Chapter 7: Washing Hands
Lin Xiao felt as if her consciousness was in disarray.
She was a high school student at Yude High. Just before class ended, a naked photo of her younger sister had suddenly appeared on her phone, and she was threatened to go to the woods on campus.
Those woods served as a dividing line between Yude’s elementary, middle, and high schools. The exit connected to the back gate, so very few people usually took that path.
At that time, Lin Xiao thought of her sister’s recent self-harming behavior. Her mind was a mess, and in a moment of panic, she ran to confront those people.
She never expected that she would almost get herself into trouble.
Then, Lin Xiao saw an elementary school student walk over, and then…
The scene that followed was like the beginning of a horror movie. The little boy’s eyes were unnervingly large. The doll in his hands let out a piercing giggle, its joints stiff as it twisted and walked forward step by step.
Lin Xiao was already on the verge of suffocating from lack of oxygen. The last thing she saw before passing out was the men’s terrified screams and the eerie red glow in the doll’s eyes.
When Lin Xiao woke up, the moon was already high in the sky.
Moonlight filtered through the branches of the woods, casting down specks of light. The hazy, beautiful scene was like a dream.
But Lin Xiao was in no mood to appreciate it. The moment she looked up, she saw the beasts who had tried to assault her, lying on the ground covered in bloody holes.
They were still alive, but blood was still seeping from some of the holes in their bodies. The bright red blood looked thick and black in the moonlight as it slowly soaked into the soil.
Lin Xiao screamed in terror, but she quickly calmed herself down, leaning against a tree.
Thinking of her sister’s near-breakdown and the various videos of secretly filmed assaults these people had, Lin Xiao’s hands trembled as she took out her craft knife from her bag.
Lin Xiao had always been an impulsive person, but she didn’t regret what she did. With a swift motion, she cut off their “two taels of flesh.”
She stumbled out of the woods, washed the blade clean, and crouched down, shaking in fear for a long time before she dialed the police.
By the time Fei Luo returned home, the sky had completely darkened.
Before he even stepped inside, he saw a soft, white little ball wobbling towards him from the doorway.
“Bwo-bwo!”
The little ball walked unsteadily, almost not in a straight line, and nearly fell right in front of Fei Luo.
Reaching out his little hands to hug Fei Luo’s leg, Nuonuo lifted his little face. “Bwo, Nuonuo sweepy, gone!”
The little one was trying to complain to his third brother. How could you sneak away while Nuonuo was sleeping? It had caused Nuonuo to wake up and search half the house without finding anyone.
Lifting his sparkling eyes, Nuonuo was about to ask his brother to hold him, but the next moment, his little nose twitched, and he sniffed at Fei Luo like a puppy.
“Stinky, ya.”
Nuonuo fanned his nose with his little hand and even stood on his tiptoes to fan his third brother, afraid he would be overwhelmed by the smell.
Fei Luo looked at Nuonuo’s actions, his gaze shifting down to a drop of blood on the hem of his clothes. He rubbed the hem, but instead of getting it off, he only managed to smear the blood onto his fingertip.
Fei Luo blinked, then rubbed his hand on his clothes with force, trying to wipe off the blood.
A rare hint of disgust appeared in his vacant eyes.
It’s so disgusting, the thought inexplicably popped into Fei Luo’s mind. The blood is disgusting, and I’m disgusting.
Just as he was struggling to wipe it off, a chubby little white hand reached out and took his.
“Bwo-bwo, wash, wash, ya.”
Nuonuo, on his still-unsteady legs, tightly gripped Fei Luo’s hand. Stumbling with every step, he pulled Fei Luo to the washroom.
The sink was too high. Nuonuo, ever so clever, pushed a small stool over. With great effort, he stood on it, his little bottom sticking out.
“Bwo-bwo, wash, ya!”
Nuonuo put his little hand under the faucet, and cool water flowed out, washing his chubby little hand.
Fei Luo stood to the side, motionless, his dark pupils seemingly devoid of any light.
But the next moment, his hand was grabbed by Nuonuo and placed under the faucet. The gentle stream of water flowed over Fei Luo’s fingertips, washing away the small bloodstain and swirling down the drain.
Fei Luo’s hand was instantly clean, as if it had never been stained by anything.
“Cwean, ya—”
Nuonuo held up his little hand and placed it in front of Fei Luo’s.
The two hands, one thin and one chubby, were placed side-by-side under the light, looking so cute and beautiful.
Fei Luo looked at the two hands, his eyes flickering slightly.
His fingertips moved slightly, and he reached out to hold his little brother’s soft, chubby hand.
Little brother’s hand is softer than mine, Fei Luo thought, a rare occurrence. And it’s also very clean.
He also smelled of milk, much better than the people in the woods. The smell in the woods was a mixture of blood, sweat, and urine. Fei Luo hadn’t thought much of it before, but now he suddenly felt a sense of disgust.
I don’t like it, he thought. That dark, dirty place is not good at all.
Being held by his brother, Nuonuo thought his brother was playing with him. He giggled and was about to lunge into his brother’s arms. Unfortunately, he forgot he was standing on a small stool. With this lunge, the stool was kicked over.
Fei Luo was only seven, and his thin little body couldn’t withstand Nuonuo’s force. He was knocked over and landed on his bottom on the floor.
On the floor, with Nuonuo still in his arms, Fei Luo blinked in a daze.
The sound of the fall attracted Auntie Wu, who was tidying up the living room. Seeing the two young masters on the floor, her heart tightened, and she quickly went over and picked Nuonuo up.
“Young Master Luo, are you alright? Did he hurt you?”
Fei Luo was helped up and quietly shook his head.
Actually, he didn’t feel any pain. His little brother was small and soft, like a ball of cotton in his arms, not at all heavy enough to hurt him.
Nuonuo was also placed on the floor by Auntie Wu and checked over. After a long moment, he came back to his senses.
“Bwo, no… no hurt, ya.”
Nuonuo’s eyes were full of unease and guilt. He touched Fei Luo’s arm with his little hand, tears welling up in his eyes again.
Fei Luo looked at the glistening tears in Nuonuo’s eyes and blinked in confusion.
Wasn’t I the one who fell? Why is little brother crying?
But at this moment, Fei Luo, who was severely lacking in emotions, felt a small spark of joy in his heart. It was like a white cloud, soft and gentle, floating through his mind.
Fei Luo didn’t know what this feeling was, but he instinctively liked it very much.
The silver moon wove a layer of light gauze, covering the dark earth.
Stepping on the moonlit shadows, Fei Zhiyan entered the house with a somber expression.
In the dining room, Nuonuo and Fei Luo were eating.
Seeing Fei Zhiyan’s figure, Nuonuo’s little eyes lit up with a bing, and he struggled to get down.
“Pa!”
Seeing the child’s eyes filled with his own reflection, Fei Zhiyan’s steps paused for a moment. Then, he handed his suit to the butler and sat down in his seat.
Nuonuo eagerly reached out his little hands to Fei Zhiyan. He hadn’t seen his papa all day and couldn’t wait for a hug.
Fei Zhiyan saw what Nuonuo wanted. He hadn’t intended to hold the little one, but the moment he met Nuonuo’s eyes, which were sparkling with anticipation, his heart was inexplicably seared.
Forget it. The little one is quite cute.
With that thought, Fei Zhiyan reached out and took Nuonuo into his arms.
Getting his wish, Nuonuo sat in his papa’s lap, tugging at Fei Zhiyan’s collar and happily nestling his little face in the crook of his papa’s neck.
The warm, tender cheek against Fei Zhiyan’s skin made him turn his head uncomfortably. He hadn’t noticed before, but now, holding the little one, Fei Zhiyan truly felt how small Nuonuo was. He probably couldn’t even poke him without making him cry.
Auntie Wu saw Mr. Fei holding the young master and couldn’t help but smile. She handed the milk Nuonuo hadn’t finished to Fei Zhiyan.
“Sir, this is what the young master hasn’t finished. He ate a lot for dinner today, so he can only drink a little milk.”
Fei Zhiyan nodded in understanding. He held Nuonuo with one arm and took the bottle with the other.
“He didn’t cause any trouble at home, did he?”
Thinking of Nuonuo’s tendency to cry at the drop of a hat, Fei Zhiyan looked up and asked.
Auntie Wu sighed and told Fei Zhiyan the truth. “When the young master saw you leave, he cried and wanted to follow. It took a while to comfort him.”
Of course, when Nuonuo woke up in the afternoon and didn’t see Young Master Luo, he almost cried then too. But Auntie Wu, afraid that Mr. Fei would think Nuonuo cried too much, didn’t say so.
She had been here for a day and had gotten a sense of the situation. Although Mr. Fei was cold on the outside, he had adopted three children and had now brought back the even younger Nuonuo. The eldest and second young masters were busy outside, so only Nuonuo and Fei Luo were at home now.
Auntie Wu was partial to the well-behaved and adorable Nuonuo, so she didn’t want Mr. Fei to dislike him. After all, none of them were his biological children. If Mr. Fei was displeased, it would be bad if he sent Nuonuo away.
Fei Zhiyan listened to Auntie Wu’s words and nodded without much suspicion.
Just then, Nuonuo finished his milk. He looked up with his clear eyes and held the bottle up to his papa. “No more, dwink, dwink, ya!”
Seeing him smacking his little lips as if he could down eight more bottles, Fei Zhiyan couldn’t help but pinch his little cheek.
“Still want more? You’re really a handful.”
Nuonuo’s little cheek was pinched red, and he couldn’t have any more sweet milk. He couldn’t help but pout his little lips in grievance.
“No, Pa, dwink, ya!”
Fei Zhiyan knew Nuonuo had already eaten two small buns, half a bowl of pumpkin porridge, and half a bottle of milk. His little belly was already full, so he had everything taken away.
“Go play with Auntie Wu for a while. Fei Luo, you come with me.”
Fei Zhiyan handed Nuonuo to Auntie Wu. When he turned to look at Fei Luo, his eyes instantly turned cold.
Fei Luo stood up, nodded quietly, and followed Fei Zhiyan upstairs.
Nuonuo watched his brother and papa go up. He reached out his little hands with a little “ah,” his head turning to follow them until they were out of sight. Only then did he reluctantly retract his gaze.
