Chapter 40 part 1
Wen Xun was very surprised when he received the call from the school. His colleagues around him simultaneously perked up their ears, suppressing their excitement and exchanging looks.
“An-an got into a fight at school?” Wen Xun’s eyes widened slightly in shock. He murmured to himself, “That shouldn’t be right. My kid is very well-behaved.”
Yu An getting into a fight? Forgive Wen Xun, but he truly couldn’t visualize that scene. He wasn’t the only one; anyone who knew Yu An was full of doubt.
Fu Yin, with his green hair, leaned in toward Wen Xun with a worried look. “Must be a mistake. Is it possible An-an was bullied?”
However, with Little White and Monday around, the chances of Yu An being bullied were slim.
Wen Xun grabbed his jacket and headed for the door, asking the teacher on the other end, “Is An-an hurt? Did he win?”
The Dean was speechless. What kind of parent’s first concern upon hearing about a fight was whether their child won? He’d been teaching for decades and this was the first time he’d encountered a bizarre parent like Wen Xun.
Since the Dean had the speakerphone on, everyone in the office could hear Wen Xun’s words. Yu An couldn’t sit still and leaned toward the Dean. “Papa, I didn’t… mmmph.”
He hadn’t fought anyone; this was slander!
Xu Yening expressionlessly covered Yu An’s mouth and pulled the child onto his lap. He tilted his chin, signaling for the Dean to continue.
The Dean, who was over fifty and still being dragged into schemes by his young Principal, wiped the sweat from his forehead. He struggled to find words. “Well… well, at any rate, the child isn’t hurt. He’s safe…”
Wen Xun was satisfied, and his tone lightened considerably. “Then he must have won. I’ll be there in a bit.”
With that, he hung up before the Dean could react. The Dean was stunned, his few remaining hairs fluttering in the breeze from the fan, matching his chaotic and scattered state of mind.
From the moment Wen Xun hung up, Yu An had been pouting unhappily. Even when Xu Yening offered him candy, he ignored the man. Xu Yening flicked his pouting lips. “So young, yet such a temper.”
The next second, a surge of pain radiated from the back of Xu Yening’s hand. He looked at the cute little octopus on Yu An’s shoulder and was momentarily surprised. It was a Xenogenic.
But on second thought, Wen Xun was a high-level official at the Base and Yu An was his child; it wasn’t strange for him to have a small Xenogenic companion. It was likely a low-rank, non-aggressive ornamental species.
“Don’t let it out next time.”
Xu Yening pinched the little octopus. When he locked eyes with Claude’s lake-blue pupils, his heart trembled. He quickly put the octopus back into Yu An’s pocket and took a sip of tea to suppress the strange feeling.
How odd. He actually felt a sense of oppression from a little octopus Xenogenic.
“Don’t touch him.”
Yu An protectively covered his pocket. He didn’t want to talk to this annoying person. He looked toward Zhou Xia and reached out for a hug.
Zhou Xia had already changed into clean clothes, and the bedraggled look from earlier was gone. However, he looked like he hadn’t recovered from the shock, appearing dazed and zoning out frequently. But the moment he heard Yu An, he stood up and walked to them.
“Principal, An-an doesn’t like you. Let me hold him.”
His blunt words left Xu Yening stunned for a moment. Instead of letting go, he held Yu An tighter and gave his soft cheek a dangerous pinch. “You don’t like me?”
Yu An let out a small huff. “That’s right. I don’t like you.”
After a thought, Yu An intentionally made trouble, adding a title. “Uncle, I hate you the most!”
Didn’t Little White say Xu Yening hated being called “Uncle” (Jiujiu)? Then he was definitely going to call him that and die of anger!
Sure enough, Xu Yening’s handsome face turned as black as ink. He applied a bit of pressure with his hands, squishing Yu An’s soft cheeks together so his little mouth puckered.
His voice was dangerous and deep. “Did Lin Huaichen or your Papa Wen tell you to call me that?”
“No.”
Xu Yening let out a barely perceptible sigh of relief.
“Papa Wen hasn’t mentioned you at all.”
That blow caught him off guard. Xu Yening was choked into a coughing fit, his heart feeling cold and hollow. He glared at Yu An; this brat seemed to know exactly how to strike where it hurt most.
Yu An was transferred from the dejected Xu Yening into Zhou Xia’s arms. Zhou Xia was still the polite, good student; he bowed to Xu Yening in thanks and ignored the Principal’s complicated expression, carrying Yu An to the sofa on the other side.
The Dean went to handle the outside students who had snuck into the school. For a while, the office was silent. Suddenly, a string of anxious shouts for “Brother” came from outside the door.
Xu Mingyao, whom Yu An hadn’t seen in a while, pushed open the office door with an anxious expression. He blurted out, “Brother! I heard Yu An got into a fight? Impossible—he’s so good, he’d never fight anyone!”
Xu Yening looked at his younger brother and frowned. “What does it have to do with you? Go back to class.”
Xu Mingyao ignored him and went straight to Yu An, looking him up and down. “Are you okay? Any injuries?”
Ever since Xu Mingyao had misunderstood Yu An’s relationship with Fu Yunshu and the others, he’d been too embarrassed to face Yu An and hadn’t come to school for days.
Yu An didn’t have a great impression of him, but seeing his worried look, he didn’t have the heart to ignore him. He shook his head. “I’m fine.”
Zhou Xia spared Xu Mingyao a glance then lowered his eyes to fiddle with Yu An’s black hair.
Xu Yening had little patience for his brother. “Xu Mingyao, get to class!”
Xu Mingyao stared intently at Yu An. Even when Yu An buried his head in Zhou Xia’s chest, he wouldn’t look away, remaining stubborn. “I’m not going. I’m staying right here.”
“If you keep nagging, I’ll go home and tell Dad that you’re targeting me at school.”
Xu Mingyao was a late-born child and was highly pampered by his father. If he really went home and started talking, Xu Yening would definitely be lectured, which he found incredibly annoying.
Xu Mingyao successfully stayed. Seeing that Yu An didn’t hold his past actions against him, he was secretly overjoyed and intentionally sat right next to Yu An.
Xu Yening saw his brother’s slightly upturned lips and the obvious fondness in his eyes when he looked at Yu An. His heart sank. He grabbed Xu Mingyao by the back of his collar and tossed him directly onto a distant single-seater sofa.
His brother being the same age as Wen Xun’s son already made Xu Yening very unhappy. He wouldn’t allow his status to be lowered even further because of this brat.
“Are you crazy?!”
Xu Mingyao scrambled up with a shout, looking indignant. This person usually looked calm and focused entirely on his academics; how did he become so moody and temperamental after graduating and returning home?
Xu Yening ignored his brother’s shouting, occasionally checking the time on his watch.
Half an hour later, Wen Xun and Lin Huaichen appeared before the Principal’s office. Lin Huaichen was perfectly composed, not at all worried that Yu An—under the protection of Claude and Monday, two high-risk Xenogenics—would lose a fight with other children.
Lin Huaichen put an arm around Wen Xun, his tone relaxed. “Relax, honey. Our kid isn’t an ordinary person; he definitely won’t come out on the losing end. Didn’t the teacher say An-an is safe? Don’t worry…”
The door pushed open. Lin Huaichen locked eyes with Xu Yening sitting behind the desk. His breath hitched, and without a second thought, he pulled Wen Xun back out of the room and slammed the door shut.
The speed was so fast it was as if there were something filthy inside.
Yu An’s eyes lit up when he saw the two of them. The shout of “Papa” was about to escape when he saw them retreat, leaving it stuck in his throat. It was incredibly uncomfortable.
Am I not my fathers’ most beloved baby anymore?
Yu An stared blankly at the closed door, his mouth pouting. He buried his head in Zhou Xia’s arms, his eyes glazed with visible sadness.
A moment later, the door opened again. Wen Xun glared at Lin Huaichen and pinched his waist, scolding in a low voice, “What kind of madness is this now?”
With that, he looked at Yu An. Seeing his baby looking back with beautiful, mournful eyes—clearly accusing them of their “come-and-go” behavior—Wen Xun’s heart ached.
Wen Xun cursed Lin Huaichen again in his head and ignored everyone else in the room. He went straight to Yu An and pulled him into a pained embrace, stroking the soft hair on the back of his head. He coaxed gently, “It’s okay, it’s okay. Papa is here.”
All of Yu An’s pent-up grievance spilled out instantly. He hugged Wen Xun’s neck piteously, rubbing his soft cheek against Wen Xun’s face as he murmured, “I didn’t fight… and those bad older brothers were bullying Brother Zhou Xia.”
He was clearly being a Good Samaritan; he wasn’t a bad kid who fought.
Wen Xun naturally believed him, patting his back soothingly. “Mhm, our An-an is wonderful.”
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