Chapter 91: Can’t Even Catch Him
Gu Huaiye recognized the bracelet immediately; it was the only memento Xie Miaohan possessed of his mother.
He hadn’t realized Xie Miaohan valued it more than his own life.
No wonder in their first life, when Gu Huaiye had casually tried it on, Xie Miaohan had been furious with him for a long time. Gu Huaiye couldn’t help but wonder—when he had lied back then and claimed he had melted the chain down, just how devastated must Xie Miaohan have been?
Gu Huaiye’s hand was bleeding from the bite, but he endured the pain and offered Xie Miaohan a gentle smile.
“You have to hold onto me before you let go. This thing looks expensive; it would be a shame if it fell and broke.”
Xie Miaohan’s expression shifted slightly. Finally tasting the metallic tang of blood in his mouth, he immediately let go, his eyes staring cautiously at Gu Huaiye.
“Here,” Gu Huaiye said. “Put it away carefully this time. Don’t lose it again.”
Xie Miaohan reached out to take it. The moment his fingers closed around the gold bracelet, he hurriedly stuffed it into his pocket.
Gu Huaiye thought this miniature version of Xie Miaohan was incredibly cute. He couldn’t resist raising his hand, wanting to pat the boy’s head.
But Xie Miaohan instinctively flinched, shielding his head with his arms as if terrified Gu Huaiye was about to strike him.
Seeing this, Gu Huaiye’s hand froze in mid-air.
He sighed. “Don’t steal buns to eat next time. Those people hit hard without holding back. What if they really hurt you?”
Xie Miaohan gave Gu Huaiye a strange look, then turned around to leave.
Gu Huaiye quickly grabbed his arm.
“Wait, let me check your back to see if you’re injured.”
Xie Miaohan forcefully wrenched his arm free from Gu Huaiye’s grip and bolted.
Gu Huaiye had no choice but to chase after him. He followed him through several streets, watching as Xie Miaohan disappeared into a dilapidated building.
He didn’t follow him inside, afraid that a sudden visit would seem too intrusive.
Gu Huaiye memorized the location of the building and then went to find a hotel.
The cash in his wallet wasn’t substantial. Uncertain of how long he would be stuck here, he didn’t dare spend recklessly. He found a relatively clean guesthouse to stay in for the time being.
Lying on the simple single bed, he contemplated everything that had happened.
According to the guesthouse owner, this was District H, the poorest and filthiest place in the country.
Gu Huaiye had never set foot here before.
It was his first time realizing that such poverty existed. Huge rats would occasionally dart across the streets he walked. The residents here always spoke at the top of their lungs, and the buildings were short and crammed so close together that the noise gave Gu Huaiye a splitting headache.
So, Xie Miaohan was born in a place like this. No wonder he had approached him for money in the beginning.
It seemed to be simple time travel, but why had he arrived in Xie Miaohan’s childhood?
And where was the adult Xie Miaohan who had jumped off the building with him?
These thoughts filled Gu Huaiye’s mind, keeping him awake all night. When he got up the next day, there were obvious dark circles under his eyes.
He opened his wallet to check its contents.
If this was the past, his past self would only be six or seven years old, meaning none of his credit cards would work.
He rarely carried much cash, but after a rough count, he had about eight thousand.
Fortunately, this was more than a decade ago, so the purchasing power of eight thousand was quite strong. Moreover, in a slum like this, the money would last even longer.
Gu Huaiye sighed helplessly.
Come to think of it, he had never been this poor. Even when facing bankruptcy, he hadn’t lived this badly.
Waking up, his skin was breaking out in an allergic reaction, which spoke volumes about the terrible hygiene of the guesthouse.
Gu Huaiye left the guesthouse and had lunch at a noodle shop that looked somewhat sanitary.
On the way back, he bought two meat buns (baozi) and squatted at the entrance of the residential building Xie Miaohan had entered yesterday, waiting for him to come out.
Afraid the buns would get cold, Gu Huaiye tucked them against his chest to keep them warm.
By evening, he finally saw Xie Miaohan.
Xie Miaohan was carrying several bags of trash downstairs. They seemed too heavy for him, causing him to walk with a limp.
Gu Huaiye immediately stood up and approached him.
“Helping out with chores?” Gu Huaiye smiled, holding the meat buns out to Xie Miaohan. “Are you hungry? Here, this is for you.”
Xie Miaohan hadn’t expected Gu Huaiye to suddenly appear. A look of surprise flashed across his beautiful little face.
The meat buns smelled delicious. Xie Miaohan’s attention was instantly captured, and he couldn’t help swallowing his saliva.
“You want to eat, right?” Gu Huaiye said with a smile. “Take it if you want. Give me the trash; I’ll throw it away for you.”
Xie Miaohan’s eyes instantly became guarded. “I won’t trade the bracelet for it.”
Gu Huaiye burst out laughing. “I don’t want your bracelet. If I really wanted to steal it, I wouldn’t have given it back to you yesterday.”
The current Xie Miaohan was still small; he hadn’t yet differentiated into an SSS-level Alpha.
For the adult Gu Huaiye, he was incredibly easy to handle.
Xie Miaohan didn’t believe a word Gu Huaiye said. He huffed coldly, turned his head, and walked away.
Gu Huaiye didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
He blocked Xie Miaohan’s path again. Before he could speak, Xie Miaohan glared at him ferociously, baring his teeth.
The hand Gu Huaiye had been bitten on yesterday immediately started throbbing in phantom pain.
He had guessed right—Xie Miaohan really was like a feral dog.
He had been a biter since he was a child.
Gu Huaiye took a step back, raising both hands in a gesture of surrender.
“If you don’t eat, the buns will get cold. How about this? I won’t come near you. I’ll watch from far away, and once you’re full, I’ll leave. Okay?”
Xie Miaohan hesitated. Gu Huaiye tentatively extended the buns toward him.
In the next second, Xie Miaohan dropped the trash bags, snatched the meat buns from Gu Huaiye’s hand, ran a safe distance away, and then crouched down to eat.
Gu Huaiye smiled bitterly, picked up the trash bags, and walked toward the disposal area.
When he returned, seeing Xie Miaohan still crouching on the ground eating, he couldn’t help but frown as he walked over.
Sensing his approach, Xie Miaohan looked up and bared his teeth at him again.
Gu Huaiye: “……”
Who did he learn this habit from?
Afraid Xie Miaohan would run away again, Gu Huaiye stopped a meter away to watch him.
“Don’t eat on your stomach like that; it’s bad for digestion. And next time, wash your hands before eating, okay?”
Seeing that he wasn’t coming any closer, Xie Miaohan continued to wolf down the buns.
“Why are you eating so fast? Didn’t your family give you any food?”
No matter what Gu Huaiye asked, Xie Miaohan just focused on eating the buns, completely ignoring him.
He had to give up. Squatting down, he carefully observed Xie Miaohan’s face.
He was still very beautiful.
Just a bit dirty, as if he hadn’t washed his face in a long time.
Gu Huaiye’s gaze drifted down to Xie Miaohan’s clothes, and his brow immediately furrowed.
The clothes were tattered and covered in mud. The pant legs had several holes the size of cigarette burns. The soles of his sandals were coming unglued, and they were obviously too small, squeezing his toes until they were red and swollen.
Gu Huaiye suddenly remembered Xie Miaohan saying that his relatives were very poor.
But this was too wretched. What would he do when winter came?
while Gu Huaiye was lost in thought, Xie Miaohan finished eating, dusted off his pants, and ran back into the residential building, giving Gu Huaiye no time to react.
Gu Huaiye: “……”
He was fast, even as a kid.
He literally couldn’t catch him.
Gu Huaiye had to return to the guesthouse, continuing to bring food to Xie Miaohan the next day.
Sometimes it was meat buns, sometimes shaomai. Whatever Gu Huaiye brought, Xie Miaohan would eat it clean.
After a week, Xie Miaohan was less guarded around him, even allowing him to pat his head.
However, the habit of crouching or lying on the ground to eat was something he refused to change.
Patting his head, Gu Huaiye spoke to Xie Miaohan, who was munching on soup dumplings. “I have to leave here tomorrow. I might not be back for half a month.”
Xie Miaohan paused mid-chew, his eyes darkening.
“Don’t steal things when you’re hungry. I’ll give you some money, but don’t spend it recklessly, okay?”
After speaking, Gu Huaiye looked down to take out his wallet.
Suddenly, Xie Miaohan threw the half-eaten soup dumpling into Gu Huaiye’s chest, turned around, and ran into the building.
“Hey… you haven’t taken the money yet…”
Gu Huaiye wanted to follow him in, but he didn’t know which unit Xie Miaohan lived in.
He decided he would have to come back tomorrow.
Gu Huaiye stood up, preparing to throw the trash into the bin.
Suddenly, the sound of a heavy object crashing to the ground rang out behind him.
Gu Huaiye froze. He whipped his head around, and when he saw what had happened, his pupils constricted in horror.
He rushed over, wanting to help Xie Miaohan up, but he didn’t dare move him.
Xie Miaohan’s face was twisted in pain, blood frothing at the corner of his mouth as he whimpered softly.
“It hurts…”
How could he have just fallen out of nowhere?
Gu Huaiye looked up. In a second-floor window, the silhouette of a middle-aged man appeared, leaning on the sill and looking down. His eyes suddenly met Gu Huaiye’s.
The man looked panicked and immediately ducked out of sight.
Gu Huaiye instantly understood. His gaze turned icy.
Fuck!
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