Ain? Oh…?
Bao Bao: confused.jpg
Although not pretty sounding as Bao Bao thought his host’s name would be, it still sounded quite nice.
With the conversation veering into silence again, Ain took a glimpse at Bao Bao from the corner of his eye. The other was still. Even with no facial features, Ain knew that he was looking right at him. He initially assumed that the system assigned to him would have questioned or made further talk based on his personality, but surprisingly, he did not.
Ain raised a brow at the rarely silent Bao Bao. For a split second, a sliver of doubt could be detected in those virescent eyes. However, it quickly dissipated and his half-lidded eyes resumed to examine the data.
Currently, the body was only twelve years old. From ‘his’ memories, Ain learned that the body he had possessed had quite a few ailments. They rendered him to be like a porcelain doll that would crack even by the faintest of winds.
His arrival was four years before the misfortune befell onto him and caused a chain reaction to happen with the original’s parents. Subsequently, having been sent to a grade F world, they were quite generous—giving him a considerable amount of time to finish his job.
Just earlier, Butler Wang, who had been with the family since Wei Tian was a baby, had come by with a nurse.
Doing their daily routine, they had served Wei Xiao his breakfast and a small cup filled with colourful medication.
Thus, usually, at this time, Wei Xiao would be sleeping due to the effects of some of the drugs. But as a result of Ain’s soul entering the body, the drug’s effect partially waned. Consequently leading to his current semi-drowsy state.
(A/N: 'Wei Xiao' will be used instead of 'Ain' from here on out until the end of the arc.)
Being in a body that wasn’t originally his, there was the faint feeling of alienation. It was quite a phenomenal experience for Wei Xiao.
As he lifted his hand and tried to move his limbs to get used to the body, Ain felt a sudden sting. The feeling ran up from his ribs to his shoulder, making him gasp. But, the searing pain was not limited to one area only. It rippled through his entire body as if he had been forced to lay on his side on the treadmill as it was set to max speed.
Wei Xiao carefully pulled at the collar of his shirt. Lowering his sight, it revealed an emaciated-looking body. However, that was only half of the problem.
The rest made Wei Xiao’s eyebrows knit tighter. Faintly peaking out, there were the small patches of purple and green spots against the creamy skin.
All of the ones he could see were located in the most inner and hidden parts of his body, where no one would have thought to look at. If he wasn’t an observant person, it would have been easily missed.
Wei Xiao frowned faintly as he glanced at his newly acquired vessel's condition.
The memories provided did not show that the damages were to this degree, as the original thought that he was very ugly and refused to look at himself. There were only blurred and vague memories of the initial deep red marks and what happened before.
Nevertheless, the injuries were in line with what he had assumed the aftermath would be like. His initial reaction was only because Wei Xiao had momentarily forgotten that this wasn’t his original body, and the original’s pain tolerance was rather low.
As for his health and stamina, it wasn’t as if the original was being neglected and starved by his own family. Rather, it was his own handiwork.
The original Wei Xiao had been unable to stomach the food and didn’t have much appetite due to a few psychological shadows. Oftentimes, he would not eat until he was forced to by the tears of his mother and father. The cycle of self-abuse led to his present state.
As to the reason for his refusal? The answer to this and many other things all had to do with one particular person.
Wei Xiao unbuttoned his shirt slowly, ignoring the nagging pain as he moved. After experiencing the pain for the first time, his nicely shaped brows smoothed out and did not even twitch. It was as if Wei Xiao was just calmly changing his clothes and the contusions did not exist. Only the psychological tears in his eyes revealed that the pain wasn’t imaginary.
Stripping all of his clothes off and attentively lifting his body for accessibility, Wei Xiao was able to ascertain the exact condition of his body with the help of Bao Bao.
During the examination, a certain system was having a major internal nosebleed, feeling like a young maiden who had taken advantage of another and incidentally saw things that weren’t supposed to be seen. Bao Bao wasn’t aroused by it, of course, he was just overstimulated by the beautiful sight.
Bao Bao: (⁄ ⁄•⁄ཀ⁄•⁄ ⁄)⁄ Oh my… Thank you.
Wei Xiao and Bao Bao found that there were a variety of coloured bruises lining his body all throughout. The colourful assortment indicated that the contusions were made at different times.
The newest ones were a deep dark purple color, meaning they were only a day or two old. While others were a pale green color indicating they were about five to ten days old. Lastly, there were some light yellow and darker skin tone ones, meaning they were at least a week to two weeks old.
He neatly fixed his clothes back on and leaned back on the bed, beads of sweat formed on his forehead. Lying there almost bonelessly, his energy was spent.
Instead of racking his brain on the potentially alarming situation, Wei Xiao’s heart was untroubled, his spirit pleased¹.
He quietly gazed out the window. His expression was calm. There was no show of distress for what he had seen, nor any worry for what was to come—it was as if everything here had nothing to do with him from start to finish.
His green orbs reflected a charming view. Outside, the rectangular courtyard was designed for good Feng Shui and to promote tranquility and health. From the small pebbles to the bushes—everything in the courtyard was methodically placed.
Once you step past the double moon glass doors, it was another whole world out there.
Greeting you at the entrance was a short rock pathway surrounded by various plants that were good for purifying the air. White, yellow, purple, red, orange, and blue verdures populated the area, creating a balance.
Following the pathway would lead you to a small stone bridge. It was large enough for two people to fit standing side by side but didn’t look bulky or out of place.
Underneath it was a crystal clear pond that encircled the island. It was decorated with lily pads and lotus flowers. Nine koi fishes swam freely in the unpolluted waters. Eight colourful ones, and one black one, to counterpoise the bad luck.
Across the bridge and centered in the middle was a single pear blossom tree. It seemed to be meticulously taken care of as its flowers and leaves oozed with vitality after the frigid winter. Encircling around the base of the tree, a stone path enabled you to see the tree from all angles, as well as leading you to the last part of the courtyard: a bamboo grove.
Observing the organized and vibrant courtyard, you can clearly see how much effort and time was put in to keep it so well-groomed.
Wei Xiao’s attention was drawn to the pear blossom tree.
But even after inspecting it, he didn’t know why. All he saw was a scene that seemed to be from a fairy tale. Its snow coloured petals were like snowflakes, fluttering in the air as it decorated the circular walkway and nearby greenery.
Yet through it all, his facial expression remained blank, seemingly unmoved by this breathtaking sight. Unwavering, his eyes remain glued onto the tree, his thoughts unreadable.
After a breath of time², Wei Xiao finally looked away. The feeling faintly fading away.
On the side, Bao Bao rolled around in the air after his initial shock at the ugly bruises. He wanted to complain immediately and ask how his host was faring, however, seeing how peaceful it was, he swallowed his bitter complaints.
It was only after Bao Bao calmed down a bit did a heaviness suddenly hit him. Oof. Mm… It feels like Bao Bao is forgetting something… (ʃ._.ƪ)
Rolling around, Bao Bao continued to ponder on what his poor memory could have forgotten. Hopefully, the action of rolling would help jog his memory. As Bao Bao was deep in thought, although he couldn’t remember just yet, whatever he had forgotten seemed rather important. No, it was very important… in fact.
Both of their attention was interrupted by the hurried footsteps coming from the hallway outside. The chaotic sound grew closer and louder until it sounded right outside of the door to his bedroom.
Not long after, the doorknob jingled. *click* With a faint creak, the wooden door was silently opened, and in came five people.
At first glance, Wei Xiao immediately recognized all of them from his memories. The first two were the doctor and the nurse, who are his personal caretakers, the third person was Wei Yue, his older sister, and the last two were Zhou Rongrong and Wei Tian, his beloved parents.
The five unsuspecting people were caught off guard and froze. In the awkward silence, five pairs of eyes stared at him unblinkingly.
Just with a single glance, the Wei family seemed to be blessed by the Gods with their comely looks. Every one of them looked very beautiful and youthful. For example, although Zhou Rongrong was in her late forties, she looked to be no more than in her late twenties. As for Wei Tian, he was hitting his early fifties but he looked to be in his mid-thirties. For Wei Yue, she was only twelve years old but she looked to be two years younger than her actual age.
And the original Wei Xiao, he almost didn’t resemble a human being but a little angel sent from the heavens. Sitting on the bed, blinking his large round set of eyes at them. Unintentionally, he stole away their hearts by his somewhat irregular action.
Floating nearby, Bao Bao was flabbergasted at their genes. He felt a little bit of envy creeping up inside as he continued to gaze at the dazzling four. Ahh, Bao Bao’s eyes. Too bright, too bright… Bao Bao is going to be blind.
Glancing back and forth, the splash of green was soon forgotten as he felt a bit of pride. His baby was the best!
Little-angel-Wei Xiao, as deemed by Bao Bao, had neck-length straight platinum blonde hair, looking so silky and smooth as if woven from the finest moon silk threads. His two-round emerald eyes were like wondrous gems, especially with his butterfly-like lashes fluttering with every blink. They were simply irreplaceable.
His cutely-shaped button nose was located not far below, making one want to pinch and bite it. And towards the bottom of his face was his two small plump pinkish lips. They looked as if they were painted by the hands of a master painter. Its shape greatly complemented his other four features.
His very pale almost translucent skin seemed to be made from the smoothest jade as if blessed by God, making one afraid that a single touch would cause it to shatter or be stained.
Wei Xiao was just like a little cherub in the ancient paintings, so pure and untainted by even a speck of dust from the mortal realm. The sun was shining down on Wei Xiao’s figure, illuminating him. The yellow haze enhanced his looks even more, creating a false golden halo around his small body. It was just the right amount of light, making it seem as if he had just descended down upon the earth and the heavenly aura has yet to dissipate.
The only missing element in all of this was a pair of white wings protruding from his back.
Anyone would be tempted to want to be closer, it was only because of the indifference in his eyes that deterred them from approaching.
The five who came in had been so shocked at the sight, they were stupefied for a good five minutes. It wasn’t like they’ve never seen Wei Xiao before, rather it was that they’ve never seen him like this before.
Ignoring everything around him, Bao Bao was praising his child up to the gates of Heaven. Just how beautiful is his child? Too beautiful! He quickly shook his head. Smacking his lips with his nonexistent hand, Bao Bao felt ashamed. His vocabulary was simply too lacking! How could he describe his baby with such crude words?
In spite of scolding himself for his poor vocabulary, Bao Bao wasn’t so serious. He silently giggled from his ‘cleverly’ thought-out fatuous accolades.
Zhou Rongong’s eyes sparkled as she espied her son. She gazed unblinkingly and coincidentally, Zhou Rongrong’s eyes met his. Wei Xiao averted his eyes to avoid peering into them for too long. There was a tenderness in her green eyes that made him feel uncomfortable.
Seeing that he was awake, she walked over to Wei Xiao with a worried look on her face. In a cautious manner, Zhou Rongrong asked, "Xiao Bao³, what are you doing awake? Are you feeling any pain or discomfort? If you do, tell Mama⁴ and Mama will have it taken care of."
Despite him being twelve years old, Zhou Rongrong would still call him by his nickname and talk in a childish way with him. She didn’t see anything embarrassing about it as Wei Xiao was her son, her little baby. He also fitted the nickname perfectly.
Wei Xiao tilted his head as he looked at his newly acquired mother. His brain was processing this mythical creature, trying to figure her out. Before he was taken in by the system, there were many words that were nonexistent to him. Two of them were 'love' and ‘mother’. They were just words he knew of but did not understand.
But just because he was unfamiliar with it doesn’t mean that he couldn’t recognize it. Wei Xiao could perceive the overflowing adoration in Zhou Rongrong’s eye. It was such a shame that the original had never dared to look straight into them, missing what was perhaps his sole ticket to salvation.
Wei Yue stepped up and touched her mother’s arm. Her face was filled with distress at the situation as she turned to face him. “Didi⁵, are you feeling alright? If you’re not, you should answer Mama… she’s just concerned about you. Baba⁶ and Mama didn’t even rest a little before coming to see you because of how worried they are.”
Wei Xiao kept silent and only stared at Zhou Rongrong as if he hadn’t heard a word Wei Yue said. Unknown to the others, his lack of reaction was a habitual response to almost everything in life.
¹Heart untroubled, his spirit pleased: 心曠神怡 xīnkuàngshényí a Chinese idiom meaning carefree and relaxed.
²A breath of time: 一个呼吸的时间 yī gè hūxī de shíjiān a poetic way of referring to a very short time span, usually about 1-3 seconds.
³Xiao Bao: 小寶 xiǎobǎo a nickname that means ‘little treasure.’
⁴Mama: 媽媽 māma means mommy, mama, mother in Chinese. It’s used in an informal speech.
⁵Didi: 弟弟 dìdi means younger brother. They don’t have to be necessarily related by blood.
⁶Baba: 爸爸 bàba means father, dad in an informal way.
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