Before Li Yuebai opened his eyes, he smelled the scent of wet earth and heard the footsteps of the crowd.
After opening his eyes, he found himself walking in the subway exit with a folded umbrella in his hand.
The subway station was built in the style of ten years ago. The entrance was not wide enough and the crowd was a bit crowded. On the wall was a huge poster promoting Lisa Ono's concert, and the date on it was also from ten years ago.
After confirming the time, Li Yuebai had no time to stop and followed the crowd outside. When he walked out of the subway exit, he promptly opened the black umbrella in his hand. Tiny raindrops fell densely, hitting the umbrella and making a rustling sound. Outside was a sidewalk with lush green shrubs planted on both sides. However, under such a gloomy sky, the green shrubs did not look so green.
When Li Yuebai thought of the 13-year-old Ye Qing waiting for him in a corner on the roadside, his right hand holding the umbrella began to tremble slightly.
"Host." The system's voice jumped out in my ears.
"Thank you, system." Li Yuebai paused, took a deep breath, tightened the handle of the umbrella in his hand, and walked forward.
The figure of the young man soon came into view - a navy-style jacket and khaki shorts, with his slender white arms and calves exposed, and his black, slightly curly hair - but everything was already wet from the rain.
Li Yuebai's heart tightened, and he quickened his pace, walked to the boy, held the umbrella above his head, bent down, and showed a somewhat bitter smile.
He really wanted to smile like he usually did, but he couldn't, he simply couldn't. His eyes were sore and his face was so stiff. He was afraid that if he relaxed a little, he would burst into tears.
Therefore, he could only laugh to this extent even if he tried his best.
The boy blinked and looked up at him.
The boy's skin was so white that it was almost pale, his facial features were delicate and beautiful, and his expression was gloomy and distant. Li Yuebai could not retrieve his memories of his previous life, but he had already imagined it countless times in the system's descriptions. The boy's expression at this moment was almost the same as what he had imagined.
"Why are you here alone?" Li Yuebai asked as softly as possible.
The boy just looked at him and didn't answer.
In my previous life, I must have asked this question here for a long time, but in the end I didn't get an answer.
This time, Li Yuebai didn't have that much patience, nor did he have that many questions to ask.
He directly and naturally extended his hand: "Let's go, go home with brother."
When he heard the word "go home", the boy obviously hesitated.
"Not going back to your home." Li Yuebai smiled: "Going back to my home."
As soon as he returned to the rental house, Li Yuebai took the boy directly into the bathroom, turned on the water heater, and took out soap and towels. However, after hesitating for a long time, he still hid out, leaving the boy alone in the bathroom and letting him wash himself.
He wanted to personally check the boy's injuries, but it was inappropriate. He had no desire for the boy's body, but casually checking it out would still be suspected of pedophilia.
It was not until the next day that he took the boy to a doctor he knew for a physical examination. The results were shocking - burns from cigarette butts, small holes from needle pricks, scratches from razor blades, whip marks, and even marks from branding irons... densely distributed on the boy's back, abdomen, legs and other private parts. None of them were deep or fatal, but they would cause sporadic pain and satisfy the abuser's perverted desires.
Li Yuebai thought he had prepared himself mentally, but when he saw the examination report, he almost burst into tears.
"Host, I can play the video recording of the abuse scene here. Ye Qing's father is very secretive, but the system knows everything..." The system said: "Do you want to watch it?"
"No." Li Yuebai refused decisively. He couldn't bear to watch it at all: "How could anyone have the heart to do such a heavy hand to their own child?"
"The reason is simple, and it's one you are very familiar with." The system said, "Father believes that Mother had an affair with someone else, and that this child is not his own, but a symbol of his betrayal. Coupled with Father's inherent cruelty and cold-bloodedness..."
Holding the boy's hand, Li Yuebai walked back to the rental house step by step. His mind was in a mess, and he was thinking about what to do next.
All he had thought about before was how to take the boy away from his father, but now, he just wanted to send the boy's father to jail.
"Host, should we call the police?" The system said, "I don't know much about your world, but calling the police seems to be a common method when someone is being violated. And since you were a police officer in your second life, you might understand it better."
"..." Li Yuebai thought for a long time, and finally said: "No."
If the teenager was assaulted by a stranger, calling the police would of course be the best option, but now... it is an injury between family members. Whether it is the police station or the court, mediation is the first choice for cases of abuse within the family. Generally, the child's father is called in for criticism and education. The most serious case is detention for a few days, and then the father will still be allowed to take the child home, and everything will go on as usual.
To solve the problem quickly, we still need to start from other aspects.
"What is Ye Qing's father's occupation?" Li Yuebai asked.
"I used to work in the government as a financial staff member, and now I'm doing business." The system replied.
Li Yuebai almost laughed out loud.
With a career history like this, it's very easy to find evidence against him.
Li Yuebai returned to the rental house in a good mood, humming a song while cooking a large table of dishes in the kitchen. He has always been a good cook, but he was lazy when he lived alone and often made do with it. Now, considering that the boy is still growing, he can't treat him badly, so he used all his special skills.
The boy sat at the table and looked at the dazzling array of food. For the first time, an expression of surprise appeared on his face.
"Eat, eat." Li Yuebai patted his head happily: "But don't eat too much, it will damage your body."
The boy carefully took a bite of the beef in the bowl, and his beautiful eyes immediately widened. Li Yuebai interpreted this expression as - the expression of eating something delicious in a relaxed and free state for the first time.
"Brother." The boy asked hesitantly, "Are you a chef...?"
The boy did not speak easily, and what he did say was short and intermittent, so it was a delight to see him utter such a long sentence so fluently in one go.
"No." Li Yuebai shook his head: "My brother is a teacher... Oh, not yet, now he is a print model."
"What is a teacher?" the boy asked.
"A teacher is..." Li Yuebai patiently thought about how to explain it in words that the boy could understand: "Someone who can make you smarter."
This explanation is truly heretical.
“What is a print model?”
"The most beautiful person in the world." Li Yuebai boasted casually.
The boy nodded, not quite understanding.
Really, he is so obedient and easy to bully even now... Li Yuebai sighed sweetly, feeling that the boy was easier to bully than Ye Qing at any other stage.
There were footsteps and voices outside the door. It should be the neighbors coming back from get off work. The sound insulation of the rental house was not good, and the sounds from outside could be heard, but Li Yuebai didn't care.
The boy tensed up and waited until the noise died down before continuing to eat his meal in small bites.
"What's wrong? Are you scared?" Li Yuebai sat over nervously and touched the boy's head.
The young man shuddered slightly, then looked at Li Yuebai and asked in a low voice: "Brother, will you take me home?"
The boy's eyes were like dusty stars, with a despair that shouldn't be there for his age, looking at Li Yuebai, as if he already knew the result. The boy didn't understand this world yet, but he knew vaguely that everyone would stay in their own home, each family would only accept its own family members, and no one would live with strangers.
My brother will definitely send me home and let me be with my father again.
Li Yuebai was stunned when he saw him like this, and the metal spoon in his hand fell to the table with a clang.
He didn't remember anything about his previous life, but he could imagine how desperate and sad the boy must have been when his previous self insisted on sending him home.
Absolutely, absolutely not let this happen again.
"No." Li Yuebai was so excited that he couldn't help but grab the boy's arm. Fortunately, he didn't use much force: "I'm not going home."
"Huh?" The young man was stunned, seeming a little bit unbelieving.
"As long as you don't want to go back." Li Yuebai said seriously, "You can always live here with your brother."
"...Okay." The young man agreed hastily, as if he was afraid that he would go back on his word.
"Since you've agreed, you should tell me your name." Li Yuebai blinked.
Ye Qing has a different name every time he travels through a world. I started to get to know him in the second time, so I have always called him Ye Qing out of habit, but in this real world, it may not be the case.
"...Ye Qing." The young man answered in a low voice.
"Huh?" Li Yuebai was surprised. What a coincidence? It happened to be the same name as the one he was most familiar with?
"Host, it's the lightest one." The system couldn't bear to see it, so it helped explain, "Travelers in different worlds often have the same or similar names. It was unfortunate that you met him with different names each time you traveled through time six times before. According to probability, a similar one should appear too."
"Okay." Li Yue nodded solemnly: "Well, little friend Ye Qing, you can play for an hour after dinner, and then you have to wash up and go to bed."
"Can I watch that?" Ye Qing pointed at the TV timidly.
At home, his father locked him in the small bedroom and did not allow him to watch TV.
"Okay, but to protect your eyes, you can only watch it for half an hour." Li Yuebai nodded seriously.
Little Ye Qing went to play by himself obediently. Li Yuebai sat down at the desk and seriously thought about what to do.
Since I have already agreed to let him live in my house, I have to remove all obstacles for him.
Father, household registration, other relatives, school registration...
Li Yuebai was very lucky. After all, he was no longer the 18-year-old himself. He had ten years of life experience and many more years of time travel experience. In addition, he had the help of the system. Things that were difficult in the previous life could now be successfully done.
With the help of the system, and by using computer technology, they can hack into Ye Qing's father's computer and obtain some evidence of economic crimes. Then, they can find out who he has offended and who is eager to deal with him for profit reasons...
Just like the method used in the previous life to send Su X to prison, it would be very easy as long as you have control over the network of interests.
After his father went to jail, Ye Qing's custody would be transferred to his uncle's house. His uncle's family had no feelings for Ye Qing and were unwilling to adopt him, only thinking it would be a hassle. At this time, he only needed to come forward to discuss with his uncle and the problem could be easily solved.
In this way, Ye Qing's household registration can be transferred to his uncle's house. In name, he will be adopted by his uncle, but all his uncle has to do is help with some formalities. He does not have to actually raise him. The actual raising will be entirely the responsibility of Li Yuebai.
When Ye Qing grows up a few years, he can be sent directly to boarding school. Although it is a bit reluctant, this way of growth can better train him.
After finishing a whole set of plans, Li Yuebai hummed happily.
Within four or five months, everything was done.
"Host, everything went smoothly." The system said, "Congratulations."
"It's for him after all." Li Yuebai breathed a sigh of relief: "Besides, compared with previous missions, this one is really easy."
"Well, the Lord God also appreciates your efforts." The system said: "Since this step has been successful, let us jump directly to the next stage, to when Ye Qing becomes an adult."
Li Yuebai was walking towards the amusement park holding Ye Qing's hand. He froze when he heard this: "So fast."
"Of course, your lover is still a teenager now." The system said, "The system is also considering your health and law-abidingness."
"..." Li Yuebai was choked by the system's words.
The system was right. I really couldn't develop feelings for 13-year-old Ye Qing. It was a crime.
If I really had to endure it for five or six years, it would be too unbearable.
"Thank you, system. I agree to jump to the next stage." Li Yuebai smiled: "But before that, let's go to the amusement park first."
"Okay." The system seemed to be impressed.
The sky was clear, the sun was shining brightly, and there were a few white clouds floating in the air.
Li Yuebai held Ye Qing's hand and walked into the amusement park. The colorful amusement facilities, large dolls, mini trains, tents... in front of them made Ye Qing, who seldom went out, open his eyes wide and his little face turned red.
After taking him to try out the most fun projects, Li Yuebai felt a little tired. He turned around and saw the air gun booth.
The air gun fires plastic bullets and doesn't look like a real gun, but Li Yuebai couldn't help but think of Ye Qing in the second time travel. At that time, he always used such a rifle as a weapon, and he looked as handsome as a superhero.
With a thought, Li Yuebai had already pulled Ye Qing to the front of the stall and bought a few shooting opportunities.
However, when he raised the gun and aimed, Li Yuebai shouted that something was wrong.
This body of mine is the same as my previous life. I don't know martial arts, I don't know how to use a gun, I don't have any combat experience, I can't even play CS games well, it's impossible for me to hit the target.
Several plastic bullets were fired in succession, but all of them missed the target, not even hitting the edge.
"Brother." Ye Qing pulled the corner of his clothes and said, "Let me try it, okay?"
Of course!
Li Yuebai felt delighted and quickly handed the gun to Ye Qing with an indulgent smile.
Ye Qing carefully carried the slightly large spear on her delicate shoulders and lightly hooked it with her fingers.
The plastic bullet instantly penetrated the bull's eye.
The next shot, a plastic bullet, pierced the forehead of the stuffed bear and knocked it off the shelf.
As the sun was setting, two people walked out of the gate of the amusement park holding a bunch of stuffed toys. The sun stretched their shadows, one big and one small, very long.
This moment seems like eternity.