Chapter 34: Let Me Protect You (II)

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Chapter 34: Let Me Protect You (II)

The children’s home where Shang Ke and Feng Juan were placed was located in Bancher County, on the southwestern coast of Britain. Including the two of them, it housed twenty-one orphans. Although the living conditions were fairly ordinary, the facility was well equipped, with professional caregivers as well as psychologists and social workers who regularly checked on the children’s well-being.

Shang Ke and Feng Juan’s circumstances were unusual. They had been smuggled into the country from overseas, and their identities had yet to be verified, so they could not be entered into the adoption system for one year. In other words, they would have to remain at the children’s home for that entire year. Even if someone wanted to adopt them, they would still have to wait until the year was over.

Most of the twenty-one children in the children’s home had disabilities of varying degrees. As two healthy, handsome boys, Shang Ke and Feng Juan stood out like cranes among chickens.

The director led them to a small room containing two bunk beds, four beds in total. Only two had been made up with bedding; the other two were empty.

“Children, this will be your room. Do you like it?” the director asked Shang Ke and Feng Juan with a smile.

Feng Juan held tightly to Shang Ke’s hand, his little face tense as he remained silent.

Shang Ke looked up with a smile. “We like it very much. Thank you, Director.”

He said it in Chinese. Although the director couldn’t understand the words, she could roughly guess what he meant.

After getting the two of them settled and giving them a few more instructions, she left.

Shang Ke pulled Feng Juan into the room and closed the door behind them. Looking around, he smiled. “We’ll be living here from now on.”

Feng Juan watched Shang Ke set his backpack by the head of the bed, then sprawl comfortably across the mattress. Seeing how relaxed he was eased much of Feng Juan’s unease.

Feng Juan lay down beside Shang Ke and turned his head to look at his smile. As long as Shang Ke was with him, it felt as though there was nothing to be afraid of.

“Keke, can I sleep with you tonight?” Feng Juan glanced at the bed opposite them, a hint of distaste in his eyes.

“Sure.” Shang Ke stretched out his arms to gauge the width of the mattress and smiled. “One bed is easily big enough for both of us.”

At those words, a smile immediately spread across Feng Juan’s face.

Shang Ke couldn’t resist pinching his cheek. “Not bad. Smile more often, or you’ll grow up with a permanently expressionless face.”

Based on his experience across three worlds, Shang Ke was convinced that the reason this guy always grew up looking like a cold-faced King of Hell was because his facial muscles hadn’t gotten enough exercise as a child.

Feng Juan rolled his eyes at Shang Ke, turned his head away, and ignored him.

That night, Feng Juan crawled under Shang Ke’s covers as soon as he finished washing up. The two children nestled closely together and peacefully passed their first night at the children’s home.

Life at the children’s home was not as dull as they had imagined.

Because of the language barrier, in addition to their regular lessons, the director arranged for someone to teach Shang Ke and Feng Juan English. Her name was Rima, a woman in her forties. She was not an children’s-home employee, but a volunteer.

Rima took an immediate liking to the two boys. At first, she was only responsible for teaching them English, but before long, she had taken over their other lessons as well.

Rima soon discovered that the two children had very distinct personalities. One was quiet and reserved, yet obedient and polite, and his smile was like warm winter sunshine. The other was cold and serious, with constant wariness in his eyes, but he was diligent, hardworking, and an exceptionally quick learner.

Perhaps because of what they had experienced, both possessed a maturity uncommon among children their age.

With Rima looking after them, Shang Ke and Feng Juan’s life at the children’s home was simple but fulfilling. That peaceful simplicity, however, was shattered a month later.

That day, Shang Ke and Feng Juan were helping clear rubbish from the lawn when Shang Ke suddenly felt an intense gaze fixed on them. His brow twitched, but without showing anything on his face, he calmly swept his gaze around and caught what seemed to be a figure slipping past outside the grounds.

Shang Ke frowned as suspicion rose in his heart. Could those people still be watching us? We’re only two children. Is that really necessary?

Over the next two days, Shang Ke repeatedly spotted suspicious figures outside the children’s home. At last, he stopped hoping it was merely a coincidence.

In the original timeline, Bruno had been adopted by the Weiden family in less than a year, so he had no idea whether Feng Juan suffered any further attacks afterward, and the System had provided no specific details. From the look of things now, Feng Juan must have experienced a whole series of unforeseen dangers during his childhood.

If his guess was correct, then they could not remain at the children’s home. This was not only for Feng Juan’s sake, but for everyone else living there as well.

Shang Ke borrowed the director’s phone and called Detective Rowan.

“Shang, I didn’t expect you to call me.” Rowan sounded cheerful. “Did you miss me?”

Shang Ke replied with only one sentence: “Detective Rowan, I think someone is watching us.”

That very afternoon, Rowan stationed several plainclothes officers outside the children’s home. Sure enough, they spotted a suspicious man. But when they tried to follow him, he noticed and escaped, then failed to reappear for several days.

That did not mean Shang Ke and Feng Juan were safe. After receiving approval from his superiors, Rowan took the two children out of the children’s home and arranged for them to stay at his own home.

Rowan couldn’t understand why the other side refused to leave two children alone. Even if they knew something, they probably couldn’t provide much useful information. They were so young that they might not even be able to recount what had happened clearly, not to mention the language barrier.

Just what were those people so afraid of?

“Shang, since you understand English, can you tell us everything you know?” Rowan looked at Shang Ke seriously.

“I don’t know what I’m supposed to tell you.” Shang Ke and Feng Juan sat together in a single chair, surrounded by five or six adults.

Hearing his fluent English, the corners of Rowan and the others’ eyes twitched.

“Start by telling us where you came from.”

“I was a street child.” One sentence neatly eliminated the need for an investigation into his family background.

“Who taught you English?” Rowan asked.

“A traveling performer from Britain,” Shang Ke replied without changing expression. “I lived with him for a while.”

“What about Feng Juan?” Rowan turned toward him.

Feng Juan understood that much and replied, “Other than my name, I don’t remember anything.”

Professor Ramson translated the exchange for the others.

Rowan rubbed between his brows. If he weren’t certain that the two people sitting before him were only children, he would almost have thought they were lying.

“Shang, how long were you on the ship? Who did you see? Did anything unusual happen?” Rowan continued.

Shang Ke appeared to think seriously for a moment before shaking his head.

“Take your time.” Rowan crouched in front of Shang Ke and said gently, “Shang, close your eyes.”

Shang Ke slowly closed his eyes.

“All right, let’s try remembering it again.” Rowan’s voice was gentle and measured. “You and the other children were taken aboard a ship and locked inside the hold. Everything around you was completely dark…”

Shang Ke wasn’t truly a child, so naturally he understood that Rowan was trying to guide his memory. He searched through Bruno’s memories—and his body suddenly went rigid.

A narrow, sealed space. Crowded, hot, humid, and reeking. The ship rocked endlessly. Someone was vomiting, someone had lost control of their bladder or bowels, someone was moaning in pain… Every day, different boys and girls were dragged away. When they returned, their bodies were covered in injuries, tortured almost beyond recognition. Some never returned at all.

Shang Ke could almost feel Bruno’s despair and terror. He abruptly opened his eyes, their surface clouded with mist, and silently looked at everyone as though pleading, Please… don’t ask anymore.

He had not shed a single tear, yet somehow it felt as though he were crying in silence.

“Stop asking!” Feng Juan abruptly stood and snapped coldly, “We don’t know anything!”

The adults froze. Some looked awkward, others apologetic, and naturally, the questioning could no longer continue.

After everyone else left, Rowan asked the two children awkwardly, “Are you hungry? What do you want to eat? I can order something for you.”

Rowan was a bachelor, and one look at the chaotic mess filling his home made that obvious. Shang Ke had no idea how Rowan’s superior had agreed to let him bring two children home. Weren’t they afraid he might accidentally raise them to death?

After calming himself, Shang Ke said to Rowan, “I saw a supermarket nearby on the way here. Why don’t we buy some ingredients and cook for ourselves?”

“Uh, I’m not very good at cooking.” Rowan didn’t care if he had to eat his own cooking, but if he used it to feed children, they would probably end up with food poisoning within a few days.

“I can cook.” Shang Ke spoke with complete sincerity. “To thank you for taking care of us, I’ll handle the meals from now on.”

“You?” Rowan looked deeply skeptical.

After Shang Ke efficiently produced a lavish dinner, Rowan could only stare in amazement and blissfully accept this delicious new reality.

Not only that, Shang Ke also cleaned up Rowan’s pigsty of a home. In just two hours, the place had been completely transformed, as though given a new lease on life.

Rowan could almost hear the house itself weeping tears of joy…

“The bath’s ready. Come wash up.” Rowan called from the bathroom. Shang Ke had already taken care of all the housework; the least Rowan could do was run the bath for them.

The two exquisitely cute children soon appeared in front of him, making Rowan suddenly think that raising a couple of kids like these might actually be pretty nice.

As aloof as ever, Feng Juan stripped off his clothes without hesitation, climbed into the bathtub, and sat to one side waiting for Shang Ke.

Shang Ke removed his shirt as well, revealing his thin upper body.

Rowan was just about to leave the bathroom when he caught sight of Shang Ke’s body from the corner of his eye and froze. The small, slender body was covered in scars of every size—burns, whip marks, knife wounds, and many others that were impossible to identify.

Rowan had already seen photographs of those scars at the hospital, but seeing them in person was entirely different. He could not imagine what kind of horrific abuse this child had endured. Each scar seemed like an accusation against the cruelty of the world.

“Detective Rowan, what’s wrong?” Shang Ke looked up at Rowan, who was still standing there in a daze.

Rowan looked into his eyes. There was no resentment and no fear, only clarity and brightness.

“Keke.” Feng Juan gripped the edge of the bathtub with both hands and glared at Rowan. Creepy old man, haven’t you stared enough? Hurry up and get out!

Hearing Feng Juan call him, Shang Ke stopped paying attention to Rowan and went over to play with the bubbles in the bath with him.

The two washed each other’s hair and scrubbed each other’s backs, happily keeping themselves busy.

Rowan smiled faintly at the sight and turned to leave the bathroom.

The next day, Rowan arranged for another police officer to protect the two children, then headed off to the station carrying the delicious breakfast Shang Ke had prepared. In the past, he either skipped breakfast entirely or grabbed something random by the roadside. Now that Shang Ke was here, he suddenly felt as though life had become complete.

With Rowan’s permission, Shang Ke was free to use the computer in his study. So the first thing he did after breakfast was turn it on and inspect its hardware configuration and network information.

Shang Ke’s hacking skill was currently only at the Intermediate level, barely enough to qualify him as an expert. However, he soon discovered that his greatest advantage was not his raw skill level, but the fact that his technical knowledge was at least seven years ahead of this world. In the field of computing, seven years was enough to turn everything upside down.

For example, the firewall on this computer was riddled with vulnerabilities in Shang Ke’s eyes. By exploiting them, he could easily hack into other computers. Of course, infiltrating major corporations or government departments would probably require considerably more effort.

Shang Ke had no intention of using this advantage to wreak havoc online. He only wanted to open a protective umbrella over himself and Feng Juan, gather every scrap of information he could about their enemies, and keep them under such close online surveillance that they would have nowhere to hide.

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