The little girl, who looked not quite six, timidly shrank to the side. "Hello, my name is Li Qianhua. I won't cause you any trouble..."
Her voice was soft and quiet, full of dejection.
[Is something wrong with this kid's eyes? They look kind of strange?]
[!! I was wondering why they talked about this little girl like that! She's blind!]
[Damn it! My heart hurts for this little girl! Why would they say that about her! She's been so wronged!]
[Still, he should keep his distance from her. Taking care of a blind little girl takes care and attention. He'd better not get her hurt.]
Wen Yanyu crouched in front of the little girl, studied her vacant eyes, and coaxed her patiently.
"I'm the big brother your uncles asked to come play with you. You're no trouble at all. I love playing with children. Having one more child here would only make me happier."
"Would you like to come out and play with us?"
Li Qianhua pressed her lips together, unsure how to react.
Wen Yanyu softened his voice. "I brought lots of tasty things, too. There's chocolate, peach gummies, and lollipops. I also brought a little stuffed toy."
"It's fluffy and soft, and it feels really nice to touch. If you come out, I'll give it to you, okay?"
Wen Yanyu slowed his speech as he coaxed the child, sounding gentle, smiling, and utterly approachable.
"A stuffed toy?"
Li Qianhua blinked softly, a trace of curiosity flashing through her vacant eyes.
Wen Yanyu smiled and hummed an affirmation. "Shall I take you to hold it? It's right in my bag-a soft, fluffy, super-cute little stuffed toy."
"There's sweet chocolate, too."
"We can play in the courtyard together and bask in the warm sunshine."
A fluffy little stuffed toy.
And chocolate.
Those key words formed a strange picture in her mind. Curious and tempted by the treats, Li Qianhua nodded gently.
"Then can I hold your hand and take you outside?" Wen Yanyu tentatively touched the little girl's hand. Li Qianhua hesitated for a few seconds before carefully taking the boy's hand.
Seeing Li Qianhua being led outside by the hand, the children exchanged looks and silently moved farther away.
Wen Yanyu rummaged through his bag for the stuffed puppy he had brought and held it out before the little girl.
Even when his hands gently guided hers onto the stuffed puppy's head, Li Qianhua remained bewildered, utterly dazed.
Ever since her mother had left and she had begun staying with one village household after another, she had not received a single gift.
Much less a stuffed toy of a kind she had never even heard of.
The palm-sized thing in her arms was warm and fluffy, and the hands holding hers were warm, too. It felt different from when Grandpa and the other big brothers held her hands.
The purest affection burst forth in her heart.
I love it so much.
"Are you really giving it to me?" Li Qianhua raised her head in bewilderment, her voice childish and timid.
She cautiously asked again to make sure.
Wen Yanyu came back to himself and rubbed the child's head.
"Of course. This is my gift to you."
Looking into those vacant eyes, Wen Yanyu's gaze softened, and his thoughts involuntarily drifted back to his former world.
He could not see anything.
Locked in the Dungeon, he could only feel things with his hands.
Back then, the system accompanying him had taken physical form and let him hold it. Only that had kept him from breaking down completely.
He understood that feeling of darkness and emptiness, that fear and despair.
"Th-thank you."
Li Qianhua lowered her head. Her voice was still timid, but now it carried a little joy.
Wen Yanyu reached out and rubbed the child's cheek.
So soft.
Cute.
Like a little sister.
"You're welcome. Then why don't you give her a name, Li Qianhua?" Wen Yanyu looked at her earnestly. "Once you give someone a name, they won't leave you. They'll always stay with you."
Li Qianhua froze, then lowered her head, hugging the little stuffed toy tightly and stroking her. Only after a long while did she speak.
"Little Flower."
"Her name is Little Flower."
A flower that bloomed from the soil.
"All right." The corners of Wen Yanyu's lips lifted slightly, and gentle ripples spread through his eyes. "Then let Little Flower play with you for a while. I'll go talk to the other children, then come back and play with all of you, okay?"
Li Qianhua nodded, holding the stuffed puppy against her cheek and nuzzling her over and over.
So warm.
Wen Yanyu turned to soothe the children who had grown jealous and begun sulking.
Duan Mufeng propped up his chin and leisurely watched the interaction before him, his eyes brimming with a lingering tenderness even he had not noticed.
[Aww~ My heart's melting.]
[To be fair, Wen Yanyu is pretty good at coaxing kids.]
[He has that gentle big brother vibe.]
[Lol, the other kids are jealous.]
[Can't be helped, haha. These are special circumstances, after all.]
[As long as he doesn't pull anything.]
Li Qianhua sat quietly beside the boy, holding the stuffed puppy without another word.
Wen Yanyu watched the child for a while and hesitated for a long time.
He rummaged through his backpack for the things he had brought to ward off low blood sugar, then clapped his hands at the children in the courtyard.
"Does anyone want chocolate? If you want chocolate, come over here."
Chocolate!!!
Hearing the key word, all the children in the courtyard looked over.
They came pattering over together, while the children playing beneath the tree stumbled a few times.
Wen Yanyu opened the package, and the sweet scent of chocolate immediately wafted out.
The children crowded around the boy with shining eyes, lining up one after another and eagerly waiting for their candy.
Looking at the impatient children, Wen Yanyu cleared his throat. "But you have to do something first before you can have chocolate."
[Wait, what is this guy trying to do?]
[I've watched enough to feel sick. Can he stop using kids to build his image?]
[Agreed. I feel like he's about to pull something, too.]
[Isn't this Wen Yanyu's task? What did he do?]
[I just think he's a bad person. I doubt he's up to anything good.]
[? The logic in these comments is insane.]
"What do we have to do?"
"Can I have a piece of candy first?"
"What do we have to do? Tell us!"
The children gazed at him, their eyes full of expectation.
Wen Yanyu's lovely, upturned eyes curved, a gentle smile spreading across his face. "You have to wash your hands first, then wash your faces. Only then can you have candy."
At that, the children looked at one another, glancing at the dirt on each other's faces that had come from who knew where, then down at their hands, dirty from playing in the soil. They all nodded like little chicks pecking grain.
After filling a red basin halfway with cold water from the courtyard tap, Wen Yanyu turned and stopped the children who had been sticking close behind him.
"I'm going inside to get some hot water. Wait for me in the courtyard, and don't run off."
"Okay!"
[I hate him so much! Can he stop using kids to build his image!]
[Well, you don't have to watch this livestream. The other contestants' streams are running, too.]
[Here come the brain-dead fans again. Disgusting. I really hate assholes who use kids to build their image.]
[Exactly. Going through all this pointless fuss-doesn't he get tired? Who's he putting on a show for?]
[I think everything looks normal so far. His task is to take care of the kids for a morning. Their hands and faces really are a bit dirty. How is washing their hands and faces wrong?]
[Agreed. Besides, four- and five-year-olds like sucking on their hands. Having dirty hands isn't good.]
Wen Yanyu finally found a green thermos inside the house. When he lifted the lid, steam rose continuously from its mouth.
Glancing down at the camera hanging in front of his chest, Wen Yanyu casually adjusted his clothes, and the fabric happened to cover the lens completely.
After checking one last time that his ability was still there, Wen Yanyu lowered his eyes and reached into the water.
Having added the hot water, he picked up the basin and headed outside.
"Little ones, come over. Once you're washed, you can have candy."
The children cheered and ran over to Wen Yanyu.
Wen Yanyu carefully set the basin on the ground and took a new towel from his bag.
Looking at the dozen or so children, Wen Yanyu paused, then instructed the older ones, "You lot, take the little ones to wash their hands first."
The children nodded, and Wen Yanyu reminded them, "But only wash your hands over there! Come back here afterward to wash your faces with warm water! And don't get water on yourselves!"
"Okay!" Thinking only of getting their candy sooner, the children skipped over to the tap to wash their hands.
His gaze fell on Li Qianhua, who had no one beside her and was about to feel her way after the other children. Wen Yanyu stepped forward to stop her.
"Li Qianhua, just stay with me. I'll wash you." Wen Yanyu bent down to speak to Li Qianhua while having her hold the hem of his clothes. "I'm right beside you. If you need anything, you can call me or tug on my clothes."
"Okay." Li Qianhua paused, then carefully took hold of the boy's hem.
Seeing this, a child nearby suddenly turned around, a little disgruntled. "Then can you help me wash later, too?"
Wen Yanyu paused, then smiled. "Of course."
"What about me?"
Duan Mufeng raised an eyebrow and pointed at himself.
Without even looking at him, Wen Yanyu tossed him a bag of candy. "Sit still."
Duan Mufeng caught the chocolate on reflex. After a few seconds of surprise, the corners of his lips lifted almost imperceptibly.
He picked up a piece of chocolate and popped it into his mouth, slowly chewing and swallowing.
The chocolate melted in his mouth.
Sweet and cloying.
[Duan Radish: I got to be one of the kids, too.]
[Suddenly realizing how close these two are.]
[Obviously. Duan Radish chats with Wen Yanyu under the covers every night. Even strangers would get close after all that talking.]
[I'm remembering Lu Mingxu's deadened stare again, hahahaha.]
[Help, Wen Yanyu is so much like a kindergarten teacher!]
[With Duan Mufeng sitting off to the side, he's just one of the older kids.]
[The big blond kid (just kidding).]
Before you continue