Chapter 61

Chapter 61

Knowing Father's birthday, the question was what to gift him.

In the young prince's mind, only expensive jewelry or luxurious gift boxes came to mind. He couldn't think of anything else beyond that.

However, he didn't believe Lu Wei would appreciate such presents, and besides, he currently lacked the funds to buy them.

Although Lu Wei's life wasn't lavish, he seemed content with it, making it even more challenging to decide on a suitable gift.

After seeking advice from various sources, he decided to give a painting.

The artwork portrayed Lu Wei with just a few deft strokes, followed by meticulous shading that brought the portrait to life. Most importantly, it captured his essence vividly.

Lu Wei was astonished. "Damn, when did you secretly start learning to paint behind your father's back?"

Young Prince: "B-Born with the talent."

Risking the suspicion, Little Pang Qiu insisted on presenting the gift. Just as he expected to be questioned, Lu Wei greeted him with a radiant smile.

Unsuspecting anything amiss, he thought to himself that his little one was indeed a genius.

As expected of his brother, thumbs up.jpg

"Dad is so touched."

"I'll go downstairs right now and show it to our neighbors."

With the painting in hand, Lu Wei took off running.

Upon hearing this, the young prince's ears turned red. "W-wait!"

But how could a child's strength match that of an adult? By the time he regained his senses, he had already been paraded around the neighborhood by Lu Wei.

Lu Wei spoke confidently, "See this? My brother Danjiao drew this."

Auntie from downstairs exclaimed, "Oh my, our little Danjiao can actually paint!"

Labor Uncle: "Oh my, you could hold an art exhibition with these."

Food Purchasing Passerby: "Indeed, the lines are so smooth and lovely."

Lu Wei boasts, "Yes, look at these eyes and nose, they're a perfect reflection of me."

Then, the young prince is inevitably subjected to being fondled by the uncle, auntie, passerby brother, and sister he doesn't even know.

- Strangers, all of them.

Danjiao appears to be a social phobic.

Perhaps it's inherited from Lu Wei.

Yet, this is the first time in his young life that the little prince has received such abundant emotional value.

Pang Qiu himself is oblivious to the smile that has graced his face.

Lu Wei smiles gently, "My wish is for my brother Danjiao to bring in big money for your father, me."

Young Prince: "Haha."

Lu Wei nonchalantly continued, "So for the sake of properly taking care of your old dad, Danjiao needs to grow up safe and sound."

Little Baseball gazed at the bowl on the table. "Dad, what's this?"

Lu Wei managed to answer amidst his tasks. "It's longevity noodles, a traditional way to celebrate birthdays back home. Outsiders might wonder why we eat this at a young age, but it's just a custom we're used to."

"..."

The Young Prince vaguely sensed that Lu Wei assumed he was unaware of this type of "noodle," hence the casual explanation. In reality, he didn't even know what "noodles" were.

Damn, he had no clue about the hidden meanings behind Lu Wei and Danjiao's words.

Lu Wei also prepared a bowl of noodles for him.

Following the custom of longevity noodles, they cooked the noodles whole, symbolizing unbroken safety and health when consumed in one bite.

Thus, the bowl contained noodles with a few slices of meat, topped with green sprinkles.

It was indescribable, but it carried an incredibly delightful aroma.

Lu Wei gently rubbed Pang Qiu's head. "Eat it in one go, don't bite it."

"Okay, okay."

This so-called noodle was incredibly smooth when slurped, effortlessly gliding into the mouth.

Even bland ingredients were transformed into something savory and delectable under Lu Wei's cooking.

The chef whom Auntie had recommended didn't possess half of Lu Wei's culinary skills.

Pang Qiu silently devoured his meal at a rapid pace.

Opposite him, Lu Wei began to eat his noodles as well.

Given that they had to be consumed in one bite, he hadn't prepared too much.

Adults finished their meals quickly, while children tended to take their time.

Lu Wei coaxed him, "When you finish eating, you'll be healthy and strong."

Pang Qiu's actions paused for a moment.

Steam still rose from the soup on the table, carrying a sweet aroma.

In his memory, he had never sat across from anyone on their birthday and had a conversation with his dad. Nor had his father cooked for him in their tiny house, where the smell of cooking oil would seep through the glass. His father also never came home after work, smiling at him in the entranceway.

All of this was an entirely new experience for him.

Even though this person wasn't his real father.

Pang Qiu's hands, hidden under the table, clenched tightly.

"Actually—"

Lu Wei suddenly smacked his forehead. "Oh! I haven't made a wish yet. Just a moment."

As he spoke, he took out a candle from his bosom.

This vintage item was crafted by none other than Danjiao; Lu Wei had mentioned it in passing during his last birthday, and the clever fellow had recreated it based on his description.

The slender, multi-colored candle was lit.

Wax dripped onto the tabletop, securing it in place.

Well, it was rather modest, to say the least.

After all, in this godforsaken place, there were no materials to create such a lavish treat as a cream cake.

So the tabletop would have to suffice.

Lu Wei extinguished the lights, plunging the room into darkness.

Only the flickering flame between them remained.

With his eyes closed, Lu Wei hastily made a wish, swallowing it whole.

Tell him that his wish is to be forever with the chubby little one, and for the baby orb to grow up healthily.

The words he wanted to say were swallowed back.

They remained unspoken.

The young prince's eyelids drooped, his dark pupils deep.

Can I also be with you?

---

After the terrifying Imperial Uncle agreed to let Danjiao visit planet K, the little one began preparing earnestly.

Then, under the escort of a small team, they arrived on planet K.

This group was unfamiliar with the environment of planet Z. He just needed to lead them on a detour, and once he confirmed their safety, he could slip back home undetected.

Danjiao had always loved hiding and catching insects since he was young, possessing an innate sense for hunting.

He soon realized that the group following him wasn't the only one.

There seemed to be others lurking in the shadows!

As Little Pang Qiu rode the starship to Planet K and observed his surroundings, he plotted his escape. He sensed that the inhabitants of this planet were somewhat abnormal, and he certainly didn't want to invite danger into their home, endangering his father.

Danjiao was aware that they were being tailed.

It wasn't surprising, for Uncle Terrifying Emperor was evidently a suspicious character. Several times, while conversing with him, Danjiao had almost broken into a sweat.

Little Pang Qiu wiped his nonexistent sweat and continued to navigate through the backstreets.

Planet Z belonged to a relatively backward star system, and its infrastructure wasn't as developed as that of larger planets. There were numerous small alleys known only to locals.

At this moment, Little Pang Qiu was grateful that he occasionally visited Planet K with his father for play, as he knew a few hidden paths that could help them evade pursuit.

Danjiao wandered aimlessly through the streets and alleys for what seemed like an eternity, until he could no longer sense anyone trailing him.

Pang Qiu let out a sigh of relief. Thankfully, he was born with an innate sense of perception, which allowed him to notice the hidden follower during his journey.

Otherwise, he would have unintentionally brought this group of odd individuals back home.

Arriving at the ticket booth, Pang Qiu waited for the starship: "I want to buy a ticket, uncle."

The ticket vendor couldn't help but smile warmly at the young boy, issuing him a ticket without questioning his motives.

The journey on the starship proceeded smoothly.

Pang Qiu, feeling as if he had escaped a great calamity, slumped into his seat like a limp slime creature.

Thinking about how his father might still be searching for him, tears, like tiny pearls, began to roll down his cheeks.

Unbeknownst to the relieved Pang Qiu, the shadow guard he had lost track of was already reporting back to the sovereign.

Before the guard could speak, the sovereign had already guessed the entire situation.

Huo Jin said nonchalantly, "He's run away."

The shadow guard replied, "...Where could Young Master have possibly gone?"

The emperor narrowed his eyes. "Anyway, he's not on K Star."

The shadow guard asked, "You mean he's left K Star?"

The emperor nodded. The shadow guard dared not inquire why the emperor was so certain, and could only lower his head to stare at his toes.

If it weren't for the ongoing mid-term deployment, the emperor would have certainly gone after him.

The emperor narrowed his eyes further. "It's Wu Star."

"He must have planned this all along when he expressed his desire to go there. He ditched you all to make his escape. During this period, there are three planets with available starship routes that he could catch, and among them, only Wu Star has sufficient time for a round trip."

In fact, this was precisely a trap set by the emperor.

Only when he feels safe would he let his guard down slightly.

The Shadow Guard had indeed underestimated their opponent, not expecting to be truly outmaneuvered. All they could do now was focus inwardly.

The Emperor closed his eyes, his tone ambiguous. "It's not Huo Nian."

As expected.

Communication in the Z-star system was notoriously poor, with no stable means to connect to the new network, and three-dimensional maps were not fully functional. It would be impossible for someone who had never been here before to know the hidden paths and navigate them so skillfully.

There was now only one question: If he wasn't Huo Nian, then who was he?

Genetically, it seemed the change was more profound than just a physical transformation.

The previous hunting expedition had already suggested that his genes surpassed the A-level.

No daring conspirator, regardless of their audacity, would risk exposing such a genetically superior youngling to danger in a scheme like the "switched prince" plot.

He sensed a possibility, but even the thought of it made his veins pulse with tension.

At this moment, the "kit" had already returned to Wu Star, the place that occupied his thoughts.

Danjiao: !

Pang Qiu, the little chubby, couldn't contain his longing for his father and dashed off with his short legs.

"Daddy, I'm here!"

He returned to the familiar small attic.

Uncle downstairs was fanning himself. "Hey, Danjiao? Didn't you just go back?"

Danjiao blinked. "Oh, really...?"

Uncle downstairs: "Yes, I just saw you and your dad come back from the shop. Why did you sneak out again?"

Danjiao: "Ah, right, I did."

Eager to see his father, Little Pang Qiu didn't have time for a lengthy conversation. He hastily responded and rushed upstairs with his tiny legs.

Before the young one could knock on the door, it swung open.

Upon opening the old door, one would be greeted by the sound of "Wu wu" from Dad.

Danjiao called out cheerfully, "Dad—"

The person who emerged from the other side of the door promptly covered his mouth.

Huh? Why was this person almost the same height as him?

Upon getting a clear look at the person in front of him, Danjiao was left speechless.

What? ?

Little Pang Qiu was dumbfounded. "Are you a mirror?"

It wasn't surprising for Danjiao, as in his eyes, the person standing before him was an exact replica of himself.

From the hairline down to the feet, they were identical to Danjiao.

And to top it off, the person was even wearing Danjiao's black tank top! !!

Featuring cartoon characters!

He didn't even have time to put one on himself, wuwu.

Danjiao gazed at Pang Qiu's cartoon-emblazoned black tank top across from him, suppressing the corners of his mouth.

There was an identical mirror creature, wearing his favorite cartoon tank top.

Wuwu, is this a nightmare?