Forced To Take Care Of The Protagonist, She Can't Leave [Transmigration Novel] - Chapter 10

The first day of school at Qionglin Elementary was not for classes, but primarily for organizing the curriculum and schedules. Huo Chen also took an entrance exam.

Beyond the basic traditional courses, he had to demonstrate proficiency in conversation with foreign teachers, showcase his talents, and provide membership proof for a riding club. The requirements were extremely fussy and demanding. After the testing was completed, it took about two hours for the results to come out.

—Grade A.

Gu Qingshi had been busy handling the paperwork the entire time, his expression unchanging, while Huo Chen watched him intently.

When will his expression shift? It seemed he had only shown emotion during his time at the welfare home, but was that not just a facade? Is this man’s profession an actor?

Huo Chen could not help but glance at the people around them, feeling puzzled. Did they not recognize Gu Qingshi? It seemed he was not a very famous actor, but that was fine; at least no one would come to bother him.

“This needs a parent’s signature. May I ask who you are?” the administrator asked cautiously.

Gu Qingshi replied: “I am his guardian.”

“Oh, I see. That is fine.” The official seal was stamped, and the basic documentation was sorted.

The woman said kindly, “Class 3-2 is your child’s assigned classroom. You can visit the class this afternoon; it is a good opportunity to familiarize himself with his classmates.”

Gu Qingshi gave a slight nod and led Huo Chen out. He looked down and asked, “Do you want to go? I will wait for you outside.”

Huo Chen shook his head immediately. “Isn’t school starting tomorrow? I am not going. Let us go home.”

Perhaps because his answer was too direct, Gu Qingshi chuckled lightly and reminded him: “Do you not need to familiarize yourself with the people in your class?”

“No.”

“Very well. I will go talk to your homeroom teacher; wait here for me.” As the words left his lips, Huo Chen was instantly bewildered. Why is there more to do? He had said he wanted to go home because he did not want to waste time. Huo Chen could not help but want to follow him.

“Do not run around,” the man instructed without even looking back.

Huo Chen’s feet felt like they were nailed to the floor. He frowned, but he did not follow. His gaze remained fixed on that figure, and when he saw him chatting happily with a young female teacher, his mouth turned down into a pout.

What is there to talk about?

However, the moment Gu Qingshi turned back after finishing, Huo Chen clearly saw his expression change—his lips were straight, his face indifferent. It was as if the person who had been speaking so fluently just a moment ago was not him at all.

Does this person live his life behind a mask?

When he reached them, Gu Qingshi reached out and patted his head. “Mmm, alright, let us go.”

The man’s hand touched him for a split second before being withdrawn; Huo Chen barely felt it. He hurried to follow behind, his mind buzzing with thought. I am still a child; shouldn’t he hold my hand while we walk?

Gu Qingshi’s hands were tucked into his overcoat pockets. Huo Chen thought about it for a moment, then began to act, intentionally walking slower. He even exaggerated his movements as if he were struggling to keep up, panting slightly. Soon, a gap formed between them.

Gu Qingshi predictably frowned and looked back. As he pulled his hand from his pocket, Huo Chen’s heart soared. He prepared to walk over and take hold—

“Are you not going to eat lunch? Do not dawdle,” Gu Qingshi said. His tone remained neutral, making it impossible to tell if he was being strict or simply urging him on. “Hurry up.”

He just stood there, waiting.

Huo Chen ran over, feeling very resentful, and looked up as if to say something.

“Mmm?” Gu Qingshi looked down.

Huo Chen: “Nothing.”

He followed honestly behind, no longer making trouble.

This man is truly hard to please, Huo Chen thought, not for the first time.

996 would occasionally broadcast updates in Gu Qingshi’s mind: 【Task 02: Push the protagonist Huo Chen to enter Qionglin Elementary School. Process initiated, duration three years.】

The flow of time had not changed, and the tasks were not excessively cumbersome, save for the requirement to keep his distance from the protagonist. The three core principles remained vivid in his mind:

1. Do not develop intimate emotional ties with the protagonist; maintain a low profile.
2. Do not interfere with major plot points; promote plot development when necessary.
3. Keep the protagonist in mind at all times; provide timely assistance and prioritize the protagonist above all else.

Violating these would result in punishment. Gu Qingshi had been punished once and had no desire to grapple with the problems of this world again. He just wanted to return home, so he might as well do the task well: raising a child.

Huo Chen remained well-behaved and obedient at home, even making a strenuous effort to “perform” from the moment he stepped through the door. He brought clothes to Gu Qingshi, pulled out his chair, and poured him throat-soothing water.

【996, the Support Character Code restrictions apply to me, right?】 He looked down at the diligent protagonist, feeling a rare moment of doubt. There were clearly servants in the house; there was no need for Huo Chen to attend to him.

【Yes, yes. The Support Character restrictions apply only to the Host; we cannot interfere with the protagonist,】 996 clarified.

Gu Qingshi accepted the teacup. Before the boy could run off, he said, “You do not need to try to please me.”

His tone was perfectly calm.

Huo Chen nearly broke character, but managed to keep a confused, somewhat helpless expression. What does he mean?

Gu Qingshi’s face remained a sickly pale, and only after sipping the tea did his lips regain a hint of color. “I brought you back, so I will take responsibility for you. Do not worry about other things, and you do not need to please me for any other reason.”

The words were nearly blunt.

996 was greatly shocked: 【Host, will this not?】

【Do not bother me.】

【…】 996 had already evolved into a voice-controlled system.

Huo Chen did not know what to say, but he felt inexplicably horrible, worse than when he had left in the morning.

“Then what is your use for me? You must have other motives, right? It cannot possibly be because you pity me.” He seemed to have abandoned all self-restraint, retorting with a sharp tongue. He looked up, his small face full of wariness, resembling the way he had looked when they first met.

Gu Qingshi stared blankly for a moment, then laughed: “I do.”

Huo Chen felt a chill go through his body. Am I no different from those other people? His wrist began to throb with frequent, piercing pain; it had clearly been getting better, but now it hurt again. Huo Chen’s breathing stalled.

“But those motives have nothing to do with you and will not affect you.”

Huo Chen looked up, his eyes rimmed with red, and took a step back.

“Did I not tell you back then?” Gu Qingshi found this child’s behavior difficult to handle; he was truly unskilled at interpersonal relationships outside of acting, even if, in all likelihood, this was also an act.

“Tell me what?” Huo Chen’s voice was muffled, his tone clearly unhappy.

The nanny approached from behind with a plate of food, feeling embarrassed at the scene. Should I come over? Or not? Little Huo was always waiting for the master to come home; why were they arguing?

Gu Qingshi waved his hand at the person behind her, signaling her to leave.

“That I would only stay for three days.” His tone was flat.

996 exploded: 【Warning, warning! You must not disclose any system-related information, otherwise, you will be directly logged out! Ahhhhhh!】

Huo Chen remained silent, just looking at him.

“Are you regretting it?” the child asked bluntly, his eyes brimming with tears.

Gu Qingshi was momentarily stunned. Crying? He had originally thought this mission would be simple—just bring up a child. Maintaining distance was also simple—just focus on work. Why was it like this now? Gu Qingshi felt a momentary blankness. Did he make him cry again?

996 sent frequent alerts in his mind.

Gu Qingshi had spent three consecutive days soaking in a swimming pool on set, NG-ing so many times the director couldn’t take it, ultimately leading to a high fever that landed him in the hospital for two days of IV drips. He felt his head spinning violently now. He simply pulled back a chair and crouched down.

Huo Chen stared at him fixedly.

“Why do you not understand? Stop probing.” Gu Qingshi felt the child in front of him doubling in his vision. “I have no malicious intent toward you.” He was just a support character. “I mean, stop working so hard to please me; I will take responsibility for you.”

Even talking felt exhausting. Huo Chen became annoyed. Could he not just keep probing? He was not trying to please him for any other reason! Liar!

Gu Qingshi wondered if he had gone too long without eating, causing low blood sugar, but had he not just finished the last half bottle of the drip? He could not continue speaking; his vision was going dark. Gu Qingshi stopped talking, his face pale, gripping the chair to stand up.

“Gu Qingshi, what is wrong with you? Hey, you, Gu Qingshi!” Huo Chen was shouting in his ears, which were buzzing. He did not know what happened, but the boy suddenly lunged into his arms, seemingly trying to pull Gu Qingshi, but it backfired and pushed him down instead.

Gu Qingshi closed his eyes, feeling despair. He had clearly been about to stand up; the least he could do was let him eat something.

Huo Chen lunged with too much force and had no sense of moderation, pushing him down and slamming his forehead into Gu Qingshi’s chin. His thin back hit the leg of the chair. The friction was sharp and ear-piercing.

“Auntie, Auntie, hurry, come here! Sister Chen!” Huo Chen screamed at the top of his lungs, like a nursing cub—the most direct method an eight-year-old could think of.

Gu Qingshi’s brows furrowed from the noise. Can this child please get up? Do not press on me like that.

Fortunately, the nanny had not gone far. She rushed over, pulled the obstructive, stupid child away, and immediately helped the man up. It was chaos for a few minutes.

Gu Qingshi managed to recover. “Thank you so much; otherwise, I really would not have been able to get up for half a day.” Especially while being pressed down by a heavy object.

“Sir, please eat something. This must be low blood sugar. You rushed over too quickly. You should have eaten something after returning from the hospital this morning…” The nanny remained concerned. She clapped her hands, remembering the soup warming on the stove, greeted Gu Qingshi, and turned to busy herself.

Huo Chen stood by the table, his mind finally processing the situation. This is low blood sugar, no wonder he felt better after eating. And he had been throwing a tantrum. Had he been in the way of him eating? His gaze shifted to the back of the man’s hand, where the needle mark had not yet faded. The nanny knew he had been to the hospital, but he did not.

Huo Chen did not want to eat anymore. He stood by Gu Qingshi’s hand, his mind drifting, as if a dark cloud hung over his head.

996 had been overly terrified. It was worried that the Host would leak secrets and be erased by the Main System, and it was also worried that the Host would drop dead due to his own fragile health. Seeing him recover, it finally let out a sigh of relief. It spent 10 system coins to upgrade his Humanoid Emotion Stability Value, commonly known in the system world as Rapid Heart-Saving Pills.

Gu Qingshi glanced at him sideways, feeling helpless. He reached out to move the child’s chin while his other hand continued to pick up food.

Huo Chen’s eyes were covered in a film of water. He whispered, “What are you doing?”

“Catching golden beans,” Gu Qingshi said flatly.

Stung by this, Huo Chen burst into tears, crying and sniffling, with a large, bean-sized tear actually falling down.

Gu Qingshi’s brows furrowed in alarm, and he nearly withdrew his hand.

The little cub lunged forward, smearing tears and snot all over him.

“…”

Still desperate.