Chapter 64: Anomalous Time 30

The crisply sliced lotus root, neatly cut into even pieces, had long since been simmered soft in the sugar syrup. Now, prodded repeatedly by the tip of a chopstick, the slice—which resembled a little flower with many petals—quickly fell apart. The sticky glutinous rice stuffed into its hollow petals scattered out, tumbling onto the clean white porcelain plate and mingling with flecks of osmanthus.

It looked like a complete mess.

Yet the person responsible wore an expression of utmost seriousness and solemnity.

Yu Bai, witnessing the scene, found himself torn between speaking up and holding his tongue. His earlier tangled thoughts evaporated by more than half, leaving him with nothing but helpless amusement.

…Don’t copy everything!!

Taking out your frustrations on food was just too childish!

Perhaps sensing Yu Bai’s gaze, the man who had been silently jabbing at the osmanthus sugar lotus root paused.

After a moment of stiff hesitation, the chopsticks moved again. They picked up the nearly disintegrated slice of glutinous rice lotus root.

Then, without a fuss, he ate it.

Just as someone else had done moments before.

At the sight, Yu Bai utterly forgot his prior mood. He stifled a laugh and looked away.

Xie Wufang might be fierce and downright scary when ill, but he was also kind of fun.

So Yu Bai would try to be patient.

After all, it was only temporary.

He hoped Xie Wufang’s condition would normalize soon. In the meantime, he’d do his best to cover for him.

With that in mind, Yu Bai shifted his attention back to He Xi beside him.

He reached for the tissues on the nearby cabinet shelf to wipe the little girl’s tears. But a glance at her expression from the corner of his eye gave him pause.

Having finally spotted a familiar face, He Xi had looked toward the Big Brother in the distance—fiddling with the osmanthus sugar lotus root—alongside Brother Little Bai. Crystal tears welled in her sockets, soaking her big eyes with their clear black pupils until they glistened. Yet the tears didn’t fall.

Whether the bizarre spectacle had startled her out of crying, or she’d bravely held them back, the little girl didn’t shed a single one. Her braids ached from being yanked, but she merely sniffled, masking her choked voice as she whispered, “I didn’t cry… I’m fine. No one bullied me.”

She glossed over her own troubles and turned her concern outward instead, asking Yu Bai timidly, “Is Big Brother mad?”

Even from afar, Xie Wufang’s cold, keep-your-distance aura was unmistakable.

“Yeah… kind of.”

Yu Bai seized the chance to prepare her. “His fever broke, but he hasn’t fully recovered, so he’s in a bad mood. It’s not personal—don’t be scared, okay?”

“I won’t.” He Xi shook her head at once, adding of her own accord, “Then go take care of Big Brother! I’ll just sit here a minute. We’re heading out for dinner soon anyway.”

The chef who’d sliced the lotus root had fetched a stool and set it in a quiet corner, away from the kitchen bustle. The little girl thanked him politely and hopped up onto it with poise.

Seated on the stool, she stared down at the smooth, cool floor, perfectly still and silent. She showed no sign of wanting the familiar Big Brother to avenge her.

Her shoulder-length plaits hung in disarray, tugged loose, and her eyes were still red—clear evidence of bullying.

Yu Bai stood rooted for a beat, a wave of empathetic melancholy washing over his heart. He approached her on light feet.

Children starved of their closest kin’s abundant love always matured beyond their years, with a patience to match.

All they could do, after all, was endure.

Those gentle footsteps halted before the little girl, who had retreated alone to her corner.

The tall Big Brother squatted down and asked earnestly, “Does it hurt a lot where they pulled your hair?”

He Xi froze, head bowed. She snapped it up, staring at him in near disbelief. Only after a long pause did she mumble, “N-not that bad.”

“Are my braids all messy?”

She fumbled at once for her tangled plait, slipping off the hair tie at its end. “I’ll redo it real quick. It’ll only take a second!”

The colorful elastic clutched in her small palm was deftly taken by a pair of adult hands and slipped onto a pale wrist.

“I’ll do it for you,” Yu Bai said.

His long, capable fingers worked with exquisite gentleness, combing out the knots and smoothing the disheveled strands.

The kitchen hummed with activity and clatter. Her long black hair spilled like a waterfall down her back. Perched on the cool stool, the little girl felt—for the first time—like a princess.

She held her breath, lest she shatter the dream. Unthinkingly, she straightened her spine, letting Big Brother tend her hair.

The fear ebbed from her young face, giving way to delight and wonder.

“Brother Little Bai,” He Xi whispered, curiosity alight. “You know how to braid plaits?”

“Mm. It shouldn’t turn out too awful.”

That only piqued He Xi’s curiosity more.

Brother Little Bai wasn’t a girl. His hair was a touch longer than most boys’, but merely knotted casually into a small tail at the nape—not plaited, and probably not long enough anyway.

She’d never known a boy who could braid someone’s hair.

Her own father never had; the boys at school just yanked them for laughs.

“Do you braid plaits for yourself?” He Xi asked. “Or maybe dolls’ hair?”

“No.” Yu Bai chuckled as he parted her locks into sections, still crouched. “Neither one.”

“I saw other people do it,” he explained. “But this is my first time on a real person. Did I pull too hard?”

He Xi sneaked glances sideways. One shoulder draped with untouched hair, the other tingled as three even strands wove together—she could just glimpse it.

And the touch was so tender, without the slightest tug.

“Nope, not at all!” she assured him eagerly, her tone earnest. “You’re so smart—you picked it up after one look.”

“I watched more than once,” Brother Little Bai replied. “Maybe ’cause I paid close attention.”

“On TV?”

“No, real life.”

Sensing her rapt interest, Yu Bai paused before going on. “It was an elder who treated me really well… She had an adorable daughter, cute just like you.”

He Xi flushed but hung on his every word. “Was she the mom or dad?”

“The mom,” he said. “I was little back then, just a bit older than you. Her daughter was in kindergarten, out early. Sometimes she’d wait at her mom’s work until quitting time, so they could head home together.”

“I’d be there sometimes too. I’d see the little girl in the break room, whining for her mom to play. So Mom would pause, sigh helplessly, and braid her daughter’s hair. The kid would settle right down, play happily with her toys, those two little plaits bobbing all around.”

Yu Bai’s voice was soft and airy, laced with the faint haze of fond memory. Even now, it drew the little girl into that warm scene.

“It’s so nice having your mom around,” He Xi said. “I envy her.”

“Mm, me too.” Brother Little Bai echoed gently, then asked, “What about your mom?”

“She’s gone.” The little girl’s voice rang clear. “Dad says she ran off with some rich guy. But I know the truth—Dad beat her until she couldn’t take it anymore, so she snuck away and left him.”

And left her, too.

Still, He Xi didn’t see it as wholly terrible.

Before Big Brother could offer comfort, she piped up. “It’s okay this way, though. Mom won’t get hit anymore. She’ll… be happier.”

The hands weaving her fine plait paused ever so slightly. He swallowed his planned words and said instead, “You won’t get hit anymore either.”

He still had no clear plan for shielding her from her father’s habitual abuse once they returned to the real world.

But he’d figure something out. He’d try.

“I hope so.” Relaxed on her stool now, the little girl swung her dangling feet lightly and sighed. “If only I could be as strong as Yan Jing Brother. Then I wouldn’t have to fear Dad.”

“You’ll get that strong when you grow a little more.”

Yu Bai considered, then added, “Actually, maybe even now. Want to learn some self-defense from Yan Jing Brother?”

“…Huh?”

“Yes! Yes, I do!” He Xi’s eyes flew wide once she caught on, though nerves crept in. “Would Yan Jing Brother even teach me?”

“Of course he would.” Yu Bai didn’t hesitate. “If I knew those moves, I’d teach you in a heartbeat.”

For this Big Brother she’d known just two days to sound so certain nearly brought fresh tears surging to the little girl’s eyes.

She tried her hardest to hold back the urge to cry and said softly, “Th—thank you.”

The neatly braided pigtail fell back onto her chest, with the colorful hair tie wrapped into a tidy loop at the end.

Her loose hair on the other side was gently gathered up.

Taking advantage of the moment as he switched sides, Yu Bai patted her head. “No need to thank me or be so cautious. This is just what friends do.”

At his words, He Xi froze. “Fr—friends?”

“Yeah.” His voice came from above her head, laced with a smile. “Think about it. We spend time together, chat, share our stories. You comfort me not to worry too much about Little Xie Brother being sick, and I want you to be happy.”

“We understand each other, help each other out, and keep each other company.” He summed it up. “That’s what friends are.”

Not some all-powerful adult and a kid who just goes along with whatever.

The little girl listened in a daze, childishly repeating his words. “That’s what friends are?”

Her tone sounded adorably silly. Brother Little Bai burst out chuckling from behind her and nodded. “Exactly. So if anything happens—whether it’s something happy or sad—you can share it with your friends. Sometimes, there are things your mom and dad can’t help with, but your friends can.”

So, she and these big brothers she’d met by chance were already friends.

The young He Xi gradually came back to her senses amid the huge surprise and bewilderment, saying sheepishly, “S-sorry, I didn’t know… I don’t think I’ve ever had friends like this before. Just classmates from school.”

“No worries, no need to apologize.” Brother Little Bai said. “I was even older than you when I first made a friend like this.”

His pale fingertips wove her soft black hair into a pretty braid. The friend who was so much older than her spoke gently. “Why did your braid get messed up? Did that little boy pull it?”

He Xi didn’t hide anything anymore and answered instinctively. “It was him. I don’t know why he’d do that. He seems to really hate me.”

“Hate you?” Yu Bai sounded puzzled. “Isn’t he Grandpa Zhang’s grandson? Didn’t they just arrive this evening?”

When that unfamiliar family had shown up, Yu Bai had been in the suite keeping watch over Xie Wufang. With Yan Jing and Yuan Yuxing looking after the little girl, he figured nothing would go wrong, so he hadn’t paid much attention to what was happening outside or gone to meet them.

“Yeah, his name’s Zhang Yizhe. He’s Grandpa Zhang’s grandson.”

He Xi nodded, her voice thin and soft. “When Grandpa Zhang introduced me, he smiled at me and called me ‘little sister.’ He seemed like such a nice big brother, so Grandpa Zhang was really happy and told us to go play outside together.”

“But the moment the adults weren’t around, his face changed. He reached out and yanked my hair.”

Remembering that moment sent a shiver through the little girl. “I didn’t do anything, really… He just started bullying me out of nowhere.”

Hearing her say that, a deeper wave of puzzlement welled up in Yu Bai’s heart.

At first, he’d thought this A Zhe kid was just a brat whose parents hadn’t raised him right.

But if he was just a typical brat, he wouldn’t have such a stark double personality.

From that snippet Yu Bai had overheard earlier, he could already tell from the chefs’ attitudes that the boy was usually a bully who picked on everyone.

Yet he acted perfectly obedient and sensible in front of his grandpa.

Yu Bai thought it over for a moment before asking carefully, “Besides pulling your hair, did he say anything to you?”

“Yeah! He asked me a ton of questions.” He Xi tried hard to remember. “He wanted to know what we were really doing here, who my dad was, if Grandpa Yuan was my little brother…”

“There were probably more, but my hair hurt so much then. I didn’t catch some of them, and I forgot others. Sorry.”

“You’ve already remembered a lot. That’s impressive.” Yu Bai soothed her warmly, lost in thought. “Were you two alone? Where was Grandpa Yuan?”

“Yeah, just the two of us. Grandpa Yuan was going to play with us at first, but Grandpa Zhang thought he was a kid… Anyway, he got nervous and ran back inside right away. I think he went to peek at Grandpa Zhang and the relatives chatting from the window.”

As she spoke, He Xi remembered something else. “Oh, and I think Zhang Yizhe doesn’t just hate me—he seems to hate Grandpa Yuan even more. Whenever he asked about Grandpa Yuan, he’d pull my braid harder.”

“Eventually, it hurt too much to take, so I just kept running until I got to the kitchen…”

Putting it all together—especially how these money-hungry children had suddenly shown up so eagerly to visit the old man—Yu Bai formed a ridiculous guess in his mind.

He let out a silent sigh, twisted a hair tie from his wrist, and secured it into a neat bow on the second braid while comforting He Xi, who had been caught in the crossfire.

“It’s okay now. He won’t get another chance to bully you. Does your head still hurt?”

“Nope!” The little girl clutched her two neat, pretty braids, her eyes sparkling with pure delight. “You did them so nicely! Way better than when I do it myself!”

She figured Brother Little Bai must have watched his elder or mom braiding her daughter’s hair super seriously back then—really seriously.

He’d etched it deep into his heart.

Even after all these years, now that he’d grown into such a tall, tall adult, he still hadn’t forgotten.

“Good.” Yu Bai patted her head and pushed himself up, his knees a little sore. “Wait here for a sec. I’ll go get Little Xie Brother.”

“Okay!” He Xi nodded eagerly and asked offhandedly, “Where are we going?”

Her clear voice cut through the lively clamor of the kitchen. Yu Bai, who had been heading toward the aroma of osmanthus sugar lotus root, came to a stop.

The busy chefs were murmuring among themselves now and then.

“Does the kitchen feel kinda chilly to you guys?”

“It’s not exactly cold. Hmm, how do I put it? It’s like there’s this huge pressure. It’s strongest over there!”

“With all these guests today, of course there’s pressure…”

Yu Bai listened to the voices around him, arched a brow slightly, and turned back to the little girl, who was still sitting obediently in her chair waiting. He smiled as he answered her.

“We’re going to have dinner.”

The big brother wrapped in his snow-white coat looked back at her, his tone gentle, his expression calm—but there was an inexplicable air of intimidation about him.

“And we’re going to deal with that little punk.”