Chapter 144
The little girl, having called Lu Qi a dummy, quickly covered her mouth and looked up at him timidly.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that.”
She just meant that he seemed strange, cold and stiff, somehow unnatural.
Xing Nuo waved his hand dismissively, his dimples appearing, and defended Lu Qi.
“Lu Qi is nice and helpful fwiend. He saved me before!”
Lu Qi, although nice and helpful, wasn’t interested in interacting with these little children, but with Xing Nuo there, he just stood silently, waiting for him to finish.
The children, still slightly suspicious, offered Lu Qi a small shovel.
“Lu Qi, can you help me dig?”
This was their way of inviting him to play with them.
Xing Nuo tilted his head, looking at Lu Qi expectantly, his eyes encouraging.
Lu Qi, meeting his gaze, was puzzled.
He looked at the shovel the child was holding and shook his head, taking a couple of steps back.
“I don’t shovel sand.”
He only liked being with Xing Nuo.
The children, seeing his cold, indifferent expression, exchanged glances, shrugged, and ran off to play on their own.
Xing Nuo, afraid Lu Qi was upset, took his hand and said reassuringly:
“It’s okay. We can play together.”
Lu Qi, a stiff smile appearing on his face, nodded eagerly and pointed at the sandbox.
“Xing Nuo want play sand? I can help shovel.”
Lu Qi was a master of double standards.
Xing Nuo, swallowing his words, shook his head and led Lu Qi to the swings.
“I no wear cover-all today…will get clothes dirty. Next time.”
Shen Wen, having learned from other parents, had bought Xing Nuo a special blue cover-all to wear over his clothes when playing in the sandbox.
Lu Qi nodded and followed Xing Nuo to the swings. Seeing him sit down, he smiled and offered to push him.
“I help Xing Nuo!”
Xing Nuo smiled, his eyes crinkling.
“Later…I push you!”
Lu Qi said it wasn’t necessary and pushed the swing enthusiastically, as if he were the one having fun.
After a few pushes, a thin, dark-skinned boy entered the playground.
Seeing Xing Nuo, he smiled brightly and called out:
“Xing Nuo! You’re here! I looked for you earlier!”
An Zimuo ran over, his eyes shining with excitement, and was about to offer to push the swing when he saw a boy with an expressionless face standing behind Xing Nuo.
He had never seen Lu Qi before, and seeing him with Xing Nuo, he felt a sudden pang of jealousy.
“Xing Nuo, who’s he?”
He then said anxiously, “We pwomised…play together during summer bweak!”
Xing Nuo, thinking An Zimuo wanted to swing, offered him his seat.
“Zimuo, you play. I played alweady.”
An Zimuo didn’t move, his gaze fixed on Lu Qi.
“I no play. Xing Nuo play. I push swing for you!”
Xing Nuo, looking at Lu Qi, then at An Zimuo, hesitated, then nodded.
“Okay. Lu Qi pushed…long time…he tired. Later…I push both of you.”
Lu Qi and An Zimuo, however, both shook their heads and said simultaneously:
“No! I push!”
An Zimuo, annoyed, not knowing where this boy had come from, put his hands on his hips and declared:
“I’m Xing Nuo’s deskmate! You know what deskmate means, right?”
Lu Qi knew, but he deliberately said, his face expressionless:
“Don’t know.”
An Zimuo huffed.
“You don’t even know what a deskmate is? You no go to school?”
Xing Nuo, knowing Lu Qi’s situation, living in a dangerous world filled with monsters, stealing energy to survive, a child struggling to grow up, felt a pang of sympathy.
He pulled An Zimuo aside.
Lu Qi, seeing Xing Nuo whispering to another child, felt a strange tightness in his chest, a feeling he couldn’t quite explain.
His enhanced hearing picked up Xing Nuo’s soft voice.
“Lu Qi is orphan…many people (and monsters) no like him…vewy hawd life.”
An Zimuo, hearing this, peeked at Lu Qi.
Seeing him bundled up in thick clothes in the summer heat, his hands and feet covered, his strange, robotic speech patterns, he immediately believed Xing Nuo.
“He so pitiful. No wonder I never saw him before. He’s like that…”
Xing Nuo, glancing at Lu Qi, nodded and said to An Zimuo:
“Zimuo, teacher said…help each other. You no bully Lu Qi. He never played with other children before…doesn’t know how to talk to people.”
An Zimuo, his conscience pricked, sighed.
“He’s so pitiful. Okay, I won’t bully him.”
Xing Nuo smiled, his eyes crinkling.
“Thank you, Zimuo. You my good fwiend. I hope…you and Lu Qi…can play together.”
An Zimuo, hearing the words “good friend,” his eyes lighting up, puffed out his chest.
“Don’t worry, Xing Nuo! As your best fwiend, I’ll definitely play with him!”
He walked over to Lu Qi, his hands behind his back, like a little boss, and looked him up and down.
“You’re Lu Qi, right? I’ll protect you from now on! You don’t have to be afraid of being alone anymore!”
Lu Qi, his face darkening, after a long silence, said:
“No need. I don’t like playing with other children.”
An Zimuo, thinking he was just being stubborn, snorted and offered him the swing.
“You push Xing Nuo then. I always pushed him in kindergarten!”
He felt incredibly magnanimous, entrusting such an important task to Lu Qi.
Lu Qi’s face turned even colder.
Xing Nuo had asked him to push the swing!
It wasn’t An Zimuo’s to give!
He sullenly pushed the swing for a while, his face grim, clearly not enjoying it.
Xing Nuo wanted to let Lu Qi have a turn on the swing, but Lu Qi kept refusing.
As the sun beat down mercilessly, An Zimuo, afraid of his mom looking for him, said goodbye to Xing Nuo and left.
Xing Nuo and Lu Qi left the playground and returned to the alley.
“Sowwy, Lu Qi. I couldn’t…play with you.”
Xing Nuo felt guilty. He had wanted Lu Qi to play with his friends, to help him make friends, to not be so lonely.
But Lu Qi clearly didn’t enjoy the noisy, chaotic playground.
Lu Qi preferred being alone with Xing Nuo, the two of them in comfortable silence, without any distractions.
He smiled, his expression still stiff, and shook his head.
“It’s okay. Playing with Xing Nuo…very fun.”
Xing Nuo, not believing him, his nose wrinkling, mumbled:
“You no swing…must not be fun.”
Everyone knew that the one on the swing had the most fun!
And Lu Qi hadn’t even had a turn!
Lu Qi’s eyes flickered with blue light, and he looked at Xing Nuo, gently ruffling his curls.
“For me…being with Xing Nuo…always fun.”
Xing Nuo, sensing Lu Qi’s unexpected gentleness, despite his stiff expression, the touch of his metal hand surprisingly light,
smiled and nodded.
“Okay. Next time…we play again!”
Lu Qi nodded, watching as Xing Nuo left, walking back to his complex, smiling and waving at the security guard.
So carefree and happy.
Lu Qi had always suspected that Xing Nuo had a loving family.
In this lifetime, his dad and brothers adored him, showering him with affection.
Lu Qi couldn’t bear to disrupt Xing Nuo’s happiness. He deserved it.
Unlike his own lonely existence.
He returned to the horror world, blending in with a group of players in a dungeon, continuing his search for answers.
The scorching summer sun beat down mercilessly, the faint chirping of cicadas adding to the oppressive heat.
Xing Nuo, unable to bear the heat outside, stayed inside, watching cartoons with his brother.
The heat was unbearable, and he tied his curls into a small topknot.
Shen Baizhou had said he looked like a little morning glory flower.
But Xing Nuo didn’t care. As long as it was cooler, he didn’t mind looking like a flower.
He turned his head, the little topknot bobbing, tempting one to pull it.
And Shen Baizhou did just that. Every time he saw the little topknot, he couldn’t resist tugging it, much to Xing Nuo’s annoyance.
Xing Nuo, seeing his eldest brother return, ran over and hugged his leg, complaining.
“Big Brother pulled my hair! So mean!”
Shen Yan, seeing the little topknot, also instinctively tugged it.
Xing Nuo’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“Big Brother One! Don’t copy Big Brother Two!”
Shen Yan chuckled, his voice deep, and carried Xing Nuo back to the living room.
“Okay, I won’t.”
He then asked, “Who tied your hair like this? It’s…cute.”
He quickly corrected himself, offering a compliment.
Xing Nuo, beaming, his chin held high, his eyes sparkling with pride, said:
“I did it myself! I learned from Yiyi! She can bwaid many styles!”
Yiyi loved styling her hair, always experimenting with different braids and hairstyles, often dragging Qingqing into her experiments.
Xing Nuo, often handing them combs and hair ties, had learned by observing.
Shen Yan nodded.
“I see. Very practical. Keeps you cool in the summer.”
Xing Nuo, pleased with his new hairstyle, kept it for several days, then, on a cloudy day, when the sun wasn’t as scorching, went downstairs to play with his friends.
His friends, seeing his hairstyle, stared at him for a moment before recognizing him.
Yiyi gasped and ran over, ruffling his hair.
“You’re so cute, Xing Nuo!”
