Villainous Junior Chapter 63
Translated by Sylver (ko-fi)
Chapter 63: So Small
The child's voice rang out crisp and clear, still carrying a soft, babyish tone. This outcry immediately drew attention from all directions, with diners turning their heads to look.
"Whose child is that? Such a handsome little one!"
"Why is he alone here? Did he lose his parents?"
Little Xue Lang ignored the surrounding voices and stood on tiptoe towards Meng Chen, waving his short little arms. "Big brother, hold me!"
Under everyone's gaze, Meng Chen tried to maintain his composure as he reached out to pick up Xue Lang. Seeing that the two knew each other, the onlookers' curiosity waned and they looked away. Only then did Meng Chen reach out and gently pinch Xue Lang's chubby cheeks, whispering, "Have you no shame? Hm?"
"What is big brother saying? I don't understand," Little Xue Lang said with a smile, offering his cheek again. "Aren't my cheeks soft and smooth and nice to pinch? Big brother can pinch them again."
Meng Chen didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He naturally understood why Xue Lang was putting on this act, and it warmed his heart. The more he looked at Little Xue Lang, the more adorable he found him, and he truly couldn't resist pinching his cheek again.
"Big brother, I want to eat the candied hawthorns from outside," Little Xue Lang cuddled against his neck. "Will you take me out to buy some?"
Meng Chen's heart stirred slightly, and he softly agreed, carrying Xue Lang as he stood up to walk outside the inn.
By coincidence, they passed by Meng Zhao's table on their way. Meng Zhao's group had also noticed the handsome boy earlier. When they looked up wanting another glance, their gaze unconsciously fell on the white-robed youth, and they were slightly stunned.
Meng Chen had been facing away from them before, and only now did they see his appearance. They felt this youth's features were extraordinarily refined, his bearing exceptional and otherworldly, seeming not like a person of this mortal realm but rather like an immortal who had mistakenly fallen into the mundane world, inspiring awe in people's hearts.
Yet he also inexplicably made one's heartstrings tremble.
Especially the middle-aged woman, who stared fixedly at Meng Chen's eyes and brows, unconsciously reaching out her hand and instinctively saying, "You..."
But Meng Chen didn't look at her, nor did he pause at all, directly passing by their table and heading outside the inn.
Leaving the spacious yet still stifling inn hall and breathing in the fresh air outside, Meng Chen felt slightly better. He looked around and walked toward a street vendor selling candied hawthorns, took out copper coins used by mortals to buy a stick, and handed it to Little Xue Lang in his arms. "Eat up."
Little Xue Lang didn't take it, saying in his babyish voice. "I want big brother to feed me."
Tsk, getting more and more presumptuous.
Meng Chen gave him a look, but still personally held the wooden skewer and brought a plump, rosy candied hawthorn to Xue Lang's mouth. Only then did Xue Lang smile cheerfully and take a bite, then pushed the candied hawthorn toward Meng Chen. "Big brother should eat too."
Meng Chen naturally ate the half-bitten candied hawthorn, and Xue Lang asked with his cheeks puffed out. "Is it sweet?"
Meng Chen: "Sweet."
Xue Lang hugged his neck and nuzzled. "With sweet candied hawthorns and sweet me, big brother shouldn't be sad anymore."
Meng Chen was thoroughly amused by him, tilted his head and blinked, then lowered his head and gently kissed Xue Lang's hair.
—
They wandered around Guiyuan City until nightfall before returning to the inn. The diners in the hall had all dispersed, and Meng Zhao's family had long since left.
Meng Chen carried Xue Lang up to the third floor and into their room. Seeing that someone still had no intention of changing back, Meng Chen couldn't help but smile. "Addicted to pretending to be a child? Hm?"
Xue Lang pretended not to understand, whimpering and hugging Meng Chen even tighter.
"Get down," Meng Chen said, "I've carried you all afternoon, my arms are getting a bit sore."
"I won't," Xue Lang acted spoiled, holding onto Meng Chen's neck and refusing to let go, "Big brother smells nice, I don't want to get down."
After saying this, he leaned in and gave Meng Chen's cheek a loud "mwah" kiss.
Meng Chen: "...I need to take a bath."
Xue Lang's eyes immediately lit up. "Take me with you!"
Meng Chen narrowed his eyes at him.
"I'm young and can't bathe by myself, I might drown," Xue Lang pleaded pitifully. "Big brother, please help me."
Tsk. This was truly completely shameless.
Meng Chen had no way to deal with him, and besides, what should be done had already been done, so there was no need to be overly reserved. Thus, he carried Xue Lang to the bath.
Guiyuan Inn had both public bathhouses and private bath chambers for those with better means. Meng Chen took a private chamber, and seeing that the environment was clean and tidy, he felt somewhat relieved. He placed clean clothes aside and undid the sash of his robe.
Little Xue Lang watched from the side as the white crane-embroidered sash floated to the ground, followed by the white outer robe, then the thin inner garment...
His face grew increasingly red, and he gulped, raising his chubby little hands to cover his nose.
Meng Chen, whether intentionally or not, removed his clothes with a calm expression and stepped directly into the steam-filled bath, leaning against the pool wall and closing his eyes. Xue Lang couldn't hold back anymore, quickly stripped off his clothes, and ran over bare-bottomed, jumping straight into the water.
"Big brother," he took advantage of his cute and harmless form to boldly seek benefits for himself, "help me scrub my back, I can't reach."
He flapped his little short arms to demonstrate that he wasn't making excuses, he really couldn't reach.
Meng Chen opened his eyes to look at him, pulled him closer, took up the soap and washed his back, then voluntarily asked. "Do you need help washing anywhere else?"
Xue Lang: "!"
Such good fortune!!
"Yes!" He immediately nodded vigorously, throwing his face even further to the clouds, "Want to be clean and fragrant all over!"
Meng Chen nodded, his hands gently helping to wash his body. Just as Xue Lang was feeling euphoric, almost half his soul floating away, he suddenly heard Meng Chen laugh softly and say:
"So small."
Xue Lang: "......"
So small…
So small…
Small...
The next moment, demonic energy surged through the air, and the naked child suddenly vanished, replaced by a tall adult man who fiercely pressed against Meng Chen, "Who's small? Hm!?"
"Whoever feels called out knows it themselves... ah..." Meng Chen's face reddened as he pushed against him, "Don't rub against me—"
Xue Lang ignored him, pressing his body tightly against him in an embrace, asking by his ear. "Can you feel it now? Is it small? Hm?"
"You—" Even Meng Chen's ear tips turned red as he turned his head and drew in a sharp breath, "Why aren't you pretending to be a child anymore!?"
"Children have children's things to do," Xue Lang kissed his ear, seriously telling him, "Adult things should be left to adults."
Meng Chen: "..."
Shameless!
——
A small candle was lit in the room, with a handful of pine wood incense burning in the openwork censer, its fragrance spreading quietly through the air.
Meng Chen gripped Xue Lang's wrist, frowning slightly in discomfort, letting out a low whimper. Xue Lang noticed his discomfort and immediately stopped to comfort him, kissing his lips again and again, softly saying things that were both heartwarming and embarrassing.
It wasn't until the latter half of the night, nearly dawn, that Meng Chen finally fell into deep sleep, the corners of his eyes still tinged with a faint red, looking so docile that one wanted to cradle him and hide him in their heart. Xue Lang quietly watched him for a while, then with eyes full of love, gently kissed his forehead, silently got out of bed, tucked the youth in properly, and left the room.
Meng Chen was kind-hearted and mindful of the debt of life, unwilling to hold anything against the Meng family, but Xue Lang couldn't swallow this anger.
Though not seeking revenge, a small lesson was still necessary.
He easily found Meng Zhao's current residence and transformed into black mist to surge inside. Soon after daybreak, everyone heard heart-wrenching sobs erupting from within the house.
Meng Zhao recognized his mother's voice, his face changing as he immediately rushed into the room. "Mother, what's wrong!?"
The woman sat on the bed, seemingly just awakened from a nightmare, crying so hard she could barely breathe. His father sat nearby with an ashen face, covering his face as tears streamed down.
Meng Zhao strode over to support his mother, asking anxiously: "What happened?"
"Chen... Chen Chen..." The woman, having dreamed something unknown, trembled as she wailed, "I wronged Chen Chen... I'm heartless... I threw away my own child with my own hands!"
Meng Zhao was suddenly stunned.
He naturally remembered having a third brother called Meng Chen.
His third brother had been physically weak but had an extremely good temperament and personality. He had always been very fond of this brother, but one day when he returned from farming, he heard terrible news — his third brother had been sold for two bags of grain.
He wanted to find his third brother, but as an ignorant village youth, he had no idea where to look. Full of pain and regret, he refused to touch a single grain of rice, but faced the prospect of starving to death.
Finally, he ate a bowl of rice with tears streaming down his face, then resolutely left the village to join the army.
After he made his fortune, he brought his family to live with him, while never giving up the search for his third brother. He only learned that his third brother had been sold to many places, but could never find any trace of him.
So many years had passed, and with his third brother's poor health, perhaps he had already... passed away.
Meng Zhao's hidden pain was stirred up, and he felt particularly distressed as he choked out. "Mother, did you dream of Chen Chen?"
The woman covered her face without speaking, just crying heartbrokenly. Though selling her third son had saved the family with the exchanged grain, her heart had been tormented for all these years.
She tried hard to forget this matter, but one dream exposed her most shameful, selfish, and vicious side, leaving her nowhere to hide from her conscience's condemnation. She regretted, she suffered, she despaired, but there was no way to make amends.
"Zhao...Zhao’er." Finally, she clutched Meng Zhao's arm tightly like grabbing at a lifeline, crying: "You must be a good person, be a good general of Liang country, protect the common people, consider it accumulating blessings for your third brother... understand?"
"I understand," Meng Zhao said gravely. "I will."
"Also, I'll pack up, and you take me to Cibei Temple," the woman wiped her tears. "I heard the abbot of Cibei Temple takes in many homeless beggar children. I'll sell my jewelry to donate some silver, just as..."
Just as a selfish mother's repentance, and compensation that could never make up for what was done.
——
Xue Lang returned to Guiyuan Inn at daybreak, tiptoeing in as he opened the door. Seeing Meng Chen still asleep, he immediately breathed a sigh of relief, quietly climbed onto the bed, and slipped back under the covers.
Just as he was about to reach out and draw Meng Chen into his arms, Meng Chen had already hugged one of his arms, asking in a lazy voice with eyes still closed. "Where did you go?"
Xue Lang: "..."
He was so startled his heart nearly stopped, and he quickly made up a lie. "Woke up early and couldn't sleep, went downstairs to see what good breakfast they have, planning to take you there when you wake up."
Meng Chen's lips curved slightly, and he didn't ask anything more, just softly hummed an "mm."
Xue Lang pulled him into his embrace and kissed his nose tip. "It's still early, sleep a bit more."
Meng Chen responded with a sound, but just when Xue Lang thought he had fallen back asleep, he heard the youth softly call his name.
He immediately responded. "What is it?"
Meng Chen, eyes closed, snuggled closer into his embrace, gently slipping his fingers between Xue Lang's to interlock their hands.
"...Thank you," Meng Chen said softly with a smile on his lips, "And also..."
"I love you."
