The Strange Song Xiaoyu

About half an hour later, the taxi arrived at the orphanage gates.

There were still forty minutes left before visiting hours ended, but it seemed someone at the guard station had already been notified. After Shen Xing arrived and explained his purpose, he was registered and admitted without a hitch.

Passing through the garden and entering the same building as before, Shen Xing noticed that the entire orphanage was exceptionally quiet.

A male volunteer with a face he didn't recognize greeted him at the entrance of the first floor. This volunteer was likely on duty for this shift, handling tasks similar to what Song Xiaoyu had done during his last visit.

Because the other children were currently in class in a different building, the environment here was unusually still. As Shen Xing headed upstairs, he only occasionally spotted other volunteers or cleaners in uniform.

"Feifei hasn't attended any of her afternoon classes; she's been staying in her room and won't come out," the male volunteer said. "I finally managed to convince her to go for a walk just now, and she asked to call you. My phone was dead, so she went over to the office building to make the call."

Shen Xing nodded. "Do you know why she isn't going to class?"

The male volunteer shrugged. "She said her stomach hurt, but she refused to take any medicine. That's definitely an excuse, but I didn't want to call her out on it. You know, Feifei is actually very sensible; she wouldn't skip class for no reason."

"Who did she meet with at noon?" Shen Xing asked.

The male volunteer thought for a moment. "It seems it was Xiaoyu. Another volunteer, Song Xiaoyu, came by. It wasn't her shift today, so I don't know what she was doing here."

"Did they talk?" Shen Xing asked again.

The male volunteer nodded. "They should have, but I didn't see it."

"Where is Song Xiaoyu now?" Shen Xing turned his head to look around.

"I don't know. She might have already left."

As the male volunteer spoke, he walked to the door of Room 307, knocked gently, and said, "Feifei, your Uncle Shen is here. May we come in?"

To be a volunteer here, one had to be compassionate above all else, and secondly, be able to get along well with the children.

"Please come in," Feifei's delicate voice came from inside.

The male volunteer opened the door and invited Shen Xing to enter first, while he held the door and stood at the threshold, asking Feifei, who was sitting on the bed, "Do you need me to come in?"

"I want to talk to Uncle Shen alone. Sorry, Big Monster!" Feifei said.

Seeing Shen Xing's surprised look, the male volunteer explained sheepishly, "That's my nickname here. The kids all call me that."

Shen Xing smiled.

The volunteer nicknamed "Big Monster" closed the door gently, his footsteps fading away.

Lin Feifei immediately jumped off the bed, ran toward Shen Xing, and grabbed his hand.

"Uncle Shen..." Feifei's expression couldn't hide her terror, showing that the composure she had displayed while sitting on the bed had been a deliberate act.

"What exactly happened?" Shen Xing crouched down and asked, puzzled.

"Sister Xiaoyu suddenly came today, and she seemed to be getting close to me on purpose," Feifei said.

"Did you ask her why?"

Although Shen Xing felt perplexed, if Song Xiaoyu had business with Feifei, Feifei could have just asked her directly; there was nothing strange about that.

Feifei nodded. "I asked. She said she missed me, and then... and then..."

"And then what?"

"Then, she just kept smiling at me." Feifei suddenly shivered. "Actually, Sister Xiaoyu's smile is very sweet, but today, the way she smiled suddenly made me feel scared. I couldn't help but ask her what she was smiling at..."

"How did she answer?"

"She said she... wasn't smiling." Feifei shivered again and asked Shen Xing, "Can you imagine her still keeping that smile on her face while she answered me?"

After a pause, Feifei's expression turned fearful, and she hugged Shen Xing tightly again. "Uncle Shen, I'm scared!"

"Did you tell the other volunteers or teachers about Sister Xiaoyu's strange behavior?" Shen Xing asked, frowning.

He could feel Feifei trembling in his arms, and it wasn't an act.

In truth, before arriving at the orphanage, Shen Xing had been skeptical about why Feifei had called him. While she claimed Song Xiaoyu's weird behavior scared her, Shen Xing was more inclined to believe Feifei was trying to appear vulnerable to stir his pity and get him to adopt her.

It couldn't be helped; it wasn't that Shen Xing was overthinking, but Feifei's mind was indeed much more mature than her peers, and some of her thoughts or plans could far exceed those of other children her age.

But now, he could feel that Lin Feifei was genuinely terrified.

Feifei replied, "I told the teachers' office, but they didn't believe me because... because Sister Xiaoyu spoke to them too, and she was perfectly normal. She wasn't smiling at that time."

"Has Song Xiaoyu left?" Shen Xing asked.

Feifei shook her head. "I don't know. I deliberately said my stomach hurt just now and kept Big Monster in the room with me. She probably realized I wasn't alone, so she left."

The image of the male volunteer who had just left flashed through Shen Xing's mind.

"It's okay, it's okay," he said, patting Feifei's shoulder to comfort her.

"Besides smiling at you, was there anything else unusual about Sister Xiaoyu?" Shen Xing asked again.

"No, nothing else," Feifei replied.

After helping Feifei back onto the bed, Shen Xing poured her a glass of warm water. To distract her, he said softly, "I've already submitted the adoption application to City Hall. It just depends on whether it gets approved."

Feifei's eyes lit up, and she temporarily forgot her fear. Her pupils seemed to become much more vibrant. "Really?"

She clasped her hands over her chest, looking expectant. "I hope it gets approved soon so I can leave this place!"

Shen Xing smiled slightly and reached out to flick the tip of Feifei's nose with his index finger. He noticed her skin felt a bit cold, just as her hands had when she grabbed him earlier.

"Did you catch a cold?" Shen Xing asked, touching Feifei's forehead.

Feifei shook her head. "Maybe I was just too scared earlier."

Shen Xing helped her lie down, pulled the thin quilt up to her shoulders, and chatted with her for a while. He asked about her studies, friends, and hobbies, deliberately trying to ease her fear.

Before they knew it, a knock sounded at the door. The male volunteer nicknamed "Big Monster" poked his head in and smiled. "Mr. Shen, visiting hours are over. Sorry about that."

After the reminder, the male volunteer gently closed the door and tactfully took his leave.

"Get some sleep. I'll tell Big Monster to keep an extra eye on you when I head out," Shen Xing said to Feifei.

Feifei gripped the edge of the quilt and pulled it up until only her eyes were visible, nodding without a word.

She seemed to understand that no matter how afraid she was, she couldn't keep Shen Xing here forever, nor could she expect Big Monster to watch over her in Room 307 at all times.

Her bright, lively eyes followed Shen Xing until he closed the door behind him.

Standing in the hallway outside, Shen Xing looked around and noticed the male volunteer had already headed downstairs.

He glanced back once; the hallway was completely silent and deserted, so he began to walk downstairs.

Just as he reached the second floor, he saw a figure in a light blue volunteer uniform turn into the right-hand corridor. The person was thin with disheveled hair—a woman—and her back looked strangely familiar.

Thank you all for the tips! Thanks for the support! Still asking for votes! (°‵′)