Chapter 22: Making Friends
Fu Yunshu had come with his grandfather. His parents followed behind him with their heads lowered, their expressions unreadable.
Yu An couldn’t help but fix his gaze on this couple, his eyebrows furrowing bit by bit.
It was strange, but he didn’t know why it was strange.
Elder Fu was one of the decision-makers at the Base, holding great power and influence. It was precisely because of him that the ten-year-old Fu Yunshu was able to break protocol and participate in the CAF Project.
His main purpose in coming this time was to see Fu Yunshu off and to tell Wen Xun to let Fu Yunshu continue with the next stage of experiments. He told Wen Xun not to worry too much and to just go ahead with it.
Wen Xun’s expression changed slightly. Just as he was about to stand up and argue, Lin Huaichen pressed him back, saying with a light laugh, “Elder Fu, our A-Xun will naturally do what he must.”
The underlying meaning was that the CAF Project was decided by Wen Xun, and the progress of Fu Yunshu’s experiments was not for him to interfere with.
Elder Fu’s expression immediately soured. Seeing this, Elder Gu grabbed his arm from the other side and dragged him away. “These kids are more professional than us. Why are you meddling? Come on, let’s go have a drink.”
Once the elders had left, Wen Xun muttered in dissatisfaction, “Don’t need to worry about the child’s physical condition? He’s still the child’s biological grandfather.”
Lin Huaichen picked up a piece of cake to coax him. “Don’t be angry. Open your mouth, ah—”
Wen Xun was so angry he had no appetite; he didn’t eat it.
The Fu parents stood rigidly behind Fu Yunshu, not leaving for a long time. Before Wen Xun and the others noticed them, Fu Yunshu glanced at his parents and ordered in a low voice, “Leave this place now.”
The Fu parents immediately turned and departed.
“Mhm…?”
Yu An stared at the backs of the Fu parents. A strong sense of dissonance welled up in his heart. It was hard to link this couple, who were so obedient to their son, with the couple who had previously threatened Fu Yunshu at the Base. They had changed.
“An-an, long time no see.” Fu Yunshu stood before Yu An with a gentle smile, holding an exquisite gift box. “A gift for you.”
Yu An temporarily forgot the abnormality of the Fu parents and smiled as he thanked him. “Thank you, Brother Yunshu.”
Seeing this, Wu Yao glared at Fu Yunshu with his arms crossed in frustration. He turned to ask Mrs. Wu, “Grandma, where is the gift our family gave to An-an?”
Mrs. Wu: “It was given to him long ago. Why are you asking?”
“Oh, why did you give it so early?” Wu Yao complained. “An-an might think only Fu Yunshu gave him a gift and I didn’t. What if he stops recognizing me as a brother?”
Mrs. Wu lightly slapped his forehead in annoyance.
Butler Ide, who was waiting to the side, took the gift box and placed it in the dedicated gift area, where the gifts had already piled up like a mountain.
Fu Yunshu sat down beside Yu An. He sat with a straight posture, showing excellent family breeding when responding to the questions of his elders. Compared to the childish Yu An, he was the very image of a reliable and mature “little adult.”
Yu An looked at Fu Yunshu’s face and noticed an area of skin that was overly red and swollen. He pointed at the spot and reminded him, “Brother, your skin is broken here.”
Fu Yunshu touched his face and smiled dismissively. “I must have accidentally scraped it. It’s nothing.”
Yu An had little common sense and was very easy to fool. He believed Fu Yunshu implicitly. If he had experienced a bit more, he would have realized that the mark on Fu Yunshu’s face was clearly a handprint from a slap.
Wu Yao and Fu Yunshu were essentially childhood friends. He was well aware of the injury on his face and gave a snort. “I thought you’d become stronger after joining the CAF Project, but you’re still so useless. I don’t know what you learned at the Base.”
Fu Yunshu maintained his good-tempered appearance, slightly lowering his lashes. “There were still gains.”
But as to what specifically those gains were, he didn’t say.
The friends of Wen Xun and Lin Huaichen had all arrived. Most had brought their own children to the banquet. One by one, the number of children around them grew. To let the little ones bond, the adults specifically had them gather together.
Servants brought fruit juice, milk, and sweet treats for this group of young masters and ladies. Yu An didn’t want to join the children’s group because he didn’t know almost any of them, with the sole exception of Fu Yunshu.
Wu Yao currently fell into the “recognized but unfamiliar” category.
They invited Yu An to the children’s side.
Yu An shook his head and backed away, his soft voice filled with fear as he tightly gripped the hem of Wen Xun’s clothes. “No, I want to be with Papa.”
Yu An was like a shy little snail, and Wen Xun and Lin Huaichen were his shell. Without them, his sense of security vanished, and fear surged up to deeply submerge him.
Wen Xun couldn’t bear to see his pitiful appearance; his heart softened so much he was about to say that if he didn’t want to go, then forget it. But Lin Huaichen covered his mouth.
Lin Huaichen squatted before Yu An and cupped his small face. The child’s face was so delicate and small that an adult’s hand could easily cover it entirely.
The cowardice in Yu An’s eyes hadn’t dissipated, and his round eyes were misty. His “about to cry but not crying” expression could turn even a hard-hearted adult into a puddle of tenderness.
Staring into Yu An’s watery eyes, Lin Huaichen held out for two or three seconds before he could no longer maintain his stern expression. He let out a sigh and pulled the child into his arms.
Lin Huaichen knew that if Yu An wanted to survive in this society as a normal person, certain necessary friends were unavoidable. Escaping couldn’t solve the problem; even a timid child needed to take that step forward.
And he would take his hand and lead him slowly.
Lin Huaichen’s broad chest provided an immense sense of security. Yu An whimpered twice, piteously pressing his small face against his shoulder and clutching his neck tightly, like a little snail curled inside its secure shell.
“An-an, look. Your Brother Yunshu and Brother Wu Yao are both over there.” Lin Huaichen guided Yu An step by step. “Look at them.”
Yu An raised his head from Lin Huaichen’s shoulder, pursing his lips as he looked at Fu Yunshu and Wu Yao nearby. The two had been watching Yu An the whole time.
Fu Yunshu stood silently, his gaze full of encouragement. Wu Yao waved enthusiastically to Yu An. “An-an, come over! I’ll take you to play!”
Yu An was hesitant. He indeed had a shadow over peers because of his past experiences, but Fu Yunshu and Wu Yao were different from the teenagers who had bullied him before.
Children are clear about their likes and dislikes, and their eyes cannot hide things. Yu An could sense the goodwill these children radiated toward him. He began to waver; perhaps these brothers and sisters really wouldn’t bully him.
Lin Huaichen pressed his advantage, placing Soland and Little White on Yu An’s shoulders and then handing Monday’s leash into his hand. “Let them accompany you. Will An-an still be afraid?”
Yu An could see his familiar companions just by turning or lowering his head. This greatly weakened his inner fear. Yu An took a deep breath, gripped Monday’s leash tightly, and took a step toward Fu Yunshu and the others.
Fu Yunshu and Wu Yao smiled at the same time. Wu Yao was even more impatient, running over to receive Yu An and taking his hand to run toward the group of children.
Monday was even more excited, barking “woof-woof-woof” as it ran at the very front.
Most of the younger generation in Kyoto knew each other and had their own small groups. Since the Fu and Wu families were both connected to the Base, Fu Yunshu and Wu Yao were in the same small group.
Wu Yao put an arm around Yu An’s shoulder and enthusiastically began to introduce him. “This is Liang Xingsang. Haven’t you seen him at the Base? His father is the General Director of the Base.”
Liang Xingsang wore a pair of black-framed glasses and appeared to be the oldest child in the group. The boy’s brow was habitually furrowed, as if he were contemplating a difficult problem.
He looked Yu An over from head to toe and proactively reached out his hand. “Hello, I’m Liang Xingsang. You’ve been to the Base too?”
Yu An endured his fear, his fair little hand briefly touching Liang Xingsang’s before he immediately hid behind Fu Yunshu, answering in a tiny voice, “I’ve been there… to his room.”
Yu An pointed to Fu Yunshu, and Fu Yunshu gave a soft “Mhm.”
Liang Xingsang pondered for a few seconds. “No wonder. We’ve always been in Uncle Fu Yin’s Botanical Garden and haven’t been to the Mutation Zone, so we haven’t seen you.”
Yu An proceeded to meet the others in this small group: the identical twin brothers Gu Yixing and Gu Ersheng, the devout believer Ji Yunyan with a cross around his neck, and Rong Chuyu with twin ponytails.
Rong Chuyu was all smiles. “An-an, I know you! My papa told me about you.”
Yu An looked at her face, and a person surfaced in his mind. “Uncle Rong?”
Wen Xun’s childhood friend, Dr. Rong Shili.
Rong Chuyu nodded with a smile. “That’s him.”
The smile on Rong Chuyu’s face seemed cheap, given at any time to different people. No matter who she spoke to, she always had a kind and gentle smile that felt like a spring breeze.
With the help of Fu Yunshu and Wu Yao, Yu An soon mingled with his companions. Because Yu An was the youngest, everyone looked after him to some extent.
Especially Liang Xingsang; he felt that as the oldest, he should take good care of the brothers and sisters. Every time they moved to a new location to play, he would check Yu An’s position and instruct Fu Yunshu to hold him tight, in case he got lost.
Yu An waved his hand and said thoughtfully, “Don’t worry, Brother. I won’t get lost. This is my home.”
Liang Xingsang choked, pushing his glasses up. “…Sorry. Forgot.”
The twins put their arms around each other’s shoulders and laughed heartily, speaking in unison. “How could anyone get lost in their own home? You’re being hilariously overprotective.”
One of them turned to Yu An and said, “Isn’t that right, Little An-an?”
Yu An looked at his face, unable to tell if it was the older or younger brother. “Are you…?”
“I am Gu Yixing.”
Yu An hurriedly remembered that the talkative one was the older brother. “Oh, oh, Brother Yixing, I’ve remembered you.”
“Hahaha, just kidding! I’m Gu Ersheng.”
Yu An was completely bewildered, nodding blankly. “Ah? Brother Ersheng…”
To his surprise, the “Gu Yixing” who hadn’t spoken looked helpless. “An-an, don’t be fooled by my brother. I’m the real Gu Ersheng.”
This time, Yu An’s brain completely crashed.
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