After returning to the villa, Su Huaiming resumed a life of never setting foot outside. When he felt he needed calcium, he went to the little garden next door to bask in the sun. Life was wonderfully comfortable.
The villa was so big that Fu Xiaoxiao couldn't cause trouble anywhere near him, and Su Huaiming was happy to have the peace and quiet.
That afternoon, Su Huaiming was sunbathing in the garden when he spotted a little tyke running toward him from a distance, waddling from side to side.
Several nannies were following him, running so hard they were out of breath.
Seeing this, Su Huaiming knew that little rascal Fu Xiaoxiao was up to mischief again.
Fu Xiaoxiao ran up to Su Huaiming, his cheeks flushed a healthy red and his eyes sparkling. "Where's my ducky?" he asked indistinctly.
"Your teeth?" Su Huaiming frowned. "Did you knock out your teeth when you fell?"
Seeing that Su Huaiming had actually accused him of knocking out his teeth, Fu Xiaoxiao puffed out his cheeks angrily and glared at him. "I'm very smart, okay? How could I knock out my teeth?"
"Then what do you want?" Su Huaiming asked.
"Ducky!" Fu Xiaoxiao drew a misshapen gourd in the air with his chubby little hand and imitated a duck's call. "Quack, quack, quack, quack..."
Only then did Su Huaiming understand. He turned to the butler. "Did Xiao Xiao just buy a duckling?"
The butler nodded and lowered his voice. "The young master went out to play earlier and bought a Call duck."
As soon as the butler finished speaking, a maid came running over, panting and carrying the Call duck.
The Call duck Fu Xiaoxiao had bought was exceptionally plump, with a round body and glossy, snow-white feathers. Its head swiveled nimbly from side to side, and its little black eyes gleamed with intelligence.
Fu Xiaoxiao's eyes lit up. He ran over at once, bouncing as he tried to pick up the Call duck.
The nanny had no choice but to dodge Fu Xiaoxiao's hands.
"Why won't you let Xiao Xiao play with the duck?" Su Huaiming asked, puzzled.
The butler sighed and explained, "The Call duck the young master chose has a fierce temper. It chases people and pecks at them."
"Why did you buy this one?" Su Huaiming asked in confusion. "Was it the only one in the shop?"
The butler gave a wry smile. "There were many Call ducks in the shop, and the owner warned us repeatedly that this one pecked people. But the young master insisted on buying it, and we couldn't persuade him otherwise, so we had to agree."
Su Huaiming nodded. He knew very well what Fu Xiaoxiao was like when he threw a tantrum, and the butler and the others couldn't stop him.
Su Huaiming called Fu Xiaoxiao over and said, "You can play with this Call duck, but I have to tell you first that it has a very fierce temper. It will peck you."
Fu Xiaoxiao confidently puffed out his chest and put his hands on his hips. "It's okay. I'm not scared!" he declared boldly.
Su Huaiming raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"
Fu Xiaoxiao nodded emphatically, as fearless as a newborn calf facing a tiger. "I'm sure!"
Su Huaiming nodded and turned to the nanny. "Put the duck down."
The butler and the nanny froze. They exchanged a glance, but neither moved.
Seeing how firm Su Huaiming was, the nanny hesitated for a few seconds before putting the duck down.
When Fu Xiaoxiao saw that he could finally play with the Call duck, his eyes lit up and he pounced, reaching out with a chubby little hand to touch its butt.
The butler was very worried when he saw this. "What if the Call duck pecks the young master?"
"It's all right. I already told him beforehand, and Xiao Xiao insisted on playing with it," Su Huaiming said calmly.
"If you love him, you have to respect him."
The butler: "..."
The Call duck's legs were thin, but its butt was exceptionally plump. It swayed as it walked, twisting its neck and head nimbly from side to side as it surveyed its new surroundings.
Fu Xiaoxiao crouched beside it and poked its butt. He liked how it felt so much that he forgot to be careful with his strength. One poke sent the Call duck off balance, and it staggered a few steps before falling to the ground.
Fu Xiaoxiao laughed happily at the sight, paying no attention to the Call duck's feelings.
The Call duck wagged its little tail and got back on its feet. It turned to look at Fu Xiaoxiao, a strange light flashing in its eyes.
Fu Xiaoxiao met the Call duck's gaze and abruptly stopped laughing.
"Quack—"
The Call duck wiggled its little butt and scraped its feet against the ground, then shot toward Fu Xiaoxiao like an arrow.
Fu Xiaoxiao nearly jumped out of his skin and instinctively ran back to get away.
As the Call duck ran, its plump little butt swayed with exaggerated flair, as though it might lose its balance at any moment. Yet it was exceptionally fast, chasing close behind Fu Xiaoxiao with a fierce glint in its eyes and its head stretched straight forward, as though it could peck his butt at any second.
Fu Xiaoxiao hadn't expected the Call duck to be so fierce. As he ran, he shouted, "Don't come over here! Stay away!"
Fu Xiaoxiao was a short-legged little tyke, and the Call duck was chubby. Somehow, the sight was very cute.
Su Huaiming paid no attention to Fu Xiaoxiao's pleas for mercy. He picked up his black tea and took a small sip.
The butler couldn't help laughing at the sight, but he still bowed his head and asked, "Should we rescue the young master?"
Su Huaiming paused. "He was the one who insisted on playing with the Call duck. How can he stop after only a little while?"
Fu Xiaoxiao needed to suffer a little for the lesson to sink in, or he would forget the pain once his wounds healed and go looking for the Call duck to play with again.
Fu Xiaoxiao ran blindly in panic, the wind blowing his soft, short hair into a very greasy-looking slicked-back style.
"Don't chase me! Stop chasing me!" Fu Xiaoxiao's voice was pitiful and edged with tears, a complete contrast to the tantrum he had thrown when he insisted on playing with the Call duck.
Seeing that no one was coming to rescue him, Fu Xiaoxiao instinctively ran toward Su Huaiming.
In his mind, although Su Huaiming was a bad stepfather who always bullied him, he was still just a little bit reliable.
Su Huaiming stared blankly as Fu Xiaoxiao barreled toward him. Before he could react, Fu Xiaoxiao leaped off the ground and landed in his arms.
Su Huaiming: "..."
Help! Help me!
Although Fu Xiaoxiao was young, with a chubby, soft body, his weight was still astonishing when he suddenly jumped into Su Huaiming's arms.
The Call duck's beady eyes gleamed fiercely. Without holding back, it charged straight over, aiming its bill at Fu Xiaoxiao's dangling butt. It looked as though it wanted to fly up and take a bite.
Seeing this, Su Huaiming cupped Fu Xiaoxiao's butt with his hand and lifted him up.
The Call duck missed Fu Xiaoxiao's butt. It turned its anger on the chair leg instead, pecking at it nonstop.
Su Huaiming could only huddle in the chair, afraid the Call duck would take its anger out on him. He held his feet up awkwardly, with a chubby Fu Xiaoxiao still in his arms.
Fu Xiaoxiao wrapped his little hands tightly around Su Huaiming's neck and pressed himself against him. Still shaken, he looked down at the Call duck and squirmed from side to side, afraid of being pecked.
Su Huaiming's face was turning nearly purple from being squeezed.
Cough, cough. He was running out of air.
Seeing Su Huaiming's complexion, the butler panicked and hurriedly told someone to carry the duck away. He also tried to take Fu Xiaoxiao down.
Fu Xiaoxiao had just started to move when he met the Call duck's gaze. His heart tightened, and he pressed down heavily on Su Huaiming again.
Su Huaiming sucked in a sharp breath under his weight, as though his life might end right there today.
The butler and the people around them were nearly scared to tears. They crowded around in a fluster and rescued Su Huaiming.
Freed from the weight of Fu Xiaoxiao pressing down on him like Mount Tai, Su Huaiming clutched his throat as fresh air rushed into his lungs. He coughed twice and turned to look at Fu Xiaoxiao, the little fellow who had nearly done his dad in.
Before he could confront him, he saw Fu Xiaoxiao's eyes light up. The boy ran toward the back in delighted surprise.
Su Huaiming looked in the direction he was heading and only then noticed that Fu Jingfan had returned at some point. He was standing not far away, watching him with a heavy gaze.
????
Su Huaiming hadn't expected to see Fu Jingfan even after hiding away in the villa.
Fu Xiaoxiao rushed over and hugged Fu Jingfan's long leg. Looking up at his father like a soft, filled gummy candy, he called out in his babyish voice, "Daddy, you're back!"
Fu Jingfan looked down at Fu Xiaoxiao without showing any tenderness, merely reaching out to pat his head.
Fu Xiaoxiao kept hugging Fu Jingfan's leg, determined to hang on to it.
Once Su Huaiming had recovered, he walked over too.
When Fu Xiaoxiao saw Su Huaiming, he suddenly remembered how the ducky had chased him in such a sorry state while Su Huaiming watched from the side. He immediately complained to Fu Jingfan, aggrieved, "Daddy, stepfather let ducky bully me!"
Su Huaiming: "..." You really know how to complain first when you're the one in the wrong!
Su Huaiming didn't show much emotion, but the butler grew anxious, wishing he could explain what had happened to Fu Jingfan immediately.
As though he had found someone to back him up, Fu Xiaoxiao hugged Fu Jingfan's leg with his soft little body and continued, "Stepfather always bullies me. He only gave me half an ice cream! He even made me work, but all the money was mine, and I bought chocolate for an old grandpa!"
"Stepfather also wore a mascot costume and fought with a dog that was mean to me. He was so childish! And when I was surrounded by pretty aunties, he didn't even rescue me. He's so bad!"
Fu Xiaoxiao's words didn't sound like complaints at all. Instead, they sounded like praise for Su Huaiming.
Taking advantage of the moment, the butler leaned close to Fu Jingfan's ear and explained what had just happened in a few concise words.
Fu Jingfan nodded slightly and waited until Fu Xiaoxiao had finished before saying, "Were you the one who wanted to play with the Call duck today?"
Fu Xiaoxiao obediently nodded. "Yes."
"Then did Su Huaiming tell you that this duck pecks people?"
"Yes."
"I've told you before that you have to take responsibility for your own decisions. Do you remember?"
"I remember."
"Then can you blame Su Huaiming for what happened today?"
"No." Fu Xiaoxiao shook his head very quickly, without a moment's hesitation.
Fu Jingfan nodded slightly. "Then you've falsely accused him. Shouldn't you apologize to him?"
"Yes." Fu Xiaoxiao immediately turned his head and said without missing a beat, "I'm sorry."
Su Huaiming was dumbfounded when he heard those words.
He hadn't expected Fu Xiaoxiao to have two faces at such a young age!
Su Huaiming couldn't reconcile the well-behaved little darling before him with the tantrum-throwing Fu Xiaoxiao. He couldn't help asking, "Why are you so obedient now? Didn't you always cry and throw tantrums before?"
Fu Xiaoxiao's face turned red with anger. He clenched his chubby little hands into fists and craned his neck as he said, "I never cried or threw tantrums!"
Su Huaiming snorted. "You did! I have lots of witnesses. They can all prove it!"
"No, I didn't! I didn't!" Trying to drown out Su Huaiming's voice, Fu Xiaoxiao strained up on tiptoe and spoke in a shrill voice.
"You did!" Su Huaiming's temper flared, and he refused to give an inch.