Chapter 121: The End of Childhood
The white clouds still floated in large patches in the sky. The sun hid behind the clouds, its scattered light falling in beams onto the snow, making the whole earth shine with a brilliant warmth.
On the snowdrift in front of Nuonuo, the sun shone brightly. He was wearing red leather boots and was stomping on it with all his might.
In a short while, two small footprints were left on the snowdrift.
Lin Mian, rubbing his forehead, came over from the staff dormitory behind. He happened to see Nuonuo, like a little glutinous rice ball that had come to life, bouncing around on the snowdrift.
“Brother Lin Mian! You’re here!”
Nuonuo gave up on leaving his little footprints on the snow and bounced over to Lin Mian, looking up at him with pleading eyes. “Brother Lin Mian, when are we going? I want to perform the piano for Papa and my brothers!”
Lin Mian looked down and saw Nuonuo’s expectant and nervous gaze. His little fists were even clenched tightly, clearly very much looking forward to today’s trip.
Originally, Lin Mian was also looking forward to today…
But thinking of the sentence Stone had whispered in his ear before he left, Lin Mian’s gaze on Nuonuo couldn’t help but be tinged with a bit of guilt.
Fei Jing, holding a cup of hot milk with difficulty, walked over slowly. Seeing Lin Mian’s dazed look, he couldn’t help but let out a light scoff.
“Nuonuo, come and drink your milk.” Fei Jing said with his pockets in his hands, his eyes casually lowered.
Only then did Nuonuo run back. He held the cup with both his little hands and drank the hot milk in one go.
A circle of milk foam was on his mouth. Nuonuo let out a “wow” and was once again conquered by the sweet and fragrant hot milk.
“So yummy!”
Fei Jing looked at the little one’s exaggerated little expression, let out a light laugh, pinched the chubby flesh on his cheek, and took the cup back.
“When are we leaving?”
Fei Jing stood up. His golden hair was still dazzling in the winter, but it was inevitably tinged with a bit of the winter’s cold air, making him seem a little unapproachable.
Lin Mian was very timid towards this great beauty who would be sharp-tongued and confrontational at the slightest disagreement. He shrank his neck and said, “In a little while. Didn’t Nuonuo also invite his little friend, Gu Ze?”
This was Nuonuo’s first piano performance. The little one had been so excited last night that after dinner, he had run to make a phone call, inviting his three good friends to come and watch.
Lei Xiaoyan, Zhou Xiaole, and Gu Ze had all agreed at once, saying they would definitely be on time tomorrow.
As they were talking, Lei Xiaoyan’s loud voice came from the villa entrance.
“Nuonuo—we’re here—”
Nuonuo covered his little ears and replied, “I hear you—”
The three little ones gradually appeared from a distance.
Gu Ze ran over, panting, a bouquet of sunflowers in his arms.
The sunflowers seemed to have a vigorous vitality in the winter, easily pulling people into a lively and cheerful atmosphere, especially against the backdrop of the vast white snow, they were so brilliant that one could notice them at a glance.
Nuonuo tilted his head and let out a small “ya.” “Gu Ze, are you going to sell flowers?”
Gu Ze had often held a large pile of things and set up a stall on the street before.
Nuonuo would from time to time squat behind the stall with him, propping his little face in his hands and looking at the passersby with pleading eyes.
Many adults, seeing how cute they were, would smile and pick a couple of things.
Don’t look at how young Gu Ze was, but among the four children, he was definitely a “big rich man”!
As for Nuonuo’s pocket, it was cleaner than his little face. He couldn’t even take out fifty cents to buy a candy.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have gone to set up a stall with Gu Ze. Every time they earned money from the stall, Gu Ze would use it to buy candies and small cakes for Nuonuo.
Therefore, seeing Gu Ze come over with a bouquet of flowers, Nuonuo would naturally say so.
But this time, Gu Ze shook his head and said, “No, this is to be given to you after your performance.”
After receiving Nuonuo’s phone call last night, Gu Ze had stayed up all night watching TV, cramming on the rules of piano performance competitions.
He had seen many little friends receive flowers on stage after their performance.
Gu Ze felt that what other little friends had, Nuonuo must also have!
So he had deliberately gotten up early in the morning, smashed his little piggy bank, and ran to the flower supermarket in the complex to buy a bouquet of flowers.
At that time, the moment he saw the sunflowers, he felt that they were very much like Nuonuo, passionate and brilliant, particularly beautiful!
When he gave them to Nuonuo after the performance, he would definitely be happy!
It was also because he had run an extra distance that the three of them were late.
Hearing that the flowers were for him, Nuonuo’s eyes couldn’t help but widen. He let out a surprised “wow” and reached out his little hands to poke the sunflower petals. “Thank you, Gu Ze!”
And Fei Zhiyan on the side, who had carefully dressed up and was full of a sense of ceremony to attend his little son’s first performance, let out a light hiss in his heart when he saw the flowers in Gu Ze’s arms, thinking to himself that he had lost.
This kid is only three?
Fei Zhiyan’s eyes narrowed, thinking to himself, How come he has so many little tricks?
Seeing Gu Ze, Lin Mian was relieved. He looked at his watch and quickly said, “Let’s go! Otherwise, we’ll miss the morning competition!”
Two cars drove into the performance hall where the competition was being held, one after the other.
Nuonuo held Brother Lin Mian’s hand and jumped out of the car. He followed him to the registration point with his every step and changed into his performance clothes backstage, preparing to go on stage.
The rest of the people went in through the main entrance and sat in the audience, waiting for the little pianist Nuonuo to appear.
The waiting hall backstage was filled with many little friends waiting. Their teachers or parents were accompanying them, cheering them on.
Lin Mian had always been talkative and dense before, but today he seemed to be out of it, his eyes vacant, his fingers so nervous he was clutching his pants.
Nuonuo was also a little nervous. He secretly ran to the side of the curtain with the other little friends and looked out, finding that there were so many people below the stage!
But the thought that his papa and brothers were watching him from below, Nuonuo was once again filled with courage!
Nervously kicking his little legs, Nuonuo saw the sweat on Brother Lin Mian’s forehead, and his expression was so complicated that Nuonuo couldn’t understand. He quickly reached out his little hands and patted Brother Lin Mian’s back. “Brother Lin Mian, don’t be nervous! You don’t have to perform on stage. Nuonuo will go!”
Nuonuo’s words made the other adults who were comforting their children laugh. One of them laughed a couple of times and gave Nuonuo a thumbs-up.
Nuonuo’s little face was red as he accepted the other’s praise. He lowered his little head and giggled secretly.
Hearing Nuonuo comforting him in turn, the string in Lin Mian’s heart that had been taut seemed to have relaxed. He rubbed Nuonuo’s little head and didn’t say much more.
There were quite a few little friends who had signed up for the competition today, and there were more than ten in front of Nuonuo. Lin Mian looked at the waiting time, stood up, and said to Nuonuo, “Brother is going to the bathroom. You follow the big sister staff member, you know?”
Nuonuo nodded obediently and sat in his waiting little chair, watching Brother Lin Mian run out in a hurry.
But not long after, Nuonuo covered his little belly and suddenly found that he also wanted to go to the bathroom.
Turning his little head, Nuonuo saw that the big sister staff member was busy. He peeked his head out and looked down the hallway, finding that the bathroom was right next door.
His little eyes lit up, and he quickly ran over with his little feet.
After he came out of the bathroom, Nuonuo stood in front of the children’s sink, carefully washing his little paws with water.
But before he could even dry his hands, Nuonuo’s peripheral vision caught sight of Brother Lin Mian.
Next to him was Gu Ze, who should have been sitting in the front.
With a little “huh,” Nuonuo wanted to call out to Brother Lin Mian and say he was here, but he found that Brother Lin Mian was walking too fast and didn’t hear his voice at all.
Scratching his little chin with his wet little hands, Nuonuo thought to himself, Could Brother Lin Mian be lost?
That’s not good. What if he gets lost?
Nuonuo toddled with his short little legs and ran in the direction Brother Lin Mian had gone.
The place Lin Mian and Stone had agreed on was the rooftop of the performance hall.
The moment he went up, Lin Mian was so blinded by the sudden gust of wind that he squinted his eyes and quickly wrapped his cotton coat tightly around him.
Gu Ze, who had followed him, turned his head and looked around. “Brother Lin Mian, there’s no one here.”
As soon as his voice fell, a black virtual shadow shot out from behind them and gradually condensed into a solid shadow.
“Brother Shi?”
Lin Mian opened his mouth with a complicated expression, thinking to himself, How did you end up in this ghostly state?
You don’t even have a body anymore?!
Stone had almost been pushed to a dead end by Fei Zhiyan. To be able to condense into a solid shadow now was because he had accumulated a lot of energy before. Otherwise, he would have long since had his soul scattered!
“Gu Ze?”
Stone’s voice was hoarse and blurry, as if it were about to dissipate into the air.
Gu Ze frowned and pointed at this ball of blackness. “Are you a person?”
Stone let out a scoff. “Does it matter if I’m a person or not?”
Gu Ze looked at the virtual shadow opposite him, and his memory gradually overlapped with the day his grandfather had died.
At that time, a similar ball of something had also emerged from his grandfather’s body and had pounced on them with a menacing aura…
At this thought, Gu Ze lowered his head, his little fists couldn’t help but clench. “You’re a group!”
It was clear that Gu Ze had already classified the person who had killed his grandfather and Stone as the same kind.
But they were indeed the same kind of people. Although their methods were different, they were all unscrupulous for the same purpose.
Stone let out a cold laugh. “That’s right. But you have to know that we’re all here to help you!”
They were the righteous side and should have stood together to defeat these great villains like Fei Zhiyan.
But he didn’t know which step had gone wrong, which had led to Gu Ze and Fei Nuo getting closer and closer.
In fact, Stone even felt that with the current relationship between Gu Ze and Fei Nuo, if Fei Nuo were to destroy the world at that time, Gu Ze would probably even hand him a knife!
After observing in the dark for a while, Stone finally couldn’t sit still. He was afraid that if he let things develop like this, there would never be a day when Gu Ze would confront the villains.
If the final decisive battle did not come, how could Gu Ze awaken his ability and turn back time again?
Stone’s biggest secret was that he had personally experienced a restart of time and space.
In that life, the Number Six system, as the main system sent by the main world, was responsible for managing and leading their group of task-doers.
Unfortunately, even with the help of them, several task-doers and systems, in the final battle, Gu Ze still couldn’t completely defeat Fei Zhiyan and even had to use his own ability to turn back time and space again.
This last rewind had actually brought time back by almost twenty years!
Stone had returned from the battlefield to the transmigration department in an instant, his whole person still not having recovered from the terrifying atmosphere of the decisive battle.
The other several transmigrators who had gone on the mission together were also all dazed.
But this time, after having suffered a lot, the other several transmigrators had all chosen to give up this mission and had quickly taken on other easier missions and slipped away.
Stone, on the other hand, looked at the mission at the top of the mission hall, thought for a long time, and finally pressed “agree.”
Since Gu Ze can turn back time, so what if he can’t succeed?
Time will rewind again anyway. He just needs to try out the most reliable way to fight against the villains in these cycles, right?
And so, Stone, who wanted to take a gamble, not only took on the mission but also used the BUG that this world would restart, violated the system’s rules, and took the other transmigrators with him to soul-transmigrate, saving a lot of energy.
In his prediction, this life would definitely not be successful.
They would restart again and return to the mission hall. All the transmigrators were on the same boat as him, so no one would leak the secret of soul transmigration.
And in this life, Stone had deliberately not cared about the other transmigrators, watching silently from behind, wanting to try out which method would be effective, to prepare for the next world restart.
But who would have thought that all of this would take a strange turn? Stone watched as the villains gave up on destroying the world one by one, and finally couldn’t help but panic.
Stone now had no choice but to personally have Gu Ze awaken his ability and start over.
“Don’t worry. In the next life, I will find Fei Nuo early and completely strangle him in the cradle!”
Knowing that the root of the change was in Fei Nuo, Stone said with a cold snort.
Hearing this, Gu Ze panicked and shouted at him, “You’re not allowed to harm Nuonuo!”
“I won’t harm him. You should be worried about yourself now!”
With that, Stone, a ball of black shadow, pounced on Gu Ze.
Gu Ze quickly lifted his arm to cover his face, and Lin Mian on the side also had his heart racing. He quickly held him in his arms.
Seeing the black shadow getting closer and closer, Lin Mian couldn’t help but complain in his heart, Fei Zhiyan, you big BOSS, why are you so slow! The people here are about to die!
Just then, a small figure suddenly appeared from the top of the stairs.
Nuonuo poked his little head out, let out a little “huh,” and happily shouted, “Brother Lin Mian, you went the wrong way! The bathroom is not here!”
The suddenly appearing Nuonuo happily ran towards them, his little body directly blocking between the black shadow and Lin Mian.
Lin Mian’s eyes widened instantly, his throat tightening as he watched Nuonuo slowly turn his little head and meet a ball of black shadow.
The wind from the black shadow blew Nuonuo’s bangs up, making his eyes can’t help but half-squint, half-close.
But when this ball of consciousness body pounced on Nuonuo’s cheek, the air fluctuated a couple of times, and the black shadow was pulled to the left at an imperceptible speed, passing through several walls and being pinched in Fei Zhiyan’s hand.
Pinching this ball of black shadow, Fei Zhiyan’s heart pounded wildly, his fingertips couldn’t help but tremble a couple of times.
Fei Zhiyan, who was sitting in the hall in a suit and leather shoes, waiting to watch Nuonuo’s performance, had not at all expected that Nuonuo would suddenly run over.
Pursing his lips, Fei Zhiyan, because of the matter of Gu Ze wanting to give Nuonuo flowers this morning, had wanted to use this to teach him a small lesson.
Closing his eyes slowly, Fei Zhiyan let out a cold snort in his heart.
That kid is lucky!
And Nuonuo on the rooftop blinked his eyes and turned his head to ask, “It seems there’s a wind blowing my hair. It’s so cold. Brother Lin Mian, let’s go down!”
Lin Mian’s hands were trembling, his teeth chattering as he nodded.
Gu Ze also asked in confusion, “Where’s the black shadow from just now? How come it’s gone?”
Nuonuo, on the other hand, turned his little face and corrected Gu Ze. “It’s not a black shadow, it’s the wind! Gu Ze, you’re not a little contestant. You can’t come to the back!”
Gu Ze was still strange, but he was covered by Lin Mian’s mouth and carried out under his arm.
“That’s right. Gu Ze, you go back quickly. Nuonuo is about to go on stage!”
This is Nuonuo’s first stage performance in his life. It can’t be ruined!
Otherwise, the old father Fei Zhiyan, who is waiting to see his cub perform, wouldn’t he personally kill him!
And at this moment, the black shadow consciousness body, which was struggling helplessly in Fei Zhiyan’s hand, couldn’t help but let out a silent roar before it completely dissipated.
Lin Mian, you traitor! You’ve long since colluded with Fei Zhiyan, haven’t you!
Lin Mian sneezed, also muttering in his heart, I’m also just following my heart (cowardly)!
Besides, the name Stone is really too unlucky!
Rubbing his nose, Lin Mian helped Nuonuo tidy up his little white suit backstage and watched with an excited heart as his only little disciple toddled onto the stage with his short little legs.
The moment Nuonuo walked onto the stage, his little hands were sweating, but he still walked towards the piano in the very center of the stage with a clear goal.
Bending down and bowing politely to the audience below, Nuonuo then stuck his bottom out and, with his little legs, sat on the slightly high piano stool.
Most of the audience below smiled kindly, and some even thought the little guest was cute and took a few photos with their phones.
The little fat hand played the first note. Nuonuo’s little face was tense, his expression quite serious and earnest.
And Fei Zhiyan, who was witnessing Nuonuo’s entire performance from below, his heart was filled with a hot and fiery emotion. Countless feelings of pride rose in his chest, and his eyes were full of emotion.
At this moment, Fei Zhiyan, like the other parents who had come to witness their children’s performance, his turbulent mood could no longer be described with words.
His little baby, he’s finally grown up quietly in a place he can’t see.
Fei Han, Fei Jing, and Fei Luo on the side also had the same feeling. They sat upright in the audience, their eyes fixed on the small person on the stage without blinking.
The soothing and light music on the stage slowly drifted through the hall.
And that little dumpling was at this moment sitting in a beam of light, shining with his own light.
Translator’s Note:
At the end of this chapter, the author notes that childhood is over. A short romance arc follows before the story ends. Readers who prefer the child-focused part can stop here—see you in the next book!
