Chapter 144: Please Don’t Hit Me
Cheng Ge was so startled he stopped in his tracks. He quietly took two steps back, and his back suddenly bumped hard into an unknown creature.
Arriving faster than the fright was the scent of Wen Ling, providing a subconscious sense of security.
Cheng Ge turned to Wen Ling and shushed him, gesturing for him not to speak.
“I’m going to tell you something, don’t get scared,” Cheng Ge whispered into Wen Ling’s ear, keeping his voice low. “A kid got into our house.”
Wen Ling was a bit surprised, not exactly scared, but simply confused. He also kept his voice low, “Why would there be a child?”
Logically, this place could be considered the middle of nowhere. Where would a child come from?
Even if there was one, they shouldn’t be able to get into this villa.
Cheng Ge shook his head, holding Wen Ling’s hand: “He went upstairs. Let’s go take a look together.”
They followed him all the way to the second-floor bathroom. Cheng Ge peeked through the crack in the door and saw the boy using the toilet.
The boy’s hair was very long, covering his eyes. His clothes were flimsy, and he was covered in dirt.
After finishing, the boy stood on his tiptoes, used a scoop to catch some water from the sink faucet, and rinsed the toilet clean.
He even pulled two tissues to wipe away the footprints he had made.
Cheng Ge turned to exchange a glance with Wen Ling. When he turned back, the boy was standing directly in front of him.
The boy, whose eyes were half-covered by hair, was staring at him and Wen Ling in terror, not daring to move a muscle.
Afraid of scaring the child, Cheng Ge smiled at the boy. Unexpectedly, the boy was so terrified he stumbled and fell to the floor.
Cheng Ge bent down to help him up, but the boy shoved him.
A child’s strength isn’t that great, but the boy happened to push exactly where Cheng Ge’s leg was fractured. The pain caused Cheng Ge’s expression to contort, and he almost fell himself, thankfully being caught by Wen Ling in time.
Wen Ling furrowed his brows tightly. He lifted Cheng Ge’s pant leg and saw a patch of redness below the knee.
“Does it hurt a lot?” Wen Ling’s heart ached terribly; it felt like it was being squeezed.
Cheng Ge couldn’t stand steadily, so he simply sat on the floor. “It’s fine, it’s fine. It’s not too bad. I’ll just put some medicine on it later.”
The boy also hadn’t known he would have so much strength, pushing the person so hard that it hurt them.
For a moment, he was at a loss. He hesitated, edging slightly toward Cheng Ge, his lips trembling, unable to speak.
Seeing the boy trying to approach Cheng Ge, Wen Ling glared at him coldly. He grabbed the hand the boy had used to push Cheng Ge, his tone freezing: “Who permitted you to push Cheng Ge!”
The boy was so scared his body trembled, trying to curl up in fear.
“Little Wen, Little Wen,” Cheng Ge grabbed Wen Ling’s wrist. “I’m fine. He was just too scared. It’s fine, don’t scare him.”
Wen Ling was too angry to listen to Cheng Ge. He slapped the boy’s hand: “Bad kid!”
“Wen-zai,” Cheng Ge tugged at Wen Ling’s clothes again. “Come give me a hug, my leg hurts.”
Only then did Wen Ling let go of the boy’s hand, turning to hug Cheng Ge and help him stand up.
A red patch welled up on the back of the boy’s dirty hand. He kept his head down, his voice trembling: “I’m sorry… I didn’t do it on purpose…”
“Can you please not hit me,” the boy began to sob softly.
“I only ate three of your chocolates, two packs of cookies, four small breads, one claw, and, and one candy, two red slices, three eggs…”
Cheng Ge thought the boy would stop after listing one or two things after “and,” but who knew this kid could rattle off a whole massive list of snacks.
Those were all things Cheng Ge had bought for Wen Ling.
While the boy was stammering through the list, Cheng Ge could feel Wen Ling getting angrier and angrier.
“Stop, stop,” Cheng Ge hugged Wen Ling’s waist tighter, resting his chin on Wen Ling’s shoulder. “How could you eat so much? And you use the word ‘only’?”
Cheng Ge’s tone wasn’t fierce; it even carried a hint of a smile.
Who knew this would make the little boy cry even harder, his tears falling steadily: “I was so hungry… I’m sorry, I was just too hungry. I didn’t do it on purpose, please don’t hit me, okay…”
“When I grow up and make money, I’ll pay you back.”
“I remember everything.”
“Don’t cry, don’t cry, stop crying first. You don’t need to pay it back.” Cheng Ge coaxed him gently.
Actually, seeing this kid reminded him of Wen Ling when he was little. Especially when the boy cried, it made Cheng Ge’s heart ache.
The boy seemed to be the obedient type. He stopped crying after a few words of comfort from Cheng Ge, keeping his voice down, though his shoulders still hitched occasionally.
The three of them fell silent. The boy looked up at him with a dirty face. He was still hugging Wen Ling, making the situation awkward.
Of course, it was only Cheng Ge who felt awkward.
Cheng Ge thought for a moment and asked: “Where did you come from?”
“…The orphanage.”
Wen Ling tugged at Cheng Ge’s clothes: “He’s lying, there’s no orphanage around here.”
The boy: “There is! I’m not lying, it’s very, very far away.”
Wen Ling: “Hmph.”
Cheng Ge patted Wen Ling’s back and asked again: “Then how did you get in?”
“The window. The window of one room was open, and there was a lot of food, so I climbed in…”
Just as Wen Ling was about to speak, Cheng Ge quickly explained, “I opened it, I opened it. That room was a bit stuffy, so I opened it for ventilation and forgot to close it.”
Wen Ling: “Okay then.”
Cheng Ge was a bit puzzled, “Then how did you end up here?”
The boy kept his head down, pursing his lips. “The people there, they all bullied me. I don’t want to stay there anymore…”
“I want to go out and find my mom and dad.”
Cheng Ge subconsciously frowned, a bitter taste in his heart.
So it seemed this kid “ran away from home” because he was bullied?
But since he was in an orphanage, he probably wouldn’t be able to find his parents.
Cheng Ge let go of Wen Ling, secretly kissed his cheek, and then went over to help the boy up.
The boy’s hands were small and ice-cold. His pants and the hem of his shirt were damp, and brushing them obviously wouldn’t get the dirt off.
“You stay here for a bit.” Cheng Ge patted the boy’s shoulder, then pulled Wen Ling downstairs.
“I don’t like him,” Wen Ling swung Cheng Ge’s hand. “I hate him.”
The boy had inexplicably entered Wen Ling and Cheng Ge’s home, and Wen Ling already viewed him as an intruder.
Now that he had also pushed Cheng Ge’s leg, causing him so much pain, Wen Ling completely considered the boy an enemy.
“I know, but he didn’t do it on purpose, right? Let’s have our Little Wen forgive him, okay?”
Wen Ling didn’t speak.
Back in their room, Cheng Ge found a few smaller pieces of clothing in the closet and grabbed a new towel, intending to have the little boy change.
“No,” Wen Ling grabbed Cheng Ge’s hand, his expression fierce. “He’s not allowed to wear your clothes.”
“Then…” Cheng Ge was a bit intimidated. “Can you find a couple of pieces for him? His clothes are all wet, he must be so cold.”
Cheng Ge heard Wen Ling first let out a very quiet “Hmph,” and then he started angrily rummaging through the closet.
Cheng Ge was about to help Wen Ling carry the clothes upstairs, but Wen Ling stopped him, frowning. “I’ll go up and give them to him. You rest. I’ll put medicine on you later.”
“Let him take a shower, okay?”
“Mhm.” Wen Ling turned to leave, but Cheng Ge grabbed him. “Teach him how to use the showerhead, he might not know.”
“Mhm.”
“Don’t be too fierce, he seems very timid.”
Wen Ling glared at Cheng Ge. Cheng Ge smiled placatingly: “I’m done, I’m done. Just don’t get into a fight.”
“Hmph.”
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