MDMB 02

Chapter 02

 Big Brother

The little dumpling lay on her bed sulking, puffed up like an angry pufferfish. She was so upset that she didn’t even eat dinner.

As a result, she woke up hungry the next morning.

At five-thirty, while the other children were still asleep, Qingqing sat up in bed clutching her stomach.

She was starving.

The moment she got up, her body felt weak and unsteady, and her vision blurred for a moment.

Supporting herself against the wall, she slowly made her way to the kitchen. The cook handed her a boiled egg, and the little girl sat by the doorway, cradling it in both hands and taking tiny bites.

After finishing the egg, the emptiness in her stomach eased somewhat, and she felt much better.

She got to her feet and started heading back.

As she passed through the backyard, she spotted an unfamiliar older boy holding a tree branch and waving it toward the dog tied beneath the peach blossom tree.

Qingqing’s face immediately turned pale with fright.

Without thinking, she ran over and shouted anxiously in her childish voice,

“Big Brother, don’t hit Da Huang!”

Fu Yueci turned around in confusion.

Out of nowhere, a tiny child had thrown herself over the dog protectively and was now staring at him with wary, fearful eyes.

As if he were some kind of bully.

“Don’t hit Da Huang! He’s a good doggy!”

Hearing the child’s babyish voice, Fu Yueci almost laughed in disbelief.

He was going through puberty and usually disliked talking because his voice had become rough and hoarse. Still, he replied,

“Me? Hit him? He’s the one who’s been barking at me the whole time.”

Qingqing said nothing.

Her lips pressed tightly together as she stared at the branch in his hand, clearly unconvinced.

Fu Yueci tossed the branch aside and snorted.

“I was just trying to scare him into shutting up.”

The little girl stared at him for several seconds, looking adorably blank.

“Oh.”

The moment she said that, Fu Yueci suddenly felt as though he had punched a ball of cotton.

He took a deep breath.

Was he sick or something?

Why was he explaining himself to a little kid? She probably didn’t even understand.

Da Huang enthusiastically buried himself in Qingqing’s arms, his tail wagging so hard it seemed ready to fly off.

Compared to the snarling, aggressive way he had acted toward Fu Yueci earlier, it was like he had become an entirely different dog.

A complete transformation.

Fu Yueci had only wanted to pet him before, and the dog wouldn’t allow it!

Of course, he would never admit that a dog had somehow made him feel rejected.

Maintaining a cool expression, he folded his arms and stood nearby.

At that moment, Qingqing leaned close to Da Huang’s ear and whispered something.

The dog immediately quieted down, tilting his head as though he could actually understand her.

Fu Yueci had no interest in whatever they were saying and turned to leave.

But then a small voice stopped him.

“Big Brother.”

He looked back.

The little girl tilted up her soft, fair face. Her bright, crystal-clear eyes stared at him without blinking as she asked sincerely,

“Do you still want to pet the doggy?”

Fu Yueci froze for a moment.

Before he could answer, she continued,

“Da Huang had babies. He’s scared of strangers. Do you still want to pet him? I’ll hold him for you.”

He had seen all kinds of expensive pedigree dogs.

A scruffy yellow mutt was hardly worth chasing after.

And yet, strangely enough, he couldn’t make himself leave.

By the time he came back to his senses, he had already crouched beside the dog.

Fu Yueci placed a hand on Da Huang’s head and rubbed it.

Honestly, the fur felt average.

Nothing like the fluffy softness of a Samoyed.

Then, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the redness around Qingqing’s eyes.

Absentmindedly, he asked,

“What’s wrong with you?”

When the little girl looked at him, he quickly added in a deliberately indifferent tone,

“If you don’t want to say it, forget it. I was just curious why you were crying so early in the morning.”

Qingqing’s lips trembled.

The moment she remembered what had happened yesterday, her nose stung with fresh tears.

“I… nobody wants me…”

Lowering her head, she choked out the words.

Her tiny body trembled with quiet sobs.

From where he stood, Fu Yueci could only see the top of her fluffy, slightly messy hair.

It made her look even more lonely.

And that soft little voice…

Just hearing it was enough to make anyone feel sad.

“How could nobody want you? You’re actually pretty…”

The words pretty cute almost slipped out.

But Fu Yueci was naturally proud and awkward when it came to compliments.

The two words lingered on his tongue for a long time before he swallowed them back.

“…ordinary.”

His expression became somewhat unnatural.

Qingqing wiped away her tears and looked at him with wide, watery eyes.

“Big Brother, are you complimenting me?”

With a stiff face, Fu Yueci nodded.

“Yes. I am.”

The little girl’s mood instantly brightened.

Believing in returning kindness with kindness, she immediately offered the same compliment in return.

“Thank you, Big Brother. You’re very ordinary-looking too!”

“…”

Looking into her sincere and delighted eyes, Fu Yueci finally understood what it meant to drop a rock on your own foot.

His handsome face darkened.

He remained silent.

Seeing him withdraw his hand, Qingqing assumed he was finished petting the dog.

She released Da Huang and stood up.

“I’m going back to sleep now, Big Brother. Da Huang knows you now, so you can pet him by yourself. Bye-bye~”

Fu Yueci snapped out of his thoughts and watched the little girl trot away.

He didn’t know why he suddenly called after her.

“Wait a second.”

He pressed his lips together and fell silent for a moment.

Looking at her red eyes and fair little face, he finally asked,

“What’s your name?”

In the director’s office, a man in a tailored suit was flipping through a stack of documents.

One photograph of a child after another passed before his eyes.

None of them stirred the slightest reaction.

Several minutes later, he rose to his feet.

His deep, magnetic voice sounded calm and courteous.

“Sorry for taking up your time. The child I’m looking for isn’t here.”

The orphanage director quickly stood as well and smiled politely.

“It’s no trouble at all.”

She escorted him to the door.

“Please take care, sir.”

Only after watching his figure disappear into the distance did she let out a long breath of relief.

She had no idea who the man was.

Yet his presence was overwhelmingly imposing.

The aura of authority around him was so strong that simply sitting beside him had felt suffocating.

She had barely dared to speak.

The director had met many wealthy people before.

But this was the first person who had made her feel unable to breathe.

She returned to her office and carefully gathered all the children’s files.

After locking them away in a drawer, a knock sounded at the door.

Assuming someone had come to call her for breakfast, she answered casually,

“One moment, I’m coming—”

However, when she opened the door, the person standing outside was the very man who had supposedly left.

He had returned.