Chapter 26: The Hot Search
The black nanny van drove out of the garage discreetly. The hot air rushed against the car, but was completely blocked by the tightly closed windows.
Cool air gradually blew into the car. Nuonuo finally didn’t have to keep wiping the sweat from his forehead and could concentrate on eating his cotton candy.
Fei Jing watched the little dumpling eat with great interest. When Nuonuo was almost done, he took out a wet wipe and cleaned the circle of sugar stains around his mouth.
Nuonuo tilted his little face up and obediently let his brother wipe his face. When his cheeks were clean and fair again, he giggled and lunged into his brother’s arms. “Brother, hwug—”
Fei Jing said “sticky thing” with a hint of disdain in his voice, but his actions were still gentle. He placed Nuonuo in the baby seat next to him and fastened the straps. “Don’t move around, you know? The car is about to start.”
Nuonuo was strapped into the chair, his little arms unable to move. He could only lift his little face and look at his brother pitifully. “Brother no hwug, ya?”
Fei Jing had never seen a more clingy little brother than Nuonuo. He was like a little sticky rice cake come to life, almost impossible to handle. “You can’t be held in the car. We have to be safe.”
Fei Jing patiently explained to Nuonuo. His gentle tone made the manager sitting in the front row’s mouth drop open in surprise. This spoiled and difficult little ancestor actually has a day where he coaxes people like this!
She knew Fei Jing’s young master temper better than anyone. The rose water he drank had to be brewed from fresh roses picked from Huazhou, and he wouldn’t even look at a suit that cost less than seven figures… And yet, she had never seen Fei Jing show her a good face. If it weren’t for the fact that her salary was so high, the manager would have probably quit long ago.
Now, seeing Fei Jing with his head down, gently fastening Nuonuo’s seatbelt with a soft expression, the manager couldn’t help but feel a little dazed. The treatment between people really can’t be compared.
Sitting in the baby safety seat, Nuonuo couldn’t hug his brother, so he could only swing his little feet and babble to Fei Jing about what had just happened. “I… I ate two candies! A wittle doggy one, and a wittle wabbit one… I also… also bought a ‘hopper’ for brother!”
Fei Jing’s face darkened. What strange thing is a “hopper”? he thought.
The manager next to him explained, “It’s a ‘little grasshopper,’ right? We passed a stall selling woven-grass animals just now, and Nuonuo specifically picked it out for you.”
The veins on Fei Jing’s temple throbbed a couple of times. A grasshopper? Do I look like I would like something like that? he thought.
But when he looked down and saw Nuonuo’s small, expectant eyes, the words “ugly thing” stayed on the tip of his tongue for a long while before he finally swallowed them.
Pressing his temple lightly, Fei Jing took the little woven-grass grasshopper and reluctantly nodded. “Hmm, it’s alright. It’s ugly in a unique way.”
The manager: “…”
Fei Jing, thinking he had been quite tactful, placed the little thing by the car window, took a few photos with the sunlight, and uploaded them to Weibo.
“Why did you pick such a thing for Nuonuo? You didn’t trick the child while I was gone, did you?”
Seeing Fei Jing’s distrustful gaze, the manager was speechless. “I’m not like you. Oh, right, there really was a crazy woman trying to trick people just now! She even scared Nuonuo, and he cried for a long time before he could be coaxed.”
The manager thought of the woman she had met by the parking garage and spoke with some lingering fear. “I was buying a hat for Nuonuo, and she suddenly popped out, saying she was Nuonuo’s mother! Isn’t that funny? Nuonuo doesn’t even know her, and she was still putting on a show. She’s quite pretty, but she seems to have a few screws loose.”
As the manager was complaining, she didn’t notice that Fei Jing’s expression in the back seat was gradually becoming grave.
“Mother? The woman said that herself?”
Fei Jing half-closed his eyes, a hint of suspicion in them.
The manager nodded. “Yeah, she probably suffered some kind of blow. That woman didn’t seem mentally stable, all jumpy and startling. It was really scary.”
Fei Jing’s gaze fell on Nuonuo next to him, and he coolly lifted his eyelids. “What did she do?”
Seeing Fei Jing so interested, the manager just thought he was concerned about what had happened to Nuonuo and didn’t think much of it, just repeating what the woman had said.
After listening, Fei Jing’s thin lips curled up slightly, his eyes revealing an unconcealable coldness. “That’s interesting.”
That woman said I’m not a good person the moment she opened her mouth. How could she be so sure? It’s as if she had really interacted with Fei Jing before.
Leaning back lazily in his seat, Fei Jing reached out his large hand and messed up the hair of Nuonuo, who was intently watching the scenery outside the window.
With his hair all messy, Nuonuo let out a couple of “ah”s in protest. “No wub, ya!”
“I will wub.” Fei Jing rebelliously continued to ruffle his hair, even pinching Nuonuo’s soft, smooth little cheek.
Seeing that Nuonuo was about to be bullied to tears, the manager’s heart ached, and she quickly interrupted Fei Jing’s actions. “It’s almost noon. Let’s go eat first. We can go back and play when there are fewer people at the event square later.”
Mainly, Fei Jing’s fan base was too large, so they had to temporarily stay away from there and find a private restaurant to solve the lunch problem first.
This was Nuonuo’s first time eating out. From the moment he got out of the car, his bright, dark eyes were curiously darting around, his little head like a little spinning top, busy as can be.
This restaurant had an elegant environment and a luxurious style. There was even a piano in the center of the dining hall. At this moment, a man in a white tailcoat was sitting there, his hands nimbly playing.
Nuonuo had never seen a piano before. As they passed by, his little eyes were glued to it, and he tilted his head, looking at this big, dark thing he had never seen before.
“Brother, what is that, ya?”
Fei Jing looked up at the person playing and let out a soft “hmm.” “That’s a piano. Do you like it?”
By now, they were already seated in a private room. Nuonuo was placed in a child’s seat, his little hands on the table, nodding his head vigorously. He imitated the person’s playing just now, tapping on the tabletop with his chubby little hands.
If the performer’s hands were as nimble as fluttering butterflies, then Nuonuo’s hands were as clumsy as a dazed moth that could only bump into windows. His five little fingers were chubby like soft dough, without a hint of beauty. He would tap once and then pause, which made Fei Jing couldn’t help but purse his lips and laugh.
“Alright, when we get back, I’ll talk to Father. If you want to learn the piano, you can learn. We can’t let Nuonuo’s studies be delayed just because he’s a little silly.”
Nuonuo couldn’t distinguish between good and bad words. He just smiled so widely his eyes crinkled, happily swinging his little feet. “Brother is good, ya!”
Fei Jing let out a “ha” and couldn’t help but cup his ear. “Good? I’m not good, you little dummy.”
The restaurant’s signature dish was steak, but Nuonuo was still too young to eat it, so they ordered a pineapple pie and mushroom soup for him separately.
Nuonuo held his little spoon, taking a sip of soup and then a bite of the sweet pineapple pie. His little face was covered in soup, and he was happily swinging his legs.
After they finished eating, just as Fei Jing was about to ask Nuonuo what he wanted to play at the amusement park, he turned his head and saw the little one’s head tilted on the chair, his little mouth open as he fell asleep.
“You fall asleep as soon as you’re full. Are you a reincarnated little pig?”
Fei Jing playfully flicked the sleeping little one’s nose but could only resignedly carry him to the car.
With their travel plans disrupted, Fei Jing simply told the driver to go back to the villa first.
By the time the car stopped on the lawn in front of the villa, Nuonuo, who had been sleeping soundly in the car, woke up, rubbing his eyes. “Brother, home, ya?”
Seeing him wake up the moment they got out of the car, Fei Jing was so angry he laughed. He reached out and pinched his little cheek, which still had a faint red mark from sleeping. “You did that on purpose, didn’t you? Falling asleep in the car and waking up as soon as we get out. How do you pick your timing so well?”
Nuonuo’s mind was still groggy from just waking up. His eyes were dark and bright, watery, and he tilted his little head, seemingly not understanding what his brother was saying.
Fei Jing couldn’t be bothered to argue with him. He grabbed Nuonuo by the back of his collar and carried the little one back into the house.
Dangling in mid-air, Nuonuo’s sleepiness instantly vanished. He couldn’t help but swing his short little legs, grinning and showing his little baby teeth. “Giggle—High, high, ya. Brother lift me high, high, ya!”
The sound of his laughter tinkled all the way down the hallway and throughout the villa. The empty, silent atmosphere of the house, like a fish in water, suddenly came to life.
Fei Luo, who was eating in the dining room, heard the sound, and his vacant, dark eyes suddenly lit up. His slow sips of soup were suddenly put on fast-forward.
In the time it took the chef to turn his head, Fei Luo had put down his spoon, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and said, “I’m done. Thank you for your hard work.”
Before the chef could say it was no trouble, he saw Fei Luo quickly turn and go to the living room, his back exuding a bit of joy, even the little chestnut curls on his head bouncing.
Shaking his head with a smile, the chef took the bowl back to the kitchen.
In the living room, Nuonuo was placed on the sofa by Fei Jing, his little arms held high. “Brother hwug—fly high, high, ya!”
Fei Jing had also been tired all morning. Performing the opening song was also physically demanding. At this moment, he was sitting on the sofa, lazily propping his chin on his hand, and poking his brother’s soft, chubby cheek to play with him. “No more playing. You’re a little fatty, carrying you once is exhausting.”
Nuonuo’s outstretched little hands froze in mid-air. He stood there in a daze, his eyes wide open, as if he couldn’t believe what he had heard.
“I… I’m not fat…”
Nuonuo looked down at his little belly, which was bulging from eating too much. He tried to suck it in, but no matter how hard he tried, he found that his belly was still as round as a little watermelon.
Unable to make his belly smaller, Nuonuo stood there dumbfounded, his little eyes full of confusion.
Fei Jing looked at his little brother’s silly actions, laughed, and crossed his arms. “See? Our Fei family is going to have a little fatty.”
Hearing this, Nuonuo shook his little head and said it wasn’t true. “I’m not a wittle fatty!”
Thinking he had just eaten a little too much, Nuonuo climbed down from the sofa and toddled over to find Auntie Wu. “Yiyi, am I… am I fatty?”
Nuonuo walked up to Auntie Wu, tugged at the corner of her clothes with his little hand, and even stood on his tiptoes, looking at her with pleading eyes.
Auntie Wu’s heart instantly melted. She let out a couple of “aiyo”s and reached out to pick up the soft and fluffy Nuonuo. “Nuonuo is not fat at all. Little children are all like this. Being chubby is what’s called good-looking.”
Having been a nanny for so many years, Auntie Wu had never seen a more beautiful child than Nuonuo. Not only was he fair and cute, but his personality was also well-behaved and clingy, making people love him instinctively.
Being picked up, Nuonuo swung his little feet in mid-air, his little face flushed red, his lips pursed in a small, happy smile.
“Don’t listen to your second brother. Nuonuo is just right like this, both cute and likable.” Auntie Wu smiled and bounced Nuonuo in her arms.
Being praised, Nuonuo was a little embarrassed. He struggled to get down from Auntie Wu’s arms and was about to run to find the chef uncle. But just as he turned and took two steps, he saw Fei Luo walking out of the dining room. His little eyes instantly lit up. “Brother!”
Nuonuo ran over, instantly forgetting what he was going to do, and clingily hugged Fei Luo, happily resting his little head on his brother’s shoulder.
Fei Luo was knocked back a couple of steps by Nuonuo’s hug before he steadied himself. He held his little brother’s body, and a hint of happiness unconsciously appeared in his eyes.
The two little ones hugged each other, making Fei Jing’s teeth ache. He let out a light “hmph.” “Anyone who didn’t know would think you two haven’t seen each other in hundreds of years. Isn’t it too sticky? It’s so hot, you’ve already sweated several times.”
If anyone familiar with Fei Jing’s personality were here, they would be able to tell that he was a little jealous, but his mouth was still stubborn.
But Nuonuo was still young and thought his second brother really felt hot. He shook his head and answered, “Not hot, ya. It’s cool in the house.”
The villa’s air conditioning was on, continuously blowing cool air, so it really wasn’t that hot.
Nuonuo thought for a while, then ran over and fanned his second brother with his little hands. “Brother not hot, ya?”
Nuonuo’s hands were so small that if Fei Jing hadn’t been close, he might have even missed the “breeze” that couldn’t even blow a strand of hair.
Fei Jing looked at Nuonuo’s clear, translucent eyes, felt the slight itch of the tiny breeze on his cheek, and his fingertips couldn’t help but tremble a couple of times. “It’s alright.”
Fei Jing’s tone was like a ripe persimmon, long gone was its previous sourness. He now understood a little why his father had kept this little one. Although his actions were always silly, this kind of pure concern really did make one’s heart soften.
The manager also walked in at this moment. It was her first time seeing such a magnificent villa, and it was very likely the home of Council President Fei Zhiyan. She subconsciously lightened her steps.
“What were you doing?”
Seeing the manager, Fei Jing’s just-softened tone instantly gained a layer of distance.
The manager knew this ancestor’s temper and answered without much care. “I went to have the studio start a topic.”
“What topic?” Fei Jing frowned slightly and looked up at her.
The manager told him what the lady with the lace hat had done when they were shopping, her words tinged with a bit of anger. “That woman was really too much. Her child was also a brat. It was quite satisfying when she fell in the end.”
Fei Jing propped his chin on his hand, a cold glint in his eyes, the curl of his lips revealing his undisguised mockery. “That’s simple. Since she’s so arrogant, I’ll just help her get on the headlines.”
The manager’s heart skipped a beat, and she quickly tried to stop him. “Don’t! As a celebrity, it’s best not to get involved in this matter. It will damage your image.”
The coldness in Fei Jing’s eyes was almost seeping out. He let out a cold scoff. “She bullied my little brother, and I’m supposed to care about that little bit of image?”
The manager thought to herself that she hadn’t bullied his brother, but the little boy at the stall. But it didn’t make much difference. The manager really couldn’t stop this willful little ancestor, Fei Jing, and could only watch as he forwarded the video and commented:
[If you don’t want your mouth, then throw it away.]
The manager: Tired. Let’s just destroy everything.
Sure enough, Fei Jing’s traffic was huge. In just a few minutes, this video was on the top of Weibo’s hot search. Other social media platforms also followed suit, piggybacking on the heat and giving several promotions.
Now, this woman was completely famous.
When the lady with the lace hat was carrying her child home, she was still cursing the two children. “So uneducated, what kind of things are they! As dirty as a beggar. How could the event organizer let such people set up a stall?!”
She limped home, her son occasionally screaming and making a fuss, which annoyed her to no end. “That’s enough! Stop screaming. Remember to stay away from those dirty things in the future. What if you catch some kind of germs? It’s a good thing I didn’t buy you that little thing, or I’d have to disinfect it when we get home!”
As she was speaking, she saw a few people ahead of her whispering and occasionally glancing at her, their eyes filled with disdain.
The woman’s eyebrows shot up. Just as she was about to glare back, her phone rang. It was her husband, telling her to check the hot search quickly.
Thinking of the manager who had been taking pictures in the crowd, the woman’s heart skipped a beat, and she quickly opened Weibo. She had thought she might have been posted on Weibo, but she never expected that person to be a top celebrity!
The overwhelming mockery from the netizens made her so angry she almost fainted. Her vision went black, and she passed out.
