Chapter 7: Little Niangao and the Strange Uncle
“Ding-dong!”
On a hot afternoon, the electric fan and air conditioner were both working at full blast, dispelling the heat inside the apartment.
Yu Weixi was lying on the sofa, lost in memories of the past and feeling drowsy, when he was woken up by a series of urgent rings from the doorbell.
Yu Weixi was startled. He got up and looked through the peephole on the door, only to see that the person ringing the bell was the old man he had run into in the elevator the other day.
“Young man! It’s me! Remember me!”
…How could he forget?
After Yu Weixi opened the door, the old man immediately waved and smiled. “How are you? Does your butt still hurt?”
Yu Weixi: “…”
Yu Weixi’s tiger body trembled.
Damn, do you have to be so loud!
Yu Weixi said helplessly, “It doesn’t hurt anymore.”
“Good, good, young people recover quickly. The way you looked that day, it seemed like you had to walk with your legs wide apart.” The old man chuckled. “I asked the guard where you live. I brought you a gift.”
The old man handed Yu Weixi a bag of fruit and… a bottle of liniment for bruises.
Yu Weixi: “…Thank you.”
After giving the gift, the old man scratched the back of his head. “Actually, I came to find you because I need your help with something.”
“What is it?”
“It’s this. My son sent me a WeChat message from the US, but I can’t see it.” The old man’s movements were slow and clumsy. He carefully swiped open his phone’s lock screen. “Look, I downloaded this WeChat thing like he said, but I can’t see it. What’s going on?”
Seeing the old man’s anxious expression, Yu Weixi paused for a moment and said, “Sir, please come in and sit down. Have a glass of water. I’ll take a look for you.”
“Good, good! Oh, you’re such a kind young man.”
Yu Weixi had the old man sit down, and the old man quickly handed him the phone.
“Oh, my son told me not to call him, something about the time difference and it being expensive, but I don’t know how to use this thing.” The old man’s wrinkled face was now even more wrinkled.
Yu Weixi didn’t say anything, just focused on looking at the old man’s phone. There was nothing wrong with it; the old man just didn’t know how to register and verify an account.
“It’s fine if I don’t know how to use these trendy apps, but the main thing is, I haven’t heard my son’s voice in so long. I just want to talk to him, but he won’t top up my phone credit…”
As the old man spoke, he seemed a little sad.
“Sigh, are all young people like this? Young man, do your parents live with you?”
Yu Weixi shook his head. “I don’t have parents.”
“Ah…” The old man was stunned.
The old man scratched the back of his head. “I’m sorry…”
“It’s okay, it’s not something that can’t be talked about. My parents passed away from illness when I was young.” Yu Weixi shrugged. “If you really miss your son, you can borrow my phone to call him. I bought an international roaming package when I was on a business trip before, so it’s free.”
“Ah? It’s free?” The old man didn’t understand what roaming was, only that the call wouldn’t cost money.
“Oh!”
The old man was very excited. After Yu Weixi lent him his phone, he immediately dialed his son’s number.
“Hey!! Dalong! It’s me, Dad!”
He shouted like the God of Thunder, making Yu Weixi, who was helping him verify his phone on the side, jump.
“It’s fine, it’s fine! I’m borrowing a neighbor’s phone. He said it’s free…”
“Hey, are you looking down on your dad? How could he be a scammer? He’s such a nice young man.”
The scammer Yu, sitting on the side: “…”
“Yeah! A new neighbor, very handsome. I’ve never seen such a handsome person… Hey, I told you he’s not a scammer, I’ll send you a picture later!”
“Let’s not talk about Dad, let’s talk about you. Dalong, have you been eating well? Is your money enough?”
“Eh? Dad is doing great here. This big house is so comfortable. You don’t have to send Dad money anymore, I have enough.”
Yu Weixi looked at the old man and thought to himself, the old man didn’t look at his call history when he dialed the number just now; he just quickly typed it out.
The old man was so old that he didn’t even know how to use WeChat, yet he remembered his son’s number.
Yu Weixi rested his chin on his hand and watched the old man.
Right… shouldn’t Niangao be back by now?
Yu Weixi turned his head to look at the time, wondering if his assistant was stuck in traffic. Why wasn’t Niangao home yet?
“Ah… why is the line busy…”
Yu Weixi’s assistant, Shuangshuang, listened to the “beep beep” sound from her phone and said worriedly to Niangao, who was looking at her expectantly, “Your daddy isn’t answering the phone.”
The two of them were currently in the apartment complex’s park. Niangao stood under a tree, looking up anxiously.
Faint “meow meow” sounds came from the tree. A dirty little white kitten was perched on a branch, its fur standing on end.
“Niangao, we can’t reach it. Why don’t we go upstairs and ask your daddy to come down and help?” Shuangshuang took Niangao’s hand. “Come on, Niangao, let’s go up first?”
Niangao stubbornly stood his ground, unwilling to leave.
“What if… what if the kitten falls down after we leave?” Niangao said nervously. “Look, it’s about to fall. It’s so high up.”
The kitten’s claws were tightly gripping the bark, and it was crying pitifully. Niangao was naturally at a loss, but there was nothing he could do to help.
The female assistant was short and small. Not only did she not have the strength to hold Niangao, but even if she did, she wouldn’t be able to reach.
Niangao’s face was flushed from the sun. He walked around under the tree with his little backpack on, and finally decided to open his arms toward the kitten. “You can jump down! I’ll catch you.”
Shuangshuang stood to the side, trying to call again, when she heard a deep, magnetic male voice behind her.
“What’s wrong?”
Feng Yan stood to the side in a black trench coat, with sunglasses perched on his nose. He looked like he had just gotten off work.
From a distance, he had seen the child under the tree “meowing” at something. After a quick look, he understood what was going on and walked over to offer a hand.
“Yan… Yan-ge!” Shuangshuang was shocked to see Feng Yan.
This is Big Bro Yu’s arch-nemesis…!
Shuangshuang was a new assistant and hadn’t experienced the ambiguous period when Yu Weixi and Feng Yan were filming The Coast. From the moment she started, she had only seen her boss tear Feng Yan apart at every opportunity, so she had silently labeled Feng Yan as his “arch-nemesis.”
Feng Yan raised a slight eyebrow.
Is this someone from the industry? She looks a little familiar…
When Niangao turned around and saw this big, dark mountain standing in front of him, he was startled at first and took a few steps back. Then, his face immediately broke into a smile. “Tall uncle! Can you help get the kitty, get it down!”
Feng Yan smiled. Looking at the child who only came up to his knees, he bent down. “I’ll lift you up, but on one condition.”
“Hmm…?” Niangao immediately became wary, looking at Feng Yan seriously.
Daddy had taught him to be careful when talking to strangers, especially strangers who wanted him to do something.
“I won’t tell you yet.” Feng Yan raised an eyebrow. “How about you fulfill the condition after we get the kitten down?”
“Mmm…”
Niangao was conflicted.
He couldn’t just agree to a stranger’s condition, but…
Niangao turned his head to look at the kitten. The tiny figure was curled up on the branch, trembling. It looked so pitiful.
As if throwing caution to the wind, Niangao nodded solemnly, looking as if he was making a deal with Feng Yan. A small face, a big determination.
Shuangshuang, standing to the side, couldn’t help but laugh out loud. At the same time, she sent a text to Yu Weixi.
{Boss… Niangao is about to be stolen away by Film Emperor Feng QAQ}
Feng Yan also curled his lips, picked up the child, and let Niangao sit on his shoulders.
“Can you reach it now?”
It was Niangao’s first time sitting so high up. He nervously gripped Feng Yan’s hands.
Feng Yan said, “Get the cat down. I’ve got you.”
Niangao paused, then mustered up his courage, let go, and hugged the kitten to his chest.
“Don’t hold it like that. This cat hasn’t been cleaned, it has germs.” Feng Yan frowned slightly, seeing Niangao cradling the cat like a baby. He pinched the kitten by the scruff of its neck.
“Ah…!” Niangao looked at Feng Yan with pleading eyes, saying nervously, “My, my cat…”
Not knowing whether to laugh or cry, Feng Yan gave the cat back to Niangao and showed him how to hold it his way.
“Alright, now for the condition.” Feng Yan crossed his arms. “You promised me.”
“Mmm…!”
“The condition is.” Feng Yan knelt down, wrapped his arms around Niangao, and said with a straight face, “You can’t call me uncle. You have to call me gege.”
“Ah… I understand.” Niangao looked at Feng Yan blankly.
Daddy wants me to call him gege, and the uncle in front of me also wants me to call him gege, Niangao thought.
“What do you understand, you little thing?” Not knowing whether to laugh or cry, Feng Yan tapped Niangao’s nose.
“I understand why I have to call you gege!”
“Why is that?”
Niangao frowned and said seriously, “It’s a sensitive topic.”
Feng Yan: “…”
Shuangshuang: “…Pfft.”
Niangao had asked Yu Weixi the same question before, why he couldn’t call him Daddy and had to call him gege. That was exactly how Yu Weixi had answered.
Feng Yan helplessly picked up the child and asked Shuangshuang, “Is this little one your child?”
“No, no… he’s…” Shuangshuang swallowed, not knowing if she should say.
Feng Yan then asked Niangao, “What’s your name? Which floor do you live on?”
“My name is Yu Jifeng. Daddy and my uncles and aunties all call me Niangao.” Niangao counted on his fingers which floor he lived on.
Before Niangao could finish counting, Yu Weixi came rushing down.
“Feng Yan, you shameless child-snatcher!!”
He shouted like a megaphone, showing how anxious he was.
Yu Weixi was really anxious. After the old man returned his phone, he saw several missed calls and the message “Niangao is about to be stolen away by Feng Yan.” How could he stay calm?
Absolutely not!
On his way downstairs, Yu Weixi had already played out several wealthy family dramas in his mind, with plots like the child’s other father coming to snatch the child back, or the wealthy family throwing money at him and saying: leave the child, take the money and get lost.
“Gege!!” Niangao was happy as soon as he saw Yu Weixi. He held the cat in one hand and waved frantically at Yu Weixi with the other, his milky voice shouting as loud and heart-wrenching as his father’s.
Feng Yan: “…”
Feng Yan pressed his ears and raised an eyebrow at Yu Weixi. “Your child?”
“Get lost! Give the child back!” Yu Weixi snatched the child back from Feng Yan’s arms.
Feng Yan pushed his sunglasses up and smiled. “Do I look that much like a human trafficker? Do you have to be so dramatic?”
Seeing Feng Yan’s full face, Niangao covered his mouth.
Whoa…! It’s the man from Daddy’s body pillow!
He’s not a bad person!
No wonder he looks so familiar!
No wonder I feel such an affinity for this man, and feel so safe in his arms, Niangao thought. It’s because I’ve been hugging this gege all night while sleeping with Daddy.
Being held by Yu Weixi, Niangao buried his head in Yu Weixi’s chest and giggled foolishly.
So this is what it feels like to hug the real person!
Warm and hard, but very strong, making one feel very secure.
Yu Weixi glanced at the suit and black trench coat on Feng Yan and sneered, “Not only do you look like a human trafficker, but you’re always dressed like a thief, all dark and gloomy. Aren’t you hot?”
Niangao didn’t quite understand, thinking that Yu Weixi was praising Feng Yan. He looked at Feng Yan and repeated in his milky voice, “Dark and gloomy!”
Looking at the big one and the small one, Feng Yan clenched his fists and put them to his mouth to hold back his laughter.
How should he put it? It was like a big rabbit baring its teeth fiercely, while holding a soft little bunny in its arms.
Feng Yan asked curiously, “Your child?”
“My nephew.” Yu Weixi rolled his eyes. “Idiot.”
“I didn’t think so.” Feng Yan rubbed his chin. “This child isn’t as jumpy as you.”
Soft and fluffy, not arrogant, irritable, and prickly like Yu Weixi.
Yu Weixi laughed heh heh: “Are you really an idiot…?”
“You’re a fool.”
“You’re a moron.”
Niangao opened his eyes and looked up.
Wow, they’re just like my classmates when they fight.
Yu Weixi wiped away a bead of sweat and suddenly realized, why was he having this pointless and childish conversation with Feng Yan in his own apartment garden under the sun?
Yu Weixi snorted coldly, held the little cat in one hand and Niangao in the other, and turned to go upstairs.
Feng Yan rubbed his nose.
Tsk.
Since they lived on the same floor, Feng Yan had no choice but to follow behind Yu Weixi.
In the elevator, Yu Weixi stood with his back to Feng Yan, his face cold, concentrating on the changing floor numbers.
Feng Yan stood behind Yu Weixi. Looking at Niangao, who was being held by Yu Weixi and facing him, he grinned, raised his hand, and secretly made a heart shape with his thumb and index finger at Niangao.
Niangao, perched on Yu Weixi’s shoulder, was amused and laughed. He also reached out and secretly made two hearts at Feng Yan with both his left and right hands.
The elevator was filled with sweet, sweet hearts.
And Shuangshuang, who had witnessed the entire process from the side, began to doubt her life.
Hmm… is this how arch-nemeses with a bad relationship interact??
Film Emperor Feng is about to turn thirty, already a successful senior in the industry. Why is it that whenever he’s with Big Bro Yu, his intelligence is forcibly lowered and he gets an OOC buff?
And my Big Bro Yu, he’s usually such a cold and arrogant person. Why does he turn into a jumpy cat whenever he meets Film Emperor Feng?
This doesn’t look like an arch-nemesis relationship at all. It’s more like…
Exes!
Yes! That’s it, exes!
Whoa!
Shuangshuang felt like she had glimpsed the true meaning of life.
