Disgusting.

Disgusting. 

His stomach was churning. He wanted to vomit.

The throbbing in his head was getting worse and worse, so much so that he couldn’t hear his surroundings anymore. The only thing he could hear was the growing buzz in the back of his head. Black and white patches covered his vision, like rotating Tetris blocks. His heartbeat was getting faster and faster, and all the blood in his body seemed to be rushing to his head.

Yin Mingzheng didn’t know how he ended up getting out of their neighborhood. He felt like his head was about to split.

He staggered forward. He was sweating in pain, and his face was as pale as a sheet. 

It seemed that he bumped into someone. The other person shoved him.

Yin Mingzheng fell to the ground.

He slowly got back onto his feet. His head hurt so badly he wanted to slam it into a wall.

He felt like there was something in there. He needed to knock it around in order to relieve the pain.

So, he groped around for a wall and threw his head forward.

It was around eight o’clock in the evening. The street lamps were lighting up one by one.

Shu Ning, Mrs. Cai, and Papa Shu had just eaten dinner. After dinner, they walked back home from the restaurant, each one of them sporting a bloated belly.

“Mom, Dad, you guys head back first. I ate a lot, so I wanna walk for a bit longer.” Shu Ning patted his belly. 

Mrs. Cai pinched his face and laughed, “Who told you to eat so much, hm?”

“Hey, I was hungry today!” Shu Ning made a face at her.

“Alright, remember to come home early,” Cai Qin agreed to his request. Then, she and Papa Shu headed home, hand in hand.

He felt a little bloated after eating hot pot. 

Shu Ning slowly walked along the street. He came across a milk tea shop, so he went inside and bought a warm cup of lemon water, drinking as he strolled.

As he was walking, he came across an angry man. The man muttered under his breath as he walked, “Do people not look where they’re going anymore!?”

Shu Ning found this a little strange. He was nowhere near the guy! Why was he cursing him out?

He kept walking, chewing on his straw. Suddenly, he noticed a young man walking unsteadily in the shadow of the street lamp. He was carrying a school bag and held a laptop case in his hand. 

He looked a little familiar.

Then, the boy suddenly came to a stop. He dropped his laptop case and walked over to the wall, pressing both of his hands against it.

He had walked underneath a streetlamp. The light illuminated his figure. His face was fair, and the curvature of his nose bridge looked like it was meant to be a model for a plastic surgery hospital. From his nose to his lips to his jaw, everything was very easy on the eyes.

They were also very familiar. 

Yin Mingzheng?

Before he even had the chance to call out to him, he saw Yin Mingzheng starting to lean back. That posture…

Was he going to slam his head into the wall?

Shu Ning: “!” 

He threw his lemon water to the side and immediately started sprinting. He rushed to Yin Mingzheng’s side within 0.5 seconds and reached his hand out in front of Yin Mingzheng’s forehead.

Bam.

The palm of his hand was slammed against the wall. A sharp sting spread across his hand. Shu Ning almost shouted out from the pain.

Fuck! This guy really put all his strength into that! 

It hurt a lot!

Shu Ning felt like his hand had been crippled. “Yin Mingzheng, why the hell are you slamming your head against the wall?”

The villain ignored him and continued to ram his head into the concrete.

Shu Ning finally realized something was wrong. In a hurry, he squeezed himself between Yin Mingzheng and the wall, hugging him tightly. “Don’t do that, don’t do that!” 

His brain had already been injured once before. If it was injured again, he might really end up getting brain damage.

Yin Mingzheng seemed to regain a bit of clarity in his embrace. He stared at Shu Ning for a while, a painful expression on his face. After a bit of difficulty, he finally managed to recognize him. “Shu…Ning?”

“It’s me.” Shu Ning observed his expression and frowned. “What’s wrong with you?”

Yin Mingzheng pressed a hand against his forehead. His voice was very soft. “Headache.” 

Shu Ning quickly reached out to rub his temples. As he helped him massage his temples, he soothingly coaxed him, “It’ll stop hurting. If you rub it a bit, it won’t hurt anymore.”

His voice was very gentle, like magic. Slowly, Yin Mingzheng started to calm down.

Thanks to Shu Ning’s massage, the black patches in his vision started to fade away, and the pain in his head slowly settled down. His head wasn’t throbbing like it was earlier.

He stood quietly in front of Shu Ning with his head bent. He looked like a cat asking to be petted. 

Shu Ning was caught between the wall and Yin Mingzheng’s chest. His back was rather uncomfortable, but he didn’t move. He just kept massaging Yin Mingzheng’s head.

He massaged his temples for a little bit. Then, he massaged his scalp.

Grandma always used to say that a good massage could relieve headaches. When he was a child, he helped massage his grandma’s temples, and they were pretty good at driving away the pain.

Yin Mingzheng gradually calmed down under his careful ministrations, and his expression slowly relaxed. 

“Is it better?” Shu Ning asked.

Yin Mingzheng hummed. His eyelashes trembled. His clear, black eyes looked over at Shu Ning, causing his heart to skip a beat.

This kid was really getting more and more beautiful. Who knows how many hearts he’s gonna break once he grows up.

“I’ll take you to the hospital,” Shu Ning said. 

Yin Mingzheng shook his head. “It’s okay.”

Shu Ning said sternly, “The doctor said that there would be aftereffects from the surgery. Since your head is hurting, you should get it checked out. You can’t avoid the doctor.”

Yin Mingzheng didn’t say a word. He just stared at him with his beautiful eyes, causing Shu Ning’s heart to tremble.

Shu Ning reached out and rubbed the little villain’s hair. Then, he grabbed his hand. “Let’s go.” 

The little villain didn’t resist. He just let Shu Ning pull him along.

Shu Ning used an app to call a taxi and picked up the laptop case that was on the ground. Then, he earnestly looked at the villain from under the streetlight. He asked in confusion, “Where were you going this late at night?”

The little villain just stared at him without blinking, never uttering a word.

Shu Ning’s heart dropped. Don’t tell him Baby really does have brain damage? 

When the taxi arrived, he dragged the villain into the car. Once they arrived at Lanzhou Hospital, they headed straight towards the Department of Neurology.

It was around eight or nine o’clock in the evening. There weren’t as many patients at the hospital as there were during the day. The doctor received the two of them pretty quickly. He still remembered Yin Mingzheng, so there wasn’t any need for Shu Ning to say too much. He automatically pulled up Yin Mingzheng’s medical records and looked them over. Then, he asked a few more questions. Finally, he determined, “There’s no need for a check up. It’s within the realm of normal.”

Shu Ning persisted, “But he’s in a lot of pain.”

The doctor pulled up some imaging from when he was hospitalized. “Look, this was from a month ago. His brain had completely returned to normal. Since his brain hasn’t received any strong impact since then, it’s highly unlikely that he would hemorrhage again.” 

“But he’s hurting…”

“Is it bearable?”

Yin Mingzheng nodded.

The doctor asked Yin Mingzheng again, “Are the headaches a regular occurance?” 

Yin Mingzheng shook his head. “Today was the first time.”

The doctor said, “Then, you must’ve received some sort of stimulus.”

Shu Ning interjected, “What kind of stimulus?”

The doctor replied, “Physical stimulus, emotional stimulus, stuff like that. You may also get spontaneous headaches for no reason at all. It’s very likely that this may happen again in the future. You’ll need to be mentally prepared for that.” 

Shu Ning was incredibly disappointed to hear that. Did this mean that the little villain might have headaches all the time in the future?

The two of them thanked the doctor and walked out of the hospital doors.

Ktf fnfclcu ygffhf ygbeuta ragfjwr bo mbbi jlg fnfgs cbk jcv atfc. Vte Rlcu rtgjcx tlr cfmx lcab tlr rtbeivfg jcv qeiifv eq tlr rtlga mbiijg. Qtfc tf aegcfv tlr tfjv, tf rjk atja atf ilaaif nliijlc’r mbiijg kjr klvf bqfc, gfnfjilcu j rifcvfg cfmx. Ktf bcis atlcu tf kjr kfjglcu kjr j atlc rkfjafg. Lf kjrc’a fnfc kfjglcu j rmjgo. Vte Rlcu lwwfvljafis rajgafv offilcu vlragfrrfv bc tlr yftjio.

He grabbed onto the little villain. 

The little villain looked at him, puzzled.

Shu Ning pulled the zipper of his cotton-padded jacket up to his chin, keeping his neck nice and snug. “Is it cold?”

The little villain stared at him with dark eyes and shook his head.

Shu Ning held the laptop case in one hand and the villain’s hand in the other. Then, they took a car back home. 

By the time they arrived at the community, it was already past nine o’clock. The two of them got out of the car, but the villain kept his feet planted at the community gates, refusing to go in.

Shu Ning let the gate scan his face and started heading into the community. When he turned around, he noticed that the little villain was still standing outside the gates and urged him, “Get over here already.”

The little villain shook his head. Then, he tugged at his school bag and started walking away.

Shu Ning: “???” 

He hurriedly opened the gate and ran back out, catching up with the villain. “Where are you going? Why aren’t you going home?”

The little villain lowered his head and didn’t answer. His figure looked a little lonely.

Shu Ning chased after him. He asked him over and over about where he was going and what he wanted to do, but the villain still wouldn’t say. The two of them had walked about fifty meters. Once they reached the milk tea shop, the villain stopped and said, “Go back.”

Shu Ning was helpless against him. This kid never speaks up whenever he runs into problems. He wouldn’t explain himself if he was being treated unfairly. He wouldn’t say anything if something went wrong. He would just silently endure it all. This side of him was both pitiable and, at the same time, a huge pain. 

“If you’re not going back, I won’t go back either,” Shu Ning said.

The little villain silently turned his head and left.

Shu Ning grabbed his schoolbag and said stubbornly, “If you don’t answer me, I won’t let you go! We can stay here all night and see who lasts the longest!”

The villain tried to struggle, but Shu Ning had a vice-like grip on him. 

Finally, the little villain stopped moving.

Shu Ning grabbed the strap of his schoolbag and raised his eyebrows. “Are you going to talk or not?”

The little villain lowered his head. He seemed to realize that he couldn’t win against Shu Ning. After a while, he whispered, “I don’t have a home.”

Shu Ning didn’t understand. “Huh?” 

The little villain’s face was hidden by shadow, and his voice was very soft. “I cut ties with Zhou Juan. I can’t go back, and I don’t want to go back.”

Shu Ning blinked. Once he processed everything, fireworks bloomed in his heart.

“Really?!”

He couldn’t help shouting out, and his eyes lit up. At the beginning, he had been racking his brains about how to get Yin Mingzheng to cut off those parents of his. Now, that dream finally came true! Yin Qiang was in prison, and Yin Mingzheng cut off ties with Zhou Juan. This was really great! 

Actually, he had prepared evidence against Zhou Juan a while ago, that is, the paper slips. He planned to announce the truth once the little villain’s condition stabilized a little. He wanted to let him know that Zhou Juan wasn’t trustworthy, but he didn’t expect the little villain to cut things off with her first!

He really was brave.

It really wasn’t easy for your average fifteen-year-old to do something like this.

Shu Ning felt laughter bubbling up inside him. However, when he saw the little villain’s drooping head, he quickly forced the corners of his mouth down and slapped a sympathetic expression onto his face. “Hey, don’t be upset…” 

Yin Mingzheng didn’t speak.

Although Shu Ning thought that this was a good thing, he could understand why the villain was so upset. Humans are emotional creatures. Humans will get attached to a stray dog if you raise it long enough, much less a mother. Besides, in the eyes of the villain, Zhou Juan had treated him rather well…eh? If she treated him well, why cut off the ties with her?

“Why all of a sudden…” He probed cautiously.

Yin Mingzheng shook his head. 

Shu Ning understood in seconds. This meant that he didn’t want to say.

“If you want to cut ties with her, then cut ties with her.” Shu Ning was afraid of stimulating him too much, so he patted his chest and said, “Don’t worry. If you don’t have anywhere to go, you can just live with me. I’ll take care of you.”

He would only need to raise the villain from now on, so it would definitely be a lot easier than before. Plus, he wouldn’t need to see those two anger-inducing pieces of trash.

Yin Mingzheng finally looked up. His face was as clear as jade under the light of the streetlamp. His eyes were soft. “You’ll take care of me?” 

“That’s right.” Shu Ning patted his head with a smile. “Be a good boy and go back with Daddy.”

So soft.

He was going to live with Baby from now on, so he’ll be able to properly take care of him. He won’t have to worry about Baby not having food to eat or clothes to wear.

Yin Mingzheng didn’t speak. His dark eyes were hazy, like a distant night sky. 

Shu Ning took his hand. “Come on. Let’s go back for now.”

This time, the little villain didn’t resist. He simply let Shu Ning drag him through the community gates.

Yin Mingzheng looked down and stared at their clasped hands. A small smile slowly spread across his lips.

Once they got home, Shu Ning brought out some slippers for the little villain and asked him to put them on. He placed the laptop case and school bag in his room. His bedroom was very big, and his bed was also a full sized bed. It wouldn’t be a problem for two boys to squeeze in one bed. 

It’s just that his room was a little messy.

Shu Ning blushed when he saw his pigsty of a room. He quickly put everything down and started to clean up. He stuffed all of his dirty clothes into the laundry basket and shoved it behind a curtain. Out of sight, out of mind. Then, he swooped the mess on his desk into the drawer and put the books back on the shelves. His room finally looked a little bit neater.

“Sit whatever you want.” He imitated Cai Qin’s tone of voice and invited him into his room.

The little villain didn’t move. 

Shu Ning glanced at his schoolbag and asked, “Did you bring any clothes?”

The villain was silent.

Okay, so that means no.

Shu Ning immediately understood. He walked over to his closet and opened it up. Inside, he found a soft and fluffy pajama set. Then, he bent down and grabbed a brand new pair of underwear from the bottom drawer. He handed them both to the villain. 

“Cai Cai already washed the underwear. I’ve never worn them.” As he was speaking, he glanced at the villain’s figure. “My underwear might be a little big for you, but just wear it for now.”

The little villain pursed his lips. “It’s not too big.”

Shu Ning choked. Then, he immediately relented, “Fine, fine, go take a shower first, okay?”

He led the little villain to the bathroom. 

Shu Ning’s room was a secondary bedroom, so it didn’t have its own bathroom. Instead, he used the bathroom down the hallway. Papa Shu and Mrs. Cai slept in the master bedroom, which had its own bathroom. As a result, the only one who used the hallway bathroom was Shu Ning.

After carefully explaining where the shampoo and body wash was, Shu Ning got a towel for the villain. Then, Shu Ning closed the door and left.

Ah, he needs to buy pajamas for the villain.

He ran over to the sofa and opened up Taobao. After scrolling for a bit, he suddenly came across a set of coral velvet bear pajamas. 

The pajamas even came with a hood and ears. There was also a round little tail on its butt.

The models in the photos made cute gestures and smiled brightly.

Shu Ning was immediately attracted to it. His fingers clicked on the link, as if they had a mind of their own.

Baby was so pretty, so he would definitely look cute in bear pajamas. 

The model in the photo wasn’t nearly as good-looking as my Baby. Baby would definitely look cuter than him.

Shu Ning’s heart thumped.

Cai Qin walked out of the master bedroom to get a glass of water when she heard someone in the bathroom. She thought that Shu Ning was taking a shower. However, when she walked to the water dispenser, she found Shu Ning sitting on the sofa and was immediately caught off guard. “Shu Ning?”

Shu Ning’s perverted little brain was still imagining what the villain would look like wearing the bear pajamas. Cai Qin’s voice nearly scared him out of his socks. 

“Oh my god, you scared me to death.” Shu Ning gave Cai Qin a look.

Cai Qin held a glass of water and gestured towards the bathroom door. “Who’s in the bathroom?”

Shu Ning quickly came back to his senses. He explained to Cai Qin, “Cai Cai, Yin Mingzheng was kicked out of his house. He cut off ties with Zhou Juan. Let’s take him in.”

Cai Qin was taken aback. “Cut off ties?” 

“Yeah.” Shu Ning nodded. “Zhou Juan really isn’t human. I guess she doesn’t want him because he’s not her biological child. You know, she’s never truly cared about Yin Mingzheng. When Yin Mingzheng was hospitalized, she said…”

Shu Ning glanced at the bathroom door. He listened to the sound of running water and lowered his voice. “Zhou Juan and Yin Qiang tried to abandon Yin Mingzheng back at the hospital. The doctor said that Yin Mingzheng might have brain damage. They thought this meant Yin Mingzheng would become mentally disabled and didn’t want to take that responsibility.”

Shu Ning tried to smear Zhou Juan’s name as much as possible. “Just a moment ago, Yin Mingzheng’s head was hurting really badly. I guess Zhou Juan was afraid that she would need to spend money again and drove him away. You know what they say, there’s no family before the sick bed, not to mention they’re not even biologically related. ”

When she heard this, Cai Qin’s eyes widened. “What in the world!? That’s absurd!” 

Shu Ning nodded his head furiously.

Cai Qin knew about the entire affair from beginning to end. At first, she didn’t want to pay ¥80,000 in medical expenses, but, later, she started becoming more and more sympathetic towards Yin Mingzheng. When she heard what Shu Ning said, she immediately reacted, “Yin Mingzheng can just stay with us from now on! Isn’t it just one more mouth to feed, one more pair of chopsticks? So what if Zhou Juan doesn’t want him? We want him!”

Papa Shu walked out of the bedroom. When he saw both mother and son in the living room, he asked, “What are you two talking about?”

“Dad, we want to take Yin Mingzheng in!” Shu Ning said. 

Cai Qin repeated everything Shu Ning had just told her. Papa Shu thought about it for a moment before nodding. “We can take him in, but I’ll be brutally honest right now. Yin Mingzheng isn’t related to us at all. We can provide food and a place to sleep, but I won’t agree to spending huge amounts of money on his medical treatment.”

Shu Ning breathed a sigh of relief. “Don’t worry. You won’t have to pay anything.”

Papa Shu rubbed his head. “You won’t blame Dad for being cruel?”

Shu Ning shook his head. “No.” 

This was the right way to do things. If the little villain does get sick, Shu Ning will find a way. The villain should be his responsibility, not his parents’ responsibility.

After their little discussion came to a conclusion, Cai Qin and Papa Shu headed back to their bedroom to sleep.

After the villain came out of the shower, Shu Ning got up from the sofa. He grabbed a hair dryer from the TV cabinet drawers and handed it to the villain.

“It’s a little late today. I’ll show around the house tomorrow.” 

Shu Ning brought him back to his bedroom and plugged in the hair dryer. Then, he started rustling around his bed, looking for his pajamas, but he couldn’t find it. Remembering how he just threw all his clothes into his laundry basket, he pulled the laundry basket out from behind the curtain. He pulled out a set of blue plaid pajamas from under the dirty clothes and ran to the bathroom to take a shower.

Yin Mingzheng took all this in while silently blowing his hair. He paused when he saw Shu Ning grabbing his pajamas from the laundry basket.

It was very easy to blow dry short hair. Yin Mingzheng’s hair dried quickly. He wraps the hair dryer cord in neat, organized circles. Then, he walked over to the laundry basket and took a look inside.

The faint smell of sweat wafted towards him. 

Yin Mingzheng fell silent when he recalled Shu Ning pulling his pajamas out of there.

About ten minutes later, Shu Ning walked into the room wearing the blue plaid pajamas from the laundry basket.

He picked up the hairdryer on his desk and plugged it into an outlet.

The only sound in the room was the whirring of the hair dryer. 

Yin Mingzheng stared silently at the clothes on Shu Ning’s body. The blue plaid pajamas were a little wrinkled, and the neckline was stained with sweat.

Shu Ning didn’t care. After drying his hair, he left the jumbled up cord sitting on his desk and jumped onto the bed. Then, he kicked off his shoes, patted the area next to him, and called out to Yin Mingzheng, “Come on, let’s sleep together!”

The little villain silently walked to the side of the bed. He lifted the quilt and got into bed, sleeping on the very edge.

Shu Ning wondered aloud, “Why are you so far away? The bed’s big enough for the both of us. You might end up falling! Come sleep next to me!” 

Yin Mingzheng shook his head. He lay straight as a rod, closed his eyes, and tried not to think about the dirty clothes Shu Ning was wearing.

Shu Ning didn’t suspect anything. He simply thought that the little villain was being shy, so he didn’t force it. Shu Ning reached out to turn off the light.

Click.

The world fell into darkness. 

Yin Mingzheng had slept for a little while when he heard the sound of snoring next to him. When he heard this, he knew that Shu Ning was sleeping soundly. The sound was like a cat’s purr, soft, cute, not a bother at all.

Yin Mingzheng wasn’t sleepy. He kept thinking about everything that happened today, over and over again. It was like replaying a movie in his head.

He had already vented all of his emotions earlier. His emotions were rather dull to begin with, so, after letting it all out, it was like he had entered a state beyond all emotion. He was very, very calm.

He realized that it really wasn’t such a big deal to cut ties with Zhou Juan. 

He had handled it correctly.

A hand suddenly swung at him. Yin Mingzheng opened his eyes with a start.

Somewhere in the dark, Shu Ning had already rolled over to his side. Then, he hooked a leg over him.

The faint smell of sweat drifted past his nose. 

Yin Mingzheng’s hair was practically standing on end.

He couldn’t understand why some people would wear dirty pajamas after taking a shower. Didn’t that defeat the purpose of taking a shower?

His family conditions had always been poor, so, even though he was a stickler for hygiene, there wasn’t anything he could do about it. The only thing he could do was clean himself up as best he could. Shu Ning’s conditions were so good, but…

He endured for a moment. Then, he gently tried to push this human octopus off of him. 

But the octopus had him in a death grip. He snored softly next to his ear.

Apart from the faint smell of sweat, there was also the scent of body wash on the boy’s body, as well as a sunny fragrance unique to Shu Ning.

He smelled really good. His natural scent drowned out the faint smell of sweat, making Yin Mingzheng a little less uncomfortable.

Yin Mingzheng suddenly had a thought. Was it because he was wearing Shu Ning’s pajamas, so Shu Ning didn’t have any pajamas to wear? He had no choice but to wear dirty pajamas? 

A warm feeling surged in his heart, and Yin Mingzheng reached out to hug the person next to him. He suddenly felt that Shu Ning’s body wasn’t dirty at all. He smelled very good. He smelled better than anyone else.

The boy wiggled around in his arms. He tucked his head next to Yin Mingzheng’s neck and peacefully slept away.

When he woke up the next day, Shu Ning was embarrassed to see that he had occupied most of the bed. Plus, his hands and feet were all pressing on the villain’s body.

He quickly got off of the villain. 

Seeing that Shu Ning was awake, Yin Mingzheng sat up and got out of bed. His movements were very light.

Shu Ning awkwardly scratched at his blond hair. “I’m sorry. My sleeping habits are kind of bad.” Yin Mingzheng shook his head. He took off the pajamas and grabbed the button up shirt next to him.

This was the first time Shu Ning had seen the villain naked. Shu Ning stopped what he was doing. He couldn’t help but stare at the little villain’s chest.

His body was as white as jade, just like his face. There wasn’t a whole lot of flesh on his bones. Shu Ning could vaguely make out his ribs. 

He was incredibly thin.

Shu Ning felt really upset in his heart. He gave Zhou Juan four hundred yuan a week and a ton of nutritional supplements. Why wasn’t the little villain gaining weight?

Zhou Juan wouldn’t have taken the food for herself, would she?

Shu Ning thought: In the future, I have to prepare some more good food. The villain needs to gain weight. 

The little villain had already changed into his shirt and pants. Then, he pulled out his purple wig from his school bag and plopped it on his head. In an instant, the cute and pitiable boy turned into a purple-haired delinquent.

Shu Ning’s eyes twitched. He called out to him, “Mingzheng.”

Yin Mingzheng looked back at him.

Shu Ning carefully suggested, “Do you have to wear a wig? You look pretty good already.” 

The villain didn’t shake his legs anymore, and he even swore less. The only issue left was the wig.

If he stopped dressing like a delinquent, he would definitely outshine that fake young master in every possible way!

Besides, why did he need to hide his good looks? It wasn’t something shameful that needed to be hidden! What happened with Chen Hui was Chen Hui’s fault, not the villain’s fault! Why did the villain need to be punished for Chen Hui’s mistakes? Why did the villain need to wear a wig all day long and be laughed at?

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. He pointedly said, “It’s not a crime to look good. There’s no need to cover it up.” 

Yin Mingzheng shook his head. “It doesn’t matter whether I look good or not.”

He bent down to pack his bag.

Shu Ning slid off the bed and landed next to him. Then, he tore off his wig. “It does matter.”

The young boy’s hair had grown a bit longer. His body was slender. His face was beautiful. His black hair and black eyes were really beautiful. He looked like a fairy. 

No matter where he went, he was incomparably dazzling.

“If you really like wearing this kind of wig, I wouldn’t say anything. That’s your choice! However, you obviously don’t like wearing it, yet you’re still putting it on everyday and getting laughed at! I…It makes me angry!”

Shu Ning angrily threw the wig onto his messy bed.

Yin Mingzheng didn’t speak. 

Shu Ning stood in front of Yin Mingzheng. He reached out and touched the villain’s face. His skin felt delicate and smooth beneath his fingertips, like a polished gem. “Mingzheng, just be yourself, okay?”

Yin Mingzheng froze for a moment. “Be…myself?”

He had never heard such words before. It was strange, but it was also a little touching.

Shu Ning took a step back and looked at him. “Yeah. Just be you and do what you like.” 

The villain’s childhood had caused him far too much pain. If he wanted to get out of its shadow, he would need to completely abandon the past. He needed to be his true self and accept himself for who he is.

Shu Ning didn’t know if the little villain would listen to him. He anxiously waited for his response.

Yin Mingzheng stared at him, and, after a long time, he returned Shu Ning’s expectant gaze with a light nod.

Shu Ning was overjoyed. He copied what Cai Qin always did and pinched his face. “What a good-looking baby! You have to show it off, make everyone jealous!” 

Yin Mingzheng did not speak.

Shu Ning felt that his pep talk was successful and started humming a little tune. He took off his pajamas and changed into his school uniform.

His body was slender and flexible. His skin was smooth and delicate. His appearance was bright and handsome. A single glance was enough to put anyone in a good mood.

Yin Mingzheng stared at him intently and said in his heart: You’re more good-looking. 

The two packed all their stuff and went to the bathroom to wash up. After eating the breakfast Cai Qin made with love, they flew down the streets towards their school. The two handsome young men attracted a lot of attention along the way.

When he saw the girls’ enthusiastic gazes, Shu Ning boasted to himself: Heh, my baby’s just that handsome!

Be jealous! I slept in the same bed as your campus idol! I even hugged him!

After first period, Shu Ning started messing around with Wang Shenshen and Long Qiao. 

Yin Mingzheng stood up and went to the teacher’s office.

Their homeroom teacher was going over lesson plans. When she saw him coming, she greeted him warmly, “Mingzheng, is something wrong?”

After everything that had happened, the homeroom teacher’s attitude towards Yin Mingzheng had completely changed. Whenever she looked at Yin Mingzheng now, she felt like she was looking at a kind and lovely child who had been wronged. She couldn’t help but feel distress for him.

Yin Mingzheng asked, “Ma’am, is there anyone still donating to me?” 

The homeroom teacher was taken aback for a moment. “Donating? Are you talking about the fundraiser from last time? Didn’t you return the money already?”

“No.” Yin Mingzheng shook his head. “Before I was hospitalized, I heard that someone was providing me with financial aid. Shu Ning was in charge of handing over lunch fees, and he also bought food for me…”

The homeroom teacher shook her head. “I don’t think our school has such a program.”

Yin Mingzheng was stunned, and doubts flashed across his eyes. “There isn’t?” 

“There isn’t.” The head teacher nodded affirmatively. “All financial aid to the school is distributed uniformly across the entire school. We received a donation of desks and chairs before, and we also renovated one of the teaching buildings. Other than that, there isn’t any financial aid program.”

Yin Mingzheng hesitated, “But…”

“But what?”

Yin Mingzheng quietly clenched his fist, and his throat tightened. He shook his head. “It’s nothing. I think I made a mistake.” 

He walked out of the office and looked at the students running around in the hallway. In that tall teaching building, a very subtle mood rose in his heart, and the thumping in his chest was getting faster and faster.

He quietly returned to class.

Shu Ning saw him and asked, “Mingzheng, where have you been?”

“Went to the bathroom,” Yin Mingzheng said. 

After school, Yin Mingzheng and Shu Ning went home. Yin Mingzheng had been observing Shu Ning the entire time. The young boy was sunny and lively. Simply watching him was enough to put Yin Mingzheng in a good mood.

When they got home, Shu Ning brought him back to his bedroom. Once the two of them finished their homework, Shu Ning opened his laptop and told him to continue studying online.

Yin Mingzheng obediently did as he said.

The desk was large enough to place two laptops side by side. 

Shu Ning opened up his own laptop on the other side of the desk and shifted his focus towards typing. Sometimes, he would stop what he was doing and frown.

Yin Mingzheng stood up and took a glance at his screen. He quickly memorized it. Then, he looked it up online.

German.

Shu Ning could actually read German? 

Then, he saw Shu Ning open another document and type the words “first party” and “second party”.

Yin Mingzheng realized that he was translating from German.

It turned out that Shu Ning was actually doing translation work.

Yin Mingzheng got up and went to the bathroom. When he came back, he sat down in front of his laptop and continued studying his online course. As his gaze swept across the desk, he noticed a box. 

When he looked closer, he found a bunch of little paper slips inside.

Yin Mingzheng picked up one of the paper slips. On it, it read, “Yin Mingzheng’s guardian, Zhou Juan, has received a donation of four hundred yuan.” It was signed by Zhou Juan and had the date written on it.

All of the other paper slips were the exact same format

Yin Mingzheng stared blankly at the paper slip. Slowly, the truth of the matter became more and more clear. 

Now, it could be confirmed that the so-called donor had always been Shu Ning himself. Shu Ning earned the money through translation work. Every time he gave Zhou Juan money, he asked her to sign these paper slips for confirmation.

Yin Mingzheng could already guess how Shu Ning must have used the paper slips in order to keep Zhou Juan in line. He had proof that the money didn’t belong to her, so Zhou Juan had no choice but to give the donations to Yin Mingzheng.

Shu Ning must’ve done this because he was worried about Zhou Juan taking everything for herself.

Yin Mingzheng remembered how had taken his milk, bread, and nuts into class and showed off the breakfast his mother had prepared for him. Shu Ning’s face had been relieved. 

Later, Zhou Juan and Yin Qiang ate all the food themselves. He was left with just milk for breakfast. At that time, Shu Ning had asked him why he was only drinking milk. That same day, Zhou Juan came home with another bag of bread, nuts, and milk. He was able to eat breakfast again.

He still remembered the day Zhou Juan bought him new shoes and pants. He had been absolutely elated. He wore them to school the very next day to show them off. Shu Ning had asked him, “What about clothes?”

Zhou Juan said that, besides the shoes and pants, Shu Ning had also bought him a down jacket. Shu Ning must’ve asked because he didn’t wear it that day.

Yin Mingzheng’s fist slowly tightened around the paper slip in his hand. His eyes became hot with tears. 

When all the details were connected together, he realized that Shu Ning had actually been helping him for a long time now.

It turned out that Shu Ning wasn’t joking when he said he would take care of him.

He’d already been taking care of him, all without him knowing.

But why? 

Back then, he would skip school, get bad grades, dye his hair, and more. Plus, everyone knew about his shitty family, and his personality wasn’t particularly nice either. There wasn’t a single good point about him. Everyone else avoided him, so why was he so good to him?

He was abandoned, unloved, and unwanted. Why did he treat him so well?

He was such trash that even his parents didn’t want him anymore. How could anyone be able to love him if even his parents gave up on him?

Yin Mingzheng didn’t understand. 

However, he felt happy.

This was the first time in his fifteen years of living that he truly felt happy from the bottom of his heart. It turned out that he hadn’t been completely abandoned just yet.

It turned out that someone had been silently loving and caring for him.

Yin Mingzheng took a deep breath and quietly walked up to Shu Ning. The blond boy was completely focused on his work. He didn’t notice Yin Mingzheng approaching him. 

Speaking of which, the reason Shu Ning dyed his hair was because of him, right?

At that time, Shu Ning really wanted to be friends with him, but he had coldly rejected him…

Yin Mingzheng slowly stretched out his hand. He wanted to touch the boy’s blond hair.

Suddenly, Shu Ning stretched his waist. When he turned his head, he saw Yin Mingzheng and blinked. “Mingzheng?” 

Yin Mingzheng quietly took his hand back and returned to his seat. He continued to watch his online class.

His body was tense.

Shu Ning didn’t notice. Seeing that Yin Mingzheng was studying hard, he continued to translate the document.