Spoiled by Eight Uncles (Lily)

At the Shaw family’s residence, Colton packed his belongings while Melody stood nearby, arms folded, wearing a frown. She asked, “Do you have to go?” After finally being transferred back to Alfornada and finding stability, Colton was now being sent to Malie City.

It was said that they would undergo long-term training stationed there.

Colton lifted his head, his voice unusually gentle as he replied, “Are you gonna miss me?” Melody paused, then sneered, “Don’t try to sugarcoat it.” A hint of helplessness flickered in Colton’s eyes, but he remained silent.

This version of Colton was as gentle as a cloud.

In his eyes, there was only the nation, its people, the safety of the country, the frontline battlefield, comrades-in-arms, team meetings...

His time was always dedicated to others, except for her and Ivan.

Ivan had grown up without Colton ever taking him to school, and he was absent when their child had a high fever and fell ill.

The only time he made an appearance was when Ivan was kidnapped and remained missing for a few days before finally causing him to “be aware.” It was during that time that he stayed with Ivan for a few days.

Melody could not help but feel disappointed.

Others praised him for his respect and dedication.

But as a family member, only she knew how sorrowful it felt.

Initially, this would not have been an issue as she was someone who understood the importance of duty.

However, there was a female officer on his team who worked closely with him, and he often interacted with her. Melody could not help but feel uneasy about it.

After Melody mentioned her concerns, Colton simply stated that he had nothing to do with the other woman and provided no further explanation. Another year passed in their busy lives.

Melody, like any wife would be, grew increasingly frustrated. She turned around with a displeased expression and left the room.

Colton paused in his packing, a frown on his face. What did he say wrong this time? Did she want to accompany him? The thought of Blake taking Lilly to Malie City made him reconsider. Perhaps it was not ideal to be separated from his family for an extended period.

Realizing why Melody was upset, Colton called out to her, “Wait.” Melody stopped, expecting him to say something.

But all he said was, “You and Ivan should pack your things and come with me.” Melody was left speechless.

Colton continued, “There's no one else in the Shaw family, so we can leave today.” Melody’s frustration grew, but Colton thought her silence indicated agreement. He nodded and said, “I'll take care of lvan’s school transfer procedures. Drake happens to be in the same class, so we'll go to Malie City first, where someone will handle the transfer.” According to Blake, their stay in Malie City would last one or two years, or maybe even three to five years. While it might be slightly troublesome to transfer schools, it was not a big issue.

Angrily, Melody exclaimed, “Ivan is used to being here! You can't just decide on your own and ask him if he agrees!” Coincidentally, Ivan appeared with his schoolbag on his back and calmly said, “I agree.” Though he was not particularly clingy toward his parents.

However, Ivan did not want to see his parents arguing. With his father absent and his mother often sulking, he thought it would be better to go along with them.

After Ivan finished speaking, he went back to his room and started packing his luggage without any further hesitation.

Melody was left dumbfounded. Other people’s sons were warm and affectionate, but what about hers? In the end, Ivan’s family embarked on the journey to Malie City.

While resting with his eyes closed on the plane, Colton suddenly opened his eyes and asked, “By the way, Ivan, do you remember what happened during the two days when you were kidnapped?” Ivan responded simply, “Yeah.” He did not elaborate and simply hummed, indicating that he did not want to discuss it further.

Colton found it interesting for father-son communication and decided not to press the matter. He nodded and said, “Alright.” With that, he also uttered a simple “hmm” and refrained from asking any more questions.

Melody, on the other hand, was left perplexed.

Ivan turned his head to gaze at the white clouds outside, his eyes slightly darkened. He calmly raised his hand and observed it.

On the inside of his wrist, there was a simple pattern that covered half of it, seemingly wrapped around a blood vessel.

That pattern was not there before...

Sensing Melody’s gaze, Ivan turned his wrist to hide the pattern.

Melody observed Ivan through the glass mirror.

The little boy had a calm and dignified face, reminiscent of Colton’s, with cool and reserved eyes. He did not talk much and shared the same personality as Drake.

Drake was one of lvan’s few friends, and they had similar personalities. The only difference was that Drake sometimes acted a bit arrogant in front of Lilly, whereas Ivan always offered candy to Lilly whenever he saw her.

Well, that was fine. Since Drake already transferred to Malie City, it would be nice for Ivan to have a friend to be together in the new place.

Josh was one grade below Drake, and Ivan and his brother were in the same class. After his brother moved to Malie City, Ivan would occasionally leave school with Josh.

They now found out that Ivan had also changed schools on the same day! Josh was mad, “Why is it happening to us? We're the only ones who can’t go?” Hannah expressed her anger, saying, “This is unfair! This is unfair!” Zachary responded with a dismissive tone, “Tsk, whatever.” Josh was disappointed The three unfortunate kids gazed helplessly at the distant sky, watching the sunset, and wondered if their sister was already out of school by now.

They used to go home together.

Now only three of them, the children who were “left behind” remained, and it was truly pitiable.

Lilly had been attending kindergarten for two days and had grown accustomed to waiting for her older brother to pick her up after school each day.

Her brother attended a public elementary school, and the dismissal time varied—sometimes after four o'clock, other times after five o'clock.

Lilly was in a private kindergarten, and her school was dismissed at five o'clock.

As soon as the school bell rang, Drake promptly grabbed his school bag and rushed out.

Today, he and his sister would be leaving school at the same time, and he did not want her to wait for too long.

However, he was stopped by a girl.

“Drake... Hi, this is a letter for you!” The young girl blushed.

Children in the fourth grade were exposed to society relatively early, often engaging in activities like using phones, reading s, and watching s. These experiences accelerated their psychological maturity.

At this age, two types of children are particularly troubled teachers.

One group was those who fell in love at a young age. They did not understand much, but they developed a vague affection and wrote love letters that were incredibly naive yet unwavering in their “devotion.” Their “puppy love” was not exactly puppy love in the truest sense. It resembled playing house, with each having a girlfriend or boyfriend, and the expectation of loyalty between them.

The second type is an extreme version of the first type. They lacked any romantic feelings and instead engaged in secretive conversations on the playground. At first, the teacher assumed they were discussing something serious, but upon closer inspection, it turned out they were talking about gathering to watch a snail.

Drake, who was unfamiliar with such situations in Alfornada, instinctively accepted the letter, opened it, and read its contents.

In the middle of the letter’s opening, two words were written, “Love letter.” After the phrase “love letter,” a colon was added.

Drake furrowed his brow, and his initial reaction was, “This format looks wrong at first glance.” So, he remained speechless.

What made him even more dumbfounded was the following text: “Hi, Drake. I'm Neo from the next class. | like you, Can you be my boyfriend? If it's possible...” Drake did not bother finishing the letter and threw it into the trash can expressionlessly before leaving.

She doesn’t even have a great vocabulary, how can she expect me to date her? Why don’t you focus on improving your vocabulary instead? Drake hurriedly went to pick up his younger sister, paying no attention to the bewildered expression on the little girl's face behind him.

Laughter echoed around, and the little girl stormed off in anger.

Just as Drake left the school premises, he noticed Ivan also coming out of the school.

Pausing for a moment, he narrowed his eyes, recalling the love letter incident, and a sense of danger flickered in his gaze.

“Ivan, what are you doing here? Are you pursuing my sister?” Drake asked in a cold tone.

“You like my sister? Elementary school students aren't allowed to have romantic relationships!” Drake's expression conveyed his displeasure.