TECSBRO | 68 | Hard Mode | 01
The dusty welfare home had been quite lively recently, as it seemed many people had come looking for children.
However, none of them found what they were looking for and left.
An hour ago, Rong Que, who was only three years old, was once again carried away by the staff as he passed by the storage room.
How many times had this happened? Every time, they wouldn’t let him get close to the storage room.
But today, Rong Que felt an inexplicable urge to go inside.
Because when he saw the door earlier, it felt like a needle was piercing his brain, causing intense pain.
This was different from usual.
When everyone was called to the director’s office again, Rong Que sneaked in.
He looked at the mysterious door, and the painful sensation in his head returned.
Rong Que walked up to the door, which only had a simple valve on the outside.
There was no lock; it just seemed like it couldn’t be opened from the inside.
He tiptoed and turned the valve, then gently pushed the door open a crack.
Inside was pitch black, and Rong Que could only peek through the sliver of light from the door.
In the corner of the storage room, a child seemed to be sitting, curled up in a ball, making it hard for Rong Que to recognize who it was.
However, the kindergarten was divided into several sections, so it might not be someone from their area.
Since there was still a child inside, Rong Que wasn’t as scared anymore. He pulled the door open and walked in.
The child in the corner seemed to shiver, then cautiously raised their head from their arms, revealing only a pair of eyes.
Even in the darkness, Rong Que could immediately see the uniqueness of those eyes.
They were a pair of beautiful eyes, red as if they were glowing.
Rong Que clumsily crouched down in the cluttered storage room. The child in the corner shrank back again upon seeing his movement, as if he were very afraid of him.
Lu Xu had been locked in here for the entire night.
Recently, there had been many people wanting to adopt children, but Lu Xu would never be allowed out.
Because the director said he was terrifying.
Lu Xu had long grown accustomed to staying here.
He watched expressionlessly as people came and went outside the door.
Several times, he had seen a child in white sneakers lingering outside.
Then, without explanation, they were carried away by an adult.
Lu Xu had a strong impression of those shoes because the children in the welfare home were never allowed to wear such nice ones.
That child must have been brought in recently.
But he hadn’t expected that this time, the child would return.
And they were getting closer and closer to the door.
Lu Xu stared blankly at the crack under the door.
He had long stopped hoping that someone wouldn’t be afraid of his strange appearance.
Seeing the child tiptoeing at the door, they probably wanted to come in.
Lu Xu skillfully pulled the hood of his sweatshirt over his head.
The door opened, and Lu Xu hugged his knees, deliberately shrinking back, then looked up at the other child.
It was a clean-looking little boy.
Probably the type the director would dress up nicely to send out for adoption.
Would he run away in fear, or call me a freak and hit me?
Lu Xu idly wondered in his mind.
However, the little boy didn’t do any of that. Instead, he clumsily crouched down on the messy floor and stared at him.
Lu Xu also curled up, hugging his knees, and looked back.
The little boy asked, “Who are you? What are you doing in here?”
Lu Xu tilted his head. Was this a child who didn’t know about him?
He replied in a well-behaved tone, “My name is Lu Xu. I’m locked in here.”
"My name is Rong Que," the little boy first answered, then added curiously, "Why are you locked up? I’ll let you out."
Lu Xu was somewhat surprised. His eyes had already been seen, yet this boy named Rong Que wasn’t afraid.
But that didn’t mean much.
Getting close to him would only lead to being beaten by others.
It wasn’t like there hadn’t been people who wanted to be friends with him before.
Lu Xu said dejectedly, "I don’t know either. You should just go. If we’re discovered, we’ll both get bullied."
Rong Que stood up.
Sure enough, no child is unafraid of being bullied, Lu Xu thought.
"You must be hungry. Wait here, I’ll go get you something to eat," Rong Que said before running off.
Lu Xu was still in a daze when the boy ran back after only a few steps.
Rong Que tiptoed to close the door, whispering comfortingly, "Don’t be scared. I’m worried they’ll get angry if they find the door open, so I’ll close it for you first."
Then the pair of white sneakers disappeared beneath the door crack.
Lu Xu didn’t change his position, still waiting like that.
The room was cold and damp, and only by curling up into a ball did he feel a little warmer.
Lu Xu waited for a long time, but Rong Que, who had gone to fetch food, never returned.
Already accustomed to such a life, Lu Xu wasn’t particularly surprised or disappointed.
He was feeling sleepy, so he closed his eyes and rested his head on his knees.
Until the sound of a door opening reached his ears.
Lu Xu thought the boy had returned and inexplicably felt a bit happy as he lifted his head, only to see a round, fleshy face.
He couldn’t help but tremble.
Instinctively, he wanted to shrink back.
But the tall, obese boy suddenly reached out, grabbing Lu Xu by the hood and dragging him out.
Lu Xu lost his balance and fell to the ground.
The cold, dampness of the cement floor immediately seeped into his already chilly body.
He tried to push himself up, but was immediately forced to lift his head as the boy grabbed his ears.
Lu Xu wanted to cry out in pain, but he knew that would only make the beating worse, so he stifled a small whimper.
Forced to look up, a pair of sinister red pupils reflected the surrounding boys.
The fattest boy, uncomfortable under the gaze, suddenly slapped Lu Xu across the face.
The boy’s strength was immense, and Lu Xu’s head was knocked to the side, his mind reeling and his ears stinging.
Lu Xu didn’t dare speak. The fat boy seemed to despise him.
Seeing Lu Xu struggling to breathe, he raised his foot and kicked Lu Xu squarely in the chest.
A dull thud echoed as Lu Xu’s frail body was knocked to the ground.
His chest hurt terribly.
Lu Xu felt a metallic taste in his throat.
He simply lay there, motionless, despairingly and clearly aware that whether he resisted or submitted, the boy would never let him go.
"This is the fifteenth time, you jinx, you’re the reason I can’t get adopted," the fat boy cursed.
His lackeys chimed in, "Yeah, the director says it’s because you scare the adults."
Lu Xu almost wanted to laugh at this, but his throat itched, and he couldn’t help but cough.
He coughed several times in a row, his face turning pink.
"You bastard, no one will ever want you," the fat boy, perhaps sensing Lu Xu’s mockery, added another kick.
"A kid like you is the one who’ll never be wanted!" a familiar voice rang out.
Lu Xu's eyes shifted downward, catching sight of a figure rushing out from around the corner.
Rong Que... had he returned?
Lu Xu tried to prop himself up, wanting to stop Rong Que from getting into a conflict with them.
But Rong Que moved so fast that no one could react in time.
He kicked the back of the big guy's knee.
The guy lost his balance and immediately fell to his knees.
The sound of his kneecap hitting the cement ground was deafening.
Lu Xu sat up, just in time to face the kneeling guy.
The guy, clearly never having been humiliated like this before, didn't even have time to deal with Lu Xu. He scrambled to his feet, ready to attack Rong Que. "Get him!" he shouted.
Only then did the lackeys react, charging at Rong Que in a chaotic mess.
Despite his small stature facing several taller boys, Rong Que showed no fear.
His face fierce, he grabbed the big guy's arm and bit down like a madman.
The guy couldn't stand the pain and told the others to hit Rong Que, but Rong Que endured it all, refusing to let go.
Lu Xu tried to pull the others away but was pushed down again.
The scene was utter chaos.
Fortunately, the big guy was the first to give up, flailing his arm as he tried to escape.
Only then did Rong Que release his grip, watching as they fled in disarray before wiping the dirt off his face.
Lu Xu's ears had already popped out when the big guy was hitting him.
He looked at Rong Que in disbelief, unable to understand why the other boy didn't mind helping him even after seeing his appearance.
Even if he were a normal, ordinary kid, there was no need to take a beating for a stranger.
This little boy was too naive.
Perhaps finding Lu Xu's dazed expression amusing, Rong Que tugged at the corner of his bruised lips and patted Lu Xu's head. "It's okay now," he said.
Lu Xu was pulled to his feet, barely coming to his senses.
This was the first time someone had been beaten up while trying to help him.
Rong Que took a small bread roll out of his bag. "Here, it took me a while to find some food."
Snacks were scarce in the kindergarten, only brought occasionally by volunteers during visits.
And Lu Xu was never allowed to go out during those times, so he had never tasted any snacks.
Lu Xu didn't take it right away. "No, you eat it."
Hearing this, Rong Que lowered his head, tore open the bread wrapper, and held it to Lu Xu's mouth, mimicking how adults coax children. "Ah—"
Lu Xu opened his mouth shyly, his sharp canine teeth hidden, afraid to let Rong Que see.
The sweet, soft bread was easily torn off, and Lu Xu chewed it carefully.
Rong Que held the bread, watching Lu Xu swallow before feeding him the next bite.
Lu Xu looked at Rong Que in confusion, wanting to ask why he was watching him, but every time he swallowed, another bite was already at his lips.
Luckily, Rong Que answered Lu Xu's unspoken question as if talking to himself. "Xiao Lu Xu eats so seriously."
After finishing the bread, Lu Xu silently used his special ability to heal his wounds.
He glanced at the cut on Rong Que's face, hesitating.
If Rong Que knew about his strange ability, would he tell others?
Lu Xu thought for a moment, then tentatively asked, "Brother Rong Que, why don't you hate me?"
Rong Que was taken aback by the question. He looked at Lu Xu curiously. "Why would I hate you?"
"I look like a monster. Everyone's afraid I'll bring them bad luck," Lu Xu said, lowering his head.
He spoke calmly, having long accepted the strange looks from everyone.
However, Lu Xu suddenly felt his body being clumsily embraced by Rong Que.
He heard the child's tender yet sincere voice say, "Not at all, Lu Xu is the cutest."
Lu Xu didn’t move. The two children huddled together like stray kittens seeking warmth.
Perhaps it was his complicated childhood experiences that made it hard for Lu Xu to easily trust someone who showed him kindness.
In the end, he didn’t ask the question that lingered in his mind: "If I really could curse people, would Rong Que be scared of me?"
Even if the answer was no, what did it matter?
When it actually happened, he wouldn’t know how he’d be betrayed.
Lu Xu ultimately didn’t help Rong Que heal his wound.
This led to a couple who had initially wanted to adopt Rong Que worrying about his character and deciding against it during his recovery.
Rong Que, who had once been treated quite well, was now neglected by the orphanage director.
Lu Xu began to feel guilty. Even the fat kid mocked Rong Que, saying he’d been infected by Lu Xu’s bad luck.
Rong Que didn’t care. He snorted coldly and took Lu Xu’s hand, leading him away.
Lu Xu remained silent.
If Rong Que hadn’t helped him, he might have been adopted by that couple.
So, was he really a jinx?
Suddenly, Lu Xu shook off Rong Que’s hand. "Rong Que, you don’t have to worry about me anymore."
Rong Que frowned. "What are you talking about? Do you really believe what that fat kid said?"
Lu Xu nodded and turned to leave.
But he didn’t expect Rong Que to suddenly grab him. "Xiao Lu, I’ll always protect you."
Lu Xu was stunned. He couldn’t understand why Rong Que didn’t blame him at all.
Nor could he understand why Rong Que could be so kind to him.
Facing Lu Xu’s puzzled gaze, Rong Que smiled like a little adult and explained, "My mom always said I’m good at judging people. I think Lu Xu is very kind, so I won’t let anything from the outside make me dislike you."
In his heart, Lu Xu thought, I’m not kind. I think the worst of everyone. It’s just that Rong Que is too naive.
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