Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Qi Jing didn't have to wait long. Soon, someone arrived to replace his wristband with an all-black one. After a quick setup, it was ready.

Heart rate, blood oxygen, movement tracking… most vital signs were now visible.

"If any values exceed the normal range, an alert will be sent to the main system."

"Understood."

Bo Chengyan exchanged a few brief words with the staff, who then bowed and departed, leaving behind a large box.

Curiosity piqued, Qi Jing peered inside, discovering an assortment of tech gadgets: watches, cameras…

A camera, surprisingly.

"Xiao Jing."

The boy didn't tinker with the items for long before rising and approaching Bo Chengyan, who was seated at his desk. "Come here."

His wrist was gently taken.

Qi Jing stepped closer, lowering his gaze to the small screen. Bo Chengyan had shown him how to use it before.

"Don't remove this. Besides tracking your location, it will also activate listening and the camera if your vital signs show abnormalities."

Bo Chengyan observed him closely. This was, admittedly, a form of intrusive surveillance, and any resistance was understandable.

It was perfectly normal.

"Abnormalities?" Qi Jing asked, intrigued.

"If your heart rate spikes, your blood pressure drops or rises too much, you suffer an external impact, or the wristband is forcibly damaged—it will alert me."

Qi Jing looked a little dazed, still staring down at the device.

Bo Chengyan gently squeezed his wrist and added, "You don't need to wear it at home. Just wear it when you go out."

"Alert you?"

Bo Chengyan affirmed, "Yes, I'll come find you."

Qi Jing couldn't yet grasp the profound sense of security that implied. But he mused that if Bo Chengyan could have found him when he was cornered on the staircase back then, it would have brought him immense relief.

His chest felt like it was filled with Pop Rocks, crackling with tiny bursts of excitement.

"That sounds really safe."

"Mhm."

And just like that, a device that flagrantly disregarded personal rights was fastened around the boy's wrist.

Both of them seemed quite content.

At noon, Qi Jing had his first office lunch. It appeared to be the same food served at home, simply delivered.

Only then did he realize the top floor had a living area—even a bedroom hidden behind a concealed door.

There was a bed inside.

Qi Jing wondered if Bo Chengyan usually slept at the office. The space looked enormous.

He picked up a garlic stem with his chopsticks, his legs crossed under the chair, swinging idly.

He hadn't taken a bite yet.

"Xiao Jing."

The boy turned his head, popped the vegetable into his mouth, and lifted his gaze, resembling a small, curious animal.

"..."

About halfway through the meal, the office door swung open. Lin Se burst in, radiating excitement, even bending to rest his hands on his knees as he waved. "Hi there! Remember me?"

Bo Chengyan frowned at him, but the young man quickly explained, "If I made an appointment, you'd never let me in!"

"For heaven's sake, forgive me. I just wanted to check if our treasure has recovered."

"Treasure... means me?" Qi Jing tilted his head, confused.

This kind of confusion happened often. Whenever he was around Bo Chengyan, people seemed to come up with all sorts of nicknames for him.

He wasn't always sure how to react.

Lin Se was utterly charmed. Making himself at home, he pulled up another chair, his expression warm. "Yes, you're the treasure."

Qi Jing froze, then glanced at Bo Chengyan with a slightly lost look—as if seeking guidance.

Bo Chengyan merely leaned back in his chair, looking down at him before saying softly, "Eat your meal first. Ignore him."

But that wasn't what Qi Jing had wanted to ask. He was simply curious.

[Whose treasure am I?]

Bo Chengyan's fingers twitched slightly. He didn't answer, instead averting his eyes to look at Lin Se.

"Wait until he's done eating."

About five minutes later, the lunchbox was cleared. Qi Jing extended his wrist, and Lin Se gently felt it. "All good. Perfectly healthy."

"I'm not little."

Qi Jing didn't quite understand. He'd already seen adult films. He wasn't exactly innocent anymore.

"Xiao Jing."

Qi Jing turned to look at him, his expression serious.

Bo Chengyan checked his watch—it was around 12:30. He instructed, "Go take a nap in the room. At 1:30, I'll have someone take you to school. Go on."

Qi Jing nodded. "Okay."

He did have a habit of napping. He usually napped at home, but today he'd been brought to the office instead.

Qi Jing opened the concealed door and found a spacious bed inside, with a warm lamp and a foreign book on the nightstand.

After closing the door, he curiously peeked out slightly.

They were talking.

"You're so rash. What's the matter? Not only did you cut off the supply, but you also drove that small company out of the capital."

"The rumors out there are even wilder, saying your little pet is bad luck."

...

Before Qi Jing could hear the rest clearly, he suddenly felt Bo Chengyan turn to look in his direction and quickly took a few steps back.

He held his breath.

The wristband buzzed, startling Qi Jing. He immediately steadied his breathing, allowing the countdown to stabilize.

"..."

Qi Jing thought this device had plenty of annoying quirks.

Bo Chengyan only spoke briefly with Lin Se outside before attending to business. By around 1:30 p.m.,

he stood up and opened the bedroom door. In his line of sight, the boy was sleeping under a blanket in the corner, his school jacket removed.

He was fast asleep.

Bo Chengyan walked over and, absentmindedly, brushed aside the hair on Qi Jing’s forehead, feeling his forehead before realizing the boy no longer had a fever.

When Qi Jing was roused, he was still dreaming—again about his past, running through the mountains several times, never managing to escape.

Beyond one mountain lay another.

Qi Jing lowered his eyes, his gaze unfocused. Only when his jacket was slipped on did he come to his senses, hearing a deep voice nearby.

"Had a nightmare?"

This place was ideal, with nothing to worry about. At first, Qi Jing truly didn’t understand the meaning of "canary," but later, he learned.

Yet for someone who came from extreme poverty, this was like paradise. Qi Jing accepted it effortlessly.

He even got an education.

He was very aware.

His face scrunched up slightly, and he hugged Bo Chengyan impulsively.

"I like..."

Bo Chengyan gently pried his hands away, frowning as he lifted Qi Jing from the bed and helped him stand.

"Go wash your face."

The cold water did wake him up. Qi Jing squinted in the bathroom as water got in his eyes, making them sting.

He was still thinking about the meaning of "jinx." He knew the literal definition, but he wasn’t sure what Bo Chengyan thought of it.

Had he caused trouble?

After drying his face, Qi Jing left the bathroom. Bo Chengyan was on a phone call by the large window not far away.

The boy stood and waited.

But it was as if the man had eyes in the back of his head—he turned and spotted Qi Jing, then abruptly ended the call.

"The driver will pick you up later. Just follow the assistant downstairs."

Qi Jing nodded, then suddenly remembered something. Looking up, he asked, "Mr. Bo, there’s a parents' meeting... I forgot to tell you. Who should come?"

Bo Chengyan frowned slightly. "Which day?"

"This Friday."

*

For several days after that, Qi Jing didn’t see Bo Chengyan, but he did receive a new friend request on his phone.

111: I’m Jiang Xiuyuan.

Qi Jing remembered—the guy from the club.

They were both like caged birds.

Just as the boy thought this, another request appeared.

I’m Jiang Xiuyuan, from Yuansheng.

Within two seconds.

111: I’m Jiang Xiuyuan. Did you forget me?

Qi Jing quickly accepted and set a nickname before sending a message.

Hates Broccoli: I remember. I didn’t forget.

111: Oh, good.

111: I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.

Qi Jing thought it was strange but didn't know whether to respond. After a moment, he typed:

Hates Broccoli: Okay.

About four or five minutes passed.

Qi Jing sat at his desk, going over his weekly test answers. The results would be available by the parents' meeting, and he was somewhat nervous.

For some reason, he had a feeling... that Bo Chengyan might actually show up.

Qi Jing couldn't tell if he was nervous or excited.

Then his phone buzzed again.

111: You didn’t even ask how I got your WeChat.

Qi Jing paused at the message but went ahead and asked.

111: I can’t tell you.

"..."

Despite his words, Jiang Xiuyuan felt a pang of discomfort. Standing in a luxury hotel suite, his body was covered in bruises and signs of rough treatment.

But he'd gotten pleasure from it, so the young man didn’t think much of it.

He just said to the person behind him, "He’s just a child. I didn't learn anything."

Chen Zhuo rose from the large bed, refreshed and wearing a thoroughly satiated look. He walked up to the young man and lightly patted his face with a black credit card.

"Hey now, don't say that. You're the one who talks the most with that young one."

"Pretty valuable, aren't you?"

Chen Zhuo flung the card down and stood up to leave.

"You're not bad."

It sounded like praise.

Jiang Xiuyuan's expression remained indifferent. Once the man left, he immediately used his phone to purchase the LV bag he had been eyeing.

His savings skyrocketed in an instant. After all, his job at Yuansheng was essentially being a high-end escort, with a base salary of thirty to forty thousand yuan.

The manager even slipped him some extra cash—all because of... Qi Jing's influence.

Jiang Xiuyuan frowned. Though he hated to admit it, the current sugar daddy he found was indeed due to the few extra words he had exchanged with Qi Jing that day.

Provocative ones, at that.

Whether it was misfortune turning to fortune or just life's irony, he couldn't tell.

Friday.

Nearly all parents had arrived, but just his aunt came for Qi Jing. He couldn't help feeling disappointed.

Lin Yuze, however, breathed a sigh of relief and simply led Qi Jing out of the classroom. Jiang Yao was scrolling through forums on her phone.

Her eyes sparkled when she saw a news headline.

"Hey, there's going to be a meteor shower in a few days! Let's go watch it!"

The girl's guardian was also her uncle—her parents were tied up, and they were all used to such arrangements.

Only Huang Ze had his mother attend, and he looked somewhat dejected, leaning against the railing as he scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Jiang Yao, I already told you about it, okay? It just happens to be right around Xiao Jing's birthday. Camping would be the perfect choice!"

Qi Jing was completely distracted, nodding absentmindedly at whatever his friends asked.

"That's great! I'll plan everything!" Jiang Yao immediately started searching on Xiaohongshu, buzzing with excitement.

The hallway bustled with activity. The parent-teacher conference ended around five in the afternoon, and Qi Jing and his classmates passed the time quickly by playing Truth or Dare in the lounge next door.

Qi Jing was too afraid to choose Dare, always opting for Truth instead. But whether it was his exceptionally unlucky day or something else, the spinning pointer on the floor kept landing on him.

The person across from him was a male classmate he wasn't particularly close with.

"Xiao Jing, do you like boys or girls?"

The room fell silent in an instant.