Chapter 2

 It was clearly not a friendly opening.

Although Pei Manman wasn’t a stranger to such blunt hostility, every time he felt it, his heart would ache, and he would feel lost.

Had he done something wrong?

What should he do?

The child timidly lowered his head, his small body wishing he could shrink into a ball, not daring to look at the other person.

Seeing this, the driver quickly said, “It was my oversight, I apologize.”

He thought to himself, see, it’s this young Master Lu, intelligent but domineering, the little ancestor of the Lu family, difficult to please since childhood.

The difficult-to-please young Master Lu indeed didn’t buy the driver’s apology, and snorted coldly again.

At this moment, a gentle and firm female voice decisively stopped him, “Xiaoqi, shut up. Don’t be so rude.”

The voice came from far away and gradually got closer, finally stopping right in front of Pei Manman.

He caught a glimpse of a pair of white fluffy slippers, the wavy hem of a peach-colored knitted long dress, and he seemed to smell a faint but pleasant scent, with a gentle aroma.

Was this the owner of the house?

Was this the person who would take care of him from now on?

Pei Manman cautiously raised his head to steal a glance, and Ling Yue squatted down in front of him.

Their eyes met.

Pei Manman instantly widened his round eyes, shock and surprise filled his small brain.

It was obvious that even a five-year-old child recognized Ling Yue, a household name in the entertainment industry.

Ling Yue had exquisite and beautiful features, her temperament was gentle and soft. Facing the nervous and uneasy little boy, she smiled, her voice even softer, “Hello, Slowly, I’m happy to meet you.”

The little guy was completely stunned by his first close encounter with a big star, and he began to wonder if he was dreaming.

Otherwise, how could he have come to a house like a castle?

And he even met a proud little prince and a gentle and beautiful big actress inside.

This was too much of a thrill for a little boy.

After the extreme shock, the fear of not knowing what to do gradually spread in his heart—fear is also an instinct for a young child when faced with something beyond his imagination.

Until young Master Lu, Lu Shiqi, snorted again, his icy tone pulled Pei Manman back to reality.

Ling Yue immediately turned her head to stop him, “Xiaoqi, don’t do that again.”

Lu Shiqi was not happy, his expression was sullen, but when he met his mother’s gaze, he finally obeyed and didn’t make any more strange noises.

Ling Yue turned back to Pei Manman, “Welcome to our home. I’m your aunt who will take care of you from now on. You’ll be living here… Do you understand?”

Pei Manman blinked his beautiful and helpless eyes, nodding slightly, “I understand… I, I’ll come to live here.”

Pei Manman’s language skills were not strong.

Firstly, he was still young, yet he had already experienced the warmth and coldness of human relationships, which made him introverted and timid.

Secondly, he lacked communication and learning. He didn’t go to kindergarten and hardly interacted with children his age.

Actually, he had gone to kindergarten before.

However, his relatives took turns taking care of him, staying at one house for a few months, then another house for a few months. Several of them lived in different districts, and picking him up and dropping him off became a hassle.

Anyway, he didn’t have to go to kindergarten, and the relatives didn’t want to be bothered, so they quickly reached an agreement, saving them the tuition fees.

As a result, he had fewer opportunities to speak, and he became even less talkative.

He understood many things and many words, but he didn’t know how to express them correctly, and sometimes his word order was reversed, so he always gave people a slow and clumsy feeling.

But this was unexpectedly in line with his name, exuding a kind of confused and cute charm, naturally making people feel affectionate.

Back then, among many children, it was his small face that caught Ling Yue’s eye. In just a few seconds, she decided to choose him.

“Yes, you’ll come to live here.” Ling Yue touched his soft, curly hair, smiling lightly, “Aunt will take care of you while you’re here.”

The reason why Ling Yue chose the little guy was also very simple, she was going to have him play a small supporting role in her next movie.

As for having him live at home, it was because she found out that his family situation was complicated, and his relatives were unwilling to bear his extra expenses.

Ling Yue was determined that Pei Manman was the perfect fit for the role and didn’t want to change.

She also felt sympathy for the poor child’s situation, and finally gritted her teeth and made this decision.

It was a way to get to know him and make it easier for him to film later.

However, besides these, Ling Yue had a bigger selfish reason—it was for Lu Shiqi.

She had been busy with her acting career all year round, with no time to take care of her family.

Her husband, as a business tycoon, was even busier.

The couple spent little time together, and naturally spent even less time with their child.

Lu Shiqi, their only child, the most precious young master of the Lu family, had lived a life of being surrounded by stars since childhood.

Because she spent less time taking care of him personally, she always felt a sense of guilt, so Ling Yue doted on Lu Shiqi, almost fulfilling his every wish, never showing a black face.

By the time she realized something was wrong, Lu Shiqi had already become a little ancestor with a bad temper, arrogant and willful.

This was a good opportunity to let Lu Shiqi live and interact with other children, and to teach him how to take care of others, not always putting himself first.

From this perspective, it seemed a bit unfair to Pei Manman, as if he was being treated as a companion pet to be kept at home, but—

Looking at the child’s ill-fitting old cotton clothes, his dirty cotton shoes, and his frostbitten fingers, red and swollen like small radish—

For the little guy, being chosen by her, being treated well by her, would already be a very precious experience and memory in his life.

If Lu Shiqi gets along well with him and changes his bad temper, then she’ll just give the child more financial support later, so that he can at least finish university smoothly.

Thinking this, Ling Yue felt no burden in her heart.

Even if they didn’t get along well later, she had already given Pei Manman the opportunity to act, and she would take care of him personally during this time.

“Aunt has prepared a room for you. Let’s take you to get familiar with the place, okay?”

Pei Manman listened to Ling Yue talking, his eyes fixed on her, not blinking.

He still felt an unreal sense of being in a dream.

After a while, he came to his senses and was about to nod in agreement, but his stomach made an untimely series of gurgling sounds.

He was hungry.

Breakfast was a boiled egg and two small custard buns.

Actually, he only ate one custard bun, the rest was snatched away by his uncle and aunt’s older brother.

He had been tempted by many snacks when he got in the car, and being able to hold out until now was already quite an achievement for a five-year-old.

Pei Manman awkwardly lowered his head, hating the sound coming from his stomach.

But Ling Yue found it adorable.

Realizing what the sound was, she asked with a smile, “Are you hungry?”

“…”

Pei Manman was even more embarrassed.

He felt like he had done something wrong, he shouldn’t be hungry at this time.

But Ling Yue was very gentle, gentler than all the relatives who had taken care of him before. She didn’t show any impatience, nor did she say he was a little glutton, who was just there to beg for food.

Ling Yue simply said, “It’s still a while before lunch, and it’s not good to eat snacks now… Slowly, do you want to eat eggs? Have two small eggs to tide you over, okay?”

Pei Manman quickly said, “I, I don’t want to eat!”

At first glance, it sounded like he was rejecting the eggs, not wanting to eat them.

But what Pei Manman actually wanted to express was that he wasn’t hungry, he didn’t need to eat eggs.

Ling Yue didn’t understand at first, “What do you want to eat then?”

Pei Manman became even more anxious, “I, I’m not hungry!”

“…”

Ling Yue finally understood.

He almost misunderstood the little guy in front of him.

It was even more heartbreaking.

He didn’t know what kind of life he had lived before, that he didn’t even dare to say he was hungry.

Ling Yue directly called the nanny, “Go heat up those two eggs that Xiaoqi didn’t eat this morning, and pour a cup of hot milk.”

Then, she took Pei Manman’s small hand and led him to sit down, “Come, sit down, let’s have something to eat first.”

Pei Manman looked at Ling Yue helplessly and said again, “I, I don’t want to eat.”

It sounded even more like he was rejecting it.

Seeing the little guy struggling to express himself, Ling Yue thought she should hire him a language teacher later, otherwise, he wouldn’t even be able to pronounce his lines when filming, and he might lose the role.

“Aunt knows, it’s not that you don’t want to eat,” Ling Yue said, “It’s that Aunt wants to treat you to something. If you’re willing to eat, Aunt will be very happy.”

“…”

In just a few words, the eggs were heated up, and the nanny quickly brought them over.

The aroma filled the room, constantly stimulating the little glutton in Pei Manman’s stomach.

These weren’t ordinary fried eggs.

They were made by first laying a thick layer of cheese crumbs on the bottom of the pan, then cracking the eggs on top.

After slowly frying them over low heat until they were cooked through, the cheese on the bottom became crispy and could be pulled.

Because cheese has a salty taste, the eggs didn’t need any extra seasoning. When the lid was opened, you could smell the rich aroma of milk, and the appearance was even more tempting.

It just so happened that Lu Shiqi was a picky eater, he wouldn’t eat this or that, no matter how much effort the chef put in, no matter how delicious it was, he could manage to not eat a single bite.

This cheese fried egg was what he had left over from breakfast.

Although it was leftover, the young master Lu had only glanced at it, not even touching the edge of the plate, and the fried egg was brought back to the table intact.

Heated up again and brought back, it was still as delicious as it was in the morning.

What hungry little boy could refuse such a fragrant cheese fried egg?

When the food was actually in front of him, Pei Manman’s eyes widened again.

He had never smelled such fragrant fried eggs; he couldn’t imagine how delicious it would be to eat.

“Okay, try it. Aunt will be even happier if you like it.”

Pei Manman unconsciously swallowed.

He looked up at Ling Yue, then down at the cheese fried egg, and this time he couldn’t say anything insincere.

Because Ling Yue was very gentle, and because the temptations in the car had exhausted all his patience, as a five-year-old, he had really tried his best.

“I, I’ll eat…”

“Yes, eat quickly.”

The fried egg was cut, and Pei Manman grabbed a piece directly with his hand.

As soon as it entered his mouth, the rich aroma of milk instantly filled his mouth.

He could hardly taste the texture of the egg, and he didn’t need to chew much, he could swallow it directly.

A mouthful opened the door to a new world.

His appetite was instantly whetted.

His instinctive desire overwhelmed everything, and Pei Manman started to eat, mouthful after mouthful, enjoying it immensely.

“… So, so delicious!”

Ling Yue couldn’t help but laugh. After seeing Lu Shiqi refuse to eat so many times, seeing a child eating so obediently and happily, the healing effect was indescribable.

“Slowly, you like it, that’s good. Do you want some milk too?”

“Aunt, let’s eat together…”

He was so hungry himself, but he was still thinking of sharing with the adults, this small detail made him even more endearing.

“Aunt won’t eat, Aunt has already eaten. These are all for Slowly.”