He stood quietly two steps away from Song Shi'an, staring at him without blinking for a long while before lowering his gaze to the fried tofu in his hand.
Song Shi'an looked down at the three pieces of tofu left in his bowl, reversed his chopsticks, and used the clean ends to pick up two pieces and offer them to him.
"Here. They're really good."
The child looked at the fried tofu and reached out to take it.
He took a tiny bite to taste it first, then stuffed a whole piece into his mouth, his cheeks bulging like a squirrel's.
"Thank you, big brother," he said indistinctly, a little spot of sauce clinging to the corner of his mouth.
Song Shi'an crouched down to meet his eyes and looked around.
People came and went all around them, but not one seemed to be coming for this child.
"Why are you here alone? Where are your parents?"
The child swallowed the tofu, licked the corner of his mouth, and said, "My parents aren't home. Little White came out with me."
Song Shi'an scanned their surroundings again. "Who's Little White?"
The child reached into his trouser pocket and carefully brought out a white hamster.
The hamster huddled into a ball in his palm, whiskers twitching, clearly uncomfortable with the smell of cooking fumes around it.
Song Shi'an looked at the hamster, then at the child's matter-of-fact expression, and fell silent for two seconds.
"...Do your parents know you brought Little White out to the night market?"
The child lowered his head and stroked the hamster's head without saying a word.
Song Shi'an sighed. He gave the child the last piece of fried tofu in his bowl, then stood up and brushed off his trousers. "Where do you live? I'll take you home."
The child looked up at him, pressed his lips together, and pointed at the upscale residential neighborhood at the end of the night market. "Over there."
Song Shi'an looked in the direction he was pointing. Okay, an upscale villa community, no less. A whole different world from the rundown building I live in.
"Come on, hop on. I'll take you home." Song Shi'an wheeled his electric scooter over and patted the back seat.
The child carefully put the hamster back in his pocket, climbed onto the back seat, and held on to the hem of Song Shi'an's shirt with both hands.
Song Shi'an twisted the throttle, and the little electric scooter made its leisurely way through the night market toward that stretch of warm yellow lights.
This residential community was a completely different world from the streets Song Shi'an usually frequented.
There was no barrier gate at the entrance, nor any sign with white lettering on a blue background, only a driveway bordered by Japanese viburnum, leading quietly toward the detached buildings scattered within.
The security booth was built from dark gray stone, with warm yellow light spilling through its floor-to-ceiling windows.
He parked his electric scooter by the roadside outside the driveway and took Shen Xingluo by the hand, leading him up to the booth.
"This is the place, right?"
Shen Xingluo nodded. "Yes, big brother."
Before they reached the door, the security guard had already spotted them through the glass. He pushed the door open and hurried out, his leather shoes tapping rapidly against the paving tiles.
He crouched in front of Shen Xingluo, held the child's shoulders with both hands, and checked him from head to toe, his brows drawn into a tight knot.
"Your sister's nearly frantic. Where did you run off to?"
Song Shi'an said, "He wandered over to the night market to the east. I saw he was alone, so I brought him back."
The guard took out his phone, swiped a few times, pulled up his contacts, and made a call. He took two steps aside and spoke quietly to the person on the other end.
Only after hanging up did he turn his attention to the person who had brought the child home. Halfway through lifting his head, his gaze stopped on Song Shi'an's face.
The light from the booth fell across him from the side, casting shadows over half his brow ridge and the bridge of his nose.
The guard unconsciously looked for another two seconds before coming back to himself.
"His sister will be here any moment. Would you mind waiting a little? She'll definitely want to thank you in person."
Song Shi'an quickly waved a hand. "No need. As long as he's home safe. I'll be going."
He crouched down and ruffled Shen Xingluo's hair. It was fine and soft, like a ball of fluff against his palm.
Shen Xingluo stood obediently in place, his eyes fixed on him.
"I'm off now. Don't go wandering around alone next time. Your family will worry."
"Thank you, big brother."
Song Shi'an stood, nodded to the guard, and rode away on his electric scooter.
Just as the scooter rounded the street corner, a supercar approached from the other direction and came to a stop beside the booth.
The door popped open, and a woman stepped out in high heels, her heels striking the paving tiles in rapid succession.
She wore a sharply tailored black dress, her hair pinned at the back of her head without a strand out of place. Her makeup was exquisite and appropriate, too; only her expression betrayed her emotions.
Her brows were knitted, and the knuckles of the fingers gripping her clutch had gone slightly white.
She rushed over and pulled Shen Xingluo into her arms, so forcefully that the child stumbled back half a step.
"Where did you run off to! You nearly scared your sister to death!"
Held tightly in her arms, Shen Xingluo's voice came out muffled. "I'm sorry... I just wanted to bring Little White out to play..."
Shen Lingshu loosened her hold, cupped his face, and checked him from side to side, making sure he was completely unharmed.
She closed her eyes briefly, her tense shoulders slowly relaxing. When she opened them again, her expression had regained its usual composure.
She stood, straightened her skirt, and turned to the guard.
"Thank you. I'm so sorry for the trouble." She took an envelope from her clutch and offered it with both hands. "A small token of my appreciation. Please don't refuse."
The guard stepped back half a pace and waved both hands in front of him. "I wasn't the one who found Little Xing. A young man brought him back."
Shen Lingshu's hands stopped in midair.
"Did he leave any contact information?"
"No. He left as soon as he brought him here. I asked him to wait a bit, but he said there was no need and rode off on his electric scooter."
The guard gestured in that direction, then added with emphasis, "That young man was truly handsome, more eye-catching than the stars on TV. With the film studio complex right nearby, there's a good chance he really is an actor."
Shen Xingluo tugged at his sister's clothes and tipped his face up. "Sis, he was a really nice big brother. Pretty!"
Shen Lingshu looked down at him, and the expression that had been taut for half the evening finally softened.
She pulled a tissue from her bag, wiped away the trace of sauce left at the corner of his mouth, straightened his crooked collar, and gently pinched his cheek.
"No running off again, understand? Have Auntie Zhang go with you when you go out."
Her tone was not particularly stern, but it allowed no room for negotiation. Shen Xingluo nodded obediently.
Shen Lingshu straightened and turned back to the guard with a courteous, considerate smile. "Could you get me a copy of the surveillance footage? If I run into him again, I'd like to thank him in person."
The guard nodded. "Of course. I'll pull it up right now."
Just as Song Shi'an arrived home, his phone vibrated. Eight thousand had been deposited into his bank account.
Director Zhang's WeChat message popped up right after it. "Paid your acting fee early. Take the next scene seriously. The extra is a bonus."
Song Shi'an sent back a "Thanks, boss" sticker, followed by, "I'll definitely do my best next time."
He sat on the edge of his bed and stared at his bank balance for a long while.
Together with what he had saved from acting and delivering takeout, he was finally close to ten thousand. At least he no longer had to worry about tuition.