When Cao Yuan saw that the child was looking at him without evasion or fear in his eyes, the weight in his heart eased slightly.
He walked up to the boy, crouched down, and asked as kindly as he could:
"Aren't you afraid of me?"
"Why would I be afraid of you?" the boy asked calmly. "I've seen people who look even fiercer than you. It's no big deal."
Hearing this, Cao Yuan's mood immediately improved.
"What's your name? How old are you?"
"Wu Quan, fifteen."
"Fourteen... Are you in school?"
"Ninth grade."
"Ninth grade? You should be preparing for your high school entrance exams, right? Don't you have school today?"
"Today's Sunday. No school."
"Right... Good boy. Study hard, and you'll definitely have a bright future."
Cao Yuan nodded repeatedly in praise.
After chatting for a few moments, Cao Yuan was about to stand when Wu Quan suddenly asked:
"Is Brother Qing Zhu... really carrying out a secret mission?"
Cao Yuan's gaze sharpened, then he smiled. "Yes. Why do you ask?"
Wu Quan's dark eyes stared at Cao Yuan for a long time.
"...Oh."
With that, Wu Quan turned and walked into the room, closing the door behind him.
"Cao Yuan, come here for a moment." Just as Cao Yuan sighed, An Qingyu poked his head out from another room and beckoned to him.
Cao Yuan walked over. "What's wrong?"
"Look at this."
Cao Yuan entered the room and saw four or five children playing on rubber mats in the middle of the room. An Qingyu stood alone before a white wall, one hand supporting his chin as though deep in thought.
Following An Qingyu's gaze, Cao Yuan discovered that the wall before him was covered in all sorts of crooked, colorful graffiti.
Each drawing had a different style: