FMLB Chapter 133

Military Uniform Rose

 

“Be careful not to prick your hand.” Mr. Xi said indifferently.

 

Upon hearing this, the large hedgehog squeaked softly, as if defending itself. He Ruge heard the hedgehog’s squeak for the first time and found it somewhat novel.

 

 “I know you won’t hurt me,” he reassured the hedgehog.

 

After calming down the hedgehog, He Ruge looked up at Mr. Xi. From this angle, he could see Mr. Xi’s gracefully shaped jawline and a nose that resembled a small heart. 

 

He Ruge couldn’t remember where he had read descriptions of noses, but he had heard that nostrils viewed from this angle were vertically long, which was more aesthetically pleasing compared to round or flat nostrils.

 

Mr. Xi’s nostrils were indeed vertically long, and there were no visible nose hairs… 

 

Why was he even focusing on this issue?

 

Feeling a rush of emotions, He Ruge instinctively gripped the rose tighter in his palm. The thorns on the rose pricked his hand, causing a slight pain, but nothing serious—a small, negligible bead of blood emerged.

 

It turned out “be careful not to prick your hand” not only referred to the large hedgehog but also the rose. Well, not listening to advice always leads to suffering. 

 

I wonder if Mr. Xi is a jinx?

 

He Ruge didn’t intend to let Mr. Xi know. He had a feeling that Mr. Xi would be displeased if he saw that he pricked his hand. So He Ruge pretended nothing had happened and switched the rose to his other hand. 

 

Mr. Xi was so much taller than him; even if Mr. Xi grew eyes on the back of his head, he wouldn’t see the small hole in the palm of He Ruge’s hand that was slightly clenched.

 

Walking beside Mr. Xi, He Ruge suddenly stopped in his tracks. Before he could brake, he collided straight into Mr. Xi’s leg. 

 

Just when He Ruge thought he was about to “hit the pillar,” the man in front of him quickly squatted down, arms wide open to catch him.

 

The movement was swift, the expression natural, the coordination perfect, as if He Ruge was a child leaping into someone’s arms—or rather, a swallow returning to its nest.

 

Mr. Xi’s embrace was always firm, thanks to the military uniform he wore, which had rigid folds. He Ruge’s nose bumped into Mr. Xi’s chest, where the metal scent of a tiger-head badge lingered around his nostrils. He Ruge covered his nose, and Mr. Xi lifted him up.

 

“Show me your hand.”

 

Mr. Xi’s voice carried an unquestionable authority, a tone belonging solely to someone in command.

 

Actually, He Ruge had been curious about Mr. Xi’s profession. He gave the protagonist in his story, the tentacled male lead, the profession of a painter and writer on Earth. Mr. Xi’s demeanor didn’t match either of these professions.

 

Was Mr. Xi a soldier? 

 

Why was he always dressed in what seemed like cosplay military uniform? 

 

This uniform looked expensive, especially with the starry shoulder epaulettes. Though He Ruge had never seen such material before, his intuition told him it was very valuable.

 

Lost in thought, He Ruge subconsciously obeyed Mr. Xi’s request and showed him both hands. The small puncture from the rose thorn had already started bleeding. If not looked at closely, the tiny red dot could easily be overlooked.

 

However, Mr. Xi’s eyes… were like a magnifying glass.

 

After staring for a while—time seemed to freeze—Mr. Xi finally opened his tightly pursed lips. 

 

“Give me the rose.”

 

He Ruge quickly handed the rose to Mr. Xi.

 

Sitting on Mr. Xi’s arm, He Ruge watched as Mr. Xi swiftly removed all the thorns from the rose. He gazed at the man’s profile, his straight nose, and pale, handsome face adorned with a red rose, like a nobleman from the Middle Ages.

 

“Here.” 

 

Mr. Xi handed him the rose after removing all the thorns and looked coldly at the hedgehog on the ground, as if considering whether to pluck all the spines from it. Startled, the hedgehog swiftly ran into the room.

 

Taking the rose, He Ruge suddenly felt a bit inexplicably happy. He inserted the rose into the pocket on Mr. Xi’s chest. 

 

“Mr. Xi, please keep this for me.”

 

Mr. Xi was momentarily stunned. His slender fingers pressed on the rose in his pocket, conveniently positioned over his left chest, making it appear as if Mr. Xi were covering his heart with a rose.

 

A red rose emerging from the pitch-black military uniform and black gloves.

 

“Okay.” Mr. Xi’s thin lips slightly parted as he agreed.

 

At that moment, a teacher wearing a pink chiffon skirt emerged from the classroom. The teacher had a watery, youthful appearance, wearing pink contact lenses and dyed pink hair, a very girlish teacher.

 

Upon seeing him, the teacher widened her eyes and stuttered, “Li… Little He…!” 

 

She covered her mouth, seemingly trying to calm her excited emotions. 

 

“Ruge, I am the teacher here, Shui Xirui. You can call me Teacher Shui. You look so… adorable!!”

 

Such a high-pitched voice for a kindergarten teacher was indeed a pity. He Ruge silently thought.

 

“May I hug you?” 

 

Shui Xirui’s expression was eager and expectant.

 

He Ruge was somewhat embarrassed. Although he was now a child, he was not a three or four-year-old child. 

 

It might be a bit difficult for this teacher to hug him, after all, not everyone had the immense strength of Mr. Xi. Moreover, he was just physically smaller; his psychological age might be older than Teacher Shui’s.

 

He felt awkward about declining the eager Teacher Shui’s hug. Before He Ruge could figure out how to tactfully refuse, Mr. Xi coldly refused, “No.”

 

“Also, you can’t touch or hold him when I’m not around.” 

 

His voice was cold and authoritative, not open to debate.

 

Teacher Shui instantly closed her mouth. She looked somewhat aggrieved and timid as she said, “Okay.”

 

He Ruge suddenly realized that Mr. Xi’s behavior was also quite good. He turned to Mr. Xi and said, “Mr. Xi, I want to walk into the classroom by myself.” 

 

Being carried into the classroom would surely give his classmates the impression that he was fragile. He Ruge wanted to be the most mature and independent child in the class.

 

Reluctantly letting go of He Ruge, who had been unexpectedly deprived of the right to be carried, Mr. Xi put him down, sharing a sense of loss similar to Teacher Shui’s.

 

He Ruge did not notice the disappointment of the two adults. After all, their heights were not on the same level, and they always had sore necks from looking up. He straightened his clothes, adjusted his backpack straps, and walked into the classroom under the lead of Shui Xirui.

 

At the moment the classroom door opened, He Ruge hesitated with his small steps and then withdrew them.

 

 He turned to look at Mr. Xi and asked softly, “Did we go to the wrong classroom?” 

 

Otherwise, how could one explain such a zoo-like classroom? With a quick glance, He Ruge saw a small black bear smiling brightly at him and a sloth lazily curling up its lips.

 

When his little lover carrying a Thomas backpack sought help from Xi Guican, Xi Guican’s heart seemed to be under a spell cast by those moist black eyes. Just one glance and he would be enchanted by his cuteness.

 

Xi Guican’s fingertips twitched slightly. He wanted to pinch his lover’s cheek, but feared it might affect their good relationship. 

 

He took off his gloves and settled for running his fingers through his lover’s hair. It felt soft and comfortable, and suddenly Xi Guican understood why He Ruge used to like touching his animal form so much.

 

Due to the height difference, Xi Guican had to bend down to touch He Ruge’s head. A strand of finely curled hair fell over his forehead, covering his sharp brows and eyes. “We haven’t gone to the wrong place.”

 

Bending down, Mr. Xi took He Ruge’s hand and led him into the classroom.

 

As soon as He Ruge entered the classroom, he was surrounded by various small animals. He even had a feeling—as if he himself was a rare species in the zoo, surrounded by groups of kindergarten children.

 

The classroom was chaotic, with chickens and dogs running around. Two groundhogs spread their feet and charged towards He Ruge. Startled by the sudden appearance of Mr. Xi, they let out alarmed clucks and obediently perched on the head of the small black bear.

 

In this class, there were only two children: one suspected to have albinism, and the other appeared to be a blind girl.

 

At first, He Ruge suspected whether this was a special school where animals accompany children with disabilities to grow up… 

 

However, using a black bear as a pet companion was indeed quite stimulating.

 

However, upon closer inspection, he noticed that each small animal had its own desk and chair. There were also high-tech screens on the desks, where the animals could do exercises. He Ruge felt his worldview being reshaped.

 

… Could this be an alien kindergarten?

 

Mr. Xi, are you no longer hiding the fact that you’re from an alien planet?

 

He Ruge looked towards Mr. Xi, who was accompanying him in the last row. Mr. Xi held a cane in both hands, and the shadow from his hat brim covered the upper half of his face.

 

 A feather fell from the commotion caused by the groundhogs in the air, swaying and drifting towards Mr. Xi. He reached out and caught the feather, blowing on it in his palm like blowing a dandelion. 

 

A beam of sunlight fell on Mr. Xi’s face, casting a shadow over his sapphire eyes, making them transparent and clear.

 

He Ruge was usually captivated by Mr. Xi, a kind of special handsomeness that not even celebrities possessed. For a moment, He Ruge forgot what he wanted to ask, and he turned back, resting his chin on both hands, lost in thought.

 

When will Mr. Xi retreat back to his alien planet?

 

Teacher Xiao Shui lectured on stage. After class, she assigned homework that had to be completed on the desktop screens. A friendly child named Ruanruan taught He Ruge how to use the screen step by step.

 

He Ruge achieved excellent results with all correct answers and received a small red flower award from Teacher Xiao Shui.

 

With the small red flower on his forehead, He Ruge looked like a New Year’s painting doll. During break time, he quickly joined all the fluffy animals, although he couldn’t understand a word of the chirping from the young animals. Ruanruan and Autumn Dream Valley acted as translators.

 

It was a very happy day. The fluffy animals were enthusiastic and fun to play with. He Ruge almost played with all the fluffy animals in the kindergarten—except for the cats.

 

Reluctantly saying goodbye to everyone after school, He Ruge sat in the car with Mr. Xi on the way home and expressed his confusion that he should show.

 

“Mr. Xi, why do those animals attend classes and do exercises? Why does Ruanruan have red eyes and white hair? And Autumn Dream Valley’s hair color is different from mine… Also, Mr. Xi, are you a foreigner?”

 

Mr. Xi looked at him, “Whatever you think the answer is, that’s the truth.” 

 

This is a world where I serve you.

 

His deep blue eyes seemed to penetrate into the depths of the soul like a sharp blade. This made He Ruge somewhat apprehensive for reasons he couldn’t explain. Ever since those strange red lines appeared on his legs, he had been a little more afraid of Mr. Xi.

 

If Mr. Xi knew I had discovered his identity, would he silence me? 

 

I fear so.

 

He Ruge obediently closed his mouth, lowered his head to look at the ugly Thomas the Tank Engine, and sighed sadly, “Are we going home to watch ‘Thomas and His Friends’? Right? I don’t know anything, after all, I’m just a baby in kindergarten.”

 

“Yes,” Mr. Xi’s voice carried a hint of barely perceptible amusement.

 

He Ruge nodded and opened the zipper of his backpack, staring at the stationary inside without moving. 

 

Since there were screens from outer space on the desks, what was the point of Mr. Xi taking him to the stationery store today?

 

Could it be because of the inevitable plot?

 

He poked the lucky cat piggy bank placed in his backpack with his small hand and sighed, “Mr. Xi, can I have a cat?”

 

As soon as he finished speaking, Mr. Xi’s expression suddenly became strange.

 

Irresponsible small theater:

 

Mr. Xi turned into a big cat unhappily and asked, “Is this big enough?”