Chapter 32: Guardian

The first message was from five days ago.

"Mr. 39, are you interested in item trading?"

Then, after a day's interval.

"Good morning, Mr. 39. Do your wounds still hurt? Do you need my help?"

Then another two days passed, which was yesterday.

"The next scenario is about to start, can I team up with you?"

A total of three messages, and he hadn't replied to a single one.

Xie De tapped the phone screen, feeling that since so much time had passed, replying now would not only be somewhat impolite but it had also lost its timeliness. He figured the first two messages no longer needed a reply, so he only replied to the last one.

"Yes."

Teaming up was a must, it was impossible not to team up in this lifetime. The scenarios were so dangerous, he had to cling tightly to this "big thigh".

"Gibberish, is there any news on the player forum? Remember to send a team request to the protagonist."

Gibberish made an 'OK' gesture.

"No news. The maximum limit for a scenario team cannot exceed eight people. I see the protagonist's group has him and Yue Xiamo. I'll pull Hu Wei in too. After all, big shot Hu Wei is quite obedient to you."

"Do whatever you want."

.........

Xie De finished washing up, fixed his hair, opened the storage cabinet behind the mirror, loaded bullets into his Glock, and tucked the gun close to his body.

Going out again, there was absolutely no trace of the drowsiness of someone who had just woken up. Instead, he just carried a hint of languor.

The clothes at home were mostly of three styles: windbreakers, trench coats, and leather coats. He preferred wearing leather coats. His long silver hair draped over his shoulders, making him look like a model with a very unique style.

Before he had finished getting ready, Wei Yunmo had already placed his cigarettes on the dining table and, spinning like a little top, ran over again to pick up the breakfast delivered outside the door, carefully placing it nicely on the plates, and sat at the dining table waiting for Xie De to come over.

Like a daily task.

Xie De first walked into the kitchen, poured a bowl full of mealworms for the little house centipede, and then went over to sit down.

Then the two ate their respective breakfasts without saying a word.

The time was already 10 AM.

"You can eat earlier by yourself, you don't need to wait for me."

"Mm, I know." Wei Yunmo took small sips of porridge and asked cautiously, "Mr. 39, can I go out today?"

"You can."

At the unexpected answer, Wei Yunmo's eyes lit up.

Actually, Xie De had thought about this before. He couldn't keep the kid locked up at home all the time. The villain was already a bit antisocial. If he was kept locked up, he would definitely try every means to sneak out. If he sneaked out and got found by the laboratory people, that would be "fun."

It was better to just let the villain move around right under his own nose.

Xie De expressionlessly handed over a watch.

"It has a tracking system inside. You can only move around within a ten-kilometer radius."

Wei Yunmo's expression stiffened, but then, feeling that this was to be expected, he took the watch.

"I understand."

Xie De's house was located on a remote street in the small county town, not in a residential compound. The ground floor was a small convenience store, and early in the day, the sounds of street vendors peddling their wares could be heard.

The facilities here were not that complete, and there were relatively few surveillance cameras. The floor tiles were made of materials from the last century. Only the old poplar trees by the roadside grew ever thicker and taller.

"Hey! Who are you? How come I've never seen you before? Where are you from?"

Xie De had already driven off to attend to his business. Wei Yunmo was standing downstairs, looking around curiously, when a young girl's voice came from above his head. He looked up to see a girl wearing long sleeves and long pants, her chin raised, standing high up on the thickest branch of the old poplar tree.

"My name is Wei Yunmo. Who are you? Why are you standing up there?"

"I'm Lu Nana. I'm playing hide-and-seek. Do you want to play with us?"

"What is hide-and-seek?"

"It's a bunch of people hiding, and then one person acts as the 'ghost' and finds everyone."

"Boring game."

Wei Yunmo was fair and tender, his eyes and hair were extremely black. His movements were always like a little gentleman, carrying an unintentional elegance in every gesture.

At this moment, he said politely, "If I were to hide, you would never find me. But if I were the seeker, you wouldn't stay hidden for even a minute."

"Hey, little brat!" Lu Nana climbed down from the tree. She was 14 years old this year. Girls mature early, and standing up straight, she was five centimeters taller than Wei Yunmo.

The girl quickly pinched Wei Yunmo's face.

"How old are you this year? Where do you live? You're from the big city, aren't you?"

Wei Yunmo frowned.

"Why should I tell you?"

"Fine, if you won't tell me, then I'll just guess." Lu Nana shook her head playfully with a grin.

"I've lived here for 14 years. I know everyone in this small county town very well. So let me guess, do you live on the third floor, room 304? And I bet you just moved here within this past week, and you haven't come out at all in the past five days."

Spot on.

Surprise flashed through Wei Yunmo's eyes.

"Your observation skills are sharp." Immediately, as if thinking of something, he asked stealthily, "Then do you have any impressions or news about the person living in 304?"

Lu Nana reached out to pinch Wei Yunmo's fair cheek again, but he dodged it. She didn't mind and kept grinning. Before meeting Wei Yunmo, she had probably been playing for a while. Her cheeks were flushed, and her skin showed a very healthy tan.

"You live in 304, so why are you asking such a strange question? Fine, I'll tell you the truth, I know absolutely nothing about that household."

Lu Nana said, "I know a man lives there. I heard my parents say he bought Grandpa Li's house and moved in after Grandpa Li went to the big city to live with his kids. He's lived here for less than two years in total. To be honest, I feel like... is he your older brother? Well, I don't know much, but I feel like your brother is like a vampire."

"Have you seen him? Why do you think he's a vampire?"

"Never seen him. The neighbor, Granny Wang, and my parents, none of us have ever seen what he looks like. That's why I say he's like a vampire, because he never comes out during the day, and even when he does go out, he doesn't let us see him."

Lu Nana smiled very energetically, leaning in a bit closer.

"Hey, your name is Wei Yunmo, right? What's your brother's name? Is he as good-looking as you?"

"Mm." Wei Yunmo thought of Xie De's appearance.

"He is very good-looking, just very fierce."

"Adults are all fierce. What does your brother do for a living?"

"Um, I don't know."

"Then what are you doing here? Why didn't you go out those few days?"

The girl's questions were so numerous it was like a book of A Hundred Thousand Whys.

Wei Yunmo had no intention of answering them all.

"Wait, let me guess. You figured out someone moved into 304 because my brother orders three meals a day from the restaurant downstairs, right?"

"Yeah, very few people here are so, erm, extravagant. Because in this season, vegetables are at most seven or eight yuan a catty, and meat at its most expensive is only 18 or 19 yuan a catty."

Lu Nana showed her incomprehension and confusion.

"Does no one cook in your house? Your brother is already so old, he doesn't know how to cook?"

He wouldn't dare let Xie De cook anyway.

Wei Yunmo smiled faintly.

"Stop prying into our family's affairs."

"I'm just curious."

A few people around Lu Nana's age appeared around the corner of the street. The leader was a bit angry.

"Lu Nana, we agreed we could only hide on that one street! Why did you run over here? You have no sportsmanship at all! Do you know how long we've been looking for you?"

"Ah! My bad, my bad," Lu Nana waved her hand dismissively and grabbed Wei Yunmo. "Let him play with us. His name is Wei Yunmo. I feel like he looks just like a doll, so cute."

The remaining playmates were both boys and girls, but girls made up the majority. They easily accepted Wei Yunmo, and then there was another barrage of questions. Kids hitting puberty like this weren't easy to fool.

Wei Yunmo wrinkled his nose, suspecting that going out had been a mistaken choice.

The leading girl was named Li Jiahui, also 14 years old. After she learned that Wei Yunmo was the tenant of 304 upstairs, she immediately became a bit excited.

"I've seen your brother! It was very late the night before last. I was half-asleep and thought it was 6 AM on Monday, so I got dressed and went out. I saw your brother then. I even thought I was dreaming. Did your brother dye his hair silver? Super cool. It's just that at the time he almost scared me to death."

Several teenagers huddled together, chattering away.

"Really? I really want to see your brother."

"Can we visit your house as guests?"

"Can you come over to my house as a guest? I feel like my mom would definitely like you. My mom really likes good-looking boys. She even stans celebrities."

Wei Yunmo frowned, surrounded by questions. This was his first time interacting with people his own age. He felt a bit awkward and unaccustomed to it. He thought that if he brought these people back with him, Xie De probably wouldn't let him out the door ever again.

The entertainment facilities in the small county town were actually quite scarce.

Their group fooled around and played, which could be considered quite lively.

They played until 5 PM. The few boys in the group very enthusiastically invited Wei Yunmo to their homes to play games and stay the night.

Wei Yunmo knew he should politely decline.

However, he was suddenly incredibly curious about Mr. 39's reaction upon learning that he was staying overnight as a guest in a normal person's house.

So, he went.

Everyone was extremely happy. The parents of that family were also very hospitable. Of course, it was unavoidable that they asked all sorts of questions, like: What do your parents do? Where do you live? What school do you go to? How are your grades?

These things were truly novel to Wei Yunmo! He had only ever stayed in the laboratory before. And he was shocked that his new playmates actually failed such simple math and English tests.

But as they kept chatting, it got later and later. Wei Yunmo couldn't help but feel a little anxious in his heart.

Will Mr. 39 call these parents to check in?

Like a normal parent would.

When the time reached 8 PM, most families in the small county town had already entered their nighttime routine, and 39 hadn't done so.

The boys were inviting Wei Yunmo to wash up and then get into bed to play.

Wei Yunmo felt a sense of disappointment.

However, a knocking sound suddenly came from the door.

The parents of the household looked at each other in dismay.

"Who is it?"

The kid brother went over and voluntarily opened the door. His mouth instantly opened wide, letting out a "Wow!"

Wei Yunmo's heart, for reasons he himself didn't understand, suddenly surged with a wave of joy. He quickly ran over, his eyes sparkling, but he lowered his head and apologized, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to not come home."

"You are?"

Xie De's voice was cold but polite as he said, "I am this child's guardian. Apologies for the trouble."

"Oh my, no trouble, no trouble at all. You're both such handsome young men. Little Mo is so sensible, so obedient..."

–

Rei’s Note:

Xie De got himself little fans xD I really love this chapter because usually, in novels, we barely see the POVs of others except for the MC—especially in the earlier parts of the novel (this has 300 chapters, btw). This one, however, allowed us to see not only the POV of Xie De but also Wei Yanchi and Wei Yunmo’s.

Also, I really like how Wei Yunmo acted his age + his growing dependence on Xie De, who he unconsciously treats as his older brother. I can’t wait to see more of them!