Chapter 11: The Sticky Bun
The midday sun gradually revealed its scorching side. Not a single cloud floated by; the sky was a pure, deep blue. Fortunately, the villa was shaded by trees in the front and back, providing a cool breeze without needing to turn on the air conditioning.
Nuonuo was lying on a small blanket indoors, holding a building block and carefully fitting it into place. Just as he placed the last piece, he let out a long sigh.
Getting up from the floor, Nuonuo ran to the sofa, wanting to show his papa the blocks he had built.
Fei Zhiyan was sitting on the sofa, wearing his gold-rimmed glasses. His bangs were all swept back, revealing his smooth forehead. As he worked on his laptop, he exuded an unconcealable sharpness that was more pronounced than usual.
006 suddenly came online. Having learned its lesson from startling Nuonuo before, it first made a slight static sound before speaking in a low voice. “Nuonuo, I’m back.”
Nuonuo let out a happy “ya” and asked in his mind, “Liuliu, did you go fight pirates again?”
006 hummed in agreement. “This time, the pirates were especially tough. It took me a long time to get back.”
And the first thing it did upon returning was to check on Nuonuo’s situation. The last thing 006 saw before it left was Fei Luo’s terrifying doll. In the later stages of the story, that doll became a nightmare for countless people. No one who set foot in the City of Terrifying Dolls ever left alive.
Overall, in the later stages of the story—after Fei Zhiyan took control of all the continents—the entire world plunged into a hellish abyss, with no escape from an inevitable fate.
Seeing that Nuonuo was alright for now, 006 let out a huge sigh of relief. The current Nuonuo was still too weak. He hadn’t even awakened the basic spiritual power of the merman race. If something really happened, he wouldn’t even have the ability to protect himself.
Just as 006 finished worrying, it came back to its senses and saw Nuonuo with his bottom in the air, struggling to climb onto the sofa.
“Nuonuo, get down quickly! Fei Zhiyan is right there!”
Nuonuo huffed and puffed as he climbed for a while, his whole body dangling in mid-air, his little feet pedaling in the air, but he ultimately slid back down.
Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Nuonuo finally answered 006. “I know, ya. I want to sit with Papa.”
Unfortunately, the sofa was too high, and Nuonuo couldn’t climb up.
Hearing this, 006 felt a jolt go through its core, almost frying its circuits. It seemed that while it was offline, Nuonuo and Fei Zhiyan’s relationship had progressed by leaps and bounds. If it had known this would happen, it never should have beautified this family of great villains in the first place!
006 still couldn’t save up enough energy and couldn’t transport Nuonuo to the sea where he was supposed to be. Besides, after staying here for so long, Nuonuo’s disappearance would only make Fei Zhiyan more suspicious.
He only arrived a few months early. It shouldn’t… affect the plot too much, right? 006 thought with a sliver of hope. As a Villain System, its purpose was to ensure that Nuonuo’s villain storyline could proceed normally. But now, from the very beginning, Nuonuo’s starting point had changed…
At this thought, 006 fell into despair again.
Fei Zhiyan finished dealing with the matters of the Jaran region. He looked down and saw Nuonuo standing pitifully in front of the sofa.
“What are you doing?”
Defeated by Nuonuo’s wronged gaze, Fei Zhiyan reached out and took him into his arms. After getting used to holding him, Fei Zhiyan found that the little one felt quite nice to hold—soft and fluffy. And Nuonuo always carried a sweet, milky scent, truly like a little sticky rice ball, both clingy and sweet.
“Papa, bwocks&…”
Sitting on his papa’s lap, Nuonuo pointed his little finger at the blocks arranged on the blanket in front of them and looked up at his papa with an expectant face.
It took Fei Zhiyan some effort to understand that the child wanted him to look at the blocks he had built.
What’s so special about that?
Fei Zhiyan’s eyelid twitched as he looked at the messy pile of blocks.
Nuonuo’s eyes shone with a sparkling light, his desire for praise written all over his face.
Fei Zhiyan was silent for a moment before he managed to force out the words, “Not bad.”
Receiving praise, Nuonuo flashed his pearly teeth, his cheeks flushing as he snuggled into his papa’s arms with a shy smile.
Fei Zhiyan, on the other hand, rubbed his forehead, feeling that he had been acting rather abnormally these past two days. The number of times his heart had softened was a bit excessive. No, it was from the moment he met Nuonuo that Fei Zhiyan had lost his usual decisiveness and ruthlessness. Today, he had even let go of a girl who should not have been let go.
At this thought, Fei Zhiyan pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes.
“Papa!”
Nuonuo tugged at Fei Zhiyan’s sleeve. Seeing his papa’s eyes were closed, he reached out his little hand and touched his papa’s face.
When Fei Zhiyan opened his eyes, he saw that Nuonuo had also closed his own eyes, tilting his head and swinging his little feet. Children are at an age where they love to imitate, and Nuonuo, being a “little sticky bun,” especially loved to copy Fei Zhiyan’s actions, even mimicking the act of closing his eyes.
Seeing this, Fei Zhiyan’s previously chaotic and cold mood was completely dispelled. He chuckled and pinched the flesh of Nuonuo’s cheek, forcing the little one to open his eyes.
“Little copycat.”
Nuonuo’s long eyelashes fluttered. He opened his eyes in confusion, and seeing his papa’s smiling lips, he couldn’t help but break into a grin himself.
“Giggle—”
Nuonuo leaned against his papa’s chest, fiddling with the buttons on his shirt, happy in his own little world.
Fei Zhiyan flicked the stray lock of hair on Nuonuo’s forehead and called Auntie Wu in. “Please take him. I still have work to do today.”
Fei Zhiyan had only come back temporarily because of the matter concerning Nuonuo. But the council still had many documents and affairs that needed his attention, so he couldn’t stay at home all the time.
Nuonuo was passed into Auntie Wu’s arms, still a little dazed.
Looking up and seeing his papa heading for the door, he anxiously kicked his legs, wanting to get down and go with him.
“Papa!”
Nuonuo struggled in Auntie Wu’s arms, reaching out his little hands and grasping at the air. Seeing his papa gradually disappear, tears instantly filled his eyes.
Auntie Wu tried to distract Nuonuo with his little ball, but Nuonuo didn’t spare a single glance for his favorite toy, still staring pitifully in the direction Fei Zhiyan had left.
Seeing Nuonuo start to sob, 006 quickly spoke up to comfort him. “Nuonuo, your papa just went to work. He’ll be back later. Didn’t you say you wanted to be a good baby? Good babies aren’t supposed to cry.”
Nuonuo knew his papa had just gone to work, but he still couldn’t help but feel sad.
Watching the black car drive away from the villa, Nuonuo pouted and wiped away his tears. “Liuliu, it’s so hard to be a good child.”
Before coming to this world, Nuonuo had been determined to be an obedient and good child. In the cartoon, it was because Little Piggy made Daddy Pig angry that Daddy Pig left home. At that time, Nuonuo didn’t have a papa and just thought Little Piggy was so lucky to have one. If Nuonuo also lived with his papa, he would definitely be the most well-behaved child in the world.
But now that he really had a papa, he found that being a good baby wasn’t good at all!
No one could console the red-nosed Nuonuo. He sat on the sofa with his head down, tears plopping down one by one.
Auntie Wu brought out her trump card, playing his favorite cartoon, Transform, Little Train! But this only made Nuonuo look up for a little while, and he watched while still crying.
Auntie Wu was so worried she was pacing in circles. The cartoon was about to end, but Nuonuo still hadn’t stopped crying. His nose was red from crying, his little body hitched with sobs, and he would occasionally let out a hiccup from crying, looking both pitiful and cute.
Just as Auntie Wu’s heart was aching, the sound of a car came from outside.
“Young Master Luo is back! Does Nuonuo want to go and greet his brother?” Seeing the black car pull up in the villa’s courtyard, Auntie Wu let out a happy sigh and quickly said to Nuonuo.
Hearing this, Nuonuo indeed lifted his little head. With tears still in his eyes, he ran to the window, pressed against the frame, and stood on his tiptoes to look outside. “Bwo-bwo, ya?”
Auntie Wu quickly nodded, took out a tissue, and lovingly wiped the tears from Nuonuo’s face. “It’s brother. Nuonuo can’t cry anymore, or brother will laugh at you.”
Just then, Nuonuo saw Fei Luo get out of the car. His eyes lit up, and he shyly pursed his lips. “No, ya.”
Nuonuo wasn’t crying at all.
Lifting his little face for Auntie Wu to wipe his tears, Nuonuo couldn’t wait and ran out.
Fei Luo walked into the house with his backpack, feeling that the sun was particularly harsh today. Just as he was dazzled by the sunlight, he suddenly saw a little ball of fluff run out of the house. The little ball was round and chubby. It was only when it got closer that Fei Luo saw that the “ball” was his little brother.
“Bwo-bwo!”
Like a little chick, Nuonuo lunged into Fei Luo’s arms.
Fei Luo took two steps back to steady himself. Holding his brother’s shoulders and hearing Nuonuo’s clear laughter, the corners of his mouth inexplicably twitched into a smile as well.
Holding Fei Luo’s hand tightly, Nuonuo followed his brother’s every step back into the house. Perhaps afraid that his brother would disappear like his papa, Nuonuo sat right next to Fei Luo on the sofa.
Seeing this scene, 006’s entire system almost crashed.
If I remember correctly, in the original plot, Fei Nuo’s relationship with his family wasn’t very good.
But now, watching Nuonuo tug at Fei Luo’s sleeve and happily shake his little head, 006 had a strange feeling that things were sprinting wildly in another direction.
But this won’t affect the big picture, 006 comforted itself. It’s nothing, just a small error.
As long as the main storyline wasn’t affected, the plot could still proceed smoothly!
Just then, the chef arrived. Seeing the two brothers, Nuonuo and Fei Luo, sitting affectionately together and whispering to each other, he chuckled happily.
“Nuonuo, Little Luo, come and eat! We have delicious corn and pork rib soup today!”
Nuonuo didn’t even know what pork rib soup was, but he still opened his mouth wide with a “wow,” his little eyes shining with anticipation.
Fei Luo was usually indifferent to what he ate, but seeing Nuonuo’s cheerful expression and the way he excitedly pulled his hand towards the kitchen, he suddenly had a feeling.
Today’s pork rib soup might be very delicious.
At the dinner table.
Nuonuo was conquered by the delicious taste of the pork rib soup. He drank three small bowls in a row, gnawed on a large pork rib, and his little mouth was covered in a circle of grease.
As Nuonuo was gnawing on his second pork rib, having exhausted all his energy from the morning, he finally gave out. His little head nodded and nodded, until he finally slumped onto the table, fast asleep.
