“Rumeng, do you think it’s possible that this child was kidnapped and ran away on his own?” Kong Xinrui bit her lip. She really couldn’t bear to watch anymore and just wanted to help the poor child.
Gu Rumeng didn’t respond, but her expression showed that she had made some kind of decision.
She returned to Qin Yi’s bedside and gently held his left hand. “Little brother, do you not have a place to stay? Would you like to stay at my house?”
Upon hearing this, Qin Yi looked up and saw the caring expression in Gu Rumeng’s eyes. The emotions he had finally managed to calm down suddenly surged up again.
“I… I’ll just be a burden to you…” Qin Yi lowered his head as he spoke.
“I’m not afraid of trouble.” Gu Rumeng gently patted his head. “I’ve always hoped I could have a younger brother like you. And besides, the cat I raised really likes you. If it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t have been able to find you.”
“Was it a calico cat?” Qin Yi suddenly thought of the one that had curled up in his arms and given him warmth on that cold, rainy night.
“Yes, her name is Puffy.” Gu Rumeng smiled. “Now you know my name and my cat’s name. Shouldn’t it be your turn to tell me yours?”
“My name is Qin Yi.”
“That’s a nice name. How old are you this year?”
“Seventeen,” Qin Yi paused, then added softly, “Three days away from being legally an adult.”
“You’re seventeen?!” Gu Rumeng was stunned. She had thought Qin Yi was, at most, fifteen.
With such a frail frame and a childlike face, no one would guess that he was almost eighteen.
Sigh…
Thinking about it, it made sense. He was so thin, covered in scars—it was obvious he had suffered abuse for a long time. To even be alive under those conditions was already a miracle.
Her heart grew heavier. What a good boy… Why did fate have to treat him this way?
“When this glucose drip is done, let’s go home together, okay?” Gu Rumeng once again held Qin Yi’s hand.
Qin Yi tightly pressed his lips together and didn’t respond for a long time. The source of this chapter is g.com.
“Are you worried your family might show up and cause me trouble?” Gu Rumeng seemed to see through his thoughts.
“I don’t have a family.” When he said the word “family,” Qin Yi’s eyes lost all light.
He never truly had a home that welcomed him. So what “family” was there to speak of?
“Then what are you afraid of?” Gu Rumeng asked gently.
“I…” Qin Yi opened his mouth, but nothing came out.
Maybe it was the trauma he had suffered. Maybe it was the fear of bringing trouble to Gu Rumeng. Or maybe… he just didn’t dare believe anyone in the world would genuinely want to take him in.
He would rather disappear quietly in a dark, forgotten corner than hope again—only to fall into yet another abyss of despair.
“Give me a chance. Trust me, okay?” Gu Rumeng looked into Qin Yi’s eyes.
She could sense that the boy in front of her had strong emotional defenses. Probably the result of years of abuse. Though his body was fragile, he had unconsciously built an invisible wall around his heart—keeping others out, and trapping himself inside.
Qin Yi stayed silent for a long while. Just then, he saw Kong Xinrui standing at the doorway, holding a phone to her ear.
“Hello? Is this 110?” she said. “Yes, I found a lost child and wanted to ask how to handle it if I bring him to the police station.”
“Oh, you’ll contact his parents and send him home?”
“But the kid seems to have trouble communicating. We’ve been asking for a long time and still can’t get a contact number. What should we do then?”
“You can check the records? That’s great. Please hurry and come pick him up. It’s raining out and I’m sure his parents are terribly worried!”
Though her voice wasn’t loud, it was just enough for the two inside to hear.
Gu Rumeng, who was still holding his hand, had felt it go cold the moment Kong Xinrui mentioned sending him back. “It’s okay, it’s okay.”
She quickly stood up and gently pulled Qin Yi into her embrace. “We’re not sending you back. Don’t be afraid. Be good.”
As she said this, she shot Kong Xinrui a blaming look through the doorway.
Kong Xinrui blinked innocently and discreetly showed her phone screen—already off.
She hadn’t made a call at all.
Sorry, Rumeng. This was the only way I could help this guarded child let down his guard… Kong Xinrui thought to herself.
After seeing the scars all over Qin Yi’s body, her heart ached. How could she ever send him back to that hell?
“Sister Rumeng…” Slowly recovering from the panic, Qin Yi’s face turned slightly red. After struggling for a bit, he finally managed to wriggle out of Gu Rumeng’s embrace.
“What’s wrong?” Gu Rumeng looked at him, a little confused. Was he about to change his mind?
“It’s nothing… I just… I’ll find a way to pay you back for the cost of the IV today… and also pay rent once I stay at your house.” Qin Yi’s eyes were filled with seriousness.
“Okay.” Gu Rumeng smiled warmly.
She didn’t lack money, and there were spare rooms at home. One more person just meant one more pair of chopsticks at the table.
She didn’t reject him because she could tell how stubborn the boy in front of her was. But she didn’t mind—because it showed he had a kind and principled heart.
Had he not been born into such a cruel environment, he’d probably have grown up to be a warm and mature young man.
Thinking of this made her feel even more sorrowful.
Overly mature children were always the ones who had suffered the most.