Chapter 14: Clothes
The sky was already bright. Sunlight streamed in through the window, filling the entire bedroom.
On the bed, Fei Zhiyan moved his arm and slowly opened his eyes. The sunlight, unhindered, was blindingly bright. He raised a hand to block it, closed his eyes for a moment, and then adjusted to the brightness.
Glancing at the clock on the wall, he saw that it was already ten o’clock.
Fei Zhiyan rubbed his slightly aching temples. Thinking about the tasks he had to deal with today, he couldn’t help but frown. As a workaholic who worked year-round, waking up early and coming home late every day, sleeping in this late was a rare occurrence.
Of course, the main culprit for Fei Zhiyan’s late start was the little cub sleeping soundly on top of him, his little belly exposed.
Nuonuo had slept for too long yesterday afternoon, which meant he wasn’t sleepy at all at night. He had spun around on the bed like a clock, a full three hundred and sixty degrees. Fei Zhiyan had held him by the scruff of his neck and told him to sleep several times, but nothing could make Nuonuo obediently go to sleep.
And Nuonuo would just stare at Fei Zhiyan with his innocent, bewildered eyes, a look of pure simplicity that made all the words Fei Zhiyan wanted to say get stuck in his throat.
After a few days together, the little one had lost his initial fear and trepidation. With enough of a sense of security, he began to dance wildly on Fei Zhiyan’s boundaries.
But Fei Zhiyan was a sucker for it. The moment Nuonuo called him “Papa” in his milky voice and snuggled up to him affectionately, Fei Zhiyan’s heart would uncontrollably soften.
This little thing is like my nemesis, Fei Zhiyan thought, rubbing his head.
Looking down at Nuonuo, who was clutching his clothes with one little hand and curled up in a small ball on his chest, Fei Zhiyan sighed. He gently moved the little one, repositioning him and placing him on the pillow to sleep.
Asleep, Nuonuo was incredibly well-behaved. His thick, long eyelashes cast a row of tiny shadows. His little mouth, which was usually always grinning, was now slightly pursed, occasionally making a soft smacking sound.
He must be dreaming of something delicious, Fei Zhiyan thought, watching the still-sleeping Nuonuo. The coldness in his eyes dissipated considerably.
After washing up, Fei Zhiyan got dressed in his suit and was about to go downstairs to work when he saw Fei Luo emerging from the bedroom on the other side of the hallway.
Fei Luo must have just woken up too. The light-colored curls on his head were slightly sticking up, and his large eyes were even more vacant than usual, as if he hadn’t fully woken up from his dream.
Fei Luo was wearing blue pajamas. Seeing Fei Zhiyan, he blinked lightly before greeting him. “Father.”
Fei Zhiyan nodded. He hadn’t intended to say much, but thinking of Nuonuo still sleeping in the bedroom, he stopped and gave a couple of instructions. “Go and check on Nuonuo later. Don’t let him roll off the bed.”
Hearing this, a flicker of light appeared in Fei Luo’s eyes, and he nodded lightly. “Okay.”
Fei Zhiyan hummed in acknowledgment. Just as he was about to leave, he noticed the frayed threads on Fei Luo’s clothes and frowned.
“When did you buy these clothes?”
Fei Luo was taken aback by his father’s sudden question. He paused for a moment before answering, “Last year?”
He wasn’t actually sure. After all, Fei Luo didn’t pay much attention to such things. He spent more time daydreaming than he did paying attention to the necessities of life.
Hearing this, Fei Zhiyan couldn’t help but touch his throbbing forehead.
When it came to his adopted sons, Fei Zhiyan was not stingy with money or material possessions. In fact, he was quite generous and lenient. Not only did each of them have their own black card, but Fei Zhiyan had also hired an assistant to give them a regular allowance. After all, money was the least of Fei Zhiyan’s concerns.
But Fei Luo still managed to live so frugally. The threads coming loose from the hem of his clothes could probably unravel half the pajamas if pulled.
Perhaps I really haven’t been paying enough attention to this adopted son, Fei Zhiyan thought. He then said, “This afternoon, I’ll pick you and Nuonuo up to go to the mall. Think about what you’re missing, and we’ll buy it all at once.”
Usually, Fei Zhiyan would never go to such trouble, running to a mall to buy clothes. He would either make an appointment for various brands to deliver clothes to his home or have them custom-made.
But children seemed to like going out to play. Thinking that Nuonuo had probably never been to a mall, Fei Zhiyan made up his mind.
Hearing that they could go to the mall, Fei Luo didn’t have much of a reaction, just quietly agreed. Fei Luo didn’t particularly like noisy places, but if he could go with his little brother, it seemed it wouldn’t be so bad.
Squinting his eyes in pleasure, Fei Luo went back to his room to wash up before heading to the master bedroom.
Because Fei Zhiyan had told him to look after his little brother, Fei Luo entered the bedroom this time and sat on the small, soft stool by the bed, staring intently at his brother.
When Fei Luo had nothing to do, he would usually just sit alone in a daze. He couldn’t find anything interesting to do, so he would either talk to his doll in his room or sit on the sofa from morning until night, lost in thought.
But this morning, while looking after his little brother, Fei Luo felt that time flew by. It was as if, in the blink of an eye, it was already noon. But his little brother still showed no signs of waking up, sleeping with his little bottom in the air and his head facing down.
In the two hours he spent watching his little brother in the bedroom, Fei Luo had witnessed Nuonuo’s one hundred and eight sleeping positions. From sleeping with his bottom in the air to sleeping with his little foot crooked next to his face, Nuonuo’s body was unbelievably flexible, always managing to contort into all sorts of amazing positions.
It felt even more interesting than the little train cartoon Fei Luo had watched yesterday.
Just as Fei Luo was very seriously fulfilling his duty, Auntie Wu pushed the door open and walked in. Clearly not expecting Fei Luo to be there, Auntie Wu was slightly taken aback before she spoke. “Little Luo is here to see his little brother too. What a good child.”
Fei Luo pursed his lips and nodded at Auntie Wu. After greeting her, he lowered his voice. “Little brother is sleeping. Auntie, you need to be quiet.”
Auntie Wu didn’t expect Fei Luo to be so concerned about his little brother. She couldn’t help but smile so widely that the crow’s feet at the corners of her eyes appeared. “I know. It’s about time for Nuonuo to get up anyway. Otherwise, he won’t be able to sleep at night. Children who don’t sleep at night won’t grow tall.”
Hearing Auntie Wu say this, Fei Luo nodded blankly. “Then should we wake little brother up?”
Auntie Wu hummed in agreement, went over and gently picked Nuonuo up. She expertly pinched Nuonuo’s little nose and ears, waking the little one up.
Nuonuo opened his eyes in a daze. Seeing Fei Luo standing beside him, he let out a big yawn and stretched his little arms towards his brother. “Hwug, ya—”
Fei Luo also wanted to take his little brother, but Auntie Wu, afraid that Fei Luo wouldn’t have the strength to hold him, didn’t dare to hand him over. “Nuonuo, be good. You can hug your brother after you’ve washed up.”
Nuonuo was still not fully awake. His little head lolled onto Auntie Wu’s shoulder, and he just looked at his brother, remaining very quiet and well-behaved.
It wasn’t until after he had washed up that Nuonuo regained his energy. His eyes lit up, and he held his brother’s little hand, chattering away in his milky voice.
Fei Luo also held his little brother’s hand tightly, afraid that the little one would fall.
Auntie Wu followed behind, watching the two brothers’ affectionate scene, her entire face wrinkling with a smile. She had previously thought that Fei Luo was difficult to get along with, but now, seeing him so attentive to his little brother, she completely overturned her previous thoughts. It seemed that Little Luo was also a very good older brother.
After their brunch, Nuonuo sat on the sofa, watching a new episode of the cartoon and telling his brother about the previous plot. “The wittle twain fwoo over. I… I can’t fwy. So gweat.”
Fei Luo listened to Nuonuo’s incoherent words and nodded very seriously. “Yes, very great.”
Although Fei Luo didn’t say much, Nuonuo was still very happy. He continued to talk excitedly, taking a moment to glance at the cartoon every now and then, afraid he would miss something. His little head turned back and forth, as busy as a little spinning top.
After one episode, Nuonuo was still not satisfied. He blinked his eyes as the TV was turned off and let out a long sigh. “I still wanna watch the wittle twain.”
Auntie Wu was very strict about Nuonuo’s TV time. Afraid that his eyes would become nearsighted, she only allowed him to watch one episode a day.
Hearing Nuonuo’s words, Auntie Wu shook her head. “No, Nuonuo has already watched today. No more watching.”
Nuonuo didn’t understand why he could only watch one episode. He grabbed his third brother’s hand and held it up high. “Bwo-bwo… Bwo-bwo wants to watch too, ya—”
Fei Luo lowered his eyes and saw the bright, expectant light in Nuonuo’s eyes. He hesitated for a moment before nodding firmly. “I want to watch too.”
“Watch, watch, ya!”
Nuonuo looked at Auntie Wu with pleading eyes, on the verge of going over and acting spoiled.
Auntie Wu was getting on in years and couldn’t stand Nuonuo’s milky-sweet whining. Her once-firm resolve wavered, and she almost put on another episode for him.
Fortunately, Fei Zhiyan’s assistant arrived just in time, walking in and saying he was here to pick up Nuonuo and Fei Luo to go to the mall.
“Mr. Fei has some business to attend to for now and asked me to pick up the two young masters first. The car is already here. Do you need to pack anything?”
Auntie Wu didn’t know about this sudden decision. She quickly found a small backpack, packed a water bottle, tissues, and other things, and put it on Nuonuo’s back.
Nuonuo really liked this little backpack; he thought it looked like his brother’s little schoolbag. Although his was a single-strap crossbody bag and a little different from Fei Luo’s backpack, Nuonuo was still delighted. He even put a few candies inside to share with his brother on the way.
It was Nuonuo’s first time in a car, and everything felt new and exciting. He pressed his face against the window, his mouth wide open, his eyes staring unblinkingly at the scenery outside.
“Wow.”
As the car drove into the city, Nuonuo saw the skyscrapers reaching into the clouds and let out an amazed gasp.
The assistant sitting in the front heard Nuonuo’s soft voice and couldn’t help but smile, even explaining to the little one what the things outside were.
Nuonuo held his brother’s hand, swinging his little legs, listening with great interest.
The assistant looked at Nuonuo’s bright, dark eyes and couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. This child is so well-behaved! And he was so fair and tender, instantly likable. It was no wonder Mr. Fei had such good taste; even the children he adopted were so cute.
In the assistant’s mind, Fei Zhiyan was an exceptionally capable and handsome man who had selflessly adopted four children. He was practically a role model in his life!
If 006 could hear the assistant’s words, it would probably burst his beautiful bubble on the spot, with a cold laugh for good measure.
But this situation was not uncommon. In the current Yunzhou, and even the world, most people had great faith in Fei Zhiyan. Humans are drawn to the strong. The abilities Fei Zhiyan displayed had not only made Yunzhou the most economically developed continent in the world but had also doubled its territory. Not to mention, Fei Zhiyan was also handsome and noble, perfectly hitting the mark of people’s fantasies.
But they had no idea that the madness hidden beneath this man’s false exterior would drag the entire world into darkness.
