The Second Time Picking Up a Stray

This time, Ji Yanli’s voice wasn’t just aggrieved; it carried a trace of pleading, sounding for all the world like a whimpering puppy.

Chu Ci felt his temples throb violently.

“Fine, fine, fine!” He really didn’t want to deal with Ji Yanli any further. He blacked out his phone screen, not bothering to spare it another glance.

Every now and then, a car would roar past with a deafening engine. Didn’t those sounds bother Ji Yanli?

Perhaps the young master had never been to the bustling, gritty parts of the city and was suddenly struck by a whim to “experience how the commoners live”?

Chu Ci found himself slightly amused by his own dark humor.

He continued to walk aimlessly. After an unknown amount of time, he finally emerged from the busy streets. The prosperity of the city seemed to be left behind as he reached a crossroad and turned into a narrow side path. The immediate wave of damp air made him furrow his brow in a reflexive grimace.

The original owner’s home was hidden deep within this pitch-black alley.

The path was squeezed between two residential buildings, barely half a meter wide; it was difficult for even two people to walk side-by-side. The only source of light was a streetlamp at the alley’s entrance that looked like it hadn’t been repaired in years. It flickered with a dim, yellow light, and several moths circled the bulb, which occasionally emitted sharp, crackling pops.

Chu Ci scanned his surroundings. The humid air was tinged with a faint, unpleasant smell of decay, but after living here for over half a month, he had grown accustomed to it.

With an impassive face, he stepped inside, dodging piles of trash on the ground. Despite his caution, he accidentally kicked a crooked glass beer bottle. The bottle rolled away with a “clatter-clatter” before hitting a corner with an abrupt, sharp thud.

The noise didn’t disturb a single soul in the two buildings, but it managed to wake a dog kept by a ground-floor family. The annoying barking instantly shattered the surrounding silence.

Chu Ci didn’t look back as he walked out of the alley. What greeted his eyes was a low-rise apartment building shrouded in the dark of night.

It was a derelict building. A large, faded red character for “Demolish” was painted on the gray-black walls, but given how old the building looked, it seemed the demolition had been pending forever.

Tucked away behind several other houses, it stood there lonely, as if it would never be discovered by the world.

Thinking of this, Chu Ci’s pace faltered for a few seconds. He looked up and was surprised to see a faint light flickering in the window of his home. Shadows seemed to be moving inside.

Chu Ci let out a confused “Huh?”

Did someone else come to the house?

He pulled open the rickety security door at the bottom of the building and stepped onto the dust-covered stairs. The voice-activated lights flickered on and off as he calculated his moves.

He didn’t know if the original owner had any other family; since arriving in this world, Chu Ci had always lived alone.

This uninvited guest necessitated a high level of alertness.

He stopped in front of his apartment door, staring at the rusted metal. After a few seconds of hesitation, he pulled the phone from his pocket. Seeing that Ji Yanli still hadn’t hung up, Chu Ci took a deep breath and said into the receiver in a low, steady voice: “Listen carefully. If you hear anything strange, call the police for me immediately.”

The instruction was so sudden that Ji Yanli found it strange, instinctively asking back: “What did you encounter—”

Before he could finish, a “creak” of a door opening sounded through the phone. Clearly, Chu Ci wasn’t giving him any extra time to talk.

Chu Ci put the phone back (still active) and pushed the door open, cautiously poking his head inside.

The apartment was small. The light in the living room was on, though the bulb was faulty and the light was dim. Chu Ci had thought about calling someone to fix it, but he had kept putting it off because of other matters.

He turned his head left and right. Once he was sure the living room was empty, he stepped inside lightly.

On the coffee table sat several bottles of beer that didn’t belong there. Several used tissues were tossed carelessly on the floor. Chu Ci walked over and looked down; the beer bottles were empty, and next to them was some discarded foil wrap still smeared with leftover barbecue sauce.

Not far away, the bedroom door was ajar, and the sound of light snoring drifted into Chu Ci’s ears.

Who exactly was it…

Chu Ci bit his lower lip and crept toward the bedroom door. Frowning, he reached out and gave the door a gentle push, opening it halfway.

The room wasn’t pitch black; a bedside lamp emitted a weak glow. Chu Ci’s gaze fell on the single bed in the center. A man he didn’t recognize was sprawled there, clearly fast asleep. The snoring became more unrestrained, and the stench of alcohol clinging to him aggressively assaulted Chu Ci’s nose even from a distance.

Chu Ci’s brow furrowed deeper. He leaned slightly to get a better look at the man’s face, but he accidentally bumped into the doorframe. The “clatter” instantly jolted the man on the bed awake.

“Mmph… who is it?”

The man shifted, his eyes half-open and dazed. He scanned the room, eventually looking toward the empty doorway. He rubbed his aching temples with his hand and reached out to click off the bedside lamp.

Chu Ci had nimbly darted behind the door the moment the man stirred. He pressed both hands tightly over his mouth, terrified of waking the man again.

In the moment the man had turned his head, Chu Ci—thanks to his excellent eyesight—had seen exactly what he looked like.

He looked to be in his mid-thirties, with messy hair and a stubble-covered chin. Because he had just been drinking, there were two conspicuous flushes of red on his cheeks.

Even though he had never seen him before, Chu Ci felt an indescribable sense of familiarity—and within his heart, a sliver of unignorable fear.

These reactions didn’t belong to him; they belonged to the original owner.

So, the original owner knew this man.

Chu Ci reached this conclusion silently.

Before confirming the man’s identity, Chu Ci didn’t dare to startle him. He turned noiselessly, walked out, and quickly left the apartment.

It wasn’t until the door shut behind him that the alcohol-soaked air vanished. Chu Ci took several deep gulps of fresh air, his heart racing. He couldn’t describe the feeling; being inside that room felt like someone was strangling him. He felt like he was about to suffocate.

The original novel’s description of the owner’s background was pitifully sparse. Chu Ci didn’t know what his family situation was like; perhaps because he had entered this world, the plot was starting to add “flesh and blood” to this character.

Chu Ci stared at his shadow on the ground. Once the lingering fear in his heart dissipated, he slowly walked downstairs. He wasn’t fast; he took nearly ten minutes to navigate a few flights of stairs.

Stepping out of the security door, Chu Ci looked up at the murky, dark sky.

Where was he supposed to go now?

He certainly didn’t dare go back inside with an unknown man lying there. Chu Ci wasn’t so open-minded that he could share a roof with a stranger.

The vast city seemed to have no place for him. Chu Ci lowered his head and walked back toward the alley. The dog from earlier had stopped barking, and the silence was so heavy that even his footsteps were distinct. He dragged his feet out of the alley, failing to notice that someone was waiting for him at the entrance.

“—I was worried something had happened to you.”

The voice, calm as water, drifted into Chu Ci’s ears along with the cold night wind. Chu Ci froze, looking up sharply. He saw Ji Yanli standing there with his arms crossed, staring at him expressionlessly.

The youth had changed out of his school uniform. A simple white shirt looked exceptionally good on him. On his high bridge sat a pair of thin-rimmed glasses, making his beautiful fox-like eyes look a bit sharper.

The cold wind blew the tips of his hair, revealing a smooth, full forehead.

Chu Ci blinked rapidly, thinking he was hallucinating.

Ji… Ji Yanli? When did he get here?!

Wait!

How did he know I was here?!

“You…” Chu Ci opened his mouth, but the words caught in his throat.

Perhaps because the look of shock on his face was too obvious, Ji Yanli raised an eyebrow and walked over, explaining: “The sounds on your end of the phone were too strange. I asked you, but you didn’t answer. So I had someone track the location of your phone number and came straight over.”

With one short sentence, he resolved Chu Ci’s confusion. In the next second, Chu Ci’s brow furrowed again.

‘Truly a young master from a rich family. He can just track a phone number whenever he wants. Can’t afford to provoke him, can’t afford to provoke him.’

His inner thoughts were devoid of sincerity. Ji Yanli listened silently and didn’t say much. He tilted his head to look behind Chu Ci and asked, “Your house is in there?”

Chu Ci looked at him and nodded.

“Why aren’t you going back?” Ji Yanli refocused his gaze on Chu Ci.

Chu Ci answered honestly, “A stranger got into my house. I don’t dare go back.”

Ji Yanli’s brow knitted: “A stranger? Where is your family?”

Chu Ci went silent.

He didn’t have the right to define whether the original owner had a family or not.

Ji Yanli stared at him for a long time. Seeing that Chu Ci wouldn’t answer, he gave up on the inquiry: “So, that is to say, you have nowhere to stay right now, correct?”

Chu Ci glanced at him, still silent.

Ji Yanli leaned down, his shadow completely enveloping Chu Ci. He keenly caught a flash of guilt in Chu Ci’s eyes. Ji Yanli curled his lip, looking as though he had caught Chu Ci in a trap, and repeated one word at a time: “Cor-rect?”

Chu Ci couldn’t keep up the act anymore. He closed his eyes and let out a hum of affirmation.

‘Yes, yes, yes, fine!’

‘I’m just a poor kid that nobody wants, okay!’

‘Just consider it me begging you for help, okay!’

Even though Chu Ci didn’t say it, his rich inner monologue exposed his every thought. Ji Yanli looked satisfied, the smile in his eyes deepening.

“Then, does this count as the second time I’ve picked you up?”

“You poor little stray dog.”