After being picked up, the little one, who had been desperately faking an accident on the ground, instinctively kicked his short legs.
He kicked Huo Qinwu.
At that moment, Teng Liang, who had come out to watch the commotion, saw this and thought, “It’s over.”
This little bun was kicking and pushing against Huo Qinwu, practically asking for trouble.
But wait, there was another question—
How did Huo Qinwu end up holding this little one?
Teng Liang couldn’t figure it out. He stood behind and couldn’t help but ask, “Are you planning to throw him away? If so, don’t just toss him around; you can throw him to me instead.”
After Teng Liang spoke, Huo Qinwu shot him a look. His eyes clearly conveyed one message: Shut up.
Teng Liang: “…”
Teng Liang closed his mouth but became even more curious.
The little one, who had been kicking and struggling in Huo Qinwu’s arms for a while, finally stopped. His little face turned red from exertion.
He anxiously said, “Don’t, don’t throw me away!”
He was scared of the pain.
Although Chen Zhou was working for Huo Qinwu, he had never met Huo Qinwu in person, so at this moment, he, like the little one, didn’t recognize Huo Qinwu.
He and Jiang Yan both moved forward, trying to grab the little one.
“Let go!”
Jiang Yan was almost furious: “Let him go!”
While Jiang Yan and Chen Zhou were trying to grab the little one, Chen Zhou noticed that the look Huo Qinwu had given him was more unfriendly.
As they were struggling, Huo Qinwu, holding the unwilling little one, said softly to him, “Little one, be good.”
The little one: “…”
The little one’s struggling body immediately stopped.
He stared blankly at Huo Qinwu, his mouth opening and closing, but he didn’t say anything.
Seeing the little one finally behave, Huo Qinwu carried him and turned to go back inside.
They walked in front, while Jiang Yan and Chen Zhou followed behind.
Teng Liang, who loved watching the excitement, hurriedly followed. As he did, he asked Jiang Yan, “Hey, do you know him?”
“No!” Jiang Yan snapped.
“Don’t know… then why is he holding your little one?”
Jiang Yan, even more infuriated, replied, “How should I know!”
Now they had lost everything, and now their little prince was being taken too!
Jiang Yan was on the verge of exploding.
What kind of place was Guan Shan Residence, exactly?!
The little one, held by Huo Qinwu, took a while to calm down. He reached out with his little hand and wrapped it around Huo Qinwu’s neck.
“Ah, Ah Wu?”
Huo Qinwu responded with a simple “Mm,” continuing to walk without stopping.
Hearing his response, the little one’s eyes sparkled with surprise. He had never seen Ah Wu in human form before.
So, Ah Wu’s human form was this good looking.
The little one’s hands, still clutching Ah Wu, explored his face. He touched Ah Wu’s cheeks, nose, and even his mouth.
He was incredibly curious about Ah Wu’s face.
Although it must have been uncomfortable to be touched so much, Huo Qinwu allowed the little one to explore his face, not stopping him.
Back in the Mountain and Sea World, he was busy with hunting and rarely had time to play with the little one.
When he returned to the den to spend time with the little one, the little one would do things like scratch his face and back with his paws, bite him, or chase his tail.
Once, the little one, on a whim, tried to shove his little head into Huo Qinwu’s mouth.
In any case, he had become accustomed to the little one’s restless paws and hands.
Teng Liang, however, was dumbfounded.
How could this pitiable little bun be so bold with Huo Qinwu!
The Guan Shan Residence didn’t allow them to bring their identities from outside, but those who had met each other before naturally recognized each other’s faces as soon as they entered.
Teng Liang knew Huo Qinwu very well.
He knew Huo Qinwu was a formidable character. Despite his young age, he even dared to scheme against his father’s most favored concubine.
It was said that when the younger sister of the Great Qing Empress entered the palace, the little prince played a part in it. It was fine that the sisters served the same husband, but the key was that they used to be very close, but once in the palace, they frequently quarreled.
The younger sister of the Empress reportedly didn’t want to enter the palace at first, but once she did, she quickly accepted her fate.
Her acceptance meant she no longer thought about leaving the palace but instead wanted her sister’s position.
Both sisters were quite capable of causing trouble, and now the Great Qing harem was quite lively.
Huo Qinwu’s room, though not particularly large, was clearly a very nice room.
The furnishings were exquisite, and everything was well-appointed.
Huo Qinwu planned to place the little one, who was exploring his face, on a chair to check his condition.
But the little one refused to sit on the chair.
“I want to be held!”
The little one, no longer touching Huo Qinwu’s face, clung to his neck again: “Ah Wu, hold me.”
After thinking about Ah Wu for so long, he finally got to be held, and he wanted to be held a bit longer.
Huo Qinwu, seeing that he wouldn’t let go, continued to hold him.
“Bring your things over.”
Huo Qinwu, holding the reluctant little one, instructed Jiang Yan and Chen Zhou, who had followed in, “Once you bring your things, I’ll arrange rooms for you.”
Jiang Yan and Chen Zhou looked at him, both wearing expressions of disbelief.
They didn’t know this person, so why should they listen to him?
Before Jiang Yan could retort, the little one in Huo Qinwu’s arms spoke softly, “Yan Yan, Zhou Zhou, this is Ah Wu.”
Jiang Yan: “?”
Chen Zhou: “???”
Chen Zhou, who usually had a very honest face, showed an expression of shock for the first time.
He looked at Huo Qinwu, whom he had just cursed out internally a hundred times, and was stunned.
Ah Wu, Huo Qinwu, the Crown Prince of Great Qing.
And also his boss who assigned him tasks.
After the shock, Chen Zhou felt guilty. He lowered his head and couldn’t bring himself to look at Huo Qinwu.
Huo Qinwu didn’t hold a grudge against him for the earlier offense.
As long as it was for the sake of the little one, he wouldn’t get angry.
“He, he’s Ah Wu.”
Jiang Yan’s previous anger dissipated significantly with this revelation.
His mind was now clearer than the little one’s and Chen Zhou’s. The little one was just happy, and Chen Zhou was feeling guilty, but Jiang Yan was rational and composed.
He asked Huo Qinwu sharply, “You’re Little Seven’s Ah Wu. Then why did you use a carriage to bump into us? You even hit Little Seven!”
At these words, Huo Qinwu’s gaze suddenly locked onto Teng Liang, who had been watching the commotion.
Teng Liang: “…”
Oh no.
The trouble had shifted back to him.
“Ahem, I can explain. It was actually a misunderstanding.”
Teng Liang’s survival instincts were strong. Although he still didn’t fully understand the relationship between the little bun he had been eyeing and Huo Qinwu, he had quickly realized the importance of the little one.
So, he immediately softened his tone, “I was at fault with the carriage. I had something urgent and didn’t see clearly. I’m really sorry.”
Teng Liang was very decisive in his concession.
Hearing his words, the little one’s expression turned serious. “You hit me, so you need to give me money!”
Even now, the little one hadn’t given up on his attempt to claim compensation.
Teng Liang, seeing that the little one wanted money, readily took out all the cash he had on him and handed it over.
The little one: “…”
The little one received the money smoothly and, with a serious expression, instinctively thanked Teng Liang.
“Today, I only have this much money. Count it. If it’s not enough, I’ll give you more tomorrow.”
Teng Liang was smart enough to know that as long as he made amends with the little bun, Huo Qinwu wouldn’t pursue the matter further.
He pleased the little bun, and soon the little bun showed no more concern about the carriage incident.
With the money received, the little one didn’t feel the need to argue further.
By now, it was getting late.
The little one was still clinging to Huo Qinwu. After watching Teng Liang leave, Jiang Yan and Chen Zhou also left to pack their things and wait for Huo Qinwu’s arrangements.
When they returned, they didn’t see Huo Qinwu at all.
Someone was waiting for them and had arranged their rooms: “It’s getting late. You two should rest early. If there’s anything, we can discuss it tomorrow.”
“Where is Little Seven?” Jiang Yan asked. “Where will Little Seven sleep?”
“He has a place to sleep.”
The person left with just this answer and didn’t chat further.
In a nearby room not too distant from Zhen Feng and Chen Zhou, the little one had finished his bath, was in his pajamas, and was soaking his feet.
He had told Huo Qinwu about his days, and Huo Qinwu, worried about the little one sleeping on the ground for several days, had prepared warm water with some herbs to soak his feet and ward off the cold.
“Ah Wu, I, I actually wanted to give you a surprise.”
The little one’s tender, chubby feet were soaking in the water. As he soaked his feet, they fidgeted a bit, so Huo Qinwu was holding his feet while listening to him.
“Now that you’ve seen me, are you surprised?”
The little one asked nervously, aware that his entrance might not have been the most surprising.
Huo Qinwu paused for a moment and then replied, “Quite surprised.”
Surprised to the point where he first doubted his ears, then his eyes, and almost questioned whether his brain was imagining things.
“It is a surprise.”
The little one caught on to the loophole in his words. His chubby feet squirmed a bit, trying to splash the water.
Huo Qinwu held his little feet and silently kept track of time.
After soaking for about half an hour, with the little one’s feet and body warmed up, Huo Qinwu squatted down, dried his chubby feet, and helped him get into bed.
“Ah Wu, you should soak your feet too.”
The little one, comfortably soaking in bed, wanted Huo Qinwu to enjoy the same.
Huo Qinwu didn’t have the habit of soaking his feet.
He glanced at the basin, added some more hot water, and used the same water the little one had used, soaking his feet for a while.
The little one didn’t think anything of this action.
In the past, when Ah Wu hunted, he would bring back food. His little teeth weren’t strong enough to tear it apart, so Ah Wu would do it, picking out the tenderest meat for him to eat.
After the little one was full, Huo Qinwu would eat the remaining meat.
After both had soaked their feet and were wearing matching pajamas, they laid down on the bed.
The little one was not at all sleepy.
He was still excited to see Ah Wu and hadn’t gotten over it yet.
“Ah Wu, you look so good as a human.”
The little one’s praises were repetitive, having said them countless times. He praised Ah Wu’s face and how amazing Ah Wu was, even mentioning the carriage.
Huo Qinwu didn’t take the little one’s praise too seriously.
But Huo Qinwu had taken note of everything Jiang Yan said and had mentally made a list. The names on the list represented how his little one had turned unlucky, and now, they would taste what it was like to be unlucky themselves.
“Little One.”
Huo Qinwu had finished making his list and started talking to the little one about serious matters: “There are many bad children here. Would you like to go back to school, return to the palace, or go to the capital’s palace school instead?”
It was rare for Huo Qinwu to say so much, but the words were meant to send the little one away.
The little one shook his head firmly: “No, Little One isn’t leaving.”
“Zai Zai, the badness here… it’s beyond your imagination. I can’t allow even the slightest mishap.”
He could protect the little one.
But this place, Guan Shan Residence, was new to him.
This place was different from other places in this world. It was very special and unconventional.
He was confident he could make do here, but he needed time.
Before he had firmly established himself in Guan Shan Residence, he didn’t want the little one here. It was like an uncharted territory where he couldn’t safely leave the little one.
His little one needed to live in a place he had marked.
Huo Qinwu said quite a bit, but the little one was stubbornly shaking his head, refusing to listen.
By the end, Huo Qinwu heard the little one in his arms murmur dazedly, “Ah Wu, I, I’m going to faint la!”
Huo Qinwu: “…”
In order to prevent him from shaking his head until he fainted, Huo Qinwu had no choice but to stop talking.
He fell silent and started rubbing the little one’s head.
The little one, as his head was being rubbed, slowly spoke up: “Ah Wu, I’m not leaving, no matter what.”
After making his declaration, the little one raised his soft, chubby face and emphasized, “Even if I can’t get a proper meal and have to sleep on the ground, I’m not leaving.”
He had made efforts for a year to get here!
The little one absolutely refused to leave, and Huo Qinwu could not knock him out and send him away.
“Forget it, we’ll discuss this later.”
Huo Qinwu covered his eyes and said softly, “Let’s sleep first.”
The little one obediently closed his eyes, holding onto Huo Qinwu’s much larger hand with both little hands.
He clung closely to Huo Qinwu, his affectionate posture showing just how much he wanted his Ah Wu.
Huo Qinwu wasn’t sleepy. He looked down at the little one, who was quickly falling asleep, and pondered a lot of things.
He was right earlier; the children sent here were generally not good.
So, a little soft bun like the little one would attract attention as soon as he arrived.
If the little one hadn’t happened to bump into him, Huo Qinwu had no doubt that his little one would have continued being a small victim for a while longer.
“Already so small… and starting to be rebellious.”
Huo Qinwu looked at the little one’s small head, his brow furrowing slightly. He had read in books from this world that children would become especially rebellious at a certain age.
But his little one was very young and shouldn’t be disobedient so soon.
His words were not heard by the sleeping little one.
Watching the little one cling to him as he slept, Huo Qinwu thought that the little one was still well-behaved.
The little one’s disobedience was just because he missed him.
That night, Huo Qinwu slept well.
The next morning, when he woke up, the little one who had been clinging to him had only one chubby foot still touching him.
The little one had turned around in his sleep, now with one chubby foot resting on Huo Qinwu’s chest.
Huo Qinwu held the little foot gently and placed it aside.
Morning had arrived.
It was time for him to get up and do some work.
The little one, having had his chubby foot moved, turned a bit grumpily and continued sleeping.
The little ones had all gotten so comfortable in bed that they were reluctant to get up.
In the office, Zhang San, who came early in the morning and found the door broken open and the little ones and their luggage missing, was utterly dumbfounded.
“D*mn it, how could it be stolen again!”
After the little ones’ money bags and luggage had been stolen, now even the little ones were gone?!
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