The Whole Family Are Villains, I’m the Group Pet 88

Chapter 88

The autumn sun, no longer scorching, bathed the world in a warm, golden glow.

Xing Nuo, his small backpack bouncing, ran out of the kindergarten and into his dad’s arms.

“Daddy!” He hugged his dad’s leg, nuzzling him affectionately.

Shen Wen greeted the busy Teacher Xiao Song and picked up Xing Nuo, nuzzling his forehead.

“Did Xing Nuo eat his lunch at kindergarten today?”

Xing Nuo blinked his watery eyes, pretending to be busy looking around, avoiding the question.

“Daddy, next time…pick Zaizai up early…okay?”

He looked at the receding kindergarten building, his face filled with hopeful anticipation.

Shen Wen chuckled, pinching Xing Nuo’s nose gently.

“You didn’t eat your lunch, and you want Daddy to pick you up early?”

Xing Nuo, defeated, buried his face in his dad’s chest and mumbled:

“If no pick Zaizai up early…Zaizai angry.”

Shen Wen ignored his fake anger and carried him home, the little one pouting like a pufferfish.

In the elevator, they ran into their third-floor neighbor.

The uncle looked exhausted, his face unshaven, his eyes unfocused, his clothes wrinkled.

Seeing Xing Nuo, Qi Yao rubbed his face, trying to wake up, then crouched down and pinched Xing Nuo’s cheek.

“Well, if it isn’t my little neighbor, Xing Nuo!”

Xing Nuo dodged his calloused hand, hiding behind his dad, and glared at him.

Qi Yao loved teasing Xing Nuo, laughing heartily whenever he made the little one angry.

“Alright, alright, I brought you something.”

Qi Yao had been leading a team in another city, dealing with an emergency anomaly. He hadn’t slept in days and had a large, red, swollen wound on his abdomen.

But he had still remembered to buy a gift for his little neighbor on his way back.

A small apple cake from a famous bakery in the other city, popular with children and young women.

Seeing the bright red, round cake, he had been reminded of Xing Nuo’s flushed cheeks.

Round and rosy, cute and adorable.

He had waited in line to buy one.

Xing Nuo, seeing the little apple-shaped cake in its clear plastic container, peeked out from behind his dad, his eyes filled with curiosity.

“Little apple.”

Qi Yao greeted Shen Wen and handed him the cake.

“It’s an apple cake. The girl in line said it’s sweet and sour, perfect for kids.”

Shen Wen, his expression gentle but his eyes distant, nodded, accepting the gift.

“Say thank you, Xing Nuo.”

Xing Nuo looked up and thanked him politely.

Qi Yao, looking at Xing Nuo’s watery eyes, like a little kitten’s, ruffled his hair.

Ignoring Xing Nuo’s angry glare, he smiled and left the elevator.

Shen Wen, after Qi Yao left, his aloofness fading, patted Xing Nuo’s head.

“We’ll have the cake when we get home.”

Xing Nuo nodded, then mumbled, “Uncle Qi sometimes bad…sometimes good.”

Shen Wen’s lips curved into a smile. “So, is Uncle Qi a good person or a bad person?”

Xing Nuo scratched his cheek, looking at the apple cake, and sighed softly.

“Mostly good.”

Shen Wen cut a small piece of the cake and gave it to Xing Nuo.

“Daddy needs to get something downstairs. Xing Nuo, be a good boy and eat your cake. I’ll be back soon.”

Xing Nuo nodded, swinging his little legs as he sat on the sofa.

“I sit here. No wun awound.”

Shen Wen kissed his forehead, locked the door, and went downstairs.

Xing Nuo, his chin resting on his hand, looked at the cake and poked it with a small fork.

It was shaped like an apple, but it was a normal cake with cream filling.

He took a bite of the sweet cream, his curls bouncing happily.

He drew two lines on the cake with his fork, mumbling:

“This for Daddy…this for Big Brother.”

His eldest brother, Shen Yan, didn’t live with them and was always at the company, sometimes not coming home for days, so Xing Nuo didn’t save him a piece, afraid the cake would spoil.

Having divided the cake, he focused on his portion, savoring the sweet cream, his eyes sparkling.

As he was enjoying his cake, he heard a voice calling his name.

“Who’s there?”

Xing Nuo’s eyes widened, and he stood up, holding his fork, a smudge of cream on his cheek.

Wen Xingxue, invisible, unable to touch him, stood by the coffee table, looking down at Xing Nuo, who seemed to be radiating the sweet scent of cake.

“It’s me…well, you probably don’t remember me.”

Shen Wen and the others always erased Xing Nuo’s memories after he returned from a dungeon.

Wen Xingxue’s eyes were filled with weariness.

He was covered in blood, his clothes torn, his usually pale face even more so.

His knife was still dripping blood, and he wiped it with his sleeve, afraid of startling Xing Nuo with the sound.

He sat down, cross-legged, looking at Xing Nuo, who had grown taller, the coldness in his eyes melting away, replaced by a warmth he couldn’t quite explain.

“Eating cake, Xing Nuo? You seem to have a sweet tooth.”

Like that cloud bread he had been craving in the dungeon.

Xing Nuo’s mouth fell open slightly, his eyes wide with confusion as he looked around.

“Who you? You monster?”

Wen Xingxue, his chin resting on his hand, watched as the little one spun around, trying to find the source of the voice, and chuckled.

“I’m not a monster. If anything, I’m your dad.”

These words startled Xing Nuo, and his eyes widened in alarm.

“Not! My Daddy has long, golden hair…vewy gentle!”

He held up his fork, his face serious.

“Don’t twick me! I big boy now! No one can twick me!”

Six-year-old Xing Nuo was much smarter than before, his speech clear, his logic sound. He wasn’t easily fooled.

Wen Xingxue, having spent over a year in a high-level dungeon, had missed Xing Nuo’s growth.

Seeing him now, taller, no longer a toddler but a little boy, he felt a strange mix of sadness and pride.

“I’m not lying. Blood ties are a mysterious thing.”

He had found the little one endearing from the moment he saw him in the castle.

Small and feverish, his cheeks flushed, stumbling around the hallway.

For the first time, Wen Xingxue’s heart had softened, and despite knowing Xing Nuo was Shen Wen’s son, he had used his precious healing spray on him.

He rarely even used it on himself.

Seeing the clown doll again, although still undeniably ugly, he still found it cute.

He had cleared countless complex dungeons, and after just one encounter with Shen Wen, he had pieced together the truth.

It was a strange feeling, a certainty without any proof.

Xing Nuo was definitely related to him!

Wen Xingxue reached out, his hand passing through the air, touching the little one’s angry face, and smiled.

“Too bad you already have a dad.”

And why did it have to be that monster, Shen Wen?

The thought of Shen Wen, his long, golden hair, his cold, indifferent eyes, made his teeth grind.

Having been killed by him so many times, Wen Xingxue wanted Shen Wen to experience death as well.

He took a deep breath. Once I’m done with these dungeon monsters…

I’ll kill Shen Wen and take Xing Nuo away.

His prop’s time limit was almost up. Before leaving, he gently wiped the cream from Xing Nuo’s cheek.

“Little one, I have to go. I’ll see you again.”

Xing Nuo’s cowlick twitched, and he turned, looking in the direction of the fading Wen Xingxue, his small fork raised defensively.

“Hiya! Zaizai not ‘fraid!”

He clenched his fists and punched the air.

“I vewy stwong! Not last in wace!”

Fifth to last was still something to be proud of!

He punched the air a few more times, then ran to his bedroom and grabbed his little wooden sword.

He got into position, yelled “Hiya!” and poked the air with his sword.

Hearing no response from the monster, he huffed and put his sword away.

“Bad man wun away!”

Wiping his forehead, he was about to put his sword back in his room when he heard his third-floor neighbor’s voice outside.

“Xing Nuo? Are you home?”

Remembering the apple cake, Xing Nuo ran to the door.

“Uncle Qi, I’m home!”

Qi Yao’s heart pounded, and he knocked on the door.

“Open the door!”

He had felt a powerful surge of energy from upstairs while taking a shower.

The energy was strange, different from the usual monster anomalies, an overwhelming pressure that had startled him, and he had rushed upstairs.

Xing Nuo was about to say that Daddy had told him not to open the door for strangers

when Shen Wen returned, carrying a bag of groceries. He walked to the door and looked at Qi Yao.

“Mr. Qi? What are you doing at my door?”

He opened the door, Xing Nuo rushing into his arms, and saw Qi Yao enter, his brow furrowed as he looked around.

“Strange! It’s gone again?!”

He circled the living room, sensing the fading energy, his face puzzled.

This energy…it felt like a human ability user’s.

As the SIA team leader, he was very familiar with energy fluctuations.

But why would there be an ability user’s energy in Xing Nuo’s home?

His gaze fell on Xing Nuo, who was holding his little wooden sword, excitedly telling his dad how strong he was.

Could it be…?

But there had never been a case of a child awakening their abilities!

“…I just…held sword…Hiya!…bad monster wun away!”

Xing Nuo looked up at his dad, his face flushed with pride.

Shen Wen, as usual, praised Xing Nuo and ruffled his hair, then glanced at Qi Yao, who was deep in thought.

“Mr. Qi, may I ask why you’re in my living room?”

Qi Yao, startled by Shen Wen’s cold voice, snapped out of his trance.

“Oh, I was just…admiring your apartment…the decor is lovely…that coffee table is perfect for Xing Nuo.”

He made up an excuse, scratching his head, then walked towards Xing Nuo, testing the waters.

“Xing Nuo, have you felt…hungrier than usual lately? Or have you seen any…small flames or water droplets coming from your fingertips?”

The most common natural element abilities and physical enhancements usually manifested as increased appetite and unusual strength.

Xing Nuo, glancing at his dad, quickly said:

“I eat lots of food evewy day!”

Shen Wen, remembering the list of children who didn’t eat their lunch at kindergarten, Xing Nuo’s name a permanent fixture, snorted.

“Then why did you give your ribs to another child today?”

Xing Nuo lowered his head, not daring to speak, then mumbled:

“Meat greasy…not yummy.”

Shen Wen sighed, turning to Qi Yao, his expression cold.

“If anyone can make Xing Nuo eat more, I’ll call him a miracle worker.”

Qi Yao frowned, still not giving up, and asked:

“Are you sure? Or has Xing Nuo seen anything…strange lately?”

Xing Nuo ran to the coffee table, peeked at his dad, and shook his head.

“No.”

Any strange monsters or bad guys would be defeated by the powerful Xing Nuo!

Qi Yao stroked his chin, his face filled with confusion.

But seeing Shen Wen’s displeasure, he just chuckled awkwardly and left.

Back in his apartment, lying on his bed, still pondering the situation, a new possibility suddenly occurred to him.