Chapter 165 Meeting Other Teams

Chapter 165: Encountering Another Team

The four little ones listened intently. Though they didn't fully grasp the guide's words, they all chose to respect others' decisions.

Felix cried for a while, feeling much better after letting out his emotions.

Then, he saw a sweet little curly-haired boy tilt his head and smile at him.

"Big brother is amazing," the little one said, giving a thumbs-up before immediately hiding behind Brother Qiqi.

The little one had soft, chubby cheeks, big eyes, and curly, fluffy hair. He looked like a tiny bundle and said something to Felix.

Felix couldn't understand the words, but he recognized the universally understood thumbs-up gesture.

This adorable little brother was praising him.

He didn't know what he had done to deserve praise, assuming the child was simply comforting him.

With the companionship of the four foreign children, Felix no longer felt lonely, and the sting of being abandoned by his friends gradually faded.

Felix was invited to walk with them.

By now, the four little ones had been walking for nearly an hour. It would be a lie to say they weren't tired.

The little one who had been leading the group found his calves aching terribly, and Shen Yan had been given special permission to come forward and hold his hand as they walked.

"You You, would you like Big Brother to carry you?" Shen Yan crouched down, looking at the little one’s tired, flushed face, his forehead beaded with sweat, and his hair, which had been dry at the start, now clinging tightly to his forehead.

The little one, ever so sensible, shook his head, reached out to touch Shen Yan’s knee, and tightly gripped his big brother’s pant leg.

After a few more minutes of walking, Shen Yan crouched down again to wipe the sweat that had dripped into the little one’s eyes, then hoisted him onto his back.

At first, the little one firmly refused. None of the other children were being carried by their parents—only he was.

Pei Qiqi came over and coaxed him with a few words, and only then did the little one quietly settle onto his big brother’s back, burying his face in his brother’s shoulder.

"Big Brother, I love you. Thank you, Big Brother," the little one said softly.

Shen Yan felt a surge of energy. His little brother was like a child raised on candy—how could his words be so sweet and endearing?

"Big Brother loves you too. Are you still tired? Do you want a little more water?"

The little one shook his head but still wanted to get down. Leaning on Shen Yan’s back, he tried to negotiate: "Big Brother, You You will walk by himself in a little while."

Shen Yan asked him, "How long is 'a little while'?"

How could the little one know how long "a little while" was? He was still a toddler who couldn't read. He held up his five fingers and wiggled them in the air a few times.

"When You You counts to fifty, he’ll walk by himself."

Shen Yan knew his little brother could count—he could even count up to two hundred thirty-eight.

"Okay, you count."

"1, 2, 3... 27, 28..."

...

"Big Brother, You You has counted to fifty! You You wants to get down."

Shen Yan said "Ah." "You You, you made a mistake just now. After thirty-nine, you skipped to forty-one and missed forty."

The little one blinked in confusion, trying to recall if he had miscounted.

"Yes, You You, you really did miscount," Pei Qiqi, walking behind them, stated matter-of-factly.

The innocent little guy had to start counting all over again. By the time they reached the finish line, he had lost count of how many times he had counted to fifty.

Shen Yan put the little one down from his back about ten minutes before the finish line, letting him join his little friends in celebrating their victory.

Wang Zhi, who was behind them, also put Niu Niu down from his arms and gave her some water.

Pei Qiqi and Mi Le’s performance surprised everyone, especially Pei Qiqi.

The child looked quite thin, but no one expected him to be so resilient. Throughout the journey, he never once complained about hardship or fatigue.

Seeing him drenched in sweat, Hua Zhao was heartbroken.

She wasn't Qiqi’s biological mother and didn't feel comfortable being overly physically affectionate with him.

How she wished she could carry Qiqi to the finish line, but there were too many things that she, as his aunt, couldn't do.

After carefully wiping the sweat from Qiqi’s face and watching him drink some water, Hua Zhao lowered her head to look through her bag for snacks for him.

Pei Qiqi sat down next to Su Youli, opened his snack bag, and first shared with the little food-lover who was so hungry.

"My aunt made these. My aunt’s cookies are the best," Pei Qiqi said.

"They’re butter cookies. So fragrant~" The little one took them with both hands, his eyes lighting up.

Mi Le and Niu Niu also received a few pieces, and even Felix was chewing on two.

"They’re so delicious, even better than the ones I buy in stores."

"Qiqi, your aunt is amazing. Thank you, Aunt Hua Zhao!"

Pei Qiqi puffed out his chest, feeling very proud.

His aunt was indeed the best.

After less than an hour together, Felix had already grown very fond of this team.

They shared food, and if a child lagged behind, no one blamed them. Instead, they showed concern and gathered around. Even though he couldn't understand the language, he could sense the warmth.

This was a team that encouraged each other, a team that would never abandon a friend no matter what happened, a team that would always move forward together.

Felix’s eyes were red as he rubbed them and looked off into the distance.

He wondered if his old friends still remembered him, if they would come back for him.

"They definitely will!" Mi Le patted Felix’s shoulder confidently.

"...No, they won’t. They... they already abandoned me. I’m useless."

They wouldn't remember a useless person.

Felix felt awful, his vision blurry, and he started crying again in front of his new friends.

The little one circled around him with a butter cookie in hand, looking worried.

Why was this big brother crying again?

Niu Niu mumbled through a mouthful of cookies, "My cousin said foreign kids cry a lot."

Su Youli: "..."

Pei Qiqi: "..."

Mi Le brushed the cookie crumbs off his hands, joined the huddle, and whispered, "If I were abandoned by you guys, I’d definitely cry louder than Felix."

The little ones huddled together, swearing to each other that they would never abandon their friends.

The female teacher was over there comforting Felix, her helpless voice carrying across, "Felix, Hans and the others must be waiting for you too. We're really close to our destination, just a ten-minute walk. How about we go find Hans?"

Hans was the team leader, his best friend.

It was Hans who had suggested leaving Felix behind so he wouldn’t hold them back.

Felix shot to his feet, "No, I don’t want to go find him. He’s not my friend anymore. Friends aren’t like that!"

The female teacher was at her wits' end, unsure how to comfort him.

She found the guide, thanked him for the help, and then hesitantly asked if Felix could stay with the kids for a while.

Because, for now, Felix really liked them.

The guide happily agreed, and the children welcomed him cheerfully, each breaking off a piece of their cookie for him.

The children were riding high on their success, and after the break, they were full of energy again, chasing each other through the forest, their happy giggles echoing.

The sound of orderly footsteps approached, and the little ones stopped, looking up to see a group of older kids walking toward them.

The one leading them had a blue-and-white flag tied around his waist, with golden hair and blue eyes. When he looked down, his expression was full of arrogance.