Сhарtеr 24
The dirесtоr drоvе her to the еntrаnce оf a residеntiаl соmрlеx.
“Вuilding 24, Unit 1, siхth flооr. This is the еlevator cаrd—it оnly wоrks fоr thаt sреcifiс flооr. Therе’s оnly оne apаrtment оn the sixth floоr, and thе doоr lоck pаssword is six sixеs.”
“Rеmеmbеr, just take саrе оf the child. Dоn’t ask аbout anуthing else, аnd don’t talk аbout it outside.”
Хu Nuо tоok thе еlevator сard аnd nоdded. “Understоod.”
“Thе monеу is in thе cаbinet by thе door. Usе it if уоu need to buy anything.”
A designаtеd supervisor gavе Хu Nuo these instruсtiоns while the director stood nearby, smoking a cigarette.
After the supervisor finished speaking, the director stubbed out his cigarette and walked over. “Once the three-day trial period is over, I’ll contact Jiang Nan.”
Although he didn’t think Xu Nuo would last, he still gave her a glimmer of hope.
Xu Nuo nodded and went inside.
The supervisor watched her retreating figure and the mask on her head, a subtle look of sympathy on his face.
…
After swiping the card, Xu Nuo took the elevator up to the designated floor.
She had already braced herself for dealing with a difficult child, but as soon as she opened the door—
A knife flew straight at her.
Can you imagine? As soon as you open the door to a room, a gleaming fruit knife whizzes past your head and lodges itself firmly in the crack of the electrical panel behind you.
Xu Nuo had already pulled out her phone, ready to call the police.
No wonder they said to last three days. With worse luck, someone might have been out the moment they stepped inside.
Pulling the knife out, Xu Nuo entered the apartment wearing shoe covers. She hadn’t taken more than a few steps before she spotted the culprit.
And she cursed inwardly.
A child!? You call this a child!!
A boy with his face wrapped in bandages—his features obscured—stood by the sofa, one eye badly swollen. He stared at the newcomer like a hungry wolf.
Though frighteningly thin, he was also frighteningly tall.
He probably wasn’t very old, but he was a full head taller than Xu Nuo.
“I’m the new nanny, here to take care of you.”
Xu Nuo thought for a moment and decided to explain her identity first.
Covered in injuries, malnourished, with eyes as fierce as a wolf cub—this was her first impression of her employer.
But for Gu Nongxuan’s sake, and for her Healing Value, she wasn’t going to back down easily.
If he liked playing with knives, so be it. As long as he didn’t aim for her backside, she could handle it.
However, after she spoke, the boy showed no reaction, still glaring at her fiercely.
Thinking he didn’t want to talk to her, Xu Nuo didn’t press the matter. Seeing the chaotic state of the room—as if it had been ransacked by bandits—especially the shattered vases, she decided to find some tools and start cleaning up.
But the moment she moved, the wary boy suddenly charged at her, letting out a roar that sounded like a wild beast.
Xu Nuo was about to dodge when he collapsed right in front of her, falling to the floor with a thud.
Xu Nuo: “…”
You’re really ruining my sense of accomplishment.
Looking at the boy lying on the floor, his head still wrapped in bandages, she wondered if he might have suffered some kind of mental trauma. Back in her university days as a volunteer, she had seen many children with severe mental illnesses that manifested physically, leaving them unable to care for themselves.
But their families often didn’t understand. They thought the children were pretending to be sick to avoid school, and some even abandoned them, leaving these deeply wounded children to fend for themselves.
Still, what exactly was going on with this boy would require further observation.
[Speaking of which, why do I feel so much like a nanny? Xiao Gu, now I have another employer. Why am I always stuck taking care of kids?]System: “No idea, maybe it’s related to you not getting your teaching certification in your previous life?”
Yes, Xu Nuo had planned to get her teaching certification in her previous life. Who would have thought that before she could even register, she fell ill and died.
“My goodness, the Qing Dynasty has fallen.”
You never know until you get close, and when she helped him up, she was startled.
This person was so smelly!
The strong smell of blood mixed with medicine made Xu Nuo’s eyes water.
He looked thin, but holding him made her feel like he had no weight at all.
Bony and emaciated, he was a boy in his growing years, yet his arms were only half as thick as hers. For a moment, Xu Nuo wondered if the person in her arms was even still breathing.
After carrying him into the bathroom, the first thing Xu Nuo did was strip off his clothes, which were so dirty their original color was unrecognizable.
But the more she undressed him, the more silent she became.
On his chest, where his bones were clearly visible, his skin was so dirty its true color was indistinguishable, but bloody wounds were clearly visible. She even spotted cigarette burns on his arms.
There wasn’t a single undamaged spot on his entire body.
Not daring to wash him with water, Xu Nuo dampened a towel and carefully wiped him down, avoiding the wounds. But there were so many injuries on his body that by the time she finished, she was drenched in sweat.
The System said he had fainted from hunger. After finally managing to get him to drink some water, Xu Nuo carried him to the bed and then headed to the kitchen.
The refrigerator hadn’t been touched, and it was fully stocked with ingredients.
Thinking of his painfully thin body, she briefly considered her options and decided to make porridge.
“I don’t know how long it’s been since he last ate, and with his head bandaged like that, it’s better to stick to something mild.”
She didn’t work for long before the heat became unbearable. Since there was no one else in the room, she simply removed her mask and took off the pantyhose she had been wearing on her head.
Once the cumbersome items were off, she worked faster, and soon the porridge was ready. After letting it cool for a while, she added the shredded meat she had prepared and sprinkled some chopped green onions.
After finishing, she wiped the sweat from her forehead and thought she’d check on the little dirty kid.
Who would have thought that as soon as she turned around, Xu Nuo found herself face-to-face with a pair of fierce eyes.
So close that the tip of his nose was almost touching hers.
Years of performing had elevated her composure to unprecedented levels.
Even though she screamed internally in fright, Xu Nuo showed no sign of it on her face.
She even calmly asked, “Can I help you?”
After stepping back to create some distance, she quickly put her mask back on.
Are you dead, System? When did he come over? How long has he been standing here watching?
System: “…Sorry, I was just checking out Gu Liu’s report. The blood test for paternity just came in.”
“I was making food for you. You should eat something.”
He still didn’t react, continuing to glare fiercely at Xu Nuo, his eyes filled with vigilance, and clutching something in his hand.
Xu Nuo hadn’t noticed at first, but when she did, she was startled.
Blood was slowly dripping from his hand. Looking closely, she realized he was holding a sharp piece of broken glass.
Xu Nuo thought about how he had silently stood behind her, and a cold sweat broke out all over her body.
“Let go! You’re already as thin as sun-dried dog poop. If you lose any more blood, you’ll die!”
She walked over and reached out her hand toward him.
Unexpectedly, the boy only tightened his grip, and the blood flowed even more freely, as if his life depended on it.
Xu Nuo felt a headache coming on.
This was worse than dealing with a bratty kid.
Little Gu, you better make it big with this movie, or your sister here is going to die of frustration.At a time like this, it was best not to provoke him further. She simply turned around and tidied up the kitchen a bit.
When she turned back, she saw the boy staring intently at the bowl of porridge in her hand.
“Here, take it. If you dare smash the bowl and waste food, I’ll shove the toilet plunger down your throat.”
The expected scenario of him knocking it out of her hand didn’t happen. Instead, he let go of the glass shards he was holding, took the bowl of porridge with his bloodied hands, turned his back to her, and stood in the corner. While keeping his eyes fixed on her, he wolfed down the porridge.
Thankfully, the porridge wasn’t hot, or else he would have scalded himself badly with that first gulp.
Xu Nuo felt that this way of eating looked familiar, but she couldn’t remember where she had seen it before.
When she snapped out of her thoughts, the boy had already finished the porridge and had even licked the bowl clean.
Afraid that he might come to his senses and smash the bowl, and not wanting to add to her own workload, Xu Nuo reached out to take it back. Seeing that the boy clearly still wanted more, she spoke directly, regardless of whether he could understand: “You shouldn’t eat too much right now. It’s not good for your health.”
Just as she was about to put the bowl in the sink, the person who hadn’t said a word since she entered suddenly spoke.
He stared at Xu Nuo and said something.
His words were slurred, and his pronunciation was strange. At first, she didn’t understand, but as he repeated it over and over, his speech becoming clearer and clearer, Xu Nuo finally understood. He was saying—
“Wife…”