The Cannon Fodder Dad of Three Villainous Cubs - Chapter 21

As the night deepened, the study was dim, lit only by the lamp on the desk.

Lu Yunian removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes to rest. The light cast shadows across his profile, highlighting his sharp, defined jawline and the shadow of his high-bridged nose. The subtle exhaustion between his brows made his presence seem heavier.

He was a bona fide workaholic; working until the middle of the night was common for him. No one around him suspected a thing, but only Lu Yunian knew that he was using his complex and busy work to divert his attention, trying to escape the person who constantly haunted his heart.

But he had failed.

At the time, the sudden appearance of the strange old woman had dispelled his doubts. But when he calmed down and thought about it carefully, the child’s features were almost a carbon copy of Ji Zhixiu’s. Such a coincidence was impossible in this world, which left only one possibility.

Only he was trapped four years in the past; Ji Zhixiu had long since forgotten, married, had children, and built a happy family.

Lu Yunian walked to the window. Under the veil of night, he looked down at the lonely maple tree, his expression drifting into a daze.

If that was the case, it was no longer appropriate for him to intrude.

Ji Zhixiu, who was perfectly capable of giving birth to children himself, suddenly felt an itch in his nose and couldn’t help but sneeze.

Who is talking about me behind my back?

He didn’t take it to heart and herded his two children out the door like little sheep.

Ji Yanyan was exceptionally excited, jumping and chattering along the way. Ji Zhixiu’s head was throbbing; in a trance, he felt like he was walking a beagle: “Stop making that ‘wer-wer’ noise, will you? Just be quiet for a second.”

Ji Yanyan didn’t understand and blinked: “Daddy, are we going to go play ‘zoo-zoo’?”

“…” Ji Zhixiu couldn’t help but flick him on the forehead: “I’ve told you so many times, your second brother is coming back, and we’re going to the bookstore to buy him a gift.”

Ji Yanyan still wouldn’t give up: “But is there any ‘zoo-zoo’ in the bookstore?”

Ji Zhixiu said expressionlessly: “There is no ‘zoo-zoo’ in the bookstore, but there is ‘buzz-buzz’.”

“What is ‘buzz-buzz’?”

“Let me translate that for you: ‘Buzz-buzz’ means that if little Yanyan doesn’t read books, he will turn into a big dummy!”

Ji Yanyan’s mouth fell open, his eyes widening. At his tender age, his worldview had just been shattered: “Who is ‘buzz-buzz’? How does he know about me?”

“Buzz-buzz is just…” Ji Zhixiu lied without the slightest bit of guilt, “the Book God. If you read ten thousand books, you will know everything under the sun of course he knows you! He even knows all the bad things you’ve been doing behind our backs.”

Ji Yanyan was intimidated. After being quiet for a few seconds, his eyes darted around: “Does he know that you haven’t read any books for a long time, Daddy?”

“…” You brat, your little brain is quite quick.

“How could that be? Actually, I’ve been reading in secret. Books are like this—if you read them too openly, they lose their flavor.”

Ji Yanyan finally reacted, his cheeks puffing up: “Daddy, you’re lying! There’s no such thing as ‘buzz-buzz’ in the world, right?”

“There is.” “There isn’t.” “There absolutely is.”

Ji Zishen, who was standing to the side, took a deep breath. Suppressing the urge to roll his eyes, he silently put some distance between them.

Stupidity is contagious. I really didn’t want to come out with them.

But the moment he moved, Ji Zhixiu caught him in his peripheral vision and reached out a hand. Ji Zishen had no choice but to take it obediently.

The father and his two sons bickered all the way until they finally arrived at the bookstore.

Ji Zhixiu issued his mission: “Each of us must carefully select a gift for Sichen.”

Before he could even finish his sentence, Ji Yanyan tried to dash off. Ji Zhixiu grabbed him by the back of his neck in time: “Yanyan, repeat what I just said.”

Ji Yanyan was forced to stop: “We have to buy a gift for Brother.”

Ji Zhixiu smiled and said: “Then does Yanyan know the meaning of a gift?”

This was a bit beyond the grade level for a three-year-old. Ji Yanyan tilted his head, mumbling something incoherent.

“This is a gift for Sichen. You must choose something he likes, not something you like. Don’t go bringing back a stack of picture books.”

Ji Yanyan had learned his lesson; he hugged Ji Zishen’s arm: “Brother and I will pick together.”

Ji Zhixiu trusted Ji Zishen with everything, so he let the two brothers go off on their own.

After separating, Ji Yanyan remembered Ji Zhixiu’s words, but his feet moved on their own volition, and in three steps, he ran to the children’s section.

He tilted his head and looked at the entire row of fairy tale books with shining eyes, pulling one out.

He liked the frog on the cover very much; he held it up and rubbed it against his cheek, almost drooling.

“I want…” He said three words before stopping abruptly, his little face scrunching up in distress.

Brother Sichen doesn’t seem to like these kinds of books; only I do.

Ji Zishen stood silently by his side for two seconds: “It’s fine, I’ll buy it for you.”

Ji Yanyan’s eyes lit up instantly, but then he remembered something and frowned slightly: “But Daddy…”

Ji Zishen was expressionless, but his words carried an innate, overbearing charisma: “It’s fine, I have money.”

It was hard to refuse such an aura. After a few seconds of staring in a daze, Ji Yanyan’s eyes brightened remarkably. His behind wiggled, his invisible tail wagged frantically, and he leaned forward until his face was almost touching Ji Zishen’s: “Brother, teach me! I want to be like that too.”

Ji Zishen glanced at him and said mercilessly: “No way. You can’t learn this.”

Ji Yanyan bit his lip, looking unconvinced.

“Daddy said himself that this money belongs to me and that I can decide what to buy. You don’t have that.” Ji Zishen’s tail also wagged involuntarily.

Ji Yanyan blinked, his pout growing higher: “Daddy is biased! Why didn’t he give any to me?!”

Ji Zishen froze upon hearing this.

Ji Yanyan had previously been pampered like a little emperor. The reason he could even feel this contrast was because Ji Zhixiu had finally treated them all equally.

Before this, he had already sensed the changes in Ji Zhixiu, but never as clearly as this very moment.

He hadn’t wanted to leave this home before because he thought Ji Zhixiu was a fool who was easy to manipulate and exploit. But now, there were other reasons he didn’t dare to think about or admit.

Ji Zishen was silent for two seconds and said solemnly: “Thank you for not exposing me before. This is my thank-you gift and compensation to you. Can you promise not to mention this to Daddy again?”

Ji Yanyan dragged out an “Aaah,” a huge question mark appearing over his head.

Ji Zishen’s expression was unnatural as he stammered: “I mean… you only went out to find a stepfather because of what I told you before. But when Daddy asked you for the reason, you didn’t mention me.”

Ji Yanyan rested his face in his hands and thought seriously for a moment, then giggled foolishly: “I forgot.”

Ji Zishen: “…” Truly father and son. They really are alike.

He let out a long sigh, feeling that if he kept talking, he would become a fool too. He forcefully ended the topic: “In any case, as long as you keep the secret, I’ll buy you this book.”

Ji Yanyan immediately hugged the book and jumped for joy: “Thank you, Brother!”

“You haven’t promised me yet.”

“I ate too much candy, my mouth is sealed shut.”

Ji Zishen couldn’t understand these strange words, so he changed the subject: “I’ll take that as a yes. Let’s go, let’s go pick a gift for Sichen.”

Ji Yanyan followed behind like a little tail, brimming with excitement. He would gaze curiously at every book they passed with his watery eyes for a long time.

Ji Zishen just glanced at them and said disinterestedly: “He doesn’t like these.”

“What kind does Brother Sichen like?”

Ji Zishen tried his best to use language the boy could understand: “The kind you find extremely boring, with ugly covers, and so thick you can’t even move them.”

Ji Yanyan’s face wrinkled up: “How strange. Why does Brother Sichen like gifts like these?”

The sense of superiority provided by comparison was skyrocketing. Ji Zishen patted his little head with rare affection: “Because you are a dummy.”

Ji Yanyan looked indignant.

With his brother’s help, he finally picked the gift, and the three of them met at the checkout counter.

Ji Zhixiu had no expectations for his silly son, but when he saw the books in the cart, his eyes widened slightly: “How did Yanyan know that Brother likes reading these?”

After saying this, he looked at Ji Zishen, who was standing aside and hiding his merits, and suddenly understood. He gently patted both his sons’ hair, feeling an inexplicable sense of relief: “Alright, let’s go pay.”

Ji Zhixiu put the books on the counter and saw the fairy tale book at the very bottom: “Didn’t I say…”

Ji Yanyan interrupted him, looking smug and unbothered: “Brother bought it for me.”

Ji Zishen nodded.

Ji Zhixiu had always been aware of the “real” dynamic between his sons. That Ji Zishen would take the initiative to look after his younger brother meant there was probably some shady deal going on.

But he had already promised Ji Zishen his own private secret vault; he had no right to interfere.

Ji Zhixiu put the fairy tale book at the very front and turned to the cashier: “We’re paying separately.”

The cashier was stunned, looking strangely at this oddly-related father and son, and assisted little Ji Zishen in paying first.

Although Ji Zishen was young, he was meticulous in his actions and had no trouble communicating, as mature as any adult.

The cashier was surprised, thinking his parents had taught him very well. She already had a preconceived impression of Ji Zhixiu, and when she saw the books in the cart, her admiration overflowed: “That’s amazing! You can actually understand these books.”

Ji Zhixiu looked at the covers filled with strange symbols and suddenly remembered the terror of being dominated by mathematics. He smiled very stiffly.

The cashier said earnestly: “It’s not easy to look after two children and still find time to study.”

Ji Zhixiu gritted his teeth and said: “You’re never too old to learn, right?”

The cashier felt inspired and earnestly asked: “What is this theorem called?”

Ji Zhixiu looked in the direction she was pointing and was instantly dumbfounded.

It’s already impressive enough to invent theorems that make people’s brains swell—why do you have to give them such obscure names? I don’t know it either!

The cashier looked at him inquiringly.

Ji Zhixiu smiled. The cashier looked confused. Ji Zhixiu smiled.

I’m sorry, the lighting here is too bright, I’ve suddenly gone deaf.

By the time all the books were bagged, he took the two little ones and practically fled.

Luckily, he was fast. As they reached the door, Ji Yanyan, whose eyes had been darting around, finally reacted and said loudly: “Auntie, Daddy can’t read!”

Fortunately, they were far enough away that the cashier didn’t hear him.

Ji Zhixiu looked at his “great son” and snorted: “No sense of loyalty at all.”

After buying the gifts, they drove home, prepared dinner in advance, and waited to welcome the second son who hadn’t been home for a long time.

Among his three “good sons,” only the youngest was his biological child. The eldest was adopted, having previously drifted and lived under others’ roofs. The second son was also a tragic soul.

His parents had had an accident, and after struggling for half a month in a hospital bed, they finally passed away, leaving their not-even-six-year-old son alone to face this cruel world.

His mother had many relatives, but on his father’s side, only Ji Zhixiu, a distant relative, remained.

Ji Zhixiu eventually became the legal guardian and received a large sum of compensation, but the relatives on his mother’s side were relentless, constantly finding opportunities to take Ji Sichen away.

That family was comprised of terrible people—sexist and patriarchal. When his parents were alive, they had practically severed ties, but once the parents were gone, they became warm and close. They didn’t even care about the daughter they had raised themselves, let alone this “convenient” grandson.

Ji Zhixiu had been muddle-headed before, thinking Ji Zishen was a burden who had snatched away what belonged to his own son. He had cooperated with those terrible relatives and let them take Ji Sichen away.

Fortunately, Ji Sichen was incredibly intelligent and had planned everything in advance. He was immovable, which was how he kept the compensation his parents had left him.

This time, the relatives took Ji Sichen away for a month, brainwashing him day and night, but still couldn’t soften his attitude in the slightest. Finally, unable to contain their impatience, they revealed their true colors and sent the boy back.

They were about to meet, and truthfully, Ji Zhixiu was still nervous.

Ji Zishen alone was already a handful; with another genius child coming, he could already imagine the chaos that would ensue.

Ji Zhixiu couldn’t help but sigh. Suddenly, he felt a softness on his leg. He opened his eyes to see Ji Yanyan looking up at him with his adorable, watery eyes: “Yanyan will blow on it for Daddy. If you’re unhappy, it will fly away.”

Ji Zhixiu’s heart melted into a puddle; he pinched the boy’s cheek.

I forgot I still have this brat who acts up from time to time. Triple the trouble what a miserable old father he was.

But instead of falling into a whirlpool of negative emotions, he felt inexplicably excited and even turned on his livestream.

The villain family was finally reunited. This was a legendary scene comparable to the Seven Great Sects gathering at Bright Peak, how could he not record it?

“Hello everyone, my second son is about to return.”

The fans who were preparing to greet him were blown away by the information density of those few short words.

【??? Second son?!】 【Since when did you have a second son? Did you have three sons all along?】 【”Evil Tangerine Head,” be honest just how many “great sons” do you actually have!!】

Ji Zhixiu froze for a few seconds, trying to muddle through: “Millions? Did I forget to tell you all before?”

The entire screen was filled with accusations, the fans feeling that Ji Zhixiu didn’t treat them like family for forgetting such important news.

Ji Zhixiu could only smile awkwardly. Once the audience had finished venting, he said: “I livestream partly to make money there’s nothing I can’t say. On the other hand, I want to record our daily life at home. Children grow up very fast; in the blink of an eye, they’ll be grown up. I want to leave something behind for them.”

He was moved by himself. He stared at the door with expectant eyes, as if this wasn’t a gathering of villains, but a heartwarming scene of father and sons reuniting.

A knock on the door soon echoed. Ji Zishen glanced at Ji Zhixiu with complex emotions before opening the door.

A little boy with red lips and white teeth walked in. He was very cute, and his first impression was no different from any other child his age.

But upon seeing him a second time, Ji Zhixiu was shocked.

Ji Sichen carried a schoolbag larger than his upper body on his back. It was bulging, likely stuffed full of books. He didn’t wear glasses at his young age, but he was wearing a plaid shirt, perfectly matching the stereotypical image of an IT guy.

His expression was calm, and he reacted to nothing around him. It seemed that only the immersion of knowledge was worth his moving an eyelid.

Ji Zhixiu wanted to greet him warmly, but the words stuck in his throat; he felt it would be too childish to do so.

“Sichen, welcome back.” Ji Zhixiu gave a dry smile and pushed the stack of books behind him forward: “This is a gift we bought for you.”

Ji Sichen had no interest in any fools whose thinking and IQ couldn’t keep up with his, but his expression flickered when he saw the books. A glint of light appeared in his eyes, and he walked straight toward them.

The fans in the livestream room hadn’t expected this scene either, and they were stunned.

【The second son has such a powerful aura.】 【Suddenly reminded me of my advisor. After reading my thesis, he stared at me with the same look, asking if I was even human and why I couldn’t speak a word of human language. Crying.jpg】 【”Evil Tangerine Head’s” genes have mutated. How can he produce such a child?】

Ji Zhixiu felt complex emotions. Just as he was contemplating how to communicate with his son using the aura of a genius, he was interrupted.

“Daddy, where did Brother go before?”

Ji Zhixiu looked at Ji Yanyan’s innocent face, wanting to speak but stopping himself.

Children couldn’t understand the complexity of the adult world; he was just genuinely curious. But if he told the truth, it would be a form of harm to Ji Sichen.

“Brother went out to play.” Ji Zhixiu found an answer that Ji Yanyan could understand, but he didn’t expect that he would make a mess of things.

Ji Yanyan stood there, stunned, feeling as if the whole world had abandoned him.

Big Brother has school taking him to play, Second Brother also went out to play for a long time, only he and Daddy are at home, and they can’t go play “zoo-zoo” every day!

He was sad, he was upset why could both brothers go play, but he couldn’t!!

The corners of his eyes slowly turned red from the heat, his eye sockets filled with tears. Ji Yanyan pouted, tilted his head, and began to wail at the top of his lungs: “Aaah, Daddy is a bad guy! You let your brothers go play, but you won’t let me!”

A child’s voice was sharp. Ji Zhixiu was close, and for a moment, he felt his eardrums aching.

He squatted down, trying to coax the little meatball: “Big Brother had an activity organized by his school; when you start school, you can experience it too. Second Brother’s playing is different from what you imagine look, his bag is full of books. Do you want to play like that too?”

Ji Yanyan kept flailing his little hands, not letting Ji Zhixiu get close. Now that he had comfort, he became even more energized, as if he knew Ji Zhixiu would pamper him.

Ji Sichen and Ji Zishen were also affected. Ji Sichen watched this familiar scene with no change in expression.

He was used to Ji Zhixiu’s bias. Ji Zhixiu wouldn’t discipline a tantrum-throwing Ji Yanyan, but would only indulge him incessantly, and in the end, he would probably even make him apologize.

Sensing the fleeting emotion in Ji Sichen’s eyes, Ji Zishen was silent for a few seconds before saying: “He is different now.”

In this house, the only one he could barely communicate with was Ji Zishen. Ji Sichen looked at him in confusion, asking with his eyes.

Ji Zishen hesitated to speak, only saying: “Just watch for yourself.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Ji Zhixiu seemed to be responding. He sighed, closed his eyes, and sat cross-legged on the floor without any burden.

“Wuwuwu, I also want to go out and play! Why do I have to take care of three children?! I want freedom, I want to go out and live it up, I want to not be home every day!!”

Ji Zhixiu slapped his thighs, too lazy to even squeeze out tears a soulless fake cry. He copied Ji Yanyan’s appearance, flailing his hands and kicking his legs randomly, like a large-sized brat.

His body was much larger than Ji Yanyan’s, so the scene was quite frightening when he flailed around. Ji Yanyan had long since forgotten to cry and retreated several steps, so he wasn’t affected.

Children’s tantrums were often fueled by the feeling of being pampered, but when adults used the same methods, they felt they had lost their leverage and became much more obedient.

Ji Yanyan blinked, his face still streaked with tears, but there was no sign of wanting to cry anymore.

Come to think of it, Daddy hasn’t gone out to play either; he has to wash his face, cook, and sleep with him.

Ji Yanyan was persuaded by this logic. He looked at his flailing father with complex emotions, rubbed his aching ears, and tentatively took a step forward: “Daddy, stop crying. My ears hurt.”

Ji Zhixiu pouted, copying the bratty way the boy had behaved earlier: “Why can’t I cry? You haven’t apologized to me yet!”

Ji Yanyan copied his father’s appearance, grabbed a tissue, stood on tiptoes, and tried hard to wipe the tears from his father’s face, but his little hand suddenly stopped: “Daddy, why aren’t you crying?”

Ji Zhixiu: “…” Ugh.

He didn’t mask it at all; he dipped his finger in water and smeared it on his face: “Isn’t this it? How come you didn’t see it earlier?”

Although Ji Yanyan was only three, he wasn’t that easy to fool: “Daddy, that’s cheesy.”

A trace of embarrassment flashed across Ji Zhixiu’s face, but he forced his way through: “Anyway, I didn’t get to go out and play either I’m sad.”

Ji Yanyan had no choice but to try hard to comfort him: “Daddy, don’t be sad anymore. Yanyan will play with you, okay?”

The two people standing to the side witnessed all of this. Ji Zishen turned to look at his younger brother: “Do you understand now?”

Ji Zhixiu had already changed; he was no longer as incredibly biased as he used to be, blindly indulging only his biological son.

Ji Sichen seemed to have reached the same conclusion as him. He nodded very slowly, his lips even twitching.

Ji Zishen understood his shock after all, it had taken him repeated confirmation to firmly believe in Ji Zhixiu’s change: “You…”

He had only said one word when Ji Sichen suddenly turned his head. His expression was incredibly shocked, but his voice was very firm: “Is he crazy? Does he need to be sent to a mental hospital?”

Ji Zishen: “…”

The fans in the livestream: “…”

【So “dutiful,” it’s really “dutiful” to the point of death.】 【One is a brat, and the other wants to send him to a mental hospital. I just want to know, can he still livestream after receiving treatment? Doge.jpg】 【Little friend, Auntie is here to tell you, the adult world is just this crazy.】 【If it were me, I’d act even harder and wail even louder than he did.】 【As expected of “Evil Tangerine Head’s” family I can already imagine their chaotic daily life ahead.】