Traveling Through the Book and Becoming a Cub Among the Villains - Chapter 104

“Hello,” Ye Qingxi greeted him politely.

The man bent down, “Hello.”

His eyes were hidden beneath the mirror, and Ye Qingxi only noticed when he leaned closer that they were a lighter shade, which actually looked quite striking.

“Who are you?” Ye Qingxi asked, puzzled.

He had already diligently searched through the memories of “Ye Qingxi” but couldn’t find any trace of this person.

That left only two possibilities.

First, while they might have known each other, “Ye Qingxi” had only a faint memory of him, meaning he wasn’t important to the original “Ye Qingxi.”

Second, they might not have known each other at all, which would explain why he wasn’t in Ye Qingxi’s memories.

Regardless, they weren’t familiar with each other. In this situation, even if they had met before, he could easily claim to have forgotten.

His current body was only 5-years-old. It was perfectly normal for a 5-year-old to forget an unfamiliar adult.

“Qin Yuan,” the man before him said, extending a hand. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. I’ve heard so much about you.”

Ye Qingxi was surprised. He’d wondered why the man looked familiar, and now he understood, nephews often resemble their uncles. He and Qin Cheng shared several facial features.

But what did he mean by “heard so much about you”? Had Qin Cheng and Qin Luan mentioned him?

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, too. I’ve also heard so much about you,” Ye Qingxi replied, shaking his hand. “Are you here to pick up Brother Qin Cheng?”

“Yes, I am. I’ve been busy with work lately and haven’t had a meal with him in ages. But I also wanted to see you—mainly you.”

“Huh?” Ye Qingxi tilted his head in confusion.

“How have you heard so much about me?” Qin Yuan asked with a smile.

“Brother Qin Cheng told me about you. He said you’re very good to him and that he likes you a lot.”

“Really?” Qin Yuan’s smile widened. “That’s quite a coincidence. Xiao Cheng told me the same thing about you, that you’re very good to him and that he likes you a lot, too.”

Ye Qingxi chuckled. Qin Cheng had actually said all that?

“Come on~” Qin Yuan took his hand and led him toward his car.

Ye Qingxi glanced back at Li Wei, who was calmly following them at a respectful distance.

That must be him, he thought. It’s really Qin Yuan.

Although the man before him didn’t look like a bad person and bore a striking resemblance to Qin Cheng, Ye Qingxi remained cautious, having never met him before.

Qin Yuan led him to his car, opened the back door, and pulled out a box about the size of a laptop.

“Here,” he said.

Ye Qingxi, “????”

“It’s a small robot,” Qin Yuan explained. “Take it home and play with it. If you have any questions or don’t like something, just give me a call.”

Ye Qingxi, “!!!”

“Why are you giving this to me?” Ye Qingxi asked, puzzled.

Qin Yuan patted his head, “I’m Xiao Cheng’s uncle, your Eldest Aunt’s brother. She and Xiao Cheng are my only close family, my younger sister and her son. You did her such a great service, saving her life. Without you, Xiao Cheng would have lost his mother, and I would have lost my sister. I’m deeply grateful.”

“This little robot is our company’s latest product. I originally wanted to get you something else, but it seems you already have everything I could think of. When I had Xiao Cheng deliver the smart plane to you before, he mentioned how much you liked it. So I figured I’d give you this small toy for now, and when you’re older, I’ll get you something else.”

Ye Qingxi was still quite young. If Qin Yuan wanted to express his gratitude with a more extravagant gift, he’d need the approval of Ye Qingxi’s father. The Mu family was wealthy, and Qin Yuan’s relationship with them wasn’t particularly close, so any financial transactions would have to be handled with extra tact. There was a high chance the gift would be refused.

Qin Yuan decided it would be best to give him something appropriate for his aGe now, and then gradually offer more substantial gifts as he grew older.

There was no need to rush.

“Take it,” Qin Yuan said, shaking the box in his hand.

Ye Qingxi was indeed quite interested in the gift.

Ye Qingxi had really liked the smart airplane Qin Yuan had given him through Qin Cheng earlier. It was even fun to tease Cotton Candy with.

After hesitating for two seconds, he reached out and took the box from Qin Yuan’s hand, “Thank you, Uncle.”

“Uncle?” Qin Yuan blinked. “How can you call me ‘Uncle’?”

Ye Qingxi, “????”

What else was he supposed to call him?

“Xiao Cheng calls me ‘Uncle,’ so you should do the same.”

Ye Qingxi, Huh? Is that okay?

“Come on, say it once so I can hear,” Qin Yuan teased.

Ye Qingxi, “……”

Just as Ye Qingxi was silent, a crisp “Uncle!” suddenly rang out.

He turned to see Qin Cheng running toward them with light steps.

Qin Cheng reached Ye Qingxi’s side, glanced at the box in his hand, and then at Qin Yuan standing before him, “When did you two meet?”

“Just now,” Qin Yuan replied. “I came to pick you up and ran into Xiao Xi first.”

“Here you go,” Qin Yuan said, opening the car door and pulling out a box of the same size. “This is a gift for you.”

Qin Cheng took the box, glanced at his own, then at Ye Qingxi’s, and exclaimed happily, “Ours are the same!”

“That’s right. Now you two can play together.”

“Mm-hmm,” Qin Cheng nodded.

He looked up at his uncle, “Uncle, are you finished with work?”

“For now. Your mother said she and your father are going on business trips, so I came to check on you. I didn’t want you to be bored all alone.”

“I’m not bored at all,” Qin Cheng protested. “I’ve been staying at Grandpa’s lately, and I’m with my younger brother every day.”

“Of course. Your younger brother is so adorable!”

Qin Cheng grinned. He thought his younger brother was adorable, too.

“Xiao Xi, you can call him ‘Uncle’ too,” Qin Cheng said, turning to Ye Qingxi.

He remembered what his mother had told him, Ye Qingxi’s mother had remarried but hadn’t taken him with her.

Qin Cheng had been heartbroken then, thinking Ye Qingxi’s mother was terrible.

How could she abandon her child just because she got married?

How sad Ye Qingxi must be.

If his own mother ever left him, he wouldn’t have an uncle anymore either.

Qin Cheng wanted to share his uncle with Ye Qingxi.

That way, his younger brother would have an uncle too.

Ye Qingxi, “……”

You truly are your uncle’s nephew, he thought. You think exactly like him!

Qin Yuan chuckled, “I told you to call me ‘Uncle’!”

Ye Qingxi, “……”

Fine, Ye Qingxi thought. If Qin Cheng doesn’t mind, then ‘Uncle’ it is.

Besides, he didn’t have an uncle anyway.

“Uncle~” Ye Qingxi said.

His voice was soft and a little childish. Qin Yuan thought, No wonder his nephew always says he sounds so cute.

He really did sound adorable.

“Good boy,” Qin Yuan said, patting Ye Qingxi’s head.

He patted Qin Cheng’s head, too.

“Let’s go! Uncle’s treating you to dinner! What do you want to eat?”

“Hotpot,” Qin Cheng replied.

Ye Qingxi considered it and nodded. With the weather so cold, hotpot sounded perfect.

“Alright,” Qin Yuan said, opening the car door for them.

Before getting in, Ye Qingxi turned back and ran to Li Wei.

“Uncle Xiao Li, you can go home now. Qin Cheng’s uncle is taking us to dinner, and he’ll probably drive us home afterward.”

“Okay,” Li Wei agreed.

Ye Qingxi finally ran back to Qin Yuan’s car and got in.

They went to a quiet, private hotpot restaurant.

Qin Yuan ordered a “Triple Harmony” hotpot base. When it arrived, Ye Qingxi realized it was simply three separate compartments: spicy, tomato, and seafood.

Ye Qingxi, …Well, it certainly lives up to its name.

“You two can eat from the seafood and tomato pots,” Qin Yuan said, pointing to the respective compartments.

Ye Qingxi stared at the spicy compartment, which had been rotated closer to Qin Yuan.

He wanted to eat from the spicy pot.

“I can handle spicy food,” Ye Qingxi told him.

“This pot is really spicy,” Qin Yuan said worriedly.

Ye Qingxi, “….”

Ye Qingxi thought this was the worst part about having a child’s body—it made eating spicy food so inconvenient.

Seeing Ye Qingxi’s pursed lips, Qin Yuan paused thoughtfully before asking the waiter for two bowls of plain water.

“Here’s what we’ll do. If you want to eat anything from the spicy pot, just rinse it in the water first until it’s less spicy.”

“Xiao Cheng, too,” Qin Yuan added, looking at his nephew.

“Okay,” Qin Cheng replied. He had recently developed a fondness for the tomato pot and didn’t care much about the spicy one.

Ye Qingxi, however, was delighted, “Thank you, Uncle!”

“You’re welcome. What dishes would you like to order?”

He handed them the menu.

Qin Cheng and Ye Qingxi huddled together, heads touching, and ordered several dishes before returning the menu.

Qin Yuan then ordered snacks, ice cream, and drinks for them, handing the menu to the waiter.

Soon, the table was covered with bowls and plates of all sizes.

Qin Yuan helped them cook the food in the hotpot while chatting with them.

As Ye Qingxi listened to Qin Yuan speak, he found him to be remarkably patient. No matter what Qin Cheng said, Qin Yuan listened attentively and offered thoughtful responses.

“So Donut and Cotton Candy actually remember each other,” Qin Cheng concluded.

Qin Yuan chuckled as he scooped out the cooked beef and divided it between them. “That’s wonderful! They were best buddies who grew up together for two months. Maybe they even missed each other after they were separated.”

Qin Cheng propped his head up with his hand, “True.”

When he was at home, he often thought about Ye Qingxi.

What’s my younger brother doing now?

Qin Cheng’s thoughts drifted to Ye Qingxi, and he turned to look at him.

Ye Qingxi sensed his gaze and paused mid-bite, What’s wrong? Why is he staring at me?

He turned to Qin Cheng, “Brother, why aren’t you eating?”

Qin Cheng noticed sesame sauce smeared around Ye Qingxi’s mouth from the beef. He grabbed a tissue, leaned in, and gently wiped it away.

Ye Qingxi, “!!!”

Ye Qingxi quickly said, “I can do it myself.”

“It’s fine,” Qin Cheng replied nonchalantly, even eagerly. “I’m your older brother. Let me take care of you.”

He continued wiping Ye Qingxi’s face.

Ye Qingxi, …But your uncle’s right here! Aren’t you embarrassed?

As it turned out, Qin Cheng wasn’t embarrassed at all.

After wiping Ye Qingxi’s face, he casually wiped the table and asked the waiter for an apron for him.

Ye Qingxi, “…..”

Awkwardly, Ye Qingxi glanced at Qin Yuan, who was smiling serenely.

Ye Qingxi, “???”

Wait, why are you so happy about this? What’s making you so pleased?

Confused, Ye Qingxi could only force a smile in return.

“Xiao Xi, is there anything else you’d like? I can get it for you,” Qin Yuan said gently.

Ye Qingxi, “….”

Just as Ye Qingxi was about to say he could manage himself, Qin Cheng chimed in, “He loves shrimp. He ordered shrimp paste, sweet potato, purple yam balls, and sausage.”

Qin Yuan nodded knowingly, “Xiao Xi has a sweet tooth.”

He added, “No wonder he’s so sweet.”

Qin Cheng nodded proudly, “My younger brother is the sweetest.”

Ye Qingxi, “???”

 What’s with that smug tone? Do I look sweet right now?!

Author’s Notes:

Qin Cheng: So sweet~ So sweet~

Ye Qingxi: ….

Qin Yuan on the side: Hahahaha so cute.