Chapter 18
Xing Nuo looked around the office, his little head tilted, but didn’t see his dad.
He clutched his backpack strap tightly, his clear, watery eyes filled with unease, and shook his head vigorously.
“Not…brother…white hair.”
Shen Baizhou was his white-haired, seafood-smelling brother, not this stranger.
The strange man, who had been flipping through a magazine, looked up when Xing Nuo entered and put it aside.
He stood up, his tall figure and dark suit giving him an air of authority, his features sharp.
Shen Yan, aware of his imposing presence, softened his stern expression and managed a somewhat gentle smile.
“Xing Nuo.”
His lead-gray eyes calm and unreadable, he walked over to the tiny, three-head-proportioned cub, crouched down, and met his gaze.
“I’m Shen Yan, your other older brother.”
Despite his formidable aura, Shen Yan, when facing Xing Nuo, was like a ferocious beast wrapped in soft silk, carefully concealing any hint of aggression, afraid of scaring the child.
Xing Nuo continued to shake his head, his curls practically a blur, his lips pursed. After a long moment, he mumbled:
“Zaizai…don’t know.”
The teacher, understanding the situation, quickly came over to explain:
“Xing Nuo, your dad had something urgent to attend to and called your older brother to pick you up.”
This was the downside of instance monsters: too many sudden emergencies. Shen Wen sometimes had to leave without notice.
Shen Baizhou was still at school, so the only one available in the human world was Shen Yan, the company boss.
After Shen Yan arrived, Shen Wen briefly introduced him to the teacher and hurriedly left.
The teacher’s jaw had practically dropped when she heard Shen Wen had a son as old as Shen Yan!
Shen Wen looked so young, at most twenty-seven or twenty-eight. Who would have thought his eldest son was already this old!
Shen Yan wasn’t one for explanations. After arriving, he sat silently in a corner of the office, listening to the other parents chatting about childcare.
Seeing that Xing Nuo didn’t remember him at all, Shen Yan gently poked the little one’s forehead as a reminder:
“The gifts…from the other day.”
Caught off guard by the poke, Xing Nuo stumbled back, then his eyes widened as he remembered.
“Little sword!”
The memory of the little wooden sword triggered everything.
Dad had said another brother, whom he hadn’t met before, had sent him the little sword.
Xing Nuo blinked his clear, dark eyes, pursed his lips, and tilted his head, looking at this unfamiliar brother with curiosity.
Shen Yan didn’t mind the child’s direct gaze. He even took a step back, allowing him a better look.
Xing Nuo stared at his brother for a long moment, then took a small step forward and extended his hand.
“Brother…go home.”
Shen Yan paused, then his sharp eyes softened.
“Mm.” He gently took the little one’s hand, so soft and small, careful not to squeeze too tightly.
Shen Yan led Xing Nuo out of the kindergarten, remembering his father’s instructions, and stopped by a restaurant to get Xing Nuo some steamed egg custard with shrimp.
Xing Nuo, carrying his sunflower backpack, stood obediently beside him.
The little cub barely reached the table leg, looking up at his new brother as he ordered lunch.
Seeing how well-behaved he was, Shen Yan couldn’t resist ruffling Xing Nuo’s curls and asking:
“Xing Nuo, is there anything else you want to eat?”
Xing Nuo’s usual lunch consisted of a bowl of egg custard or other soup, a small portion of stir-fried vegetables, and half a small milk bun. He didn’t like meat; it was too greasy and difficult for him to chew.
But he wasn’t familiar with his new brother, so he shyly shifted his feet and shook his head, not daring to speak.
The restaurant owner, having packed Xing Nuo’s usual meal, handed it to Shen Yan with a smile:
“Xing Nuo usually has our small milk buns, steamed buns, and a small portion of stir-fried vegetables. I’ve already packed them for you.”
Shen Yan nodded and looked down at the little one.
“Tell brother directly if you want anything else.”
Shen Yan’s voice was deep and pleasant, especially when softened, like the resonant tones of a cello, instantly recognizable.
Xing Nuo nodded slightly but didn’t look up at him, his little cowlick sticking up, his lips pursed.
Shen Yan knew it would take time for Xing Nuo to warm up to him, so he wasn’t in a hurry. Holding Xing Nuo’s small hand, he walked home at his pace.
They had lingered at the kindergarten, so it was already quite late when they arrived home.
Shen Baizhou, who had come downstairs in the elevator to find his brother, saw Shen Yan, in his black suit, holding Xing Nuo’s hand from afar. His relaxed demeanor instantly vanished.
He strode forward, scooped up his little brother, frowned, stepped back, and stared coldly at Shen Yan.
“Why are you bringing Xing Nuo home?”
Shen Yan crossed his arms, glanced down at Shen Baizhou in his blue and white school uniform, and sneered, his expression indifferent.
“Father had some urgent business. I’m just picking up my younger brother. Do I need your permission?”
Shen Baizhou bristled, letting out an indignant sound.
“You…”
Remembering he was holding his brother, he swallowed the curse words that were about to escape his lips, his monolids drooping, glaring at Shen Yan.
“Don’t you dare try anything funny. Xing Nuo is my brother!”
Shen Yan snorted coldly, his aura equally imposing, his words sharp and cutting:
“Focus on your studies, high school student. Try not to get a 7 on your next chemistry test.”
Shen Yan didn’t take Shen Baizhou, that brainless monster, seriously at all. All brawn, no brains.
Shen Baizhou’s eyes narrowed into slits; he wanted to tear that black plastic bag to shreds!
“At least I’m better looking than you!”
Shen Baizhou spun around, clutching Xing Nuo tightly, and strode away from that garbage monster whose true form resembled a small, black plastic bag.
Back home, Shen Baizhou paced around the living room, fuming.
Finally, he crouched down, gently pulled Xing Nuo’s cheeks, and said seriously:
“That…Shen Yan…he’s not a good monster…person! Xing Nuo must stay away from him!”
Xing Nuo’s cheeks flushed, and he mumbled in protest.
He shook his head, freeing himself from Shen Baizhou’s grasp, and ran to grab his little wooden sword.
“Good brother…gave Zaizai…little sword.”
As a child, Xing Nuo was highly sensitive to emotions. He could sense who was kind to him and who wasn’t almost instantly.
Although Shen Yan had a formidable aura, Xing Nuo could feel his gentle intentions.
Like a sheathed sword, Shen Yan had hidden his sharp edges when interacting with Xing Nuo.
Hearing this, Shen Baizhou snorted, wanting to slap Shen Yan with his tentacles.
“No way!”
Shen Yan was not a good person!
“He’s trying to bribe you, you know?!” Shen Baizhou whispered a litany of bad things about Shen Yan into Xing Nuo’s ear.
Xing Nuo’s ears practically went numb from listening, his dreams filled with a cacophony of noisy voices.
He didn’t have kindergarten in the afternoon, so he slept until the sky was ablaze with vibrant hues of purple, pink, yellow, orange, and red, painting the bedroom in brilliant colors.
Dad wasn’t home yet, and his brother had gone to school.
Xing Nuo wandered around the living room, holding his little wooden sword, listless and dejected, staring out the window at the entrance of the complex.
After watching for a long time, not seeing his dad or brother, Xing Nuo sighed softly and was about to put away his little sword.
He noticed a toy box on the coffee table, shaped like a small town, that he hadn’t seen before.
Having received gifts recently, Xing Nuo wasn’t particularly surprised.
Was it another toy from his brother?
Xing Nuo tilted his head, looked at the box for a while, and touched it with his small hand. The box opened automatically.
The toy inside practically filled the entire coffee table.
A brightly colored, fairytale-like toy town, complete with various shops and houses, a cafe, a post office, a convenience store, streetlights, clean streets…
Inside each building were one or more miniature figures in uniform, seemingly engaged in various tasks.
The figurines were incredibly realistic, so lifelike they hardly seemed like toys, scattered throughout the town.
For some reason, the moment he saw the town, Xing Nuo heard a cacophony of voices.
Chattering and shouting, as if he were standing on a busy street, despite the quietness of the living room.
The figures in the toy town seemed to come alive, their mouths stretching into wide smiles.
Xing Nuo clutched his head, the noise making his eardrums throb.
He took a step back, holding his wooden sword, and looked around, trying to locate the source of the noise.
When his gaze moved away from the toy, the noise stopped, and silence returned.
But as soon as his eyes flickered back to the toy town, the clamor resumed.
“Sweet and delicious ice cream, free today!”
“Does anyone know where the bank is? Can a kind child tell me?”
“Freshly baked bread! Get your freshly baked bread!”
“Children, come and play with us! There’s a new amusement park in town!”
The chattering voices rushed at him, each one tempting him to respond.
Xing Nuo’s head ached from the noise. He wanted the little figures to be quiet, but a strong intuition told him –
He absolutely couldn’t speak!
