Chapter 27: The Little Ponytail
The rhythm of summer was always fast and fierce. Just after noon, the temperature soared, and the trees by the villa drooped, looking wilted from the heat.
After posting on Weibo, Fei Jing was in a very good mood. He handed his phone to his manager. “Don’t look so glum. You see, my popularity is at least still very stable.”
The manager really wanted to scoff at him, but after all, he was her cash cow. She could only swallow a bunch of complaints and busily go to the studio to lower the heat.
Before she left, she suddenly slapped her forehead and said, “If you have nothing to do this afternoon, you should go for an audition.”
Don’t just sit around and cause trouble for me.
Fei Jing’s work nature meant he had no free time. Before he could even sit down and rest for a while, he was back in the car, rushing to his next engagement.
Fortunately, Nuonuo was busy taking out the little gifts he had bought for his third brother and didn’t see his second brother leave. Otherwise, he would have cried for a while again.
“Little gwass, for Third Brother, ya!”
Nuonuo held up something that didn’t even look like any particular animal and happily handed it to Fei Luo.
The curls on Fei Luo’s forehead swayed. His usually gray, dark pupils now had a bit of light in them. “For me?”
Fei Luo’s voice was very soft, with a hint of helpless surprise. This was the first time Fei Luo had received a gift. He felt that his little hands were so nervous he didn’t know where to put them.
Nuonuo nodded emphatically and very seriously told his brother, “This… this is little gwass. Nuonuo picked it, for brother!”
It was actually a little sparrow, but Nuonuo couldn’t remember the name, only that it was woven from grass, so he had muddledly given it a new name.
Fei Luo didn’t mind at all. He pursed his light-colored lips again and again, but still couldn’t suppress the rising happiness, his lips curving into a big arc. “Thank you, little brother.”
Fei Luo took the little sparrow and, after a moment’s thought, took it back to his bedroom. This was a gift from his little brother, so he had to put it away properly.
Fei Luo’s bedroom was very simple and clear, with basically no personal belongings. Only on the bedside table was Fei Luo’s only little doll.
Nuonuo took small steps and followed him in. Seeing his third brother place the little sparrow and the doll together, he also propped his little chin on his hands to look. “It’s a doll, ya, pwetty!”
Nuonuo often saw this little doll hanging on his third brother’s backpack. It was a little bigger than an adult’s palm, and the fabric was soft and fluffy, looking very nice to touch.
At this moment, the little doll, being praised for being pretty, had two round, light red blushes quietly appearing on its cheeks.
Fei Luo placed the little sparrow next to the doll and even reached out to pat it, brushing off a bit of dust from the little sparrow.
Nuonuo looked at the little doll and the little sparrow and shook his little head. “Little doll and little gwass be good fwiends, ya!”
Fei Luo also nodded in agreement. “Mm.”
Taking his little brother’s hand, Fei Luo glanced at the doll, which seemed a little wilted, and said without much concern, “Let’s go play outside.”
Nuonuo nodded his little head vigorously. “I… I can comb hair now. Brother, I comb brother’s hair, ya!”
This was something Nuonuo had seen on TV. He saw the little pig sister in the cartoon with her little pigtails tied with a pretty bow and thought he could comb it just as beautifully!
The cub, whose ideas were always strange and wonderful, was eager to try and couldn’t wait to pull his brother out.
Just as the two of them turned around, the little doll on the table behind them secretly moved, then its little hand lifted slightly and, as if unintentionally, poked the little sparrow next to it, knocking it over.
The woven-grass little sparrow was light and small. It fell onto the tabletop with a plop, rolled a few times, and then landed on the carpet.
The little doll’s chestnut-colored curls, which were just like Fei Luo’s, swayed, and then it moved back to its original position as if nothing had happened.
Nuonuo walked to the door and then suddenly remembered that you need a comb to comb hair. His steps paused. “I don’t have a comb, ya.”
Fei Luo blinked and turned around. “I do.”
Fei Luo, who was already seven, had long since started to dress, wash, and comb his own hair. In the storage box in front of the bathroom mirror was his little blue comb.
So, the two of them went back to get the comb.
The bathroom was at the very end. As they passed the bedroom, Nuonuo saw a woven-grass little sparrow lying on the gray carpet and tilted his head in confusion. “Sparrow fell.”
Nuonuo pointed at the little sparrow and tugged at his brother’s clothes.
Fei Luo naturally saw it too. After all, his floor was usually empty, so a little sparrow was very conspicuous. He stared at the little doll on the table for a long while, his eyes dark and cold, which made the little doll’s little curls almost stand on end.
Fei Luo averted his gaze, carefully picked up the little sparrow, and placed it back on the table, even using a tissue to wipe the dirty parts.
After doing all this, Fei Luo took his little brother to the bathroom to get the comb.
The little doll was a little unconvinced, but just as it reached out its hand, it saw the returning Fei Luo glance at it without emotion. It quickly and frantically stood up straight, its little hands behind its back, looking extremely well-behaved.
Nuonuo got the little comb and bounced into the bedroom. He saw that the doll’s hair, for some reason, was messy and sticking up in the air. “Brother, the doll’s hair is messy—”
Nuonuo walked over, his eyes, which were clearer than a lake, staring at the doll curiously, which made the little doll blush a little.
Fei Luo’s expression didn’t change much, just agreeing with a hum.
“I… I comb the doll’s hair, ya, brother?”
Nuonuo, eager to show off his newly learned skill, held up the little comb and looked at his third brother expectantly, seeking Fei Luo’s permission.
Fei Luo was a little hesitant this time. He looked at the little doll’s little curls, which were swaying again, and didn’t even have to guess to feel the urging from within.
Say yes, say yes! I want to play with Nuonuo!
Having no choice, Fei Luo could only hesitate and nod. “Alright.”
Nuonuo happily walked to the table and gently picked up the doll. He imitated how Auntie Wu would coax him, patting the little doll’s back and cooing in his milky voice. “Little doll, don’t cry. Nuonuo is here to comb your hair—”
Fei Luo thought to himself that this doll wasn’t crying, it was his little brother who was the crybaby. But seeing Nuonuo’s serious look, he didn’t say it out loud.
Nuonuo placed the little doll on the sofa, stood on his tiptoes to get his little face close, and gently flattened the doll’s messy hair with his little hands before combing it with the little comb. Although his movements were slow, Nuonuo’s little face was tense, as if he were doing something very important, completely focused.
Just as Nuonuo was about to finish combing the doll’s hair, 006, who had been gone all morning, suddenly came online.
Seeing Nuonuo holding the doll and combing its hair, 006 froze, its program almost crashing. “Nuonuo… what are you doing!”
How is it that after just one morning, my cub is already messing with the king of hell! This is going to shock the system to death.
Sensing that Liuliu was back, Nuonuo even happily greeted it. “Liuliu, I can comb hair now. I’m combing brother’s doll’s hair!”
006 thought to itself that he probably didn’t know how terrifying the little thing in his hands was, to be able to smile so brightly.
Seeing that Nuonuo had finished combing and was about to tie the doll’s hair with a little hair tie he had found somewhere, 006 quickly spoke up. “Nuonuo, you should leave as soon as you’re done combing. Don’t stay here!”
Otherwise, if you’re not careful, you might get a bloody hole in your body…
As Fei Luo’s greatest weapon, the doll loved to poke holes in people.
Nuonuo was just getting into it. Hearing 006’s words, he asked in confusion, “Why? The little doll really likes me combing his hair!”
006 couldn’t bear to tell him the cruel truth and could only remain silent. It seems I should save some energy. If something really happens later, I can still put up a protective shield for Nuonuo. Aiya, raising a cub is so hard.
Seeing that Liuliu wasn’t talking, Nuonuo took the little hair tie and, with his chubby little hands, clumsily tied a little ponytail on the doll’s head. He tied it a little messy, and it was only with Fei Luo’s help that he succeeded.
But even so, Nuonuo still felt that the doll with the little ponytail looked even better. “The doll is so pwetty, ya!” Nuonuo’s eyes sparkled as he cupped his face and leaned in to admire his “masterpiece.”
The little doll didn’t know what its hair looked like, but hearing Nuonuo’s rainbow-like praise, its little face flushed with two round blushes again. From now on, I’ll always wear a little ponytail!
The cub and the doll got along harmoniously and happily, which made the system watching from the side feel as if it had fallen into an illusion. Did I miss some important plot? How come this terrifying doll looks so well-behaved? This can’t be my imagination, can it?
006 thought about it and felt that there must be another problem. It hadn’t even had time to tell Nuonuo about Wen Yuan, so it went offline again to look for bugs.
Nuonuo was busy for a while, then sat on the sofa to rest, tired. He drank the water Fei Luo brought him and, in no time, regained his energy.
Placing the little doll with the ponytail back on the table, Nuonuo spun around his third brother. “Brother, I comb brother’s hair, ya!”
As if he couldn’t get enough of this game, Nuonuo held up the little comb again, blinking his eyes at Fei Luo.
Fei Luo pursed his lips and looked up at the clock on the wall. It was already two-thirty in the afternoon. Usually, he would be going to school at this time. But for some reason, the driver uncle hadn’t come to find him today. Fei Luo pinched his fingers and nodded at his little brother. “Okay, thank you, Nuonuo.”
Sitting on the small sofa, Fei Luo watched Nuonuo busy combing his hair and tying a little ponytail, and he also happily narrowed his eyes. He liked playing with his little brother.
Fei Zhiyan had been in meetings all day. It wasn’t until the evening glow of dusk spilled into the conference room that he was still listening to the representatives from various continents speak with his eyes lowered.
Huazhou and Yunzhou were now under Fei Zhiyan’s jurisdiction. The Baizhou Council President was lacking in energy and had long since finished speaking and was sitting there drinking tea.
It was the fragmented Daizhou that, despite being small, had a lot of issues. A region there had fewer people than a city in Yunzhou, and yet they still had to have a representative come up and give a speech.
Listening to the tasteless content of these council presidents, Fei Zhiyan’s fingertips tapped lightly on the table. Under his silver-rimmed glasses, his eyes held an unconcealable coldness and impatience.
Pushing up his glasses, Fei Zhiyan lifted his cold eyes and glanced at the person on the stage.
The small council president who was speaking on the stage saw Fei Zhiyan’s gaze, and cold sweat instantly dripped from his forehead. Should I get down now?
The man’s heart was pounding nervously. Seeing Mr. Fei’s expression, he was afraid that if he continued to speak, he would directly annihilate Daizhou tomorrow.
Swallowing nervously, the man quickly gave his concluding remarks and hurried down with his head lowered.
The conference room instantly fell silent. The silent, cold atmosphere was frozen in the air. No one dared to be the next to speak.
The few small council presidents from Daizhou who hadn’t spoken yet looked at each other, then continued to lower their heads, no one daring to be the next to go up.
“Is everyone done speaking?”
Fei Zhiyan’s thin lips parted slightly. He glanced at the other council presidents, who were trembling like little chicks, and handed the black steel pen in his hand to the secretary behind him.
The very perceptive Daizhou council presidents quickly nodded and agreed. “We’re done. There’s no one left.”
“Then that’s all for today.” Fei Zhiyan turned his head slightly and said to the secretary, “Organize the meeting minutes later.”
Standing up first, Fei Zhiyan didn’t spare another glance at the others and walked straight out.
The Daizhou council presidents felt as if they had escaped a disaster, their region having survived for another day.
The Baizhou delegation, on the other hand, looked at Fei Zhiyan’s figure with envy and jealousy, thinking, He really has the confidence. No one dares to say anything even if he doesn’t take the other continents seriously.
Just as he walked out the door, another of Fei Zhiyan’s secretaries handed him his phone and said with some difficulty, “Mr. Fei, someone has called you several times.”
Fei Zhiyan lowered his eyes and took the phone. “Who called?”
The secretary: “The school teacher.”
Fei Zhiyan looked up in surprise. “Who?”
The secretary had no choice but to explain the situation. “It was your son’s school’s homeroom teacher who called. He said he skipped class this afternoon and didn’t go to school.”
Fei Zhiyan’s already cold face now turned as black as the bottom of a pot.
