The noisy chatter of children around made Tang Mian’s already complicated mood even more so.

Despite talking on the phone with him every day, Fu Shizhao was secretly calling someone else “big brother” and even giving them gifts, rapidly advancing their relationship.

And he had only been away for a few days?

He worried about Fu Shizhao being alone and afraid, picky with food, and having trouble sleeping in kindergarten while he was abroad. He spent every day comforting him and even carefully selecting gifts for him, but in the end…

Tang Mian felt like a pitiful person who had been emotionally betrayed, and Fu Shizhao was the unfaithful scumbag.

Tang Mian lightly bit his lip and tightly gripped the candy skewer in his small hand.

When he got off the bus, he had specially bought a candy skewer outside the school gate, planning to share it with Fu Shizhao, Mu Zichen, and a few other kids in the class who were close to him.

But now…

Tang Mian decided to find a place where no one was around and eat the candy skewer alone. “You guys can go ahead,” he said to the others, as he walked away with the candy skewer.

Just as Tang Mian was about to turn around and leave, a voice full of surprise suddenly rang out: “Big brother!” Immediately, a tight set of footsteps rushed towards him.

Before Tang Mian could react, Fu Shizhao had already hugged him tightly.

Fu Shizhao didn’t seem as thin as when he left; he had gained some weight and pounced on him like a little puppy. It seemed that he had indeed been eating well and drinking milk these days.

Tang Mian pursed his lips and looked at Mu Zichen and the other children who were following closely behind with excitement. He also remembered the hug that Fu Shizhao had given Mu Zichen earlier.

“When did you come back, big brother?” Fu Shizhao let go of Tang Mian and took his other hand, not noticing anything wrong.

Hearing the familiar “big brother” from Fu Shizhao’s mouth, Tang Mian took a deep breath and silently told himself – Tang Mian, you’re already an adult, not a three or four-year-old child. There’s no need to be so concerned about what someone calls you or how they treat others. It’s Fu Shizhao’s freedom to call whoever he wants “big brother,” give gifts to whomever he likes, or hug whomever he wants.

Adults… adults are really fragile. Tang Mian lightly bit his lip.

This little heartless Fu Shizhao… why does he call everyone “big brother”? He had been good to him for so long, why should Mu Zichen, who he had only known for a few days, receive the same treatment as him?

It was like a puppy that had been fed for a long time. It used to be fierce with everyone else, only sticking to you, allowing only you to pet its head, and wagging its tail only for you. Then, one day, someone else suddenly appeared, someone who hadn’t put in nearly as much effort as you but was now receiving the same treatment.

Thinking about the scene he had just witnessed; Tang Mian’s feeling of unfairness was almost overflowing. Fu Shizhao finally noticed that Tang Mian wasn’t feeling right and cautiously asked, “Big brother?” But Tang Mian took a step back and let go of his hand, sternly asking, “Who are you calling ‘big brother’?”

In his previous life, he didn’t have the courage to question the 17- or 18-year-old Fu Shizhao. But this time, facing the three- or four-year-old Fu Shizhao, he wouldn’t hold back. The empty-handed Fu Shizhao was momentarily stunned but quickly figured out what was happening. He glanced at the equally bewildered Mu Zichen and the others and probably found the answer.

Tang Mian probably saw the little play they were rehearsing with these kids just now. He played a role in it, and he and Mu Zichen were supposed to be brothers, which explained their interaction.

Tang Mian must have misunderstood something.

Fu Shizhao tried to suppress his inner helplessness and amusement, then took Tang Mian’s hand again, answering sincerely, “You’re my only big brother.”

Tang Mian thought he was pretending; he had seen everything.

Just then, Teacher Tu noticed the commotion and walked over, pleasantly surprised. She didn’t notice anything amiss and patted Tang Mian’s head, saying, “Mian Mian is back! Do you want to join in the play? Everyone has new roles and lines to say.”

… Play?

Tang Mian finally realized what had happened. Could it be that they were acting out a play just now?

Fu Shizhao hadn’t actually considered Mu Zichen as his brother. Everything Tang Mian had seen was just part of a script.

Fu Shizhao took Tang Mian’s momentary daze in stride and smiled, saying, “Little Chen, can you switch roles? Give your big brother’s role to my big brother.” Mu Zichen naturally had no objections.

Although they called it a play, it was essentially just children playing house, without any strict rules. Roles could be changed freely, and the goal was to improve their language skills.

Soon, Tang Mian was guided to the area where the kids were playing earlier and received his own script, designated as “big brother” (older brother). The script was just a sheet of paper with cartoon doodles and a few lines, each with pinyin annotations. Mu Zichen kindly taught Tang Mian how to read the lines since he was worried that Tang Mian might not know Chinese characters or pinyin.

Before long, Tang Mian also received a hug from Fu Shizhao. Unlike the hug Fu Shizhao had given Mu Zichen earlier, this time Fu Shizhao was hugging Tang Mian while delivering his lines.

“Big brother, do you like the gift?”

After saying this, Fu Shizhao didn’t let go and gently rested Tang Mian’s head on his shoulder.

Thinking of his lines from the script, Tang Mian answered in a daze, “I like it. It’s the best gift I’ve ever received.”

His recitation of the lines felt as awkward as singing off-key.

Just like Tang Mian’s current mood.

So embarrassing.

He had made such a big mistake.

Luckily, nobody had noticed.

After the “performance,” Tang Mian hesitantly shared his candied apples with the children around him. He sneakily gave the biggest one to Fu Shizhao.

The candied apples were sweet and sour, a delightful treat that the kids loved.

Fu Shizhao naturally noticed Tang Mian’s little gesture and was delighted. He took a bite of the biggest candy apple. Tang Mian cared about him.

He was very happy.

But he hoped this kind of misunderstanding would only happen once and never again. Not every mistake could be discovered, and many misunderstandings would turn into insurmountable obstacles or even estrangement.

In this life, he didn’t want any misunderstandings or gaps to form between him and Tang Mian.

After finishing the candy apple, a cute little girl wearing a lovely dress approached Tang Mian with a script in her hand and said with a smile, “Mian Mian, this is for you.”

She was the little girl who had a newborn baby brother at home and had given Tang Mian a Barbie doll earlier. Her name was Cheng Ruan, and she wanted Tang Mian to teach her how to draw.

Tang Mian received the script, puzzled. Before he could lower his head to read the lines, Cheng Ruan suddenly held his hand and happily declared, “Hehe, now you’re my boyfriend.”

Tang Mian:  “…?”

Fu Shizhao: “….?!”

This chapter is weirdly short!