Chapter 18: The Very Most
Ling Xingcheng threw out his lethal question, but unfortunately, Fu Yin couldn’t relate at all, finding it only bizarre. “What does your month have to do with me? I came back from Luoyun Village a week ago. Is it my fault you couldn’t find the dog yourself?”
“Get lost!” Fu Yin pushed Ling Xingcheng away, smoothed his clothes, and glared at him with disgust. “Youâve got no manners. In terms of seniority, Iâm your uncle. Show some respect.”
Fu Yin, Lin Huaichen, and Wen Xun were of the same generation. Ling Xingcheng and Yu An were of the next.
Ling Xingcheng’s parents had died young, leaving him and his older sister. Fu Yin and several other close friends had seen how pitiful the children were and took turns caring for them in their homes. In the blink of an eye, the kid had grown this big.
Fu Yin scanned Ling Xingchengâs sharp, arrogant features and his red hair, letting out a “tsk” and muttering, “The older you get, the less cute you are.”
The commotion between the two was exceptionally eye-catching in the orderly front hall. Many nobles glanced over. Recognizing Fu Yin and Ling Xingchengâs identities, they only dared to raise their hands to hide their smiles and whisper a few words to their companions.
On the other side, Yu An looked even more adorable under the meticulous grooming of his two grandmas. He wore a custom-made small suit, and the stray hairs on his forehead were combed behind his ears, revealing his exquisite features.
Yi Ruxing cupped Yu Anâs small face, looking at him again and again with a heart full of love, crying out, “Our An-anâs looks are simply peerless. So beautiful. Youâll be a heartbreaker when you grow up. Isn’t that right, A-Yun?”
Wen Yun chuckled with gentle affection. “Yes, An-an will definitely be the cutest child. Such a lovely little fellow must grow up smoothly and happily.”
The two went back and forth with their praise, and Yu Anâs face turned red with shyness. He covered his face, feeling very embarrassed. “Grandma… Grandma…”
Yi Ruxing laughed heartily and put an arm around Yu Anâs shoulder. “When the banquet starts later, your Papa Lin will carry you out for a moment. Don’t be afraid, treasure; itâs just to show your face. It’ll be over in a flash.”
Yu An prepared himself mentally, but as the moment drew near, he still couldn’t help but feel nervous. His milky voice trembled slightly. “Okay. Iâm not afraid.”
Yi Ruxing gave him an encouraging kiss on the cheek. “Treasure is so brave!”
After a while, only Yu An and Wen Xun remained in the small room. The other parents had gone outside to host the guests and chat with old friends they hadn’t seen in a long time.
Yu An watched cartoons out of boredom. Wen Xun accompanied him. The messages on his phone kept ringing; Wen Xun scanned a few, answered a couple of people, and then tossed the phone onto the sofa.
Suddenly, a message popped up on the phone. While Wen Xun was staring blankly at the tea leaves floating in his cup, Yu An looked at the person’s nickname and read it stutteringly, “Most-Most… Squeeze-Squeeze… High School Boy… Big Boobs… Papa, this person sent you a message.”
Wen Xun froze. Since when did he have a friend with such a strange name?
Clicking on the phone, Wen Xunâs reaction was extreme once he saw the nickname. He threw the phone away, his eyes wide with shock as he covered his mouth as if he had seen something filthy.
“Papa?”
Yu An looked at Wen Xun in confusion, not understanding why he had such a big reaction. “Who is this Most-Most Brother?”
Because the name had “Boy” in it, Yu An instinctively assumed the person was a male.
Wen Xun was currently incredibly grateful that Yu An didn’t know many characters and could only read half of the characters he didn’t know. Otherwise, if he had read that terrifying name aloud, Wen Xun felt even his ears would have been stained.
“This is… is…” Wen Xun couldn’t tell which idiot it was. Enduring the agony of his eyes being tortured, he clicked on the chat page of this “Most-Most.” With just a cursory glance, he recognized the identity.
“Itâs your Little Auntie.”
Yu An was also stunned, his small eyebrows tightly furrowed. “But Grandma said Little Auntie isn’t called Most-Most. Sheâs called Ruoyi.”
The name wasn’t actually “Most-Most” (Zuizui), it was “Sucking” (Zuozuo).
Facing Yu Anâs pure and clear eyes, Wen Xun found it hard to explain. He simply gave up. “Most-Most is her nickname.”
Yu An believed him. “So can I call her Auntie Most-Most?”
Wen Xun: “…Let’s just stick with Auntie.”
He couldn’t look at the characters for “Most-Most” anymore.
“Is Auntie coming today too?” Yu An hadn’t met Ruoyi and was very curious about her.
Wen Xun changed Ruoyiâs nickname back to her real name. Scanning the message she sent, his brow furrowed bit by bit. “Sheâs already here. She wants us to go out and watch the ‘Red Fairy’ and the ‘Green Fairy’ tear each other apart?”
What on earth? How bizarre.
Driven by curiosity, however, the two socially anxious souls ventured out together. Hand in hand and wearing masks, they wove through the crowd and reached the front hall.
Yu An spotted Ling Xingchengâs red hair in the crowd at a glance. What excited him most was the small yellow dog in his armsâbut the next second, the dog went into the arms of the green-haired man.
The surrounding onlookers were shocked, checking several times. This small yellow dog was clearly the most common type of mutt found in the countryside. Why were these big shots with status fighting over such a dog?
Well… they truly couldn’t understand why.
Monday was in a state of “nothingness,” being snatched back and forth by the two. It didn’t want to struggle at all. Right then, it caught the familiar scent in the air. Its ears perked up instantly, and it turned with a clear goal toward Yu An, barking excitedly: “Woof! Woof woof woof!”
[Master! Master!]
Mondayâs jubilant voice echoed in Yu Anâs mind. Yu An was overjoyed. He pointed at the dog and looked up at Wen Xun. “Thatâs my doggy! My doggy is back!”
Anyone who could attend the Lin family banquet was a person of power and influence. Even if they didn’t recognize Yu An, they were certainly not unfamiliar with Wen Xun.
For a moment, the front hall fell silent. Guests who had been clinking glasses and socialising turned to look at the father and son. Wen Xun took off his mask, his voice polite yet distant. “Iâm just accompanying the child for a walk. Please carry on. For business matters, find Lin Huaichen in the main hall.”
Wen Xun didn’t like these occasions, but that didn’t mean he was timid. After excusing himself and avoiding unnecessary trouble, he led Yu An toward Ling Xingcheng.
Yu Anâs heart and soul were currently focused on Monday, not noticing the gazes fixed on him. Once they were close, Ling Xingcheng noticed him and immediately shoved the dog into his arms, pinning Fu Yinâs hands down. “This is his dog.”
“You little brat, don’tâ” Fu Yinâs angry voice cut off abruptly as he stared blankly at the puppy acting spoiled toward Yu An. He suddenly fell quiet. During all the days he had raised “Little Yellow,” the dog hadn’t acted spoiled toward him even once!
So it wasn’t that Little Yellow was “cool”; it was just that the master it recognized wasn’t him.
Fu Yin sighed. “Fine then. I get it.”
Ling Xingcheng gave a “hmph” and let go of his hands. Fu Yin glared at him, walked to Wen Xunâs side, and complained to his old friend about how this kid didn’t have a shred of his childhood cuteness left. The older he got, the more annoying he became.
Wen Xun thought for a moment. In his memory, Ling Xingcheng had always been like this. “Maybe heâs always had this personality; you just didn’t notice.”
Fu Yin sighed and turned his gaze to Yu An. He gave a light laugh. Now that there was a new cub, the old one was no longer precious.
“Monday, I missed you so much.” Yu An and Monday were having a loving reunion, hugging each other closely. “Where did you go? You disappeared all of a sudden…”
The puppy’s tail wagged like a propeller, and it let out whimpering sounds from its throat, affectionately nuzzling Yu Anâs chin. [Master! Master! Miss you! Miss you so much!]
Yu An smiled brilliantly, holding Monday tight. But as he held him, his arms began to ache terribly. Looking closely, Monday had gone from being skeletal when he followed him to being plump and meaty. His entire body was covered in fat.
One could tell the food lately had been quite good.
The fattened Monday was even better to pet, but its weight was daunting. Yu An, a “short winter melon” with no strength, could only hold him for a moment before he ran out of energy and had to put him down.
Monday circled enthusiastically around Yu Anâs legs.
Yu An didn’t forget to turn and thank Ling Xingcheng, his eyes curving. “Brother, thank you for helping me find Monday.”
Ling Xingcheng stood with his arms crossed. He glanced at Fu Yin and tilted his chin. “I didn’t find him. This guy picked him up. If you want to thank someone, thank him.”
Only then did Yu An notice another brother was there. Fu Yinâs green hair was exceptionally striking. Yu An couldn’t help but stare at it for a few seconds, instinctively thinking of the message Ruoyi had sent.
“Is it a fairy?” Yu An stared with large lake-blue eyes, his gaze shifting between Ling Xingcheng and Fu Yin. “Auntie said the Red Fairy is Brother, and the Green Fairy is Green Brother…”
“Pfftâ”
Someone couldn’t hold back their laughter.
Ling Xingchengâs face instantly darkened. He gritted his teeth as he searched the crowd for Ruoyi. Was “Fairy” a title you could just throw around anywhere?!
Fu Yin didn’t have much of a reaction to the title, his gaze holding a trace of numbness from being used to it. What he focused on was another error in Yu Anâs words. “Itâs Uncle, not Brother. Iâm your father’s classmate. This little one is the Brother.”
He pointed to Ling Xingcheng.
Ling Xingcheng “tched” and turned his head away, looking exactly like a rebellious teenager.
Yu An had used the wrong title and immediately changed it. “Mhm-mhm, hello Uncle~”
Fu Yin smiled and rubbed the boy’s head. The hand-feel of the child’s fuzzy hair was excellent, just like a soft little animal. And Fu Yin loved plants and cute little animals most.
“A gift for you.”
Fu Yin took out a flower seed and placed it in Yu Anâs hand. In that moment, his black eyes turned deep green, and the aura around him became peaceful and serene, as if standing in a quiet forest. It was a feeling of total relaxation for the body and mind.
“If you plant a flower seed today, what will you get in the future? Are you looking forward to it, An-an?”
Yu An looked down at the flower seed in his palm. “Is it a flower? Iâve learned that if you plant a flower, you get a flower.”
Fu Yin smiled. He shrugged. “Who knows?”
“But An-an, the puppy cannot go home with you for now.”
Fu Yin pulled the topic back to Monday. Hearing this, Yu An looked at him nervously. “W-why? I want to take Monday home…”
Fu Yin looked around, walked quickly to Wen Xunâs side, and whispered to him, “Monday… Monday is a Xenogenic. Its rank isn’t lowâB-rank.”
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