He bent down toward the young child and rested his face in that tender, soft little hand.
Li Qianhua stiffened, at a loss. That hand gently guided hers, moving it slowly over somewhere soft and warm.
Her heartbeat quietly quickened without her noticing, and waves of stinging rose in her eyes.
Her lashes were already wet with tears.
Li Qianhua reached out on her own to touch the person before her, using touch to "see" what he looked like.
She could feel that it was a face. Her fingers touched it lightly, first the smooth skin, the eyebrows, the eye sockets, then the straight bridge of his nose, and finally his soft lips.
The sweet scent of peaches lingered at her nose as a face took shape in her mind. Warm breath brushed the back of her hand, a sign of life.
The cameraman following the three of them quickly and quietly zoomed in.
Sunlight broke through the clouds and spilled over the two of them. Wen Yanyu lowered his eyes to the child before him, an indescribable emotion flowing through eyes whose color was gradually fading.
It seemed to be tenderness, the affection of someone older for someone younger, yet it also seemed to be the sorrowful compassion of people in the same cage, looking at the same helpless tragedy.
The sun's halo mingled with the fractured shimmer in his eyes, making it impossible to tell whether it was sunlight or tears that had yet to fall...
His heart inexplicably skipped a beat.
Duan Mufeng jolted, snapping out of it as though waking from a dream.
He immediately turned his head and looked away.
The camera image was crystal clear.
At that moment, neither Duan Mufeng nor anyone in the livestream chat said a word.
After a brief silence, the chat exploded.
[Touch my face. Since you can't see me, feel that I'm here. I'm going to cry! I'm going to cry! I'm seriously going to cry, sob sob sob!]
[Daddy, can you stop chasing that one from the Fu family? Chase me instead, okay? I'm pretty rich too. Chase me and I'll take you abroad to get married right away.]
[Honestly, he's a decent person. Aside from his romantic history, he doesn't really have any scandals. He just lost his head over love and ruined things for himself.]
[I... I'm seriously falling apart. After that whole combo, I really can't take any of it, sob sob sob. He's already won me over.]
[I've been wanting to say this for a while, but Wen Yanyu really is like a gentle male mom. That angry little boy acted up several times, and Wen Yanyu kept him in line every time. And little Qianhua was being excluded because of her eyes too, right? A lot of parents might not even notice how she was feeling, but Wen Yanyu was paying attention to her feelings the whole time.]
[Yes, and he didn't neglect the other children because of little Qianhua either. He even brought her along to play with them.]
[And those shy kids weren't ignored either. He gave every one of them pretty little braids. What kind of top-tier male mom is this? I'm swooning.]
[Baby's actually always been like this. He just acted possessed before. Sob sob sob, baby, if you can change, Mommy will keep being your fan and boosting your numbers, sob sob sob.]
Li Qianhua sniffled softly and finally could not hold back her quiet tears.
Since her mother left, she had not shed a single tear. She had been good and obedient, never making trouble for anyone or acting spoiled with anyone.
There were many children without parents in the village. She was not special, nor should she become special. She knew she was not a likable child.
She did not know how to say sweet things or please her elders.
She did not know what her future would look like.
She did not know whether she would ever see the light again.
She knew the chocolate would run out one day, and the person who brought it to her would not stay forever either, but at this very moment.
Li Qianhua was held in Wen Yanyu's arms as he gently soothed her.
"It's all right. I know you've been hurt, little Qianhua. You'll feel better once you cry it out. I'm right here. Be good, little Qianhua. You can cry with me."
"Big brother, I don't want people to hate me." The little girl's voice trembled, hoarse and aggrieved.
"I'm scared. I don't remember what Mommy looks like. Big brother, sob, I miss Mommy."
"Mommy, Mommy told me to be strong, but, cough..." The little girl became so worked up that she could not stop coughing, and tears welled up along with her hurt. "I, I miss Mommy. Big brother, I miss Mommy so much."
It seemed to be the instinct of all young creatures: when they were hurt or sad, or even when death approached, the one they called for was always their mother.
Large tears rolled down her face. Li Qianhua bit her lip hard, forcibly holding back her sobs.
Wen Yanyu closed his eyes and gathered the soft little girl into his arms, yet what flashed through his mind was his younger sister, whose face he had long since forgotten.
I don't remember either.
The text deleted as a bug, his living, breathing family-he could not remember a single one of them.
"It's all right. You don't have to be strong all the time, little Qianhua. Nobody says we have to be strong all the time. When we're sad or hurt, we're allowed to be vulnerable, and we're allowed to cry. If you want to cry, you can cry with me."
Wen Yanyu reached out and patted the little girl's back rhythmically, his voice soft and slow.
Li Qianhua clutched the youth's sleeve tightly and finally let herself cry aloud, sobbing so hard she could barely breathe, tears and snot smearing together.
It was impossible to tell whether it was because her candy had been snatched away or because of something else.
Wen Yanyu lowered his lashes, took a tissue from his pocket, and wiped her face.
The chocolate would run out one day. The sweetness she had tasted in her life amounted to only a few scattered scraps.
She did not want to face the gulf between having something and losing it, yet she still could not help wanting to experience it.
To experience everything beautiful and sweet, to dilute those unknown hardships.
Once the child had finished crying, still sniffling, Wen Yanyu continued holding her hand as they walked down the country path, letting her touch the flowers and living things they encountered along the way.
Li Qianhua held tightly to that warm hand. She did not know what tomorrow held for her.
Not until much, much later, after she had left the mountains, did she return to her now-prosperous "hometown" and see the mountains, streams, lakes, and light again.
Time had long since diluted those old memories of pain and darkness. Even the memory of that afternoon had grown hazy, but certain things.
Kept echoing in her heart.
[Actually... I think he's pretty nice.]
[I admit I went in with preconceived ideas. At first, I thought he was an effeminate gay guy trying to climb the social ladder, but he seems completely different from how people describe him online. After watching for a few days, all I can think is, what a gentle little bunny. I want to sell the neighboring province and take the bunny home to raise.]
[? Bestie, you...]
[Does anyone get it? My older brother was bored and watched the variety show with me, and then I caught him staring blankly at Wen Yanyu telling stories. He was even smiling as he listened! After smiling, he slapped himself across the face! And now he's scrolling through his social media. Damn it! Has my brother turned gay?! Give me back the straight brother my mom gave birth to!!!]
[He's so good-tempered, and his personality's so soft-okay, a little listless. His cooking looks delicious, he seems so domestic, and he's great at telling stories and soothing children. Plus, he's so good-looking. Take away the relationship scandals and he'd make such a good wife. Slurp.]
[A bunny-type baby with serious gentle-wife vibes.]
[I'm going to sell my seven homes and marry him.]
[You're not keeping one for baby to live in? No way. Clearly unreliable. Taking baby away.]
Duan Mufeng followed beside the two of them.
Wen Yanyu casually turned his head to glance at him. The moment their eyes met, Duan Mufeng immediately looked away.
Endless emotions surged into his heart.
Yet only seconds later, his gaze uncontrollably rooted itself on the youth again.
There was little sound on the quiet country path. He could clearly hear his own pounding heartbeat as something that frightened him quietly took root in his heart.
Wen Yanyu walked beside him, the two of them very close. He could smell that desire-stirring scent on him, and that exquisitely beautiful, striking face was still one he found physically attractive.
Yet his gaze could not help lingering on those tear-filled eyes, unable to look past them anymore.
He knew what it was.
He wanted to stop it.
But it was already too late.
Before you continue