Chapter 11

Lu Shiqi actually finished a whole bowl of noodles.

This was a shocking event that would be recorded in Lu family history.

If Ling Yue were present, she would probably be so excited that she would cry—for him to eat like this was a rare occasion in life, worthy of a binge eating celebration.

The chef watched from the side, completely shocked, he didn’t dare to speak, even his breathing was cautious.

He was afraid that his breathing rhythm would be wrong, disturbing the young master’s eating mood, ruining the moment of witnessing history.

After Lu Shiqi actually finished eating, he felt it was actually okay.

Although the taste was nothing special, it didn’t evoke any sense of satisfaction, but at least it wasn’t bad, it could fill his stomach, and it wasn’t too sweet.

The biggest reason was that he kept looking at Pei Manman.

The little guy’s eyes full of longing were particularly appetizing, somehow making him feel better, and he unknowingly finished eating.

When he finished eating, the chef still couldn’t recover, he pinched his thigh hard.

Damn, it really hurt.

It was real!

He wasn’t dreaming!

The chef belatedly became excited, he felt like he had gone through many hardships and finally gained Lu Shiqi’s approval.

“Young Master, would you like another bowl?” the chef asked hurriedly.

This time, Lu Shiqi refused, “No need.”

One bowl was beyond expectations, more would be too much for him.

But the chef was still excited, he was going to cry in the kitchen later.

Only Pei Manman was slightly disappointed for a few seconds.

Watching his bowl and Lu Shiqi’s bowl being taken away, he had to accept the cruel reality that he really didn’t have a chance to taste the sweet soft-boiled egg.

And Lu Shiqi didn’t even finish the soup in his bowl!

What a waste!

Pei Manman felt like he could help finish it, he would be happy to do that!

But Lu Shiqi and the chef didn’t ask him, and he was too embarrassed to ask, so he could only watch helplessly as the bowls were taken away.

Luckily, this emotion came and went quickly, and not long after leaving the table, the little guy had forgotten about this regret.

Although he was very satisfied with the bowl of brown sugar noodles, the portion was still a little small for Pei Manman, and he was still recovering from his illness, his body was weak, and his spirit only lasted for two hours before his little head began to feel heavy and his attention became scattered.

But Pei Manman himself didn’t notice.

Children have a hard time having a clear understanding of their own bodies and feelings. As long as they were still awake, they could still run and move, they felt that they were in good spirits and had no problems.

It was Lu Shiqi who noticed that his spirit was getting worse.

—This was something that Ling Yue had specifically reminded him of before she left.

“If you find that your brother looks a little out of sorts, you have to make him go to sleep and rest immediately. Don’t let him stay awake, otherwise, he will easily exhaust his energy, and then he will get even more serious.”

Lu Shiqi still disliked the term “brother.”

But he was much calmer than the day before, and his acceptance was higher.

He could only call him brother, right? What else could he call him?

Could he call Pei Manman “this comrade”?

So, Lu Shiqi suppressed his inner objections, pretended not to hear the term, and just asked, “No way, if he’s tired, wouldn’t he know himself?”

Ling Yue chuckled, “Kids just don’t know. When they realize they’re uncomfortable, they’ve usually already exhausted their energy, and the situation is quite serious.”

“You were like that when you were little, you were fine one second, and the next second you would just fall down, you scared Dad and Mom a lot.”

Lu Shiqi felt like his embarrassing past had been dug up, and he instantly felt bad, he didn’t want to admit it, “…Impossible!”

“If you don’t believe me, wait for your dad to come back and ask him, is that right?”

Ling Yue smiled gently, “You’ve grown up so much in the blink of an eye, time really flies.”

“…”

But Ling Yue mentioned the past, and all this past was related to him, which made Lu Shiqi feel better.

Actually, Lu Shiqi cared most about one thing, and it had never changed.

That was to want most of his parents’ attention, he didn’t want to share what he felt was already not enough with anyone else.

Once he got the satisfaction of being cared for and valued, he felt that taking care of Pei Manman wasn’t so difficult.

Therefore, when he noticed that Pei Manman’s condition was starting to deteriorate, and his attention was not as focused, Lu Shiqi immediately told him to lie down and sleep.

The place he slept was still the same as yesterday, in the living room.

Because Ling Yue had found that Pei Manman slept well there, she said that they shouldn’t easily change his position, it was also convenient to keep an eye on him.

But Pei Manman really felt that he was in good spirits and didn’t need to sleep at all.

The most important thing was that it wasn’t even lunch time yet.

He had to take a nap before lunch?

Would he still get to eat lunch?

Pei Manman was very concerned about this, but facing Lu Shiqi’s serious expression, he couldn’t ask, he could only obey Lu Shiqi’s words and lie down obediently.

As soon as he lay down on the comfortable cushion and covered himself with the warm and fluffy blanket, Pei Manman felt relaxed, his eyelids immediately started to feel heavy, and he really wanted to yawn and sleep.

That moment of relaxation also made the tension and apprehension in his brain loosen.

With his eyes half-closed, he dragged out his voice, his tone soft and sweet, and asked Lu Shiqi, “…Brother, are you sleeping? Next to me.”

But before Lu Shiqi could respond, he was startled awake.

He had actually called Lu Shiqi “brother.”

He had originally made up his mind never to call him that.

At the relatives’ houses he had stayed at before; the children were the best at reading adults’ expressions. When they realized that the adults didn’t like them, they would start to boldly make fun of them, tease them, or order them around.

And the only resistance that Pei Manman could control was not calling them brother or sister, he would remain silent in terms of address.

He could feel Lu Shiqi’s dislike for him, but the biggest reason was that he was afraid of Lu Shiqi.

His intuition told him that if he dared to call Lu Shiqi “brother,” Lu Shiqi would definitely get angry.

Maybe the next second he would glare at him fiercely and coldly threaten: Do you even deserve to call me brother? You believe me or not, I’ll tear your mouth apart?

Just thinking about it made him scared.

Pei Manman looked at Lu Shiqi fearfully, trying to explain, but his brain went blank from being too nervous, and he couldn’t say anything.

Luckily, Lu Shiqi didn’t make things difficult for him.

The worrying scene in Pei Manman’s mind didn’t happen, Lu Shiqi seemed to be quite surprised, but he didn’t mind, he just said, “…I’m not sleepy, you just sleep by yourself, don’t worry about me.”

Confirming that Lu Shiqi really wasn’t angry, Pei Manman was greatly relieved.

Great.

He almost thought Lu Shiqi was going to get angry.

His emotions went on a rollercoaster for a few seconds before relaxing again, and his drowsiness doubled, engulfing the little cub.

Pei Manman yawned; his mind was completely unclear.

Instinctively, he smiled at Lu Shiqi, and said sincerely, “Hehe, brother, you’re so nice.”

“…”

After saying that, he turned around and closed his eyes, acting like he was falling asleep in one second.

Before he lay down, he still felt that he was in good spirits, but his body had actually reached the limit of a human cub.

The little guy fell asleep peacefully, leaving Lu Shiqi staring at his sleeping face in shock and confusion.

Hearing Pei Manman call him “brother,” Lu Shiqi should have been angry.

More than angry, he should have been furious.

But the truth was that he was dumbfounded and confused.

Pei Manman’s soft and sweet voice was like gentle notes, falling directly into his heart.

He actually thought the “brother” sounded pretty good?

Then he saw Pei Manman smiling at him, and saying that he was nice.

Was this the first smile Pei Manman had shown since he came here?

What was he good at?

Was it because he made him sleep, so he was good?

Some kind of strange, chaotic, unknown emotion swelled in his chest.

Lu Shiqi stared at Pei Manman, feeling like he was a complex and unsolvable problem, he had no clue, he couldn’t understand or figure him out.

Pei Manman was small, fragile, his head was silly, and he couldn’t speak clearly.

He had come and taken away so much of Ling Yue’s attention, he was someone Lu Shiqi should never have accepted.

But his background was quite pitiful.

But he was also quite obedient, he was at his disposal, he would do and say whatever he was told.

But he could be a little green tea!

He couldn’t let his guard down!

But he was really cute…

He was cute even when he was sleeping, like a quiet and beautiful cotton doll, he was just a little thin, his cheeks should have more flesh…

This “brother” seemed to have opened the door to a new world for Lu Shiqi.

Suddenly, he felt like he was playing a cub-raising game?

And he was starting to look forward to what kind of results he could achieve?