Last night, Yun tossed and turned in bed for half an hour, hesitating between Li Xi and his father’s orders, before finally deciding to ignore his female father’s command.
He even came up with a very reasonable excuse: Li He had just arrived in a strange environment—what if he was scared! What if he couldn’t sleep! He had to accompany him.
He originally wanted to go through the door, but that would necessitate appearing in the hallway, which was too risky. If he were caught by his female father, he’d be dragged to the training grounds for a “beating.” Thinking better of it, he climbed through the window instead.
To avoid being discovered, he had to leave and return to the guest room before the servants began their morning shift.
With all that tossing about, he barely slept at all that night.
At 6:00 AM, in the dining area on the first floor, while waiting for breakfast, Yun couldn’t resist the wave of sleepiness. He slumped onto the table in self-abandonment.
Just as his consciousness grew hazy and he was about to drift off, a particularly lively figure appeared in his blurred vision.
Yun caught a casual glimpse, but everything looked like a muddled blur. He intended to close his eyes and sleep until the cub hopped over to the dining table and suddenly shouted in his ear: “Little brother!”
Startled, Yun woke up with a jolt. He turned his head and froze, seriously doubting whether he was still dreaming.
The cub was wearing his clothes, a bright smile on his youthful face. The bangs that usually hung over his eyes were swept aside, revealing those pitch-black eyes and there wasn’t a trace of indifference in them. Instead, they were filled with innocent wonder?
He heard the cub say in a familiar voice: “Did Brother not sleep well last night?”
“…” Yun was stunned. He must still be in a dream.
Seeing this, Tuanzi (the “Doughnut” personality) rubbed his head in confusion. He had woken up in the middle of the night. Because he was overflowing with energy, he had been kicked out by “Big Tuanzi” (Li Xi) this morning and told to go downstairs to find a blond little brother, and then… then go to school.
That’s what Big Tuanzi told him.
He had wandered around this big, strange house for a long time before finally spotting the blond brother, but this brother just stared at him without speaking.
He talked just fine last time…
Tuanzi lightly tapped him: “Is Brother okay?”
The sensation on his skin felt real. Yun instinctively nodded blankly and answered: “Ah… fine, fine…”
Wait, no! Fine what?!
Li He never talked to him like this!
Yun slapped his face hard and rubbed his eyes. The cub was still staring at him with clear, wide eyes.
Is it because I didn’t sleep well that I’m having hallucinations so early in the morning? Yun began to doubt himself.
“You’re not Li He, right?” Yun muttered to himself, pinching the soft flesh on his own cheek.
Tuanzi: “I am.”
Tuanzi remembered something and quickly added: “Is Brother asking about him? He’s sleeping.”
Yun didn’t understand: “Who is sleeping?”
It’s probably me who’s sleeping.
Tuanzi thought for a moment and explained: “It’s him, Big Tuanzi!” To help the brother understand, he jumped as high as his age allowed and gestured in the air: “This high! Even higher!”
Yun became even more bewildered. His face hurt, this wasn’t a dream.
While Yun’s brain was stalled, two female worms walked over from the corner. They placed steaming breakfast plates gently on the table. Seeing their young master staring blankly at a male cub, they intended to remind him that staring directly at a little male was impolite.
One of the female worms stepped forward, but after a few steps, it suddenly hit him: When did a little male cub appear in the main residence?!
The female worm covered his mouth in shock: “You—you, where did you…”
“Hello, two uncles.” Tuanzi’s eyes curved into crescents as he raised his hand to greet them.
The two female worms looked at each other, seeing the same shock and confusion in each other’s eyes.
One of them remained relatively calm, suppressed the odd feeling, and forced a smile: “Hello, Little Excellency.”
When Yun’s mind returned from its travels, he saw the cub swinging his legs while sitting in the chair, looking like a good boy waiting for a meal.
“Little brother, can we eat now?” Tuanzi was constantly watching the blond brother. Seeing him snap out of it, he quickly asked, lest the brother daze off again. His stomach was growling; he was so hungry.
“E-eat.” Yun was still stuttering a bit.
“Thank you, Brother!” Hearing this, Tuanzi divided the two plates of food, one for himself and one for the brother. He thought about it and picked a slice of ham from his own plate: “An extra serving for Brother! Grow tall! Don’t daze off!”
Yun: “…”
Dazing off? Didn’t I say something similar before?
He had also said he would become stupid. Was this cub really not faking it?
He couldn’t take it anymore; his brain had stopped working.
“Female father!” Yun felt it would be better if his father came.
Tuanzi was eating happily when he was suddenly startled by the loud shout next to him. He looked up and found that the brother who had been sitting in the chair was gone.
Tuanzi blinked, hesitated for a moment, then pulled all the ham on the table over to himself, muttering: “Can’t waste it. Tuanzi will grow tall. It’s yummy!”
When Wen returned to the main residence from the training grounds, Li He had already finished eating, tidied up, and was telling a servant he wanted to go to school.
Wen was also stunned by the aura the cub emitted. If it weren’t for the same face, he really couldn’t have linked the cub before him with the one from yesterday.
Today’s cub was overflowing with childhood innocence and obedience, whereas yesterday’s cub was mostly cold and withdrawn.
They were very easy to tell apart.
He wasn’t too shocked. During his communication with Ren, the other had mentioned personality issues. However, Ren said the usual personality was cold and the outgoing personality rarely appeared; he didn’t expect to encounter it himself.
He said to Yun, who followed him in: “Go eat your breakfast, then take Li He to school.”
Yun: “Huh?”
His female father gave him a chilly look, and then his bottom received a light smack: “Go quickly, or you’ll be late.”
Yun clutched his bottom and hid behind the butler uncle, glancing unwillingly at the cub on the sofa before decisively slipping away before his father could look at him again.
The servant who was comforting Tuanzi breathed a sigh of relief when the Master arrived: “Master, this little male cub insists on going to school, saying someone told him to. we listened for a long time but couldn’t understand him.”
Wen waved his hand: “Go prepare the flying vehicle; send them to school in a bit.”
“Yes.”
Wen sat down, pondering how to start the conversation. After thinking for a long time without finding a satisfactory phrase, he simply gave up: “Hello there?”
Tuanzi huddled on the sofa, his voice sounding a bit aggrieved and his spirits low. He replied muffledly: “Hello, Uncle.”
Seeing this, Wen glanced surreptitiously at the female worm beside him. Although he was a father to two cubs himself, he had to admit he had no experience in coaxing them.
“Little guy, don’t be unhappy. As soon as Yun finishes breakfast, we’ll send you to school,” the other female worm interjected.
Tuanzi looked at them, seemingly weighing the truth of the statement. The uncles earlier wouldn’t let him out.
The female worm gestured for him to look out the window: “It’s true. Look, the flying vehicle is already waiting outside for you.”
A child’s mind is simple; emotions come and go quickly. The dark cloud over Tuanzi’s head vanished instantly, and he said happily: “Thank you, Uncle!”
He jumped off the sofa and ran toward the dining room, shouting: “Little brother! Eat quickly, we’re going to school!”
Yun stuffed some food into his mouth, ran upstairs to grab his backpack, and left. After all, with a worm staring at him unblinkingly, he couldn’t eat in peace.
Before they boarded the flying vehicle, they were stopped by his father: “Wait.”
“Does Female Father have something else?” Yun turned around, and Tuanzi followed suit.
Wen walked over, crouched in front of Tuanzi, and draped a white cloth bag diagonally across the cub’s chest, patiently instructing: “Little guy, there are fruits and some snacks in here. Remember to eat if you get hungry.”
Tuanzi nodded: “Mm-hmm!”
Wen patted his head: “Good boy.”
He added an extra explanation for Yun: “Yun, he is still Li He. Take good care of him.”
Yun was very confused, but it didn’t stop him from agreeing: “Okay, Female Father.”
Tuanzi proactively took the little brother’s hand and said like a promise: “I’ll stay close to Brother. Goodbye, Uncle!”
The flying vehicle was very fast, stopping steadily at the school gate twenty minutes later. Tuanzi couldn’t wait to hop off first, his eyes darting around curiously at everything.
When they entered the school gate, because Tuanzi wasn’t wearing a uniform, the little cloth bag was inspected by the guard before they were let through.
“Brother,” Tuanzi suddenly turned around while walking.
“Hmm?” Yun had been out of it all morning and almost bumped into him.
Tuanzi said out of nowhere: “Do you want to walk behind?”
Yun nodded in confusion.
“Okay then.” Tuanzi didn’t say anything more and continued walking. After nearly a hundred meters, he turned again, clutching the strap of the cloth bag with a conflicted expression: “Brother should walk in front after all.”
Yun: “?”
Tuanzi looked around: “Um… I don’t know the way. Where are we going?”
Big Tuanzi only told him to go to school. Now he had reached the school, then what?
Yun: “…………”
Perhaps my female father was right; I am a bit stupid.
Argh!!!
When Yun appeared at the classroom door with the cub, the students in morning self-study all looked up in unison. All eyes were focused on them or more accurately, on the cub beside him.
Seeing this, Tuanzi raised his hand and greeted them generously: “Good morning, brothers!”
Yun: “…”
Tuanzi greeted the female student in the first row at the door, smiling and showing his little teeth: “Good morning.”
The student seemed not to have expected the little male to greet him individually. He was overwhelmed by the favor and stammered: “G-g-good morning.”
“Shh, we’re in class,” Yun reminded him slightly, truly afraid that Li He would greet every classmate one by one, which would surely attract the attention of the patrol teacher.
Yun settled the cub at the desk and went to sit in the back, continuing to daze off. Yun had been thinking about his father’s last sentence, “He is still Li He,” the whole way and couldn’t figure it out.
Li He had too many secrets; he was always creating “surprises.”
When Teacher Mo stepped into the classroom, the first person he noticed was Li He in the third row. It wasn’t for any other reason than that the students were all peeked toward that direction.
When he saw the male worm, his face couldn’t hide his surprise. He only came to his senses after a student’s reminder.
He hadn’t expected the male worm to actually come to class, and so early too. His mental state seemed quite… excited?
Yes, excited. He had never seen a positive emotion from a male student at school before.
Throughout the lesson, Li He remained obedient. Aside from the other female students’ attention occasionally drifting toward him, nothing unmanageable happened.
Teacher Mo finished the lesson with his head in the clouds and walked out of the classroom with unsteady steps.
Sitting at his workstation, his mind was still unclear. The cub hadn’t just come to school; he had sat through the entire lesson properly, which completely shattered the stereotype he’d had of male students for years.
As school dismissal approached, Tuanzi was no longer high-spirited. Like a flower losing sunlight in the evening, his head drooped listlessly.
He rested his head on the brother’s uniform, slumped on the table, unwilling to move an inch or greet the worms who gathered around.
“Have a candy.” Yun tossed a milk candy over.
Si had moved closer at some point. He had observed the male worm all day. From initial shock to current acceptance, he felt it was normal for male cubs to have variable personalities.
He first greeted Tuanzi, then stared curiously at the candy: “You carry candy around with you?”
Yun: “…”
“Got any more? Give me one.” Si peered into his pocket.
How did I not think of using candy to win over the little male worm! This guy is so good at this!
Yun put his hands in his pockets and said calmly: “None left.”
In his mind: I wouldn’t give you one even if I had them.
Seeing that it was the brother’s friend, Tuanzi perked up and looked at the candy in his hand: “Then give it to Brother.”
Yun didn’t speak.
Halfway through reaching out, Tuanzi received a look from above. His hand suddenly snapped back, hiding the candy in the cloth bag. He zipped it up and said to Si with a serious face: “None left.”
Si: “…”
You should at least eat it before saying there’s none left.
Yun gave a pleased chuckle.
Hearing this laugh, Si felt very frustrated: “Li He, don’t listen to—”
The second half of the sentence vanished because he was grabbed by the mouth and dragged out the door!
Damn!
“No! What are you doing!” Si struggled to pull the hand away.
“Shut up,” Yun said in a low voice. “We still have a fight to finish.”
“Mm…”
“Stay here and wait for me. I’ll be back soon.” Yun left this sentence and completely vanished from Tuanzi’s sight.
Tuanzi didn’t know where they went. He obediently sat in his place. While waiting, he took out his bag and picked out some snacks to eat.
He didn’t wait long. Ten minutes later, the brother packed up the uniform and books he’d received today and told him they could go home.
Go home, go sleep…
Before leaving, Yun whispered into Si’s ear: “Hurry up and take all your stuff away.”
Si: “!”
Argh—I’m going to kill this guy one day!
From the classroom to the school gate, the fatigue on Tuanzi’s face gradually deepened. Once on the flying vehicle, he began to yawn frequently. His limbs felt heavier and heavier; he felt he might not be able to hold on. He murmured hazily: “Brother…”
Yun turned his head: “What’s wrong? Sleepy?”
“I might have to go back…” Tuanzi said.
Yun: “?”
“See you next time…”
With that, his eyelids could no longer stay open. he slumped against Yun, breathing evenly, appearing to have fallen asleep.
And Yun truly believed that.
As the flying vehicle arrived over the Sia estate, Yun poked the cub sleeping on his lap and thought: If you don’t wake up, I’ll just carry you back.
The flying vehicle stopped.
Li Xi opened his eyes.
Yun looked down and happened to meet those familiar eyes.
“Is it you?”
Li Xi had slept in the spiritual sea for a day and a night. Having just emerged, his head was groggy. He didn’t notice their posture and gave a casual “Hmm.”
He slept at night, controlled the body by day, and had to stabilize the chaotic spiritual sea at all times. Over the years, his injuries had healed quite slowly—one could even say they hadn’t healed at all.
Hearing that cold and brief “Hmm,” Yun was certain: the cub he knew was back!
He suddenly quirked his lips in a smile. He reached out and pulled the uniform jacket covering Li Xi’s chest further up. Taking advantage of the fact that the other had just woken up and was still dazed, he easily picked him up. As he walked out of the flying vehicle, he asked in an ambiguous tone: “We haven’t seen each other all day. Did you miss me?”
Li Xi: “?”