Chapter 53

The chubby little child who slept on the spaceship was completely unaware that he had also kidnapped a chubby little mouse. He lay in bed, breathing softly and evenly.

Mans had come to check on him several times, but every time, the child showed no signs of waking up.

Huo Lin felt that Mans seemed to know something, but he never questioned the child’s condition. Not only did he not ask, but he also remained calm.

The more composed Mans appeared, the more convinced Huo Lin became that Mans must know about the child’s situation.

“Your Highness.”

Mans looked at the Crown Prince, who was staring at him again, and brought the medical kit from the spaceship. “The spaceship is about to land. We should attend to your arm.”

By now, it was already bright outside.

Although Huo Lin had stayed up late the previous night, his strong biological clock had woken him up early. After waking up, he remained sitting beside the little child.

Upon hearing Mans’ reminder, Huo Lin finally shifted his gaze to his own arm.

He dismissed it casually, saying, “It’s just a minor injury, no need to worry.”

Due to his lack of battle experience, he had sustained a minor injury on his arm. However, it was nothing to be concerned about; it would heal in a few days.

Mans, upon hearing his words, no longer made any further reminders.

A while later, the spaceship landed above the palace. Huo Lin used a small blanket to lift the child and, accompanied by Wagner behind him, they both disembarked from the spaceship.

As soon as they left the spaceship, Ludwig approached them with large strides.

Huo Lin locked eyes with his father, and the next second, he handed the little child over to him.

The father and son were not good at overly sentimental scenes, especially now when they were both worried about the child who had not yet awakened. Their priority was to take the child inside.

The small bed made of Phoenix Feather Stone was ready.

The Emperor of the Empire opened his private treasury and used the most precious gemstones to adorn the surroundings of the small bed. The value of this bed, if it were put up for auction, could fetch astronomical prices in the billions.

“Father, will this small bed still be useful for Ningning?”

Huo Lin looked at the small bed placed in the bedroom by his father, his brows furrowed.

He recognized the material of the bed as Phoenix Feather Stone but was uncertain whether this thing would continue to be effective.

He had read quite a few books about the young royal children.

He had also heard what Eila said last time.

It was precisely because he had heard it that he, like his father, strongly opposed and resisted, allowing the young child to use his healing ability again.

Ludwig looked at the child lying on the small bed. He tucked in the blanket covering the child and replied softly, “I don’t know.”

The royal family where the child belonged to had disappeared from the stage of history for too long. Ludwig’s understanding of this royal family relied entirely on recorded information.

Neither the father nor the son knew the answer.

Ai Wei was even more careful. She let Wagner, who hadn’t slept well, continue resting, then asked Ludwig to talk to Mans properly. Finally, she glanced at the time, estimating that Zhan Xi would be here soon.

Ai Wei didn’t hide the situation of the young child. She believed that Zhan Xi needed to be informed, regardless of the circumstances.

The child slept soundly under the cartoon blanket on the bed worth hundreds of millions. He clenched his little fist, assuming a posture of “surrender.”

Although the people surrounding the small bed were charmed by such an adorable sleeping posture, they had no mind to appreciate it at the moment.

After a few minutes.

Zhan Xi, still covered in flour, hurriedly arrived. Even before entering the bedroom, he called out the name of his own child at the door, “Ningning!”

Huo Lin heard his voice and opened the door for him.

The door opened.

Zhan Xi looked at the child who had fallen asleep again. His eyes reddened. He wanted to pick up the child, but when he saw the Phoenix Feather Stone under the child, he stopped himself from doing so.

“What’s going on?”

On Zhan Xi’s handsome face, the expression was frighteningly unpleasant. He said, “Didn’t we agree that we won’t let Ningning go rescue people anymore?”

His little child couldn’t withstand this ordeal!

Zhan Xi’s tone was filled with obvious resentment. In that instant, he even wanted to completely sever ties with the imperial family. He didn’t want his son to stay here any longer.

He wanted to take his son back to the barren planet.

Even if he couldn’t receive an education, even if he would become illiterate in the future, it didn’t matter.

He would work harder, earn more money, enough to support his son.

“Uncle Zhan.”

The little Crown Prince, who had promised Zhan Xi to take care of Ningning, apologized in a low voice, “I’m sorry, I didn’t take good care of Ningning.”

He should have been more firm at the time and taken Ningning away.

Zhan Xi held his child’s hand, his face tensed, unable to say the words “It’s okay.”

Time passed little by little.

Ludwig had returned to the bedroom, and everyone was waiting for the little child to wake up.

The little child’s complexion was rosy, and his expressions were vivid. Sometimes he frowned, sometimes he made indistinguishable sounds, and in the end, he even cried a few times in distress.

Zhan Xi sat by his side, never leaving.

At mealtime, Ai Wei personally came to call Zhan Xi to eat, saying, “Zhan Xi, you can’t go without eating or drinking like this. Otherwise, when Ningning wakes up and you collapse, won’t you make Ningning worry?”

“Don’t worry, both Ludwig and I are looking for a way to help Ningning recover from this state. Ella is also researching more information. We’re all working together, and we will definitely improve Ningning’s condition.”

The royal children were prone to an early death, but they would not let the young child encounter such a fate. There was also a lingering side effect of deep sleep after the treatment of their mental power, but they would find a solution.

Ai Wei’s gentle persuasion finally convinced Zhan Xi to go to the dining room.

Huo Lin followed beside him and couldn’t help but ask, “Where is Uncle Ling Qi?”

Uncle Ling Qi cared about Ningning just like everyone else, so logically he should not be absent at this time.

After Huo Lin finished asking, Zhan Xi’s mood visibly worsened. “He will be here soon. By the way, has Mans left?”

“Yes, he left half an hour ago.”

“What?”

Zhan Xi was stunned, and then he didn’t even eat his meal. He walked outside and said, “I’ll come back in the afternoon, you guys eat, don’t mind me.”

In the afternoon, a little past two o’clock.

Zhan Xi came again, and sure enough, he was accompanied by Ling Qi.

Huo Lin had keen observation skills and noticed that Zhan Xi had changed his clothes. The outfit he was wearing now was different from the one he wore in the morning.

“Has Ningning woken up?”

“Not yet. Ella is conducting an examination on him.”

Inside the bedroom, Ella had not left. When she saw Zhan Xi, her attention instantly shifted to his face. “You are Ningning’s guardian?”

The two of them had only seen each other through video calls before, so this was the first time they met face to face.

Zhan Xi nodded and asked, “How is the examination of Ningning going?”

Although Ella didn’t want to admit it, she had to say that she currently had no useful results. “I have very little time, so I haven’t made any progress yet.”

If she had the chance to contact this rare royal child earlier, she would have had more time to understand and study him.

Now, even if she worked overtime, she couldn’t find much information.

There’s no other way; they could only continue to wait.

Ling Qi waited until now before seeing Ningning. He pinched the flesh on Ningning’s body and softly said, “Ningning seems to have gotten thinner.”

Zhan Xi: “...”

Zhan Xi choked for a moment, lowered his voice, and said to Ling Qi, “It’s only been a little over a day since you last saw him. Is it really necessary to be so overly concerned about his weight?”

“Overly concerned” was a popular term on the StarNet, meaning to perceive something with the eyes of a loving mother. For example, a mother might think you’ve lost weight or feel that you’re cold even though you’re not.

This kind of illusion was collectively referred to as “overly concerned eyes.”

Upon hearing this term, Ling Qi didn’t hesitate and stomped on Zhan Xi’s foot beneath him, forcefully. “Shut up!”

Zhan Xi sucked in a breath of cold air in pain.

After admonishing Zhan Xi, Ling Qi continued to look at the chubby child. He truly believed it wasn’t an illusion. He genuinely thought the little child had become thinner from exhaustion.

As the child’s deep slumber grew longer, Zhan Xi’s mood became increasingly restless.

Though others didn’t express it verbally, their moods were similar to his.

Night fell.

Marshal Twain made a special phone call and fell silent for a while upon learning that Ningning still hadn’t awakened.

Wagner didn’t know the situation. He approached the small bed and touched the child’s hand. “Ningning, why haven’t you woken up yet?”

If he didn’t wake up soon, he wouldn’t have to go to school the next day.

Wagner was worried and felt that if Ningning woke up the next day, he would be devastated.

Zhan Xi looked at Wagner, who knew nothing, his lips moved, but in the end, he didn’t say anything.

That night, Zhan Xi held his own child’s little hand and forcefully kept his eyes open through the night.

By around seven o’clock the next morning, Wagner rubbed his eyes and came to wake Ningning up for school. “Ningning, get up. Teacher Lily said we have morning exercises today.”

After Wagner called out, he turned around and saw Zhan Xi.

He hesitated for a moment and said, “Uncle Zhan, have you not slept? Your eyes are red.”

Zhan Xi tried to squeeze out an expression, but after struggling for a while, he couldn’t manage to make a relaxed expression. He could only say hoarsely, “Wagner, you should go to school by yourself. Ningning is unable to accompany you today.”

After finishing his sentence, Wagner shook his head and said, “That won’t do. Teacher Lily said we can’t take a day off today. We have to do exercises for the principal.”

As he spoke, his gaze suddenly shifted, and he exclaimed, “Hey, Ningning is awake!”

Wagner, who was holding Ningning’s little hand, was the first to notice the movement. He happily shook Ningning’s hand, his tone becoming more excited, “Ningning, get up quickly!”

Their class uniform for the Green Grass Class had also been issued, so they could wear it for the exercises this time.

Under Wagner’s shaking, Ningning, who was sleeping on the small bed, furrowed his brows. Without waking up, he angrily shook off Wagner’s hand and then turned over, facing away from Wagner.

Zhan Xi after seeing this scene: “...”

Zhan Xi looked somewhat dazed. He turned his head and looked at Ling Qi, who had been with him all this time.

He said, “Ling Qi, pinch me to see if it hurts or not.”

If it didn’t hurt, it meant he was still dreaming.

Ling Qi didn’t hesitate upon hearing this request and pinched him forcefully.

Zhan Xi’s face contorted in pain, but his mood was excited and thrilled.

His eyes had stayed awake all night, and this time, the redness was not due to exhaustion.

“Ningning is awake, really?!”

Zhan Xi looked at the small bed in disbelief. He knew his own Ningning’s little actions too well.

The fact that Ning had turned over and showed his backside clearly indicated that he was throwing a morning tantrum.

Once Zhan Xi realized that Ningning was throwing a tantrum directly after waking up, he couldn’t remain calm anymore. He pulled back the covers on Ningning’s body and made him sit up.

The little child, who was awakened by the commotion, had a pair of bright black eyes filled with anger.

“Ningning wants to sleep!”

“Baby, you’re finally awake.”

Without a word, Zhan Xi picked up the little child and held him tightly, so tight that the little child’s breathing became a bit uneasy.

Fortunately, Ling Qi quickly intervened and separated them.

“He just woke up. Do you still want to suffocate him?” Ling Qi took the little child away. Compared to Zhan Xi, he remained calm and composed.

After confirming that the little child had awakened, Ling Qi had Ella, who also stayed for the night at the palace, examine the little child again.

After the examination, Ling Qi began to question the little child about his current condition: “Ningning, how do you feel now? Is there any discomfort anywhere? Does your head hurt?”

Ling Qi asked carefully, and the little child, being questioned, started to ponder.

“Ningning doesn’t hurt.”

The morning temper had subsided, and the little child was behaving well now. His consciousness slowly became clear, and he could sense various feelings distinctly.

A few minutes later.

The little child touched his belly, and with a small, pitiful voice, he said, “Ningning is hungry.”

His belly was empty.

The feeling of hunger grew stronger and stronger, and the little child opened his arms and accurately reached out to Ling Qi, asking to be carried. “Uncle Ling Qi, Ningning wants food.”

After sleeping for a whole day and night, he woke up and immediately wanted to eat.

This familiar style of the little child slightly calmed Zhan Xi’s heart.

At this moment, Ling Qi didn’t have time to prepare food. Fortunately, they were in the palace. Ai Wei suppressed her excitement and instructed the kitchen to bring out breakfast.

Ludwig and Huo Lin were both in the room, but they didn’t disturb Zhan Xi and the little child’s intimacy.

Zhan Xi was Ningning’s sole guardian. They cared so much about the little child that they wouldn’t even cross Zhan Xi.

The little child, hungry and in tears, clung to Ling Qi’s neck. He was still too young and had limited knowledge, so he couldn’t find the words to describe how hungry he was.

He only pressed against Ling Qi’s neck and choked, saying, “Ningning is getting skinny from hunger.”

Ling Qi held him and walked faster.

He also felt that this little child had become thin from hunger.

Early in the morning, breakfast prepared in the kitchen was very abundant.

The little child sat in his own chair, anxiously tilting his neck and urging, “Bowl, bowl!”

Hurry up and put the bowl in front of Ningning, he wanted to eat!

After setting up the bowl properly, the little child held a round spoon and didn’t need anyone to feed him. He began eating hungrily, taking big spoonfuls.

Zhan Xi occasionally fed him some milk, saying, “Eat slowly, don’t forget to drink milk.”

The little child’s bowl was a pink pig bowl with a deep bottom, able to hold a good amount of rice at once. He ate two bowls of rice, along with several pieces of candy cake, vegetable dumplings, and a small meat patty.

Towards the end of the meal, Zhan Xi touched his little belly. Once it became round and plump, Zhan Xi took away his bowl.

“That’s enough.”

Zhan Xi took away his bowl and removed the bib, saying, “You can’t eat anymore, eating more will make you vomit.”

The little child patted the table, clearly protesting. But his protest failed, and his father took his round spoon away.

“Behave, Wagner is still waiting for you to go to school. Are you going to do exercises in kindergarten this morning?”

Zhan Xi had already noticed the impatient Wagner.

Skillfully, he wiped his own child’s face and asked Ling Qi to help with the child’s school bag.

Upon hearing the words “going to school,” the child, who was lifted up by his father, looked bewildered.

The little child no longer paid attention to their own bowl of food; they simply stared at their father, their tone carrying a hint of probing. “Dad, what day is it today?”

“It’s Monday, the first day of school. Have you finished your homework this time?”

Zhan Xi’s words hit the child’s head like a bolt of lightning.

The child sitting on their father’s lap widened their eyes, tilting their chubby face and tremblingly said, “Daddy, Sunday hasn’t happened yet.”

The child remembered clearly that it took five days of school to earn two precious rest days.

He went to the amusement park with Wagner on Saturday, but it wasn’t fun. The rides there made the child feel nauseous. After Saturday, there should still be a Sunday, right?

Zhan Xi looked down at the child who wanted Sunday, and his gaze was filled with sympathy. “Baby, I regret to inform you that you slept the entire Sunday. So, you don’t have Sunday anymore.”

“Oh, Ling Qi, has the child packed their school bag? They should go to school now.”

The child, who woke up without Sunday, was completely distraught.

He struggled, wanting to climb down from his father’s lap. “I don’t want to go to school! I haven’t had Sunday yet!”

Zhan Xi held him down, stopping his attempt to skip school.

After a while of fussing around, the unsuccessful truant child was taken to the car and went to school with Wagner.

Seeing him cry so pitifully, Wagner decided to comfort him.

How should one comfort someone?

Wagner, who had no experience, remembered the method his father had taught him: diverting attention.

As long as he could shift Ningning’s attention elsewhere, he wouldn’t be so sad.

Wagner, who acted upon his words, patted Ningning’s shoulder. With a serious expression on his little face, he looked at him and said, “Ningning, don’t cry. I have something to tell you.”

Ningning, who didn’t want to go to school, was influenced by his seriousness and thought he was going to say something important.

So he wiped his eyes and cooperatively asked, “You, what is it?”

Wagner’s little face became even more serious as he asked, “Did you finish your homework? I finished mine yesterday, and you were sleeping while I was doing it.”

Ningning: “...”

Ningning felt even sadder now.

On the way to school, Ningning cried again while catching up on his homework.

Without a Sunday and without doing the homework, this rest day was simply terrible.

Huo Lin sat in the same car as Ningning. If it weren’t for him, Wagner would have personally helped this poor little child with his homework.

“Sigh.”

Watching the scene of Ningning catching up on his homework, Wagner couldn’t do much to help.

Twenty minutes later, the car arrived at the school gate.

Wagner held Ningning’s chubby hand and ran towards the kindergarten, shouting, “Uncle, don’t close the door! We’re here!”

Just before the kindergarten gate closed, the two little children rushed in.

They still had to do exercises in the morning, so they put down their school bags and headed for the playground.

Rushing all the way, they arrived at their destination. Ningning’s little face was flushed, and he was panting for breath.

After he stood still, Wagner comforted him, “Ningning, are you okay? If you feel stuffy in your chest, take a few deep breaths.”

Under Wagner’s guidance, the chubby child took a few deep breaths earnestly.

After finishing, Wagner tilted his head and asked him, “How do you feel now? Is your chest feeling better?”

Ningning: “...”

Ningning carefully felt it and honestly replied, “I feel a little hungry in my tummy.”

Wagner: “?”

 

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