Qin Xun stared at the plush toy and the homework paper, his heart pounding wildly in his chest.
He turned on the main light in the room.
Under the light, Feng Yuan was still nowhere to be seen.
“Yuan Yuan!”
Qin Xun’s voice trembled. As he called out, he picked up the folded homework paper.
The handwriting on it was neat and careful.
Feng Yuan’s writing had always been messy before.
But on this letter, every stroke, every line… It was clear he had written it with utmost care.
“Qin Xun.”
These two characters, Feng Yuan didn’t need to copy. He already knew how to write them himself.
“Dad is sick and will die. Yuan Yuan will save Dad.”
“If Dad eats Yuan Yuan, Dad won’t die.”
“Yuan Yuan doesn’t want Dad to die.”
“Without Dad, Yuan Yuan will cry, will die.”
There were many pinyin spellings mixed into the letter.
In the first half, Feng Yuan explained the reason for his disappearance. The latter half was the message he left for Qin Xun.
He said he couldn’t bear to leave Qin Xun either.
Qin Xun was the most, most important person to him. He really wanted to grow up together with Qin Xun.
But if Dad couldn’t be there with him, then he’d rather not grow up at all.
The paper Feng Yuan left was covered with marks where tears had soaked through.
The little one was always such a crybaby.
Back when he lived with Dad, he didn’t cry much. Even when someone snatched away the scraps he’d collected outside, he wouldn’t cry. At most, he’d puff up angrily and argue back.
Later, after his Big Dad took him home, he met his Little Uncle, his Auntie, his Grandpa and Grandma, his brothers and sisters…
More and more family surrounded him—loving him, doting on him.
And gradually, the little one became more pampered and cried more easily, too.
Looking at the tear stains on the letter, Qin Xun could almost picture it: Feng Yuan must have paused many times while writing this letter.
He must have been wiping his tears away with his chubby little hand as he wrote.
“Yuan Yuan!”
Qin Xun felt as though a huge part of his heart had suddenly gone hollow. He leapt to his feet and rushed out the door.
Just as he ran out, Li Wang happened to come out holding a piece of paper as well. Behind him was Li Si, her expression uncharacteristically flustered.
The three children looked at one another, wide-eyed. The next second, their shouts alarmed the adults.
Feng Qi hadn’t fallen asleep at all.
That night, he didn’t know why, but there was a heavy tightness in Feng Qi’s chest.
The moment he heard Qin Xun and the others shouting outside, he sat up at once.
“What’s going on out there?”
Feng Qi lifted the thin blanket and was about to get out of bed.
Li Sheng wanted to stop him, but Feng Qi had already hurried out with quick, anxious steps.
Out in the hallway.
Qin Xun was just handing the paper in his hand to Li Heng, who had rushed over.
Everyone had come out in their pajamas.
Qin Xun’s face was pale and grim. He told them what had happened, that Feng Yuan had left behind a farewell letter.
When Feng Qi heard what was written in that letter, his chest tightened sharply, and a metallic sweetness surged up his throat.
He covered his mouth. His hand and lips were stained with blood.
“Feng Qi!”
Seeing Feng Qi cough up blood, Li Sheng quickly reached out, supporting him and pulling him into his arms.
Li Si and Li Wang had both received farewell letters as well.
Qin Xun thought back to how Feng Yuan had been carrying around that homework notebook these past few days…
He forced himself to steady his voice, trying not to let it tremble as he spoke.
“Yuan Yuan… he must have left a farewell letter for everyone…”
After scanning through the letter in just a few glances, Li Heng immediately began checking Feng Yuan’s location.
He wanted to track the signal from Feng Yuan’s smartwatch.
“Yuan Yuan didn’t bring his watch. He didn’t take anything with him.”
As Qin Xun spoke, he took out the blue cartoon watch from the bedroom.
Li Heng looked at the smartwatch in Qin Xun’s hand. His expression remained tense, but not panicked.
He immediately gave orders to the butler.
“Check the house surveillance. Quick! Have people search the entire estate, and outside too. Look everywhere!”
Li Heng coordinated both the surveillance review and the search for the child at the same time.
Li Sheng held Feng Qi close, wanting him to stay in the bedroom while he went to look for their son.
But Feng Qi slowly pried his hand away.
“I’m going to find Yuan Yuan myself.”
Yuan Yuan’s scent. Only he could sense it.
Feng Qi’s face was deathly pale, but his expression was firm.
He pushed Li Sheng aside. In the next moment, his true phoenix form appeared.
The next second.
A streak of golden light flashed across the sky, and the cry of a phoenix pierced through the stillness of the night.
Feng Qi rarely revealed his true form. Except during battles, almost never did he show his phoenix form.
But this time, it was clear that he was truly desperate.
Li Sheng strode quickly toward the window. He couldn’t fly like Feng Qi, but he didn’t stay behind in the estate either.
Chasing after the phoenix’s silhouette, he rushed out as well.
Feng Yuan’s two dads had gone personally to search for their child.
Li Heng stayed behind to monitor the surveillance footage.
At the same time, Frida and Li Wei gathered the rest of the farewell letters Feng Yuan had left for them.
They hoped to find some clue hidden within those letters.
Each letter, one after another, was written for someone specific.
Even Su Miao had received one.
In the letter to Su Miao, the little one wrote that after he died, he didn’t know if he would still be able to protect him.
And if he couldn’t, then Su Miao should go find his dad.
After reading the letter, Su Miao also went out, bringing Li Ting along.
Because Su Miao was a ghost.
He was planning to go outside and see if there were any wandering spirits or lonely ghosts around.
And the reason he brought Li Ting along was because he couldn’t understand the ghosts here when they spoke.
He needed Li Ting as his interpreter.
Everyone who had any way to search directly had already gone to look.
Those without special means, like Li Si and Li Wang, went out too, organizing the search, directing the bodyguards to conduct a full, carpet-style sweep.
Qin Xun stood before the surveillance screen. Their system had an intelligent locking function, so they set it to focus only on Feng Yuan’s movements.
Before leaving, Feng Yuan had gone into the kitchen.
He had packed a small backpack full of seasonings and some side ingredients.
After putting everything inside, he had transformed into his little chick form before leaving.
He dragged the backpack behind him. His tiny figure followed the dim line of the wall, slowly disappearing from the camera’s view.
Watching the footage of that small, lonely figure dragging his bag, everyone felt their throats tighten and their eyes sting.
“Yuan Yuan… he’s so little… how could he have had the courage to…”
Li Wei choked up, unable to finish the sentence.
The little one had taken seasonings and ingredients and, in the middle of the night, set out alone. He was planning to go somewhere deserted to stew himself… so Dad could eat him.
No, not just for Dad to eat.
Grandpa and Grandma were getting old, and the little one had written in his letter—
Grandpa and Grandma could have a little bit of Yuan Yuan, too.
Round and plump, with plenty of meat. It was enough to eat.
After confirming the last direction in which Feng Yuan disappeared, Li Heng rose from the surveillance console.
The moment he stood up, tears seemed to fall from his bloodshot eyes.
The footage showed that Feng Yuan had left at 1:14:34 a.m.
And now, it was already 2:57.
Almost three o’clock.
Feng Yuan had been missing for nearly two hours.
Two hours… if he had really boiled water to stew himself…
Everyone’s hearts trembled violently.
None of them dared to imagine. If Feng Yuan truly was gone, how would they ever face it?
Outside.
The mournful cries of the phoenix echoed again and again through the night.
Yet, he still couldn’t find his little phoenix.
The little one had somehow hidden his aura completely, concealing every trace of himself.
Time passed, bit by bit.
Just as the Li family continued to send out more people, a call came in from the Yu family.
In the middle of the night, when Fang Fang went to the bathroom and came back, she accidentally knocked over a small box on the bedside table.
From the box that had fallen open, she picked up a folded piece of paper.
She opened it casually. Then, in an instant, all her drowsiness vanished in fright.
She hurriedly pushed awake Yu Lian, who was still sleeping on the bed.
The couple read the suicide note together. Both were so shocked they nearly needed heart medicine on the spot.
By the time they made the call, they were already in the car.
Yu Yi had also been dragged up by the two of them.
The family of three sat in the car. Yu Yi, still half-asleep and dazed, only learned after getting in that Feng Yuan had written a suicide note.
He couldn’t believe it.
“What kind of nonsense is this in the middle of the night?”
Yawning, Yu Yi leaned against the seat. He didn’t believe for a second that a three-year-old cub, perfectly fine and well, would write a suicide note.
He’d been with Feng Yuan during the day. Feng Yuan was terrified even of getting scolded.
That little cub who cried loudly every time he got spanked. Where would he find the courage to think of something so extreme?
Yu Yi’s careless attitude slowly faded away, bit by bit, after hearing his father talk with Li Heng on the phone.
On the call.
Li Heng didn’t say outright that Feng Yuan was a little phoenix.
He only said that Feng Yuan must have overheard somewhere that if he stewed himself and let his Dad eat him, his Dad’s illness would be cured.
So, the little one had really done it.
“Yu Lian, bring me a few more people. I still don’t have enough hands here…”
Hearing Li Heng’s hoarse voice from the other end of the line, Yu Yi froze.
Before Yu Lian even had time to dispatch anyone, Li Heng’s call came through again.
But this time, it wasn’t Li Heng speaking. It was Qin Xun.
Qin Xun’s voice was trembling a little, yet every word was clear.
He asked Yu Lian and Fang Fang to carefully read through the suicide note again, to see if there was any clue in it that could point to Yuan Yuan’s whereabouts.
He also said that Yuan Yuan had written a suicide note for everyone.
So, he asked Uncle Yu Yi to check his own piece of paper as well.
Yu Yi: “……”
Yu Yi shuddered instantly and told the driver to stop.
“Turn around! Go back!”
There was no hint of the little one’s whereabouts in Yu Lian and Fang Fang’s letters.
Now, all their hope rested on Yu Yi.
Among all those letters, Qin Xun had told them—
There must be one suicide note that would lead them to Yuan Yuan.
If Yuan Yuan had really stewed himself, he definitely would have told someone beforehand.
The driver turned the car around.
As soon as they got back, Yu Yi jumped out and dashed straight into the house.
When the three of them had left earlier, none of them had brought Wu Jin along.
Wu Jin, left behind, hadn’t slept either.
He was waiting for Yu Yi in the room.
Yu Yi didn’t even spare him a glance upon returning. He went straight to rummaging through drawers and boxes.
“Wu Jin, something’s happened.”
Even though Yu Yi wasn’t looking at him, his voice was urgent as he searched frantically.
“Something’s happened to Yuan Yuan!”
“Damn it. Who the hell told him that stewing himself would be nourishing?!”
“He wants to stew himself and feed it to his dad! His dad’s sick!”
Yu Yi kept searching for the paper, not even feeling the sting when his fingers got scraped and started bleeding.
Finally, he pulled out the sheet.
Wu Jin didn’t go look at it. He just stood there in shock and asked, “Yuan Yuan wants to… stew himself?”
“Yes! The entire Li family’s gone crazy looking for him right now!”
“Uncle Li… on the phone—I’ve never heard him sound like that before.”
The Li family was always so proud, every single one of them, especially Li Heng.
This was the first time Yu Yi had ever heard the old master of the Li family speak in such a hoarse, broken voice.
He was still unfolding the paper when Wu Jin suddenly said, “I know where Yuan Yuan is.”
“In the afternoon, Yuan Yuan asked me to dig a hole for him. He said he wanted to have a picnic.”
Yu Yi: “!!!!”
For a few seconds, Yu Yi’s mind went completely blank.
Then, snapping back to himself, he grabbed his phone and started dialing.
“Wu Jin—the address!”
Wu Jin gave him the location over the phone.
Yu Yi grew increasingly frantic. He realized now that the little cub had meant it for real.
“I’m going over! I’m going to find Yuan Yuan!”
Yu Yi was beside himself with panic. He wished he could appear in front of Feng Yuan that very instant.
But getting there from home would still take time.
“Xiao Yi.”
Wu Jin’s expression tightened as he looked at the frantic Yu Yi and said, “I can take you there… faster.”
Yu Yi: “?”
Yu Yi wanted to ask something more, but Wu Jin had already grabbed a tie and quickly wrapped it around his eyes.
The next second.
Yu Yi felt a rush of wind sweeping past his ears, and suddenly, it was as if he was no longer in the room.
Everything before his eyes was pitch-black. With his sight gone, his hearing and touch grew unnaturally sharp.
In the darkness, he even had the eerie sensation that some enormous creature was carrying him through the air.
Wu Jin was fast.
But while his speed was great, the Li family’s people weren’t slow either.
They had already been out searching nearby. Once they got the exact location, they moved even faster to get there.
Feng Qi finally landed.
He transformed back into human form, standing on the ground, staring at a pot beneath the tree.
The pot sat over a fire, bubbling and steaming with heat.
Beside the pot was a small, dirty schoolbag.
When Feng Qi saw this scene, his vision went black for a moment.
Overcome by panic and fury, his body swayed as though he might collapse at any second.
Li Sheng caught hold of him, but even he could barely stand steady himself.
The two dads walked step by step toward the pot. With every step they took closer, it felt as though knives were twisting in their hearts.
Neither of them spoke, but at that moment, they shared the same thought—
If what was in that pot really was Yuan Yuan…
Then neither of them would live another day in this world.
Feng Qi would never eat Yuan Yuan.
He would go with Yuan Yuan.
Li Sheng, having already lost his wife and child, had nothing left in this world to hold on to either.
Step by step, the two of them approached until finally, they stood before the pot.
Those few short steps had drained every ounce of courage they had left.
The lid of the pot was open.
Feng Qi forced himself to stay upright and made himself look inside.
He only took one glance. Before he could even see clearly what was in it, he threw up.
The overwhelming agony brought on a violent, physical reaction.
But Li Sheng didn’t vomit. At a single glance, he could tell that something about the contents wasn’t right.
“Wait, Feng Qi. Something’s off here.”
As he spoke, Li Sheng picked up the ladle beside the pot and stirred the contents.
He scooped up a chicken drumstick and then a chicken tail.
“This really does look like… a chicken.”
Li Sheng kept stirring. Soon after, he fished out a few small, undeveloped eggs that only come from hens, along with a chicken head.
Feng Qi: “……”
Feng Qi took the ladle from him and began scooping through the pot himself.
He turned the pot upside down, searching every bit, and finally confirmed. What was in there was indeed just a hen.
The broth simmered golden and rich, giving off a delicious aroma.
The adults, who had been standing before the pot in tears, now stared blankly at the chicken.
“Where’s Yuan Yuan?”
They murmured, about to continue searching for the little one, when, not far away, the cub appeared in their sight, carrying water back.
Feng Yuan, who had never cooked before, was afraid his first attempt might fail.
So, he had followed a recipe and practiced by stewing a chicken first.
Stewing chicken took a long, long time.
While waiting beside the pot, his tiny face and the little arms and legs sticking out had been bitten by mosquitoes in several places.
With his small, bite-covered face, the little one looked up and saw the approaching adults…
He froze for a moment. Then turned around and bolted.
Moonlit: Run, Yuan Yuan! You’ll get another spanking. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Save your little butt!~
Sam Williams On TYMIMA Chapter 152