An Shijiu looked at the two chairs pushed together and could not understand where the system’s anger was coming from.
When she had been five years old, she had often been unable to complete her training tasks and had been tied up by both hands and hung from a tree overnight.
She had still slept quite well.
“Go sleep on the bed.”
After saying that, she lay down on the chairs under An Zhe’s confused gaze.
She stretched out her legs.
With a “creak,” the two chairs separated, leaving her waist suspended in midair as she lay there stiff and straight like a plank.
【What! Are! You! Doing!】
【You two should sleep on the bed together. It’s a double bed.】
An Shijiu frowned deeply, clearly already irritated.
“If we lie on the bed, the distance will be too close. It’s dangerous.”
An Zhe looked helplessly at his mother, who was lying rigidly across the chairs with her waist hanging in the air.
Too strange.
Just like that auntie who often wandered back and forth at the entrance of the residential community.
The old women who collected trash said she had schizophrenia.
He did not know what schizophrenia was, but his mother was just as strange as that auntie.
Would his mother become like that in the future too? Running around outside?
What if she got lost and could not find her way back?
An Shijiu suddenly sat up from the chairs.
She was very sleepy, but the system kept talking nonstop in her head.
Forcing her eyes open, she was about to call the little boy, but when she turned her head, she saw him staring at her.
His eyelashes were clumped together with tears, a few strands of lower lashes sticking to his lower eyelid and drooping downward. His eyes were red.
On the surface, he looked like an uneasy little rabbit.
A rabbit’s gaze was harmless.
But in this little boy’s eyes, there was deep vigilance and resistance.
The second principle of an assassin: never underestimate the weak; even a cunning rabbit can have the power to kill a wolf.
She sighed, got off the chairs, returned to the bed, and lay down properly, beckoning to him.
“Come up.”
She did not want to have too much close contact with a boy who was good at disguising himself, but clearly, if she refused, the system would keep chattering in her head endlessly.
An Zhe clenched his hands.
Before, he had still hoped that his mother would be in a good mood, because when she was happy, she would hug him and smile at him.
But later, he realized that every time after that, his mother would become even more disgusted with him and even harsher.
Was it going to be like that again this time?
With difficulty, he picked up his blanket and quilt, moved to the bedside, and carefully placed them on the bed, spreading them out.
His mother especially hated him getting close to her.
But he felt the same—he did not want any contact with her either.
However, before he grew up, he had to be obedient. Otherwise, if his mother abandoned him, he would truly become what his classmates called an orphan.
An orphan was a child no one wanted.
Using both hands and feet, he climbed onto the bed without making much noise.
With an assassin’s instinct, An Shijiu could sense another presence not far from her.
She had originally been tense.
But the bed and pillow were too soft—softer than anything she had ever slept on before. In less than fifteen minutes, she fell completely unconscious.
The buildings in old residential areas were close together. The An family lived on the first floor, and unless the sun was at its strongest, sunlight barely entered.
The system had originally planned that if the Host was still not awake by the time An Zhe needed to go to school, it would loop the sound of the school bell in her head.
At five in the morning in early spring, the room was pitch dark.
An Shijiu opened her eyes, sat up from the bed, and began meditating to circulate her inner energy.
【Huh? You’re awake?】
【Good, since you’re up—do you know how to cook? Make An Zhe a loving breakfast!】
【Hello?】
【If you can’t cook, kindergarten starts letting children in at 7:40, and breakfast is at 8:00. You need to take An Zhe there—don’t be late.】
……
After raging uselessly at the lack of response, the system shut down in frustration and could only obediently wait for the Host to finish her meditation.
It regretted everything!
It should not have panicked and chosen randomly.
This Host’s brain might as well have been made of steel—there was not even a single flexible corner in it.
After completing one full circulation, An Shijiu opened her eyes.
This body’s meridians were blocked, and its constitution was poor. After just one round of internal energy, her clothes were soaked with sweat.
She fumbled her way through brushing her teeth, taking a bath, and changing into clean clothes.
Then she went downstairs and practiced boxing for a while, feeling completely refreshed.
When she opened the door and walked into the living room, she saw the little boy running out with quick steps, a toothbrush still in his mouth.
Because he had just woken up, his eyes were misty. When he saw her, he seemed to relax slightly.
An Shijiu’s mind was much clearer today. She remembered that the little boy was called An Zhe—her current son.
Also her mission target.
Recalling what the system had said, she asked, “Son, does the kindergarten provide breakfast?”
An Zhe nodded.
“Can I go eat there?”
For a moment, An Zhe’s brows instinctively knitted together, but he lowered his head to hide his expression.
“Mom, the kindergarten meals are for the children.”
Aside from taking him to register, his mother had never gone to his kindergarten.
The other children had already gotten used to it and no longer asked him about it.
If she suddenly went there to eat…
“Oh.” An Shijiu’s disappointment was visible to the naked eye.
【Are you starving? Shijiu, the kindergarten food isn’t good. Just order takeout—there’s fried chicken, milk tea, spicy hot pot. They’re delicious!】
The system was truly afraid that if An Shijiu insisted on going to the kindergarten to eat,
little An Zhe would become the laughingstock of the entire school.
An Zhe looked at her dimmed eyes.
His heart tightened.
That nominal father of his always took money out—could it be that his mother had no money left and could not afford takeout?
After hesitating, he said, “How about… I tell Teacher Wang to give my meal to Mom?”
There was no other way. If she starved to death, he would become an orphan.
【Oh! My God! Please! What a good child!】
At this moment, An Shijiu’s mind was filled with the system’s descriptions of fried chicken, milk tea, and spicy hot pot. She said enthusiastically:
“No need. I’ll order takeout. You go to kindergarten!”
【If you don’t take him, you can just drink the northwest wind】
An Shijiu immediately added, “I’ll take you there.”
An Zhe lowered his head irritably.
He only hoped that Teacher Wang would not be standing at the entrance today to greet the children.
If Teacher Wang caught his mother, she might talk to her for a long time.
His mother would definitely get annoyed. Unable to vent her anger at Teacher Wang, she might take it out on him instead.
Music was playing in front of the kindergarten.
“I love my kindergarten, there are many friends in the kindergarten~”
As soon as An Zhe appeared, a little girl wearing a pink floral jacket skipped over.
Her bright, lively eyes curiously stared at An Shijiu.
“An Zhe, is this your mom?”
There was not a trace of a smile on An Zhe’s face.
He did not speak, only nodded expressionlessly.
Then he said to An Shijiu, “Mom, this is my deskmate, Xing Rumei.”
Several little girls surrounded Xing Rumei, showing she was not shy.
Her eyes curved into crescents as she smiled. “Auntie, just call me Little Mei. Can I go in together with An Zhe?”
Before she even finished speaking, a chubby boy suddenly rushed over and pushed An Zhe to the ground.
“You piece of trash! You’re not allowed to talk to Little Mei!”
Xing Rumei rushed forward and stood in front of An Zhe. “Li Shuai, I’m going to tell the teacher!”
Her voice rang out loudly!
An Zhe raised his hand to look—his palm had been scraped, and beads of blood were forming.
An Shijiu had originally been staring at the snack stalls, but at this moment, she sharply noticed a different emotion hidden in An Zhe’s eyes.
The system let out a piercing shriek!
【Damn that overgrown bully! How could you hurt such a cute little An Zhe!】
The scattered light in An Shijiu’s eyes gathered into a single point, like the cold glint of a sword unsheathed.
The teacher at the entrance came over and pulled An Zhe up.
“Teacher Wang,” An Zhe greeted politely.
Teacher Wang shouted at Li Shuai, “You’re not allowed to bully your classmates! If you keep this up, I’ll call your parents!”
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed An Shijiu and was extremely surprised.
The ‘missing parent’ had actually come to send the child?
Could it be that she did not even want to pay the tuition anymore and had come to withdraw An Zhe?
She could not be blamed for imagining things—it was just that this parent was too cold-blooded.
An Zhe was often bullied by Li Shuai at kindergarten. The teachers did their best to watch over him, but there were always moments they could not see.
Li Shuai’s parents had a terrible attitude and did not care at all.
Several times, they had called An Zhe’s mother, wanting to explain the situation.
Only once had the call gone through.
At that time, she had hurriedly explained everything, hoping that as a parent, she would talk to Li Shuai’s family or put pressure on the school.
But the voice on the other end of the phone had been extremely impatient.
“Why doesn’t he get bullied instead of others? If he doesn’t dare to fight back, then let him be beaten to death.”
Even now, she still felt shocked. How could there be such a mother in the world?
“An Zhe, the teacher will take you to the infirmary later to apply some medicine.” Teacher Wang held his hand.
An Zhe gave Teacher Wang a sweet smile, looking very gentle. “Thank you, Teacher Wang.”
Then he said to An Shijiu, “Goodbye, Mom.”
It was clear that, like Teacher Wang, he did not expect An Shijiu to step in and handle this matter.
Teacher Wang did not even want to greet An Shijiu and was about to take An Zhe away.
“Wait.”