Chapter 3: The Real Heir in a Fake Young Master Heartthrob Novel

The action of bending over and trying hard to squeeze his head inside brought back thoughts that Shen Yijing had suppressed for a long time.

It really resembled the little chicks raised by a grandmother in their alley, searching for worms to eat when they were young.

“Dad, why aren’t you eating? It won’t taste good if it gets cold.”

After getting tired of eating, Jiujiu reminded his dad that it would be a waste if the food got cold and didn’t taste good.

Shen Yijing originally planned to save it for his little one to eat later. Seeing how eager he was, he could guess that he definitely wanted more than just one bite.

But seeing that the whole sweet potato was bigger than his little bird, he was afraid it would overeat, so he sat there peeling the roasted sweet potato.

Shen Yijing thought the roasted sweet potato tasted average. It only smelled good when sold at the stall, and it was quite expensive.

On the way home, Shen Yijing kept thinking about what to do with such a large sum of money. It seemed that no matter where he put it, he wouldn’t feel at ease.

He used to think that as long as his money box was locked, it was his own possession.

But if his mother wanted to, she could easily destroy it, and he shouldn’t even show any feelings of discomfort or grievance.

Jiujiu guessed his dad’s dilemma, shook his feathers, lifted his wing, and said:

“Dad, hide it with me.”

He had sneaked over without permission, so he couldn’t bring many things, but he himself was a treasure.

He could hide things in the few feathers he had, the space was not small, and it was very convenient.

Shen Yijing now trusted Jiujiu unconditionally, and like a thief, he carefully handed the money to him.

When they got home, Shen’s mother seemed to have had a bad day at work or life. She didn’t look pleased when she saw him come in and scolded him for not being home all day.

Shen Yijing skillfully pressed down on his little one’s head, walked into the room, closed the door from the inside, and whispered:

“When I grow up, I can take you away from this place.”

Jiujiu, puffed up with anger, didn’t want to pay attention to his dad. If it weren’t for Shen Yijing always stopping him, he would definitely peck that couple bald.

The night before Shen Yijing went to school, he hid under the blanket and saw Jiujiu, who was so sleepy that his eyes were squinting.

“What will you do when I go to school?”

“Uh, Jiujiu wants to follow Dad.”

“No, I’m going to school.”

Hearing this, Jiujiu shook his head to wake up, angrily tucking his wings.

“Don’t you want to take me with you?”

“Stay at home, okay?”

Shen Yijing leaned over and kissed his head. Jiujiu covered the spot his dad had just kissed with his wing and compromised after a while:

“Well, okay, I’ll hide well.”

Jiujiu watched his dad leave, snuggled in the blanket, and happily rolled around several times.

If he weren’t afraid of being discovered by that couple, he would have chirped a few times in joy.

Although his dad, after the tribulation, wasn’t like before, able to do everything perfectly, and was small and bullied, but… he didn’t mind his bald feathers and even kissed him.

The more Jiujiu thought about it, the happier he became. After rolling around several times, he lay there and laughed for a while.

His dad used to say he would wait until his feathers grew back before kissing him, as the bald little one looked like a chick he had stolen from somewhere.

To get his dad to kiss him sooner, Jiujiu had heard others say that after the molting period, beautiful and splendid feathers would grow, so he eagerly awaited his feathers to fall off.

Seeing them grow too firmly, he even became a ruthless bird, pecking off everything he could.

After losing his feathers, he was even balder, but no new feathers grew. It wasn’t until his dad told him that he was a phoenix, with a long juvenile period.

After the feathers were plucked, apart from looking uglier, no beautiful new feathers grew.

Since then, Jiujiu has been exceptionally protective of his feathers, afraid the wind would blow them away.

When Shen Yijing went to school, he obediently hid in a concealed place. Because his dad wasn’t there, he was tempted by the good sunlight but didn’t dare to bask in it.

At school, the class Shen Yijing was assigned to had a teacher who had just graduated, wearing a beige dress, a woman who looked very gentle at first glance.

Their place was a mix of urban and rural, and in the slightly remote school, there were state-subsidized nutritious meals at noon.

Holding the brand-new utensils, Shen Yijing felt a bit regretful seeing the quail eggs inside.

His little one was left at home, and if he were there, he would definitely want to bury his head in the lunchbox.

“Shen Yijing, come here for a moment.”

Just after putting down the utensils, Shen Yijing heard someone calling him. It was their homeroom teacher, and he ran over to follow her to the office.

Teacher Wu took out some notebooks and pens she had just bought from the small shop from her drawer.

“The teacher thinks you have great leadership skills and wants you to be the class monitor. This is your reward. I hope you can help the teacher manage the class well, okay?”

Shen Yijing had been thinking about how to buy notebooks. Although he had exchanged a feather for money, he couldn’t bear to use it whenever he thought of the scene where his little one was in pain.

Hearing the teacher’s words, he quickly nodded.

Just like when he sold scrap to that uncle, he felt he was earning rewards through labor.

“Don’t worry, teacher, I will work hard.”

Teacher Wu patted his head, seeing his clothes with frayed edges, and smiled:

“Keep it up.”

When he got home in the evening, Shen’s mother didn’t care about him needing a quiet environment to do his homework because he was going to school.

She made him help with bathing and cleaning the house, and also had him deliver some handmade items to the people who needed them.

It was a bit far, and Shen’s mother found it troublesome, plus the items were hard to carry.

“Hurry up, if you’re late, they’ll close the door.”

On the way back after delivering the last package, Shen Yijing, familiar with the couple’s temperament, saw Jiujiu poking his head out from his dad’s pocket.

“Dad, Jiujiu is hungry.”

Shen Yijing had anticipated that his parents wouldn’t save him any dinner at this hour. He intended to endure it, but hearing his little one say he was hungry changed his mind.

“What do you want to eat?”

“I don’t know what I want to eat.”

The little chubby bird usually decided what to eat based on what smelled good, but today he didn’t smell anything.

Shen Yijing ended up buying two buns, one with meat filling and the other with cabbage. He broke the meat bun in half and handed it to Jiujiu.

“This bun shop is said to be particularly good.”

Jiujiu pecked a bit, patted his belly with his wing, and said he was full. The bun shop owner, seeing Shen Yijing squatting at the door eating, poured him a cup of water.

On the way back, after eating and drinking, Shen Yijing couldn’t help but occasionally reach into his pocket to touch his little one.

He was young, not stupid, so he understood that the earlier words were out of concern that he might not have eaten.

If he were truly hungry, a little bird like Jiujiu could eat two buns, not just peck a few bites.

“Hey, Dad, don’t touch my butt!!!”

Hearing the angry little voice, Shen Yijing instinctively withdrew his hand. Jiujiu, exasperated, emerged from the pocket.

“Dad, you’re too much!”

“I-I didn’t mean to.”

Shen Yijing rarely stammered. He just wanted to touch him, and as soon as his hand went in and touched him, he heard the voice. Who would have thought a little yellow chick wouldn’t allow anyone to touch him?

“No touching! If you touch too much, my beautiful tail feathers won’t grow.”

Jiujiu didn’t care about these things before. As long as it felt comfortable, he would lie still for anyone in the heavenly palace. But after hearing his dad say that being touched on the butt would prevent tail feathers from growing, he would peck anyone who dared to touch him secretly.

“Alright, since you’re my dad, I’ll forgive you this time, but don’t do it again.”

“Okay, I won’t.”

When they got home, the neighbor told Shen Yijing that his dad went out drinking, and his mom just left to play mahjong.

Although Shen Yijing had already guessed this on the way back, he couldn’t help but hold onto a glimmer of hope when he got home. But upon opening the kitchen door, he found nothing.

Closing the kitchen door, he walked to his room. Jiujiu only climbed out after his dad sat down.

“Dad, you need to eat on time.”

Shen Yijing didn’t want his little one to worry about him, so he nodded.

He also wanted to eat on time, but he didn’t have the means. Every time he spent money, he had to be very cautious.

Their place was small, and if his parents found out, it would be troublesome.

Aside from the nutritional meals at school during lunch, he had no say in the matter.

The more Shen Yijing thought about it, the more eager he was to grow up. He wanted to grow up quickly and have a home of his own.

“Dad, grow strong.”

Jiujiu hugged his dad’s finger, feeling a bit distressed after mumbling for a while.

He knew that human children needed nutrition at this age, but he was just a little useless bird.

Shen Yijing didn’t have the chance to buy food every day. Occasionally, his mom would leave a bowl of rice and lock the door from the outside when she left.

One day during class, Teacher Wu saw Shen Yijing sleeping on his desk. After several reminders, he still didn’t wake up.

Putting the book on the podium, she walked over to him.

“Shen Yijing, please pay attention in class.”

She gently knocked on his desk, but he didn’t respond. Teacher Wu suddenly realized something was wrong and hurriedly picked him up.

Even after being picked up, Shen Yijing was unresponsive. Teacher Wu was so anxious that her palms were sweating. Just as she was about to call for emergency help, she ran into the Principal, who came over to check.

“What happened to the child? Take him to the hospital, quickly.”

The Principal took Shen Yijing from her. Teacher Wu asked a colleague to watch her class and followed them out.

Teacher Wu, a petite girl from the south, was so anxious on the way to the hospital that tears welled up in her eyes.

After examination at the hospital, it was found that malnutrition combined with low blood sugar had caused him to faint.

“Malnutrition? How can there still be malnutrition in this day and age?”

The Principal blurted out, and even Teacher Wu standing next to him found it unbelievable.

Even the old lady collecting scraps at the entrance of their neighborhood had a chubby grandson.

“Sir, this child is so obedient and sensible.”

Shen Yijing was still unconscious, receiving an IV. The Principal, seeing his frail form, sighed after much thought.

“Sir, can’t we report this to the police?”

The Principal shook his head gently and replied:

“We can, but it won’t do much good. Look at his clothes; it’s just a case of poor family conditions and neglect. Reporting it would only lead to mediation.”

“If the parents have a bad temperament, how will he live after the police leave?”

The Principal, being older and more experienced, wasn’t as naive as his daughter.

Family matters are hard to judge, especially when outsiders shouldn’t interfere. He had seen cases of child abuse that couldn’t be resolved properly, let alone mere neglect.

When Shen Yijing woke up to a completely unfamiliar scene and saw the needle in his hand, his heart sank.

“Teacher, how much does this cost?”

Teacher Wu, noticing his distress, walked over with a smile and said:

“The school bought insurance for you at the beginning of the term, so this doesn’t cost anything. The Principal is here too, you can ask him if you don’t believe me.”

Shen Yijing subconsciously stared at the Principal. The Principal looked at the student and then at his own daughter, nodding reluctantly.

“Yes, there’s insurance.”

There was indeed insurance, but it didn’t mean no money was needed at all; it only covered part of the expenses, and parents still had to come and complete the process.

But seeing his daughter in this state, what could he do? He could only nod and agree, then pay out of his own pocket.

Only after hearing this did Shen Yijing breathe a sigh of relief and leaned back, saying to Teacher Wu:

“Sorry, teacher, for causing you trouble.”

Hearing this, Teacher Wu felt a pang in her nose. She had already missed the school’s nutritious lunch when she brought Shen Yijing back at noon, so she simply took him home.

Teacher Wu’s mother had already prepared a meal with vegetables, fish, and meat, but Shen Yijing only picked the vegetables in front of him.

Teacher Wu gave him a peeled shrimp, and her mother also advised:

“If you don’t finish this meal, it will be wasted.”

After this incident, Teacher Wu knew some things couldn’t be solved, so she often took care of Shen Yijing, bringing him food.

Every morning during reading time, she would let Shen Yijing come to her office, where her mother had specially prepared nutritious breakfasts suitable for children his age.

Although this school was in a suburban area, apart from Shen Yijing, most of the children in the class grew up under their parents’ care.

Only Shen Yijing needed special attention, and after the other children in the class learned about this, they were eager to help him.

“Shen Yijing, my mom is so annoying. She bought me clothes in this color again. I told her I don’t like it, and she said unless I find someone to give it away, she won’t buy me new ones.”

A chubby-cheeked girl walked up to Shen Yijing and handed him a bag.

“Black doesn’t look good at all; I want pink.”

Shen Yijing accepted it, bewildered, not feeling that it hurt his self-esteem at all but rather grateful for his classmates’ help.

Every time Shen’s mother saw him wearing new clothes, she didn’t interfere much, happy to have saved some money.

Only Jiujiu was upset, crying in his father’s palm for a long time, and before Shen Yijing could react, he plucked another feather.

“Dad, I will buy you new clothes.”

Shen Yijing saw the feather on the table and noticed that the little one seemed ready to pluck another, so he quickly held down his head.

“I don’t need to buy them myself; this is fine. The lady selling clothes won’t sell to someone my age.”

Jiujiu sat in his father’s palm, chirping and crying again, feeling uncomfortable with his feathers soaked in sweat.

“It’ll be fine when I grow up.”

Shen Yijing leaned over, rubbing the little one’s head with his thumb to comfort him. He didn’t understand why this little one was always worried about him being wronged.

In fact, he felt that compared to before, life was already much better now.

Jiujiu sat there chirping for a long time, unable to express that he really wanted to tell his dad that if it weren’t for that malicious couple, his dad should have been the sole heir of a wealthy family.

Shen Yijing rarely put aside unfinished homework, taking Jiujiu out to buy a sugar figure, asking the vendor to draw a little yellow chick.

Hearing “little yellow chick,” Jiujiu wanted to protest that he wasn’t one, but his dad’s hand firmly held him down, making him want to peck but unable to bring himself to do it.

When they got home, the couple hadn’t returned. Shen Yijing took out the sugar figure and handed it to Jiujiu.

Jiujiu, hugging his wings in anger, turned his head to the side, only glancing at it from the corner of his eye.

Then, he widened his eyes in shock.

“Chirp?”

It really looked like him? Not just a little, but a lot!

Jiujiu leaned over, pecked off a piece of his head, and then ate the whole sugar figure, lying there contentedly.

Noticing the feather was still there, he pushed it in front of his dad with his claw.

He had already plucked it, so not selling it would be a waste.

From the beginning, Shen Yijing just felt too lonely, but the longer they spent together, the more he liked this little one called Jiujiu.

“Don’t pluck your feathers anymore. School doesn’t cost money, and if I study well, I can earn scholarships. It’ll be fine when I grow up.”

Jiujiu nodded perfunctorily. As long as dad needed it, he didn’t mind being plucked bald; he could always buy hair growth products later.

But hearing dad always talk about the future, he couldn’t help but feel a bit hopeful.

“Dad, when you grow up, can I sleep on your head?”