Chapter 71 Mr. Bear! Ning Buyi nodded with an "Oh..."

Ning Buyi nodded with an "Oh". He doesn't usually need to go out if he's doing a live stream, so a slightly off-center location doesn't matter much to him.

As he pushed open the door, a strong odor immediately hit him. Ning Buyi instinctively covered his mouth and nose and asked, "Why does this house smell so bad?"

He saw that this house was highly recommended online, with no negative reviews, only five-star ratings.

"Uh, don't worry, it's new furniture that was just moved in yesterday, so it's normal for it to have a slight odor. It will dissipate in a couple of days. You can take a look; it's all brand new furniture, complete with everything, and all made with environmentally friendly materials." The agent visibly hesitated for a moment, then quickly changed the subject.

Ning Buyi believed the agent and obediently nodded. He looked around carefully but couldn't figure anything out. Actually, Ning Buyi wasn't really looking; he was secretly observing the agent's expression. He read online that if an agent looked guilty, there was something wrong.

But the agent maintained a professional smile, showing no sign of anything amiss.

Ning Buyi didn't think much of it and quickly finalized the rental contract. Sitting on the unopened mattress, he took out his phone to send a message to Zhu Yanhe.

He had worked for Zhu Yanhe for so long without receiving a single penny, so Ning Buyi naturally wanted to get it back.

Ning Buyi: Pay back the money, pay back the money, pay back the money.

Zhu Yanhe was in a meeting when his phone rang incessantly in his pocket, accompanied by reports from his employees. He lowered his head, took out his phone, and smiled faintly. Zhu Yanhe didn't put his phone on silent because it would only ring when Ning Buyi sent him a message.

The department leaders below exchanged glances, their eyes conveying a knowing message. But a moment later, Zhu Yanhe's face darkened again. He saw Ning Buyi's message asking for money, and Zhu Yanhe even swiped the screen to transfer the money directly to him.

Ning Buyi accepted the transfer as soon as it was sent, as if he were glued to his phone. Zhu Yanhe wanted to send a greeting, but it was already marked with a red exclamation mark.

You heartless bastard, so cruel.

The boy stretched as he held the money he had just received, thinking, "Trying to skimp on my money? Don't even think about it!"

Ning Buyi lay on the mattress wrapped in plastic film for a while before going out. He needed to buy some food and supplies; his brother said he would send him the clothes.

He's been in S City for so long, and when he goes out, he either rides a small electric scooter or drives with Zhu Yanhe... Why would he want to think about Zhu Yanhe!

This was the first time Ning Buyi had ever ridden the subway in his life. His small county town didn't have a subway, and he had never ridden one since he arrived. He stood at the entrance, holding his phone, watching others go in, and then walked over to the ticket machine to take a look.

Do you need help?

An electronic voice rang in his ears. Ning Buyi turned around and saw a person dressed as a bear mascot. He took two steps back, frowned, and looked at the mascot. It was strange that he had appeared here out of nowhere!

"Who are you?"

“I am a community volunteer, and my job is to help people in need.” As he spoke, Xiao Xiong showed his credentials to Ning Buyi, and then added, “You’ve been standing here for a long time, so you probably need help.”

Ning Buyi took the document and looked at it. There was a red stamp on it, and only the name "Mr. Big Bear" was displayed. Only then did he believe that it was real and his strong resistance disappeared.

He pointed to the ticket machine and politely asked, "Hello Mr. Xiong, I'd like to ask how I can buy a ticket to this shopping mall?"

The doll took two steps forward, its electronic voice uttering words in a cacophony of tones. It pointed to each button and explained to Ning Buyi how to buy tickets, explaining every step in detail.

Ning Buyi nodded in understanding, and following the instructions, pressed the screen. Sure enough, a hard, round plastic ticket dropped out of the right-hand delivery slot. He turned and gave a half-bow, thanking Big Bear: "Thank you, Mr. Big Bear, I know how to buy a ticket now."

The bear was wearing a doll head, making it impossible to tell whether he was male or female, but his identification read "Mr.", so Ning Buyi already regarded him as an older brother.

The doll nodded and asked naturally, "It's nothing, it's what I should do. Are you going to the mall to buy something?"

The boy had completely let his guard down around the kind teddy bear. He hummed in response and said, "I moved to a new house today, and I'm going to buy a blanket."

The teddy bear nodded up and down and said, "I'm going there too, let's go together."

In the crowded train carriage during the evening rush hour, two people stood side by side in the middle of the carriage. Ning Buyi had been secretly observing the big bear the whole way. He had never encountered it before. The big bear stood to the side, quietly looking ahead.

When the train stopped at the next station, many people boarded. The once relatively empty carriage was squeezed out of the air without mercy. The two people who originally had an empty seat between them gradually shortened the distance between them as people kept boarding on both sides.

People were still pushing towards the center when the boy lost his balance and fell straight to the side. Instead of the expected pain, he landed in a warm, fluffy embrace.

Mr. Bear reached out and caught him, his expressionless bear face seemingly carrying a hint of helplessness.

"Thank you……"

Ning Buyi stood up, holding onto a pole. The empty seat he had been standing in was now taken away, and he could only cling tightly to the fluffy mascot costume, the fur brushing against his face. He was just thinking about how crowded the subway was.

"It's what I should do."

The teddy bear spoke again.

As the female voice announced the news, Ning Buyi finally squeezed off the bus in the form of a meat pie. He looked back at the carriage, but Da Xiong was unable to move in the crowd because the mascot costume was too big.

Remembering that Big Bear was also getting off at this stop, Ning Buyi stepped forward, grabbed the plush toy's soft hand, and gritted his teeth as he pulled it backward.

"Thank you." The mechanical voice paused, as if the shell contained artificial intelligence rather than a human.

"You're welcome! You helped me, so I'll help you too!" Ning Buyi grinned, still with that innocent and kind look.

The subway entrance connects to the mall's interior, so you can enter without leaving the subway station—this is what Da Xiong told Ning Buyi. The escalator slowly ascended, and because of his large size, Da Xiong could only stand on the step behind him.

"Are you new here?" Big Bear asked him, looking up.

"No, I was staying at my brother's house before, but I'm moving out now." Ning Buyi was fiddling with his phone with his head down, but turned to answer him when he heard the question.

The bear asked some very ordinary questions, which Ning Buyi answered one by one. The doll followed closely behind the boy, who was a head shorter than it, attracting a lot of attention.

The boy stopped and asked in confusion, "Why have you been following me?"

Ning Buyi became suspicious. Mr. Xiong said he was coming here anyway, so there must be someone else who needs his help. Why is he following him like this? It's strange!

"It seems like you're the only one who needs help." Big Bear stopped and looked around, coming to a conclusion that anyone with eyes could see was that he had an ulterior motive.

Ning Buyi frowned and shook his head, unconvinced: "I don't need help now. Go help others."

Mr. Bear didn't say anything, but silently walked to a bench and sat down, placing his hands on his knees. The doll's head drooped down, and although he had no expression, Ning Buyi felt that he seemed very aggrieved.

The boy stood still, watching for a long time without anyone paying attention to the big bear. The bear sat there all alone, looking pitiful.

His heart softened, and he quickened his pace, taking a few quick steps forward. He bent down slightly to look into the eyes of the large bear doll covered by a black net: "I think... I need your help."

Upon hearing this, Mr. Bear looked up, and an electronic voice announced, "Okay."

Ning Buyi let out a soft breath; he was truly a kind and good child.

The boy got up and walked ahead, opening his phone's notes app to check what he needed. He looked left and right, trying to find the same item in real life.

Mr. Bear slowly spoke up: "Didn't you just rent it today? Don't you need to buy any big items?"

He glanced at Ning Buyi's phone and saw that it only listed some daily necessities, the largest being a four-piece bedding set. The man's brows were furrowed, and his face was hidden under a hood, so the boy didn't see it.

"This house comes fully furnished, so I don't need to buy it."

Mr. Xiong asked several questions about the house in succession. As Ning Buyi listened, he felt that Mr. Xiong was very impressive, after all, every point he made matched the place where Ning Buyi was currently living.

"How did you know? Did you stay there too?"

The doll's head swayed slightly from side to side. He asked, "I'd like to rent a place like this. Could you recommend the place that introduced you to me?"

Ning Buyi's eyes sparkled, and he patted his chest. This was practically a 100% approval of his judgment; he wasn't a fool at all.

"Of course! I'll add you right now!" He fiddled with his phone, poking around on the screen with his index finger, searching through his friends list for a while before realizing he hadn't added anyone. "I'll add you!"

Mr. Bear nodded awkwardly, took out a cell phone from the side pocket of his mascot costume, took off a plush glove, and held the electronic screen with his well-defined knuckles, swiping a few times to bring up an interface.

Ning Buyi turned around. Mr. Bear's profile picture was a landscape photo of a snow-capped mountain. He felt like he had seen this before, but after thinking for a long time he couldn't remember, so he put it back in his pocket.

In the center of the spacious room stood a sample bed, its surface bathed in bright light, making it appear even more comfortable. Ning Buyi walked straight to it, her fingertips tracing the soft comforter.

He didn't know how to choose, so he decided to take this set. Unfortunately, it happened to be on the top shelf, and even when Ning Buyi tiptoed, he could only touch the bottom of the shelf.

He can't even reach this shelf, how are people shorter than him supposed to reach it? It's outrageous!

The big guy next to him moved, and he easily took the bag of four-piece bedding sets off with a simple lift of his hand.

Ning Buyi glanced at him from head to toe. Why could Mr. Xiong be so tall? The tallest person he knew was Zhu Yanhe, the short Zhu Yanhe!

"Thank you, thank you." He reached out and pinched the handle, but couldn't get it out of the plush hand. Ning Buyi's eyebrows furrowed, and he stared at the doll's head with a look of incomprehension.

"I'll help you."

Okay! Fine!

Ning Buyi walked ahead empty-handed, while Mr. Xiong followed behind, carrying a full load of things. It was like a young couple shopping together, where the boyfriend only needed to provide the money and the effort.

He walked ahead, feeling a long-lost sense of relaxation. In truth, Ning Buyi was not happy at all when he was alone in the hotel. He even couldn't help but think how wonderful it would be if Zhu Yanhe had kept lying to him, so that he wouldn't know and he wouldn't be lonely.

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Author's Note: Ning Buyi is a child who says one thing but means another. For example, right now, Zhu Yanhe is sitting next to him reading a book while he's doing practice problems. Halfway through, Zhu Yanhe closes the book and says, "Kiss me." Ning Buyi will loudly "tsk" at him and say, "How annoying!" But he will actually get up and hug her for a kiss. For a moment, it's hard to tell who's spoiling whom at home...