The Long Aotian Cub Becomes the Pampered Darling of a Wealthy Family 1

Chapter 1

Sparse, bright stars were scattered across a pitch-black, curtain-like sky. The moonlight shone like white silk, and an autumn wind slipped through the cracks of the dilapidated window, making the already cold room feel bone-chilling.

Shen Tiantian sat on a small stool in front of the television, looking well-behaved. His round, pitch-black, starry eyes were fixed on the screen without blinking.

His skin was fair, his lips the color of pale cherry blossoms. His nose and mouth were both small, but his eyes were especially large—bright and clear, as exquisite as a doll in a shop window.

Another gust of wind blew in. Tiantian quickly tucked his small hands into his sleeves and shrank his little neck, curling up into a small glutinous rice ball.

“Tiantian, you’ve been watching TV for so long. Have you understood anything?”

His cousin, Ye Jiabao, who was also just over three years old, walked over from behind. A sharp glint shone in his eyes, and he looked nothing like an innocent child who was ignorant of the world.

Tiantian nodded, then immediately shook his head, his little face dazed with sleepiness.

“I dunno.”

His cousin, exasperated, reached out to thump Tiantian on the head.

Tiantian was used to being thumped. He quickly ducked his head like a Whac-A-Mole and avoided his cousin’s hand.

“Hehe.” Tiantian rubbed his little head, which hadn’t been hit, blinked his large, watery eyes a few times, and smiled with his little mouth curved.

My cousin is so silly.

Ye Jiabao could tell what Tiantian was thinking. His mouth twitched, but thinking about how the Shen family was coming to pick him up tomorrow, he couldn’t be bothered to argue. He seized the opportunity to instill some “knowledge” into Tiantian.

“Remember this: just like the male lead on TV, you’re a Long Aotian cub with a protagonist’s halo. When you get back to the Shen family, you must fight with those two older brothers for control of the company, understand?!”

Tiantian’s eyelids were half-closed with sleepiness.

He had heard his cousin say these words so many times that he was almost immune to them.

The little glutinous rice ball huddled on the small stool, his body swaying left and right. With his little hands tucked away, he gave a slow “oh.”

“Fight for… contwol~”

Ye Jiabao nodded in satisfaction. With the mature soul of a reincarnator housed in his small, chubby body, he deliberately made the situation sound dire.

“Those two brothers are not good people. If you can’t win against them, you’ll be kicked out of the Shen family, your legs will be broken, you’ll starve, and you’ll freeze to death on the streets!”

Right on cue, Tiantian’s little tummy rumbled, guruguru, startling himself awake.

“Cousin, my tummy… my tummy is hungry-hungry.”

My cousin made me hungry.

Ye Jiabao felt a surge of frustration and was nearly driven mad by this silly cub!

“All you know is eating!”

But to make Shen Tiantian obey, Ye Jiabao rolled his eyes and went to the kitchen to find a slice of bread, which he handed to Shen Tiantian on the stool.

Shen Tiantian no longer felt cold. He pulled his small hands from his sleeves, held the dry slice of bread, and gnawed on it with his tiny, rice-like teeth, his eyes curving with delight as he ate.

“So yummy!”

Ye Jiabao continued to roll his eyes, muttering from the side:

“You must remember, a Long Aotian cub never admits defeat! Go back and fight those two brothers for power and profit. Don’t you dare let them have an easy time!”

The words went in one of Shen Tiantian’s ears and out the other. He nibbled on the dry bread, using one small hand to catch the falling crumbs.

After finishing the bread, Tiantian lifted his little head and obediently held out the crumbs in his hand.

“Cousin, you want some?”

Does he think I’m a trash can?! Ye Jiabao thought. What’s so good about these tiny crumbs?!

Seeing his cousin refuse, Tiantian became happy again. He tipped the crumbs into his own mouth, pursed his lips, and chewed happily, shaking his head. Chew, chew, chew.

After finishing the bread with his cheeks puffed out like a little hamster, Tiantian stood up from the stool, stretched, and yawned.

“Time for sweepy.”

Ye Jiabao glared exasperatedly at the little cub heading back to the room to sleep.

But then he thought about how Shen Tiantian would be taken back by the Shen family tomorrow to live the miserable life of a minor villain, and Ye Jiabao instantly felt vindicated.

Shen Tiantian surely had no idea that what awaited him wasn’t a blissful life in a wealthy family, but a lifetime of repression and pain!

In his previous life, through his mother’s machinations, Ye Jiabao had stolen Shen Tiantian’s chance to return to the Shen family.

He had thought he would live the extravagant and luxurious life of a young master, but it wasn’t until after he died that Ye Jiabao realized he was just a minor villain in a book.

Not only that, but the entire Shen family were all villains in that novel.

His two older brothers were cold and gloomy, their minds as deep and unfathomable as an abyss. They had high IQs and cold personalities.

In his past life, when Ye Jiabao fought them for the family fortune, he was like a buffoon, jumping around and making a fool of himself, only to end up being kicked out of the family.

His life had become a complete joke.

Shen Tiantian, however, had shot to fame after filming a web drama by chance, becoming a household name as a child star.

Even after Ye Jiabao’s death, Shen Tiantian was still active on screen, loved and adored by countless fans.

Ye Jiabao looked at Shen Tiantian, who was sound asleep wrapped in a small quilt, and sneered. The sour feeling of jealousy in his heart couldn’t be contained.

Shen Tiantian, oh, Shen Tiantian, in this life, I won’t fight you for your brothers and father anymore.

You can go back to your wealthy family, and I… I have my own path as a child star to walk.

Ye Jiabao clenched his fists and slowly exhaled a heavy breath.

Daylight broke, and the bright autumn sun shone through the broken windows of the old residential complex, casting a pale shadow on the floor.

Shen Yuanchuan stood before a dilapidated security door, his eyes carefully surveying the surroundings as he gestured for his assistant to knock.

The assistant, dressed in a suit, knocked twice, and the door was opened by a woman.

“Mr. Shen, you’re here!”

The woman’s eyes betrayed her nervousness and excitement. She tried hard to suppress her emotions to appear calm.

But Shen Yuanchuan, a businessman who had navigated the corporate world for over a decade, still caught the fleeting panic in her eyes.

Shen Yuanchuan didn’t understand why, but he nodded, and his shoes made a soft clicking sound as they touched the floor inside.

“Where is the child?” Shen Yuanchuan asked.

The woman quickly turned around and called for Ye Jiabao to come out.

“Xiaobao, hurry and come out.”

She only called for Ye Jiabao, but Ye Jiabao emerged from behind the door holding Shen Tiantian’s hand.

The woman’s smile froze. She hurriedly pushed Ye Jiabao forward, simultaneously blocking Shen Tiantian from view.

Shen Yuanchuan’s gaze naturally fell upon Ye Jiabao. His eyes were sharp as a torch, tinged with a cold detachment, as if he were inspecting merchandise. They were filled with scrutiny.

In his past life, Ye Jiabao had been terrified of Shen Yuanchuan. Every time he stood before him, he felt as if all his little schemes were laid bare, with nowhere to hide.

The fear in his heart followed him like a shadow. Even after being reborn, it still made Ye Jiabao tremble.

Cold sweat beaded on his forehead. Ye Jiabao clenched his fists and forced himself to endure it, telling himself that this was no longer his previous life, before he dared to meet Shen Yuanchuan’s gaze.

Shen Yuanchuan, however, frowned slightly. It was unclear what he was thinking, but his eyes seemed to grow even colder.

“This is the child Lin Shuang left behind?”

The woman wanted to bite the bullet and say yes.

She was blinded by the wealth and luxury of the Shen family, her mind set on having her son replace Shen Tiantian and live the life of a young master.

Why did Lin Shuang’s son have such good luck? His mother died, but he still had a wealthy father to take him back.

And her Xiaobao, so well-behaved and cute, had a deadbeat gambler for a father who died early, leaving him to grow up with her in a rundown rental apartment.

The woman gritted her teeth. Under Shen Yuanchuan’s sharp gaze, she was just about to nod.

But in the next second, Ye Jiabao denied it directly:

“No, Tiantian is the child Auntie Lin Shuang left behind.”

Hearing this, the woman’s face instantly paled. She froze on the spot, mechanically and stiffly looking up at Shen Yuanchuan.

A thin, sarcastic smile touched the corner of Shen Yuanchuan’s mouth. He saw through everything in an instant, his eyes filled with mockery as he let out a scoff.

“Are you trying to fool me?”

The coldness in his eyes swept over her, making the woman freeze completely, not daring to utter another word of nonsense.

“Tiantian is my sister’s child. I was just so excited, I only thought about letting Jiabao get close to his uncle and forgot about Tiantian.”

Only then was the hidden Tiantian revealed.

He was wearing clothes his mother had bought for him before she passed away—a beige outfit shaped like a little yellow duck, with a large hood that hung down to his bottom.

Tiantian took two steps forward, and the two round ears on the hood tapped against his bottom twice.

Standing before Shen Yuanchuan, Tiantian looked up at him. His round, watery eyes were as clear as crystalline amber, so pure that one could see right through them.

Shen Yuanchuan looked down at this tiny cub who didn’t even reach his knees. He froze for a moment, seemingly not expecting the child to be so beautiful.

Shen Yuanchuan himself had sharp facial features, a piercing gaze, thin lips, and a straight nose—a very handsome man.

This child seemed to take after his mother, looking as delicate and refined as a doll.

“Tiantian? I’m your father.”

Gazed upon by the child’s overly pure eyes, Shen Yuanchuan’s tone softened for a rare moment.

Tiantian nodded. He didn’t seem too conflicted and obediently called out, “Father.”

His voice was soft, like a tiny, newborn sprout, and it softened the hearts of those who heard it.

Shen Yuanchuan found it strange, and an unfamiliar emotion stirred in his heart.

Such a small child… is actually my child.

A trace of warmth flowed from Shen Yuanchuan’s eyes.

“Let’s go. There’s no need to pack anything. Everything has already been prepared at the villa.”

With that, Shen Yuanchuan didn’t spare another glance for the scheming mother and son, and led Tiantian out of the room by the hand.

After his mother passed away, Shen Tiantian had lived in this small house with his aunt and cousin Ye Jiabao for over a month.

Just before leaving, Tiantian couldn’t help but look back one last time.

His aunt’s eyes were filled with thick jealousy and resentment. She glared viciously at Shen Tiantian, as if Shen Tiantian had stolen her son’s life of wealth and luxury.

His cousin, however, looked as if he had just escaped a disaster, continuously patting his chest and exhaling in relief.

Seeing Shen Tiantian look over, his cousin Ye Jiabao mouthed a phrase to him:

“Don’t forget!”

Shen Tiantian turned back around. Of course I won’t forget! he thought. Only my cousin is a big dummy who can’t remember things!

He had dreamed about it many times. He was a super majestic and feared little Long Aotian cub!

Thinking this, Shen Tiantian’s eyes curved into a smile again as he trotted on his short little legs to get into the car with his father.