The next day, Jiang Xunyu woke up in his own bed. Under the blanket, his body was clean, and he was loosely wrapped in a white bath towel.

As soon as he opened his eyes, Xiao C suddenly appeared from who knows where, it’s voice full of excitement: “You’re finally awake! Yesterday, I saw the living Mr. Ji! I was so worried when you went to the bathroom and didn’t come back for a long time, I hurriedly activated the alarm system. I never expected Mr. Ji would come himself and bring you back to bed… He really is a good person!”

Hearing Xiao C’s chattering, Jiang Xunyu’s memories from last night quickly returned. It wasn’t a dream. He had actually fallen asleep in the bathroom… and it was Mr. Ji who carried him back!

The fact that he had let Mr. Ji do such a thing made Jiang Xunyu feel a surge of embarrassment. His mind suddenly cleared, and he sat up abruptly on the bed, patting his slightly flushed face.

Jiang Xunyu glanced at the clock, relieved to see that it was only 7 AM, so he hadn’t missed the time he had agreed on with Mr. Ji. Ignoring Xiao C’s continuous chatter, he quickly changed his clothes, washed up, and rushed downstairs.

Ji Yuzhou was sitting in the living room on the first floor, reading the daily news. Hearing footsteps, he looked up and saw Jiang Xunyu coming downstairs. The boy seemed still not used to not wearing a hat, his head lowered as he looked at the floor. As soon as their gazes met, he quickly turned his eyes away.

“Mr. Ji, good morning.”

“Good morning.” Ji Yuzhou put down the newspaper, but showed no intention of getting up. “Breakfast is on the table. Go wash your hands and eat.”

Instead of following Ji Yuzhou’s words to go to the table, Jiang Xunyu walked over to stand beside him. His head was still slightly lowered, his hands clasped in front of him, unconsciously fiddling with them. After a long while, he finally made up his mind, saying, “Mr. Ji, thank you for last night.”

To Ji Yuzhou, last night’s incident was nothing more than a minor, insignificant moment. After carrying Jiang Xunyu back, he didn’t think much of it, focusing instead on his state affairs until late into the night. He hadn’t expected Jiang Xunyu would purposely thank him. Ji Yuzhou paused for a second, rarely caught off guard, and then smiled slightly, showing a faint smile. “Did you sleep well last night?”

His voice was naturally magnetic and deep, and with a hint of amusement, it seemed to carry a teasing tone. Although Jiang Xunyu knew Ji Yuzhou didn’t have any ill intentions, he couldn’t help but feel his face flush a little. Fortunately, he was looking down, which helped conceal the warmth on his face.

Jiang Xunyu thought he had hidden his emotions well, but he overlooked Ji Yuzhou’s sharp perceptiveness. Ji Yuzhou saw right through his reaction and couldn’t help but find it amusing. This child really was like a little animal, unaware that he had been caught with his tail showing. For once, Ji Yuzhou felt a playful urge. He deliberately rotated his wrist twice and said, “You seem to have no more than two pounds of flesh on you, but you felt pretty solid when I carried you. Not as uncomfortable as I imagined.”

Jiang Xunyu clearly didn’t expect the dignified Mr. Ji to say something like that. He froze for a moment, unable to find words, and after a long pause, he finally managed to say “Thank you” again, but couldn’t come up with anything else to say. His face was completely red, even extending to his neck. From Ji Yuzhou’s angle, he could see the lingering blush that wouldn’t fade.

Ji Yuzhou was just in a playful mood and, seeing the boy too shy to even lift his head, didn’t want to push him further. He offered an easy way out: “Are you hungry? Go eat something first, and then we’ll head out.”

Jiang Xunyu let out a breath of relief and quickly nodded, shuffling his feet toward the dining table.

After breakfast, the two of them got into the car together. Before they left, Ji Yuzhou, thinking about Jiang Xunyu’s experiences at the orphanage, had prepared a hat for him. Jiang Xunyu thanked him softly, taking the hat and holding it in his hands without putting it on immediately. He bit his lip: “I’ll put it on when we get there.”

Ji Yuzhou smiled, patting his shoulder and signaling for him to get in the car. “No need to force yourself.”

The car started smoothly, and Jiang Xunyu kept glancing at Ji Yuzhou beside him. When Ji Yuzhou put his phone down, Jiang Xunyu finally gathered the courage to speak, taking a deep breath: “I’m not forcing myself.”

Because of his nerves, his voice came out awkwardly for the first time, and fearing that Ji Yuzhou hadn’t heard him clearly, he repeated: “I… I’m not forcing myself.”

“Hm? What?” Ji Yuzhou hadn’t paid much attention to what Jiang Xunyu said earlier, so he casually asked.

“You said I don’t have to force myself,” Jiang Xunyu’s voice lowered noticeably, but his tone was still firm. “I’m not forcing myself. As long as you don’t mind me… I never think what you say is imposing.”

Jiang Xunyu’s almost solemn words softened Ji Yuzhou’s heart. He hadn’t expected that his unintentional words of comfort would make the child struggle so much. His tone softened in response: “Alright, I understand.”

…..

The car was moving quickly, and in no time, it smoothly came to a stop in front of the gates of the Xinghe Welfare Institute.

The driver got out and opened the door for Jiang Xunyu: “Young Master Jiang, we’ve arrived.”

Jiang Xunyu politely thanked him and immediately put the hat on, pulling it down tightly to cover his face. His demeanor grew colder, as though his inner prickles had been raised, like a hedgehog bristling with spikes. He pressed his lips together, pulling the hat down further, before slowly walking toward the tall iron gate. From Ji Yuzhou’s perspective, the boy’s back looked so thin and fragile.

Until Jiang Xunyu’s figure disappeared behind the gate, Ji Yuzhou did not look away. He waved his hand toward the driver in the front seat. “Let’s go.”

Yesterday, Ji Yuzhou had only inspected one area of the Xinghe Welfare Institute. There were many more places he needed to visit. The inspection work was dull and time-consuming. By the time he finished inspecting two more places, it was already 1 PM.

As he sat back in the car, his communicator suddenly rang. It was the bodyguard Ji Yuzhou had sent yesterday to protect Jiang Xunyu.

Ji Yuzhou quickly answered. “Is there any news?”

The bodyguard’s meticulous voice came through the communicator. “Young Master Jiang arrived at the welfare institute today and stayed in a corner for about an hour. During that time, he looked around, seemingly searching for something. Since you had already given instructions to the people at the welfare institute, we did not disturb him. Around 11:40 AM, he quickly walked a few steps forward and crouched in front of a black cat, speaking to it. However, Young Master Jiang was very alert, and I didn’t dare approach, so I couldn’t hear exactly what he said. Report complete!”

It seemed the bodyguard had misunderstood Ji Yuzhou’s intentions, thinking Ji Yuzhou had asked him to spy on Jiang Xunyu, so he reported every little detail of Jiang Xunyu’s actions. However, this was no big deal, and Ji Yuzhou didn’t mind. Instead, he was quite curious about Jiang Xunyu’s behavior. “You said he spent so much time doing what?”

The bodyguard hesitated for a moment, then concluded, “If I had to say, he probably did just one thing, which was to spend time with the cat. Or, in simple terms, he petted the cat all morning.”

“Tsk, got it.” Ji Yuzhou chuckled, ending the call. He turned to the driver. “Let’s go to Xinghe Welfare Institute.”

The driver cautiously asked, “Aren’t we still supposed to…”

“No rush,” Ji Yuzhou’s eyes curled up with a hint of a smile. “Let’s first see what that kid is up to.”

He was unexpectedly interested in what Jiang Xunyu was doing.

Upon arriving at the welfare institute, Ji Yuzhou didn’t alert anyone and quietly entered through a small door. He headed toward the spot the bodyguard had mentioned.

It was an open grass field located at the back of the welfare institute. Ji Yuzhou immediately spotted Jiang Xunyu, who was crouching next to a clump of grass. Just as the bodyguard had said, Jiang Xunyu’s slender arms were reaching out, gently petting a black cat on the ground.

Ji Yuzhou took a few steps forward. Upon hearing the footsteps, Jiang Xunyu quickly turned his head, instinctively slapping the cat’s rear and urgently commanding, “Run!”

The whole motion was smooth and practiced.

After doing that, he stood up from the grass, only to realize it was Ji Yuzhou who had approached. He tugged at his sleeve, feeling a bit embarrassed. “Mr. Ji… What are you doing here?”

They had originally planned to meet at dinner time, but now, just after noon, Ji Yuzhou had shown up here.

Ji Yuzhou raised an eyebrow. “You don’t want to see me?”

His tone didn’t reveal any particular emotion. Jiang Xunyu’s hand, which was clutching his sleeve, tightened, and his voice became a bit tense. “No that’s not it…”

“Then why are you so startled?”

Jiang Xunyu stayed silent for a long time before finally speaking softly, “I’m sorry, Mr. Ji, I didn’t tell you the truth…”

Ji Yuzhou’s tone softened a bit as he continued, “What truth?”

Jiang Xunyu bit his lip. “I came to the welfare institute to say goodbye to this cat, but I was afraid you wouldn’t approve, so I didn’t tell you.”

This cat was Jiang Xunyu’s only friend in the welfare institute, and the only companion during the countless nights he had spent locked outside his room. However, he sensed that Ji Yuzhou didn’t seem to like fluffy animals, so he feared that Ji Yuzhou would think there was something wrong with him, just like the others who linked his fondness for talking to animals to a delusional disorder. After much thought, he still decided not to tell Ji Yuzhou.

Jiang Xunyu’s entire body was tense, his fingers clenched into fists. His arm muscles trembled slightly from the strain, preparing for the possibility of being abandoned by Ji Yuzhou.

Ji Yuzhou’s heart softened.

He hadn’t liked small animals before—filthy and smelly was secondary, but these little lives were too fragile. If one wasn’t careful, they could die. If no emotional attachment was formed, it was bearable. But if one had raised them for a long time… Even someone like him, known for being unfeeling to outsiders, wasn’t used to the idea of life and death separation.

Jiang Xunyu was clearly nervous, and before Ji Yuzhou could comfort him, a soft meow sounded from not far away. The black cat hadn’t run away and had been watching them from the grass.

Thin, yet still stubbornly trying to protect what it cared about.

After meeting Jiang Xunyu, Ji Yuzhou found that his attitude toward small animals had changed considerably.

Perhaps it was because he realized that no matter how weak or bullied something was, it was always using its own way to survive.