Returning to Infancy with my Nemesis - Chapter 50

It wasn’t until it was time to board the plane that Fu Shizhao was awakened by Tang Mian’s nudging. Half-awake, he gently rubbed his neck against Tang Mian’s, yawned, and looked up to see Tang Mian’s deliberately stern little face.

“Big brother~” Fu Shizhao’s voice still carried the drowsiness of just waking up, but the trailing tone was filled with coquetry.

He had originally just wanted to feign fear in Tang Mian’s arms to be comforted, but he didn’t expect the embrace to be so comfortable that he couldn’t resist falling asleep.

Blame it on him staying up a bit late last night and reviewing B country’s language for a while.

He had known early on that his mother was a mixed-race person from both Hua country and B country.

B country had a romantic atmosphere, a slow-paced lifestyle, and occupied a relatively small area on the map.

Unfortunately, in his previous life, he never had the chance to visit there for leisure. He only briefly stayed for work, and his exploration of the B country language was quite limited, given that it was a minor language and his energy was quite constrained.

He decided to learn the language of B country after everything had calmed down and spend some time there. He never had the chance to interact with relatives on his mother’s side in the previous life. His mother was indirectly harmed by the Fu family and her relatives were very resentful towards them. He visited his mother’s grave secretly a few times but hoped for a different outcome this time.

Looking into those gradually clear light brown eyes, Tang Mian stretched out an arm without hesitation, commanding, “We’re almost at our destination. You’ve almost numbed my hand. Give me a little massage.”

Immediately sitting up straight, Fu Shizhao obediently started massaging Tang Mian’s arm.

The six-year-old’s arms had shed their baby fat, becoming slender and fair. There was even a red string bracelet on his wrist.

Fu Shizhao wore an identical one on his wrist.

The red string was requested by Shen Siwan for good luck, without any profound meaning. They’ve been wearing it until now.

He knew that Tang Mian didn’t really like wearing decorations on his hands. It made him feel uncomfortable while drawing, but to please Shen Siwan, he always accommodated himself.

In the previous life, when Tang Mian was seventeen or eighteen, his hands were always clean, and his nails were neatly trimmed. He didn’t need any accessories; he looked good, especially when holding a paintbrush.

As Fu Shizhao massaged his arm, he indulged in his thoughts. Suddenly, the announcement saying that the plane about to land sounded in his ears.

It was currently Autumn in the B country, and as soon as they got off the plane, Tang Mian quickly zipped up the little coat he was wearing and supervised Fu Shizhao, who obediently zipped it up to his neck under his watchful eyes.

There was a significant temperature difference between the two places. Suddenly transitioning from summer to autumn, it was easy to catch a cold without proper warmth.

Tang Mian didn’t want to get sick in a foreign country. It would be too tough to endure.

—

B country’s representative was waiting for them at the airport and treated Old Lady Fu very politely.

Instead of going directly to the “official business” in B country, Old Lady Fu followed the representative to the pre-booked five-star hotel.

Sitting in the car, Tang Mian opened the window to enjoy the breeze. His soft hair took on the shape of the wind, and his eyes were filled with warm colors.

As an art student, Tang Mian was particularly sensitive to colors. After looking for a while, he felt an itch in his hands.

If he, at seventeen or eighteen, had come here in his previous life, he could have spent a whole day sitting in the dry grass, listening to the sound of falling leaves and painting on his canvas.

This time, he brought only a small tablet for drawing, which was locked in a small suitcase.

“The teacher said there’s a fun square here, and there’s a very effective wishing fountain inside.” Suddenly, Fu Shizhao rested his chin on Tang Mian’s right shoulder and looked at the scenery outside together with him.

Tang Mian usually disliked people talking in his right ear, but he didn’t mind when Fu Shizhao did it. Every time Fu Shizhao spoke into his right ear, he instinctively slowed down his pace, making it very comfortable for Tang Mian.

Fu Shizhao has many teachers, each a top figure in their respective fields. It’s normal for some teachers to be familiar with B country.

Tang Mian turned his head slightly, and his cheek inadvertently brushed against Fu Shizhao’s forehead. He asked, “So, are we going to play tonight?”

Although he knew that this trip to B country was likely to meet the relatives on Fu Shizhao’s mother’s side, Old Lady Fu only mentioned taking them abroad for half a month and didn’t provide many details.

Fu Shizhao squinted his eyes and said, “Sure, I heard the largest fountain only erupts on weekends.”

Today happened to be Saturday.

The airport was quite far from the hotel, and the group took a long ride before arriving.

In addition to Fu Yu and the housekeeper, there were also a few bodyguards traveling with them. After all, Old Lady Fu was old, and there were two six-year-old children, so safety was crucial.

Old Lady Fu knew the language of B country and chatted with the welcoming party with a smile.

Tang Mian couldn’t understand a word of the B country language, so he held Fu Shizhao’s hand, staying close to him absentmindedly and casually observing the surroundings.

The conditions at the five-star hotel were excellent, and they booked three rooms connected to each other.

In one room stayed Mrs. Fu, in another, Fu Yu with the two children, and the third was occupied by the group of bodyguards.

One of the bodyguards was fluent in the language of B country and had been instructed by Mrs. Fu to accompany them whenever they went out, so Tang Mian wasn’t too concerned.

Following the waiter to their room with a small suitcase in hand, Tang Mian opened his luggage and began organizing its contents. Fu Shizhao also opened his suitcase, taking the opportunity to sneak a glance at Tang Mian’s belongings.

Fu Shizhao immediately noticed a cat-shaped doll with a small strawberry decoration on its head – the first doll he had given Tang Mian over two years ago.

Fu Shizhao’s eyes showed a subtle emotion.

He knew Tang Mian was attached to his stuffed animals; whether staying overnight somewhere else or living in a dormitory, Tang Mian would always bring a familiar doll, believing it improved the quality of his sleep. Everyone has their own soothing object, which is perfectly normal.

Fu Shizhao lowered his eyelashes slightly. As for what his soothing object was… the answer to it was pretty self-evident.

Shen Siwan had packed many autumn clothes into Tang Mian’s suitcase, fearing he might catch a cold here. After rummaging for a while, Tang Mian finally pulled out his small tablet.

This tablet was a reward from his mother when he got the big red flower in kindergarten. She thought it was pitiful that he always borrowed his brother’s tablet to draw.

Along with the tablet, Tang Mian had also bought a stylus pen, and he would draw on it every day. At first, his mother was strict about limiting his tablet usage, but as she noticed he had developed good habits and wasn’t overly obsessed, she stopped regulating it so strictly.

Possibly due to his early hearing impairment, Tang Mian had always taken good care of the other organs in his body. Losing hearing in one ear was already difficult enough, and his family was especially attentive to his needs.

With the tablet in one hand and the cat doll in the other, Tang Mian sat on the soft bed, making a video call to his mother.

The room had two large beds, obviously – one for Fu Yu, and one for him and Fu Shizhao.

As the call connected, Fu Shizhao had just finished packing his suitcase and took a seat beside Tang Mian.

“Have you arrived? Did you have lunch at the hotel? Is it cold?” Shen Siwan’s face appeared on the screen, and based on the background, she seemed to be in a garden, likely documenting plant shots.

Tang Mian nodded and shook his head, “We’ve arrived, haven’t had lunch yet, changed into warmer clothes, not cold.”

“So, how did you feel while flying?” Shen Siwan smiled, asking about the flight experience.

Tang Mian raised his arm, casually glanced at Fu Shizhao beside him, and replied with a hint of meaning, “My hand got sore.”

Shen Siwan tilted her head in confusion, “Was the seat uncomfortable? Did it press against you?”

Tang Mian lightly hummed, “It pressed against me.”

Fu Shizhao knew he was teasing himself and conscientiously began massaging his arm.

Seeing their little interaction, Shen Siwan’s smile widened slightly, “Move your arm around a bit. Be more careful in the future.”

Just then, another voice came from the phone, and Shen Siwan quickly responded to the person.

Tang Mian knew his mom had to get back to work and politely ended the call. He patted his empty stomach and said, “Zhao Zhao and I are going to eat. We’re so hungry.”

“Okay, eat well. Take some pictures for Mom after you’re full,” Shen Siwan said.

After ending the call, Tang Mian, who was busy packing, said, “Grandma said she ordered some food, and it will be delivered to the room in a while.”

Tang Mian listened and then opened the drawing app on his tablet, bowing his head to sketch a simple drawing.

Fu Shizhao obediently sat beside him, watching him draw.

Although the lines were simple and childish, it was evident that Tang Mian had a good foundation, and his hand was steady, showing no signs of shaking.

As Tang Mian filled in the lines with color blocks, Fu Shizhao noticed that he was drawing the autumn scenery outside the window.

“Brother, you draw so beautifully,” Fu Shizhao praised without reservation.

Tang Mian smiled and continued his drawing, teasing, “Sing a song for me.”

Fu Shizhao cooperatively hummed a song.

Tang Mian quickly realized that something was “off” with this song. It wasn’t in Mandarin, nor was it in English, but it sounded more like… B-country language.

Tang Mian paused his drawing and asked, “What song is this?”

“The teacher taught me; it’s a B-country nursery rhyme,” Fu Shizhao obediently answered.

Just then, the doorbell of the room rang.

It seemed that the hotel had delivered their lunch, and Fu Yu hurriedly walked over to answer the door.

But after a while, Fu Yu still hadn’t returned, and there were two mismatched conversations outside the door.

Tang Mian could only understand what Fu Yu was saying.

Fu Yu said, “Excuse me, did you deliver the wrong order? My child is allergic to mangoes, so there shouldn’t be any dishes with mango.”

The waiter’s voice also carried some confusion and bewilderment as he responded in the language of B-country.

The two parties remained in a stalemate.

The bilingual bodyguard who spoke B-country’s language was not in their room but in the room next door.

Just as Fu Yu was hesitating whether to quickly call the bodyguard over, two small figures came to his side. Immediately, Fu Shizhao began to communicate with the waiter in B-country’s language.

Tang Mian had long known that Grandma Fu had hired a B-country language teacher for Fu Shizhao a few years ago. He just didn’t expect that Fu Shizhao could already communicate so smoothly, even though his B-country language wasn’t particularly standard. Tang Mian couldn’t help but be a little surprised.

After exchanging a few sentences with the child, who spoke B-country’s language fairly well, the waiter bowed again to confirm and replied, “No mistake, this is indeed the meal for this room.”

Fu Shizhao was also somewhat puzzled. Since being forced by Fu Ruoyang to eat mangoes and ending up in the hospital a few years ago, there had been no mention of anything related to mangoes in the old house.

Usually, ordering meals is a task handled by the housekeeper, and the housekeeper wouldn’t forget about it.

At that moment, another waiter pushing a food cart approached, checked their room number, and confirmed that the food on his cart was indeed for their room.

The food on this cart seemed much more “reasonable.” Tang Mian tiptoed to take a look and found various strawberry-flavored desserts that he loved.

As for the previous waiter’s cart, while the food was abundant, it seemed more like a random selection of expensive items. Aside from a large mango, there was also an exceptionally large durian wrapped up tightly.

Two sets of meals.

And there was another set; who ordered that?

The housekeeper from the next room and Grandma Fu walked out upon hearing the commotion. It didn’t take them long to understand the situation. The housekeeper explained to Fu Yu and Grandma Fu, “It’s a gesture from the ‘host.’ Take away the mango, and keep the rest.”

Fu Yu nodded after a moment of hesitation, returned the mango and the large durian, and didn’t ask any more questions. Tang Mian blinked in surprise.

The term “host” likely referred to someone from Fu Shizhao’s mother’s side of the family.

Tang Mian didn’t think too much about it and, after returning to the room, enjoyed the first lunch in B-country with Fu Shizhao and Uncle Fu.

If it was indeed someone from Fu Shizhao’s mother’s side of the family, it was good news. At least it was evident that they valued Fu Shizhao.

However, Fu Shizhao still didn’t know his true identity. He believed that Fu Yu was his father, and Fu Yu was Grandma Fu’s grandson. They were brought back to the Fu family together.

The people on that side likely considered Fu Shizhao’s ability to accept such information at his young age and feared that he might not be able to handle it all at once. Grandma Fu could have chosen to wait until he was a bit older to reveal the truth. However, she unexpectedly brought Fu Shizhao to B-country at this moment, and Tang Mian wondered about the reason behind this decision.

Tang Mian wasn’t well-informed about the matters concerning Fu Shizhao’s mother’s side of the family. The superficial knowledge he had gained was mainly from the previous life when Fu Shizhao took over the Fu family, and rumors and information about him were everywhere. Tang Mian couldn’t help but glance at some of it, including details about his parents’ generation.

———

Fu Shizhao had already slept for quite a while on the plane, so he wasn’t sleepy now. He sat quietly on the bed, reading the book he brought with him.

When Tang Mian woke up, he curiously snuggled into Fu Shizhao’s arms, took a glance at the content of the book he was holding, then closed his eyes in pain and continued to enjoy a little more sleep.

Although he had confidently declared that he would regain his authority and help Fu Shizhao with his homework after he started primary school, it seemed that he might not be able to tutor Fu Shizhao after all.

Fu Shizhao was truly a formidable person.

In this life, Tang Mian had received much better resources from an early age, much more than in the previous life. It was uncertain whether he could even keep up with Fu Shizhao in primary school, let alone tutoring him.

Aware of the furry head that continued to sleep in his arms, Fu Shizhao’s eyes gently curved. He closed the competition book without continuing to read and softly asked, “Does big brother want to go to the little square to play?”

Half-awake Tang Mian instantly raised his little head, asking, “What time is it?”

“It’s three o’clock,” Fu Shizhao obediently replied. [t/n : 3 o’clock in the noon.]

Tang Mian rubbed his eyes and sat up, asking, “Do you want to go to the small square now?”

He slept for so long… blame it on the soft hotel bed.

A stroll would be good, and they could have dinner there, then watch the fountain at night. They invited the next-door Granny Fu, and the group headed towards the small square.

Probably, Fu Shizhao had informed Granny Fu about the small square in advance. Since the five-star hotel chosen by Granny Fu was very close to the square, they didn’t take a taxi but walked there, chatting and laughing.

The small square was named after a flower whose name Tang Mian had never heard before. He silently noted down the name of this flower, planning to ask his mother about it later.

On Saturday, the small square was crowded with people, lively and bustling. Tang Mian, feeling a bit insecure, tightly held Fu Shizhao’s little hand, fearing they would get separated.

 The ground was covered with many fallen leaves, the ones that had dropped from the tall trees in the greenery area. Walking on them produced a rustling sound, and Tang Mian stepped on them happily.

Fu Shizhao smiled, holding his hand securely, afraid he might stumble on something or accidentally step on a small stone and fall.

In the previous life, Tang Mian liked stepping on fallen leaves and walking along the edge of the greenery area. He was afraid of falling, so he always held Fu Shizhao’s arm. Suddenly, a voice accompanied by a guitar drifted into everyone’s ears.

It was a young man singing in a corner of the small square.

He seemed to be about twenty years old, the young man seemed to be a college student.

In the previous life, when Tang Mian went to college, he occasionally got dragged out by roommates to have fun and saw many college students singing on the street. He even gave them some tips.

Tang Mian excitedly led Fu Shizhao towards the direction of the street singer. At the same time, he silently imagined Fu Shizhao in the future, carrying a guitar and singing.

He really wanted to see that.

Although many people passed by the young man, there weren’t many who stopped to listen. However, the small box in front of him was not empty. Presumably, people didn’t want to block the scenery.

Tang Mian quickly took out a few coins from his pocket and put them into the small box.

The coins were given by the butler, exchanged for the local currency of B country. Both he and Fu Shizhao had some, just in case. The young man paused his singing, smiled, and said something to Tang Mian, which he couldn’t understand.

Fu Shizhao, very considerate, translated for him: “He said ‘thank you’ to big brother.”

Tang Mian nodded, feeling very good. He said to Fu Shizhao, “When you grow up, you can come and sing too, and then buy strawberries for me to eat.” Granny Fu and Fu Yu found Tang Mian’s words amusing.

Unlike his usual straightforward agreement, Fu Shizhao’s gaze returned to the young man carrying the guitar. The song had already ended.

As the last line of the lyrics was sung, Fu Shizhao stepped forward and started conversing with the young man in the language of B country. Tang Mian couldn’t understand, but soon the young man adjusted the height of the microphone for Fu Shizhao and began searching for a new song on his phone, testing a few notes.

Fu Shizhao silently counted the beats, and the familiar melody soon emerged through the microphone from the nearby speakers. It was the song Fu Shizhao had sung to him at the hotel, but now with added music, making it even more enjoyable.

Artistic talents ran in their family. Although Tang Mian didn’t understand music or the language of B country, he could sense the emotions in the song and visualize some gentle scenes in his mind.

More people stopped to listen, and more coins were thrown into the box. Although they were all small denominations, it felt very rewarding.

Suddenly, a furry back rubbed against Tang Mian’s hand, and he instinctively tilted his head to take a look. It was an adult Samoyed, pure white and looking quite charming.

However, Tang Mian didn’t casually pet someone else’s dog. Instead, he continued to focus his gaze on Fu Shizhao, earnestly listening to the song he was singing.

When they were about to leave, the young man with the guitar took some coins from the small box and handed them to Fu Shizhao. With a smile, he said in broken Chinese, “For… your younger brother… to buy strawberries.”

It seemed like he was a Chinese language enthusiast and even heard Tang Mian’s playful remark to Fu Shizhao earlier. Tang Mian suddenly felt a bit embarrassed and hastily took Fu Shizhao’s hand, escaping from the scene. The young man’s song echoed behind them once again, and Tang Mian’s steps became much lighter.

They thought everything would smoothly progress until they watched the fountain in the dark. However, an unexpected incident occurred.

Tang Mian got lost.

He didn’t know how he got lost, only remembering that Fu Shizhao had gone to the restroom with Fu Yu, and he was enjoying the strawberry candied haws that Fu Shizhao had bought for him with the coins they earned.

Perhaps due to the darkness, the crowd in the square grew larger. A bright moon hung in the sky, similar to the moon in their home country.

The fountain performance was about to begin, and standing within sight of the bodyguards, Tang Mian curiously looked around at various stalls. Suddenly, he was pushed by the surging crowd. To avoid being trampled, Tang Mian had no choice but to go along with the flow of people.

When he finally stopped, Tang Mian realized he wasn’t far from the original spot. Torn between waiting for them to find him and trying to find his way back based on his memory, Tang Mian chose the latter.

Feeling that the surroundings were becoming more unfamiliar, Tang “Directionally Challenged” Mian decided never to trust his sense of direction again.

He quickly stopped, tightly gripping the candied haw stick in his hand.

Tang Mian didn’t wear a phone watch; he had taken it off when drawing in the hotel because he found it uncomfortable. Although he noticed it when leaving, he decided not to put it back on.

He just didn’t like wearing things on his hands.

Although Tang Mian knew he would be found eventually, he felt helpless. The surroundings were filled with unfamiliar faces, unfamiliar words, and an unfamiliar language. He couldn’t even ask for help. His eyes began to redden.

Suddenly, a “whimpering” sound came from beside him, and then something soft nudged him.

It was a familiar Samoyed, the one he saw at the singing spot.

“Is it Mian Mian?” the owner of the Samoyed asked.

****

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