Chapter 70: Heartache
The wind howled, and lightning tore through the dark, gloomy sky. Large raindrops beat against the window with a pitter-patter, as if composing a passionate symphony.
Nuonuo, who hadn’t been carried by his papa in a long time, had his little tears coinciding with the sound of the raindrops outside, dripping onto the wooden floor with a plop.
All the way to the bedroom, Nuonuo’s tears dripped all the way.
By the time Fei Zhiyan placed the little one on the bed, Nuonuo’s nose was red, and his eyes, which he had been rubbing with his little hands, were starting to swell.
“Papa, hwug!”
With a little sob, Nuonuo fearfully held up his little hands, wanting his papa to hold him.
Nuonuo rarely made mistakes before. After all, he was still a child. Knowing that his papa was really angry this time, his heart was in a panic, and he couldn’t stop crying.
In a child’s world, there are very few things to be afraid of. The most terrifying thing is probably their papa not wanting them anymore.
When Fei Zhiyan had seen Nuonuo downstairs just now, a fire of anger had indeed ignited in his chest. His eyes had darkened, and he had kept a straight face all the way, not sparing Nuonuo a single glance. He was afraid that if he looked at Nuonuo’s pitiful little appearance, he would soften and compromise.
But at this moment, hearing Nuonuo’s soft little cries, listless and with a stuffy nasal sound, Fei Zhiyan’s heart couldn’t help but clench.
Fei Zhiyan lowered his eyes and glanced at Nuonuo, who was tugging at the corner of his clothes and looking at him with crystal-clear, moist eyes. He sighed lightly.
The little one must have cried too hard. His little face was all wrinkled, and the red flush had completely replaced his usual fair and tender skin. His eyes were filled with endless grievance and fear as he clutched Fei Zhiyan’s clothes, afraid that his papa would leave in the next second.
From the very beginning, Fei Zhiyan had been unable to turn a blind eye to Nuonuo’s tears, and it was even more impossible now.
He reached out and wiped the tears from the corners of Nuonuo’s eyes, his originally feigned cold voice also softening a lot. “Do you know you were wrong? Will you dare to run out in the middle of the night again in the future?”
Nuonuo quickly shook his little head, his little face buried in his papa’s waist, his little shoulders trembling from crying, his words slurred. “I… I won’t go again—”
Fei Zhiyan gently patted the crying Nuonuo, who was out of breath, helping him to breathe. His eyes looked at the heavy rain outside the window, and a hint of a daze appeared in his dark eyes.
He wasn’t really angry at Nuonuo, but more at himself.
He had left with peace of mind, thinking Nuonuo was asleep, but in a moment of carelessness, he had actually let Nuonuo run out.
The more they got along, the more Fei Zhiyan cared about this silly little cub.
After all, it was the first time he had so seriously wanted to be a good father. Fei Zhiyan was very afraid that he would fail in his duty, or that Nuonuo would be harmed because of him.
With someone or something to care about, Fei Zhiyan was no longer as ruthless and sharp in his work as before. He had become much more tactful and would even consider whether his decisions would harm his family.
With Nuonuo, Fei Zhiyan was no longer a “loner.” He had his own weakness and had to wrap himself in a shell to protect this silly little merman.
This was the first time Fei Zhiyan had lost his composure like this, putting on a dark face in front of so many people and even hitting Nuonuo in a moment of impulse.
At this thought, Fei Zhiyan rubbed Nuonuo’s fine, soft hair and said softly, “Nuonuo, does your bottom still hurt?”
Once a person starts to cry, it’s hard to stop. Nuonuo wiped his tears with his little hands, trying to clean his face, but the more he wiped, the more tears flowed, and he couldn’t wipe them clean.
Hearing his papa’s words, Nuonuo sobbed, his little chest heaving, and said with a red nose, “No… no hurt, ya.”
In fact, it still hurt a little. At that time, Fei Zhiyan was really so angry he had lost his head, and his hands had not held back at all. The sound of the two slaps could be heard throughout the empty hall.
Nuonuo’s skin was fair and tender. An occasional fall would make his little knee swell for a long time. This time, he had been slapped twice by Fei Zhiyan. Although it was through a layer of pants, his bottom still had two handprints.
But Nuonuo didn’t dare to say so. He rubbed his eyes and acted extremely well-behaved.
Fei Zhiyan pinched Nuonuo’s soft little face, intending to teach the little one a lesson. “If it hurts, you’ll remember. You’re not allowed to run out alone so late at night next time, you hear?”
Nuonuo quickly nodded, his moist eyes still looking at Fei Zhiyan, his little lips puckered, still wanting his papa to hold him with a wronged look.
In Nuonuo’s heart, only when Fei Zhiyan held him would he really not be angry. Because whenever he was angry, Fei Zhiyan would only hold Nuonuo by the back of his collar and would never reach out to hold him.
How could Fei Zhiyan not see the panic and fear in the little one’s eyes? His breathing hitched slightly, and in the end, he still took the little one into his arms.
Nuonuo rested his little cheek on his papa’s shoulder, his little hands also wrapped around his papa’s neck. His hot tears were all wiped onto Fei Zhiyan’s skin, which made Fei Zhiyan’s heart also burn.
Pinching the bridge of his nose, Fei Zhiyan let out a slow breath, thinking to himself that raising a cub was really hard.
He didn’t have the heart to scold him, but it hurt to hit him. When the little one suffered, he also felt bad.
Once upon a time, Fei Zhiyan was also an extremely heartless and cold person, but now he seemed to have been directly dragged into the mortal world by Nuonuo, tasting all the sour, sweet, bitter, and spicy feelings in one go.
But seeing the little one crying and closing his eyes in sleepiness, still grabbing his clothes, and mumbling with unease as he drifted off, Fei Zhiyan still gently curled his lips.
Although it was a bit tiring, the feeling of his chest being filled to the brim was surprisingly nice.
Gently placing the sleeping Nuonuo on the bed, Fei Zhiyan checked the door this time and, after locking it from the outside, left quietly.
In the study.
Fei Jing watched as Fei Han used an instrument to continuously scan the small wafer. He sat in a chair on the side with his legs crossed, propping his chin on his hand and watching with boredom.
He was still a little worried about whether Nuonuo would be beaten by his father. Fei Jing sighed, glanced at the sleeping Fei Luo on the side, and shook his head with a bit of helplessness.
Just now, he had advised Fei Luo to go back to sleep first, but Fei Luo was too worried about his little brother and, with his little face wrinkled, insisted on waiting here.
In the end, while waiting, he had fallen asleep.
Fei Jing walked over quietly and couldn’t help but reach out his finger and flick Fei Luo’s nose.
The other’s chestnut-colored little curls lay softly on his forehead, casting a faint shadow under the light. His increasingly lively large eyes were now tightly closed, and his nose, from Fei Jing’s action, wrinkled slightly from the itch.
Fei Jing let out a soft laugh, bent down, and picked up Fei Luo, sending him back to his bedroom to sleep.
Halfway there, Fei Luo’s hands drooped, and the doll in his hand also fell to the floor. Fei Jing raised an eyebrow, and after sending Fei Luo back, he went back to pick up the doll and place it on Fei Luo’s bedside table.
The little doll faced Fei Jing. Although it was still a cute doll, you could feel its rejection and defensiveness.
Fei Jing let out a light “hmph” and, just like he had flicked Fei Luo’s nose, he also flicked the little doll’s face.
“Sleep well.”
Slowing his voice, Fei Jing patted the little doll’s head and then left with a swagger.
Fei Han was using an instrument to observe this chip-like thing. Seeing Fei Jing return, he glanced at him and said nothing.
“Eldest Brother, did you figure it out?”
Fei Jing saw Fei Han stand up and went over to ask with his arms crossed.
Fei Han rubbed his forehead and, hearing Fei Jing’s words, said, “I have some clues. Let’s talk about it when Father comes.”
Fei Zhiyan happened to come over at this time. Seeing that the two of them were there, he sat back down in his leather chair without any surprise.
Seeing his father, Fei Jing opened his mouth, his expression a little struggling and uneasy. Finally, he asked, “Father, is Nuonuo okay? It was my fault today. I didn’t watch my little brother properly, and I shouldn’t have taken Fei Luo to cause trouble without your permission.”
Fei Jing lowered his head, his golden hair drooping listlessly. He clenched his hands, waiting nervously for his father’s punishment.
Seeing Fei Jing take all the blame on himself, Fei Zhiyan raised his head with a bit of surprise.
He knew this second son of his very well. He was shrewd, had a lot of tricks up his sleeve, and although he always had a smile on his face, he was actually the most difficult to get close to.
Outsiders might think that the most difficult person to get along with in the Fei family was Fei Han, as his cold face was too intimidating, and ordinary people rarely dared to talk to him.
And Fei Jing was exquisitely beautiful, his light-colored eyes as crystal clear as glass, with a hint of gentleness, looking both gentlemanly and gentle.
But in fact, after getting along with him for a long time, you would understand that although Fei Han was cold on the outside, his heart was as hot as a volcano. That icy shell looked indestructible, but it was actually just a thin layer.
So Fei Zhiyan had never worried about Fei Han’s cold attitude towards Nuonuo. With Nuonuo’s skill in acting spoiled and cute, Fei Han would sooner or later be defeated.
And Fei Jing was different. His emotional intelligence was also high enough, and he was not someone who could be softened just by Nuonuo acting spoiled.
But it seemed that Fei Jing cared more about Nuonuo than Fei Han. Even when something happened, he would intentionally or unintentionally protect the other.
Fei Zhiyan was slightly surprised for a moment, then his cold expression returned. He tapped the desk and, after a long silence, said, “There won’t be a next time. You also had a reason for what you did. The children of my Fei family are not to be bullied casually. But,”
Fei Zhiyan paused for a moment, glanced at Fei Jing, and then continued, “Don’t be so reckless next time.”
Fei Han and Fei Zhiyan had originally planned to make a plan, preferably to maximize the value of that transmigrator, Grandpa Gu. But Fei Jing, without even a word, had directly turned him into a stone.
Fei Jing, having escaped a disaster, breathed a sigh of relief and said with some hesitation, “Actually, I hadn’t even had time to make a move…”
Fei Jing told them what had happened at Gu Ze’s house just now and voiced his suspicion that Nuonuo could eat other people’s energy. The study suddenly fell silent.
After a full few minutes, Fei Han looked at his father’s furrowed brow and said, “Those outsiders should be relying on energy to survive. After their energy was taken away by Nuonuo, and since they don’t belong here, they can only turn into a gray stone.”
Fei Han’s conclusion was already very close to the truth. No matter what living being, in the beginning, they were all a form of the world’s will’s energy.
After a person dies, the consciousness body in their body will return to the world’s will. It might become a drop of rain, or it might become a blade of grass. If they are lucky, they might even be able to have enough energy again to become a human and return to the earth.
But in the end, it was just a ball of energy.
Humans were the luckiest and also had consciousness. But after death, this ball of consciousness body condensed from energy would also be fed back to the heavens and the earth.
Unfortunately, those transmigrators were not so lucky. They died in a different world, and there was no world’s will to receive them. They could only turn into a hard stone and would never have a chance to start over.
