Chapter 18

Gu Zhixu stayed until after dinner before leaving.

It was only after his parents called several times, threatening to come over and beat him up if he didn’t leave, that he reluctantly left.

He was reluctant to leave, his eyes full of longing and sadness.

He genuinely liked Pei Manman and wished he could take the little guy with him.

“Aunt, can’t I really take Manman with me?”

“Aunt, why don’t you talk to my parents and let me stay here and sleep tonight? I can squeeze in with Manman.”

“Aunt, I really think Manman is my long-lost brother. You should give him back to me.”

…

Ling Yue was getting annoyed with him. She grabbed his collar and threw him into the car: “It’s impossible for you to have him. Come back and play next time.”

Gu Zhixu was good at taking advantage of the situation: “Can I come back tomorrow?”

The answer was the sound of Ling Yue closing the car door.

Bang—

It was crisp and decisive, a subtle refusal.

Seeing Gu Zhixu go back, even Pei Manman breathed a sigh of relief.

Although Gu Zhixu was very friendly and enthusiastic towards him, and he was willing to get close to Gu Zhixu, when the enthusiasm went overboard, getting along became a burden that required him to be on his guard and expend effort.

Pei Manman was essentially a child who liked to stay quiet.

Being with Gu Zhixu was like being exposed to the sun. If it went on for too long, it would be fatal.

When he heard that Gu Zhixu wanted to stay and sleep with him, the child was so nervous that his back and scalp felt tight. He was afraid it would come true.

It wasn’t until he saw with his own eyes that Gu Zhixu had left that he could relax.

He didn’t want to see Gu Zhixu the next day either.

He needed time to recover.

…

The next day was a big day.

Pei Manman could finally resume his normal diet and eat some oily and greasy things.

Actually, he was almost completely recovered the day before. It was fine to eat a little bit, but Ling Yue was afraid that the child’s stomach was weak, so she deliberately restrained him from eating.

But after Gu Zhixu gave Pei Manman a lot of snacks, the little guy guarded them like he was guarding his territory.

He looked so hungry and wanted to eat, but he had to try hard to hold back.

He could only look at them from time to time, reach out and touch them, and satisfy his cravings in this way.

Who wouldn’t feel sorry for someone who saw this scene?

It was because they knew he could hold back that they felt even more sorry for him.

Ling Yue couldn’t bear to see it anymore, so she decided to lift the ban. She told Pei Manman about it before bed.

The little guy was happy for a long time because of it.

He went to sleep that night with a sense of anticipation, and put his favorite white chocolate in his pajama pocket beforehand, just so he could have a big bite when he woke up!

But—

Reality was a different picture.

After waking up, Pei Manman was first taken by Lu Shiqi to be weighed.

The numbers on the electronic screen fluctuated and changed, finally settling on 0.05 kg lighter than the day before.

Lu Shiqi’s face was already bad, but now it was even worse.

Worse and worse.

Good, destroy the earth, let all humans perish.

Although he was young, Lu Shiqi’s face was gloomy, and his aura was so strong that even adults wouldn’t dare to ignore him easily, let alone Pei Manman, who was even younger than him.

The little guy stood on the scale, shrinking his toes uneasily.

…Did he do something wrong again?

It seemed like Lu Shiqi had been angry with him since yesterday?

Was he that wrong?

If only he knew what he had done wrong…

But Pei Manman didn’t dare to ask.

He was just afraid of Lu Shiqi. He was afraid that if he didn’t ask, it would be fine, but if he did, he would make things worse.

He could only sneak a look at Lu Shiqi.

He cautiously stole a glance, then two glances, then three glances, then countless glances…

He stole so many glances that Lu Shiqi couldn’t pretend not to know anymore. He was the first to ask, “What are you staring at me for?”

“…”

The little guy immediately retracted his gaze.

He wasn’t doing anything wrong, but he felt guilty as if he had been caught doing something wrong. He couldn’t face Lu Shiqi.

However, this timid and fearful reaction also made Lu Shiqi unhappy.

How come he can be fine with Gu Zhixu, but he looks like a little rabbit seeing a wolf when he sees him?

Is he that scary?

He admitted that his attitude towards Pei Manman wasn’t exactly friendly, but he was the same to everyone else. He didn’t see anyone else being so afraid of him.

Lu Shiqi said unhappily, “Do you want to say something to me? Just say it if you have something to say.”

What’s the difference between that and intimidation?

The little guy didn’t dare to speak. He immediately shook his head frantically, unable to utter a single word.

Lu Shiqi felt even more stifled in his heart.

“Am I that scary?”

“You’re fine with other people, but you won’t talk to me?”

After saying that, he regretted it.

These words made him seem like he cared.

Fortunately, Pei Manman didn’t understand. He was slow to react, and it took him a while to realize that “other people” probably referred to Gu Zhixu.

Then he showed an expression as if he had suddenly realized something, and answered nonsensically: “…It’s Brother Zhixu!”

“…”

Brother Zhixu.

He called him so affectionately.

The key is that he doesn’t understand the implication. Lu Shiqi felt a sense of frustration and powerlessness.

…Forget it.

It was pointless to imply things to this stupid little kid. It made him seem petty.

He was about to say forget it, just go eat your breakfast, but before he could say it, he saw Pei Manman take out the chocolate from his pocket. His expression was a little reluctant, his movements were a little hesitant—

But in the end, he still handed the chocolate to Lu Shiqi.

The little guy stuttered, a little aggrieved, a little uneasy, and said, “…I’m sorry, please forgive me.”

Although he didn’t know what he had done wrong or when he had done it, Lu Shiqi was clearly angry, so Pei Manman felt he should apologize.

Because Lu Shiqi was the young master of the house, and he was just a temporary hanger-on.

Even if it wasn’t his fault, he should bow to Lu Shiqi, otherwise the adults would think he was ungrateful and dislike him.

Pei Manman didn’t want Ling Yue to dislike him. He wanted Ling Yue to like him.

So, for Ling Yue’s liking, he was also willing to apologize to Lu Shiqi and give him the chocolate he had been looking forward to all night.

His heart was truly filled with great reluctance.

He loved this chocolate the most. He had been looking forward to it since yesterday—

But at this moment, he felt that the most valuable thing, something that was enough to apologize to Lu Shiqi, was this chocolate.

And the stifled annoyance in Lu Shiqi’s chest miraculously dissipated the moment he heard the little guy’s apology.

He even felt a little guilty about bullying the weak.

—After all, he knew very well that Pei Manman wasn’t wrong.

Yesterday, it was Gu Zhixu who had been clinging to the little guy, and his sarcasm and displeasure were basically directed at Gu Zhixu.

The fact that it had been directed at Pei Manman was purely because he couldn’t save face and his mouth wouldn’t spare anyone.

It wasn’t even to the point where Pei Manman needed to apologize so formally.

But who would have thought that Pei Manman would even take out the chocolate.

It was clear that he loved this chocolate the most. He had been looking forward to it since yesterday, holding it dearly, and directly hid it in his pajama pocket.

Did he reach out to touch it while he was sleeping?

Or was he planning to eat it right after being weighed?

He was so looking forward to it and loved it so much, was he really willing to give it to someone else?

Lu Shiqi didn’t reach out to take it, and he wasn’t going to take the chocolate.

“Don’t you really like this? Are you really giving it to me?”

“…”

He had already handed it to the other person, but when Lu Shiqi asked, the little guy hesitated again.

His expression seemed as if he was in a kind of self-struggle, solemn and serious, using all his willpower.

After a dozen seconds, his self-struggle was successful.

Although his expression didn’t show any joy of success, but with furrowed brows, pursed lips, and a pitiful look of grievance.

Pei Manman answered slowly and laboriously, “…Yeah, for you. Forgive me.”

He said this with his mouth, but his heart began to frantically hope that Lu Shiqi would refuse.

Don’t accept it, don’t accept it, don’t accept it.

Don’t take it, don’t take it, don’t take it.

As long as Lu Shiqi didn’t take it, the chocolate was still his!

But when he showed this little thought on his face, and Lu Shiqi noticed it, Lu Shiqi was also tempted by his mischievousness.

He suddenly wanted to bully Pei Manman.

So, he deliberately took the chocolate.

“Alright, then I’ll take the chocolate and forgive you.”

“…”

Pei Manman was shocked.

“But the chocolate is all squished. It doesn’t look good anymore. I’ll just go eat breakfast.”

“…”

Pei Manman was greatly shocked.

The little guy suddenly felt cold in his chest and limbs.

He didn’t expect Lu Shiqi to actually take it.

Not only did he take it, but he also disliked his most anticipated and favorite chocolate.

He felt a wave of disappointment and sadness, heavy and depressed.

Why would he dislike his chocolate…

He liked it so much, he was so reluctant to give it up, he struggled so much to give it to Lu Shiqi…

But Lu Shiqi promised to forgive him…

But he didn’t have any chocolate to eat…

Lu Shiqi disliked his chocolate…

His emotions were complex, and in the end, they were all defeated by dejection. The little guy went back to his room to change clothes dejectedly.

He moved slowly, with no expectations for the day. After changing, he walked out slowly.

Unexpectedly, Lu Shiqi was waiting for him at the door.

Lu Shiqi ate breakfast quickly.

After all, he only nibbled on two dry sandwiches and drank two cups of sugar-free soy milk. It really didn’t take long.

He had already changed into his uniform and was carrying his backpack on one shoulder, ready to go to school.

Pei Manman blinked; his dark eyes filled with grievance. He didn’t dare to have any opinions about Lu Shiqi, so he could only watch him.

“Here you go.”

Lu Shiqi took out a chocolate bar the size of half a book from his backpack and handed it to Pei Manman.

But Pei Manman had never seen such a big chocolate before, and he didn’t recognize the English letters on the white packaging. He reached out to take it, but his expression was still confused. He didn’t know what it was.

Lu Shiqi tore off the top half of the wrapper.

The rich aroma of cream immediately wafted out. The milky white chocolate looked silky and smooth. On the back, there were big pieces of strawberry freeze-dried, pink and white layered together, making it look tempting.

Pei Manman’s eyes instantly lit up: “…It’s chocolate!”

There was such a big piece of chocolate in the world!

It was even chocolate with strawberries!

The cream smells so good! The strawberries smell so good too!

“Try a bite, see how it tastes.”

Pei Manman immediately lowered his head and took a big bite.

The pure cocoa butter and cream were smooth and melted in his mouth. The strawberry freeze-dried was crispy and sweet, with a unique texture.

The aftertaste was rich, sweet, and greasy.

It was so sweet and delicious; it was the flavor he liked!

“It’s delicious and sweet!”

He quickly took another big bite.

The disappointment and heaviness were instantly washed away by the sweetness. His mouth was full of sweetness, and even his heart felt sweet.

Seeing Pei Manman’s reaction, Lu Shiqi was also satisfied.

It was just a piece of chocolate; they had plenty at home.

Pei Manman didn’t need to take anyone else’s.

He would flush Gu Zhixu’s chocolate down the drain later.