drink it yourself.”
Zhou Xiaole followed Gu Ze in first. Seeing an adult present, he sniffled a little uncomfortably and called out, “Grandpa Gu.”
“Good child.” Grandpa Gu didn’t even spare Zhou Xiaole a glance, his gaze still fixed on Fei Nuo.
Nuonuo blinked his eyes, which were clearer than the sky outside, wrung his little hands, and also called out in a small voice, “Hello, Grandpa Gu.”
Although this old man’s gaze was a little scary, Nuonuo was still very polite and greeted him.
Hearing this address, Grandpa Gu’s heart trembled slightly.
What a lifetime! He could actually hear the great villain call him “Grandpa” so obediently?!
Grandpa Gu was even dazed for a couple of seconds, thinking he was in a dream. But a hard pinch on his calloused hand brought him back from the pain, and he was shocked to realize that this was not a dream at all!
Fei Nuo really came to my house?!
Grandpa Gu had originally wanted to take advantage of the fact that the temperature was not as high in the morning as in the afternoon to trim the flower branches, but now that he saw the little villain here, he couldn’t be bothered with anything else.
There must be a problem he had overlooked. He had to figure it out!
And so, Grandpa Gu sat down again, telling himself to stay calm and not to panic. No matter how powerful the villain was, he was now just a two- or three-year-old little dumpling. There was no way he could be exposed.
Gu Ze, on the other hand, went to the small kitchen as soon as he entered the room, took out his thermos, found a clean cup, and poured in more than half of the plum juice.
The moment the cool plum juice touched the warm cup, small water droplets instantly condensed on the cup wall. The purple-red drink, in a transparent cup, looked refreshing and tempting.
“Nuonuo, you drink.”
Gu Ze quickly ran over and handed the plum juice to Nuonuo.
Nuonuo shyly said thank you, held the cup with both his little hands, and took a big gulp of the plum juice.
The cool fruit juice slid down his throat, and the sweet and sour taste lingered on the tip of his tongue, making Nuonuo can’t help but squint his little eyes in pleasure. “So yummy, ya. Thank you!”
Nuonuo gave a sweet smile, his sweet and soft appearance making Gu Ze also happy.
And Zhou Xiaole, on the side, who had been eyeing it for a long time, was drooling. If Gu Ze hadn’t turned to look at him, his drool would have dripped directly onto his neck.
“You drink this.”
Gu Ze poured the rest of the juice from the thermos for Zhou Xiaole and handed it to him with a slight frown.
Zhou Xiaole didn’t notice Gu Ze’s slight dislike and took it with a silly grin, downing it in one gulp.
Drinking the cool drink, Nuonuo finally recovered from his dazed state from the heat and was in the mood to talk to 006. “Liuliu, this is so yummy. You come out quickly, I’ll share it with you!”
006 didn’t know whether to be touched or helpless. It sighed heavily, looked around Gu Ze’s house, and suddenly had an idea. “Nuonuo, you’ve already infiltrated the enemy camp. How about we wait until Gu Ze isn’t looking and go to his room and crush all the bottles he’s collected!”
006 still hadn’t given up on that previous plan. After all, they were villains and couldn’t be merciful to the protagonist just because of a little kindness! And in his detection, the thing Gu Ze cared about most in his house right now was the pile of bottles he had collected. Although 006 couldn’t figure out what was so important about those bottles, as long as it could make the protagonist unhappy, their goal would be achieved!
Nuonuo pursed his lips, feeling that this was a bit wrong… But he was a little villain and had to bully the male lead, Nuonuo thought.
“Alright.” Frowning his little brow, Nuonuo agreed.
The layout of each house in the villa complex was almost the same. The place Grandpa Gu lived in was in a small building behind the Lei family’s villa. All the maids and drivers of the Lei family lived in the small building, and each family had a two-bedroom, one-living-room structure, which was definitely enough for Grandpa Gu and his grandson. Gu Ze even had his own small room.
Gu Ze really liked to be with Nuonuo. Seeing that Nuonuo had finished his plum soup, he actively went to take out his little cookies to treat him.
Grandpa Gu sat on the sofa and, inexplicably, felt that the bright-eyed Gu Ze was like a little puppy wagging its tail behind a child, on the verge of pouncing on him to have his head patted.
When he arrived, he hadn’t heard that the protagonist, as a child, was so fond of this little merman villain.
But Grandpa Gu thought about it carefully and felt that children, being young and ignorant, could easily play together with other children. What’s more, in the original plot, Gu Ze had indeed come to the Lei family after his grandfather died. And since the Lei family and that great villain Fei Zhiyan’s family were so close, it was impossible for them to not meet at all.
Looking at Nuonuo’s soft, fair little face, Grandpa Gu’s heart couldn’t help but sink. It seemed that the other’s well-behaved and cute appearance was just a deceptive illusion!
Otherwise, Grandpa Gu couldn’t figure out why Fei Nuo would have a feud with Gu Ze. It should be known that in the later stages of the plot, the one Gu Ze hated the most and was the most ruthless to was this Fei Nuo. Other villains were killed in one blow, but Fei Nuo, before he died, had his arms and fishtail cut off, making him bleed to death in a miserable and painful way.
At this thought, Grandpa Gu was slightly relieved, thinking to himself that he had to make a plan to make this little villain’s terrifying face appear sooner!
On Gu Ze’s path to becoming an upright male lead, this was definitely an indispensable lesson.
To prevent Gu Ze from going astray and to make him stronger in advance, with the power to fight against the villains, Grandpa Gu had also worried himself sick. He only hoped that the other would not let him down and would awaken his abilities early this time to eliminate them before the villains destroyed the world!
Thinking this, Grandpa Gu hammered his old back and said with a smile, “Gu Ze, you take Xiaole and give the cookies to Xiaoyan to try.”
Gu Ze was propping his little chin on his hands, listening to Nuonuo seriously. Receiving his grandfather’s task, he pursed his lips a little unhappily. But since Lei Xiaoyan would also bring him delicious food, Gu Ze had no choice but to put the cookies in a box and prepare to go out.
“Nuonuo, you don’t have to go. It’s so hot, the little porcelain doll might melt.” Grandpa Gu said with a smile, his squinted eyes filled with affection.
Gu Ze was still young. Hearing his grandfather’s words, he was slightly taken aback. No wonder Nuonuo is so fair. It turns out he’s made of porcelain. Then he can’t go out. It’s too hot outside. It would be bad if he melted.
Thinking this, Gu Ze only took Zhou Xiaole, who was staring at the cookie box with pleading eyes, and went to the front villa.
Nuonuo had originally wanted to follow, but 006 felt this was a good opportunity and quickly stopped him from going out. “Gu Ze is gone. We can destroy his bottles later!”
006 had also found this part. In the plot, when Fei Nuo saw Gu Ze picking up bottles in the villa complex, he had stepped on his bottles with one foot and glanced at him with a disdainful look. From then on, the feud between Fei Nuo and Gu Ze was completely sealed.
But now, Nuonuo was still young, so he wouldn’t do such a hateful thing. Changing the way he destroyed the bottles would have the same result!
Hearing this, Nuonuo pursed his little lips very seriously, the flesh on both sides of his little face also puffed up slightly, revealing a hint of earnestness. “Okay, I will complete the mission!”
Nuonuo, full of ambition, sat back down on the small chair, smacked his little lips, looked at the little cookies on the table, and couldn’t help but take another one. “I’ll go after I finish this little cookie!”
Saying this in his mind, Nuonuo took a big bite and bit off the head of the little bear cookie. The milky-sweet cookie made Nuonuo can’t help but swing his little feet happily, his eyes sparkling.
Grandpa Gu saw the cookie crumbs on the corner of Nuonuo’s mouth, his silly head shaking, and for a moment, he even doubted his own judgment. Could it be, or is there a possibility, that this cub is really silly?
But soon, Grandpa Gu pushed this frightening thought out of his mind and quickly coughed lightly to clear his head. He hasn’t even awakened yet, just a merman cub, and he already has such a strong confounding power! Indeed, the opponent cannot be underestimated!
The truly silly Nuonuo finished his little cookie, licked the cookie crumbs on his hand, and seeing that there were still so many left on the table, he couldn’t help but reach out his little claws…
“Nuonuo, you can’t eat anymore!”
Nuonuo held the little cookie and blinked his eyes. “I’m not eating spicy. Little kids don’t eat spicy! I’m eating sweet cookies.”
006: “…”
“I’m saying you can’t eat any more cookies! Gu Ze is coming back soon, and you haven’t even done your mission yet!”
Nuonuo opened his little mouth and let out an “oh.” He reluctantly put the little cookie back, sighed, swung his legs, and slid off the small chair.
Seeing that he was finally starting to act, 006 was relieved and pointed him in the right direction. “Gu Ze’s bedroom is over there!”
Nuonuo ran over and knocked on the door. “Hello, may I come in?”
006: “You don’t have to knock. There’s no one in this house.”
No, wait. 006 suddenly thought, Grandpa Gu is still at home.
But, 006’s spiritual power scanned the area and surprisingly didn’t see Grandpa Gu’s figure. That’s strange. When did he go out?
But 006’s attention quickly fell back on Nuonuo. The moment Nuonuo knocked on the door, before he could even do anything, the door slowly opened.
“Huh? Gu Ze is so careless. He didn’t even close his bedroom door properly.”
Saying this, 006 quickly urged Nuonuo to go in. “Quick, while no one is here, let’s hurry up and destroy Gu Ze’s bottles. Then he won’t be able to sell them for money!”
Gu Ze had had a strange obsession with money since he was a child. In his previous life, he had also loved to collect gold coins and gold bars. He had once said that he owed his grandfather a lot of money and, having no chance to pay it back, could only work hard to save it for him in his next life.
And at this moment.
Hearing 006’s words, Nuonuo let out a soft “hmm” and walked in with his little legs.
Gu Ze’s bedroom style was very simple, but it was very neat and tidy. Even the garbage bag next to the cabinet was wiped very clean.
Nuonuo walked over and, before he could even stomp on the bottles with his little feet, he saw the bottles suddenly collapse on their own.
