Returning to Infancy with my Nemesis - Chapter 53

When Xu Qingying left, she had already completed all her assignments under Fu Shizhao’s guidance, leaving the Xu family shocked.

In fact, the Xu family didn’t have strict expectations for Xu Qingying’s grades. They just wanted her to do her best, especially since she was only in elementary school. It was early, and there was no need to put too much pressure on her, especially considering her interest in sports. Following that path in the future would be great.

However, this was the first time Xu Qingying had completed her homework so thoroughly, and with such a high level of accuracy. Fu Shizhao even checked some math problems she had written earlier, found the mistakes, and corrected them.

The Xu family couldn’t help but look at Fu Shizhao with new emotions.

Xu Zhen blinked quickly, afraid that tears might fall.

Fu Shizhao’s intelligence probably had a genetic component from his mother.

Back then, even though she was the older sister, her academic performance couldn’t surpass Fu Shizhao’s mother. Her own younger sister, who had stayed back a grade, helped her with her studies. Without her sister’s tutoring, she wouldn’t have been able to get into the university she liked.

Now, seeing Fu Shizhao tutoring her daughter, she couldn’t help but recall some past memories.

If her sister were still alive, she would surely be proud.

As she left, Tang Mian reluctantly glanced at the second-ranked little white dumpling. Fu Shizhao suddenly spoke “Aunt Xu, can I secretly ask you a question?”

Tang Mian perked up her ears, but Fu Shizhao had already taken Xu Zhen’s hand and moved to another place.

Not long after, the two returned, both with smiles on their faces, not much different from when they left.

On the way back, Tang Mian curiously asked Fu Shizhao what question he had asked.

Fu Shizhao mysteriously replied, “I can’t say that to you, big brother.”

Tang Mian, feeling a bit annoyed, intentionally increased his walking speed, leaving Fu Shizhao behind.

Fu Shizhao quickly caught up and held his little hand.

Tang Mian didn’t shake off his hand again, but his pace remained unchanged. He didn’t look at Fu Shizhao, just continued walking ahead.

As they walked in the narrow green area where only pedestrians could pass and there was no danger of cars, Fu Yu just smiled and didn’t intervene.

“Big Brother.”

It’s normal for a child to have some secrets as they grow up. If he doesn’t want to tell him, then so be it. Also, there’s no need to call him brother anymore.

After returning home, Fu Shizhao sang songs for a while and took a long time to soothe Tang Mian.

Watching his stubborn appearance, Fu Shizhao couldn’t help but find it extremely cute.

Indeed, having a playmate who has always shared everything suddenly having a secret with someone else in front of him and not willing to tell him would make anyone feel unhappy.

But… he didn’t intend to hide anything on purpose. He just wanted to surprise Tang Mian.

The group stayed in Country B for half a month before returning. Every weekend, Xu Qingying would take them to play, exploring all the child-friendly places nearby.

Tang Mian took many photos with his small tablet and planned to have Dad Cang develop them all when they returned to put them in the photo album his mom had bought.

A commemoration of his trip abroad with Fu Shizhao.

In the previous life, he had also traveled with Fu Shizhao, but back then, they were just two extra wheels, accompanying his brother and sister-in-law.

He hoped that in this life, they could go on a trip together every year.

He actually enjoyed traveling, liked seeing different landscapes, and enjoyed documenting them in his own way.

This time, he secretly drew some simple sketches, intentionally lightening the strokes, and saved them in a password-protected folder on his tablet.

As they left, the Xu family accompanied by Xu Qingying saw them off, taking them to the airport and inviting them to come back and visit next summer.

Spending the summer in a cool place does indeed bring joy. Tang Mian could already imagine that after returning, he would often stay in air-conditioned rooms and not want to come out.

Fortunately, Fu Shizhao wasn’t bothered by the heat, and even in the hottest days of late July and early August, he would come to play with Tang Mian.

Having distanced themselves from the Xu family, Tang Mian walked a considerable distance behind the elderly lady and the butler. It was at this point that Tang Mian suddenly became aware that the surroundings didn’t match the airport they had initially arrived at.

Shortly after, Tang Mian saw a private plane and… a bodyguard in black clothing carrying an aviation box walking towards them. A thought flashed through Tang Mian’s mind, and he couldn’t help but tighten his grip on Fu Shizhao’s little hand, his heart pounding.

Finally, the bodyguard with the aviation box arrived in front of them, and Tang Mian saw clearly what was inside the box. It was a small Samoyed dumpling.

It was Xiao Er.

Tang Mian instantly remembered the whispers between Fu Shizhao and Xu Zhen on the first day he visited the Xu family when they were leaving at night.

Was this the puppy Fu Shizhao asked her for?

On that day, during the day, Xu Qingying had already told them— the family was planning to keep the first and last puppies born to Da Xue, and the remaining ones would be given to people they knew. If they couldn’t find homes for them, they would consider selling them, considering that adult Samoyeds have a relatively large size, keeping all of them was not very practical.

“Aunt Xu Zhen said we can have one,” Fu Shizhao explained at the right moment.

No wonder Fu Shizhao refused to tell Tang Mian what he and Xu Zhen whispered about that day. It turned out he wanted to surprise Tang Mian.

“I wonder if Cotton Candy will be jealous,” Fu Shizhao’s eyes curved as he lifted his other hand to play with the little dumpling nestled in the aviation box.

Seeing this, Tang Mian said, “Take it home with you, and I’ll visit it often at your place.” After all, visiting Fu Shizhao’s house was like visiting his own – it didn’t matter who took care of the dog.

It was autumn here, while it was still summer in hua  country. The puppy was still young and had suddenly left its familiar home and mother for a new environment. It needed time to adjust, and Tang Mian feared it might not handle the journey well, especially if his family’s cat, Cotton Candy, decided to be territorial and cause stress.

Moreover, the fluffy fur was therapeutic, and having a puppy would be beneficial for Fu Shizhao, who was destined to grow up into a young man surrounded with stress.

“Okay,” Fu Shizhao didn’t object.

Since Tang Mian wouldn’t enjoy going out during the hot summer, bringing the puppy home would provide another reason for Tang Mian to come over and play. Besides, their old residence was too large and felt empty with too few people. Adding a few puppies would liven things up a bit.

For the sake of the puppy, they took a private plane on the return journey. Upon arriving in Hua country, Tang Mian changed into shorts and short sleeves, ready to face the summer heat.

Instead of going home directly, Tang Mian, after a phone call with his mom, went with Fu Shizhao to his place, along with the little Samoyed dumpling.

Dad was still at work, Mom was tending to her plants, and his brother was in a training class. There wasn’t much point in going home now. It was more enjoyable to continue playing with Fu Shizhao and the puppy, and then head back home for dinner later in the evening.

Grandma Fu had already instructed the maid at the old residence to prepare everything the puppy would need. As soon as they got out of the car, the two kids, each carrying the aviation box containing the little dog, rushed straight into the house, afraid the puppy would get too hot.

Indeed, it was hot. Just after this short run from the car, Tang Mian felt as if he had been placed on a sizzling fire, and a thin layer of sweat covered his body.

Fortunately, the maid had already turned on the air conditioning in the house, making it much more comfortable once they stepped inside.

Opening the door of the aviation box, the little Samoyed dumpling tentatively extended its two front paws. Encouraged by Tang Mian’s gentle sounds, it ran into his arms, its little tail wagging incessantly, sticking close and refusing to leave.

It probably felt uneasy in the unfamiliar environment, so subconsciously, it wanted to stay close to Tang Mian, whose scent it was familiar with. Tang Mian and Fu Shizhao had decided on a new name for the Samoyed together – they called it Snowball. After all, “Xiao Er” was just a birth order, not a formal name. The chubby, curled-up appearance of the little dog indeed resembled a soft snowball.

Moreover… it was the hot summer, and Tang Mian secretly wanted to give the little dog a cooler name. Snowball, Snowball – it just sounded refreshing.

After reluctantly returning the dog to its place, Tang Mian found his cat, whom he hadn’t seen in half a month, sniffing around him carefully. Accompanied by meowing sounds, the soft pink nose continued to twitch even after he scooped it up into his arms.

Tang Mian suddenly felt a bit guilty.

Heaven and earth could bear witness—he hadn’t been playing with other cats outside. He just held a dog, and dogs and cats weren’t the same species; they couldn’t be confused. However, his cat disliked dogs… Could it be upset because of the scent of the dog on him?

Tang Mian rushed to take a shower, carefully lathering his body with shower gel, and changed into freshly washed clothes from the bedroom wardrobe.

“Meow.” The little cat sniffed around him again, finally contentedly curling up in his arms.

Not seeing each other for half a month, even though the cat hadn’t brought back any prey, and had picked up quite a few strange scents, just being alive and back home was already a relief.

Tang Mian secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, he had given Snowball to Fu Shizhao. If he had brought Snowball home, he probably would have had to mediate between the two animals for quite a few meals.

The long-haired lionhead cat was a local domestic cat breed in Hua country, and its abilities were not to be underestimated. After reaching adulthood, Cotton Candy even brought back a dragonfly and a butterfly as gifts for Tang Mian, displaying remarkable agility.

Snowball, on the other hand, was a beautiful but silly creature, always making cute whining sounds and likely to be bullied quite a bit.

That evening, Tang Mian made a video call to Fu Shizhao. Fu Shizhao dutifully held Snowball up to the camera and greeted Tang Mian.

Tang Mian, with a joyful smile, called the dog’s name.

Samoyeds weren’t known for their high intelligence. Upon hearing Tang Mian’s voice but not seeing him, the little dumpling became anxious, whining incessantly.

Tang Mian was delighted.

Suddenly, a white figure rushed to Tang Mian, and the fluffy tail brushed against Tang Mian’s arms, exposed in short sleeves. Squinting its eyes, the big cat stared at the tablet screen for a while.

The whining sound of the little dog continued.

The white cat suddenly stretched out its front paw, delivering a few rapid “meow meow” punches to the tablet screen, quickly smacking it a few times and causing it to tumble to the floor.

As it was too hot in the summer, all the floor mats had been put away, and the tablet made a loud “thud” sound as it hit the ground.

Startled, Tang Mian quickly got off the bed to pick it up, only to find that the tablet had gone black. No matter how much he tried, he couldn’t get it to turn on again.

Tang Mian looked at his cat on the bed with a face full of mixed emotions, unsure of what to say.