Chapter 60: Don’t Answer to Others’ Names

Chapter 60: Don't Answer to Others' Names

On Chinese New Year's Eve, Ye Man woke up early, but someone was even earlier. Grandpa Chi Yan was practicing calligraphy in the tea room on the right side of the main hall, and the sounds of him blowing on the ink and handling the teacup could be heard from time to time.

Ye Man felt his way along the wall, bending over and tiptoeing, sneaking around from the side.

The system was puzzled.

"Why are you acting like a thief in your own house? If you want to go out, just say it openly. Wouldn't that be easier?"

This question stumped Ye Man.

"I don't want to be a bother..."

He was afraid of being scolded. So he didn't want anyone to know and just wanted to do it secretly.

The system paused for a moment, then said, "Host, do you not realize the difference between living under someone else's roof and living in your own home?"

Ye Man hesitated at the door for a moment, muttering, "Now that you mention it, it seems... yes."

Logically, he understood the difference, but subconsciously, he still felt like he was living in someone else's house and didn't consider the Chi family as his own.

"Xiao Man, where are you going?" Chi Yan's voice suddenly came from behind him, interrupting Ye Man's thoughts. He didn't turn around right away, hoping it was just his imagination, until Chi Yan called him again.

Ye Man turned around with his head down, "Brother, you're up early."

Chi Yan: "Where are you going, all by yourself?"

Ye Man shook his head, "I'm not alone."

Chi Yan: "Xiao Wu?"

Ye Man shook his head again, "It's... um..."

"...I see," Chi Yan said, "Wait for me for two minutes."

Chi Yan didn't leave for long and soon returned, handing a backpack to Ye Man.

"Fresh soy milk in the thermos, the box on the left has custard buns and steamed buns with preserved vegetable and meat filling. Eat them while they're still warm. The bag on the right contains the chocolates Grandma bought. Dinner is at four in the afternoon, make sure he brings you back by three-thirty. Take your scarf and gloves, take your time, go on."

When Ye Man came out holding the backpack, he suddenly felt like he was on a school field trip, with his mom seeing him off. It was different from what he had imagined, and his mood was a bit complicated.

Most of the food his brother packed ended up in Xu Huaiting's stomach. Ye Man really couldn't eat that much. As he usually did, he would probably force himself to eat it all and then roll around from overeating. Xu Huaiting stopped him before he could act on that thought, and even the half custard bun he couldn't finish was taken away, not a single bit was wasted.

Ye Man wanted to ask but was too shy... if that half custard bun was also eaten by him.

Xu Huaiting noticed his conflicted expression. When they arrived at the destination and parked the car, he offhandedly remarked, "The custard buns from your house are quite tasty."

Then he saw Ye Man's ears visibly turn red.

Ye Man suddenly busied himself with many tasks, muttering "unbuckle the seatbelt," "where's the car door," "where is the car door," and going through a series of motions in the car.

Xu Huaiting couldn't suppress his smile, thinking this person was unbearably cute.

He watched, amused, for a while before finally stepping in to rescue him from his increasingly flustered state.

Blown by the wind outside, Ye Man calmed down a bit.

"Brother Xiao Man!"

"Xiao Man is here!"

A small child ran over and hugged his leg.

Minghui Orphanage.

The orphanage Grandma Lü had funded.

Ye Man hadn’t been here in ages.

The children were very familiar with him. They had called him before his arrival and had been waiting for him since early morning. They ran over and surrounded him as soon as they saw him.

"Xiao Man, I can draw now!"

"Origami! Check out my origami!"

A group of children crowded around him as they headed to the activity room. Xu Huaiting followed behind, making sure Ye Man didn’t get pulled down.

The children were very considerate. They recognized Ye Man’s white cane, as some of the children also used one.

What was unfamiliar was how Ye Man held it.

A little girl shyly asked, "Xiao Man, do you have the same illness as Xiao Yong?" She pointed to a child nearby who was also holding a white cane.

Ye Man replied, "It’s different. Xiao Man has this because he fought a bad guy. That bad guy cursed my eyes, so I sealed them with a spell. This is a secret, just between us. Don’t tell anyone else, okay?"

The little girl looked at him with sparkling, admiring eyes. "Wow, Xiao Man is so cool!"

Ye Man raised a finger to his lips. "Shh, keep it down."

System: "You’re just tricking the kids!"

Xu Huaiting leaned against the door, arms crossed, raising an eyebrow as if neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

He surveyed the surroundings. The orphanage wasn’t in great shape—the buildings were old but tidy. There was a small park with a sandpit, some plastic slides, and swings, all of which looked worn out.

His gaze locked.

A middle-aged man in blue work clothes walked in from outside.

It was obvious he was here to see Ye Man, but before he could speak, he noticed Xu Huaiting standing nearby. His expression shifted slightly, and he smiled politely before calling out, "Xiao Man, it’s been a long time."

Ye Man also greeted him familiarly. "Uncle Hong."

"Ah," the system recognized his voice, "the one who called you asking for money before! Who is he, really?"

The system couldn’t help but take a closer look at the man. He was unremarkable in appearance, the kind of person you’d lose in a crowd.

But it still felt like there was something off about him.

The man’s smile seemed honest, and he was kind and affectionate toward the orphanage children. Kids don’t lie about who they’re close to. If there were really something wrong, the children wouldn’t keep crowding around him, asking to be held.

But it was still strange.

What exactly was strange about him...

Hong Qing sat cross-legged by the table, holding a child in his arms, and said to Xu Huaiting, "Are you Xiao Man’s friend? I’ve never seen him bring anyone here before. Ever since Aunt Lü had that incident, she’s become less and less clear-minded. The orphanage has been relying on Xiao Man to help take care of things. Look, he’s still a kid himself. It’s been hard on him all these years, sigh."

At his words, the system remembered too.

"Ye Man, you mentioned before that Grandma Lü has been funding an orphanage and teaching the kids there. So, this is the orphanage you were talking about!"

"Yeah."

Ye Man, feeling a bit embarrassed by the praise, quickly explained, "I haven’t done much, just come by now and then to look after the kids and do some cleaning when I’ve got time."

Back then, Ye Man was broke too and couldn’t give much money, so he just dropped by now and then to lend a hand. Uncle Hong was laying it on a bit thick.

The system gasped, "You, in your state, still came here to work?"

He was barely scraping by!

Ye Man thought it was referring to him being blind and still so determined to volunteer, so he corrected, "Nah, I haven’t been back since I went blind."

In his condition, how could he even help? That’s why Uncle Hong said it had been a long time since they last met.

"But I’ve stayed in touch with Uncle Hong. You know about Grandma Lü’s condition. Funding the orphanage was her own wish; she didn’t want it to burden her kids. She’d been handling the orphanage herself, but as her health got worse, she couldn’t manage it anymore. Now that I’ve got some cash, it’s no big deal to help out where I can."

The system said, "No, I mean back then, when you were killing yourself working, pinching every penny, and still made time to volunteer?"

Ye Man hesitated and replied, "...Isn’t this... isn’t this about owing someone?"

The system was confused, "Owe who, owe what?"

Ye Man reminded unhappily, "You forgot, it’s about... those seven burgers."

Just keep it to yourself, why keep digging up his old mess? Brother Tong’s such a jerk.

The system: "..."

The system: "Aaaahhh!"

Ye Man secretly rubbed his ears, "What’s up, what’s up?"

"What’s wrong? You’re asking me what’s wrong?" the system shouted, "You’re my freaking ancestor!"

How dare he—how dare he—stand with our nasty cannon fodder crew! Ah? Who gave him the confidence and courage!

Ye Man: "? What’s that supposed to mean?"

The system was losing it.

"...But actually, it’s not just this reason, there’s a bit of another reason too." After a while, the system heard Ye Man mutter this.

"What? What else could there be? You’re such an idiot!"

Ye Man smiled silently, "Better not say it, might freak you out."

The system couldn’t believe he owed Grandma Lü anything else, unless it was eight sodas?

Ye Man, who values money so much, was so happy when he got that three million, dreaming of opening a snail noodle shop. The system guessed that was probably Ye Man’s true embodiment of happiness, the shape of happiness as he saw it.

Even so, when the orphanage asked for money, he transferred it without hesitation, and even negotiated with it, made a deal for the money.

He’s just a blind man, only nineteen years old!

What kind of debt could make him give up his happiness? He’s just a fool!

The system felt its nonexistent conscience was about to break.

Ye Man casually changed the subject.

"By the way, Uncle Hong, last time you mentioned the orphanage might be demolished for illegal construction and the qualification review. How did that turn out? Is there enough money?"

Ye Man recalled the matters discussed during their previous phone call.

"I haven’t been there, but is everyone adjusting well to the new place? If there’s not enough money, just let me know."

Hong Qing glanced at Xu Huaiting, "They’re adjusting well. The new building is more spacious, but we’re still missing some facilities. We’ll have everything ready after the New Year, and the leftover funds can go toward a library for the kids."

Ye Man wasn’t sure about the details, "Do you need me to send more money?"

"No, we’re fine. Don’t just worry about us—take care of yourself too."

Ye Man: "I know."

After spending some time at the orphanage, Xu Huaiting arranged for snacks, clothes, picture books, and a few carts of New Year goods to be delivered, which thrilled the kids.

They spent the morning there and were ready to leave by noon.

As they left, the children were sad to see them go.

A shy little boy, barely speaking, tugged at Ye Man’s hand, his face red and eyes brimming with tears. Ye Man knelt down and gently comforted him until he finally let go.

"When will Brother Xiao Man visit again?"

Ye Man tilted his head towards Xu Huaiting’s direction.

Xu Huaiting replied, "Whenever Brother Xiao Man is free, he’ll let me know, and I’ll come with him."

Ye Man smiled, said goodbye to everyone, and tugged Xu Huaiting’s sleeve, saying, "Thanks for coming with me."

If it weren’t for Xu Huaiting, he might not have returned for a while.

Coming alone would’ve been awkward, and he didn’t want to risk revealing his past by asking anyone else to join him.

But Xu Huaiting was different.

Xu Huaiting leaned on the car, gently touching Ye Man’s hair, his expression thoughtful, "Xiao Man, how close are you with Uncle Hong?"

"Pretty close," Ye Man said. "He’s been at the orphanage for four or five years now. Once, a child went missing and was almost kidnapped. Everyone panicked, but Uncle Hong found the kid. He searched for twenty hours in the pouring rain. After that, he stayed and has been doing a great job ever since, no problems."

"Why? Did you notice something?" Ye Man asked, sensing Xu Huaiting’s concern.

Xu Huaiting recalled the way the man had looked at them earlier.

No proof, but it felt off.

Noticing Ye Man’s worry, he playfully pinched his ear, "Nothing, just curious."

"Where to next?"

In Ye Man’s plan, he only wanted to visit the orphanage, especially since it was the New Year, to see if they needed anything else, and if so, to buy it for them.

When Xu Huaiting asked, and since there was still time before he had to return home as per his elder brother’s schedule, Ye Man touched his face sheepishly, "Mind coming with me to one more spot?"

"Let’s go."

Xu Huaiting glanced back at the orphanage and sent a message to Secretary Chen on his phone.

Ye Man took Xu Huaiting to meet Grandma Lü, introducing her as someone who had been a great benefactor to him.

Wang Wan excitedly informed Ye Man that Grandma Lü had recently been reacting differently to certain specific items.

"It's not that her memory has returned; it's more like... a conditioned reflex, Xiao Man. Maybe Grandma Lü will recognize you this time... Xiao Man?" Wang Wan said cautiously, "Aren't you happy?"

Ye Man didn’t appear happy, but he wasn’t unhappy either.

It was more a sense of unease.

Unfortunately, Grandma Lü was still the same, calling Ye Man "Jun Jun" the moment she saw him.

Ye Man responded sweetly and went over to chat with the elderly lady. Grandma Lü raised her hand, touched his head, and in her aged, faltering voice, called him by another person’s name.

Xu Huaiting watched from the side, feeling inexplicably uncomfortable.

Everyone around was laughing; no one thought it was amiss, not even Ye Man himself.

As he watched, Xu Huaiting suddenly spoke up: "Xiao Man. Grandma Lü, his name is Xiao Man, not Jun Jun."

Everyone turned to look at this exceptionally handsome man.

Grandma Lü heard the voice, raised her head, and her cloudy eyes stared blankly at him, "...Jun... Jun."

Ye Man was about to respond when he heard Xu Huaiting calmly and firmly say: "Xiao, Man."

He walked over and pulled Ye Man up, "Xiao Man. This is not Jun Jun; this is Xiao Man."

"Ricardo..." Ye Man called out, feeling at a loss.

Xu Huaiting looked at him steadily: "Yes, I am Ricardo, and you are Xiao Man."

He gently brushed away the stray hair at his temple: "Don’t respond to someone else’s name; don’t be a substitute for someone else."

Ye Man trembled, biting his lip hard, turning his face away, his eyes reddening.

He wiped his eyes vigorously, smiling and waving his hand: "It’s okay, it’s okay, I don’t mind this..."

"I mind."

Xu Huaiting said to him very seriously: "I mind."

He took his hand and placed it on his own chest: "It hurts me."

The person he held dear to his heart, whom he cherished and protected with utmost care—how could he bear to see him become someone else’s substitute?

It pained him deeply. How could he let others call him by another person’s name, treating him as someone else? How could he still smile?

Ye Man said in a daze: "But she’s sick; she keeps calling out Jun Jun’s name; she must want to see Jun Jun."

She wouldn’t want to see Xiao Man.

Even if one day she could understand that the person who came was not Jun Jun, she wouldn’t be happy, right?

So Ye Man calmly accepted another person’s name.

Xu Huaiting only found it harder to breathe.

As they walked to the vending machine to buy soft drinks, Xu Huaiting asked him, "Doesn't it make you sad?"

"If she never knows it's you who's accompanying her, always being mistaken for someone else, doesn't it make you sad?"

"Not really."

In just three words, Ye Man thought he sounded nonchalant.

Until Xu Huaiting silently cupped his head and drew him into a hug, he realized his voice was shaking.