Traveling Through the Book and Becoming a Cub Among the Villains - Chapter 22

After washing up, Ye Qingxi opened the door and walked out as if nothing had happened.

Mu Shaowu was sitting by the bed. When he saw him come out, he stood up and walked toward the bathroom.

Ye Qingxi stood by the bed, getting ready to change his clothes.

Recently, there have been quite a few outsiders at the Mu residence. One group was there to install amusement park equipment for him, while another group was there to replace the furniture in the room he would be living in.

But as soon as he went downstairs, he saw Mu Shaoting sitting on the sofa. She was wearing denim shorts on the bottom, and on top… a little cat T-shirt?!

Mu Shaowu looked at the T-shirt he was wearing, then at the one Mu Shaoting was wearing not far away.

“What’s with you…”

“Surprise~” Mu Shaoting said happily. “Isn’t it cute?”

Mu Shaowu, …Do I look happy to you?

“Wait, where did you get that T-shirt?”

“Of course, I bought it myself. Did you think you bought it for me?”

“When did you buy it?”

“Last night.”

Mu Shaowu, “????”

“Last night?!”

“Yeah. Why? It’s okay for you and Xiao Xi to wear matching outfits, but it’s not for me and Xiao Xi? I thought this T-shirt suited me really well. It’s very cute.”

Ye Qingxi, “…..”

Ye Qingxi silently nodded. Indeed, when Mu Shaoting wore this T-shirt, she looked like a vibrant and energetic college girl.

“Suitable? What’s suitable about it? I think it doesn’t suit you at all. You should change into another T-shirt.”

“I won’t~” Mu Shaoting shook her head. “Not only will I not change, but when I take Xiao Xi out to play later, I’m going to wear this too. That way, we’ll be the most beautiful aunt-and-nephew duo, definitely turning heads everywhere.”

Ye Qingxi, “????”

T-there’s really no need for that.

“You even want to take him out to play?” Mu Shaowu was surprised.

Mu Shaoting felt that his question was very low-level. “I’m his aunt. What’s so strange about me taking him out to play?”

Mu Shaowu, …Seems like, yeah, it’s not strange after all.

But…..

Mu Shaowu looked at the little cat T-shirt Mu Shaoting was wearing. No matter how he looked at it, it felt awkward. What was supposed to be a cute parent-child outfit had now turned into a three-person matching set.

The vibe was completely different! But what could he do? Mu Shaoting was his little sister. Since she was unwilling to change, Mu Shaowu couldn’t exactly force her.

So he just huffed and stopped paying her any attention, pulling Ye Qingxi toward the dining room.

Mu Shaoting happily followed them and even reached out to hold Ye Qingxi’s other hand.

Ye Qingxi, “……”

Ye Qingxi looked up, Mu Shaoting was smiling brightly at him.

Ye Qingxi instantly had nothing more to say. Alright then, just hold hands if you want.

On the other side, Mu Shaowu grumbled unhappily, “Why are you everywhere?”

Mu Shaoting righteously said, “Sorry, this is my home. If you’re not satisfied, you’re welcome to move out.”

Mu Shaowu, “You think I don’t dare?”

“You dare all you want, just don’t move too far away. That way, when you miss us and Xiao Xi, it’ll still be convenient to come back and visit.”

Mu Shaowu, “……”

Mu Shaowu sadly realized that she was right.

Ye Qingxi wasn’t someone he had brought back. It was their father who had. Naturally, Ye Qingxi had to be raised under their father’s watchful eye. Even if the four of them all moved out, Ye Qingxi couldn’t easily move out with them.

“So when are you moving out, bro?” Mu Shaoting asked with a bright, sunny smile.

Mu Shaowu, “……”

“I’ll move out after you do,” Mu Shaowu said angrily.

Mu Shaoting’s smile grew even brighter, her eyes full of triumph. “Then you’re going to have a long wait.”

Hearing this, Ye Qingxi suddenly remembered, in the book, Mu Shaoting actually moved out pretty early.

After she graduated college and fell in love, she moved out.

It was precisely because of this that the tragedy of Mu Shaoting’s suicide occurred. At that time, Mu Shaoting had already become a fairly well-known singer.

She had become a public figure, an idol star. So when the protagonist shou’s younger sister exposed her for “stealing someone’s love,” “inserting herself into their relationship,” and being “the third party,” it instantly drew massive attention online.

To make things worse, the person she liked stabbed her in the back, not only claiming that he had never truly liked her but also joining the protagonist shou’s sister in publicly identifying her as the homewrecker.

The entire internet exploded, and cyberbullying came flooding in.

From childhood to adulthood, Mu Shaoting had only ever received praise and flattery; she had never experienced such humiliation and attacks. People online told her to die. Her crush told her to die, too.

The protagonist shou’s sister even said, “You’d better just die and be done with it.” Those who had always been jealous of her gloated and sneered, “After causing such a scene and even dragging Mu Shaowu down with her, now the whole internet is cursing the siblings together. She’s disgraced the entire Mu family. If I were her, I’d have no face to live either.”

And so, Mu Shaoting really chose to die. On a rainy night, she swallowed an entire bottle of sleeping pills and never woke up again.

When people are at their most vulnerable, it’s very easy for them to go to extremes. Especially when emotions surge and get stuck at that critical point.

Maybe looking back later, one would feel that they were really foolish at the time, but in that moment, people can’t think that much. They’re only driven by emotion, with no rationality left.

So Ye Qingxi didn’t think Mu Shaoting was foolish, much less blame her. He only felt that she was pitiful and felt deep heartache for her. If she had still been living at home, then the other family members would surely have noticed something was wrong right away.

But unfortunately, she wasn’t living at home. She said she was fine, that she just wanted some time alone. The Mu family, knowing she was heartbroken, didn’t want to force her.

Yet they never imagined that it was precisely this understanding and respect that made them lose her forever. Therefore, Mu Shaoting must not move out.

At least, not before the plot of the original novel’s “death by plot” event happens.

Furthermore/moreover/in addition….

“Auntie, do you have someone you like?” Ye Qingxi asked her.

Mu Shaoting blinked, not quite understanding why he suddenly asked that. “No. Why are you asking this all of a sudden?”

“I saw on TV that when people get married, they move out. If you don’t have someone you like, then you won’t get married, so naturally, you won’t move out! That’s great,” Ye Qingxi said, putting on an innocent expression.

But in his heart, he was calculating. It seemed that scumbag hadn’t appeared yet, or if he had, he hadn’t entered Mu Shaoting’s view or sparked any romantic feelings. Good, there’s still hope!

Mu Shaoting laughed. “Xiao Xi, you don’t want me to move out?”

Ye Qingxi quickly nodded.

“You hear that?” Mu Shaoting looked smugly at Mu Shaowu. “Xiao Xi doesn’t want me to move out.”

“That’s because my son has a kind heart.”

“Xiao Xi, do you want Daddy to move out?” Mu Shaowu asked him.

Ye Qingxi shook his head.

If Mu Shaowu moved out, how would he monitor the plot? If anything went wrong and he ended up dead or brain-damaged, that would be a disaster.

Hearing this, Mu Shaowu proudly looked at Mu Shaoting and said, “See~”

“See what? This just proves that Xiao Xi has a kind heart.”

“No, it’s because my son likes me.”

“Then just now, when Xiao Xi didn’t want me to move out, wasn’t that because he liked me, too?”

“Even if that’s true, he still likes me more.”

“That’s not necessarily the case,” Mu Shaoting refused to back down.

Ye Qingxi immediately sensed danger.

Sure enough, the next second, Mu Shaoting asked him, “Xiao Xi, who do you like more, me or your dad?”

Ye Qingxi, “!!!!”

Ye Qingxi had never known how to answer this question, even when he was a kid.

And he still didn’t know now.

“Both… I like both,” he said.

“Who do you like more?” Mu Shaowu asked.

Ye Qingxi, “…..”

Ye Qingxi thought about answering “Grandpa,” because whether it was Mu Shaoting or Mu Shaowu, neither of them would dare to argue with their father.

Just as he was thinking, the sound of the door opening came, and the next second, Mu Shaoyan walked in.

Ye Qingxi immediately rushed over and exclaimed happily, “Little Uncle, you’re back! I missed you so much!”

The happiness was real—his savior had arrived.

The “I missed you” part was fake—he was acting.

Mu Shaoyan looked into his clear, bright eyes and never expected such a greeting. After a whole day of physical and emotional exhaustion, Mu Shaoyan was instantly moved.

Following the emotion came guilt. After all, he had spent the whole day fighting with his buddies, lamenting life, and hadn’t thought of his cute little nephew at all.

Mu Shaoyan felt very guilty, very guilty indeed.

“Little Uncle missed you, too.” He patted Ye Qingxi’s head.

Ye Qingxi let go of him and eagerly said, “Let’s eat together.”

“Sure,” Mu Shaoyan agreed without hesitation, even though he had just eaten before coming back.

Mu Shaowu looked at Mu Shaoting and said, “This is what they call the fisherman reaping the benefit while the snipe and clam fight. Let’s go eat, Clam.”

Mu Shaoting, “……”

Mu Shaoting glared at the ‘fisherman’ not far away, seriously, he got the benefit in the end.

It wasn’t until they were all seated at the dining table that Mu Shaoyan noticed in surprise, “You three… why are you wearing the same clothes?”

“This is a parent-child outfit,” Mu Shaoting explained, “Haven’t you seen one before?”

Mu Shaoyan, “I’ve seen parent-child outfits, but never seen an aunt wearing one.”

“See?” Mu Shaowu immediately found an ally and complained, “You think just by wearing a parent-child outfit you can pretend to be parent and child? Dream on.”

“Parent-child outfit, parent-child outfit—isn’t it clothing for relatives and children? I’m a relative too, so of course I can wear it!” Mu Shaoting argued righteously.

Mu Shaoyan immediately switched sides, “Makes sense!”

“Where did you buy it? Get me one too.”

Mu Shaoting, “????”

Mu Shaowu, “????”

Ye Qingxi, “????”

“Wait, what does this have to do with you?” Mu Shaowu was speechless. “Why are you joining the fun?”

“You’re all wearing it, and if I’m not, wouldn’t that make me look out of place?” Mu Shaoyan said.

Besides, if the two of them wore it and he didn’t, what would Ye Qingxi think? Wouldn’t it seem like this uncle didn’t like him?

Just thinking about how Ye Qingxi had rushed into his arms earlier, full of excitement, with those bright eyes and that sincere “I missed you so much,” Mu Shaoyan felt a pang of guilt.

He truly deserved it—he had completely failed to live up to Ye Qingxi’s feelings for him.

He must wear it!

He absolutely must wear it!

He must never let Ye Qingxi feel that he was less loved than by his dad or his aunt!

Mu Shaoyan looked at Mu Shaoting and said, “Buy it for me right now, I’ll transfer you the money.”

Mu Shaoting, “……”

Mu Shaoting was helpless—fine then, since an aunt could wear it, naturally an uncle could too.

It’s just that…..

“All of a sudden, it’s turned into family uniforms.”

“Family uniforms?” Mu Shaoyan asked, confused.

Mu Shaoting looked at him and said, “Yeah, when the whole school wears the same thing, it’s called school uniforms. When the whole class wears the same thing, it’s called a class uniform. Now that the whole family is wearing the same thing, isn’t it a family uniform?”

Mu Shaoyan said, “Makes sense.”

Mu Shaowu, “????”

Wait, how did it turn into family uniforms?!

Did this get his approval?

Did he agree to this?!

“Then shouldn’t we get Dad one too?” Mu Shaoyan asked soulfully.

Mu Shaoting, “….”

Mu Shaowu, “……”

Ye Qingxi, “……”

The three of them imagined Mr. Mu wearing a cat-ear hat, and all shivered with goosebumps.

Mu Shaowu said, “Let’s just forget it. At Dad’s age, it’s not really appropriate.”

“Then what about Big Brother?” Mu Shaoyan threw out another soul-searching question.

Mu Shaoting added, “But if we buy one for Big Brother, shouldn’t we also get one for Sister-in-law?”

“And Xiao Cheng too,” Mu Shaowu reminded them.

Mu Shaoyan, “….”

Mu Shaoting, “……”

Ye Qingxi, “……”

“Forget it,” Mu Shaoyan said, “let’s just stick to the four of us.”

He looked at his older brother, his sister, and his little nephew in front of him and said, “The four of us living well is more important than anything else.”

Ye Qingxi, “????”

Ye Qingxi, “……”

He just felt like something about those words was… a little strange.

After dinner, Mu Shaoting called the store and ordered a shirt for Mu Shaoyan in his size.

Not long after, the store staff delivered the clothes. But by then, Ye Qingxi had already fallen asleep, so Mu Shaoyan didn’t rush to change into it. He also took a nap and only changed before dinner.

Thus, when Ye Qingxi woke up, played some games, and followed Mu Shaowu downstairs for dinner, he saw two cats sitting side by side on the sofa—Mu Shaoting and Mu Shaoyan, both wearing the little cat t-shirts.

When Mu Shaoyan saw him coming down, he stood up, pointed at his own t-shirt, and said, “Look.”

Ye Qingxi had already seen it.

He looked at Mu Shaoyan and Mu Shaoting, then at Mu Shaowu next to him, who was also wearing the little cat t-shirt. Finally, he glanced at himself—dressed the same.

For some reason, he felt a little happy.

At that moment, he no longer thought the t-shirt was too childish; he just felt that this kind of scene… was pretty nice.

The four of them, wearing the same clothes, looked unmistakably like a family.

However, while he was happy, Mu Shaowu beside him wasn’t happy at all. His perfectly good parent-child outfit had now become a “family uniform”!

The more he thought about it, the angrier he got!

Mu Shaoting, Mu Shaoyan—you two are losing your allowance supplement for this month!

Mu Shaowu silently deducted the extra allowance for his younger siblings in his mind, then pulled his son along and, without even glancing at his younger brother and sister, headed toward the dining room.

Mu Shaoting and Mu Shaoyan didn’t argue with him; they just cheerfully walked alongside Ye Qingxi, chatting with him as they went.

While they were eating, Mu Feng returned home. He had practically been living at the hospital these past few days, rarely coming back. Now that he had suddenly returned and said he would stay for the night, Mu Shaowu’s heart tightened. He figured that Ye min was probably close to the end.

He didn’t show it, continuing to talk casually with Ye Qingxi and helping him with food like usual.

After dinner, seeing that Ye Qingxi was happily playing on his game console, Mu Shaowu finally found an excuse, saying he needed to discuss something with Mu Feng, and stepped out.

As soon as he left, Ye Qingxi stopped playing his game and lifted his head.

Mu Feng had come back. His return was sudden, and he was staying for the night. There could only be one reason, Ye Min was nearing the end.

Ye Qingxi set down the game console, no longer pretending that he hadn’t noticed anything. He thought he was probably about to attend a funeral.

As he and Mu Shaowu had guessed, Ye Min really couldn’t hold on much longer.

“It’ll be in the next couple of days,” Mu Feng said. “He doesn’t want me to watch him die, so he asked me to come back and wait for news.”

But Mu Feng was never someone who could just sit still, so he only planned to wait one night. If there was no news by tomorrow morning, he would return to the hospital to be with Ye Min.

“Isn’t Xiao Xi going?” Mu Shaowu asked.

Mu Feng shook his head. “He can’t bear it.”

Watching his own grandfather die right in front of him would be too cruel for anyone, especially for a 5-year-old child.

Ye Min couldn’t bring himself to let that happen, so he had firmly refused.

He had always had a gentle nature, even more so when it came to his grandson.

Mu Shaowu didn’t say anything. After a long while, he finally spoke in a soft voice, “Then tonight, have a good sleep.”

But how could Mu Feng possibly sleep?

The moment he closed his eyes. All he could see were memories of the past with Ye Min.

The moment he closed his eyes, there were his wife, his deceased parents.

Mu Feng had grown old. When people get old, they soften; they become nostalgic, sentimental.

And so, he couldn’t fall asleep.

Ye Min’s impending death was like a trigger, pulling forth a flood of people who had once surrounded him but were now gone.

Mu Feng missed them, cherished the memories of them, and longed for them.

He watched as Death brushed past him, reaping life after life. Sometimes, Mu Feng would wonder—who would be next?

Could it be himself? He had never feared death—his children had all grown up, and even the youngest, Mu Shaoyan, was already 18.

Even if he died, his children should be able to take care of themselves. Even if Mu Shaoyan and Mu Shaoting might not manage too well, Mu Zheng and Mu Shaowu would take care of them.

He had long been at ease. But now, there was Ye Qingxi.

And so, he once again began to fear death.

Fearful that he might not be able to fulfill the promise he had made to Ye Min.

Mu Feng didn’t say much more to Mu Shaowu. After a few simple words, he sent him away from his room.

After Mu Shaowu left, he picked up the photo frame from his bedside table, a photo of him and his late wife, and quietly wiped the spotless glass, silently gazing at it.

Two days later, Mu Shaowu received a call from Mu Feng, Ye Min had passed away.

Mu Shaowu froze for a moment.

Even though he had been mentally prepared, he still couldn’t help feeling a deep sadness.

He hung up the phone and spent quite a while steadying his emotions before finally gathering the right words to go find Ye Qingxi.

Ye Qingxi was watching a video when he suddenly saw Mu Shaowu walk up to him.

Puzzled, he asked, “What’s wrong?”

Mu Shaowu looked at him, his expression somewhat serious and uneasy.

He looked at Ye Qingxi, opened his mouth, but couldn’t speak.

Ye Qingxi almost instantly guessed what had happened.

The noise from the video was still blaring in his ears, but Ye Qingxi only stared at Mu Shaowu, hearing nothing else.

“Xiao Xi, I need to tell you something… but please, don’t be too sad,” Mu Shaowu said, his voice soft and gentle.

Ye Qingxi nodded.

Mu Shaowu struggled to find the words.

He didn’t understand why did the world have to be so cruel to a 5-year-old child?

Why, after losing his parents, did he now have to lose his grandfather too?

He was still so young, how was he supposed to face this, how could he accept it?

Could he really accept it?

 

Once again, Mu Shaowu felt a surge of hatred toward the unfairness of it all.

He resented that so many people in this world who deserved to die didn’t, while those who didn’t deserve it left so early.

“Your grandpa, your grandpa…,” Mu Shaowu looked at him, trying to use the gentlest words he could, “has passed away.”

He said, “But you don’t have to be afraid, Xiao Xi. From now on, my dad will be your grandpa, and I will love you and take care of you just like your biological father would. I will always take care of you, always stay by your side.”

Ye Qingxi listened quietly, his ears filled with a deafening roar.

The air seemed to thin out, time seemed to freeze, Ye Qingxi felt as if a piece of his heart had suddenly become hollow.

Mu Shaowu hurriedly sat down beside him, pulling him into a hug and comforting him, “Xiao Xi, don’t cry… no, it’s okay, you can cry. Have a good cry, and then I’ll take you to see your grandpa.”

It was only then that Ye Qingxi realized he was crying.

He raised his hand and wiped away his tears, then turned to Mu Shaowu and said, “I’m fine now.”

He said, “Let’s go right now.”

Of course, Mu Shaowu agreed.

He drove, taking Ye Qingxi to the hospital.

It was still the familiar hospital room, the familiar bed—only the person lying there would never wake up again.

Ye Qingxi looked at the old man in front of him.

His eyes were tightly closed, and beside his pillow lay a painting—the one of him and the grown-up “Ye Qingxi.”

He was gone.

He was going to another world.

To be with his real grandson.

That was good too, Ye Qingxi thought. After all, his real grandson loved him so much, only wanting to be with him.

He was still so young, all alone, now that his grandpa had passed over, he wouldn’t be lonely anymore.

They would live happily together, just like before Ye Qingxi transmigrated—together every day, never to be separated again.

How wonderful.

Ye Qingxi thought, this was very good.

He deeply bowed to the old man before him.

Mu Shaowu and Mu Feng watched, not quite understanding what this bow meant. But they didn’t ask.

Ye Qingxi had the right to respond to this in any way he wanted. He was the greatest victim in all of this.

No matter what he did, they could understand.

Mu Shaowu gently patted Ye Qingxi’s head, silently comforting him.

Ye Qingxi was still too young, so although he was Ye Min’s only family, all of Ye Min’s funeral arrangements were handled entirely by Mu Feng.

As Ye Min had wished, he was buried beside his wife’s and son’s graves.

Ye Qingxi stood next to Mu Feng, quietly staring at the cold tombstone before him.

Ye Qingxi thought, his own body must also now be resting deep beneath the cold earth.

He wondered where he had been buried.

It would have been nice if he could have been buried here.

He didn’t want to be buried together with his parents. He had wanted to escape them when he was alive. Even in death, he shouldn’t be tied to them.

The wind in the cemetery blew silently, making Ye Qingxi’s body feel a little cold, but his hand was warm because Mu Feng was holding it.

Ye Qingxi turned his head to look at him.

He was wearing a black shirt, just like the first time they met, tall and imposing, only now there were a few more strands of white at his temples.

Ye Qingxi suddenly grew very curious. “Grandpa, how did you and my grandpa meet?”

Ye Min wasn’t some second- or third-generation rich kid. He was the typical small-town academic achiever who had changed his fate through his own hard work and study.

How had someone like Ye Min formed such a deep friendship with someone like Mu Feng, a son of heaven?

“Didn’t your grandpa tell you?” Mu Feng lowered his head and asked.

Ye Qingxi shook his head.

From the memories he received, Ye Min had only ever said one thing.

“My grandpa only said, you were his best friend.”

Mu Feng smiled faintly, a smile so slight it seemed like it might disappear if one wasn’t careful, like a rainbow.

“Is that so?” he said. “He was my best friend, too.”

“Have you ever been back to your hometown?” Mu Feng asked him.

Ye Qingxi thought for a moment, then shook his head.

From birth, “Ye Qingxi” lived here and had never gone back to the old hometown.

“Your hometown is very beautiful, clear mountains and clean waters, flowers all along the roads, and at night, the sky is full of stars,” Mu Feng said gently. “It was there, more precisely, in the county town there that I met your grandpa.”

At that time, Mu Feng was 18. Young, proud, and unruly.

He was just like Mu Shaoyan now—disliked studying, liked fighting, liked skipping classes, and had no plans for the future. Every day passed just like the one before. To call it ‘living’ would be generous—he was just muddling through.

The worst part was, he didn’t even realize he was just muddling through.

Mu Feng’s father finally couldn’t stand it anymore. He chose a poor county and threw Mu Feng there, wanting him to understand what true hardship was.

That chosen poor county was Fenghua County.

At 18, Mu Feng had never seen a city like that. No airport, no high-speed rail, no subway, only a few aging buses—buses about as old as he was—and no card readers, only manual ticket sellers.

Mu Feng immediately wanted to escape. But his father froze his bank cards, took away all his money, and even assigned bodyguards to watch him.

Mu Feng stubbornly waited all night at the train station, expecting his parents to soften and buy him a ticket home. But all he got was a bad cold, and no ticket came.

The bodyguard told him, “Chairman Mu said, you must stay for a whole semester. You can only go back when summer vacation starts.”

Mu Feng stared at him, eyes full of unwillingness and anger.

He had no money. His parents had directly transferred all the money to the school.

So the school cafeteria had his meal card, and the school had arranged his dormitory.

If he stayed at school, he had food and lodging without worry. If he left school, he would have nothing.

Mu Feng had no choice but to return to school, filled with resentment. And the dormitory he stayed in at school was the same one where Ye Min lived.

At first, Mu Feng and Ye Min didn’t have much interaction. Although his parents had thrown him there, Mu Feng remained unwilling and resentful, rejecting everything about the place.

He still skipped classes, got into fights, roamed the streets and alleys of the county town, and refused to touch a single textbook, as if in rebellion against his parents.

He also ignored the people in the dormitory. Until that day, when he developed acute appendicitis and lay on his dorm bed, feverish and vomiting.

Ye Min was the first to notice.

He quickly called over to the other roommates to help carry Mu Feng to the hospital.

Afterward, he sent the other roommates back to the dormitory but stayed by Mu Feng’s side through the night.

When Mu Feng woke up the next day, the first thing he saw was Ye Min’s gentle smile. “You’re awake? Still feeling unwell?” Ye Min asked.

Mu Feng listened to his caring words and looked at his somewhat tired face, a face worn out from sleeping overnight on a hard chair, and for a moment, he felt touched.

He might have been rebellious, but he wasn’t someone who couldn’t tell right from wrong.

Ye Min had not only sent him to the hospital late at night but also stayed to accompany him. If they had been childhood friends, it would have been understandable, but they had barely even exchanged a few words before.

For Ye Min to go this far could only mean one thing, he was a genuinely good person.

Mu Feng thanked him, and Ye Min readily replied, “No need to be polite.”

He then asked him, “Are you hungry? I’ll go get you something you can eat.”

Mu Feng was indeed hungry, so he nodded. Ye Min went to buy him a bowl of porridge and said, “You can only eat this for now.”

Mu Feng had no choice but to force it down.

After Ye Min took care of him for a while, Mu Feng grew uneasy and hurried him to leave. They weren’t family or close friends, so he felt embarrassed to accept such kindness.

Seeing this, Ye Min didn’t insist and returned to school. But when evening came after school, he showed up again.

Appendicitis surgery required two or three days of hospitalization for observation, so Ye Min came to check on him. In front of him, Mu Feng drank another bowl of porridge and said he was fine, once again sending him away.

Two days later, Mu Feng returned to the dormitory. He was the kind of person who repaid both kindness and grudges—if someone helped him, he would definitely repay it.

Ye Min had helped him this time, and Mu Feng wanted to return the favor as soon as possible, so he wouldn’t owe him anything. He quickly found an opportunity. Ye Min wasn’t very good at English, especially spoken English.

While Ye Min was memorizing vocabulary in the dormitory, Mu Feng overheard him and casually corrected his pronunciation. Ye Min looked at him in amazement, as if he had discovered a new world. “Your pronunciation is so accurate.”

Mu Feng, “….” Of course, his kindergarten had been bilingual!

Then Ye Min, curious, asked him, “Are your English grades good?”

“Not bad,” Mu Feng answered.

“Then could you help me look at a few questions?”

Mu Feng immediately sat up straight. “Which ones?”

He found a way to repay Ye Min by helping him with English tutoring. But after only two days of tutoring, he discovered that Ye Min had washed the dirty clothes he had taken off and left aside.

Mu Feng was surprised.

Ye Min, however, didn’t think much of it. “You’re helping me with English, this is just me returning the favor,” Ye Min said with a smile.

“You don’t like washing clothes, right?”

Of course, the young master Mu didn’t like washing clothes. When had he ever done laundry himself?

From childhood to now, all his clothes had been handled by the maids at home.

Even after being exiled to Fenghua County, the young master was still too lazy to wash his own clothes, especially since the dormitory building didn’t even have a washing machine.

Now Mu Feng felt like he owed Ye Min even more.

He tried to hand-wash some clothes himself, but being a young master, he lost patience after washing just two pieces. In the end, it was Ye Min who helped him finish washing the rest.

Mu Feng felt helpless, and once again, he owed him another favor. Soon enough, he found a way to repay that debt—or rather, Ye Min took the initiative to seek his help.

Ye Min’s mother had fallen ill and urgently needed money for treatment, but the family only had so much, they simply couldn’t scrape enough together. So Ye Min thickened his skin and approached Mu Feng, the young master from the big city, and asked, “Can you lend me some money?”

He explained the situation to Mu Feng and promised, “I’ll pay you back. I’ll even write you an IOU.”

“How much do you need?” Mu Feng asked.

Ye Min said, “10,000.”

Mu Feng, Huh?

“If that’s too much, 8,000, or even 6,000, would be okay,” Ye Min quickly added, as if afraid of making things difficult for him.

Mu Feng, “…..”

Just from Ye Min’s nervous and serious expression just now, Mu Feng thought he was about to borrow a million, but it turned out to be just ten thousand.

For the first time, Mu Feng truly felt that there really was a big gap between people in terms of wealth. He called his mother, saying he needed 10,000 to help a classmate through a difficult time.

For a family like theirs, 10,000 wasn’t even close to being a significant amount—it was completely negligible.

Therefore, although Mu Feng’s mother was surprised, she didn’t doubt him and immediately transferred the money — and even added an extra ten thousand.

Ye Min thanked him profusely, his eyes full of gratitude. Mu Feng looked into his eyes and felt that he was starting to truly understand the hardships of the real world.

This incident further deepened the bond between them. Mu Feng felt that he and Ye Min were even now, but Ye Min felt he owed Mu Feng an enormous debt of gratitude.

He wanted to repay that kindness, and for someone like Ye Min, studying was the most precious and important thing.

So he put himself in Mu Feng’s shoes and thought, since Mu Feng had helped him so much, he couldn’t just watch Mu Feng continue wasting his life like this.

Ye Min figured that Mu Feng’s parents had sent him from the big city to this place because they hoped he would change and start studying seriously.

Ye Min didn’t directly try to persuade Mu Feng.

Instead, on a Friday, he said to him, “Last time you helped my family so much, my parents want to thank you. They invited you to come to our house for dinner this weekend.”

Mu Feng didn’t refuse and agreed. He followed Ye Min onto the bus back to his hometown. The bus was old, shaking as it drove along, filled with all kinds of people — some carrying big bags, some with children, some holding baskets, and even some with chickens.

Mu Feng had never ridden on a bus like that before, especially when, halfway through the trip, a child started crying and the chickens began clucking, both seeming to compete over who could be louder.

But that wasn’t even the worst part. The worst part was the mingling of all kinds of smells on the bus, practically like biological warfare.

For the first time, the young master Mu, who had been used to traveling in cars since childhood, realized that he could actually get carsick. He got off the bus early.

Ye Min followed him off. The two of them began walking toward Ye Min’s home.

It was Mu Feng’s first time visiting the countryside.

At first, he looked around and thought the scenery was actually quite nice, and that rural life didn’t seem so bad.

But when they reached Ye Min’s home, Mu Feng quickly changed his mind. Ye Min’s family was very poor.

Although they weren’t the poorest in the village, most families in the village lived similarly—for someone like Mu Feng, born with a silver spoon in his mouth, this level of poverty was simply beyond his imagination.

He couldn’t fathom how a home could have no dining room. He couldn’t fathom how someone’s home still had a black-and-white television.

He couldn’t fathom how a household could be without a rice cooker or a microwave.

There were too many things he couldn’t comprehend. Most of all, he couldn’t comprehend how some families didn’t have indoor bathrooms, and how the bathrooms that did exist could be like that.

Mu Feng was so disgusted he almost couldn’t stay. He couldn’t believe that Ye Min had grown up in such an environment.

Clearly, Ye Min looked fair-skinned and delicate, bookish and refined—he seemed every bit like he came from a scholarly family. But in reality, his home—forget about having a study—didn’t even have a bookshelf, a desk, or even a proper lamp.

Ye Min simply leaned over their dining table, using the dim yellow light in the house to do his homework. That was the environment he grew up in.

That was the environment where he studied. The sheltered Mu Feng, who had never known hardship, finally experienced the rawness of life here.

He realized that some people lived like this.

The next day, Ye Min took him to an orchard to pick fruit. They washed the freshly picked fruits by a creek.

Mu Feng took a bite, and Ye Min asked, “Is it good?”

Mu Feng nodded.

Ye Min said, “Most people here make their living by selling these.”

“Of course, it’s mostly the elderly now—the younger ones mostly go out to find work. My parents did too, but my mom’s health hasn’t been good these past couple of years, so they came back. Now only my dad can work, so it’s even harder to save any money.”

“That’s why my goal is to test into a good university,” Ye Min said, “get a good job, and change my family’s situation. What about you?”

Mu Feng was stunned for a moment. Mu Feng didn’t really have any goals. He didn’t need to get into a good university, and even less needed to find a good job.

He was born the eldest young master of the Mu family—his family background was excellent, even too excellent, and didn’t need any changing.

“Why don’t you like studying?” Ye Min asked again.

Mu Feng fell silent once more.

Why didn’t he like studying, Mu Feng wondered.

“Because it’s boring,” he answered.

“Then what do you find interesting?” Ye Min asked curiously.

Mu Feng thought for a moment and said, “Nothing is interesting.”

“In that case, you might as well study,” Ye Min said.

“I know you and I are different. Reading and studying aren’t your only way out. You don’t need to rely on it to change your fate. But just like you were able to correct my English pronunciation so easily, that’s the meaning of studying for you. It doesn’t need to be your backbone, it just needs to be something you possess when you need it, rather than something you lack.”

Ye Min said, “Mu Feng, you’re such a proud person, you must also hate it when people say you can’t do this or that, right? Then prove to them that you can. In this world, there’s only you being unwilling, never you being incapable, and even less you being inferior.”

Just like Ye Min himself, he had good grades and loved studying, so he could accurately grasp Mu Feng’s mindset and knew exactly what words could stir him.

“For you, this should be easy, right?”

Mu Feng hadn’t expected him to say that.

Everyone else had always tried to persuade him to study hard, saying that at his age, studying was the most important thing. But what was so important about it?

Even without studying, he could still live very well. Why should he study just for the sake of studying?

But now, Mu Feng thought, maybe a person really should study.

Mu Feng looked at the mountains before him; he turned his gaze all around, and mountains stretched ahead and behind.

The mountains were so tall, yet they couldn’t block Ye Min’s spirit.

That was what studying had achieved. That was the importance of learning. Ye Min, through his own life and family, had vividly taught Mu Feng a lesson.

Mu Feng’s feet finally stepped onto solid ground. He finally understood just how wide the disparities of the world were. He began to somewhat understand why his parents had exiled him to this place.

From then on, Mu Feng started studying seriously.

However, because he hadn’t paid proper attention in class ever since entering high school, even though Ye Min was willing to help him catch up, his practice exam scores still weren’t enough for a top-tier university.

He could barely get into a third-tier one. So Mu Feng didn’t take the college entrance exam that year but chose to repeat the year instead.

During that year, he studied extremely hard, and when the next college entrance exam came around, he shockingly scored in the top ten of the entire city.

Mu Feng’s father saw this, remembered it, and after the exam, told him that he had already arranged for him to attend a prestigious university overseas, and he could go abroad for college.

Mu Feng didn’t immediately agree. Instead, he went to visit Ye Min, who by then was already a freshman. Ye Min had done very well on his own college entrance exam, and within his range of choices, he had picked the best school possible, fulfilling his dream.

Mu Feng asked him, “Do you think I should go study abroad?”

Ye Min nodded, “Of course.”

He said, “If you can attend, of course you should go to the best. Whichever is better, that’s where you should go.”

He was always very rational and pragmatic about these things.

Mu Feng listened to him and went to study abroad. Before he left, he told Ye Min, “If anything happens, call me or send me a message.”

Ye Min had washed his clothes for an entire semester, tutored him for an entire semester, and had helped transform him from a once-troublesome student into the top academic achiever he was now. Mu Feng felt he owed him and wanted to repay him.

Ye Min agreed, saying, “Don’t worry, you’re my only wealthy friend. If anything comes up, who else would I turn to?”

Mu Feng chuckled lightly, thinking he had a point.

But later on, whether Mu Feng was studying abroad, returned to inherit the Mu family’s company, or even after they both had families of their own, Ye Min never really came to him for any trouble.

Ye Min was a very capable person, with a good temper and sharp mind. No matter when or at what age, he always had friends around him.

After graduation, he passed the civil service exam, obtained a city household registration, and stayed in the city to work.

Later, he married and had children.

Mu Feng attended Ye Min’s wedding, as well as his son’s one-month celebration, his wedding, and even his funeral.

He didn’t attend Ye Qingxi’s one-month celebration, because Ye Qingxi didn’t have one. Ye Qingxi’s father died five days before his one-month milestone. When Ye Min’s wife heard the news, she fainted on the spot and fell ill afterwards.

Having lost his son and faced with his wife’s illness, Ye Min, for a time, forgot about his grandson’s one-month date. It was only when Mu Feng visited him and mentioned it that Ye Min suddenly realized his grandson had reached his first month.

Mu Feng didn’t come empty-handed. He brought gifts for Ye Min, Ye Min’s wife, and his daughter-in-law, and also brought a gift for Ye Qingxi. It was a longevity locket, the most fitting gift for a child. They hadn’t drifted apart because their social circles changed, but indeed, because of different lives, Mu Feng’s busyness, and both having their own families, they became… not as close as before.

When Mu Feng realized this, he felt a bit sad. Ye Min was his most special friend— a friend that belonged to Mu Feng the person, not Mu Feng the “identity.” He was someone Mu Feng had long since considered his very best friend.

Mu Feng had wanted to restore the closeness they had shared in their youth, but his pride wouldn’t allow him to take the first step. He once grumbled to his wife, “He’d rather go ask that Zhang Yue for help than come to me. Am I worse than Zhang Yue?”

His wife smiled as she looked at him, finding his childlike jealousy quite endearing. “It’s not like that,” she said. “He asks Zhang Yue for help because he can help Zhang Yue in return. They don’t owe each other anything. But if he came to you, it would be like using a cannon to kill a mosquito — not only would it waste your ‘cannon’s power,’ but he also wouldn’t know how to repay you.”

“Favors, the more you use them, the thinner they get. He cherishes your friendship, which is why he would never bother you with trivial things. Trust me, if something truly serious happened, he would definitely come to you.”

At the time, Mu Feng didn’t believe it. He even snorted to show his dissatisfaction.

His wife only smiled sweetly in response. But now, Mu Feng realized she had been right all along. For the rest of his life, Ye Min had hardly ever troubled him with anything.

But at the very end, on his deathbed, Ye Min had grabbed his hand and pleaded with him to promise. He had said, “You’re the only one I trust.”

The youthful 18-year-old Mu Feng had been willing to befriend the impoverished 18-year-old Ye Min, and the 60-year-old Mu Feng was just as willing to spend his time and energy for Ye Min, who, while no longer as poor, still lived a life far from comparable to his own.

They had known each other for 42 years, inseparably close, later gradually drifting apart, but both knew very well, the other was someone they could trust and rely on.

This trust was something they had built over 42 years. That was why Ye Min trusted only him, dared to trust only him. That was why he solemnly entrusted his most precious possession, his most treasured person, to his very best friend.

He placed Ye Qingxi’s small hand into Mu Feng’s. He said, “From now on, he’s your grandson.”

“Mu Feng, thank you.”

“Sorry to trouble you.”

Mu Feng held Ye Qingxi’s hand tightly.

His own hand was dry and broad; Ye Qingxi’s was soft and delicate—one large, one small, quietly clasped together.

And with that grip, they would hold on for more than thirty years.

Mu Feng fulfilled his promise with the final years of his life. And Ye Qingxi, in turn, brought him the softest warmth and happiness in his twilight years. Holding Ye Qingxi’s hand, after a long moment of silence, Mu Feng, like a lion king leading his cub, left the desolate cemetery.

On the day Ye Min was laid to rest, Mu Feng called Mu Zheng, asking about his recent work schedule and telling him to make time to come over.

After that, he sent a message to everyone in the Mu family:

【Next Sunday evening at 6 o’clock, come over for dinner. Everyone must attend, including the children. 】

Mu Feng was going to introduce Ye Qingxi to every member of the Mu family. He wanted them to know. Ye Qingxi was his grandson.

He would enjoy every right that came with being part of the Mu family, and all the honor as well. He was no different from his biological grandson.

He was his true grandson.

Author’s Note:

Mr. Mu the person who loves Xiaoxi the most in the whole article.

Of course, he is not the only one like this.