CH 14

Unedited

The snowflakes fluttered about, quietly sprinkling down on the streets. It fell on the shoulders and within the hair of the two intertwined. 

Bai Zhi waited until Du Huai’an released him and blankly stroked his lips. After quite a while, he spoke.

“For every customer, do you always give a parting gift?”

Du Huai’an had an upright expression and lowered his head, his serious tone could not be ignored.

“No, it’s only for you. It belongs exclusively to you.”

The man’s voice was somewhat hoarse and quietly sprayed at the side of Bai Zhi’s ear. Bai Zhi lowered his head and took a few steps back, somewhat helplessly pulling his finger. After a moment, he simply turned around, lifted his feet, and ran off in an instant, leaving behind a long trail of footsteps in the snow. 

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Du Huai’an stood in place. He didn’t turn his head to look at the man and also didn’t tell him to stay. After a very long time, he slowly lowered himself, very carefully picking up the snowman that had fallen on the ground. He squeezed it back together, sighed, and held it to his chest. 

“Time’s over, let’s bring you home.”

The wind and snow became a bit heavier. There was the sound of rustling in the air, and the cold wind penetrated his bones. Du Huai’an couldn’t help turning around. That little fool, would he catch a cold going back alone? Would he remember to wear more clothes tomorrow? Would he still eat his three meals at random? 

He stood still for a while, ridiculing himself by laughing.

All of these have nothing to do with him anymore. 

Du Huai’an pulled his hat down, carefully held the snowman, and began taking a step again. 

The wind and snow were still beating the cold winds into Du Huai’an, and the person he always worried about, met with the same invasion.

Bai Zhi’s heart was in disorder and he also didn’t care about any of the tasks. He hurriedly returned home. He sat in the living room until the middle of the night, and suddenly, he remembered that he should be going to bed. Thus, he threw himself onto the bed, his eyes open until dawn.

“Uncle, I’m so sleepy……”

When dawn approached, Bai Zhi eventually couldn’t resist. 

“If you’re sleepy, sleep.” The system was baffled.

“But I can’t sleep. Now, if I close my eyes, it’s all images of Du Huai’an kissing me.”

System: “What did it feel like?”

Bai Zhi thought about it, “Hm…… It was ticklish, sweet, and soft.” After he said that, he closed his eyes. He mumbled to himself and spoke again, “I feel it again, ao1.”

“En……” Bai Zhi closed his eyes for about five or six seconds, then opened his eyes, a smiling expression on his face, “It was quite- quite comfortable.”

“Oh~” The system deliberately dragged his voice, replying eccentrically. 

“What are you doing?” Bai Zhi was not happy. 

“Creating a disturbance2.” The system said.

Bai Zhi simply sat up. He was curled up and held a pillow, “What do you say, how about I go find him now?”

“Your three days have already finished.” The system reminded.

“Oh.” Bai Zhi responded, “But, I didn’t say I wouldn’t find him to play with after the order finishes, did I?”

System: “……What’s the reason that you’ll have?”

“It’s simple.” Bai Zhi threw his bolster, jumped down the bed, sharply took a breath, jumped a few steps on the spot, then quickly took out his hand, and split open the bedside cabinet with the hand.

System: “……”

Bai Zhi: “Hahaha, my home’s bedside cabinet broke, I’m going to go find Du Huai’an and talk about it.”

“You might as well split the bed into two and immediately find him to sleep3 with.” Said the system with black lines.4

“The bed is soft, it’s too difficult to mess with.” Bai Zhi did not suggest, “I——”

A Bai Zhi spoke, a bunch of fierce knocks on the door interrupted his words. The little demon scratched his head, walked over, and stretched his head out. 

“Good morning? Huh? Mum and Dad? You’re back?”

“You’re going to turn over the skies, how could we dare not come back?” Jiang Feng’s mood was very low.

“What happened?”

“That child, Yuanyang, said you’ve become enchanted by a……” Mother Jiang still couldn’t get those two words out of her mouth in the end. Stuck for a long time, she could only reprimand Bai Zhi.

“Who led you astray!”

“No one’s leading me astray.” Bai Zhi pursed his lips, “Peng Yuanyang maliciously slandered me, Du Huai’an, he——”

“I don’t care whether he maliciously slandered you or not!” Jiang Feng called out, “People like Du Huai’an approach you only for your money.”

“It was me who approached him.” Bai Zhi earnestly stated.

“You——” Jiang Feng hated iron for not becoming steel5, “You and he must immediately cut off contact or you can get the hell out of the Jiang family!”

Mother Jiang’s face changed, “Jiang Feng, what are you saying? You can’t say so much even in the moment of anger, JiuJiu6, quickly apologise to your father.”

“Oh.” Bai Zhi bowed, “Sorry.”

Jiang Feng looked a bit better, “It’s not too late to know your mistakes, cut it off cleanly.”

Bai Zhi: “I won’t cut it off.”

Jiang Feng: “Get the hell out of here!”

Bai Zhi lowered his head and thought for a while.

He doesn’t need to eat, doesn’t need to drink, and can sleep in random places. He can split steel reinforcing bars with his bare hands, use his fist to smash cement, and can finish off ten bad people with just a hand. Furthermore, when he’s bored, the system can keep him company for a chat. Not returning home is simply all right.

“Then I’m going, until next time, hahahaha.”

Bai Zhi cupped one fist in the other hand7, then skipped away.

Jiang Feng, who was so angry, couldn’t speak words, “……!!”

Mother Jiang was worried and hurriedly stepped forwards to pull back Bai Zhi, only to meet with Jiang Feng’s obstruction, “Let him leave! Nobody is allowed to offer financial aid! I’ll see how he survives outside!”

Bai Zhi happily stepped out of the house’s door. After strolling around in the city district and looking left and right all day long, the system’s voice suddenly came through.

“Nephew, your card was frozen.”

Bai Zhi waved his hands, “Oh.”

System: “It’s getting dark.”

Bai Zhi: “Okay, okay, I got it.”

“You cheeky thing, where will you sleep tonight?”

“It’s simple.” Bai Zhi sat his butt on the park bench, “There’s no space!”

He paused.

“Good night, Uncle.”

“……Good night, Big Nephew.”

“Orange rainstorm warning8: Dear citizens, the cumulative precipitation in the city is expected to reach 50mm in the next three hours——

The TV turned off with a ‘pow’.

Du Huai’an put the remote control down. For a long time, he had his head raised and he looked at the sky outside of the window.

Black clouds were pushed to the top, making people gloomy.

He suddenly recalled his previous call.

“Brother Du, that Jiang Jiu’s order was withdrawn midway by his father, and the money was actually fully taken back. But…… I heard that Jiang Jiu was driven out and is now penniless.”

Du Huai’an’s eyes slightly twitched. Without saying anything, he hung up the phone.

The black clouds had already gotten heavier and heavier, it seemed ready to push down rain9 any time. The air was even colder. A drizzle in early winter wasn’t always very pleasant.

Du Huai’an lit a cigarette. He slightly inhaled and exhaled a ring of smoke.

The inside of the house was very quiet, you wouldn’t be able to hear even a bit of sound. The sound of rain falling outside was particularly clear.

The dripping had gotten heavier and heavier.

There was a sudden burning sensation on his hand, and Du Huai’an snapped out of it. He then found cigarette ashes that had fallen on his hand.

He frowned, turned his hand over, and threw it in the ashtray. He drew out a piece of paper and wipes his hand with maximum strength. He was feeling particularly jittery.

“How troublesome.”

The sound of the rain seemed to have gotten a bit louder, and Du Huai’an firmly slammed the paper that was rolled into a ball to the floor. He immediately and suddenly got up, heading directly for the doorway.

“What a fool.”

……

This time, Bai Zhi was awoken by the smashing rain.

He trembled, both hands surrounding his knees. Squatting beside the park tree, his body was huddled together, “Uncle, Uncle, it’s so cold, so cold, so cold……”

The system was also anxious and ran around in circles, “Don’t worry, Nephew. Wait for the rain to stop and we’ll go for a three-kilometre run. Rub your body first, there’s no hurry, ao.”

The fully unconsoled Bai Zhi: “Uncle, I think I might become the first demon to freeze to death.”

“You won’t!” The system shouted, “It doesn’t matter if you’re found, you’ll just be found. I’m coming out now, you can hide in my belly!”

“No.” Bai Zhi refused, “Uncle, you leak electricity when you encounter water. It’s too unsafe, I still want to live rather well.”

Bai Zhi lowered his head, no longer speaking.

When Du Huai’an came, he saw this scene.

The young master’s fine clothes had already become completely soaked and the hair on his head was also dripping wet. The petite body was curled up into a tiny ball, motionlessly crouching in the corner.  

“Jiang Jiu!”

He immediately rushed over.

Bai Zhi heard his voice and raised his head, facing the two, familiar eyes.

“Du Huai’an?”

Du Huai’an picked up10 Bai Zhi like he was lifting a chick. He held the umbrella over their heads and single-handedly took off his jacket, covering him tightly. He immediately spoke out, his voice carrying a toughness that allowed no excuse.

“Come home with me.”

Bai Zhi staggered after the man. When they had returned home, Du Huai’an stripped off his clothing and stuffed him in the bathtub. The water temperature was also just right.

“Are you going to wash yourself or should I wash you?”

Bai Zhi promptly rose up from the bubbles, “Wash myself, wash myself.”

Bai Zhi soaked in the warm water for a long time, and in the end, he soaked himself until he was warm and fragrant. Then, he wore a bathrobe and moved out.

Just after going out, he ran into Du Huai’an.

The man’s tone was fierce, “Why aren’t you wearing slippers?”

“The slippers are too ugly.”

Bai Zhi honestly replied.

Then, he was carried to the sofa by someone who had a blackened face.11

“Even if it’s too ugly, you’re not allowed to go without slippers.”

After saying that, he held a towel and wiped Bai Zhi’s feet dry. He took out two, large, cotton slippers and put them on for him.

“If you dare take it off, I’ll beat12 you.”

Bai Zhi lowered his head, his voice very weak, as if he had suffered great bullying.

“En.”

Du Huai’an paused for a moment.

Soon after, a bowl of ginger soup was carried in.

Bai Zhi drank the human food with an expression of meeting death, “Machine Uncle, I’m probably going to die——”

He suddenly raised his head, shock on his face. The words in his mind came to an end.

“Why, why can you make it taste so delicious?”

Du Huai’an, however, wasn’t that surprised, “Then drink it all and go to bed.”

Bai Zhi lowered his head and drank all of it.

Du Huai’an wiped his mouth, and led the man to lie on the bed.

“Rest well, I’m going out.”

“Where are you going!” Bai Zhi immediately got up.

Du Huai’an looked at him who instantly looked awake, and a slight smile was unconsciously worn on his face, “I’m buying slippers that aren’t ugly.”

After saying that, he pushed the door open and left.

Bai Zhi foolishly looked at his exiting figure for a long time, then he suddenly asked.

“Uncle.”

“What?”

“Du Huai’an and Fang Jingmo, do they have a relationship?”

The author has something to say:

Earlier, my good friend13 and I talked about the little demon. 

Me: My family’s little demon can split steel reinforcing bars with his bare hands, use his fist to smash cement, and can finish off ten bad people with just one hand. 14

Good friend: Stunned.

Me: My family’s little demon could still go downstairs and frog leap three kilometres even after going to bed.15

Good friend: Stunned squared.16