Chapter 107
The next day, after everyone had completed their assigned activities, they prepared to leave. The final segment was for the children to give gifts, nothing expensive, of course, just a way to express their gratitude before departure.
It had been a long time since Xiao Fang had stood in a neat line like a student, waiting for the children to come and give their gifts one by one. He felt a little shy and awkward, as well as a bit nervous.
Fei Xiangnan, on the other hand, stood calm and composed, completely unaffected by his surroundings, making him the most composed person there. Under Fei Xiangnan’s aura, Xiao Fang’s mood calmed down a bit.
At that moment, the children began to come up one by one. A little boy carrying a handmade bamboo basket walked up. At only a meter tall, he bypassed a long line of guests and stopped in front of Chu Xiaozhen. Xiao Fang could almost read the tsundere emotion on the boy’s face. He held the basket up to Chu Xiaozhen, who wore a standard smile, though her eyes showed genuine happiness.
Chu Xiaozhen bent down slightly and took the small basket. Inside lay dozens of small, richly colored plums. “Thank you.”
The little boy’s face immediately turned red. He looked at Chu Xiaozhen shyly and said in a milky voice, “I’ll come to see you in the future, sister.”
At this, the other female guests cast envious glances. The child was too cute! Chu Xiaozhen also smiled with extra joy and reached out to rub the little boy’s head. “Sister will be waiting for you!”
After that, other children also came up one after another, giving local fruits, biscuits, summer bamboo shoots, and even wildflowers. Most were small, inexpensive trinkets, but they were filled with the children’s heartfelt intentions.
To Xiao Fang’s surprise, he received much more attention than last time. He couldn’t even hold all the gifts the children gave him and had to transfer them to Fei Xiangnan. Soon, Fei Xiangnan’s arms and the area around his feet were piled high with various local products, which looked rather comical. As for whether anyone gave him anything? Since last night’s dinner incident, of course not. Not a single one!
Besides Fei Xiangnan, there was one other person who also received nothing: Feng Dang.
Since the beginning of the show’s filming, Feng Dang had mostly been idle and loved to talk. Not only the production team but also the guests disliked him. Every time they were grouped, his attitude towards the non-celebrities was just so-so, and he often pushed the dirty and tiring work onto them. He was a typical nuisance.
Disliked by adults, he couldn’t win the affection of the children either. The way he looked at the kids was filled with disdain. Who would give him a gift? Feng Dang couldn’t express his anger in front of the camera and felt a wave of frustration.
Just then, the last child walked up. It was Little Apple. She was carrying a small basket of mushrooms they had picked on the mountain yesterday, and she was walking towards Xiao Fang with her short legs.
This was the last one. If this one passed him by, Feng Dang would truly have no face left. He stepped out of the line on his own accord and went to meet her, directly snatching the basket from Little Apple. Due to the difference in strength, the snatch was as easy as simply taking it.
A joyful smile appeared on Feng Dang’s face. He hugged Little Apple as if they were very familiar. “Thank you, Little Apple. Did you see that brother especially liked eating mushrooms yesterday, so you’re giving me this? Thank you.”
Little Apple was stunned for a moment, then watched with wide eyes as Feng Dang walked away with the gift she had prepared. Inside was a letter she had written. She didn’t like writing at all, but she had stayed up late last night to write that letter…
It all happened too suddenly. Little Apple’s lips trembled, and the next second, she burst into tears. A child’s cry is always sharp and piercing. It immediately drew everyone’s attention, especially Feng Dang’s. He never expected this country bumpkin to be so ungracious after receiving his hug.
Xiao Fang was the first to walk over. He was most familiar with Little Apple among all the children. The child’s heart-wrenching sobs were particularly hard to listen to. Xiao Fang rushed over in a single stride and picked the child up.
“What’s wrong, Little Apple?” Xiao Fang coaxed her in the gentlest tone.
“My… my… gift… wasn’t for him.” Little Apple pointed at Feng Dang. Feng Dang’s expression turned extremely ugly. He wasn’t worried about this segment being broadcast, so his words became more and more reckless.
“Xiao Fang, you already have so many gifts, why do you have to snatch more? If this child’s gift is given to me, wouldn’t it make things better for everyone?” His tone was self-righteous, a clear sign that he had never been beaten down by society.
Xiao Fang immediately became angry. “Is that how you should talk? What do you mean, one more or one less doesn’t matter? Is a child’s heartfelt gift something you can use to make up the numbers? If you’re so concerned about your pride, why didn’t you put in some effort during the show? Now you’re stepping on others to get what you want, is that it?” Xiao Fang was like a mother hen protecting her chick.
Xiao Fang had never been so blunt with the production team before, but this time he was going all out. This person was simply too shameless. Bullying the guests on the show was one thing; everyone endured it with a professional spirit. But he never expected him to bully a child. This was going too far!
Xiao Fang’s words made Feng Dang’s face turn extremely ugly, but everything he said was right. If he were to argue back, he would just be twisting words and forcing logic, being unreasonable.
“Hah, let’s just say everything you said is right. You’re the only righteous one. So many people didn’t say anything, but you had to step up. Aren’t you just upset that I took your gift? Here, you can have it!” Feng Dang said sarcastically. On the surface, he was giving up the fight, but in reality, he was full of resentment towards Xiao Fang and had even dragged others into it.
He then half-threw the basket onto the ground, letting Xiao Fang witness the full extent of a rich second generation’s arrogance. The original owner of this body wouldn’t have dared to be this cocky, would he?
Xiao Fang held back his anger and put the sobbing Little Apple down. “Be good, don’t cry anymore. Go get the gift you prepared.”
Little Apple nodded with red eyes. A child’s grievances come and go quickly. One moment she was upset because her gift was snatched, the next, after Xiao Fang stood up for her, the feeling of grievance had mostly dissipated.
Little Apple ran to get her prepared gift but didn’t walk towards Xiao Fang. This was beyond everyone’s expectations. What was even more bizarre was what happened next. Little Apple took the basket and slowly walked up to Fei Xiangnan.
“Brother, this is from Little Apple for you. Inside… there’s also a letter from Little Apple,” Little Apple said shyly.
This was enough to make everyone’s jaws drop. After all, it was normal for the children to be afraid of Fei Xiangnan after yesterday’s incident. But no one expected Little Apple to prepare a gift for Fei Xiangnan. Amid their shock, the production team and guests thought of something else: what would happen to Feng Dang, who had snatched President Fei’s gift?
Everyone simultaneously swallowed hard.
Fei Xiangnan looked at the little girl, a strange emotion flowing through his heart. He maintained a calm face but reached out and lifted her up. Little Apple let out a cry of surprise and then smiled happily again, the tears on her face completely gone.
“Thank you,” Fei Xiangnan said in a deep voice. The scene looked incredibly loving. Receiving this treatment for the second time, Little Apple earned the envious gazes of her companions. In their minds, they had all constructed the great role of a father, and Little Apple was the first to enjoy this feeling of immense security.
Xiao Fang stood to the side, genuinely moved by this scene, and couldn’t help but capture it with his phone.
The farce ended. Fei Xiangnan didn’t say a single word to provoke Feng Dang. Feng Dang’s anxious heart finally settled as he got into the car. It seemed the legendary President Fei wasn’t all that much after all.
As it turned out, just as he stepped into the car, a hand tapped his shoulder.
“President Fei wants to have a chat with you.” It was Fei Xiangnan’s bodyguard, who had just arrived to pick him up. His muscular body was wrapped in a suit, looking quite terrifying.
A cold sweat immediately broke out on Feng Dang’s back.
Ten minutes later, Feng Dang got into his own car with a pale face. His assistant handed him water and noticed that his hand holding the bottle was trembling.
“What’s wrong, Brother Feng?”
Feng Dang gripped the water bottle tightly. He had always thought the things he did were pretty low—slandering actors, acting on a whim, disrespecting so-called seniors, being arrogant every day. But when it came to ruthlessness, he was no match for Fei Xiangnan. It was just a basket of mushrooms he had snatched.
“It’s nothing, nothing. I’ll just have a sip of water.” Feng Dang brought the bottle to his lips and, as expected, choked.
—So you like snatching things? Then I’ll make it so you can’t snatch anything in the entertainment industry. If you dare to use your family’s money to cause trouble in this circle, I’ll dare to cut off your entire family’s resources. This is the first time I’ve ever seen someone dare to snatch my things.
The sinister tone and gaze were a kind of pressure Feng Dang had never experienced in his life. With one mistake, he had sent his entire family to the edge of a cliff.
Halfway back, Xiao Fang switched cars to ride with Fei Xiangnan. This time, Xiao Fang was driving. Their trunk was filled with a whole box of local products, while Fei Xiangnan held a single basket in his lap.
Xiao Fang glanced at it, inexplicably feeling a little jealous. What was up with that?
“Have you read the letter?”
Fei Xiangnan shook his head. In truth, apart from Xiao Fang, he had never received such a pure emotion. The purer it was, the more at a loss Fei Xiangnan felt. This was perhaps a common problem for most people; it was precisely because of its purity that it was exceptionally precious.
“I waited until I was in the car with you to read it,” Fei Xiangnan said, pulling a simple blue envelope from the pile of mushrooms. The handwriting on it was neat. It wasn’t beautiful, but it was clear that each character was written with great care.
Fei Xiangnan slowly opened the envelope.
Dear Brother Fei Xiangnan,
At first, Little Apple was a little scared of you because you always had a straight face, just like Grandpa Director. But brother also gives me candy and lifts me up high. It was the first time Little Apple was ever lifted up high. It felt like a dad. I liked it a lot. Little Apple liked the feeling of being up high. Brother helps Brother Xiao Fang and silently does a lot of work. You are a very good person!
Brother doesn’t like being called uncle. Little Apple thinks brother looks very young. Brother, don’t be angry. When brother is angry, it’s very scary! Grandpa Director told us last night that we could prepare gifts for the brothers and sisters we like. Actually, I always wanted to give one to Brother Xiao Fang, but so many of my friends wanted to give him things. I asked them why they didn’t give one to you, and they said you were scary. I told them that’s not true, but they didn’t listen. I felt so sorry for you, brother. You are clearly the best person, so I wrote this letter.
If brother didn’t receive a gift, he would definitely cry at night. Little Apple doesn’t want brother to be unhappy. These mushrooms were all picked by Little Apple herself. After brother eats the mushrooms, you must be happy every day. Thank you, brother, for coming to see Little Apple. Little Apple is very happy.
On the other side of the letter was a simple children’s drawing in colored pencil. It depicted Xiao Fang carrying a bamboo basket and Fei Xiangnan lifting Little Apple high up—the scene from the bamboo forest yesterday.
The corners of Fei Xiangnan’s mouth lifted. It was very childish, but looking at it made him very happy.
“What did Little Apple say?” Xiao Fang asked, his eyes on the road ahead, his heart itching with curiosity.
“She felt that since everyone was giving you gifts and I was the only one without, she gave this to me out of pity. Really, after living for so many years, to be pitied by a small child.” Although he said that, the smile on Fei Xiangnan’s face was genuine.
Children can truly be so pure, so pure that you can clearly feel the truth and sincerity within. The pang of jealousy in Xiao Fang’s heart was instantly washed away, replaced by a sense of being moved. This trip had truly brought so many rewards, and the most important thing was that it allowed his old husband to feel more and different kinds of warmth.
After the variety show ended, two major events occurred in Xiao Fang’s life.
The first was that the famous director Greciano was coming to the country to find a male lead and supporting actors for his new film. Who was Greciano? The youngest renowned director, who had won countless major and minor awards since his debut. This opportunity would be the target of all A-list male actors. It was a huge piece of meat, tempting every ambitious person, and Xiao Fang was no exception.
The other matter was that the Xiao Corporation was about to face bankruptcy.