Chapter 8

Lu Shiqi had promised Ling Yue that he would take care of Pei Manman, and the next morning, he was on duty on time.

Although he was just an assistant, he still had to have the right attitude and take corresponding practical actions.

He didn’t need to get credit for free, he just wanted to know how far he could go and what his final results would be.

Therefore, Lu Shiqi made a plan for himself.

First, he would record Pei Manman’s height and weight every day – to see if the child was growing well, and how much he had grown, these two data were the most intuitive.

Then he assigned himself two daily tasks.

The first was to watch Pei Manman eat properly and try to fatten him up, so that he would have more energy and spirit when filming.

But Lu Shiqi thought this shouldn’t be difficult, because from the current situation, it would be good if Pei Manman didn’t eat too much, how could he possibly eat less.

The second task was to read him one chapter of the movie’s original story every day.

This was a highly popular book among teenagers nationwide.

It involved a fantasy element of a young boy’s adventure, with the main plot revolving around the friendship and family of the protagonist group.

Even Lu Shiqi was a loyal reader of this novel, having read the entire set several times over.

This time, Ling Yue would be playing the biggest villain in the novel.

Although she had read the original story, she only focused on her own role and didn’t know it as well as Lu Shiqi.

So, this task was also the most suitable for Lu Shiqi.

In the days that followed, he would be responsible for letting Pei Manman know what kind of story he was in and what kind of role he was playing.

Perhaps because he had accepted Pei Manman’s existence and had made arrangements for the near future, Lu Shiqi’s acceptance of Pei Manman was much higher than the day before. Now he could even speak to him calmly.

And when he looked closer –

Don’t say it, this little green tea is really quite cute.

Especially those eyes.

They sparkled with water, slightly red, and when they looked at you with a mix of grievance and innocence, Lu Shiqi felt his brain go blank for a couple of seconds every now and then.

Although he would feel uneasy about this uncontrollable blankness when he came back to his senses, he couldn’t help but want to look at them a little longer.

Maybe he’ll get used to it.

Yeah, that’s it.

But Pei Manman didn’t have Lu Shiqi’s powerful ability to change.

His impression of Lu Shiqi was still stuck in the fear he had accumulated yesterday.

Suddenly seeing Lu Shiqi appear beside him, he was filled with panic and lack of confidence, and subconsciously searched for Ling Yue’s figure.

Unfortunately, Ling Yue wasn’t there.

Pei Manman nervously pursed his lips, and could only force himself to be brave and face him alone.

Lu Shiqi stood by his bed, only two years older than him, but he looked down at him from above, radiating an aura as if he were commanding a thousand troops.

He spoke with a domineering manner, probably because of his innate arrogance, “I’m asking you a question, why aren’t you answering me?”

Pei Manman was startled again.

He hadn’t even heard clearly what Lu Shiqi had asked, let alone remember it.

Luckily, Lu Shiqi asked again, “Why are you hiding and crying?”

This was the softest way Lu Shiqi could ask after trying his best.

But for Pei Manman, it was still no different from intimidation.

He quickly shook his head in denial, “…I wasn’t crying!”

Oh no!

He couldn’t cry; it would bring bad luck!

But he had been so uncomfortable just now, he couldn’t control the sourness in his heart, and he almost let tears fall.

He absolutely couldn’t let this bad brother know!

Otherwise, he would definitely kick him out!

Lu Shiqi stared at his red eye circles, “Your eyes are red, you still say you weren’t crying?”

He used stiff and unnatural words, turning a possible concern into a definite interrogation.

Pei Manman was even more nervous, “…They’re not red!”

With his timid personality and fear of Lu Shiqi, the little guy couldn’t even speak properly.

Lu Shiqi didn’t understand, not red? What were they then?

Pei Manman’s little brain ran quickly, trying to find a suitable excuse, but in the end, he could only come up with one, “…It was a little bug, I was rubbing a little bug, and it flew over.”

Lu Shiqi finally understood.

It was probably because the little green tea’s logical thinking ability wasn’t strong, so his verbal expression was a bit jumbled.

But it wasn’t a big problem, he could understand it with a little reaction.

He was about to say that there were no bugs in this room.

Even if there were, could they fly under the pillow?

What, did he have flying mites hidden under his pillow?

But after a moment’s pause, Lu Shiqi realized that this should just be the little green tea’s excuse.

He couldn’t believe it.

He looked so timid and cowardly, but he actually had self-esteem.

Since he had agreed to help take care of him, Lu Shiqi didn’t need to be mean anymore. He just coldly replied, “Oh.”

Then he asked, “So how are you feeling now? Does your stomach still hurt?”

Pei Manman quickly shook his head, “…It doesn’t hurt anymore.”

Although his stomach still felt a little gurgling and uncomfortable, it didn’t really hurt anymore.

Besides, even if it did hurt, Pei Manman would pretend not to.

He didn’t want to cause Ling Yue any more trouble, he didn’t want to be a child who made people hate him, and he least of all wanted to be kicked out.

But seeing him like this, Lu Shiqi didn’t believe him.

“It doesn’t hurt anymore?” he asked with suspicion, “Then is there anything else that makes you uncomfortable?”

Pei Manman still shook his head, “…No!”

Unfortunately, the bitterness in his mouth was so strong that it was really uncomfortable.

Pei Manman felt like he was going to stink.

But he didn’t want to be a stinky child.

A stinky child would also be disliked by others, he wanted to be a clean child.

Therefore, after shaking his head, Pei Manman looked at Lu Shiqi and cautiously asked, “…Mouth, inside, okay?”

“…”

Lu Shiqi really didn’t understand, and it took him a while to react.

—Oh, maybe he wanted to ask if his mouth could be uncomfortable?

“What’s wrong with your mouth?”

Pei Manman spoke slowly, “…Mouth, want water.”

“…”

This was the first time he had seen “want water” expressed in this way.

Lu Shiqi really wanted to complain, why didn’t he just say he wanted to drink water.

But when he met Pei Manman’s timid eyes, those pitiful eyes, he suddenly became speechless and silent.

“You want to drink water, right?”

This time, Pei Manman finally didn’t shake his head, but nodded vigorously.

“Then get up, I’ll take you to drink water.”

“…Okay.”

Pei Manman’s heart was greatly relieved.

Great, Lu Shiqi didn’t think he was a nuisance, and he was even willing to take him to drink water.

He quickly got out of bed and started to change his clothes.

He searched for his shirt and pants, looking for the collar and the front and back.

His movements looked busy, but he didn’t know what he was doing, and it was slow—but at least he could complete it himself, he was a good and independent baby.

After changing his clothes, he was very sensible and folded his pajamas neatly.

As for the blanket, it was too big for him to fold, so he could only symbolically flip it over and smooth out the place where he had been lying.

After tidying everything up, he looked at Lu Shiqi and said in a restrained and quiet voice, “…I, I’m done.”

“…”

His ability to express himself was really problematic.

Could he really go filming like this?

“…Yeah, I’ll take you to drink water.”

He should have brushed his teeth and washed his face, but the little guy was slow and deliberate. If he waited for him to finish all that, Lu Shiqi was afraid he would die of thirst first.

He took the little guy to the living room to pour water.

After drinking half a glass of warm water, Pei Manman felt like a dry flower that had absorbed enough water, becoming plump and hydrated again.

He was really thirsty, even drinking plain water felt sweet.

After his eyes scanned the spacious living room, Pei Manman couldn’t help but ask, “…Where’s Auntie?”

He hadn’t seen Ling Yue since he woke up, and his heart was actually very uneasy.

Could it be that he had caused a big problem last night, so Ling Yue didn’t want to see him anymore?

…So, she had Lu Shiqi watch him?

Would Lu Shiqi kick him out after he finished drinking water?

Because Lu Shiqi seemed like the kind of person who could do that.

And he would be very suitable to do that.

Just thinking about it, the little guy felt a wave of intense fear.

Happiness was indeed very short-lived.

He had only experienced it for a short day, and it was about to end.

Lu Shiqi couldn’t guess what was going on in his mind. Seeing the changes in the little guy’s facial expressions, he was only surprised that he liked Ling Yue so much?

They had only been together for a day, could he be so dependent on her?

Did he miss her so much that he wanted to cry because she wasn’t there?

“She has wrought this morning and left early.”

Lu Shiqi couldn’t say what he was feeling.

Someone was coveting his mother, he should be unhappy, like he was yesterday. But at this moment, he didn’t have much disgust, his heart was actually very calm.

“She won’t be back until around noon, so I’ll take care of you before she comes back.”

Pei Manman lowered his eyes and let out a breath.

As if resigned to his fate, he asked proactively, “…After Auntie comes back, will I leave?”

His voice was soft and sweet, the unique baby voice of a child.

Only it was tinged with obvious reluctance and grievance.

Lu Shiqi asked in confusion, “Where are you going?”

“…Going outside, to Uncle and Auntie’s house.”

Lu Shiqi’s eyes immediately lit up, “You don’t want to stay here, you want to go back?”

This was definitely good news for Lu Shiqi.

If Pei Manman wanted to go home himself, then Ling Yue couldn’t force him to stay, it would be a win-win situation.

However, Pei Manman shook his head desperately, using his whole body to express his resistance to going back, “…I, I don’t want to go back.”

Lu Shiqi was slightly disappointed for two seconds.

“Since you don’t want to go back, why are you talking about going to Uncle and Auntie’s house? I thought you wanted to go back.”

His tone was definitely not friendly, and it was even a bit aggressive.

But this time, Lu Shiqi wasn’t deliberately targeting Pei Manman. He was used to being a spoiled young master who did and said whatever he wanted, without considering the feelings of others.

Seeing Pei Manman’s silence, he realized that his tone wasn’t very good.

But it was even more impossible for Lu Shiqi to apologize and explain himself.

The scene fell into a brief and strange silence.

Until a few seconds later, Pei Manman blinked his uneasy eyes and whispered an apology, “…Sorry.”

“…”

Lu Shiqi didn’t expect him to apologize.

And it was such a polite and submissive apology.

He instantly felt very guilty, feeling like he had become the bad guy.

After all, Pei Manman had just gone through an emergency hospitalization last night, and he hadn’t fully recovered yet.

And he had promised to take care of him, but he couldn’t even speak properly, and he had scared him. Seeing the obvious paleness and fatigue on Pei Manman’s small face, Lu Shiqi felt a strange discomfort in his heart, and for the first time, he regretted something