Chapter 63
With the household robot’s assistance, even with Hugh gone, Shi Nuo managed to care for Wu Wu and himself without too much difficulty.
Twelve days after Hugh’s departure, the snow began to melt as the temperature rose. Fortunately, the path Long Xu had paved in front of the house made it easy to reach the greenhouses and collect eggs without getting his shoes muddy.
It was past eight in the morning, the sun warm and bright, streaming in through the windows.
Shi Nuo entered the bedroom and opened the curtains. The small white wolf on the bed whimpered, opened its eyes, saw its father, then rolled over and closed its eyes again, not wanting to get up.
“The sun’s already up,” Shi Nuo chuckled, gently patting the cub’s plump backside.
“Mmm—” Wu Wu grumbled, pushing back against its father’s hand with its backside.
Shi Nuo laughed. “Someone’s formula is ready. If you don’t want it, I’ll drink it.”
Wu Wu’s eyes snapped open, and before even getting up, it grabbed Shi Nuo’s shirt in its teeth as he pretended to turn away, whimpering softly, as if afraid of losing its breakfast.
“Alright, alright, I won’t drink it,” Shi Nuo picked up the cub, kissed its head, and carried it to the bathroom to wash its face.
A small, three-tiered wooden step stool was placed beside the sink, just high enough for Wu Wu to reach comfortably.
Shi Nuo placed the cub on the stool, and Wu Wu, understanding it was time to brush its teeth, opened its mouth obediently.
“Such a good boy. Such a well-behaved little wolf,” Shi Nuo praised as he brushed the cub’s teeth.
Wu Wu, its tail wagging proudly, seemed to preen under its father’s praise.
The bedroom door was open, and hearing their voices, the household robot went to the kitchen to prepare the formula. It had only been pretending to make it earlier, to coax Wu Wu out of bed.
Wu Wu was always cooperative when it came to brushing its teeth and washing its face, knowing that afterwards, it would get its bottle.
Shi Nuo put away the small toothbrush on the shelf beside Wu Wu’s bright orange cup, next to their own two cups.
He paused, then quickly picked up Wu Wu and carried it out of the bathroom.
Two bowls of steamed egg custard, still warm, were on the dining table. The household robot brought Wu Wu’s bottle, and the cub, nestled in Shi Nuo’s arms, held the bottle with its paws and began to drink contentedly.
It had grown larger, but it was still a baby.
After Wu Wu finished its bottle, Shi Nuo fed it half a bowl of egg custard. The cub ate happily, its earlier grumpiness gone.
For a week after Hugh left, Wu Wu had searched for him constantly, checking every room, even the basement, then waiting by the front door, its whimpers a constant, plaintive sound.
But in the past few days, it seemed to have…forgotten, no longer searching or waiting.
A child’s memory was short, their adaptability and ability to forget surprisingly resilient.
Shi Nuo didn’t know when Hugh would return, and he didn’t want Wu Wu to forget him, but showing the cub pictures of its father only made it search and wait again, its distress evident.
The house was filled with reminders of Hugh: his clothes, the half-read books and comics, the toys he had bought for Wu Wu, even a small mecha model he had built.
After breakfast, Wu Wu played in the living room, chewing on its toys, sliding down the small slide, rolling around on the rug, then climbing back up to slide again.
The ground outside was muddy, the melting snow forming small streams, and the cub, not liking the dampness or the feel of mud on its paws, didn’t ask to go out.
Shi Nuo smiled, watching it play, content. He had finally decided not to mention Hugh for now. Wu Wu’s happiness was more important.
It would only be six months, at most, before they saw Hugh again.
Rose Villa.
Wen Luo Kelaso stared at the document on the virtual screen, his anger still simmering, even a week later.
Not only had he been forced to repay the embezzled funds, but Yarlin, caught falsifying accounts, had been demoted, losing his prestigious position within the Elvis family’s core corporation.
Was it worth all this trouble, just for a dead man?
He felt a surge of resentment. He had worked tirelessly to pave the way for his son, even risking Arnold’s displeasure, and ten years ago, he had finally succeeded. Everything had been going according to plan.
How could that beast, his body ravaged by the beast heart’s energy, have recovered?
This…complication shouldn’t have happened.
His venomous thoughts twisted his beautiful features into a mask of rage, but he couldn’t act yet, not with Arnold watching him so closely.
And Hugh Elvis had already been reinstated, his new position even higher than the one Yarlin had lost.
His resentment grew. A feral beast, exiled for ten years, likely illiterate, was given a prestigious position within the family’s core corporation. Arnold was clearly biased.
Yarlin was the one who had grown up in the family, who had worked his way up from the bottom, following Arnold’s insistence on “earning his place,” while Hugh was simply handed a high-ranking position. It wasn’t fair!
The towering office building was clean and brightly lit.
In the top-floor office, Hugh Elvis leaned back in his chair, his eyes closed, faint dark circles under his eyes.
To quickly establish his authority, consolidate resources, and build his own team, he had been working tirelessly since his return, even sleeping in the small adjoining room in his office.
Even with his enhanced stamina, a week of continuous work had taken its toll.
A soft knock on the door, and hearing no response, Fang Yu cautiously opened it a crack, saw him resting, and quietly closed it again.
The assistants worked in shifts, but he didn’t. He heard the soft click of the door closing.
It must not be urgent. Otherwise, Fang Yu would have woken him.
He opened his eyes, rubbed his temples, and considered his pending tasks. The documents weren’t urgent, so he reclined his chair and closed his eyes again.
Three hours later, Fang Yu and another assistant entered. Hugh, having slept, looked refreshed, his earlier fatigue gone.
After their initial report, Fang Yu mentioned Yarlin’s recent activities at the branch office.
He was Arnold’s appointee, and like Jiang Hui, he was highly perceptive, his position as the patriarch’s assistant requiring a keen awareness of the family’s internal dynamics.
The patriarch’s favor towards Hugh was…unexpected, even concerning.
Not only Fang Yu, but others within the Elvis family, and even other prominent families in the Imperial Star Circle, had noticed the unusual circumstances surrounding Hugh’s return and his sudden promotion.
Assigning one of his own assistants to Hugh was a clear indication that Arnold intended to groom his eldest son, despite his having lost his claim as heir.
From a purely familial perspective, this wasn’t unreasonable. After all, Hugh had once been his favored son.
He had been stripped of his title due to his illness, his genetic disorder, not because of any wrongdoing. Now that he had recovered, a father’s desire to support his son’s career was understandable.
However, within a powerful family like the Elvises, with Yarlin, the second son and current heir, also vying for power, Hugh’s return could disrupt the delicate balance, potentially sparking conflict.
Two brothers, both direct descendants, fighting for control…the implications for the other branches of the family were significant, but with Yarlin’s demotion and Fang Yu’s assignment to Hugh, the scales had tipped.
After hearing the report about Yarlin, Hugh, without looking up, signed two documents, handed them to Fang Yu, and asked about other matters.
He wasn’t surprised by Yarlin’s actions. His half-brother was clearly feeling the pressure.
The funds for Shi Nuo’s supplies had come from the family’s internal account, not the corporation’s funds.
The internal account was established to provide financial support for the younger members of the family, and due to Shi Nuo’s unusual circumstances, his supplies had also been drawn from that account.
Yarlin, after learning about the arranged marriage, had convinced their father to put him in charge of the shipments, then falsified the accounts, pocketing the money without sending any supplies.
After uncovering this, Hugh had presented the evidence to Arnold.
The Elvis patriarch, usually so aloof and unyielding, had been silent for a long time after seeing the evidence, and his subsequent punishment of Yarlin had been…acceptable to Hugh.
Arnold had asked about Shi Nuo’s whereabouts, but Hugh hadn’t replied, and Arnold hadn’t pressed the matter.
As the head of the Elvis family, Arnold was a busy man, and apart from their initial meetings after Hugh’s return, and a few holographic conferences for work-related matters, they had barely interacted.
The sun gradually set, disappearing below the horizon.
Most of the employees in the Elvis Corporation building had left for the day, only a few remaining to work overtime.
The lights in the top-floor office came on.
Hugh, having finished his dinner, stood by the window, looking out at the city below, the streets still bustling with traffic, people hurrying home after work.
After eleven years, his old room at the family estate remained untouched, but it felt unfamiliar now, a place he no longer considered home.
His true home was that primitive planet.
Shi Nuo and Wu Wu were waiting for him.
A wave of longing washed over him, but his newly regained position, his still-fragile foothold within the family, required caution, a steady, measured approach, especially with the upcoming negotiations.
He couldn’t afford any distractions.
The spacious office felt confining, the silence amplifying his loneliness.
The white-haired man lit a cigarette, his brow furrowed slightly, then opened the terminal on his wrist and accessed an encrypted file.
On the screen, Shi Nuo and Wu Wu were playing in the snow. The cub, mischievous, had packed snow onto its paws and then rubbed them against its father’s neck.
Shi Nuo had seen it coming but pretended to be surprised, and Wu Wu, delighted by its father’s reaction, had yipped and howled happily.
Children were so easily amused.
A smile touched Hugh’s lips, and after finishing the cigarette, he returned to his desk, immersing himself in his work.
The third month of spring arrived. Hugh had been gone for three months.
As Wu Wu became more steady on its feet, even taking a few running steps, its curiosity and boundless energy kept Shi Nuo constantly busy. Although he enjoyed caring for the cub, it was exhausting, and he usually fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow, no such thing as insomnia.
He was eternally grateful for the household robot, which ensured they always had a warm meal, even if it was simple.
The spring fields were bursting with life, and the grass in front of the house needed trimming every few days.
Despite its noise reduction settings, the lawnmower still hummed loudly, and Shi Nuo, pretending to be busy, told Wu Wu to be good while he worked.
Wu Wu, when not being mischievous, was surprisingly obedient, content to roll around in the flowerbeds, crushing the delicate blooms.
Shi Nuo pushed the lawnmower, glancing back at the cub occasionally, relieved by its good behavior.
When it was well-behaved, it was truly adorable, but when it was being mischievous…he wanted to swat its little backside, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Wu Wu was incredibly adept at using its cuteness to its advantage, and whenever it misbehaved, it would lower its head, its ears drooping, its large, innocent eyes filled with a seemingly remorseful expression.
Wu Wu, lying in the flowerbed, suddenly looked up, its gaze fixed on the distant horizon.
The gentle breeze suddenly intensified, and Shi Nuo, hearing Wu Wu’s anxious cries, quickly turned off the lawnmower.
The cub’s white fur stood on end, making it look even rounder, like a fluffy white dandelion.
It stared at the swaying grass, its low growls a sign of its unease.
“Warning: strong winds approaching. Warning: strong winds approaching,” the household robot at the doorway suddenly announced.
Shi Nuo quickly grabbed the lawnmower, scooped up the cub, which was now quite heavy, and hurried inside.
The robot followed close behind, quickly closing and locking all the doors and windows, its systems also activating the protective measures for the greenhouses.
As soon as they were safely inside, the wind howled outside, its force strong but unable to penetrate the house’s defenses.
Shi Nuo opened his optical brain and, checking the security cameras, saw that both greenhouses were locked, and the protective shields over the ponds had been activated. He breathed a sigh of relief.
