Chapter 9

On the way back to the Lu residence, Father Lu received a video call from Lu Shenyuan.

Since he had not been sure whether Lu Yao would return to the Lu family, Father Lu had not told Lu Shenyuan that they had found Lu Yao. But once Lu Yao agreed to return, Father Lu naturally shared the good news with Lu Shenyuan and Second Uncle Lu.

Lu Yao happened to be sitting beside Father Lu, so he was also captured in the video while Father Lu was talking to Lu Shenyuan.

Before Father Lu and Lu Shenyuan had exchanged more than a few words, Lu Shenyuan said directly, "Big Brother, I didn't call you to chat. I'm here to say hello to my little nephew."

Lu Shenyuan was currently abroad, and because of the time difference, it was evening in China while it was noon where he was. He had waited all morning just to call Lu Yao after they got off the plane.

Father Lu turned to Lu Yao beside him and asked, "Would you like to talk to your uncle for a bit?"

Lu Yao took the phone from Father Lu.

On the other end of the video call, Lu Shenyuan was wearing his club's black-and-gold team uniform. The moment he saw Lu Yao, he smiled and said, "My little nephew is really handsome. He clearly got his looks from me."

Lu Yao: "..."

Lu Yao naturally recognized Lu Shenyuan, but was the legendary aloof God Lu really like this in private?

Lu Shenyuan said, "I heard you play Heroes' Glory too? Once your uncle finishes his matches and gets back home, we can play a few rounds together. Oh, right, your brother Lu Qi is such a noob. Let's not bring him along when we queue."

Lu Yao: "..."

Lu Qi was in the car too, so naturally he heard what Lu Shenyuan said. He protested indignantly, "That's not fair! Uncle, what gives you the right to decide for Lu Yao? Maybe he likes playing with me!"

Lu Shenyuan scoffed. Just as he was about to snap back at Lu Qi, a shout suddenly came from behind him. "Captain, there are only five minutes left before the practice match starts!"

Lu Shenyuan turned around and cursed toward the source of the voice, "Hurry, hurry, hurry—hurry your damn head!"

I don't even have time to call my own nephew. This life is no life for a human being.

After being yelled at by Lu Shenyuan, Bai Mao muttered pitifully under his breath, "I knew I'd be the unlucky one. I said I didn't want to come call the captain, but those bastards shoved me out anyway." This club was impossible to stay in.

Lu Shenyuan's teammates all knew that he had been waiting for an important call today, but the practice match really was about to begin. Bai Mao had lost at rock-paper-scissors, so the coach and the other three teammates had pushed him out to rush their demon king of a captain.

Lu Shenyuan turned back around as if he had changed faces and said with a smile, "Xiao Yao, is there anything you want? Your uncle will bring you a gift when I return home."

Lu Yao said, "Anything is fine."

Lu Shenyuan scratched his head. "Then I'll give you something related to Heroes' Glory. You happen to like the game too."

Seeing that Lu Shenyuan had things to do, Father Lu said, "Go take care of your business first. We'll have a proper chat once you're back home."

Lu Shenyuan could only hang up reluctantly.

By the time Father Lu and the others returned to the Lu residence, it was already late.

"Xiao Yao, this is your room. If you don't like this decorating style, tell Mom and I'll change it to something you like." Madam Li pushed open the door as she spoke to Lu Yao over her shoulder.

Lu Yao said, "This is already fine."

Hearing that Lu Yao had no objections, Madam Li smiled. "That's good. Rest up first, then. Mom won't disturb you. Good night."

Lu Yao opened his mouth, but he still could not easily say the word "Mom." He could only reply stiffly, "Good night."

Seeing Lu Yao's slight helplessness, Madam Li's eyes were full of tenderness. She patted Lu Yao's shoulder. "It's okay. There's no rush."

Although she dearly wanted to hear him call her "Mom" with her own ears, she did not want to put pressure on Lu Yao. Perhaps because of the bond between mother and son, Madam Li could understand the complicated feelings this child had toward them.

Madam Li thoughtfully closed the door for Lu Yao.

Lu Yao looked around the room. It was very spacious, with a private bathroom, walk-in closet, and separate balcony. Beyond the balcony lay a beautiful view of the lake.

Lu Yao walked onto the balcony and called Grandpa Bai.

"Hello, Grandpa Bai. I'm here."

Lu Qi's room was right next to Lu Yao's, and it also had a balcony. Therefore, Lu Qi could hear Lu Yao's call outside perfectly clearly from his own room.

Hearing the gentleness in Lu Yao's voice as he spoke to Grandpa Bai on the other end of the call, Lu Qi knew that the old man was an elder who had watched Lu Yao grow up. Even so, he could not help feeling a little sour and jealous. Hmph, he was gentler and more considerate toward an outsider than toward his own biological brother.

Lu Yao had no idea about Lu Qi's complicated feelings next door. After calling Grandpa Bai to let him know he was safe, he took some clothes from his suitcase and went to wash up.

After washing up, Lu Yao opened his suitcase and planned to put away his clothes.

After hanging up all his clothes in the walk-in closet, Lu Yao lay down on the bed to rest. Once he turned off the lights, he noticed that the box in the bottom compartment of the bedside cabinet was fluorescent and extremely conspicuous in the darkness.

Lu Yao turned the light back on and pulled the box out from underneath.

Lu Yao saw several crooked words written on the outside of the box: "Message Box for the Baby." So these were messages they had left for him as a child?

Curious, Lu Yao reached into the cardboard box and pulled out a crumpled ball of paper.

He unfolded it and saw crooked writing on it: "I hope the baby grows up quickly. I want to go to kindergarten with the baby."

Lu Yao did not even need to guess. This crumpled paper had definitely been stuffed in by Lu Qi when he was in kindergarten. Combined with the handwriting on the cardboard box, it seemed that this box had been Lu Qi's idea.

"Today, that old witch of a Chinese teacher made us write an essay. The topic was 'My.' I wrote 'My Little Brother.' That old witch actually said I was lying and said I didn't have a little brother. I'm so mad. Once I have money, I'll buy this elementary school and tell that old witch I wasn't lying."

"Today's sky was especially beautiful. The clouds were as white as cotton candy."

Just when Lu Yao thought the next slip of paper would contain more of Lu Qi's childish words, he saw Madam Li's handwriting.

"Today, I changed the wallpaper in your room. Mom thought that since you're already fifteen, you might find the old style too childish, so I changed it to this starry-sky theme. I wonder if you'll like it."

Lu Yao looked up and scanned the room. It was obvious at a glance that the room had been carefully designed and considered. Lu Yao could not imagine what Madam Li had been feeling when she designed this room for him without knowing whether he was dead or alive.

"Today is your birthday. Did you eat cake? Mom bought a slice of cake today, but the more I ate, the more it tasted sweet to the point of bitterness. Mom will never buy cake from that shop again."

This cardboard box seemed to have become a secret tree hollow for the three of them. Perhaps because they felt they would never receive a response, they had shed their disguises and burdens within this hollow.

"Although that child today wasn't you, when Dad saw him, he suddenly wondered whether you might have grown as tall as him by now. That brat Lu Qi will probably be taller than me in another year or two."

"News came from Mountain City, so Dad is going there to take a look today. Although the hope is slim, Dad always feels that you seem to be somewhere, waiting for us to come pick you up..."

Because of the recent string of events, Father Lu and Madam Li had forgotten that this cardboard box was still in Lu Yao's room, so they had left it here.

In the pitch-black room, Lu Yao lay on the bed with his eyes open, staring at the ceiling. His gaze was deep as though he were pondering something.

The next morning, sunlight streaming in through the window woke Lu Yao.

After washing up, Lu Yao went downstairs.

Madam Li was already sitting at the dining table, holding Lu Yao's little kitten in her arms and feeding it the cat food the housekeeper had carefully prepared for it with a loving expression.

When she saw Lu Yao, Madam Li could not help smiling. She said gently, "Good morning, Yao Yao. Did you sleep well last night?"

Although Father Lu and Madam Li had originally named Lu Yao Lu Yang, he had used the name Lu Yao for so many years. His adoptive father also happened to have the surname Lu, and the character "Yao" carried the meaning of sunlight as well, so Lu Yao kept the name.

Hearing Madam Li call his name so intimately, Lu Yao froze for a moment. The tips of his ears, hidden beneath his black hair, instantly turned red.

He pressed his lips together. Thinking of what he had read the previous night, he said in a slightly awkward, low voice, "Good morning... Mom."

Lu Yao deliberately lowered that "Mom" so much that even the sound was blurred, but to Madam Li, it rang like thunder.

Her expression went dazed for a moment. When she noticed Lu Yao's shyness, she immediately concealed the countless complicated emotions in her heart.

She knew that if her reaction was too obvious, it would only make the child more uncomfortable. Therefore, Madam Li merely smiled and nodded, saying calmly, "Sit down and have breakfast. Your father has work to deal with at the company today, so he already ate breakfast and went in." Although it was National Day, Father Lu had accumulated too much work recently and had to spend time handling it.

Lu Yao took the seat beside Madam Li and lifted the milk on the table, taking a sip to moisten his dry throat.

Lu Yao lowered his eyes to look at the glass in his hand. Strawberry milk?

As if he had developed a taste for it, he took another sip.

While teasing the little kitten in her arms, Madam Li watched Lu Yao eat breakfast with smiling eyes and chatted with him easily.

Just as Lu Yao was nearly done with breakfast, Lu Qi finally showed up at the dining table.

After greeting Madam Li and Lu Yao, Lu Qi sat down at the table.

The moment he saw the milk in the glass on the table, Lu Qi curled his lip and said disdainfully, "Why did Auntie prepare strawberry milk again? We're not elementary school students anymore. Who would like something as childish as strawberry milk?!"

Elementary school student? Childish?

Lu Yao lowered his eyes and glanced at the completely empty glass in front of him.

Hearing Lu Qi complain, Madam Li said directly, "Since it's already been poured, you have to finish it. Don't waste it."

After grumbling unhappily a few times, Lu Qi still pinched his nose, picked up the glass, and gulped down the milk as though he were drinking traditional medicine, his expression full of disgust.

What a waste of something good!

Lu Yao lowered his gaze, thinking of that phrase.

After Lu Yao called her Mom earlier, Madam Li could not resist secretly showing off in the family chat to Lu Qi and Father Lu.

Father Lu's reaction was still unknown, but when Lu Qi learned about it after getting up, he had become jealous. That brat had not even called him "Brother" yet.

While eating breakfast, Lu Qi pretended to chat casually with Madam Li. From time to time, he deliberately made noises to draw Lu Yao's attention. But even after he dawdled through breakfast, he still did not get to hear Lu Yao call him brother.

Seeing Lu Yao stand up, Lu Qi still held onto a bit of hope and secretly looked at him from the corner of his eye. Who knew Lu Yao would fail to notice the expectation hidden in his gaze and simply leave the table.

Madam Li was perceptive enough to see through Lu Qi's little scheme. Smiling, she patted Lu Qi on the shoulder and walked away as well, leaving Lu Qi sitting alone at the table.

He was furious. He was the older brother, and he was two years older than Lu Yao! Just wait. Sooner or later, he would make that brat call him Brother wholeheartedly.