TECSBRO-(5)
Early the next morning, Lu Xu, who had slept well the night before, woke up first.
He opened his eyes, rubbed them, and then realized he was in a hospital bed.
The brain of a child just waking up hasn't fully started functioning.
His eyes stared blankly ahead for a moment before gradually coming back to focus.
Oh right, last night he was sick, and his older brothers, Rong Que and Qi Sui, brought him to the hospital.
It wasn't a dream after all.
With this thought, Lu Xu, whose brain still wasn't fully awake, happily sat up. However, his limbs were too short, making it a bit of an effort to prop himself up.
Once he got up, Lu Xu's mind became a bit clearer, but he still looked around somewhat dazed.
Qi Sui, his brother, was lying at the foot of the bed, sound asleep.
Rong Que, his other brother, was sleeping on the bed beside him. For the two little kids, there was more than enough space on the bed.
However, Lu Xu didn't dare to make any noise, afraid of waking them up.
Taking care of himself last night must have been tiring.
It seems like he has caused some trouble again.
But why does it feel a bit happy?
Perhaps it's because Lu Xu hasn't fully woken up yet. His eyes have a light red tint, appearing somewhat pinkish. His cheeks also have a faint blush from just waking up.
This made his face no longer appear eerie with the collision of snow-white and vivid red but instead added a touch of vitality, making him look very cute.
Lu Xu turned his head and earnestly examined Rong Que's face.
He didn't dare to observe Rong Que directly when he was awake.
Now, as Rong Que slept soundly, Lu Xu's courage grew.
Rong Que had thick eyelashes that cast a shadow on his fair face. Stray hair rested on his face, giving him a charming look.
Unlike Lu Xu's eyes and face, which were more round like a true rabbit, Rong Que, although still having some baby fat, already showed sharper contours.
Lu Xu was lost in thought, a child's thoughts always jumping around.
He couldn't help but ponder whether last night it was Qi Sui who brought Rong Que up or if Rong Que came up by himself.
Lu Xu used to envy those who could secretly sneak into their friends' beds to sleep in the middle of the night.
Finally, he could also have a good friend to sleep with.
But what if Rong Que didn't want to sleep together and only did it because he was too tired?
If only Rong Que simply wanted to sleep next to him.
Thinking about this, Lu Xu couldn't help but curve his lips. Somehow, he felt his face getting warm.
Lu Xu wasn't aware that his face had turned quite red. He could only foolishly touch his heated cheeks.
Perhaps not liking the feeling of being stared at, Rong Que suddenly woke up.
His habits from past battles kept him from experiencing deep sleep.
Unexpectedly meeting Rong Que's somewhat guarded and fierce gaze, Lu Xu was startled and moved backward.
He couldn't help but recall what the colossal figure in his dream had said, that Rong Que wanted to kill him.
Lu Xu nervously spoke up, "What's wrong, brother Rong Que? "
Rong Que was brought back to reality by Lu Xu's voice. He closed his eyes briefly, reminding himself that it wasn't the apocalypse anymore.
Then his gaze returned to calmness, "Just had a nightmare, it's nothing."
Hearing this, Lu Xu thought for a moment, then scooted forward, leaning against Rong Que and reaching out to gently pat his head, "It's okay, Xiao Lu will protect big brother. Big brother shouldn't be afraid!"
After saying that, he puffed up his cheeks and blew two breaths, saying, "Pain, pain fly, pain, pain fly."
Rong Que was momentarily stunned. Lu Xu seemed to have confused comforting someone who is hurt with this situation. Clumsily imitating the comforting gesture was incredibly cute.
Unaware that his face naturally showed a gentle expression, Rong Que said, "Thank you, Xiao Lu. I'm not afraid anymore."
"Hehe." Lu Xu chuckled foolishly.
Feeling praised by Rong Que, his face became warm again, just like before.
Rong Que noticed the change in Lu Xu's face and, with some sensitivity, sat up and lightly touched the blush on his face, asking, "What's wrong, having an allergy again?"
However, Rong Que soon realized that this blushing was different from the previous night.
There were no rashes on the back of his neck, and when he touched Deer Xu's face, even his ears turned a bit red.
So, it's shyness.
Lu Xu felt a bit flustered, not knowing the reason. He could only use his rabbit ears to cover half of his face and asked in a soft voice, "Rong Que, am I having an allergy?"
Rong Que couldn't help but laugh. He ruffled Lu Xu's head and said, "No, Xiao Lu, you're just happy to help."
Lu Xu, lacking social experience, finally understood the implication.
Just now, when he was thinking about sleeping together with a good friend in his mind, his face had turned red too.
Realizing this, Lu Xu finally became aware that he might be feeling shy.
His face reddened even more, and he even covered his eyes with his fluffy ears, as if afraid of being discovered.
Qi Sui was awakened by the voices of the two talking. He opened his eyes with a frown, about to utter some scolding words, but his mouth froze when he saw the two kids at the bedside, especially the adorable little rabbit. He awkwardly closed his mouth again.
Qi Sui felt that his rising morning irritation was instantly extinguished by the sight of the innocent and tender Lu Xu.
He couldn't understand why Lu Xu would be bullied when he was such an irresistibly lovable little rabbit.
Feeling uncomfortable in his bed, Qi Sui stretched lazily, joints cracking. He became a bit more awake.
He remembered he was the last one to fall asleep, and at that time, Rong Que was clearly sleeping at the bedside.
Qi Sui, with a puzzled expression, asked, "When did you climb onto the bed?"
Hearing this, Lu Xu immediately felt a small burst of happiness.
So, it was Rong Que himself who wanted to sleep with him.
Rong Que was unaware of Lu Xu's thoughts.
He only recalled being awakened by a nightmare in the middle of the night, finding Lu Xu holding onto his arm tightly and softly calling for "mom."
Maintaining that position was uncomfortable, and Lu Xu seemed unwilling to let go. That's why Rong Que climbed onto the bed to sleep with him.
Despite the initially awkward position, they unexpectedly slept well. Lu Xu also settled down, and both of them slept until now.
At this moment, Rong Que suddenly heard Lu Xu's little belly make a small rumbling sound.
It was a quiet sound, just like a child's.
Rong Que found it amusing. He looked at the only adult, Qi Sui, beside the bed. Qi Sui's face remained composed, his tone indifferent. However, the words he spoke were mimicking a child, as if demonstrating for Lu Xu, "Big Brother Director, we're hungry. Can you bring us some breakfast?"
"Huh?" Qi Sui was momentarily caught off guard.
Lu Xu, feeling a bit embarrassed, covered his stomach.
"Xiao Lu, is there anything you want to eat?" When Rong Que looked at Lu Xu, his face carried a gentle smile.
He was encouraging Lu Xu to voice his own preferences.
Lu Xu hesitated for a moment, clearly not used to the feeling of being respected.
Normally, when he wanted some food, he had to act.
But he quickly remembered the pig-shaped sweets that were given to other kids in the orphanage. Unable to resist the temptation, he swallowed and eagerly said, "I want piggy!"
Rong Que was momentarily stunned. Pig meat early in the morning?
No, wait, Lu Xu mentioned on the car that he liked vegetables.
Qi Sui curiously asked, "Is it a pork bun?"
Lu Xu vigorously shook his head, clearly unable to bear the mention of pork.
With this reminder, Rong Que finally recalled the pig-shaped buns served at the orphanage every Friday morning.
Memories of the orphanage were too vague for him, and only specific things could trigger any recollection.
Lu Xu was often bullied, and there was a high chance he hadn't tasted the most popular piggy buns.
Continuing to explain to Qi Sui, Lu Xu said, "It should be piggy buns, the ones with yellow cream inside."
Lu Xu nodded in agreement. Due to his lack of interaction with people, despite being five or six years old, he didn't know the names of many things and struggled with normal communication.
Meanwhile, because he had to run errands, Qi Sui saw Lu Xu earnestly nodding, and it gave him a bit more motivation.
It was like dealing with a hungry little animal that couldn't speak and could only frantically signal its desires.
Qi Sui blushed at his own imagination, feeling a strong desire to care for Lu Xu. He gave up on asking someone else to run the errands and decided to go downstairs to buy pork buns himself.
The fact that the little rabbit liked piggy buns made them even cuter.
Then, Rong Que saw Qi Sui sighing about how challenging it was to be a director on the surface. However, he spoke to Lu Xu, "Little Lu, from now on, Director Big Brother will subsidize the canteen, and you can have piggy buns every morning!"
After saying that, he swiftly went downstairs to buy breakfast.
Rong Que was a bit puzzled. The delivery person was nearby; why didn't Qi Sui just call and have it brought up?
After Qi Sui left, Lu Xu curiously asked, "Rong Que, why do you call him Director Big Brother?"
Then, with a hint of fear, he added, "Director... not good, very fierce."
Rong Que knew that Lu Xu was scared of the previous director.
Lu Xu probably thought that anyone who became a director would bully him.
Children's logic is sometimes strange and cute.
Feeling both pity and patience, Rong Que explained, "Because the previous director was too bad, he was kicked out by Brother Qi Sui, and Brother Qi Sui became the director himself."
Lu Xu listened, seeming to understand and not understand; he had no concept of professions.
All he knew was that people called "director" in the past were scary.
So there are good directors too?
"Will Director Qi Sui bully Xiao Lu?" Lu Xu asked uncertainly.
Rong Que found Lu Xu's way of addressing cute.
Silly and unaware of the concept of a director, he added "Director" after Brother Qi Sui's name, showing a bit of politeness but not much.
Also, because both he and Qi Sui called Lu Xu "Xiao Lu," Lu Xu started calling himself that too, probably something no one had ever called him before.
"No, Brother Qi Sui and I both really like Xiao Lu and will protect him." Rong Que promised sincerely.
Though making a promise to a child who doesn't understand much, Rong Que was not at all insincere.
He was serious, as if making a determined commitment.
When Qi Sui came back, exhausted and sweating, he saw Lu Xu and Rong Que getting even more intimate, whispering secrets in each other's ears.
He began to question his life choices.
How is it that just running an errand makes these two kids even closer?
Or is it that his presence here is hindering Rong Que from fully showcasing his child-soothing skills?
Qi Sui bought ten pig-shaped buns and some rabbit-shaped pastries, more delicate than the pig-shaped buns, formed directly from white dough into cute round bunny shapes.
Unfortunately, there were no floppy-eared rabbits.
As Qi Sui looked up, he saw Lu Xu eagerly eyeing the steaming, adorable pastries in his hands.
Seeing this, he felt a sense of accomplishment.
Not wanting to waste time, he had the driver a bit farther to buy goat milk, thinking that Lu Xu would love it.
Qi Sui returned like a happy dog coming back from a successful hunt, joyfully pulling over the hospital bed's eating table for the two children.
He arranged the food and prepared to put gloves on the kids for eating.
Lu Xu obediently opened his fingers, and Qi Sui clumsily attempted to put the adult-sized gloves on the child's hands.
However, the plastic gloves were meant for adults, and Lu Xu ended up with something resembling a sleeve on his hand.
Lu Xu opened his fingers again, and the glove remained motionless, unresponsive, and utterly useless for holding anything.
Qi Sui stood there, feeling awkward and troubled.
What to do now?
Unable to bear the sight, Rong Que, standing nearby, took a plastic glove for himself, picked up a pig-shaped bun, and fed it to Lu Xu.
Since the pig-shaped buns weren't available downstairs and Qi Sui had run a considerable distance to get them, coupled with being packaged in bags, although still emitting steam, they had cooled down a bit.
At least the plastic glove in Rong Que's hands made it easier for Lu Xu, as the sensitive little bunny's tongue wouldn't be bothered by the heat.
Seeing Rong Que handing over the pig-shaped bun, Lu Xu, who had been fed by Rong Que the previous day, didn't find it strange anymore.
He obediently opened his mouth.
The pig-shaped bun was quite large, and Lu Xu tried to open his mouth wide, attempting to devour it in one big bite, as if he was accustomed to gnawing on steamed buns like this.
Finding it amusing, Rong Que gently coaxed, "Start by eating the pig's nose."
"Ah." Lu Xu then reduced the size of his mouth a little.
Opening it so wide had made his mouth a bit sore.
Lu Xu rubbed his cheek, then took a small, precise bite, only consuming the pig's nose.
Very obedient.
Satisfied with himself for perfectly biting off the pig's nose from the bun, Lu Xu nodded in contentment.
Then he looked at Rong Que expectantly.
Rong Que's initial reaction was concern that Lu Xu might have burned himself.
However, Lu Xu had already eaten it, still looking at him eagerly.
Rong Que sensed a bit of expectation in those light red eyes.
Was he supposed to praise him?
Thinking this, Rong Que tentatively said, "Xiao Lu, you're amazing. You just ate the nose so well."
Lu Xu, upon hearing this, smiled and pursed his lips.
He then took another bite, this time savoring the sweet custard filling inside, a delightful combination with the dough.
Lu Xu widened his eyes in astonishment, still chewing. Only the sound of his enjoyment could be heard through his nostrils.
Seeing Lu Xu enjoying the food so much, Rong Que began to feel hungry himself.
Qi Sui, on the side, felt a bit redundant. After all, he bought the piggy buns, so why did it feel like he had nothing to do with this?
Lu Xu slowly finished one.
It was his first time eating piggy buns, and they were delicious and sweet.
Lu Xu squinted his eyes in satisfaction and suddenly remembered something.
He looked at Qi Sui and said, "Qi Sui, Brother, let's eat piggy buns together."
Upon hearing the cute invitation from the little one, Qi Sui's previous dissatisfaction instantly disappeared. He even responded in a coquettish tone, "Thank you, Xiao Lu."
Rong Que watched with a relaxed smile on his face. Qi Sui noticed Rong Que's expression and thought he and Rong Que had come together to save Lu Xu. However, in reality... wasn't Lu Xu also healing them, who had endured so much in their past lives?
Lu Xu, now indistinguishable from an ordinary child, was born with a different appearance. If he was originally an evil god, how did he maintain such innocence for so long?
Thinking about this, Qi Sui recalled the newspaper he saw in the office about Lu Xu. Initially, he thought it wasn't important, so he didn't mention it to Rong Que.
It was a headline from about five or six years ago. A newborn with strange ears and red pupils was taken by a research institute, tortured for two years, and then abandoned at the orphanage when they deemed it had no research value.
Later, it was discovered that the institute was just a front for a group of illicit personnel.
Qi Sui needed to find the right time to tell Rong Que about what happened in the research institute. What exactly transpired there and whether it was related to Lu Xu becoming a monster later on were questions that needed answers.
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