Chapter 2: The Boy Being Watched

Chapter 2: The Marked Boy

A dish of pickled vegetables, two bowls of porridge.

The paint on that old table had long since worn off, exposing the wood beneath, darkened from years of oil, salt, soy, and vinegar. A crack ran from the edge, cutting partway in before stopping.

Gu Junhan sat across from Wen Yu, his back against the earthen wall, one leg stretched out, the other bent. He was too tall for this rickety stool—his knees came up higher than the tabletop.

Wen Yu took small sips of porridge, burying his face in the bowl as steam rose against his cheeks.

He felt uncomfortable under Gu Junhan's stare. First, he pulled his hands off the table and set them on his knees. After a moment, he brought them back up to grab the pickled vegetables, nudging the plate toward Gu Junhan.

"You want some?" Wen Yu asked, a grain of rice stuck on his lip.

Gu Junhan didn't move, just took a few sips of porridge, his eyes locked on Wen Yu's mouth.

Wen Yu ducked his head awkwardly, then reached for the napkins in the middle of the table. Suddenly, Gu Junhan's big hand slapped over the packet.

"Your bowl's spotless. You still need to wipe your mouth?" Gu Junhan reached out—his hand was long, stretching to Wen Yu's lips. The grain of rice stuck to his fingertip.

Wen Yu's face went blank, both cheeks flushing red. "Why... why'd you touch my mouth with your finger?"

"You can lick it off with your tongue. That grain at the corner of your mouth—you should be able to reach it." Gu Junhan's thoughts were unreadable, but his hand kept moving restlessly. Then he added, "Can't let food go to waste."

Wen Yu shook his head, not understanding what Gu Junhan meant. "Only kids lick their mouths like that. I'm grown now."

"Grown."

Gu Junhan sneered inwardly. Looking at Wen Yu's faded, threadbare clothes, he thought, how pathetic. "Being grown up means you get to lick fingers."

Gu Junhan said to Wen Yu, rubbing his finger along the corner of his mouth. "You can learn to be a grown-up."

Wen Yu looked honestly at the man's pale, slender hand and refused. "Licking fingers is something kids do."

"Licking someone else's fingers isn't, though."

Gu Junhan was a little surprised, but without patience, he pushed the grain of rice from his finger into Wen Yu's mouth.

"Mm." Wen Yu's lips were sealed shut, his eyes reddening from being bullied. He shook his head, turned away, and shot up, slapping the table. "You're biting the hand that feeds you!"

In his twenty-seven years, the most interesting thing Gu Junhan had ever found was ruthlessly messing with this kid.

"How am I biting the hand that feeds you?" Gu Junhan asked.

Wen Yu was so nervous he could barely get the words out. "I—I—you made me lick your finger."

"This is how I repay your kindness. It's what adults do." Gu Junhan explained, though it was a pretty weak excuse.

Wen Yu was fooled, his eyes going wide. "Really? So in the future, if I save someone or help someone out, they'll make me lick their fingers too?"

"No. Am I the first person you've ever saved?"

"You are."

Gu Junhan picked up a napkin and wiped his hand. Even though Wen Yu was the one standing, Gu Junhan was the one looking down at him. "So, only the first person gets to do that."

Wen Yu still didn't get it. What kind of person had he picked up?

Gu Junhan didn't let him speak, moving on to another question. "You live alone?"

Wen Yu nodded, both hands on his knees, clutching his pants. "Just me now."

"And your name?" Gu Junhan always spoke with a commanding tone, and Wen Yu inexplicably felt a chill run down his spine.

"Xiaobao," Wen Yu answered. "Everyone in the village calls me Xiaobao."

Xiaobao...

Gu Junhan's gaze deliberately swept over his chest. "And your real name?"

Wen Yu stood up—his legs were thin, his waist shockingly slender.

"Wen Yu." The boy, unnerved by his stare, looked away nervously. His shoes were worn out, and he took a step back.

"Wen Yu." Gu Junhan looked him up and down. "How old are you?"

"Eighteen."

"What education?"

"High school grad. Never went to college."

It should've been him asking who the other guy was, but instead he was the one getting interrogated. Wen Yu was quiet as a mouse.

The sun had risen outside. Wen Yu's eyes reflected the smooth porcelain bowl in the sunlight. He was dazed for a moment before clumsily stacking the bowls together.

Despite being injured, Gu Junhan didn't need to rest—he rolled up his sleeves and helped Wen Yu finish all the day's work.

The field was full of peanut plants. Wen Yu wore a white tank top, sweat soaking through the fabric, the back clinging to his skin.

Gu Junhan did most of the work. Wen Yu wondered who Gu Junhan was—he looked like someone from a big city, yet he was even better at farm work than Wen Yu.

It was like he was born with immense strength and endless energy.

Wen Yu held out the water. Sweat beaded on Gu Junhan's forehead, his chest muscles still rising and falling slightly. This sight made Wen Yu, who'd never seen much of the world, unable to look away.

"You've been helping me all day. Your injury..." The boy picked up a towel with both hands and shuffled over slowly.

The ground was uneven, full of bumps and dips. Wen Yu's shoes were caked in mud. His foot caught on a big mound of dirt, and he stumbled forward.

He tumbled right into Gu Junhan's arms.

Gu Junhan's big hand gripped his shoulder. Wen Yu looked straight ahead—at the solid abs, strong and hard. Wen Yu's mouth went dry. "Th... thanks."

"You want some water?" Wen Yu opened his round eyes, craning his neck up. His Adam's apple was small too.

Gu Junhan just hummed in acknowledgment. The two sat in the field. It was plain water, but it tasted like milk.

The man's thin lips caught droplets of water, his tongue idly moving in his mouth as he glanced sideways at Wen Yu.

Wen Yu was oblivious. He gulped down big mouthfuls of water. His ears were just as round and delicate. He leaned closer to Gu Junhan curiously and asked, "Where are you from? You from the city?"

The soil beneath them was loose, the sun leaving only a lingering warmth.

"The city," Gu Junhan answered.

Wen Yu's eyes lit up. "Like, a big city?"

Gu Junhan looked at his thin, small face—clean, with skin that was exceptionally fair and soft.

"You want to know?"

Wen Yu nodded, and as he did, the tuft of hair sticking up swayed along with the motion.

"It's not an ordinary big city."

Gu Junhan stretched his legs out. Even sitting down, he was taller than Wen Yu.

A worm crawled out of the soil. Wen Yu picked up a nearby branch, nudged it aside, then drifted off again, "What about the house? Your home probably doesn't have bugs like the ones out in the fields, right?"

"My house doesn't have bugs, but it has quite a few pets." Gu Junhan looked at him, a slow smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

That was a smile.

Wen Yu asked again, "What kind of pets? Kittens or puppies?"

Gu Junhan's tone suddenly turned cold, like winter ice with something moving underneath, "Many pets."

"Some don't behave, so they get tied up and locked away for a few days."

Wen Yu blinked, confused.

"Locked up? Why lock them up?"

"Because they bite." Gu Junhan's words had a double meaning.

Wen Yu paused, thinking of Uncle Li's dog back in the village. It bit people too, and after that, it got tied up for a few days until it settled down.

"Then... are they well-behaved now?" Wen Yu continued asking.

"They are now." Gu Junhan took a sip of water to wet his throat.

Wen Yu turned to the side, gazing at Gu Junhan's sharp nose.

Gu Junhan's voice was right by his ear, low and deep, with a hint of amusement in it.

"If you get the chance, you'll see for yourself."