Hua Muying stood by the sixth-floor window, only snapping out of his daze once he saw Liu Yutong’s convoy leave the neighborhood.
It was then that he realized his back was already soaked in cold sweat, sticky and uncomfortable.
Returning to the room, he looked at the luxury items filling the space. He knew full well how much trouble these things could bring, but the thought of getting rid of them made him reluctant.
"One step at a time, I guess. Just have to bet on Miss Liu keeping her word."
If he could really find that girl...
Hua Muying gritted his teeth as he stared at his "hard-earned treasures" in the room. "Damn it!"
About twenty minutes later, Hua Muying left his hideout and headed to his second residence, carrying some food—including two roasted ducks.
This place was a world apart from where he usually lived. The decor was as crude as it could get, practically a bare concrete shell with no furniture or appliances, just a few bunk beds. The bedding was tattered, filthy, and reeked of a sour, unpleasant odor.
Hua Muying’s designer clothes stood out starkly in this environment, creating a glaring contrast.
After pacing around the room, he pulled up a plastic stool and sat down, waiting for something.
Before long, movement came from outside the door. Five ragged boys filed in, shrinking back slightly when they saw Hua Muying inside. They greeted him in hushed voices.
"H-Hua Ge..."
"......"
Hua Muying eyed them. "How was the haul today? Hand it over."
The boys hesitated before pulling out crumpled bills and coins from their pockets, placing them all on the rickety wooden table. Altogether, it barely amounted to eighty yuan, with a few small notes mixed in.
Seeing how little they’d managed to scrape together, Hua Muying’s face darkened instantly. "Is this all? What the hell were you doing all day?"
"Can’t you even cry properly? When you see someone who looks rich, just throw yourself at their legs and bawl your eyes out! How hard is that?"
"With this kind of performance, you might as well starve to death!"
"......"
Under Hua Muying’s torrent of scolding, the boys didn’t dare breathe too loudly, keeping their heads down in silence.
After ranting for several minutes, Hua Muying finally cooled down a little. He slammed the steamed buns and two roasted ducks onto the table with a thud.
"Eat. Damn it, what a loss."
The boys’ eyes lit up at the sight of the roasted ducks, their mouths watering, but none of them dared to reach for the food.
"Eat! What are you waiting for?! If you don’t, I’ll throw it to the dogs!"
At that, they swarmed the table, tearing into the roasted ducks with their hands, devouring it ravenously. For once, smiles broke out on their faces.
Hua Muying sat to the side, pulling out a pack of cigarettes. He lit one, took a deep drag, and exhaled the smoke. Watching the boys wolf down their food, he couldn’t help but snap,
"Slow down. You look like starving ghosts. Have some dignity."
The boys mumbled responses but didn’t slow their frantic chewing.
Just as they were enjoying their meal, Hua Muying suddenly spoke again. "Listen up. After this meal, I’m sending you away. It’s all arranged."
"Damn it, I spent so much buying you lot, and I haven’t even made my money back. Screw this."
The boys froze at his words, lowering the duck meat in their hands.
The leader, a sturdy boy named Xiao Hu, spoke up hesitantly. "Hua Ge, we won’t eat the meat. Please don’t send us away."
"Hua Ge, we’ll do better! We’ll earn more for you!"
"Hua Ge, we don’t want to go!"
"......"
Hua Muying’s fox-like eyes narrowed sharply. "Shut the hell up! It’s not your call!"
"Counting on you losers to make me money? I’d be bankrupt in no time!"
"Relax, I’m not sending you back to where you came from. You’ve got two choices—either go to an orphanage, or I’ll make arrangements."
"This isn’t a discussion. My decision’s final."
Some of the boys burst into tears immediately, even though they’d already spent the whole day crying on the streets. The tears wouldn’t stop.
Hearing their sobs, Hua Muying cursed under his breath about bad luck and stormed downstairs.
Standing outside, the night wind brushed against his face, and for some reason, his eyes suddenly felt hot.
He pulled a bank card from his pocket.
Inside was about 58,000 yuan—every cent earned by the boys upstairs from begging.
He hadn’t touched a single penny of it.
Hua Muying smoked an entire pack downstairs before finally heading back up.
When he pushed the door open, the boys were still sitting at the table, the roasted ducks half-eaten. Their eyes were dull, some filled with a flicker of fear for the future.
"Made up your minds? My arrangements, or the orphanage?"
Xiao Hu, the leader, looked up and announced their decision. "Hua Ge, we’ve decided. We’ll go with your arrangements."
Hua Muying was surprised. "You sure?"
The boys nodded in unison.
Whether it was numbness from all they’d endured or blind trust in Hua Muying, not a single one chose the orphanage.
"Fine. No take-backs once you’ve decided."
"Don’t go out to work tomorrow. Wait for my instructions."
Before leaving, Hua Muying added, "Those two ducks cost me 36 yuan. If you waste them, I’ll beat the hell out of you when I get back."
With that, he walked out.
He didn’t return to his residence. Instead, he hailed a taxi straight to the Wanlong Society.
By the time he arrived at the entrance, his palms were damp with sweat.
Pushing the door open, he found Liu Yutong sitting in the lobby reviewing documents, as if she’d been expecting him.
Under the lights, her profile was impossibly exquisite.
Despite her breathtaking beauty, Hua Muying never felt anything but unease around her.
The more beautiful the woman, the more dangerous—truer words had never been spoken.
Hua Muying pulled out the bank card and slid it across the table toward Liu Yutong.
Without even glancing up, Liu Yutong said, "Trying to buy peace of mind? I won’t take your money."
Hua Muying hurried to explain. "It’s clean money."
Liu Yutong raised an eyebrow. "Clean money?"
"Miss Liu, you must already know about the boys I have begging on the streets. Truth is, I bought them from traffickers. The money in this card is everything they’ve earned. I haven’t touched a single cent."
"I'm giving this money to Miss Liu in hopes that you'll take them in. Consider it their contribution for meals. It might not be much, but they're used to rough living—just enough to keep them from starving," said Hua Muying.
Liu Yutong shook her head gently. "I'm sorry, but according to the law, the company can't hire underage workers."
Hua Muying grew anxious. "They're all over sixteen—some are already seventeen."
Liu Yutong replied, "That still won't do."
Hearing this, Hua Muying felt a pang of disappointment and turned to leave, determined to find another solution.
Just as she reached the door, a voice drifted softly from behind her.
"However, they’re welcome to come here and study for free. I can arrange for a teacher to instruct them."
