When Xia Zhiyi met the little girl's bright, sparkling eyes, she hesitated for a moment.
He wasn't stupid; he could sense to some extent that among the group, the little girl was the one who relied on him the most.
Similarly, perhaps because she witnessed Xia Zhiyi using somewhat violent methods to suppress those who bullied her, the little girl had a very obvious sense of admiration for Xia Zhiyi.
In contrast, the little girl's attitude towards the other two men was quite subtle.
She was somewhat wary of Fu Yunyi and Gu Zhiyuan.
Knowing the plot, Xia Zhiyi felt very conflicted every time she saw the little girl subtly avoiding contact with Fu Yunyi.
Hilarious! Who would have thought that the female supporting character who might relentlessly pursue Fu Yunyi in the future would actually despise and be wary of Fu Yunyi?
Fu Yunyi was also somewhat hurt, but after learning about the girl's terrible situation, Fu Yunyi accepted the fact that she tried her best not to show any wariness.
He turned and whispered to Xia Zhiyi, "Do I not look like a good person? Or is it because I look older and you're younger that she's wary of me?"
Xia Zhiyi: "... Maybe it's because you're older."
Upon seeing the young girl, Fu Yunyi, who had been chatting with Xia Zhiyi while stretching his shoulders, stopped talking, hesitated for a moment, then smiled and greeted her, "You're up? So early. What would you like to eat for breakfast?"
Perhaps because Fu Yunyi was wearing a mask, the little girl looked at him with a hint of confusion, as if she didn't recognize him.
A few seconds later, he realized what was happening and looked at Xia Zhiyi.
Xia Zhiyi: "I'll go buy you breakfast in a bit. If there's anything you want to eat, just tell me. If not, I'll buy you some porridge."
The young girl hesitated for a moment, then opened her mouth, her voice still hoarse. "Anything is fine."
The policewoman who had come specifically to keep the young girl company came out of the restroom, waving her hand as she looked at Xia Zhiyi. She paused, then said, "I thought you guys weren't up yet. It's still early, and it's not time for your shifts over there. You could actually rest a little longer."
Xia Zhiyi explained, "It's okay, I've always had the habit of exercising in the morning." Then she asked the other person what they wanted to eat for breakfast.
Policewoman: "... I'll go with you."
Even though it's not working hours, I can't accept things from ordinary people. I'd better buy them myself.
However, Xia Zhiyi glanced at the little girl at that moment.
Policewoman: "..."
hiss.
That's a bit troublesome.
The young girl had encountered something quite bad, and her mental state was clearly off, which is why the policewoman was assigned to accompany her.
She'd better avoid crowds right now.
She is more likely to gain the trust of men than women, although not by much, but she certainly can't let two grown men, Fu Yunyi and Gu Zhiyuan, stay here to accompany her.
Fortunately, this minor problem was quickly resolved when the policewoman's colleague brought over breakfast.
Fu Yunyi secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
After this little incident, around the same time, Xia Zhiyi woke up Gu Zhiyuan, who was still sleeping, and watched him finish breakfast. Then, the group went to accompany the little girl to handle the aftermath.
Just as Xia Zhiyi was about to walk out the door, he felt someone tug at the corner of his clothes. He could have dodged, but he didn't.
Xia Zhiyi merely turned her head slightly, looking at the little girl beside her who was silently following with her head down, and sighed inwardly.
Even if the little girl wasn't a character in the story, if she were just some random passerby, Xia Zhiyi probably wouldn't have been able to just sit idly by.
Xia Zhiyi stayed for four days, and the incident even alarmed the city. It seemed that more and more people were getting involved, but fortunately, the focus of the investigation was not on the young girl; she was just a victim.
However, since Xia Zhiyi was worried about leaving the little girl in the town where she had been hurt, he asked Xu Chen for help. In the end, Fu Chi arranged for relevant people to handle the matter and temporarily placed the underage girl under the guardianship of Xia Zhiyi's sister, Xia Wanyi.
This is because the girl is already sixteen years old this year; if she were any younger, the matter would be even more complicated.
If the little girl weren't without her own income and it wasn't clear that she could support herself, she might not need a guardian and could decide where to go according to her own wishes.
In short, four days later, Xia Zhiyi finally returned home with Xia Zhen, who had been re-registered under a new name.
Regarding the name Xia Zhen...
The girl really wanted to share the same surname as Xia Zhiyi, and since they hadn't found her original family yet, that's why they decided on this surname.
It was indeed the girl's own choice.
Xia Zhiyi was unsure of what Xia Zhen was really thinking. Xia Zhiyi was still relatively closed off. Although she relied heavily on Xia Zhiyi and followed her almost everywhere, she rarely spoke, making it difficult for others to guess what she was thinking.
On the third day, Fu Yunyi had to leave due to work reasons. At that time, Fu Chi arranged for several people to handle the aftermath and did not care about Fu Yunyi's whereabouts.
Fu Yunyi:...
He's just a tool.
When they arrived in Yue City, Xia Zhiyi let Xia Zhen tug at her clothes, said goodbye to Gu Zhiyuan who was traveling with her, and then got into a taxi to go home with her entourage.
At home, Xia Wanyi had already arranged Xia Zhen's room as she had previously discussed with Xia Zhiyi, quietly waiting for this new member of the family.
"Elder sister."
Xia Wanyi opened the door and saw her younger brother smiling brightly. She couldn't help but smile back. However, she quickly noticed the little girl hiding behind Xia Zhiyi and greeted her gently, "Hello."
Prior to this, Xia Wanyi and Xia Zhen had communicated briefly by phone a few times.
Hearing Xia Wanyi's gentle voice, Xia Zhen, who was hiding behind Xia Zhiyi out of nervousness, peeked out and met Xia Wanyi's eyes, which were seven-tenths similar to Xia Zhiyi's. The same feature made her quickly find a certain sense of security in Xia Wanyi.
At this moment, Xia Zhiyi pushed the person forward, smiling and saying, "Come on, I don't need to introduce you, do I? This is my older sister, your guardian for the next two years, Xia Wanyi."
"Sister, this is Xiao Zhen. She just arrived and is a little nervous."
Xia Wanyi smiled and said, "It's okay, I know."
As she spoke, Xia Wanyi reached out her hand. Seeing that Xia Zhen only subconsciously pulled back, but quickly calmed down and did not continue to dodge, she placed her hand on the other's dry, yellow hair and gently stroked it. " Xiao Zhen, from now on we are family. Welcome home."
Xia Zhiyi smiled and said, "Welcome home, Xiao Zhen."