“No biggie. It’s a cool name, easy to remember. Your parents did a good job naming you.”

Sui Han turned and left, quickly disappearing into the night.

Liu Dazhuang stood there dumbfounded momentarily, then took a long drag of his cigarette. He found Sui Han to be somewhat unusual, but children with his abilities were rare.

He flicked the cigarette butt away, proudly tilting his head. “My name is awesome, duh.”

The boy found a guesthouse to stay in, but it gave him the creeps.

This was the only place for miles around, smack-dab in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by thick woods and waist-high grass. Pitch black, you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face.

He hoped the place would be a little cozier, but the lightbulbs in the hallway were flickering, and one of the bulbs in his room was busted.

The owner yawned, looking exhausted, like he rarely got customers this late.

“It’s a roof over your head, right? Not bad considering the location.”

“Yeah.”

Sui Han turned on the only working light, a yellow bulb covered in dust, with a spiderweb stretched halfway across the room.

The place reeked of mildew, making even the little zombie and the little Yingyu cough.

The boy went over to check out the bed. It was a single, but at least the sheets looked freshly changed.

The owner was decent after all.

Sui Han sat down, and the strong smell of laundry detergent filled the air.

He hadn’t forgotten about his livestream. Sui Han propped his phone up against the wall on the table, testing the signal. It was barely usable.

“Hey, everyone. It’s a bit late. Had a long day of travel.”

He waved at the livestream, offering a quick explanation.

[Sui Sui, blink twice if you’ve been kidnapped!]

[Just asking… is that a spiderweb on the wall? Sui Sui, what backwoods hellhole did you go to?]

[Are you seriously switching to the paranormal channel? No, baby! Don’t you know the paranormal channel’s dead?]

[Stay in the cute pets channel! You’ve got Erguotou and Big Banana to keep you company.]

Speak of the devil.

The little zombie didn’t want to sit on the bed, so it struggled to climb onto little Yingyu’s back, clinging to its bird wings.

The little Yingyu was super annoyed, whipping its big tail around in the air.

The little zombie nearly fell off a few times, but stubbornly held on, grabbing the fluffy edges of the bird wings, almost yanking the little Yingyu bald.

[LOL, they’re fighting!]

[Pet squabbles are impossible to break up. Trust me, I know. /crying laughing emoji]

“It’s not that hard.”

Sui Han reached out and shook the baby bottle. The little zombie immediately perked up. The boy put the bottle on the bed, gently tapping it twice with his long fingers.

The little zombie froze. The temptation was too much to resist!

It grabbed the bird wings, trying to get the Yingyu to change direction.

[Does it think it’s riding a horse?]

[It probably thinks it’s flying a plane /table slam laughing]

[Erguotou is so pissed it’s wagging its tail! The big tail is locked onto Big Banana’s location. Firing! WHOOSH—]

The little zombie landed on its butt with a “thud” on the single bed.

Face first, its red cheeks buried in the sheets.

The comments section exploded with laughter. The Yingyu, waving its bird wings like it just won a dance-off, strutted in front of the little zombie before flying away.

The little zombie didn’t care about the little Yingyu’s comfy back anymore. Its tummy was rumbling, and it wanted milk.

Sui Han reached into his pocket and pulled out a small packet of milk powder, planning to ask the owner for hot water to mix it.

He bought the individually packaged kind, not the big bag, because he was lazy and didn’t want to carry it.

Soon, one person and two pets had one bottle of milk.

The little Yingyu and the little zombie stared at each other, wanting the whole bottle for themselves.

[Who do you think will win this round?]

[Erguotou, obviously. It’s stronger. Big Banana doesn’t stand a chance! /confident]

[I don’t know, I think Big Banana is a little sneakier.]

The comments section is automatically split into two teams. The little Yingyu could read the comments and saw that the fans were betting on them, so it tried even harder to get the baby bottle.

The little Yingyu spread its bird wings, striking a “I’m about to snatch that bottle” pose.

The little zombie also stretched out its arms but was too short. Even put together, they weren’t as long as one of the bird wings.

The countdown began in the comments section, and the competition was on.

When the countdown reached “one,” the little Yingyu lunged for the bottle, thinking it had secured a victory, but the little zombie turned and ran away.

The little Yingyu: “?”

The little zombie, clutching its little hat, ran straight to its owner, struggling to climb up his leg, finally making it to his shoulder, where it pointed at the little Yingyu with a pitiful look, then snuggled against Sui Han, whimpering.

Tears welled up, and its stomach even gurgled twice, sounding as pathetic as possible.

The little Yingyu: Treacherous and cunning, humph!

[Baby, you’re such a green tea!]

[Erguotou is so confused, LOL!]

[Baby, you’re too clever. Erguotou admits defeat!]

Sui Han saw it acting pathetic again and scratched his nose in exasperation.

What did “green tea” mean?

Sui Han realized his brain couldn’t keep up with the latest slang. He didn’t get half the memes. He’d have to catch up when he got back.

In the end, Sui Han was the one who negotiated peace.

He found a clean cup, split the milk in half, and gave one portion to the little zombie and one to the little Yingyu.

He was so tired that he just fell asleep with the livestream still running.

At 5:30 in the morning, Sui Han showed up at the construction site with a bag of bread in his hand.

He took a bite and glanced at Liu Dazhuang, his eyes clear and innocent, looking like he was genuinely broke.

He’d learned this trick from the little zombie last night. Liu Dazhuang immediately took the bait.

“Oh, come on, dry bread? I’ll take you out for something good tonight, kid.” Liu Dazhuang loved kids who were down on their luck.

Like Li Fan, easy to fool and obedient.

Sui Han finished the bread in a few bites, looking at Liu Dazhuang. “Don’t be so polite. I’ll just call you Uncle. If I call you ‘brother,’ it’ll make me sound old.”

“…”

Liu Dazhuang: This kid sure knows how to talk!

But that wasn’t the important thing. Liu Dazhuang quickly brushed it aside. “Give me your phone number so I can reach you.”

“My phone’s out of service. What’s the point?” the boy replied listlessly.

“Then why did you stay at the guesthouse last night? That’s the only place for miles, and it’s expensive.”

“Well, I didn’t want to sleep on the ground. Gotta make money, right?”

He sounded sincere and pitiful. Liu Dazhuang immediately relaxed.

“Alright, kid. I’ll buy you two square meals today, then take you out for a feast tonight. How’s that sound?”

“No work?”

“It’s your first day. Take it easy, get your bearings. No rush. Your uncle always takes care of his boys.”

The excavator driver from last night overheard and twisted his mouth, complaining, “Tsk, tsk, here he goes again. Let me tell you, Liu, you guys have to finish the job today before you eat!”

“Mind your own business!” Liu Dazhuang glared at the man.

Sui Han chimed in at the right moment, “You’re the best, Uncle.”

“Of course, I am.” The glint in Liu Dazhuang’s eyes returned.

That evening, Liu Dazhuang came to find Sui Han alone. “Let’s go. Clocked out. Promised to take you out for something good, and I’m making good on that promise.”

“Where to?”

Sui Han had been sitting in the temporary break room all day, and he was glad to finally stretch his legs.

Liu Dazhuang’s expression was unusually excited, though he tried to hide it. It looked a little twisted under the lights. He grabbed Sui Han’s arm and pointed ahead.

“There’s a restaurant over there. It’s a bit of a ride. I’ll give you a lift on my scooter.”

Sui Han blinked, willingly hopping into the back seat.

The boy’s expression was calm, his tone cool but with a hint of certainty. “Sure, lead the way, Uncle.”