Chapter 9

Feng Fei"s home was a small villa, it was located in the middle of the hillside. In autumn, the maple leaves looked fiery on the mountain, the view was extremely good.

Feng Fei smiled, "The weather is good. We can barbecue at the yard tonight."

Hai Xiu was no longer speaking as they pa.s.sed by the winding road, Feng Fei was suspicious: "What"s wrong? Not feeling well?"

"Your…your parents, your brother…are there?" Hai Xiu started talking incoherently, "Barbecue…"

Feng Fei understood quickly and slowly said: "I haven’t told you yet, my brother is already married and moved out with sister-in-law. But it’s not that far so they can have the opportunities to meet us. My parents ah……well, it’s good if you talk to them, you"ll see it. They will like you since you’re a clever kid."

Hai Xiu took a deep breath. He really admired Feng Fei from the bottom of his heart because he and his mom could talk naturally. And it was obvious that his mom likes Feng Fei very much. He… He also wanted Feng Fei"s parents to like him…

Hai Xiu licked his lips anxiously before nodding: "Um…"

Feng Fei looked sideways at Hai Xiu, his lips hooked up. "But you don’t have a chance to talk to them today."

Hai Xiu"s mouth parted slightly, "Ah?"

Feng Fei parked on the side then unbuckled Hai Xiu"s seatbelt, he smiled: "Because my family isn’t here today. I’m on my own."

Hai Xiu stayed still, then he said: "But you said that your mother wanted…wanted to thank me…"

"It"s true that she wanted to thank you and it"s true that she"s not here today. Though not only today, my parents won’t come back home for the next few days. Even our family"s auntie1 is on a vacation." Feng Fei flicked Hai Xiu"s forehead then he smiled, "What? Are you so surprised that you won’t be able to see them? Rest a.s.sured, the food at home has already been prepared. You won’t starve."

Feng Fei got off of the car, carried his and Hai Xiu"s bag, and went inside the house.

"Sit." Feng Fei went upstairs to put their things and went down to pour a juice for Hai Xiu. "Relax, my family is usually not at home."

Hai Xiu held the gla.s.s of juice, his heart felt relieved as he said: "You…You deceived me."

"Very disappointed?" Feng Fei"s brow arched up, he had this evil-intentions as he said: "Did you come here to see my parents? I’ll call them then, I’ll also call my brother and my sister-in-law…" He was talking while taking out his cellphone

Hai Xiu immediately said: "You…"

He was so anxious that his word was not clear. Feng Fei couldn’t help smiling as he took out the cell phone. "Then tell me that you came here to see who?"

Hai Xiu stammered again, "You…"

"Who?" Feng Fei was dissatisfied. "Do you remember my name?"

Hai Xiu couldn’t help laughing before saying: "Feng Fei."

Feng Fei threw the phone on one side and stood in front of Hai Xiu. He was less than ten centimetres away from Hai Xiu, and with a smirk, he asked: "The house is all to myself, are you afraid?"

Hai Xiu suddenly realized that Feng Fei was too close to him.

"I……" He leaned back, "What are you doing……"

Feng Fei took another step forward, took the gla.s.s of juice from Hai Xiu"s hand and placed it on the side. He then put his knee on the s.p.a.ce between Hai Xiu"s legs. He smirked and said in a low voice, "Doing what ah? I’m asking you. Are you afraid?"

Hai Xiu tried to retreat, only to find out that he had been forced to the corner of the sofa by Feng Fei. He quickly pulled the cushion and put it between them then averted his eyes, "I……Why would I be scared of you……"

"You torment me all day. And you’re not afraid that I deceived you to come today, to beat you and bully you?" The cushion was pulled and thrown aside. One knee kneeling on the sofa, he bent down and looked at Hai Xiu. "Hai Xiu, let me tell you, this big brother, having grown until this age, still haven’t taken this big of a loss from anybody… You made me memorize the book, made me memorize the formula… If I didn’t do my homework, you’d write a note to urge me. Whenever I slept during self-study, you’d deliberately complain on my ears. And you also f.u.c.king gave me those counselling books……"

Every time Feng Fei speak, he would lean closer to Hai Xiu. When it came to the last word, his whole body was almost pressed on Hai Xiu.

Hai Xiu was very embarra.s.sed. He tried his best to draw back but it was to no avail, so he tried to push Feng Fei"s shoulder instead. But Feng Fei singlehandedly locked his wrist and forced his arm to wrap it around the boy"s waist. Hai Xiu couldn’t avoid fluttering onto Feng Fei"s embrace.

His small face was burning red.

Feng Fei lowered his head, staring intently at Hai Xiu"s eyes. "We finally got a weekend and yet you went on asking me about an ancient poetry? Well, aren’t you just skillful? Think you’ve got me eating out of your hand?2 Do you believe if I get really irritated one day, I’ll really hit you?"

Hai Xiu looked to the side, he did not want to be too close to Feng Fei, then he whispered in a low voice: "No……Not afraid…"

"You"re really not afraid?" Feng Fei had been paying attention on Hai Xiu"s expression, and knew that the little kid was too conscious to the intimate contact of their bodies. He continued to press for an answer, "Really not afraid that I’ll bully you? Huh?"

"You…" Hai Xiu tried to draw back again, "You don’t really bully me……I know…"

Then he looked up at Feng Fei, Feng Fei was not smiling but his eyes were full of happiness.

Feng Fei was trying to prevent Hai Xiu from hiding to him, but he did not expect that the little kid would trust him fully. Thinking back when Hai Xiu was talking to others, he was usually on guard. Feng Fei"s heart was full of satisfaction. He let go of Hai Xiu and handed the remote to him, "I"ll go up and change clothes."

Hai Xiu blankly stared at him. He did not know what just happened.

Feng Fei turned on the TV instead, found the PSP and gave it to Hai Xiu, "Play on your own."

He went upstairs. After making sure that Hai Xiu was obediently watching television in the living room, he closed the door of the bedroom. He quickly walked to the window and picked up Hai Xiu"s bag.

Feng Fei"s hand quickly opened Hai Xiu"s bag. He took out the exercise books and some other things then put them aside. And then one by one, it was the small pockets turn. Sure enough, there was a hidden pocket on the back. Feng Fei found two small bottles.

It was a two days amount of Hai Xiu"s medicines.

Feng Fei turned around and opened the bedside table. He took out the already been prepared bottle of calcium and collagen protein pills.

He visited the pharmacy before just to look for these nutritional pills that looked like Hai Xiu"s medicine.

Feng Fei emptied Hai Xiu"s medicine bottle and filled it with calcium and collagen protein pills. Then he put it back to its original place.

He was carefully tidying up the mess and returned everything to its original place with so much effort. He clutched the propranolol and sertraline pills he swapped and went to the bathroom. Feng Fei suddenly hesitated when he was just about to flush it on the toilet bowl. Then he turned around to find the piece of paper from the pharmacy, wrapped the pills and hid it in his bedside table.

After completing this, Feng Fei relaxed and went downstairs: "Hungry?"

Hai Xiu gently shook his head. He looked at the time, it was just eleven o"clock, then asked softly: "You"re going to cook?"

"Of course…" Feng Fei smiled, "not."

Feng Fei called and ordered a takeout. After having made the call, he said to Hai Xiu: "Just a takeout for lunch. I will do barbecue for dinner."

Hai Xiu"s eyes were full of excitement: "Really…Really barbecue? You"ll do it by yourself?"

"Yes ah." Feng Fei brought Hai Xiu to the yard to look at the utensils for the barbecue. Then he explained it one by one, "The meat was already marinated by auntie last night. Later, we will wash the vegetables, you’ll gonna cut it because I usually don’t bother doing it over and over again."

Hai Xiu smiled, he was really looking forward to it: "Thank…Thank you."

"What thank you?" Feng Fei flicked his forehead, "In the afternoon, you’ll have to pick up the pieces together with me and clean it up."

Hai Xiu nodded: "Okay."

Seeing Hai Xiu"s response, Feng Fei smiled and teased him: "What? You want me to roast something for you and give you a piece first?"

Hai Xiu quickly shook his head and said with a smile: "In the evening. It would be more fun in the evening."

"Alright. Let"s go back inside."

Feng Fei pulled Hai Xiu back to the house. It didn’t take long for the delivery to come, Feng Fei paid for it while Hai Xiu helped to put it on the plates.

A lunch pa.s.sed by peacefully.

After lunch, two people played games for a while. Hai Xiu was a little anxious while Feng Fei was pretending not to see it, only staring intently at the TV and slender fingers were quickly pressing on the controller. Hai Xiu hesitated for a long time before saying: "I…I want a gla.s.s of water."

Feng Fei got up and poured him a gla.s.s of hot water. Hai Xiu was holding the gla.s.s, whispered: "I…I want to rest for awhile. Is it okay?"

"Nothing"s wrong with that." He turned off the TV. "Go upstairs, your bag is in the first room. Go."

Hai Xiu pardoned himself, nodded and took the gla.s.s upstairs.

Feng Fei slightly tidied up the living room and with a light footsteps, he followed upstairs.

Through the half-open door, Feng Fei could see Hai Xiu hurriedly looking for the bottle of medicines, opened it and poured out a few pills then swallowed it down. Feng Fei bit his lip, when Hai Xiu hid the bottles again, he pushed the door and walked in, he acted like nothing happened. "Is this room good for you to rest?"

Hai Xiu coughed and wiped the water stain on his mouth, then he nodded: "Very…Very good."

"Good?" Feng Fei smiled and approached him, "This is my room. Here is……my bed."

Hai Xiu panicked: "This…This is not…a guest room?"

"We don’t have a guest room." Feng Fei started lying again. "There"s an empty room but its for auntie to rest. My house is small, what, you want to go to my parents" room?"

Hai Xiu shook his head: "Of course not……"

"Then you want to go to my brother"s room?" Saying those words out, Feng Fei suddenly felt something that he couldn’t explain. He knitted his eyebrows. "My sister-in-law"s things are in that room."

Hai Xiu"s headshake was fiercer this time. Feng Fei smiled: "So…you honestly need to stay in this room."