Chapter 74: Like

Little Jiang Yang didn’t understand what he was talking about. He was both anxious and afraid but the difference in strength between an adult and child was just too great. He furiously struggled for a while but, seeing that it had no effect, he became even more afraid. He was so anxious that his eyes turned red and he couldn’t help but tremble, “What toys? I don’t even know you! Let me go! I want my mummy!”

“I already told you not to throw a tantrum outside, yet you still don’t listen to me. When we get home, I’m going let your mum teach you a lesson.” The man patted him on a back heavily and then bowed his head down to glared at him with a look of warning. An average child who see’s such expressions would become pale with fear and wouldn’t dare let out another sound.

Little Jiang Yang was also very scared, but he couldn’t understand the man’s strange words. He just felt more and more uneasy and understood that he had to quickly find a way to save himself or the aftermath would be even more terrible. And so, he started yelling out on the top of his lungs. The soft childish voice had become sharp from fear, “Help! Help me! I don’t know this person!”

The passer-by’s attention was drawn by his cry for help. They looked over and pointed while whispering to each other but none of them rushed over to help. After all, they didn’t know what was going on.

The man also reacted quickly. He held onto little Jiang Yang firmly and bowed his head while apologising sincerely, “My apologies, I didn’t take care of my child well. He wanted to buy toys and I didn’t let him so he’s throwing a tantrum. Sorry for troubling you all.”

When the passer-by’s heard this, they quickly returned to what they were doing. Things like a child throwing tantrums was something that they often see so they didn’t think much of it and went on with their day.

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Little Jiang Yang saw that the others were not going to help him and consequently felt his mind turn blank with fear. He almost forgot to speak, and tears flowed down his face. He struggled for a long time, but he was losing more and more of his energy. The darkness of despair covered his eyes and he couldn’t see any hope before him.

On the contrary, the man was very satisfied that there wasn’t anyone bothering him doing his job. He couldn’t wait until he reached a place without people so that he could render the child unconscious and throw him into the car. Like this, it wouldn’t be so troublesome for him. Too noisy.

Just as the man thought that things were about to come to an end, something unexpected happened.

When little Jiang Yang was in despair, he suddenly saw someone in the distance running in his direction. That person’s face was filled with worry as he rushed urgently to his side. It was no exaggeration to say that at this moment, little Jiang Yang saw light, the light of hope.

It was that big brother earlier, Qin Xu.

He once again started struggling, and this time it was more intense than earlier. The man was caught off guard by this and almost allowed him to escape. Not only that, little Jiang Yang also moved to bite the man’s hand causing the man to grimace in pain and loosen his grip. This gave little Jiang Yang the chance to escape.

Little Jiang Yang originally wanted to run in the direction of Qin Xu, but the strange man followed behind him closely, so he gritted his teeth and ran into a small alley. He was familiar with the area here; there were many small turns and twists in the alleyways that all looked the same so if you are not familiar with it, you would easily get lost.

Qin Xu saw a man not far ahead yelling out in anger and chasing after a small figure in front of him. He instantly tensed up and rushed forward towards the man. When he finally reached him, he didn’t even think before he threw out a kick. That kick of his was filled with speed and anger such that it sent the other person flying back.

The man fell to the ground and immediately glared at Qin Xu. Just as he wanted to get up and retaliate back, something hard pressed down onto his stomach. It continued pressing down heavily to the point that he almost vomited blood. It turned out to be Qin Xu crushing his stomach with his knees and he quickly proceeded to unrelentingly use his fist to bash the man’s head.

“How dare you kidnap children?! Who are you to touch him?! You damned trafficker, why don’t you go die! Ah?!”

Seeing little Jiang Yang getting taken away and almost becoming gone for good, Qin Xu felt that his heart had stopped beating for a moment. Child trafficking? Something as dark and horrible as this, what if he is successful? Where would Jiang Yang go? What would he become? Qin Xu didn’t dare imagine. His mind was filled with fear and panic that eventually converted into extreme anger. He used this anger to propel his fist forward and smash against the man.

The man was initially angry but after a moment of realisation, he started acting innocent like he was getting beaten for no reason. Qin Xu saw him acting innocent and clearly not regretting his actions and was even more livid. He immediately asked the onlookers to call the police.

However, the system said: “It’s useless. This is the past, and that person escaped.”

Qin Xu wasn’t willing to leave things like that. He clenched his fist tightly and his knuckles cracked. With a cold expression he stood up and silently left the scene. He only asked in his mind: “Where’s Jiang Yang?”

He followed the systems prompts and turned a few bends through the alleyways before stopping in front of a cardboard box in the corner. After taking in a deep breath, his trembling hands slowly reached out and opened it up………….

The child inside trembled violently and looked up at him in surprise. His eyes were filled with tears, but he was too afraid to make any noise, so he covered his mouth and nose to the point that his face was flushed red.  Like this, he looked extremely pitiful and it made the person looking at him feel particularly distressed.

Qin Xu’s heart shrivelled into a ball and could feel his throat choke up. After a while he finally managed to say in a soft, hoarse voice, “It’s okay, don’t be afraid……….”

As if he had pressed the stop button, he could see little Jiang Yang slowly return to his senses and fly into his arms. He held onto Qin Xu and started crying loudly. Large beads of tears rolled down his cheeks nonstop.

Qin Xu watched him cry like this and felt that he didn’t hit that man enough earlier. He felt that he should’ve disabled him at least.

Little Jiang Yang cried until he was out of breath and his body shuddered with every breath. He had still not recovered from the scare earlier but for some reason he felt safe in this big brother’s arms. Like this, he released all the tension that he had held inside him and cried until all the fear and anxiety was gone.

Qin Xu’s eyes were gentler and more distressed than it had ever been. He lightly patted his back and held the child in his arms while walking out of the alleys. He wanted to find something to divert his attention and not let him continue be immersed in that fearsome experience.

“Hungry? Big brother will take you to eat something okay? Do you want to eat fried chicken and fries?”

These foods are naturally something that children loved. When Qin Xu finally managed to calm him down and he no longer cried as heavily as before; only a small stream of tears along with some sniffling, little Jiang Yang agreed with small nod.

Qin Xu secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, it didn’t look like he was too affected by it since he still reacted to food. If it wasn’t the case, he wouldn’t know what to do.

And so, Qin Xu held little Jiang Yang in his arms and entered the fast food restaurant. When it was their turn to order, Qin Xu looked down at the menu and asked in a gentle voice: “What do you want to eat?”

There were still tear stains on little Jiang Yang’s face and his eyes were still red. The staff didn’t know what had happened but seeing such a cute and lovely child, she couldn’t help but feel bad for him. She said with a kind voice and gently recommended: “This little one can try the kid’s meal. If you buy it now, we also give you a toy.”

Little Jiang Yang looked at the toy for a moment before circling his hand around Qin Xu’s neck, nuzzling in and then nodding his head. Ever since Qin Xu took him out of the cardboard box, little Jiang Yang had always been like this; holding tightly onto him, as if he was afraid that something terrible would happen the moment he is let down.

Qin Xu also understood. If an adult would need to take some time to recover from their shock, it is no surprise that a child would as well. And so, Qin Xu was very indulgent. His hands were sore, but he didn’t suggest the idea of putting him back onto the ground. Instead, he just switched hands.

The staff placed their order and looked at them with a smiled, “Are you two brothers? Your relationship is very good. The older brother taking care of the younger brother.”

Qin Xu smiled and didn’t explain. Little Jiang Yang continued to loop his arms around Qin Xu’s neck very dependently and didn’t speak.

When the food was ready, Qin Xu single-handedly carried the plate over to a table in the corner. He hesitated for a moment but didn’t let little Jiang Yang sit on the seat next to him and, instead, he chose to let him sit in his lap. When he felt little Jiang Yang’s arms tighten around his neck even further after he sat down in fear of him prying him off, Qin Xu understood that he had made the correct choice.

Qin Xu squeezed tomato sauce onto a drink lid for greater convenience when he ate his fries. Little Jiang Yang had a spicy wing in one hand and fries in the other hand. He ate until his small mouth was red and swollen and would then turn around to take a sip of coke every now and then. At this moment, eating something to change his mood was a very good choice. This was particularly the case for spicy food as it would make both your lips and chest feel hot.

However, little Jiang Yang didn’t each much when he noticed the big brother not eating and just watching him eat. He picked up a French fry, looked back at him and passed it over to Qin Xu’s mouth.

Qin Xu laughed and bit onto the fries, “Thank you Xiao Yang Yang.”

Little Jiang Yang shook his head seemingly to say no worries. He then very carefully brought more fries over to feet Qin Xu. After Qin Xu had eaten more than half of them, Qin Xu helplessly said that he should eat it instead, but Jiang Yang didn’t say anything and only continued to pass it over to Qin Xu’s mouth. Qin Xu no longer refused and just silently accepted the food.

The food in the tray was slowly demolished and little Jiang Yang then placed the toy into Qin Xu’s hand.

Qin Xu was confused: “Giving it to me? Don’t you want it?”

Little Jiang Yang nodded. His small face with traces of tears was filled with seriousness, “For you. All my toys and all my treasures, all for you.”

Qin Xu was stunned for a moment before smiling, “Why?”

Little Jiang Yang answered seriously, “You are a good person. Thank you.”

Qin Xu saw that he was acting very cute and couldn’t help but feel his hand itch. He reached out to pinch his face again, “No worries. I saved you because I like you. You should take care of your own treasures.”

“……Like?” Little Jiang Yang frowned. He didn’t understand. Didn’t he only get to know this brother today?

Qin Xu cleared his throat with a cough, “More accurately, it is the future you.”

Little Jiang Yang was even more confused. His head was filled with question marks.

But Qin Xu didn’t intend to explain it to him, it would only make things more confusing. Instead, he felt that little Jiang Yang’s confused expression was cute to the extreme and couldn’t help but nuzzle his chin on the top of his head a few times. Without even thinking, his hair must be a mess now. Little Jiang Yang pointed and reached out wanting to smooth it out, but it was soon held onto by Qin Xu.

Qin Xu said: “Your hands are oily. I’ll take you to get it washed.”

He then picked him up again and brought him over to the sink. He held his hands under the tap and squeezed some hand soap in as well. The chubby hands were covered in white foam as Qin Xu helped him wash. Little Jiang Yang twisted around a few times and muttered: “I can wash myself.”

Qin Xu laughed: “Okay, okay.”

He held onto him and watched him scrub his hands with a look of seriousness. He couldn’t help but think: sigh, how can he be so cute?

After washing and drying, those chubby hands once again looked around Qin Xu’s neck without a thought.

It was about time for Qin Xu to send him home so little Jiang Yang gave him the directions and he brought her over to his house.

It was time to separate.

Qin Xu placed him onto the ground. Little Jiang Yang was a little stunned, but he slowly released his hold. Qin Xu remained bent down with both hands on his knees and looked at him at eye-level, “In the future, try not to go outside alone and make sure you are with an adult. Don’t trust in strangers, okay?”

Little Jiang Yang obediently nodded but he suddenly thought of something, “…….You are also a stranger.”

Qin Xu was stunned for a moment, “I’m different.”

“How are you different?”

“In any case, I’m different. Tell your parents what happened today. They will teach you.”

“……….Oh.” Little Jiang Yang grabbed the cover of his clothes. When he saw Qin Xu move to stand up he hurriedly said, “Big brother, will you be at the pack tomorrow?”

Although he couldn’t bear destroying the look of expectation in Jiang Yang’s eyes, he thought that it was worse if he made false promises, so he shook his head, “My place is far. I won’t come here.”

Little Jiang Yang lowered his head in disappointment. He was reluctant to let him go and was dependent on him like a small nestling. He took a step forward to hug Qin Xu and buried his face in his neck – because he should act like a man and not let others see him cry.

Qin Xu gently patted his back, “Don’t worry, we will meet again.”

“Wuuu….. When?”

“Nine years later. Remember, my name is Qin Xu. You should be more gentle and don’t hit me in the future…..Uh, you probably won’t be able to do that, try to hit me less then.”

“……….?”

“It’s nothing. Just grow up the way you have been, and I will wait for you in the future.”

Qin Xu smiled very warmly and remained standing there quietly while watching the child return home. He then turned to leave and, not long afterwards, he slowly started disappearing until there was just a small bead of light in the air.