“Yuan Yuan, what’s wrong?”
Seeing the little one smashing the ground with his crutch, Little Deer quickly crouched down, grabbed his small hand, and coaxed, “Who upset you?”
Feng Yuan tossed aside his little crutch and began rolling up Little Deer’s sleeve.
On Little Deer’s right arm, there was indeed a black tattoo.
He reached out to rub it, but no matter how hard he tried, it wouldn’t come off.
Baozi’s tattoo was the same. It was impossible to rub off.
Feng Yuan didn’t yet know what this tattoo represented, but his intuition told him it was bad and dangerous.
“Yuan Yuan, what’s really going on?”
“The tattoo sticker is bad,” Feng Yuan said. “You shouldn’t put it on.”
If Feng Yuan had known earlier that Baozi and Little Deer would put on this tattoo, he definitely wouldn’t have ridden the rocking car.
He would have kept a close watch on Little Deer and Baozi.
This regretful thought didn’t linger long in Feng Yuan’s little head.
Because soon, he redirected his anger toward the bad person who made this tattoo sticker.
The tattoo sticker was the real culprit. Yuan Yuan wasn’t at fault!
“Huh? Dangerous?”
Little Deer looked at the tattoo sticker in confusion, unsure where the danger lay.
When he had passed by earlier, he saw other children putting it on as well.
“Sigh.”
Unable to rub off the tattoo, Feng Yuan lifted his hand and rubbed his own chubby little face.
“I told dad. He’ll be here soon.”
Sure enough, it didn’t take long for Feng Qi to arrive.
As soon as he came, Li Sheng and Tao Zhi arrived as well.
Seeing his two dads, Feng Yuan took a step forward but then stopped.
He remembered his little crutch.
So, he crouched down, picked up the crutch, and, leaning on it, hobbled toward his dads.
The two dads not far away: “…”
Feng Qi looked at his little drama-king son with a mix of helplessness and amusement.
He took two steps forward and scooped the little “cripple” with the crutch into his arms.
“Dad.”
Feng Yuan nuzzled his dad’s cheek as he explained the tattoo situation.
Before arriving, Li Sheng had already notified the mall.
They could now go directly to check the surveillance footage.
“Do you want to come with Dad?” Feng Qi asked the little one in his arms.
Feng Yuan nodded. “Yes.”
He wanted to spend more time with his dad.
The family of three went to check the surveillance footage. Feng Yuan also called Baozi along.
He didn’t call Little Deer because Little Deer was with Tao Zhi. Tao Zhi was examining Little Deer’s arm.
Baozi followed Feng Yuan, feeling somewhat lost and confused.
“Yuan Yuan, is there… something wrong with the tattoo?”
Before Feng Yuan could answer Baozi’s question, Feng Qi replied first, “Don’t worry. The tattoo is a bit troublesome, but I’ll take care of it.”
Feng Qi’s pleasant voice, combined with his handsome face, left Baozi nodding blankly, completely unable to think straight.
He continued following Feng Yuan.
After reassuring Baozi, Feng Qi spoke to his son in his arms.
“Yuan Yuan, were you good today?”
“Yes!” Feng Yuan answered loudly.
Feng Qi narrowed his eyes, detecting a hint of something off in his son’s overly enthusiastic little voice.
“Yuan Yuan, you’d better have been good, you know.”
Feng Qi didn’t hesitate to give his son a warning.
“If you weren’t, you know what happens. You’ll get a spanking.”
Feng Yuan: “…”
Feng Yuan, faced with such a direct reminder from his dad, felt his desire for ice cream waver slightly.
But soon, his chubby little face regained its composure.
“Yuan Yuan knows.”
The little one forced himself to stay calm and decided to take a big gamble.
His chubby little foot hadn’t healed yet, and he was still using crutches.
The little guy was betting that neither his dad nor his grandpa would hit an injured child!
The daring little one clung to his dad’s neck, not letting slip even a hint about the ice cream he had ordered.
They soon entered the surveillance room, where both dads were intently watching the monitors.
Feng Yuan lost patience after just a short while.
He glanced back toward the door and noticed that Little Deer hadn’t arrived yet.
Little Deer, whom Feng Yuan was thinking of, was currently talking to Tao Zhi.
“Why are you, like Yuan Yuan, trying to rub this off?”
Little Deer watched as Tao Zhi wiped his arm and couldn’t help asking, “What does this tattoo actually mean?”
Judging by Feng Yuan and Tao Zhi’s reactions, Little Deer had already realized—
This tattoo, which claimed to make wishes come true, probably had the opposite effect of what it advertised.
“Tao Zhi, don’t be nervous.”
Seeing that Tao Zhi still hadn’t spoken, Little Deer comforted him, saying, “At worst, I’ll find a shop and have this tattoo removed with some solution.”
“It can’t be removed.”
Tao Zhi spoke softly, “I’ll get rid of it.”
Tao Zhi had originally helped Feng Qi with these matters because Little Deer and the little phoenix were close, and Li Sheng had offered him three promises, which was quite generous.
But now, with Little Deer marked like this, Tao Zhi’s desire to find the headless tribe was even stronger than Feng Qi’s.
“Ouch—”
Perhaps Tao Zhi’s movements were a bit rough, as Little Deer’s arm had turned red from the rubbing.
Hearing Little Deer’s gasp, Tao Zhi abruptly stopped.
He gripped Little Deer’s arm, lowering his gaze to the reddened skin.
The next moment.
His lips gently touched the spot.
Little Deer: “!”
Little Deer jerked his arm back as if he’d been burned.
“What, what are you doing?”
Little Deer hid his arm behind his back, his expression slightly awkward.
His usual interactions with Tao Zhi were already quite intimate.
Tao Zhi was very clingy and loved to stick close.
Whenever Little Deer moved around their small one-room apartment or did anything, Tao Zhi would always press close.
Whether they were curled up on the sofa watching TV or sleeping together, Tao Zhi’s closeness was even more intense.
Little Deer had grown used to his clinginess.
At first, he had pushed him away. But back then, Tao Zhi’s mind wasn’t clear. Being pushed away only made him cling even tighter, trapping Little Deer more firmly.
Initially, Little Deer had been genuinely frightened by him.
But gradually, Little Deer figured out his temperament, and the two of them grew more comfortable together.
After all, aside from sticking close, Tao Zhi never did anything else.
But now… Tao Zhi’s lips touched him. This left Little Deer both confused and surprised.
“Hey, it’s not red anymore. Were you trying to disinfect it with saliva?”
Little Deer glanced at his arm and, seeing the redness gone, immediately thought of this explanation.
Tao Zhi neither confirmed nor denied it.
The two stood there for a moment. Seeing that Feng Yuan hadn’t returned, Little Deer didn’t rush to find him either.
With Feng Yuan’s dad around, his role as temporary guardian wasn’t needed for now.
“Tao Zhi, let me give you something to try.”
Perhaps Feng Yuan’s intense love for ice cream had rubbed off on Little Deer.
Little Deer had also developed an interest in ice cream.
At the moment, Feng Yuan wasn’t around, so he pulled Tao Zhi along and quickly bought two ice creams.
He bought a small one for himself and a jumbo-sized one for Tao Zhi.
Each holding an ice cream, they stood facing each other while eating.
The two ice creams were of different flavors.
After a few bites of his own, Little Deer leaned over to taste Tao Zhi’s ice cream.
“Yours tastes good, too.”
Little Deer smiled with curved eyes and offered his own ice cream for Tao Zhi to try.
They shared each other’s treats, creating a simple and heartwarming scene.
Had Feng Qi been there, he would have instantly recognized—
Tao Zhi is indulgent toward Little Deer.
The ancient ferocious beast Taotie was famously known for its intense appetite.
Throughout history, only Little Deer had ever managed to snatch food from Taotie’s mouth.
Completely unaware of this, Little Deer continued happily eating his ice cream with curved eyes.
While eating, he shared the day’s amusing stories with Tao Zhi.
“Yuan Yuan wanted three ice creams, but his grandpa wouldn’t let him, saying he’d spank his bottom if he ate three.”
As Little Deer recounted this, the image of Feng Yuan arguing with his grandpa over the phone resurfaced in his mind.
The little one was clearly furious but also afraid of getting spanked.
The thought of that expression alone made him want to laugh.
After sharing this amusing incident, Tao Zhi lifted his eyelids slightly and reminded him, “Keep an eye on him. He’ll sneak some.”
“I’ve been watching him. He hasn’t had any chance to buy any.”
Buying and eating ice cream takes time. It’s something Feng Yuan didn’t have enough of.
After this reminder, Tao Zhi said nothing more.
Little Deer quickly moved on from the topic.
While accompanying Feng Yuan shopping today, he had also bought quite a few things himself.
He purchased some local ingredients.
Some local ingredients were sold very cheaply here, while they were somewhat expensive back home.
This was likely due to price differences caused by geographical location.
Little Deer decided to take advantage of his time here to buy more ingredients and cook for Tao Zhi.
“No need.”
Upon hearing that Little Deer had bought ingredients to cook for him, Tao Zhi refused: “There’s Feng Huang.”
“What phoenix?”
Little Deer was momentarily puzzled, then burst out laughing: “Tao Zhi, your memory’s acting up again. It’s not Feng Huang, it’s Feng Qi.”
As he spoke, Little Deer stood on tiptoe and patted Tao Zhi’s head.
“Last time we had our check-up, your head was fine, too.”
During their recent hospital examination, Little Deer had seen the report. It was quite comprehensive.
Tao Zhi slightly lowered his head to make it easier for Little Deer to pat him.
Once Little Deer had patted his fill and they had nearly finished their ice creams, they looked up to see Feng Yuan being carried out by his Dad.
“Ice cream!”
Feng Yuan’s eyes lit up instantly.
Little Deer’s small ice cream was already finished, but Tao Zhi’s jumbo ice cream wasn’t completely eaten yet!
The little boy who had just been clinging to his Dad now stretched out his arms, wanting Tao Zhi to hold him.
Tao Zhi looked at him.
The next second, Tao Zhi walked over and, just before reaching out to hold Feng Yuan, took one last big bite, finishing the remaining jumbo ice cream.
Feng Yuan: “!”
Feng Yuan’s heart shattered instantly.
His outstretched arms withdrew. The little one looked at Tao Zhi with tearful, pitiful eyes.
Tao Zhi showed not a hint of remorse.
He saw Feng Yuan slump against his Dad again and ask him, “No hug?”
Feng Yuan’s little milky voice was filled with grief and indignation: “Yuan Yuan doesn’t want to hug you anymore!”
Such a big ice cream. Taotie didn’t even leave a single bite for him.
Heartbroken, Yuan Yuan collapsed onto his Dad, making Dad feel a bit sorry for him.
Just as Feng Qi was about to send Li Sheng to buy a small ice cream, he heard Little Deer say, “Yuan Yuan, you already had a big ice cream this morning. If you eat another one, you’ll get a stomachache.”
The ice cream sold in these shops isn’t exactly healthy for children.
It’s fine to have it occasionally, but overeating can upset their stomachs.
Upon hearing that Feng Yuan had already had one, Feng Qi immediately dismissed the idea of buying him another.
“If you’ve already had one, you can’t have another.”
“Little Deer, you and Yuan Yuan can keep shopping. We have to go now.”
Earlier, through the surveillance footage, they had identified the person applying the temporary tattoos.
Now, they needed to track them down.
Feng Qi handed Feng Yuan over to Little Deer, letting them continue their fun.
It was already noon. Seeing that Feng Yuan hadn’t recovered from the shock, Little Deer picked him up and decided to buy him something tasty to eat.
The fifth floor of the mall was filled with signature dishes from all over the country.
Little Deer let Feng Yuan choose one.
Feng Yuan pointed with his chubby little finger at a shop with a brightly colored picture on its sign.
“Yuan Yuan wants to eat this ball ball.”
Feng Yuan was pointing at pani puri, a famous Indian snack.
Looking at the pani puri, Little Deer recalled the Indian street food videos he had seen online.
Pani puri appeared frequently in those videos.
And the way it was made…
Suppressing his bias against Indian street food, Little Deer peeked into the shop.
This wasn’t India, so logically, the food here shouldn’t be as unhygienic as it was in India, right?
Feeling uneasy, Little Deer sent Baozi inside to check.
“Take a look at their chef and the kitchen conditions.”
Baozi followed the instructions and went into the shop.
Soon, Baozi came out with a complicated expression. “Master, maybe we should pick another place.”
“No, no! Yuan Yuan wants the fried ball ball!”
Feng Yuan absolutely refused to change his mind.
Seeing that Little Deer didn’t want to buy it for him, he grabbed his little crutch and went inside to buy it himself.
“I want one order of fried ball ball!”
Feng Yuan pointed at the picture of pani puri on the sign and placed his order.
“Hi, little cutie.”
The people in the shop looked at him with friendly smiles.
Before Feng Yuan even paid, he received a plate of pani puri.
Perhaps because he looked a bit pitiful with his little crutch, the staff let him buy a portion first.
Feng Yuan paid with Charles’s card.
After buying the pani puri, Feng Yuan put one in his mouth and walked out of the shop.
Seeing that he had already stuffed it into his mouth, Little Deer wanted to say something. But since the staff were still watching, he couldn’t say it outright.
“Yuan Yuan, come with me.”
Little Deer picked up Feng Yuan and quickly walked away.
Only when they were a good distance from the shop did he stop.
“Don’t eat the fried ball ball. I’m afraid it’s not clean.”
“It’s clean!”
Feng Yuan looked at the pani puri he had bought, but couldn’t see anything wrong with it.
Seeing that he wouldn’t listen, Little Deer pulled up a video online to show him.
A few minutes later.
Feng Yuan: “Ugh.”
He spat out all the pani puri in his mouth.
Seeing him retch, Little Deer quickly patted his back.
“Baozi, water.”
Feng Yuan went out carrying a water bottle, which was hung around Baozi’s neck.
Baozi took the water bottle down, unscrewed the cap, and handed it to Feng Yuan.
Feng Yuan spat it out with a series of disgusted sounds.
He kept spitting for a while, his little face still pale and sickly.
“Alright, alright, you’ve spat it all out now.”
Little Deer comforted Feng Yuan and took the fried ball from his hand, placing it on the floor of the mall.
He set it down not far from a homeless person.
Perhaps the homeless person wouldn’t mind it.
Feng Yuan had failed in his food selection earlier. His little face was downcast as he leaned against Little Deer. This time, he didn’t even try to pick his own lunch.
Little Deer took him to a Chinese restaurant.
The Chinese food outside wasn’t as good as what Feng Yuan had at home.
Feng Yuan was far from satisfied with this lunch.
After the meal, with not even a dollar left on him, Feng Yuan didn’t feel like continuing to stroll around.
“Let’s go home.”
Feng Yuan insisted on going home. He had lost interest in the outside world and now only wanted to return.
Little Deer knew Feng Yuan had a habit of taking afternoon naps, so he didn’t plan to stay out longer.
“Alright, let’s go home.”
Little Deer picked Feng Yuan up and took him back home.
Since Tao Zhi was busy helping Li Sheng, the Li family had arranged for Little Deer and Tao Zhi to move into the Li residence temporarily.
Baozi’s contract with his esports team hadn’t been terminated yet, but the Li family had assured him not to worry about it.
As for Baozi’s mother’s illness, she could receive treatment at the Li family’s private hospital back in the country.
When Baozi heard this news, his youthful face flushed bright red at first. Then, as the redness deepened, tears streamed down his cheeks.
“Thank you! Thank you so much!”
“You’re helping me so much, but I… I have nothing to repay you with.”
Baozi was also a kid with no background. He had just turned eighteen. Although he was very talented at gaming, he’d had bad luck, signing with a lousy team and not achieving much glory.
Given his current situation, he truly had nothing to offer the Li family in return.
But the Li family wasn’t expecting anything from him.
Ever since the family had a little phoenix, the Li household had begun doing small acts of kindness whenever possible.
They wanted to accumulate good karma this way for the two phoenixes in their home, big and small.
Baozi was overwhelmed with emotion. He had initially wanted to kneel on the ground and kowtow to everyone.
But Feng Yuan’s chubby little hand stopped him.
“It’s not New Year yet!”
Feng Yuan knew that kowtowing was for New Year’s. The kids on Huasheng Street would get lots of red envelopes for kowtowing during the New Year.
Feng Yuan had kowtowed to his dad during the New Year, too.
He was only two years old at the time, even smaller than he was now.
The chubby two-year-old, wearing a bright red padded jacket, had been fed so much meat by neighbors and the police officers’ aunts and uncles during the New Year that he could barely walk from all the weight he’d gained.
In their 20-square-meter little room, the festive little toddler knelt on the ground, kowtowed, and spoke blessings in his baby voice.
Feng Qi had felt utterly content.
At that time, he hadn’t yet sought out Li Sheng, but he felt that living like this with his Yuan Yuan was just fine.
“Don’t cry.”
Feng Yuan reached out his chubby little hand to wipe Baozi’s tears.
Baozi was crying and laughing at the same time, looking a bit comical.
But Feng Yuan didn’t laugh at him at all.
Baozi had initially wanted to return to his home country immediately. Even though staying here was nice, he still wanted to go back to take care of his mother and handle the hospital transfer.
Li Heng had already received instructions from Feng Qi and Li Sheng.
He didn’t rush to let Baozi leave.
“I’ll have the hospital arrange your mother’s transfer directly.”
“You’ll continue staying here for the next few days.”
Baozi still had the tattoo on his arms. Since this matter hadn’t been fully resolved yet, Feng Qi was worried that if Baozi returned recklessly and something happened, he might not be able to intervene in time.
After arranging for Baozi, Li Heng also had Little Deer stay at the residence.
The Li family’s old mansion was astonishingly spacious.
Many of the guest rooms in the old mansion had always been left vacant.
Little Deer and Baozi settled in temporarily.
Feng Yuan rubbed his eyes, looking a bit sleepy.
“Qin Xun, go take a nap with Yuan Yuan.”
“Wait a minute. Yuan Yuan hasn’t handed out the gifts yet.”
Feng Yuan had bought a pile of gifts while out shopping. The car had brought them all back.
“This is for Dad and Big Dad.”
“This is for Grandpa and Grandma.”
“This is for Auntie.”
“Uncle and Little Aunt.”
“Brother and sister…”
“And Qin Xun’s!”
Feng Yuan finished handing out the gifts one by one, leaving the ones for the Yu family.
“I’ll give these out later.”
After distributing the gifts, Feng Yuan received a round of kisses and hugs.
All the adults were delighted.
Feng Yuan was also very happy.
After hugging all the adults, he finally returned to his room with Qin Xun to rest.
“Yuan Yuan, you didn’t let me follow you this morning because you wanted to prepare gifts for me?”
“Mm-hmm!”
Feng Yuan sat on the bed, looking down at his smartwatch without raising his head as he asked, “Do you like Yuan Yuan’s gift?”
“I do.”
Qin Xun truly liked the gift Feng Yuan had given him.
He didn’t care about the value of the gift—only about Feng Yuan’s thoughtfulness.
Feng Yuan was still looking down at his watch.
After a few more seconds, he stretched out his little hand and patted the bed.
“Qin Xun, time to sleep!”
“Okay.”
Qin Xun got into bed and lay down beside him.
Feng Yuan only lay for a moment before sitting up again. “Yuan Yuan wants to go find Grandpa.”
Qin Xun: “?”
Qin Xun didn’t understand why he suddenly wanted to find Grandpa.
But since the little one was determined to go, he didn’t stop him.
“Yuan Yuan, your pillow.”
Qin Xun assumed he just wanted to take a nap with Grandpa.
Feng Yuan picked up his cartoon pillow, pushed open the bedroom door, and walked out.
Once outside, he casually set his pillow down somewhere.
He transformed back into a chubby little ball, spread his short, stubby wings, and vanished in a flash.
His little claws moved so quickly that he even forgot to bring his small walking stick.
The chubby ball hugged the wall, deliberately choosing inconspicuous spots to slip through.
Before long, he reached his destination.
Upon seeing the five ice cream tubs placed against the wall, the chubby ball was so overjoyed that he toppled over on the spot.
“Chirp!”
So much ice cream!
The happy little ball flapped his wings, pecked open the lids of the ice cream tubs, and, upon seeing the ice cream inside, began pecking away furiously.
After a while, he felt that eating like this wasn’t satisfying enough, so he transformed back and continued eating.
After eating for some time, the little one checked his smartwatch and hurried back home.
Before returning, he hid the ice cream tubs in a new spot.
This time, he secretly stashed them behind the courtyard.
There was a hole in the corner of the courtyard wall. He could slip through it to continue eating later.
The ice cream tubs were surrounded by ice cubes, so the ice cream wouldn’t melt too quickly.
After his first ice cream excursion, Feng Yuan hadn’t been caught.
So, half an hour later, he went back again.
He brought his own thermos.
When he left this time, he had filled his thermos with ice cream.
Another hour later.
Feng Yuan dragged two large thermos cups over. He filled both thermoses, along with the container for vegetable salad and the box for outdoor fruits, entirely with ice cream.
Using different containers to hold the ice cream, when Grandpa saw him carrying the boxes, he didn’t notice what was inside.
The entire afternoon.
Feng Yuan shuttled between the yard and the inner rooms. By the end, he was too busy to even eat.
Before the ice cream could melt, he perfectly hid the remaining four buckets of ice cream inside the house.
After hiding the ice cream, the little one collapsed exhausted on the sofa and turned on the TV.
He held a thermos cup in one hand and the remote control in the other.
At that moment, the news was playing on TV.
Sam Williams On TYMIMA Chapter 152