The Long Aotian Cub Becomes the Pampered Darling of a Wealthy Family 3

Chapter 3

The early autumn night sky was like the highest quality ink in an inkstone, so rich it seemed about to drip. Specks of starlight were sprinkled within, twinkling with a faint, inconspicuous light.

Inside the villa, the lights were bright.

A simple crystal chandelier cast a soft glow, making the floor shine faintly.

On the sofa, Shen Tiantian hugged his little foot, holding back a pool of tears. Unable to contain them any longer, he sobbed quietly into the phone.

“Daddy, are you back yet? Big brother is bullying me.”

On the single armchair to the side, Shen Jinfeng pressed his lips together slightly, quietly listening to this little brat bad-mouth him to their father.

He lifted his eyelids, and a layer of crushed ice floated in his usually smiling eyes, shooting towards Shen Tiantian like daggers.

Shen Tiantian held the phone with both hands, his eyes shimmering with a layer of crystalline tears. He sniffled and tattled again.

“Daddy, big brother glared at me again.”

Shen Jinfeng: “…”
What a little snitch.

Withdrawing his gaze, Shen Jinfeng looked down, his well-shaped brows furrowed slightly as he pondered the purpose behind his little brother’s actions.
Is he trying to assert his dominance the moment he arrives at the Shen family?

Shen Jinfeng sneered inwardly. As he listened to his cheap little brother’s soft, coquettish complaints, he thought to himself that he was, after all, still just a child.
He runs to his parents whenever something happens.
Could it be that this cheap little brother thinks Shen Yuanchuan is some kind of gentle, good-tempered parent?
A cunning and ruthless capitalist who devours people whole… expecting him to mediate the petty squabbles between his two sons?

A similar incident had happened to Shen Jinfeng before.
He and his eldest brother had gotten into a terrible fight. They had traded punches and kicks until their faces were bruised and swollen, their bodies spasming and sweating from the pain.
But when Shen Yuanchuan saw them, he had simply instructed his assistant to separate them and then sent them to their respective bedrooms to cool off.
Before the door closed, Shen Jinfeng had looked up, his eye socket split open and blood dripping from his chin, and saw Shen Yuanchuan’s eyes, as calm as a placid lake.
His heart had instantly turned ice-cold.

Shen Jinfeng idly toyed with the phone in his hand, not turning it on, just flipping it over and over, listening to Shen Tiantian’s ceaseless complaints.

“Big brother… hit me with his foot. It hurts so, so much!”

Shen Tiantian rubbed his reddened nose, sobbing softly. He even took a moment to look up at his brother sitting nearby.

Shen Jinfeng looked nothing like Shen Yuanchuan.
Shen Jinfeng was the only one in the family with phoenix eyes, the corners of which tilted up slightly. He had thin lips and thin eyelids, and his lip color was very pale. He was always smiling, but he didn’t seem very approachable.
He had a gentle appearance, but the coldness inherited from the Shen family had affected him, causing Shen Jinfeng’s smiles to never reach his eyes.
And his words were like needles, utterly merciless.

“Little fool, are you done with your call?”
He wouldn’t even deign to call him “little brother.”

Being called a “little fool” made Shen Tiantian feel even more wronged. He rubbed his red-rimmed eyes and handed the phone back to Auntie Mu-Mu.

Dragging his injured foot, Shen Tiantian began to crawl on all fours.
Before Shen Jinfeng could react, Shen Tiantian had already crawled next to him.

“What are you doing?”
Shen Jinfeng frowned. Before he could finish, he saw Shen Tiantian once again stick out his little foot and kick him in the stomach.

This kick was delivered with all his might.
Shen Jinfeng felt as if his ribs were about to break. He clutched his stomach, hissing in pain.
“Are you asking for a beating?”

Hearing Shen Jinfeng’s words, Shen Tiantian tilted his little face up and started crying again with a sob.
“I used the wrong foot. It hurts so, so much, wuwu!”
I meant to kick this bad brother with my uninjured foot, but I forgot as soon as I lifted it!

Shen Tiantian hugged his little foot, tears rolling down his cheeks like beads. He blew on his round, pink toes.
The tears fell on his foot, hot and painful, making Shen Tiantian curl up into a small, chubby, aggrieved ball.

Seeing the culprit looking so miserable after inflicting a thousand wounds on the enemy at the cost of eight hundred to himself, Shen Jinfeng’s mouth twitched.
A very soft, muffled laugh escaped his chest, which accidentally pulled at his kicked stomach, making him suck in a breath of pain.

This little brat… he really is stupid.
But his kicks really hurt.

Shen Tiantian huddled in the corner of the sofa, crying pitifully, keeping a great distance from this bad brother.

Auntie Mu brought the little one a glass of honey water, afraid he would get dehydrated and a sore throat from crying for too long.
Shen Tiantian gulped down most of it and then let out a long sigh.

Just as Shen Tiantian stopped crying under Auntie Mu’s comfort, Shen Yuanchuan finally returned.
Shen Yuanchuan had a very imposing presence. Now in his middle age, his mature and composed demeanor was even more pronounced, as if he could handle anything with ease.
A smile played on his lips. Seeing Shen Tiantian sitting in the corner of the sofa, he didn’t even take off his coat before walking over to ask:
“What’s wrong?”

Shen Tiantian had just had a good cry. His nose was red, and his fair, chubby little face was flushed pink. He pointed a small finger at the bad brother.
“The bad-guy brother bullied me!”

Shen Jinfeng really wanted to roll his eyes, but he didn’t dare to be so brazen in front of Shen Yuanchuan. He stood up, lifted his eyelids, and glanced at this little brother with a hint of disdain.
“I didn’t bully him. He tried to stomp on my foot and ended up swelling his own toe.”

Shen Yuanchuan hadn’t clearly heard what the little one had mumbled on the phone. Hearing his second son’s explanation, his expression faltered.
Lowering his head, Shen Yuanchuan indeed saw the little one hugging his foot, looking miserable.
“Were you that careless?”
Shen Yuanchuan swapped out the “were you that stupid?” that was on the tip of his tongue, looking at the little cub curled up into a ball on the sofa, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

Shen Tiantian wiped his tears with a tissue, stood up indignantly using the sofa for support, and put his little hands on his hips.
“That’s not it! Big brother called me a little fool. I was so, so angry. It was like a balloon was stuffed in my tummy, and it exploded from anger!”

Hearing Shen Tiantian’s metaphor, Shen Yuanchuan and Shen Jinfeng couldn’t help but look at his little tummy.
Hmm, it is quite round.
And chubby. It’s clear he didn’t skimp on lunch.

“In that case, it seems it was your brother’s fault.”
Shen Yuanchuan’s eyes crinkled with a smile. He tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest of the sofa, thought for a moment, then turned his head to ask:
“So what does Tiantian want to do about it?”

Shen Tiantian pinched his little chin with his hand and sat on the sofa to think. The chubby flesh on his cheeks didn’t even jiggle, making him look exceptionally serious.
After a long while, a light bulb went off in his little head.
“Big brother hit me with his foot, so I have to stomp on him with my foot too!”

Shen Jinfeng wanted to speak but stopped, then wanted to speak again.
He opened his mouth and looked at the little fool whose eyes were sparkling with excitement, so happy that he had forgotten the pain in his own foot. He couldn’t help but ask:
“Your foot doesn’t hurt anymore? You’re still going to stomp on me?”

Shen Tiantian was not happy. He pouted his lips so much you could hang an oil bottle from them and wiggled his foot.
“I have two feet!”

Shen Jinfeng was speechless, then inexplicably chuckled.
“Fine, you stomp.”
He wanted to see just who would be in pain when the little fool stomped down.

Shen Yuanchuan watched this ridiculously foolish little cub actually jump off the sofa, about to use his foot, which wasn’t even as big as a person’s palm, to stomp on Shen Jinfeng. Black lines appeared on his forehead as he spoke up to stop them.
“Alright, you two brothers, stop fooling around. Have you had dinner yet?”

The topic was changed, and Shen Tiantian was immediately sidetracked.
“Not yet. I’m so, so hungry.”

As Shen Tiantian said this, he momentarily forgot about his sore foot and ran towards the dining room, barefoot and limping.
He saw that Auntie Mu-Mu had already set the dinner on the table. A dazzling array of dishes, each plate of exquisite food acting like an invisible little hook, reeled Shen Tiantian in until his little head spun.

He instantly forgot about being angry. Seeing the baby chair he couldn’t climb into, he directly stretched out his short little arms towards the person closest to him and said:
“Time to eat!”

The person closest to Shen Tiantian was Shen Jinfeng. He watched the little one raise his hands towards him, asking to be picked up. His black grape-like eyes looked at him, watery and bright like a small lightbulb, shining with a light that was hard to ignore.
They were filled with anticipation, reliance, and a craving for food.

Shen Jinfeng didn’t want to hold this little fool.
They had been at odds since the moment they met. Shen Jinfeng had no intention of pretending to be a loving and respectful brother to this fool.
In a wealthy family, where could you find warm brotherly affection?
But…
The little one’s eyes were exceptionally beautiful, like a clear spring, pure and without impurities. Looking into them, it seemed one could see the tender and innocent soul beneath.

Shen Jinfeng froze on the spot. He lowered his eyes and gently clenched his fists.
Just as Shen Tiantian was getting anxious enough to start tugging on Shen Jinfeng’s pant leg, Shen Jinfeng finally moved.
He raised his hands, hooked them under Shen Tiantian’s arms, and lifted this little thing, as soft as a marshmallow, into the baby chair.

Shen Tiantian didn’t even realize who had picked him up. He swung his two short legs, his eyes curving with happiness.
“I want sweet soup.”
It was evening, and Tiantian didn’t like salty food. He preferred sweet things.

Auntie Mu smiled and nodded, looking at the little one with affection. She brought over the corn and egg custard and placed it on Tiantian’s little tray.
“Tiantian is very well-behaved when he eats. He’s very skilled with his spoon and isn’t a picky eater. He’s a good baby.”
Auntie Mu had a soft spot for Tiantian and was partial to him, so she couldn’t help but praise the little one in front of Shen Yuanchuan.

Shen Yuanchuan arrived in the dining room a moment later and sat at the head of the table. He looked at the little one who was holding a spoon and obediently drinking his soup, and couldn’t help but chuckle.
“I can see the little one quite enjoys eating.”
His personality isn’t timid. Even in a new home, facing an unfamiliar father and brother, he isn’t self-conscious or withdrawn.
His eyes are as bright as a small cluster of starlight, completely impossible to ignore.
Shen Yuanchuan felt that it had been a long time since the house was this lively.

Halfway through the meal, Shen Tiantian’s tummy quickly became round, and his mouth was stuffed full. His round eyes were wide with blissful delight.

Shen Xiuze, who was late from work, walked slowly into the dining room with his coat draped over his arm, his expression cold and silent.
“Sorry, there was a problem with the project. I worked a bit of overtime.”

Shen Xiuze was only in his early twenties. He was tall, with a broad waist and narrow back. His eyes were as deep as an ancient, undisturbed well, making it impossible to discern his emotions from his gaze.
He had trained at the company for quite some time and had a strong aura of a superior, yet he didn’t reveal any of his sharpness.
Standing by the dining table, Shen Xiuze handed his coat to an auntie, then looked up at the newly arrived little brother.