—What's that?
He was really too rude.
"And also," Shen Sixing said, his voice thick with drunkenness, frowning, "you messed up my room."
"Why did you take apart my gun?"
He couldn't understand this kid's logic.
Shen Yi said, "Your room was already a mess, like a rat's nest."
"Don't worry, I'll put your gun back together when I have time."
"And," the girl added politely, "my name is Shen Yi."
Shen Sixing's only response was a short, "Oh."
He didn't want to bother with her. He lay down on the floor, rolled over, and curled into a ball. His trench coat was wrinkled and wrapped around him, his hair a tangled mess plastered to his forehead. He closed his eyes, apparently planning to sleep right there, using the ceiling as a blanket and the floor as a bed.
Shen Yi hesitated for two seconds but still walked over and pushed his shoulder. "Hey, don't you want to talk with me?"
Shen Sixing didn't move.
She pushed again. "You'll catch a cold sleeping on the floor."
Shen Sixing lifted one hand to cover his ear and rolled over to face the wall.
Shen Yi crouched beside him, watching his stubborn, careless attitude with mixed feelings.
If it weren't for that familiar face and name, it would be hard to connect him with the future Shen Sixing.
She pushed him once more. "You drank a lot."
Shen Sixing mumbled, "But I'm not drunk."
His speech was clear enough, his tone flat as a straight line, without any ups or downs.
"Whether you're drunk or not, who cares?" Shen Yi said, crouching to look at him. "Your place is so shabby, Dad. Where am I supposed to sleep?"
Shen Sixing closed his eyes and ignored her.
After two seconds, Shen Yi heard his breathing become steady and long.
Asleep?!
Just like that, lying on the floor, curled up, the trench coat half-covering him, not even bothering to stay alert.
Shen Yi ran her hands through her hair in frustration.
Considering the thin walls of this rundown place, she suppressed the urge to scream.
Silently, she stood up, dragged over the crumpled blanket from the bed, shook it out, and draped it over him.
The blanket was big, covering him entirely, making him look like a cocoon with only a stubborn tuft of hair sticking out.
Shen Yi stood there, watching the boy wrapped up like a caterpillar, then dazedly climbed onto the only bed.
The bed was small, with a spring that had collapsed, making her sink toward the middle as soon as she lay down.
Just before falling asleep, her last thought was—
So Mom really hadn't lied to her.
Early Shen Sixing really was just a broke loser who lived off others!!
The next morning, Shen Yi groggily opened her eyes, yawned, and leaned half her head over the edge of the bed to look down.
Shen Sixing was sitting up from the floor, the blanket sliding off to pool around his waist.
The boy lowered his head, one hand pressing against his temple, his brow furrowed.
Hungover.
Headache.
Memories slowly revealed themselves like a beach at low tide.
Yesterday, he'd gone to a bar, drunk a lot, then come home and taken a fall.
Seeing all the guns and parts scattered on the floor...
Finally, it came back to him.
He'd brought a child home.
Yes.
At the ripe young age of eighteen, in the prime of his youth, Shen Sixing had become a father overnight, picking up a kid out of nowhere.
He jerked his head up, his gaze landing precisely on Shen Yi, who was still on the bed.
Shen Yi was lying on her stomach at the edge, her chin resting on her hands, her eyes bright and sparkling. The moment she saw he was awake, her expression turned to one of "I've been waiting for you." "You're awake! Dad."
Her voice was crisp and full of energy. "I'm hungry."
That "Dad" made his stomach ache.
Shen Sixing didn't say a word. He buried his face in his hands and let out a groan.
As if refusing to face reality, he lay back down, curled up, pulled the blanket over his head, and turned himself into a tight ball.
He didn't move.
Shen Yi jumped off the bed, walked over, crouched beside him, and poked the blanket-wrapped ball.
"Hey, did you hear me? I'm hungry."
The ball didn't react.
She poked it twice more.
"…Can't you cook for yourself?" came the boy's muffled voice from under the blanket.
"Your fridge is completely empty," Shen Yi said earnestly. "There's not even an egg."
There was a few seconds of silence from under the blanket, then Shen Sixing slowly pulled the blanket down just enough to reveal one eye, staring at her like she was an unsolved mystery.
He stared for a good few seconds, then pulled the blanket back up, rolled over to face the wall, and said nothing else.
Shen Yi crouched nearby, watching this teenager cocooned in his blanket, and thought—
…This is really bad.
How did he even survive until Mom took him in?
She moved a little closer.
Studying the young Shen Sixing up close.
Curled up under the blanket, he looked painfully thin—his shoulder blades jutted out from under his shirt, his neck was long and slender, his collarbones sharply defined.
His features were plain, the kind that wouldn't stand out in a crowd. His complexion was pale, his lips light in color, giving off a vibe of "died three days ago and got back up."
Just as she was studying him, he suddenly opened his eyes.
His pupils were dark, with a cold, glassy sheen.
Shen Sixing stared at Shen Yi, who was right in his face, and his pupils contracted sharply. His body reacted faster than his mind.
Shen Yi felt a tickle at her neck.
The next second, a hand precisely clamped around her throat.
He held it loosely, without tightening it, making the warning clear:
"Get away."
Shen Yi froze for a moment, her neck in his grip.
This feeling was too familiar.
She'd had it as a child—every time she got close to Shen Sixing, he would instinctively defend himself, reaching out to push her away.
It had taken a long time for him to get used to her presence.
Now she was back to square one.
She didn't struggle. After waiting a few seconds to confirm he wouldn't actually squeeze, she gently pushed his hand away from her neck.
Then she stepped back two paces, returning to her original crouch.
Looking up at him, she pretended nothing had happened and repeated, "I'm hungry."
Shen Sixing had just woken up, his thoughts not fully caught up yet. This kid's reaction was beyond his expectations.
Usually, if an eight-year-old was grabbed by the neck by a stranger, they'd either cry or run away. But this girl just crouched there, calmly saying she was hungry, like a puppy that had been kicked but came trotting back on its own.
Something was off.
He got up from the floor, walked to the bathroom to wash up, and when he came out, a few strands of his bangs were damp, sticking to his forehead.
He didn't look at her.
He went straight to the desk and opened the laptop.
The boy stared at the screen, biting his lower lip, his fingers gliding over the touchpad.
The screen was filled with dense text and code, mixed with some symbols Shen Yi couldn't understand, with commission amounts listed at the bottom.
He completely ignored her.
Shen Yi crouched for a while until her legs went numb, then stood up and flexed her ankles.
She moved closer.
Soon, her stomach growled again.
Shen Yi hadn't had a proper meal in a long time.
She tentatively poked him.
"Could you just give me five bucks? I'll go buy breakfast myself. I can eat less and bring some for you too."
At that moment, Shen Sixing really didn't have any money.
He'd gambled it all away.
Shen Sixing pushed the laptop forward a little, then leaned all the way back, curling up in the chair. His shoulder blades jutted out from beneath his shirt, making him look utterly small, pitiful, and helpless.
He lowered his eyelids, a hint of self-abandonment in his tone:
"I don't have any money."
