Lan Xi had already dashed over in a few quick steps. “Fu Hui, who are you talking to?”
The expressions on the faces of the people opposite them stiffened even further.
There was a particular embarrassment and fear in being caught red-handed spreading rumors behind someone’s back when you couldn’t even keep your invented story straight.
“Please ask them to stay for a little chat later,” Fu Hui said, lifting his chin.
The people opposite him were taken aback, unable to tell whom he was addressing.
Then someone answered, “Understood.”
Only then did they see two tall bodyguards step out of the shadows, where they had been standing in complete silence the whole time.
How underhanded!
Their faces went even paler.
Fu Hui had already reached out, caught Lan Xi by the hand, and led him away. But the longer they walked, the less satisfied he felt. At last he turned to ask Lan Xi, “What do you call me when we’re outside?”
Lan Xi was bewildered, but he obediently answered, “Big Brother.”
Even after hearing it, Fu Hui still wasn’t satisfied. Something continued to feel wrong. It was all those two people’s fault!
Fu Hui put a hand on Lan Xi’s head and added, “Since we’ve already taken leave from school, let’s visit Dad tomorrow.”
Lan Xi said, “…Huh? Oh.”
Only after saying all that did Fu Hui feel a little better.
Fu Hui had distracted Lan Xi so thoroughly that Lan Xi forgot he’d come to summon Fu Hui to properly admire his costume.
By the time Fu Hui ushered him ahead, the director was already calling for him.
Fu Hui watched Lan Xi walk toward the camera.
Oddly, the distance made Lan Xi’s figure clearer to Fu Hui, not more indistinct.
Perhaps it was because the two were practically inseparable. Even though Lan Xi made a point of having his height measured on his birthday every year, Fu Hui had never felt any particularly strong sense that Lan Xi was growing up.
The way Lan Xi behaved around him had always been the same.
He was still such a little baby.
Only now did Fu Hui realize that, in other people’s eyes, Lan Xi no longer looked quite like a small child.
His figure was gradually becoming more slender, and he had already grown past a meter and a half. It was rather like the difference between a squat little rabbit and an Arctic hare.
His face had lost none of its childishness, and his baby cheeks were still there, but his features were already taking on the shape of a great beauty’s. Their striking, impossible-to-ignore intensity commanded the gaze of anyone who saw him.
That beauty, in turn, made his age harder to judge.
The realization only made Fu Hui more uncomfortable.
He strongly disliked the looks people were directing at Lan Xi.
“Fu Hui!” Lan Xi suddenly came back to his side and complained unhappily, “Why are you watching other people instead of watching me perform?”
Fu Hui drew his gaze back from the crowd and immediately said, “I’m sorry.”
“Fine, I forgive you.” Lan Xi pouted and went back, indicating that he would perform for another five minutes.
This time, Fu Hui didn’t look at anyone else. He watched Lan Xi with undivided attention.
The crew had put a long black wig on Lan Xi. In Fu Hui’s opinion, it couldn’t compare to Lan Xi’s own hair.
Lan Xi’s face had also been painted deathly pale, while his lips were painted red, as though covered in blood.
Two pointed fangs rested against his lips. He had accidentally nicked himself again, leaving a crimson bead of blood poised on the verge of falling.
The three stark colors of black, red, and white came together on him, lending him an eerie, ghostly beauty.
The little demon swaggered about in front of everyone with his pair of small fangs on display and quickly finished filming his part.
“Fu Hui, Fu Hui! Did I do well?” Lan Xi bounded over to Fu Hui the moment he was done.
“Especially good,” Fu Hui said, making sure to add that extra word.
Hearing them, the director suddenly turned around. “So you’re Fu Hui!”
The director didn’t know exactly who Fu Hui was. He had only ever met Secretary Li. All he knew was this: “Lan Xi mentions that name all the time. Everyone has been wondering just who, or what, Fu Hui is.”
Fu Hui pressed his lips together and tried to hold it in, but couldn’t stop himself from smiling. “Mm.”
Then, behaving like a proper adult, he extended his hand to shake the director’s and said, “Thank you for looking after Lan Xi on set.”
The director seized Fu Hui’s hand and gave it a couple of shakes. “Could you get him to memorize some lines?”
Fu Hui: “…”
Lan Xi reacted even faster, immediately slapping the director’s hand away.
Fu Hui withdrew his hand. “He’s doing just fine as he is.”
The director went silent for a moment. “…You’re Lan Xi’s older brother, right? Don’t you want him to become more famous?”
Fu Hui turned and asked Lan Xi, “Do you like things the way they are now?”
“I do!” Lan Xi said.
Lan Xi didn’t have much of an idea how famous a celebrity could become.
All he knew was that wherever he went, people praised him.
He could admire his own face on the big screen, and they could print as many copies of his posters as they liked. Some brands even approached him on their own and let him wear their jewelry and clothes. When Lan Xi occasionally logged on to social media, his phone would freeze under the flood of messages from people complimenting him and declaring their love.
As far as Lan Xi was concerned, this was already wonderful!
“Respect his wishes,” Fu Hui said.
After what had happened earlier, Fu Hui actually wanted nothing more than to bundle Lan Xi up and take him away, never to set foot in this so-called entertainment industry again.
The director could only see them off with regret.
In truth, the way Lan Xi was doing things suited him very well.
His screen time was limited, his exposure was low, and there was no need for excessive publicity. That also meant the media and fans had little opportunity to intrude on his life.
Lan Xi could continue enjoying his school years in peace.
And the rarer the appearance of that face, the more highly the public seemed to regard it.
Fu Hui had only one worry left… “Are people in the industry always speaking ill of you?” he asked as soon as they got into the car.
Lan Xi looked utterly confused. “The industry? What industry?”
Fu Hui said, “…The entertainment industry.”
“Oh, oh.” Lan Xi didn’t really think of himself as being part of the entertainment industry. He had always felt that he was just casually having some photographs taken and appearing in a few scenes. He didn’t attend events or maintain his social media accounts.
School kept him so busy, after all!
“Who’s saying bad things about me?” Lan Xi suddenly caught on to the important part and drew his brows together angrily.
“Those two people who were talking to me just now,” Fu Hui said.
He paused, then asked the bodyguard how they had been dealt with.
“I doubt they’ll be getting any work for a very long time,” the bodyguard said.
Lan Xi was indignant. “Someone actually said bad things about me? Someone actually said bad things about me!”
The bodyguard hurriedly asked, “Are you still not satisfied?”
Lan Xi gave a couple of angry little huffs and said fiercely, “Kill them all!”
The bodyguard was stunned.
Fu Hui almost choked too.
But on second thought, there was nothing so surprising about it. Lan Xi was a demon. Naturally, he didn’t think quite like an ordinary person.
Fu Hui didn’t react dramatically. He only said calmly, “Killing someone is easy, but what would you do with the bodies?”
“Eat them,” Lan Xi replied.
“Do you think they’d taste good?”
“…No.” Lan Xi pouted. There were so many delicious things at home already.
Fu Hui smoothed the hair at his forehead, which had been tousled by the wig.
“So don’t kill anyone.”
“Oh.”
“If you were arrested, I’d only be able to visit you in prison, with iron bars between us.”
“I know, I know.”
From that conversation, Fu Hui understood that Lan Xi hadn’t heard a single one of the things people had been saying behind his back.
In a way, those people had done themselves a favor. At least they hadn’t completely cut off their own way out.
Even so, Fu Hui repeatedly reminded Lan Xi, “If anyone bullies you or says bad things about you, you must tell me.”
As they grew older, Fu Hui was becoming busier too. It was increasingly difficult for him to accompany Lan Xi to every job.
“Mm-hmm, mm-hmm,” Lan Xi answered distractedly.
Getting Lan Xi a new phone had now become a necessity.
Fu Hui had never imagined that people would look at Lan Xi’s old phone and confidently conclude that he must be poor.
Families like the Fus and Songs had never been particularly interested in luxury labels. There was never a visible logo on their clothes, and the jewelry they wore tended to be understated as well.
He had forgotten that a place like the entertainment industry, with all its obsession with fame and money, loved judging how much a person was worth by outward appearances.
After thinking it over, Fu Hui called Song Xu and asked his mother to arrange some clothes for Lan Xi, ones whose brands would be recognizable.
If they could avoid people openly picking fights with him, it was best to avoid those situations from the outset.
There was no need to pretend to be weak, waiting for someone to pick a fight before revealing how strong he really was.
Why waste energy that way, dealing with petty people?
Song Xu readily agreed and arranged a time for someone to come to the house so Lan Xi could try the clothes on.
The more Fu Hui thought about how awful the entertainment industry could be, the less reassured he felt. After ending the call, he told Lan Xi, “From now on, when we’re outside, you have to call me Big Brother. Understood?”
Lan Xi didn’t understand. “Why? No, I’m calling you Fu Hui.”
Ever since Fu Hui had first taken him in, Lan Xi had loved calling him by his full name. For a long time, he’d used those two syllables practically as punctuation.
Fu Hui didn’t know how to explain those dirty-minded adults to him.
He thought it over and over, and finally managed to say, “Because I want to hear it.”
Lan Xi stared at him for a moment, stunned.
Just when Fu Hui thought Lan Xi would keep resisting to the bitter end, Lan Xi said, “Oh, all right… Big Brother.”
Fu Hui’s lips moved. “Mm,” he answered softly.
When they got home, Lan Xi impatiently began peeling off his outer clothes, tossing them aside as he went.
He called out to Fu Hui, “Fu… Big Brother, bath time!”
Fu Hui was starting to feel that hearing it too many times wasn’t good either. It made him a little dizzy.
He said, “Lan Xi, we’re at home. You don’t have to call me that here.”
Lan Xi did as he pleased. Why would he bother with so many rules?
Didn’t Fu Hui love hearing it? Didn’t he want to hear it?
Then Lan Xi would shout it as loudly as he could. “Big Brother, Big Brother, Big Brother! Come give Lan Xi a bath!”
Fu Hui strode over, feeling strangely short of breath. He followed Lan Xi into the bathroom and only then realized he’d forgotten to take off his face mask.
He pulled it off, speechless.
When he turned his head, he saw that Lan Xi was already standing in the bathtub, tossing his trousers out of it.
When Lan Xi was little, Fu Hui had taken complete responsibility for washing his hair and bathing him.
He’d been terrified that someone else would discover Lan Xi’s little wings and horns.
But now… Fu Hui said, “I’m going out. You can wash yourself.”
Lan Xi was shocked. “Why?”
“Because Lan Xi has grown up.” Fu Hui took the opportunity to give him a safety lesson. “From now on, you mustn’t casually take your clothes off in front of anyone, and you mustn’t let anyone else bathe you.”
Lan Xi was unhappy. “Even Fu Hui?”
“Mm.”
Lan Xi was stunned all over again. “But I wasn’t taking my clothes off *casually*. I was taking them off *seriously*!”
Fu Hui: “…” “That still isn’t allowed.”
Lan Xi furiously pounded the bathtub. “Why isn’t it allowed just because I’ve grown up?”
Fu Hui said, “Look around. You don’t see grown-up people still asking someone else to bathe them.”
“Other people are other people! Lan Xi is Lan Xi!”
Fu Hui could not reason with him. Thinking that he really needed to give Lan Xi a more thorough education about physical development and personal boundaries, he turned to leave. “Take your bath first. Don’t get cold.”
Lan Xi angrily jumped out of the bathtub and onto Fu Hui’s back, clinging to him tightly. He declared in a fury, “Then I don’t want to grow up anymore! I’m not growing up!”