Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Seven or eight military vehicles were parked at the entrance of the welfare home. The director led a group of staff to greet the visitors and then accompanied them into the welfare home with smiling faces.

People from Cloud Peak had visited the welfare home before. Everyone would stand in the courtyard to be selected, and after one or two lucky children were chosen by the officers, the rest would return to their dormitories dejectedly.

But this time was different. Not only had the welfare home been rehearsing for half a month, but so many cars and distinguished guests had also arrived. The children felt that many more people would be selected this time and put all their effort into performing.

"Director Liu, it's quite lively here," said a young officer in his early thirties, smiling as he looked at Director Liu.

Director Liu hurriedly replied, "Colonel Gu, the children have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of Chairman Wu, Senators Wang and Chen, Colonel Gu, and Master Chu. Although conditions at the welfare home are difficult, they are enthusiastic about welcoming such esteemed guests."

"Hmm, not bad. It’s vibrant and full of energy," said Chairman Wu, nodding in the middle of the crowd.

Everyone was chatting and laughing, except for the young man walking beside Chairman Wu, who remained silent, his gaze fixed on a small patch of ground ahead.

The young man was handsome and exuded an air of nobility. Dressed in a dark blue suit and a woolen overcoat, he appeared tall and straight like a bamboo shoot growing taller. He carried a small black leather bag, showing no interest in the scene around him, his face devoid of any extra expressions, giving off a cold and distant demeanor.

"... So when we came to inspect the abyss, we said that we must not only visit the mines but also the Angel Welfare Home," Chairman Wu said as he walked, looking at the young man beside him and addressing the others. "Chu Ya is young, but he handles things calmly. Since President Chu has important matters to attend to, he sent his son to inspect things instead. He is much better than my own son, who only knows how to play."

"I've heard that Master Chu is a prodigy, and indeed, seeing is believing."

"Master Chu has entered the differentiation period and will soon become either a sentinel or a guide."

"No wonder he's so tall at twelve. I'm 170 cm, and look, he's almost as tall as me."

"He's in the differentiation period, which is a great joy. No wonder President Chu has been in a good mood lately."

...

Hearing these praises, the young man did not show any joy but finally reacted to the scene.

He nodded slightly, his voice cool and polite: "Thank you, uncles and aunts, for your kindness."

"Don't praise him anymore; my cousin is shy and doesn’t like hearing such things," Colonel Gu said with a smile, reaching out to pat Chu Ya's shoulder. "Right, Xiaoya?"

Chu Ya shifted slightly, as if trying to avoid the hand on his shoulder, but held back, only frowning imperceptibly.

The ceremonial team had moved to the end of the line. As Chairman Wu and the others approached, they stood where the team had been, lined up, and watched the children singing with smiles.

"... Our lives are so happy, our songs so loud, angels gather here, sowing hope... la la la, my warm home, la la la, where I grow..."

All the children sang earnestly, even the youngest ones in the kindergarten class. They hoped to perform well and be selected to go to Cloud Peak.

Shen Juanjuan also wanted to go to Cloud Peak.

He stood in the front row, fully immersed in singing, closing his eyes and tilting his head back, his face contorted, and his head trembling. Before each line, he took a deep breath and shouted with all his might, ensuring every word could be heard.

"La la la, my warm home..."

When he opened his eyes again, Shen Juanjuan suddenly stopped singing.

In front of him stood an adult—no, a big kid.

A stranger, incredibly handsome, stood right in front of him, looking down with an expressionless face.

Who is this?

He's so tall and so handsome...

Why is he here? Is he from Cloud Peak?

Shen Juanjuan forgot to sing, just staring with his frozen red face, mouth slightly open, dumbfounded at Chu Ya.

After a few seconds, two streams of clear snot slowly trickled from his nostrils.

At that moment, Chu Ya's pupils contracted, his hands clenched slowly at his sides, and he turned away, averting his gaze.

It took Shen Juanjuan a few more seconds to snap out of it. He sucked the snot back in, still staring at the person in front of him, and continued singing loudly.

"La la la, my warm home."

After Shen Juanjuan's shout, Chu Ya, who was turned away, closed his eyes.

"La la la—cough cough cough." Because of his full-throated shouting, Shen Juanjuan's throat suddenly itched, making him start coughing uncontrollably: "La—cough cough—I grow—cough cough cough."

Once he started coughing, he couldn't stop. After forcing out a few words, he finally gave up, coughing so hard that tears welled up in his eyes.

Others were far away, but Chu Ya could hear clearly and turned back, looking at him indifferently.

Shen Juanjuan stared at Chu Ya with teary eyes, but his throat was not only itchy but also dry, and he couldn't help but let out a choking sound: "Ugh..."

Chu Ya, who was watching Shen Juanjuan, froze, a crack appearing on his usually calm face.

Fortunately, Shen Juanjuan finally calmed down, breathing heavily without coughing further, and the choir had ended.

"Next, please welcome Chairman Wu to speak, everyone, give a warm welcome."

"Next, please welcome Senator Wang to speak, everyone, give a warm welcome."

...

As the speeches continued, the light grew brighter, but the temperature remained low. The children breathed out white puffs of air, clapping with their frozen red hands, shivering slightly.

Shen Juanjuan kept observing Chu Ya, showing no restraint in his curiosity.

This person is so handsome, more handsome than Wang Zhusheng's brother, more handsome than the prettiest child in the welfare home.

He's so tall; he must be very good at fighting and getting food.

He wore a cloth band around his neck like an adult, and it looked really nice. If I had such a cloth band, I would wear it just like him.

"…The children are living happily, and we are glad to see that. With everyone's efforts, the abyss will surely be built better…"

Even though Chu Ya stood quietly, he couldn't help but feel a bit restless. He knew this was due to the emotional fluctuations of the differentiation period, so he looked at Colonel Gu standing on the other side.

Colonel Gu met his gaze and smiled understandingly before turning to speak briefly with a manager. The manager nodded repeatedly and walked over to Chu Ya.

"Please follow me, Master Chu. You can rest in the lounge for a while."

Chu Ya immediately followed the manager towards the resting area. As soon as he stepped onto the stairs, thunderous applause erupted behind him. He instinctively turned around and saw the speaker smiling broadly, with people nodding frequently beside him.

Uninterested, he withdrew his gaze. As he did, he noticed the child still staring at him, with two long trails of snot hanging from his nose.

Chu Ya's eyes lingered on the child for half a second before he suddenly raised his hand and wiped his nose with the back of it, leaving a shiny layer on his left cheek.

Chu Ya stumbled slightly, and the manager quickly said, "Master Chu, be careful."

He swiftly turned back, took a deep breath, and quickened his pace.

The warmth in the welfare home's lounge was ample, the sofas soft, and oil paintings hung on the walls. Fresh flowers from Cloud Peak adorned the coffee table. Clearly, the welfare home had made every effort to welcome their group.

After the manager left, Chu Ya hung his coat on a hanger, took out a small medicine bottle from his leather bag, and swallowed a pill. Then, he took out a small brush and meticulously brushed off non-existent dust from his coat.

He had a severe cleanliness obsession and disliked others touching him.

Especially that dirty child, who screamed loudly at him, allowing him to see the tiny tongue trembling inside the throat. The child also coughed at him like a machine gun, spewing countless droplets. He suspected that if he had been any closer, the child would have smeared snot on him.

Thinking about it, Chu Ya carefully brushed his coat again, then took out a small bottle of disinfectant, rubbed his hands, and sprayed the disinfectant on his coat and himself. Finally, he removed his tie, folded it neatly, and placed it in his coat pocket before slowly walking to the window.

Outside the window lay the playground, and through the thick glass, the applause and speeches seemed distant. He could only see the children standing orderly in the cold wind, occasionally raising their hands to applaud together.

Chu Ya looked towards the gray horizon and then tilted his head up.

The view remained a murky sky, but high above, he could vaguely make out the silhouette of a black object, resembling a miniature celestial body.

That was the city floating above the abyss—his home, Cloud Peak.

Knock, knock, knock.

The door opened, and Colonel Gu entered.

"These people talk endlessly. Even I can't stand it," Colonel Gu said, closing the door and walking towards the coffee table with a thermos cup. "Cold and damp, what a miserable weather."

He filled the thermos cup with water and asked, "Have you taken your medicine?"

"Yes."

"Differentiation is like this; emotions are unstable. In the first half year after I differentiated into a sentinel, I broke five punching bags, and even medication didn't help."

Colonel Gu walked to Chu Ya's side and handed him the thermos cup. "Here, drink some warm water."

Chu Ya remained silent, and Colonel Gu added, "I know you're clean, but I haven't used this cup today, and I washed it earlier."

Chu Ya glanced sideways and then looked away. "I'm not thirsty."

Colonel Gu's smile froze momentarily, and a dark shadow passed through his eyes. His appearance was naturally feminine, making him seem somewhat chilling at that moment.

But his expression quickly returned to its usual warmth. He lifted the thermos cup and joked, "You, Master Chu, were raised delicately. Your cousin naturally deserves your disdain, refusing even my freshly washed thermos cup. I'll remember this... By the way, what were you looking at just now?"

"I was looking at Cloud Peak," Chu Ya replied.

Colonel Gu also looked up. "I know you find this place unpleasant, but just hold on a little longer, and we can go back."

Chu Ya was silent. His face reflected on the window glass, his sharp features blurred, making him look clean and handsome.

Clap! Clap! Applause echoed from the playground again.

"...With Cloud Peak's jurisdiction, the children of the abyss can grow up healthily, with no worries about food or clothing..."

Chu Ya lowered his head and saw that the microphone was now held by Dean Liu, knowing the speech was nearing its end. His gaze naturally fell on the front row, focusing on the dirty child.

The dirty child's oversized gray cotton jacket revealed a thin neck poking out of the collar, with the hem almost covering his calves, revealing short legs in gray corduroy pants. He also wore a dusty cotton cap with flaps covering his ears, making him look somewhat silly and comical.

Chu Ya noticed that although he stood straight, he was making small movements, hiding his hands behind his back and rhythmically tapping his index fingers. The child behind him, with hands hanging at his sides, also tapped his thighs alternately.

Chu Ya subconsciously guessed their actions. Beside him, Colonel Gu spun the water bottle and said indifferently, "Who wouldn't find this place unpleasant? This is the abyss, filled with coldness, filth, despair, and decay."

Chu Ya withdrew his thoughts from the dirty child, composed himself, and seriously replied, "Actually, I've always been curious about the abyss. Neither I nor my military school classmates knew what it was like. My father suddenly called me to his study yesterday and said I should come and see the abyss, so I came. I imagined the abyss many times and knew life here wasn't as good as in Cloud Peak, but still..."

"Still exceeded your expectations?" Colonel Gu asked.

Chu Ya frowned. "We went to the mines at midnight. The ore collected by those miners is the energy source for the levitation machines, which keeps Cloud Peak floating in the sky. But they can barely eat enough—"

"What can be done about it?" Colonel Gu interrupted, raising his hand. "Due to soil changes, the abyss isn't suitable for growing crops. All food supplies come from Cloud Peak. How big is Cloud Peak? The production there can already support many people."

Chu Ya's face turned cold. "But no one in Cloud Peak goes hungry or suffers from the cold."

Colonel Gu's pale eyes stared at Chu Ya. "This world is about survival of the fittest. The strong go to Cloud Peak, and the weak stay in the abyss. Don't think it's unfair. Look at those people in the abyss; give them a bowl of rice and a glimmer of hope, and they'll be obedient and content. Though they live in confusion, they are happy."

Chu Ya pursed his lips tightly and remained silent, only looking outside through the window.

Colonel Gu continued, "The conditions in the abyss are indeed poor, with a significant gap compared to Cloud Peak. But we are trying to improve the situation here, otherwise, we wouldn't be inspecting it. As the son of President Chu, born noble, you don't need to concern yourself with these lower-level issues—"

Before he finished speaking, Chu Ya abruptly turned around and strode towards the door.

Colonel Gu paused. "Where are you going?"

Chu Ya took his coat from the hanger, put it on, picked up his leather bag, and silently walked out without a word.

The footsteps faded away at the staircase, and the house was empty. Colonel Gu picked up his thermos cup, gently blew away the rising steam, and then turned to look out the window.

The pale light fell from above him, casting his face in alternating patches of light and shadow, adding an inexplicable touch of coldness.