Chapter 92: Clueless and Grumpy

Chapter 92: Chapter 92: Clueless and Grumpy

The nanny’s smile froze. She defended herself. "Little Shu, I was talking about buying toys from the very beginning. You misunderstood me."

"Then it makes no difference if we go ask her now." Wei Shu grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the door.

Wei Qi didn’t understand what his younger brother meant. He swallowed the meat in his mouth before speaking. "Isn’t she off work? That kid must have gone home, too."

"Then I’ll go to her house and ask." Wei Shu’s logic was remarkably clear.

Wei’s mother covered her mouth and chuckled. "Do you know where she lives? Let’s go back to the children’s hospital tomorrow and try again, okay?"

If the little girl didn’t show up, she would use her connections to find out her name. It was rare for her child to take a liking to another kid; she had to do her best to help him win this friend over.

"But you can’t talk about buying her anymore. If her parents hear you say that, they won’t be happy about letting her play with you." Wei’s mother led Wei Shu back to his seat.

Wei Shu was still deep in thought. "Then should I bring her a gift? Never mind, I’m not going. If I don’t buy her, she won’t want to play with me."

Faced with their youngest son’s dejection, the Wei family parents exchanged a glance, hiding the pain in their eyes, and softly comforted him.

Wei Qi really wanted to ease his little brother’s worries. "It’s okay! I’ll go with you tomorrow. I’ll play with her, and if we have fun, I’ll invite her to our house."

"...! You’re actually trying to steal my friend!" Wei Shu glared at him fiercely, picked up some meat, dropped it into his bowl, and left the table, bowl in hand. "I don’t want to eat with my bad brother anymore!"

Wei Qi stared blankly in the direction Wei Shu had left and asked his parents, "Why is he angry again? Did I make him mad?"

"It’s nothing, Xiaoqi. Your brother just wants to eat alone. Don’t overthink it." Wei’s mother smiled faintly. One of her sons was completely oblivious, and the other was a perpetual grump, but she had given birth to both of them. What else could she do but be patient?

Mr. Wei, who was still looking down and peeling shrimp for his wife, heard this and said to his eldest son, "If your brother really brings a friend home, don’t go crowding around them."

Wei Qi didn’t understand, but he always listened to his family. He just kept stuffing meat into his mouth. Since his brother wasn’t at the table today, he was going to feast!

The nannies were already used to the family’s little dramas. Fortunately, the eldest young master was oblivious and never took his little brother’s words to heart.

After dinner, for the first time ever, Wei’s mother didn’t stay in the playroom with the kids. Instead, she went straight back to her bedroom.

Mr. Wei instructed the nannies not to go upstairs and disturb them, then quietly followed her.

As soon as her husband entered the room, Wei’s mother could no longer hold it in. She buried her face in his shoulder and sobbed uncontrollably.

"I... I regret it so much. I should have quit my job back then to stay home and look after the kids..."

Mr. Wei wrapped his guilty wife in his arms and patted her back. "Don’t say that. No one could have foreseen what happened back then. If you want to blame someone, blame me. I was the one who failed to keep an eye on him. Both of us had to work. Losing our child wasn’t just one person’s fault."

"When Little Shu talked about buying a child..." Wei’s mother closed her eyes, letting her tears flow freely. "On one hand, I was hoping he could let go of the past, but on the other hand, it breaks my heart. He’s so young, yet he had to go through something like that. I don’t even dare to scold him harshly. I’m so terrified that if he realizes buying and selling children is a terrible, terrible thing, he’ll sink right back into the shadows of his past."

During that kidnapping, even though they had paid the ransom on time, the kidnappers hadn’t returned the child. Instead, they took the money and sold him. The precocious Wei Shu had been passed around through multiple buyers before his parents finally found him in a dog kennel deep in the mountains.

Mr. Wei comforted her. "Little Shu is a sensible boy. He didn’t even dare to bring it up before. The fact that he can talk about buying and selling with a relatively calm expression now means he’s slowly letting it go. If we, as his parents, panic first, he’ll have an even harder time moving on.

"We definitely have to find that little girl. It’s so rare for Little Shu to show any desire to interact with the outside world." Mr. Wei thought for a moment. "At worst, we can give her parents a large sum of money and ask the little girl to spend some time playing with Little Shu."

Wei’s mother looked deeply worried. "That’s exactly what I’m concerned about. According to Xiaolin, even though the little girl was poorly dressed, she’s clearly loved by her family. They wouldn’t have the heart to let their daughter get bullied, would they?"

Mr. Wei knew his wife was letting her concern cloud her judgment. "It’s not like we’d just let Little Shu bully her, right? If he really does bully her, as his father, I’ll discipline him immediately. We can’t help him out of his trauma only to raise him into a bad person.

"Little Shu even mentioned buying her a gift. As his parents, we can’t let him lose face. I’ll have the nanny pack a backpack full of gifts overnight, and he can bring it to the children’s hospital tomorrow." Mr. Wei stroked his wife’s beautiful hair.

"He might not actually give it to her." Wei’s mother was still a bit anxious.

Mr. Wei, on the other hand, was much more relaxed. "That’s up to the kids then. The fact that Little Shu even considered it shows he understands that making friends requires some initiative to please others. Why would he bully her on purpose?

"If you really want to worry, save it for when the two little ones actually get into an argument."

Wei’s mother was convinced. "Do you think I should take tomorrow off and go with him to check it out?"

"If you’re worried, go." Mr. Wei gently kissed his wife’s forehead.

Wei’s mother pushed him away and shot him a faux-angry glare. "We’re talking about serious matters. Keep your hands to yourself."

The next morning.

Wei’s mother woke up to find that her husband hadn’t put on his usual formal suit. She stared at him in confusion.

Mr. Wei coughed lightly. "I’m going too. Just in case the little girl doesn’t show up today, I can ask a friend to look into it."

Since both of them had taken the day off, they naturally went together to drop off their eldest son at school before taking their youngest son to the municipal children’s hospital.

Wei Shu carried the children’s backpack his parents had prepared for him, his mind seemingly weighed down with thoughts the entire way.

The Wei family parents saw it, but they didn’t say anything.

After getting out of the car, Wei Shu took the lead and ran into the hospital. The Wei family parents followed close behind, stopping alongside their son in front of the children’s play equipment.

Following Wei Shu’s gaze, they spotted the little girl making funny faces in front of a funhouse mirror, along with the pretty woman standing beside her.

Wei Shu pursed his lips. Wearing his backpack, he found a spot with a clear view and sat down. He clearly had no intention of going over to strike up a conversation.

The Wei family parents didn’t rush him. They simply kept him company as they watched the little girl play.

It was Tuantuan’s first time seeing a funhouse mirror. She was startled by her own reflection, but her curiosity kept her staring at it, genuinely believing she had shapeshifted.

It wasn’t until Deng Yuyuan stepped into the frame beside her that Tuantuan began comparing her mother inside and outside the mirror. Her big eyes blinked rapidly before she finally reached a conclusion. "The mirror... is being disobedient."

After looking at herself for a little while longer, Tuantuan lost interest.

She was here to see the doctor today. Her red rash hadn’t disappeared; in fact, the slightest pressure on her skin would leave a mark. The doctor had said that if it didn’t fade after two days of observation, she would need to take medication.

Tuantuan knew what taking medicine meant. She could tolerate a brief moment of bitterness, especially since she got to run wild in the children’s playground right after her appointment.

After trying out all the equipment, Tuantuan dragged her mother toward the grassy lawn.