Lan Xi now understood that there were larger and smaller amounts of money, but he still had no idea how much any particular thing ought to cost.
When Fu Hui realized this, he thought it wouldn’t do. Lan Xi could easily be cheated.
He had the staff take the merchandise away and told Lan Xi, “Let’s not buy a watch just yet.”
Lan Xi objected fiercely. “No!”
Secretary Li was caught between wanting to laugh and not daring to. He was about to console the little boy by saying that if they worked hard and earned more money, they would eventually be able to afford one.
Before he could speak, however, Fu Hui thought seriously for a moment and said, “All right. Then let’s go out and buy one. I’ll choose it myself.”
Lan Xi’s terribly disappointed heart was instantly lifted. He perked up, shouldered his little schoolbag, and urged, “Let’s go, let’s go!”
“So this money simply has to be spent?” Secretary Li sighed as he followed them.
Lan Xi often chose presents himself, so he didn’t feel that a gift for Fu Hui absolutely had to be a surprise.
In fact, going to choose it together with Fu Hui sounded even more fun.
“Where are we going now?” Lan Xi asked eagerly.
“To the mall.”
“Malls are good. I like malls.” Everything inside was so shiny.
They got into the car. It traveled along familiar roads for a while before gradually turning away from them.
In the end, they arrived at a mall Lan Xi had never seen before.
It wasn’t as big as the malls they usually visited. The ceilings weren’t as high, and even the escalators weren’t as glittery… Wearing a hat and a mask, Lan Xi clutched Fu Hui’s hand as they threaded their way through the crowd, feeling a little disgruntled.
Fu Hui led him into a sports-watch shop. “Lan Xi, I want this one.”
Lan Xi scrunched up his little face. “No. It’s not pretty.”
It had a black dial and a nylon strap, all rather dull and gray. The only thing that shone was the watch face, which reflected the overhead lights. According to the salesperson, it was “very wear-resistant” and “not easily broken if dropped.”
“But it’s big,” Fu Hui said.
There were two things Lan Xi had never been able to resist: things that were big and things that sparkled.
He hesitated. This time, having learned his lesson, he was clever enough to check the hanging price tag first. “Ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten-thousands…”
The salesperson immediately laughed. “You’ve counted too far! Too far! The decimal point is right here.”
Then the salesperson asked, “Kids, where are your mom and dad? Are you buying a watch for your big brother? This one’s a bit expensive…”
Secretary Li and a bodyguard, acting as temporary parents, were hovering outside the shop at that very moment.
Lan Xi frowned again. “So how much is it?”
Fu Hui answered, “1,099.”
Lan Xi was very cautious. “What unit?”
“Yuan.”
Lan Xi turned the watch over and inspected it twice. “Ooh, ooh, ooh!”
“Buy it,” Fu Hui urged.
“Mm-hmm, mm-hmm! So cheap! I’ll buy three for Fu Hui!”
“I’m not a centipede. I couldn’t wear that many.”
“Ooh, ooh. You’re right.”
Lan Xi put down his little schoolbag and began pulling out his money.
One bill, two bills… He counted with particular care.
The store clerks were stunned.
The child was paying for it himself?
Lan Xi proudly answered the unspoken question.
“I earned it by working!” After Fu Hui’s stern instructions, Lan Xi now knew that outside, especially in front of strangers, he absolutely mustn’t refer to himself by his own name.
Bad people could take advantage of that.
Though Lan Xi was rather curious. Just how bad were bad people? Were they as bad as demons?
The salesperson exclaimed with genuine admiration, “That’s amazing! You’re so little, and you already know how to earn money?”
Lan Xi was delighted to hear it and continued, “Mm-hmm! I’ll make even more money and support Fu Hui…”
Only after saying it did he realize he’d let the name slip.
Fu Hui covered his mouth, scooped Lan Xi back into his arms, and said, “Thank you. We’d like to pay.”
After buying the watch, Lan Xi was no longer sad. He looked around eagerly, feeling immensely wealthy.
“Does Fu Hui want anything else? Shall I buy it for Fu Hui?”
Fu Hui exchanged a few quiet words with Secretary Li to learn more about the shops in the mall. Then he said, “Let’s go down to the basement level.”
The mingled aromas of food in the basement quickly captivated Lan Xi.
Fu Hui pointed casually to a place. “Let’s eat here.”
Ever since Fu Hui had found Lan Xi, the boy had hardly eaten anything inexpensive, much less had the chance to try street food. The family employed its own chefs and nutritionists; even on camping trips, they brought all the ingredients they needed.
Now Lan Xi stepped right inside with Fu Hui. They found a table in a corner, ordered, and waited for the food. The moment it arrived, Lan Xi took off his mask and dug in without lifting his head.
The bill came to eighty-three yuan and fifty fen.
They tried another place, where Fu Hui pointed to a little cake he wanted to eat.
Lan Xi spent thirty-five yuan on it. Fu Hui took one bite, while Lan Xi ate most of the rest.
After making the rounds, Lan Xi had a full belly and a wallet that was scarcely any thinner. He felt like a tycoon!
He hugged Fu Hui’s arm. “Let’s come again next time!”
Fu Hui fastened his mask back over his face. “Mm. We’ll come again.”
Walking beside them, Secretary Li remarked, “I wonder how little Lan Xi’s magazine is selling, and when the film will get its release approval… No one on the street should recognize him yet. Wearing a mask must feel stuffy.”
Fu Hui shook his head.
Secretary Li didn’t know about the time Fu Hui had taken Lan Xi on the subway.
Lan Xi simply loved smiling at people too much.
And perhaps because this demon was still so young, he hadn’t quite learned to control the magic he carried. That made it very easy for him to attract other people’s attention.
When a whole crowd behaved strangely, it could easily draw public attention.
Fu Hui had thought through a great many possibilities, so he felt it was better to keep Lan Xi’s face covered.
Lan Xi himself didn’t mind.
Fu Hui wore a mask alongside him, and the masks even had little jewel patterns on them. Lan Xi loved that.
Before long, Lan Xi began earning his second and third paychecks.
He continued to buy presents for Fu Hui.
This time, however, Fu Hui said as though it had just occurred to him, “What a shame that I’m the only one who knows how amazing Lan Xi is.”
Lan Xi blinked, bewildered. “Mm-hmm?”
“How can we let everyone else know that Lan Xi is very capable and has earned so much money all by himself?”
“Put the money in my schoolbag and show it to them?”
“…”
Lan Xi burst out laughing. “I know! Buy them presents too!”
The little succubus had indeed grown into a very bright child who knew how to apply one lesson to another.
Lan Xi used his wages to buy gifts for Song Xu and Fu Lin first. They weren’t expensive, costing no more than a few dozen yuan. Song Xu received woolen socks to keep her warm, while Fu Lin got pain-relief patches and an admonition not to sit for too long.
Although Mom and Dad both felt that this made them sound rather too much like elderly people,
they were delighted all the same.
Even after all these years, Fu Hui was still making every effort to reinforce Lan Xi’s place in this family.
Another month later, the publisher of Lan Xi’s first magazine shoot sent word through Secretary Li.
The magazine was selling extremely well.
But since a currently popular celebrity was on that issue’s cover, there was no way to tell how much of the success was thanks to Lan Xi.
One day at school, a classmate suddenly said to Lan Xi, “I saw you!”
Lan Xi looked back at him in utter confusion.
The classmate explained, “In my aunt’s magazine.”
More and more people began seeing Lan Xi in different magazines.
The family would mention it in passing over dinner, too.
Fu Hui would interject, “Did he look good in the pictures?”
An older female cousin said, “Absolutely! There wasn’t a prettier page in the whole magazine.”
“We could cut that page out and keep it.”
His cousin stared. “Fu Hui, are you usually a fan of celebrities?”
Fu Hui shook his head.
“Because that’s exactly how fans behave!”
But after Fu Hui suggested it, the whole family really did start paying closer attention to magazines featuring Lan Xi. They would cut out his pages and collect them together.
One day, Lan Xi stumbled upon the collection, and he was beside himself with happiness.
He promptly expanded his gift-giving to an even wider circle so everyone could experience how extraordinary it was that Lan Xi could earn his own wages!
For a time, the entire household, inside and out, was filled with merriment.
During the Chinese New Year celebrations that year, the film in which Lan Xi had appeared finally premiered, thanks in part to Secretary Li’s efforts.
Everyone was excited. The entire family went out and rented a whole movie theater for themselves, having long since forgotten their earlier disdain for that sort of work. All they could do was laugh and say, “Looks like our family’s going to have a little movie star!”
Then they watched a silent Lan Xi on the enormous screen, and found themselves speechless with dismay.
“What’s wrong with this director? Why doesn’t our Lan Xi get a single line?”
“Did the other actors add too many scenes for themselves?”
“Why isn’t the camera right up against his face? What’s with all these long shots?”
Fu Hui was forced to act as the commentator. “There were too many lines for Lan Xi to memorize. He was originally the lead, but after giving up his lines, he became a supporting character…”
An older male cousin thought about it, then pronounced judgment. “This director is no good. He can’t make a film with a leading actor who doesn’t speak.”
Secretary Li, standing beside them, could only think, “…Aren’t you all asking a bit too much of the poor man?”
Never mind that filming nothing but close-ups would ruin the artistry of a movie, or that the camera sometimes pulled back precisely to keep the audience from noticing that Lan Xi was daydreaming…
Even after all those explanations, the family still thought the director wasn’t any good.
The film had a rather niche subject, and Fu Hui’s side had also indicated that there was no need for extensive publicity. The child was simply having fun with it.
As a result, its box office was neither particularly good nor bad. Lost among the many Chinese New Year releases, it attracted little attention.
That changed when someone posted online: “Who Is This Child Star? So Little Screen Time! It Ended Before I’d Seen Enough.”
People are naturally drawn to beautiful things.
And true beauty is never short of eyes capable of recognizing it.
But because Lan Xi was only a supporting character, he appeared in just a single frame of the trailer. People had only that one frame to pass around, so it hadn’t yet stirred up a particularly huge wave of attention…
Meanwhile, Lan Xi and Fu Hui were accompanying the family to a second screening.
After watching with the Fu family, they were now watching with the Song family.
Only this time, they didn’t get to finish. The theater doors suddenly opened, and two bodyguards strode in and hauled Fu Hui away.
Everyone was startled.
“Sorry, it’s urgent.” The bodyguards offered only a brief explanation before hurrying off.
Lan Xi jumped up and ran after them, but couldn’t catch up.
He immediately looked down and glared furiously at his two short legs.
Fu Hui was bundled into a car. When he looked up, he found himself facing another of Fu Lin’s secretaries.
The secretary’s face was grave. “Something has happened to your father.”
Fu Hui fished his phone out of his coat pocket, thinking its warmth came from being tucked away. Only then did he realize that wasn’t why it was hot. His silenced phone had accumulated dozens of missed calls.
The Song family exchanged looks. They, too, guessed that something must have gone wrong.
Song Xu reacted quickly, grabbing Lan Xi before he could bolt. “Let’s go home and wait for now.”
“No, no, no!” Lan Xi protested.
Song Xu hurriedly asked, “Do you know where they took him?”
Lan Xi shook his head, then turned to Song Xu with hopeful eyes.
Song Xu could only say helplessly, “I don’t know either.”
Back when Song Xu and Fu Lin were still together, their two families were related by marriage and could lend each other support. After the separation, they could get along peacefully in ordinary times, but when something went wrong, each side had to guard against the other.
Naturally, the Fu family would not tell them very much.
All Song Xu knew was that she first had to keep a close eye on Lan Xi and make sure he had no opportunity to run away from home.
So once they got back, everyone gathered around to comfort him and prevent him from bolting.
At night, Song Xu even slept beside him.
She had originally thought to have one of the other children of his generation stay with him, but Lan Xi protested as though his heart were breaking. Finally he sniffed Song Xu, decided her scent was just a little like Fu Hui’s, and reluctantly agreed.
And so two miserable days dragged by.
Then someone from the Fu family came to take Lan Xi away as well.
The moment he got into the car, Lan Xi asked anxiously, “Are we going to see Fu Hui?”
Uncle Fu answered, “Yes.”
Lan Xi was still a little unhappy. “Why didn’t Fu Hui come to pick me up?”
“He’s sick.”
Lan Xi went still at the news.
He’d once eagerly hoped Fu Hui would fall ill so he could find out what it felt like to take care of him. But now that Fu Hui actually was sick, Lan Xi became strangely conflicted.
“Why is he sick?”
“He caught a chill.”
“Ooh. Then he’ll get better very quickly. I’ll take care of him.”
Uncle Fu gave only a faint smile and said nothing more.
Only then did Lan Xi spare him a closer look and notice the tiredness in his expression. It brought back an unpleasant memory… Worried but utterly straightforward, Lan Xi asked, “Is Fu Lin going to die?”
Uncle Fu spluttered.
“Who told you that? Of course not! It’s nothing like that, it’s just… Well, let Fu Hui explain it to you.”
The car took Lan Xi to the family’s old residence. Lan Xi dashed all the way to the room where Fu Hui was staying.
Fu Hui sat there looking pale, talking to some of the other Fu family elders. He only stopped when he saw Lan Xi arrive.
The elders stood to leave. On their way out, they patted Lan Xi’s little head and smiled. “Sorry, we nearly forgot about Lan Xi out there. Don’t be angry.”
Lan Xi couldn’t have cared less about being angry. He threw himself straight at Fu Hui.
Fu Hui hesitated for a moment, probably worried about passing his cold to Lan Xi, but caught him in the end.
Lan Xi was a clever boy.
In front of Uncle Fu, he could ask whether Fu Lin was going to die.
In front of Fu Hui, however, he put the question much more tactfully. “Is Dad sick too? Did he give his cold to Fu Hui?”
“No. He was attacked unexpectedly, and we’ve temporarily lost contact with him. We can’t find him.”
“Ooh.” Lan Xi let out a breath of relief.
Five months after Fu Lin had begun actively adding bodyguards for everyone in the family, he himself had been the first to fall victim to an attack. Being constantly on guard was exhausting, and could leave a person worn down.
“Then why does Fu Hui have a cold?”
“I went looking for Dad where he disappeared. It was very cold there.” As Fu Lin’s sole heir, Fu Hui had become the center of everything in just these two days. Everyone had countless matters to discuss with him, and they were all preparing for the worst.
Fu Hui hadn’t had time to put on warmer clothes, sleep properly, or eat properly. In the end, he fell ill. After a whole night of fever, he finally found a moment to tell everyone to bring Lan Xi over.
Lan Xi must have been frightened when he vanished without any explanation, hadn’t he?
And Lan Xi did begin to complain. “Does Fu Hui know how long I waited?”
Fu Hui wasn’t so feverish that he’d lost track of time. Of course he knew two days had passed.
But he shook his head and said, “I don’t know.”
Lan Xi declared dramatically, “A long, long time! I waited so long I couldn’t sleep or eat!” He was clearly borrowing something his younger uncle had once said.
Fu Hui immediately said softly, “I’m sorry.”
Lan Xi had nothing left to say.
It felt as though his mouth had been welded shut and something was stuck in his throat.
He opened his arms and slowly wrapped them around Fu Hui’s waist, wondering why Fu Hui was growing so quickly. He’d gotten so much taller.
“Lan Xi forgives you,” he said.
Lan Xi still showed some concern for how they might bring Fu Lin home.
Fu Hui asked, “Is there any magic you can use?”
Looking a little ashamed for once, Lan Xi answered, “I’m sorry. I can only find dead people.”
Demons from hell were always more sensitive to death.
Fu Hui wasn’t disappointed or upset. He merely stroked Lan Xi’s head calmly. “Mm. Let’s eat.”
Fu Hui had always been a sensible little adult. He wouldn’t stop eating and sleeping because of the difficulties in front of him. For the last two days, he’d simply been too busy. Now he needed to eat properly again.
And so little caretaker Lan Xi officially reported for duty.
He refused anyone else’s help, carried a tray of food over to Fu Hui, and tried to feed him. Only after he nearly knocked out Fu Hui’s teeth did Fu Hui manage to reclaim control of the cutlery.
Although Lan Xi wasn’t very good at feeding people,
he soon picked up a knife and fork and enthusiastically cut Fu Hui’s beef into small pieces. That counted as a considerable contribution.
Afterward, he brought Fu Hui tea and water, bustling back and forth like a little bee.
Partway through, his talent agency called to invite him to another shoot.
Right in front of Fu Hui, Lan Xi loudly declined, displaying more than enough determination to prove his love for Fu Hui.
Fu Hui opened his mouth to say it was all right, that Lan Xi could go if he wanted. But when the words reached his lips, he swallowed them again.
He didn’t want Lan Xi to go.
He wanted Lan Xi here with him.
How fortunate… “Thank you for being a demon, Lan Xi,” Fu Hui said.
He didn’t have to worry quite so much about passing his cold to Lan Xi. He didn’t have to worry that staying here would bore Lan Xi the way it might an ordinary child. He didn’t have to worry that Lan Xi would become completely flustered and helpless…
In short, it was all very good.
It was fortunate that Lan Xi was a demon from hell.
Fu Hui liked this demon very much.
Lan Xi was delighted to receive such an unexpected “confession,” but the thought of Fu Lin’s disappearance made him suppress his joy. He said only, with impressive restraint and generosity, “You’re welcome.”
Then he began searching all around the room.
Fu Hui couldn’t help asking, “What are you looking for?”
“A chamber pot,” Lan Xi said.
Fu Hui: ?
Fu Hui could hardly believe his ears. “You want to…”
“For Fu Hui to use. I’ve seen other people take care of sick people this way, but why can’t I find one?”
“…You don’t need one, Lan Xi. I can get out of bed and use the bathroom myself.”
“Ooh, ooh.” Lan Xi even looked a little disappointed.
There was still no news of Fu Lin.
And Fu Hui’s cold still wasn’t getting better.
On the fourth night after Fu Lin disappeared, Lan Xi woke to a thud. He sat up and discovered that Fu Hui was gone! Now Lan Xi thought he understood a little of how Fu Hui felt when he woke in the middle of the night and found Lan Xi missing.
He followed the sound and found Fu Hui collapsed face-first in the bathroom.
Lan Xi touched his forehead. So hot, so terribly hot, as though Fu Hui were about to be cooked through.
Humans could die.
That was something Lan Xi had already learned.
Now he suddenly grew frightened. He hurriedly supported Fu Hui’s head and checked first to see whether he’d hit it hard enough to bleed.
There was no blood, but there was a raised bump.
Lan Xi called anxiously, “Fu Hui! Fu Hui!”
Fu Hui was delirious with fever. He barely managed to open his eyes, but the world spun around him and he couldn’t see anything. His dry, cracked lips parted slightly, and he called instinctively, “Dad…”
Lan Xi explained very earnestly, “It’s Lan Xi.”
Then he hurriedly wrapped his arms around Fu Hui’s upper body, trying to carry him back to bed.
But Fu Hui had already entered a period of rapid adolescent growth, and the difference in their heights had widened considerably. No matter how Lan Xi tried, he couldn’t get a good hold on him. He had to use brute force, and in the process he knocked Fu Hui against the doorway as well.
Lan Xi completely forgot that he could call someone for help.
Holding his breath, he dragged Fu Hui back to bed. Then he inspected the place where Fu Hui had been struck again. This time, there was a little blood.
Lan Xi stared blankly, overwhelmed with distress. It was as if someone had cracked one of his most precious jewels.
He would never wish for Fu Hui to become sick again.
He opened his mouth and blurted out, “Fu Hui, my heart hurts so much…”
Perhaps the knock had brought Fu Hui around a little. He lifted a hand and caught a little of Lan Xi’s hair to comfort him. He wanted to raise it higher to pat Lan Xi’s head, but had no strength left.
He asked, “What happened to me?”
“You fainted in the bathroom,” Lan Xi said miserably.
Then he remembered something. “I’m going to get a doctor.”
“Mm…” Fu Hui answered weakly. Then something else occurred to him, and he jolted. “Lan Xi, I don’t want a chamber pot.”