With the business at Xi’an Street mostly wrapped up, Li Zhenting’s heart had already flown back to Zhennan.
It had flown back to his new nest.
There were still a few items on his shopping list that he hadn't finished buying. Although he had told Li Zi he would be back in two days, he decided to launch a surprise visit to give her a shock.
He hurriedly booked a high-speed rail ticket.
Staring at his phone, his face was full of anticipation—*This is great. I’m going home.*
Li Zi’s semester had been truly "turbulent."
She had been busy with Li Zhenting’s affairs a few days ago, and lately, she had been looking after Yu Tianwu. She had barely caught her breath when she suddenly received an emergency call from home.
The caller said that Yuan Ye had gotten into a conflict with his family. After a failed discussion, the boy had actually skipped class and run away from home.
Yuan Ye’s parents were far away overseas and were now frantic with worry. Yuan Ye had already celebrated his seventeenth birthday, meaning his first heat could arrive at any moment. If something happened to him while he was out on his own, they would go insane.
Thus, Li Zi was appointed in the face of crisis to join the emergency mission to find Yuan Ye.
She didn't rush out immediately. Instead, she pondered for a moment. Yuan Ye didn't seem like a willful or impulsive child; even if he had quarreled with his family, he likely wouldn't have gone too far. Moreover, he didn't know Zhennan very well. In a moment of agitation, he would subconsciously only go to places he had been before.
For example, the places she had taken him...
After narrowing it down to a few locations, Li Zi left the school during her lunch break and took a taxi to search for him.
Fortunately, she had guessed correctly. Yuan Ye was sitting inside the very mall where Li Zi had taken him to eat.
After walking a few laps, Li Zi spotted a lonely figure sitting by the central fountain.
She breathed a sigh of relief, approached quietly, and sat down beside him.
"Why did you run all the way here?"
Hearing the familiar voice, Yuan Ye jumped in fright, instantly springing half a meter away.
"Sister Li Zi?! How did you..."
Fearing he might bolt, Li Zi quickly reached out and grabbed the hood of his sweatshirt, pulling him back.
"Do you have any idea how worried your parents are after you ran off?"
She didn't sound overly accusatory, but Yuan Ye immediately bristled like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. "It’s clearly because they were being unreasonable!"
"Even so, you can't just run away from home. What if something happened?"
"I'm already this old, what could possibly happen..." the boy muttered, pouting with a hint of guilt.
"That’s why I said *if*."
Yuan Ye’s anger had likely mostly dissipated. Now that he had been found, he didn't struggle and sat back down with a thud.
"Anyway, I don't want to go home. It’s annoying."
"Then where do you plan to go? Live as a vagrant in the mall?"
Li Zi found it amusing and began listing his problems one by one. "You didn't bring your phone or any money. What are you going to eat tonight? Even if you don't eat, where will you sleep? The mall closes at ten, and you'll be kicked out. The park? And then fight with homeless people for a spot on a bench in the middle of the night?"
Yuan Ye stared at Li Zi in disbelief, his expression saying, *How do you know exactly what I was thinking?*
"...You've said it all."
"Alright, stop doing these foolish things that hurt others and yourself. Hurry up and go home."
"I'm not going! I won't go anywhere! If you call people to come catch me, I'll run away immediately."
Unexpectedly, Yuan Ye’s attitude turned stubborn again.
Li Zi had no choice. She checked the time and saw that her class was about to start, so she made a decision.
"Fine. Come with me for now and calm down at my place for a bit. Once I'm done with my class and come back, you can tell me why you don't want to go home."
Hearing this proposal, Yuan Ye was clearly tempted.
"Is it convenient? For me to go to your place?"
"I can't exactly leave you at a hotel; you didn't bring your ID. Let’s do it this way. I'll order some takeout for you later; remember to open the door and get it."
"Alright then... Thank you, Sister Li Zi."
Knowing he was being a burden, Yuan Ye lowered his head sheepishly.
In a stroke of luck, there was only one class that afternoon. After it ended, Li Zi packed her things and rushed home.
The boy was sitting stiffly on the sofa, a cleared-away takeout bag in front of him.
"Sister Li Zi, you're back."
"Mm."
She changed her shoes and set her bag aside.
"Can you tell me now? What happened today?"
By now, Yuan Ye had completely calmed down. He felt some regret over his actions today, but his heart was still filled with grievances.
He said, "Sister Li Zi, do you remember me telling you that I was the one who insisted on returning to the country early?"
Li Zi replied, "I recall something like that."
"Actually, I wanted to come back to find someone."
As he prepared to share his little secret, his expression gradually became excited.
"I was too young before, and my parents wouldn't let me come back alone. I've always remembered him, and I just wanted to find him to thank him."
"Thank him?" Li Zi was puzzled.
"Yes. Didn't I stay at your house for a while when I was little? I actually snuck out once and ran to the street next to yours. I almost got kidnapped. I was struggling like crazy, saying the man wasn't my dad, but the passersby didn't believe me. I was so desperate; I thought I was finished."
"It was him. He rushed out and saved me, even gave that human trafficker a beating. I still remember his cool silhouette to this day. Afterward, he sent me back to your house. I never told anyone about it because I was afraid my parents would scold me."
Yuan Ye was straightforward and simple-minded. His eyes sparkled as he spoke of the savior he had dreamed of day and night.
"Later, whenever I ran into trouble, I would think of that silhouette. He’s my superhero! I’ve always wanted to thank him and hope he can be my 'big brother.'"
Even as he spoke of wanting to be someone's "little brother," his face turned a strange shade of red.
Li Zi felt something was off and made an incredulous guess. "Don't tell me you like him? What does he look like?"
She actually knew someone capable of doing such a thing.
"I only remember that he looked very fierce, but he was actually quite gentle."
Sure enough, Yuan Ye’s face instantly turned beet red.
"But I don't like him! Even though I *do* like boys, I really just want to be his little brother!! How could I possibly be worthy of him!"
It was a classic case of protesting too much.
Li Zi was speechless. She now knew why Yuan Ye had quarreled with the parents who usually doted on him.
"You didn't just blurt all of this out to your parents, along with the fact that you like boys, did you?"
The Yuan family had always assumed Yuan Ye liked girls.
"Pretty much... Actually, it’s not that I *only* like boys, I just feel more for men."
"Because I don't really like my current school and I don't get along with the people there—they kind of exclude me—I thought, since I probably won't pass the exams this year anyway, I might as well just drop out and spend my time looking for that person. My parents were furious and thought my ideas were too childish. We started arguing, and then I couldn't hold back and said everything."
"I know I was being willful, but they can't just judge people however they want. They even said that guy might not be a good person, and asked how I could be so distracted and immature... anyway, they said some really awful things."
Yuan Ye vented his frustrations to Li Zi, picking up a nearby throw pillow and squeezing it repeatedly to release his anger.
He had been pampered all his life, so he couldn't handle his parents' reprimands. Feeling deeply wronged, he had impulsively run away.
*He really is just a child,* Li Zi sighed.
"So what do you plan to do now? Your father was so worried he cried. Do you still refuse to contact them?"
Hearing that his father had actually cried, half of Yuan Ye’s stubbornness crumbled. "Really?... Ah, but nothing was going to happen to me. Why are they so worried?"
"You have to understand them. They're far away in another country; isn't it normal for them to be even more worried about you?"
"..."
Yuan Ye fell silent, a fierce debate raging in his mind: was it more important to stick to his ideas and stance, or to comfort his anxious parents?
The battle didn't last two rounds before he caved.
"Fine, I'll go home now. Thank you, Sister."
He leaned forward, intending to give Li Zi a hug to show his gratitude. After all, in a foreign country, a hug was the most common of courtesies.
And at that very moment, the door was pushed open. A smiling Li Zhenting witnessed this scene—the Omega boy whom Li Zi’s parents had once mentioned as a potential marriage prospect was sitting on his sofa, intimately embracing Li Zi. From his angle, it even looked like the two were about to kiss.
His luggage slipped from his hands and hit the floor with a heavy *thud*.
It sounded exactly like his heart as his world came crashing down.
***
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