Parsed with an automated reader. The content accuracy is not guranteed.
And he even treated me like a servant\n
âThe old manâs name is Zhuang Zhiqiang, and heâs indeed a âholdoutâ.â\n
Half an hour later, a relief station worker under the Bureau of Civil Affairs had arrived. He thanked the doctors, along with Xie Qingcheng and the others, while he explained the situation to them.\n
Xie Xue and Bai Jingâwho had insisted on hitching a rideâalso came up from the underground car park and were seated on the sofa in the medical office as they listened to the specifics of the situation.\n
âThe old man Zhuang ZhiqiangâŠâŠ Ah, his situation is rather unique. Itâs a problem that our relief station has never been able to solve.â The worker rubbed his hands together and took a sip of the tea that was brewed for him by the nurse in a disposable paper cup. He smacked his lips and said with a sigh, âIt was probably around three years ago when he came to Shanghai and said that he was looking for his daughter. But we checked his records and it turned out that he was just an old man that was living alone. He lived in a house cave in Shanzhou, a place so poor that even birds wouldnât stay in it. He had no neighbors at all, and had to walk two miles just to fetch water. Our workers even made a special trip down to the village once to interview the villagers there. They all said that the old man was a loner and were entirely clueless about his situation.â\n
Bai Jing couldnât help but shout,âThatâs not an excuse for you guys to shirk responsibility either. Shouldnât you arrest a dangerous individual like that? Not only does he affect the cityâs appearance, but thereâs also a chance that he would end up attacking others!â\n
âYoung miss, hereâs the thing.â The worker had an awkward expression on. âWe canât just restrain these vagrants. They are also members of the society. What we could do is provide them with housing and medical careâŠ..â\n
ăă\n
Bai Jing spat out viciously, âI donât care, lunatics should all be detained with force. Shouldnât abnormal things like that be isolated from the rest of us?â\n
Originally, He Yu didnât really have any particular feelings or opinions towards this woman. His moral baseline was relatively low, and it could also be said that he had a relatively high tolerance for all kinds of people. He felt that there wasnât much to be said about the things Xie Qingcheng had told him. Everyone had their own way of living, and everyone had their own choices to make.\n
But Bai Jing truly landed on Young Master Heâs minefield with what she had said about lunatics.\n
The corners of He Yuâs mouth suddenly twisted up in a cold sneer as he lowered his head without saying a word.\n
The relief station worker wiped away his sweat and said, âYoung miss, letâs not get upset first. I assure you, the way we see things, thereâs a chance that the old man Zhuang Zhiqiangâs mental illness may worsen. I wouldnât rule out the possibility of him losing his civil rights due to it. Thus, once the situation here gets better, we will hand over his custody to our affiliated psychiatric hospital for treatmentâŠâŠâ\n
âBased on the current situation, he should be going to Cheng Kang. Although the facilities and management are a little behind the rest, it canât be helped as Wan Pingâs capacity is already full.â\n
Bai Jing heard that and was finally satisfied. She muttered, âThatâs more like itâŠâŠâ\n
Just as they were talking, the emergency departmentâs doctor arrived.\n
The doctor briefed them on Zhuang Zhiqiangâs situation; since he had been rescued in time, he was no longer in a life-threatening condition. If they wanted to go in and check on him, one person would be allowed in.\n
âItâs best if itâs a girl. The patient is still in a state of delirium and keeps wanting to look for his daughter.â\n
Xie Xue got up, âIâll go.â\n
She left with the doctor.\n
He Yu had been leaning lazily against the parlor sofa with his elbows propped up on the sofaâs backrest, his head lowered with indifference as he listened to them talk. Now that he saw her leave, he retracted his long legs and was about to get up and go after her.\n
There was obvious scrutiny and wariness on Xie Qingchengâs face as he said, âHold it.â\n
âWhatâs wrong?â\n
âWhy are you following my sister around all day long?â\n
The boy sat back down on the sofa and was silent for a moment. They appeared to be having a refined and polite conversation, but in fact, his almond eyes were full of mockery and ridicule. âWell, how about I follow you around all day long instead?â\n
ââŠâŠâ\n
He Yuâs deep voice rang out steadily, âYou and your matchmaking date are both here. How rude of me to interrupt. Iâll give you some room and get out of your way.â\n
Bai Jing immediately lived up to everyoneâs expectations and yelled, âThereâs not a chance between us!â\n
He Yu chuckled softly. Without looking at Bai Jing, he tilted his head sideways and said in a low voice that only Xie Qingcheng could hear, âDr. Xie, do you think that maybe youâre getting older and losing your charm? You canât even score a little girl like that.â\n
ââŠâŠâ\n
This wicked thing.\n
Could it be that his ancestral tomb had been renovated into a latrine? How did they produce such an immoral and despicable beast?\n
Xie Qingchengâs expression was full of frost. His lips moved slightly, âHurry up and get lost.â\n
He Yu smiled. Then, he suddenly got up and lifted a hand to press it against the wall over his shoulder. Xie Qingcheng was startled, unsure of what this polished degenerate that did things out of the norm was going to do. When He Yu leaned over, he could smell the scent of adolescent hormones radiating off the boyâs body, and could feel the heat of his chest even without the physical contact.\n
This domineering sense of oppression that belonged exclusively to young males made Xie Qingcheng, who was also a man, extremely uncomfortable. He was very âalpha maleâ, and immediately felt irritated that his male territory had been invaded.\n
Xie Qingcheng was just about to shove him away when the male student who had invaded his personal space straightened his back and stood up. In his hand was a large bag of coffee that he had grabbed from the tea table behind him.\n
âThe drinks that He Yu just ordered, yet to be given out.\n
âGe, I was just getting the drinks.â\n
Looking at the gloom over the manâs face, the derisive smile tugging at the corner of He Yuâs lips became even more pronounced. He handed out the cups of coffee inside the paper bag to the worker from the relief station, the doctors, and the nurses. Then, he got someone to bring a cup to Xie Xue, and even Bai Jing was given one.\n
Howeverâ\n
âTsk, would you look at that. Iâm so sorry, I forgot to order one for you.â\n
A brief pause later, he extended his own cup of iced coffee towards Xie Qingcheng. âWhy donât you drink mine instead?â\n
But his offer clearly had no sincerity in it. The straw was already poked in, and he was holding it up just like that in front of Xie Qingchengâs lips.\n
He had thought Xie Qingcheng would refuse.\n
He hadnât expected that he would incite Xie Qingchengâs fury instead. The man lifted his eyes filled with gloom, seated on the sofa in a posture outside of He Yuâs expectationsâas if heâs being serviced by this brat. His pale lips parted slightly, and while he stared at He Yu, slowly closed around the straw in front of him. \n
With his lips wrapped around the straw, he continued to stare at him as he took a none too polite sip.\n
Xie Qingcheng bobbed his throat and swallowed provocatively.\n
âYou can leave it on the side.â Then he let go of the straw, lips glistening, but expression razor-sharp, âIâll consider it as filial piety.â\n
ââŠâŠâ\n
When He Yu watched him lower his head and hold the straw in his mouth, he felt a burst of displeasure in his heart, as if he was annoyed. He felt that the man was really asking for it. He originally wanted to see him embarrassed or infuriated.\n
But what he actually got was an unperturbed, condescending attitude.\n
For a moment, he had an impulse to throw his ice coffee at that cold fatherly face, and then watch as his face dripped with water and his clothes drenched in an embarrassing state.\n
But in the end, he just smiled and gently put the ice coffee on the coffee table. He lowered his head for a moment and said softly to Xie Qingcheng: âWell, since you want it, donât waste a single drop of it. Finish the whole thing, and let me know if you didnât have enough. Iâll bring more for you.â\n
âHow can I possibly ask for more? Tonight youâve already been my chauffeur, ATM, and now a delivery boy.â Xie Qingcheng sneered, holding the cup of coffee, slender fingers running over the droplets on the outside, âYou can go now.â\n
After saying that, he swirled the cup to dismiss him.\n
He Yu left with a dark expression.\n
The people around them saw that they were so obviously at odds with each other, and they felt rather awkward, but Xie Qingcheng didnât mind at all.\n
He got up and threw the coffee directly in the trash can under everyoneâs gaze. The boy ordered coffee when itâs already this late at night. At his age could he expect to get any sleep?\n
Xie Qingcheng sat down again and calmly looked at the help station staff: âApologies, my clientâs child is a bit immature. Iâm sorry you had to see that.â\n
âN-no, no worries.â\n
A few dry chuckles.\n
Xie Qingcheng: âSpeaking of which, oh yes⊠are you sure Zhuang Zhiqiang does not have a daughter?â\n
The staff member regained his composure: âThatâs right, he doesnât. The old man Zhuang Zhiqiang does not even have any relatives. We want to help the homeless contact their family or other community members, but this old man has no one to contact.â\n
Xie Qingcheng was silent.\n
In his experience, he felt that Zhuang Zhiqiangâs hysteria was not without reason. This âdaughterâ must be a knot in his heart.\n
âDear daughter âŠâŠâ on the hospital bed, the old man on an oxygen tube still murmured in his sleep about the person who might be in his imagination, âSuch an impressive girl. Your old man watched you grow up as a child, watched you go to school with your little school bag, watched you get into college and leave for the big city âŠâŠâ\n
He stopped for a while, a cloudy tear seeped out from his wrinkled eyelids.\n
The old manâs dream continued with agony and sobs: âWhy couldnât you âŠâŠ come back to see your old man again âŠâŠâ\n
Xie Xue was soft-hearted, listening on the side with tears streaming down her face. With the permission of the nurse, she held Zhuang Zhiqiangâs hand next to his bed and said: âOld uncle, donât cry. I⊠Iâm here. Iâm here with you. You have to hurry up and get better âŠâŠâ\n
She could not stay with the patient for too long. After comforting the confused old man for a while, the doctor told her that it was time to leave.\n
Xie Xue finished sanitizing and walked out of the emergency room. She wanted to grab some tissues from her bag to wipe her tears, but found that the tissues had run out.\n
Just then, a pretty hand passed her a menâs handkerchief.\n
Xie Xue lifted her red and swollen eyes and met He Yuâs gentle smiling face.\n
He Yu behaved like a despicable animal in front of Xie Qingcheng, but in front of Xie Xue he is all but a model citizen. The handkerchief he handed over is particularly exquisite and elegant, made of snow-white silk with not a single extra crease on it.\n
âGo ahead and use it.â\n
âTh-thank you.â\n
âItâs nothing.â\n
He had known that Xie Xue would have this reaction.\n
Shortly after Xie Xue was born, her parents passed, and her grandparents were already long gone. From an early age, she envied those who could shout loudly for their mommy and daddy, grandma and grandpa. That was something she could only whisper to the cold and wet tombstones when she stood under Xie Qingchengâs black umbrella during the Qingming Festival every year, holding a bouquet of gentle white chrysanthemums.\n
Therefore she hated seeing those of her father and grandfatherâs generation not having the accompaniment of their children.\n
âDoctor.â She wiped her tears and spoke to the emergency department doctor again, âWhen the old grandpa is transferred to the psychiatric hospital, could you let me know? Iâll accompany him.â\n
He Yu frowned slightly, âWhat are you doing going to a place like that?â\n
âItâs okay. It just so happens that the school wants me to talk to several prisons and mental hospitals about taking students to visit. They want to give the directing students some more unusual social experiences. But I havenât had a chance to do that yet. â Xie Xue sniffed. âItâs just along the way.â\n
She has already expressed this much, so He Yu couldnât say anything more. He walked over to the side and picked up the stray yellow puppy.\n
The little puppy was lifted in front of He Yu by its squishy chest, its yellow and white colored legs kicked a few times in mid-air. The dogâs black bean nose met his almond eyes, and the dog froze a little.\n
He Yu asked gently, âIâll get you a dog permit. You can stay in my house for the time being. When your master is well, Iâll take you back.â\n
The puppy shivered: âWoof âŠâŠâ\n
Animals often have whatâs called a sixth sense, they can sense the oppressive and deranged state beneath a personâs smile. Therefore the puppy was scared but also wanted to please him, so it stretched out its soft tongue and licked He Yu nervously.\n
He Yu smiled, stroking the dogâs head, letting it lick his fingertips freely. A faint expression on his face, âGood boy. You know better than that man.â\n
<meta charset="utf-8">Previous || TOC || Next\n
<hr class="wp-block-separator has-text-color has-background has-black-background-color has-black-color is-style-wide">\nïŸ(âąâĄâą)ïŸ Hello there! Note that this chapter still needs a polish and nuances corrected â it will be finished tonight.\n
Find the translator: nics @shizuncult and Rin @Annymation and the editor: Argenti @ziliujinvitae on Twitter!\n
Seriously, thank the translators â they have put their very best effort into this.\n