8 My Family is Adorable

"Be honest with me, big brother, when was the last time you had an eight-hour sleep?" Gongsun Fei squinted her phoenix eyes at the man currently peeling apples beside her.

"Why'd you ask?" Gongsun Zibai answered without bothering to lift his head from what he was doing.

She pouted and leaned in towards him. Her fingers brushed the dark circles underneath his eyes.

"This. This kind of color indicates chronic insomnia." Gongsun Fei confidently declared which earned a snicker from the man in question.

"I didn't know you were a doctor. You could tell from just that? Brat, this is caused by you. You should feel guilty." He flicked her forehead playfully.

"So, you weren't able to sleep while I slept like the dead for two years. Sigh. I'm sorry. I didn't know this would happen either. Stupid party. I shouldn't have attended."

Gongsun Fei replied with a pout. The seemingly nonchalant statement of hers made the man pause.

"I know it might be early for me to ask. But what exactly happened that night, Feifei? The reports said that you had an accident. Still, I always had this feeling there was something more to it. If it weren't for your condition taking precedence, my investigations wouldn't have been so slow."

Gongsun Zibai's tone had a hint of frustration to it. Gongsun Fei merely smiled in response, however. She tapped his forearm lightly in an attempt to comfort his turmoil.

"Well, there was something more to it. But before I enlighten you, can I ask something first?"

Gongsun Zibai set down the cleanly and artfully peeled apples complete with toothpicks at the bedside table just within her reach.

"Ask away." Gongsun Fei took a bite of the crispy apples and faced her big brother's inquisitive eyes.

"Oh, it's nothing. I just want to know if there were any more incidents that night besides mine? Something that was covered up perhaps?"

Gongsun Zibai frowned at her words. He carefully recalled the investigation reports he had read countless times while Gongsun Fei was in a coma.

"There seems to be one like that. It was a failed abduction of an artist. There weren't many details about it and seemed irrelevant to you so I didn't pay much attention. But if it was made to look that way..."

Gongsun Fei smiled sweetly at the realization that dawned on her brother's handsome face.

"Bingo! That little incident is related to mine. It might not look like it at the get-go. Nonetheless, if you consider the fact that that artist and I have the same manager, a lot of things would be clear."

She animatedly replied with the piece of apple slightly swishing in the air.

Jin, who was lounging on a velvet pillow courtesy of Gongsun Zibai, internally roasted this moronic master of his. He closed his eyes resignedly. Out of sight, out of mind.

"You see big brother, I'm not sure if the doctors were able to discover it but my accident was caused by me accidentally imbibing a drink that was drugged. That drink wasn't meant for me though."

Gongsun Zibai could feel his anger slowly rising as he pieced the story from his little sister's carefree storytelling.

"It was meant for that artist. Since the drink failed its purpose, the perpetrator resorted to abducting him. Except he was rescued by someone with the capability to cover up the incident and downplay it enough to not cause any damage to the artist's reputation."

A light clap rang out after Gongsun Zibai finished his conclusion. Except he couldn't feel the slightest semblance of accomplishment at finally finding someone to punish.

The uncaring smile on Gongsun Fei's face was too unnerving, too painful for Gongsun Zibai. She almost died for something completely unrelated to her.

He felt furious because all of the monitors and protection in the dark that he planted failed to prevent this mishap.

Gongsun Zibai felt that the accident was his failure. Their failure to protect her.

A light touch to his clenched fists brought Gongsun Zibai back to the present. He was faced with his little sister's big brown eyes staring at him.

"You... You're thinking that it was your fault, aren't you?" Gongsun Fei stated seriously. Without a semblance of doubt to her words.

"Big brother is not at fault. Your protection was ample. No one could have expected that my manager was a greedy little wench that would conspire to harm and pimp her artists for profit."

She held his face and in an unfaltering tone disallowing any arguments, continued,

"So, big brother, you are not allowed to blame yourself."

Gongsun Zibai was dumbfounded.

"Y-You knew?" He stuttered at the sudden revelation.

Gongsun Zibai made sure that Gongsun Fei was kept in the dark about the actions that the family made. Or at least that was what he thought.

"I don't know if you're aware big brother but it seems that it's an acquired trait in our family to be indulging to their important people. Not to mention, it seems to be our ultimate love language." Gongsun Fei replied with a giggle.

Gongsun Zibai sighed. It seems his little sister was smarter and keener than he gave her credit for.

Why did he feel like she grew up in a blink?

He patted her head and was about to help her lean against the pillows. That was when the door to Gongsun Fei opened abruptly and welcomed the other two dragons of the Gongsun family.

"Hey, there grandpa, uncle. I haven't seen you guys for a while." Gongsun Fei greeted them with a wave and a small grin on her face.

The two stood rooted by the door. Both are in a state of shock. Gongsun Fei laughed at this while Gongsun Zibai shook his head at their spectacle.

"The both of you should come in so we could talk properly." Gongsun Zibai spoke in a stern tone, shattering the two men from their stupor.

"Right. We should. We should." Gongsun Rui answered. He cleared his throat to get rid of the awkwardness.

The two silently walked inside and sat on the sofa facing her bed.

"It's good that you're awake, Feifei. Uncle is really glad." Gongsun Yu spoke, his voice choking a little. There were tears at the corner of his eyes.

"Yeah. If I don't then my uncle might never get married in this lifetime. That would be a shame." Gongsun Fei teased lightly earning a look of betrayal from the emotional man.

"It's truly Feifei who knows what matters. Your big brother and uncle gave me so much trouble while you were sleeping. I didn't know what to do with them." Old Gongsun agreed with mock sadness prompting a laugh from her.

"I've only been sleeping for two years, grandpa, uncle. You're not going to hug me, anymore?"

The two elders stiffened up at the sudden question. Gongsun Fei couldn't help but giggle again.

Ah. How nostalgic. It seems that no matter what life it was, her family was always adorable.