Chapter 1: The Lonely Little Cub
Viscous blood spread across the floor. Hair-raising sounds of chewing and the tearing of flesh echoed within the cramped room, while the dim lighting cast the terrifying shadows of two monsters onto the walls.
The monsters possessed human forms, but their bodies were a deathly grayish-blue. A thin layer of skin clung to their skeletal frames, and sparse hair covered the tops of their heads.
They greedily tore at the old woman’s body. Blood, a piercingly bright red, gurgled out from beneath her. The old womanâs hollow, lifeless eyes were frozen wide, staring fixedly at the narrow slit of the wardrobe.
A two-year-old child was curled up inside that wardrobe, clutching a small tiger plushie. A bell hung around the tigerâs neck. The child held the toy with stiff arms, his beautiful lake-blue eyes brimming with a pool of tears. His pink, tender face was covered in tear stains.
“Grandma…” Yu Anâs soft, clear voice was laced with terror. His curled eyelashes trembled as tears fell once more. He called for his grandmother helplessly, yet he didn’t dare make too much noise.
“Grandma… Iâm scared…”
Yu An firmly remembered the last words his grandmother had said to him: no matter what happened, he must not push open the wardrobe and walk out. He was a good boy, so naturally, he had to listen to his grandmotherâs words.
The old woman outside was soon finished being devoured. The two monsters, still unsatisfied, began to search around the small room, hoping to find other tasty treats.
A rat was scavenged out. A monster crushed its bones; the rat only had time to let out a shrill scream before it was tossed into the monster’s mouth.
Yu Anâs tears flowed even faster. The sobs in his throat were on the verge of becoming uncontrollable. He had no choice but to cover his mouth with his fair, chubby little hands, shrinking further into the depths of the wardrobe while hugging his plushie.
The monstersâ sunken noses twitched. They could smell another fragrant scent in the roomâa scent they loved beyond measure.
For these low-level monsters, the most direct way to express affection was to swallow the object of their affection as food.
They quickly set their sights on the wardrobe. As a monsterâs body slammed into the wood, a sob immediately escaped the child inside.
“Grandma…”
The monsters stopped their movements instantly, pacing irritably around the wardrobe. Once their appetite overcame their other emotions, they slammed into the wardrobe again.
Yu An felt the wardrobe shaking incessantly. He seemed to smell the stench of blood in the air. He could only close his eyes tight, sobbing softly as he called for his grandmother, clutching the plushie in his arms.
Bang! Bang!
Two gunshots rang out. Yu Anâs tiny body jolted twice in fright. The wardrobe stopped shaking. The low growls of the monsters were gone, replaced by the voices of a man and a woman.
The man glanced at the remains on the floor and shook his head. “She’s completely dead. No saving her.”
The short-haired woman scanned the room, her tone puzzled. “What exactly is it about this place that attracts Xenogenics? They came all this way straight for this spot just to eat a human? Why didn’t they eat anyone else along the way?”
Suddenly, the woman’s gaze sharpened. Her hand moved to the knife at her waist as she signaled the man with her eyes, gesturing toward the wardrobe.
The man immediately became alert. Holding his gun in one hand, he slowly walked to the wardrobe. With lightning speed, he yanked it open, his dark muzzle pointing inside.
The world before Yu Anâs eyes suddenly brightened. He opened his wet eyes in shock, his mouth crumbling. Crying, he tried to scramble further into the wardrobe. When there was nowhere left to retreat, he could only look at the man helplessly as tears fell.
The man and woman exchanged a shocked look. They never expected there to be a survivorâespecially such a small child.
And so, Yu An was carried out of the wardrobe by the woman. He hugged her neck, looking at the heap of unrecognizable flesh on the floor. His voice was already hoarse from crying. “Grandma… Thatâs… Grandma…”
The woman, unable to bear it, covered Yu Anâs eyes and carried him quickly away.
The last thing in Yu Anâs memory was his familiar little house receding into the distance, and his lifeless grandmother inside. That night, the moon was obscured by dark clouds. Yu An did not like the night; he had lost his grandmother in that pitch-black darkness.
A year had passed, yet Yu Anâs memory remained very clear. He had forgotten for a few weeks in the middle, but that was only because the sister who carried him away had let him smell something very strange.
He had forgotten his grandmother and that terrifying night, but it wasn’t long before he remembered again. However, Yu An told no one.
Grandma Xu was Yu Anâs neighbor and a good friend of his grandmother. Looking at the child who had become silent after her friendâs passing, her heart ached for him. She took Yu An in to care for him herself.
Luoyun Village, where they lived, was in a remote mountainous area. The conditions were backward, and the nearest orphanage was in the county seat dozens of kilometers away. Besides, Yu An was an undocumented child; no information could be found on him.
“Since you are the childâs grand-aunt, please take good care of him. Every year, we will provide you with a sum of money as compensation for what the child went through.”
Grandma Xu hugged Yu An tightly, covering his ears. “Thank you so much.”
The woman asked, “What about the childâs parents?”
Grandma Xu sighed and shook her head. “I never heard his grandmother mention them.”
A flash of disgust appeared in the woman’s eyes. Another pair of irresponsible parents.
Looking at the listless little Yu An, she couldn’t help but say softly, “Youâre getting on in years. If itâs inconvenient, I can send the child to an orphanage in another county. The conditions there are decent.”
Grandma Xu rejected the offer without a second thought. “That won’t do. His grandmother told me that if anything happened to her, I should help look after him. This child’s family will come to fetch him.”
Yu Anâs grandmother had also mentioned that his household registration should not be easily processed. Although Grandma Xu didn’t know why her friend had requested this, she followed her last wishes.
Hearing Grandma Xu say this, the woman said no more.
From then on, Yu An lived with Grandma Xu. She had a kind and gentle personality. Every time she basked in the sun in her rocking chair, she would hold little Yu An, kissing his small face. “Be good and wait a little longer. Your papa and mama will come to fetch you very soon.”
Yu An would nestle obediently in her arms, his exquisite little face expressionless, though his lake-blue eyes still held a flicker of hidden anticipation.
It was just that Yu Anâs family never came. Grandma Xu grew old. After sending off his grandmother, Yu An sent off Grandma Xu when he was three years old.
Grandma Xu passed away peacefully. Her children returned from the city to hold the funeral, while Yu An simply knelt silently beside her coffin.
After the funeral, Grandma Xuâs children and grandchildren discussed how to handle Yu An.
“This kid was raised by Mom. How do we deal with him now? I told her long ago not to take in these ‘good deeds.’ In the end, it just causes trouble for us.”
“I’m stating this for the record: my family already has two kids. We can’t afford to raise another ‘drag-along’ burden.”
“Didn’t Mom say he gets a sum of money every year? How about this: whoever raises him gets that money.”
“What the hell is five thousand yuan a year for? Don’t you know how expensive it is to raise a kid? Only an idiot would take such a losing deal!”
“Is this kid a little mute? We’ve been here this long and he hasn’t said a word.”
“He looks like a doll, so delicate… itâs just that eye color is weird. It’s beautiful, but what normal person has that color…”
Hearing the various comments about him, Yu An silently lowered his long eyelashes. He refuted them softly in his heart: I’m not a little mute, I just don’t want to talk.
His eyes were also very beautiful. Grandma used to kiss them often, telling him with a smile that his eyes were like the sacred Heavenly Lake on the snow-capped mountainsâthe most beautiful eyes in the world.
Although Yu An didn’t know what the “Heavenly Lake” was, since Grandma said so, his eyes must be very beautiful. They definitely weren’t a “weird” color.
The little guy wore a miniature version of mourning clothes, his faceâcarved like pink jadeâtightly furrowed. A white cloth was tied around his head as he joined Grandma Xuâs relatives to see her off.
After watching Grandma Xuâs coffin being lowered into the ground, the relatives argued once more about what to do with Yu An.
Yu An wasn’t even as tall as the adults’ legs. He looked up at them, his voice tiny and thin. “I won’t go with you. I… I can live by myself…”
He knew these adults didn’t like him, so he didn’t want to live with them either.
The relatives looked at each other. One of them immediately laughed and squatted down to negotiate with Yu An. “Fine then. But you have no share in my momâs house. Tell you what, we’ll find you another place nearby, and you can live on your own.”
“We won’t touch that few thousand yuan of yours either; we’ll give it all to you. You handle the rest yourself, how about that?”
Yu Anâs grip on his little tiger tightened. His fuzzy little head nodded.
Just like that, Yu An was sent by the Xu family relatives to a crude tin shack. His clothes and daily necessities were sent along with him. The annual money totaled over ten thousand yuan, all of which was handed over to Yu An.
Yu An took the stack of cash and bowed to the Xu family relatives, saying obediently, “Thank you.”
The relatives had various expressions on their faces, struggling with the pangs of their consciences. However, the heavy burdens of life did not allow them to be “kind.” They each found an excuse and left the dilapidated tin shack.
The shack was a place where construction workers used to live. After the project ended, the workers moved away, leaving the shacks empty. Many homeless drifters lived here. Yu An, a “short winter melon” of a child, stood out significantly among the circle of adults.
Yu An learned to care for himself by mimicking the way Grandma Xu had cared for him. He used an electric kettle bought from the nearby supermarket to boil water, washing himself clean every day. In the mornings, he would huff and puff as he scrubbed his clothes on a small stool outside the shack.
It was just that he didn’t have much strength. His clothes were often not wrung dry properly, and he couldn’t reach the drying rack. Even when Yu An stood on the stool, he still couldn’t reach the rope. He couldn’t help but purse his lips in frustration.
At that moment, the clothes in his hands were taken away. Yu An opened his eyes wide in surprise and looked at the newcomer.
A ragged-looking uncle hung the small clothes on the rope, gave him a piece of candy, and patted his small head. “Sweeten that mouth of yours. Just call out to anyone, ‘Uncle, help me,’ and wouldn’t we help you?”
Yu An lowered his small head, clutching the candy. His voice was weak and tiny. “…Thank you, Uncle.”
The man was used to Yu Anâs timid and withdrawn personality. He smiled and turned to leave.
With the help of the people nearby, Yu Anâs life was barely manageable. However, he had no source of income. That ten thousand yuan was used to supplement the household; after occasionally having a bill or two swiped by people too poor to have any other choice, only a single hundred-yuan bill remained.
Yu An looked at the last red bill in his hand and curled up sadly on the bed. He was going to run out of money. Without money, there would be no food, and he couldn’t go to the supermarket auntie to charge his small desk lamp.
The night would turn pitch black again. As Yu An thought of this, his eyes uncontrollably reddened. He pulled the little tiger from beside his pillow into his arms, murmuring with a sob, “Grandma… I have no money left. I’m going to be hungry…”
A child without the protection of elders struggled to survive in this slum.
Kyoto.
A low-profile luxury car stopped in front of the massive Lin family manor. A handsome man in a suit stepped out. Upon entering the main hall, a waiting servant took the man’s coat and respectfully retreated to the side.
Lin Huaichen, dressed in a simple white shirt, ran into the butler carrying a fruit platter before heading upstairs. “Is A-Xun still in the studio?”
The butlerâs eyes were worried. “Yes, Patriarch. He hasn’t come out all morning. I was going to bring him some fruit.”
Lin Huaichen took the platter. “I’ll go.”
The middle-aged butler bowed with a smile. “I imagine he would much rather see you. I won’t go and join the bustle then.”
In the second-floor studio, a refined man with long hair was fully focused on painting a sunrise over the sea. He didn’t even notice someone entering until a large head nuzzled into the crook of his neck, rubbing back and forth until he finally put down his brush.
Lin Huaichen sat next to Wen Xun, wrapping his arms around his waist and resting his head on his shoulder. Looking at the half-finished painting, he smiled and kissed his cheek. “Our baby is truly amazing.”
Wen Xun didn’t speak. He simply relaxed his body into Lin Huaichenâs embrace, picked up a nearby document, and handed it to him.
Lin Huaichen scanned the document, his brow furrowing bit by bit. “Why is the Shelter applying for funds from you this time? Did the billion or so I allocated to them last time run out?”
Wen Xun glanced at him, let out a soft “Hmph,” and brought over a laptop. After some quick operations, he showed him the detailed cash flow of the Shelter.
Lin Huaichen spotted the anomaly at a glance. In the fund stream for resettling the families of victims, more than half had been diverted. What actually reached the victims’ families was only one-tenth.
Lin Huaichen let out a cold laugh and immediately stood up to go to the balcony to inquire about the Shelterâs situation. Meanwhile, Wen Xun continued browsing through the information regarding the victims’ families.
Soon, a photo of Yu An holding his little tiger appeared on the computer screen.
The exquisite child had water droplets clinging to his long lashes. He was clinging dependably to someone’s hand, his lake-blue eyes filled with tears as he stared at the camera on the verge of crying. That pitiful, animal-like gaze could melt a heart made of steel.
Wen Xun stared at Yu Anâs photo for a long time. He slowly reached out a fair finger and gently touched the tears on Yu Anâs face.
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