Chapter 73
The area by the wall was overgrown with weeds, a secluded corner rarely noticed.
Shen Baizhou, in his blue and white school uniform, his dyed black hair fading, revealing streaks of silver at his forehead, giving him the appearance of having deliberately dyed it that way, combined with his usual devil-may-care attitude,
nimbly jumped over the wall and retrieved his backpack from the weeds while the other parents and teachers were busy with the lottery for the relay race.
He looked up and saw Xing Nuo’s wide, surprised eyes and smiled.
Walking over, his usual lazy demeanor gone, he ruffled Xing Nuo’s hair.
“Straight hair Xing Nuo today.”
Xing Nuo giggled, his eyes sparkling, no longer minding his brother’s habit of pinching his cheeks.
“Big Brother came? No test?”
Xing Nuo, concerned about his brother’s test, looked up at him from Shen Baizhou’s arms.
“Finished already.”
To attend his little brother’s sports day, Shen Baizhou had been the first to hand in his test and leave.
His new classmates, not knowing him well, seeing him leave with his backpack, whispered among themselves.
“Is he some kind of genius?”
“So cool, finishing the Chinese exam half an hour early!”
Only the teacher, looking at Shen Baizhou’s test paper, his answers completely nonsensical, twitched his lips.
Remembering Shen Baizhou’s academic history, he just sighed.
Hearing that his brother’s test was over, Xing Nuo gasped and tugged on his dad’s robe.
“Daddy, we join three-person race!”
Shen Wen nodded and, taking Xing Nuo, led Shen Baizhou to the sign-up area for the three-person relay race.
Little Fatty and his parents were also there.
Little Fatty’s eyes were still red from crying earlier. He was holding his parents’ hands when he saw Xing Nuo, and he quickly turned his head away, huffing.
Little Fatty’s mom, a plump, cheerful woman with a kind smile, saw Xing Nuo with his dad and brother and walked over.
“Mr. Shen, you’re participating too?”
The handsome, blond man was always eye-catching. Seeing the adorable Xing Nuo in Shen Wen’s arms, Little Fatty’s mom cooed, her heart melting.
“Xing Nuo is so cute! Come over to Auntie’s house sometime! Little Fatty has lots of toys, and Auntie will cook you delicious food.”
Little Fatty, hearing this, glared at Xing Nuo and bared his teeth.
“You can’t come play!”
Xing Nuo tilted his head and nodded, unfazed.
“Okay. I no go your house.”
For Xing Nuo, the clingy little one, playing with Daddy and Big Brother was the most fun.
Little Fatty, for some reason, was even angrier. He stomped his foot and huffed.
His dad smacked him on the head.
Little Fatty, clutching his head, glared at Xing Nuo resentfully, then turned away, sulking.
Xing Nuo also didn’t like Little Fatty, who always broke his things.
His erasers, his pencils, always being knocked off his desk or ridiculed by Little Fatty.
He shrugged and, ignoring Little Fatty, discussed the relay race strategy with his brother.
They were so engrossed in their discussion that Shen Baizhou was still giving him instructions even as Xing Nuo put on his bright green vest and took the baton.
“It’s okay if you’re not fast. Daddy and Big Brother are behind you. We’ll definitely win.”
Xing Nuo took a deep breath, nodded firmly, and stood on the track, the green grass beside him warm from the sun.
A gentle breeze brushed against his face as he stood at the starting line with the other children, waiting for the whistle.
Suddenly, a faint voice sounded in the air:
“You’re in the relay race?”
“Little one, can you even run?”
Xing Nuo tilted his head, looking around, but there was no one there besides the other children.
Puzzled, he shook his head and clenched his fists, waiting for the whistle.
The voice continued, slow and deliberate:
“Straight hair. Just like that annoying thing.”
Xing Nuo looked up, sure he hadn’t imagined it, and frowned, his lips pressed together.
As if sensing Xing Nuo’s reaction, the voice disappeared.
The sharp blast of the whistle startled Xing Nuo, and he ran, his little legs pumping, along with the other children.
Wen Xingxue, holding a spatial transfer prop, his gaze fixed on Xing Nuo running on the field, stood invisibly among the crowd.
The little one looked energetic, his cheeks flushed, his golden hair shining in the sunlight.
The prop’s timer was counting down by the second. He watched as Xing Nuo ran towards Shen Wen.
“Daddy!”
Xing Nuo yelled, his forehead covered in sweat, his voice sweet and filled with excitement.
Wen Xingxue, hearing this, felt a strange pang in his chest.
He touched the knife at his waist and smiled faintly.
Shen Wen, taking the baton from Xing Nuo, his gaze met Wen Xingxue’s across the field.
Wen Xingxue looked at Shen Wen, his pale face filled with complex emotions, then silently disappeared.
Shen Wen turned and ran.
Only Shen Baizhou was truly invested in this race.
Before Shen Wen even reached him, Shen Baizhou snatched the baton and, with his long legs, quickly caught up to the parent in front of him.
The children, clutching their water bottles, gathered around Xing Nuo, their eyes wide with admiration.
“Xing Nuo, your brother is so fast!”
“He’s catching up to my daddy! Daddy, run faster!”
They followed the runners, cheering, and waited at the finish line.
Shen Baizhou, his silver hair gleaming in the sunlight, crossed the finish line first.
Xing Nuo jumped up and down, ignoring his aching legs, and rushed towards his brother.
“Big Brother won!”
Shen Baizhou, not even slightly out of breath, picked up the excited Xing Nuo.
Xing Nuo, standing on the small podium between his dad and brother, held up their small gold medal, beaming.
As he waved at the crowd, his smile bright and cheerful, Wen Xingxue reappeared, hidden.
He watched Xing Nuo, once a small, ugly clown doll, now shining brightly on stage, and snapped a picture with the camera he had bought.
He couldn’t carry the little clown doll in his pocket anymore, but it didn’t matter.
Xing Nuo was so bright, he would always be visible.
Shen Wen, also busy taking pictures, glanced at Wen Xingxue, who was staring at Xing Nuo, and clicked his tongue.
“Go back to your world.”
His low voice reached Wen Xingxue, who chuckled and put away his camera.
“Shen Wen, how did a monster like you create a human child? Have you ever thought about that?”
Shen Wen’s face darkened instantly.
The noise of the crowd, the children’s cheerful chatter, masked his cold reply.
“Why would I think about such useless things? Xing Nuo is my child. He has my blood. That’s all that matters.”
Wen Xingxue didn’t say anything, just looked at Shen Wen’s hair, a flicker of disgust in his eyes.
“Why did Xing Nuo have to inherit your hair?”
He then added: “Fortunately, he’s much cuter than you, and his personality is nothing like yours.”
A cold, heartless monster!
Shen Wen’s eyes narrowed.
“You better not fall into my hands, Wen Xingxue.”
Otherwise, he would personally rip his heart out, stab it repeatedly, and then feed it to wild dogs.
Wen Xingxue, his face grim, his form flickering in the shadows, looking more monstrous than Shen Wen, chuckled.
“I’m waiting.”
He touched the knife at his waist, his lips curving into a sneer.
He also wanted to kill Shen Wen.
Xing Nuo only needed one dad.
And Shen Wen, without a human heart, couldn’t possibly be a good father.
On the podium.
Xing Nuo, his medal around his neck, climbed down and ran into his dad’s arms.
Shen Wen hugged him, his eyes warm, and kissed his forehead.
“Did you have fun today?”
Xing Nuo nodded vigorously, nuzzling his dad’s neck.
“Fun! Zaizai wants to join sports day again…with Daddy and Big Brother!”
Almost every child had received a medal.
But no one cared. The field was filled with happy laughter.
