Forced To Take Care Of The Protagonist, She Can't Leave [Transmigration Novel] - Chapter 17

Huo Chen grew increasingly restless, frequently glancing toward the restroom. Why had Gu Qingshi not returned yet?

Mimicking the earlier interaction, he said to Cui Kewen, “Sister, I need to go to the restroom. Please wait for me.”

He then scurried away.

Cui Kewen looked at his retreating back with confusion, then used her fork to feed herself a piece of chocolate mousse cake. It tasted delicious. The café was quiet, playing peaceful background music, and there were not many people around.

When Huo Chen saw Gu Qingshi again, the man was leaning against the vanity, looking down at his phone with a steady expression. His shirt sleeves were rolled up and slightly wrinkled. That garment would surely need to be discarded now.

Huo Chen walked up to him, tilted his head, and stared directly at him with bright eyes.

“Are you finished?” Gu asked, putting his phone away as he looked down.

Huo Chen nodded and hummed in agreement.

“Are you not going to the restroom?” Gu Qingshi raised his chin slightly, looking puzzled.

Huo Chen’s expression soured. He spoke in a muffled, grumpy tone, “I came to find you.”

He hung his head, looking completely dejected. He really was avoiding me. He was angry earlier, Huo Chen thought miserably.

Gu Qingshi chuckled softly. He finally began walking toward the exit and said calmly, “Then let us go.”

Huo Chen followed closely behind, staring at the man’s knuckles in a trance. The skin was broken, leaving a patch of red. It must have been from the fight; he had not even noticed it until now.

Halfway there, Huo Chen bumped directly into Gu Qingshi’s leg. He looked stunned.

A cool hand touched his forehead as Gu frowned. “Watch where you are going.”

Huo Chen felt a strange surge of defiance. He took the man’s hand to examine it closely. Before he could finish his inspection, Gu Qingshi lifted him by the waist and whisked him back into the restroom at high speed.

Huo Chen’s face pressed against the thin fabric of Gu’s shirt. He felt the warmth of his skin and became inexplicably nervous, swallowing hard. But it did not last long, as Gu Qingshi set him down neatly.

“Wait another five minutes.”

Huo Chen let out a small sound of surprise, not quite understanding, but he still clutched Gu’s hand reluctantly.

“Li Xu has a few things to say.”

Huo Chen instinctively tried to peek outside, but his face was pressed back by Gu’s hand. He looked up to see Gu Qingshi gazing down at him with a gentle frown. Why is this child being so troublesome?

Huo Chen said righteously, “He cannot be with Sister Cui.”

Gu Qingshi was not surprised; he figured this was the effect of the “white moonlight.” He simply said, “Yes, you are right.”

Seeing Gu’s indifferent reaction, Huo Chen felt annoyed. “He only met Sister Cui once. That is love at first sight; he is not a good person.”

Gu Qingshi tried to pull his hand away, but the boy gripped it even tighter, right against the broken skin.

“It hurts.”

“So, anyone who experiences love at first sight is a bad person?” Gu Qingshi felt a bit weary. He had walked too much today, so he chatted with the child absentmindedly, just waiting for those five minutes to pass.

Huo Chen said definitively, “Yes!”

Perhaps it was the tone of righteous indignation, or perhaps Gu Qingshi was genuinely relaxed today. After Huo Chen finished speaking, Gu let out a muffled laugh. His shoulders shook slightly, and eventually, he could not help but cough while laughing, turning his head to the side. His collar loosened.

Huo Chen watched in a daze, his eyes wide and unblinking. It was not until Gu tapped his cheek and leaned in, his thin lips moving, that Huo Chen regained his focus.

“So, anyone who loves beauty is a villain?”

Beauty.

Huo Chen put on a serious face, lowered his head, and mumbled, “Yes!”

Gu Qingshi found this delightful. A smile remained on his lips as he finally withdrew his hand and checked his phone. Five minutes should be up.

Huo Chen looked at Gu’s hand, feeling a sense of longing. Can I not hold it? I am a child. Children are supposed to hold their guardian’s hand.

“We can leave now,” Gu told him, then led him back.

Huo Chen followed, eyes glued to Gu’s hand. Whenever it dropped to his side, he would reach out for it. This little act continued until they saw Cui Kewen again. He looked dejected and stopped reaching out, mostly because Gu was busy replying to messages with one hand while the other stayed in his pocket.

“Well then, we should be going. I wish you success in your studies,” Gu said, shaking hands with Cui Kewen before pulling Huo Chen from behind him.

Huo Chen took the cue and waved. “Goodbye, Sister!” He was behaving quite properly.

Cui Kewen was pleasantly surprised. In less than half a year, Chenchen had become so obedient. A better life really does nourish a person. If only all abandoned children could have such luck. A faint sense of melancholy touched her brow. It was merely a wish, not an act of martyrdom. Some people were simply born unable to bear the sight of suffering.

“Alright then, goodbye!” Cui Kewen stood in place and waved. She also gave a wave to Li Xu, her smile relaxed and generous.

And so, it was over.

Huo Chen got into the car first, as Gu had to make a phone call outside. He crept toward the driver’s seat and whispered, “Do you like Sister Cui?”

Li Xu shuddered, answering with a forced, “No.”

“Then why were you talking to her alone?”

Huo Chen asked again, “Did you add her on WeChat?”

“No, she said there was no need.”

Huo Chen looked at him with genuine sympathy. How can you fail to even get a WeChat contact after five minutes? But he did not forget his main point.

“Do you like her because she is pretty?” Huo Chen was very serious.

Li Xu was already dejected, and now being pestered by a child, he felt irritated. “Who does not like beautiful people?” He did not want to talk to Huo Chen anymore.

“Just because she is pretty?” Huo Chen seemed to want to dig deeper.

Just then, Gu Qingshi approached the car. Huo Chen patted Li Xu’s shoulder hard, his expression stern. “Say it!”

Li Xu thought the kid was bizarre but replied, “Nonsense! My aesthetic sense is normal! Liking beautiful people is human nature! If you do not even like the look of someone, how could you ever learn to understand their personality?”

The car door opened.

Gu Qingshi sat back in his seat without looking up. “Huo Chen, put on your seatbelt.”

Huo Chen sat back stiffly, looking pale as he reached for the belt, completely distracted. Gu Qingshi frowned, watched him for a while, then leaned over to fasten it for him. He told Li Xu, “Return to Jiangwanlin.”

Huo Chen sat in the seat, his cheeks flushed, lost in his own thoughts.

“If you are hot, open the window.”

Huo Chen’s peaceful days did not last long. Gu Qingshi’s vacation was short, and even as the Lunar New Year approached, he had to go to work every day. They rarely saw each other.

There was a student chat group for Qionglin Elementary, but Huo Chen never participated. The content was meaningless, consisting mostly of wealthy children sharing their hobbies, from sneaker collections to sports betting.

With nothing else to do, Huo Chen read, often flipping through his tattered copy of Flowers for Algernon, finding something new every time. He would often recall the image of Gu Qingshi’s first arrival: the man standing in front of the orphanage, watching quietly. His gaze held no disdain or disgust, only something that looked like nostalgia.

Huo Chen was often conflicted. At first, he followed the man out of curiosity about his true nature; later, it was because of the books they discussed; and finally, it was the fuzzy memory of the mint candy Gu would tuck into his mouth.

Huo Chen slammed the book shut and reached a firm conclusion: This is absolutely not love at first sight! I am just curious.

Just then, his phone on the cabinet buzzed twice. Huo Chen hurried off the bed barefoot to check. It was not Gu Qingshi. He felt a wave of disappointment. The phone had been given to him by Gu so they could stay in contact. At first, he could pester him whenever he wanted, but eventually, Gu had frowned and decreed that he could only call three times a day.

Huo Chen walked to the bedside, put on his shoes, and picked up the book again, thinking idly. I used one call this morning, I will use one at noon, and keep the last for the evening. He checked the time; it was only 9:30 AM.

The phone buzzed again. Huo Chen checked it irritably; it was the group chat, but wait, there was also a private message.

It is my birthday next Monday. Can you come to my party? From: Chu Xian.

Huo Chen declined without hesitation and went back to reading. What if Gu Qingshi comes home next Monday? I would regret missing it.

Are you busy? That is okay, I will hold it on Sunday. That way you will have time, right?

Huo Chen frowned. Can you just change a birthday party date like that? He wanted to refuse, but he struggled to find the right words.

Just then, a familiar number called. Huo Chen panicked, thinking he had misread it, and his hands shook. He managed to answer. Since Gu Qingshi called him, it would not count toward his limit, a rule Huo Chen had set himself.

“Hello?” Huo Chen asked.

The background was loud and chaotic, but it quieted down after a few moments. Gu Qingshi seemed to be weighing his words. “What are you doing?”

Huo Chen whispered, “Nothing.”

Gu Qingshi frowned, feeling that his previous question was pointless, but he pressed on. “Do not stay in your room all the time. Go out and play.”

Huo Chen was stunned, staring at the ceiling in disbelief. There are no cameras here, right?

“How are you getting along with your classmates this semester?”

Huo Chen dropped his head, swinging his legs as he said slowly, “Fine.”

“Go out and play more, make more friends, do you understand?” Gu Qingshi had thought about it and decided this was the right advice.

Huo Chen furrowed his brow, wondering why Gu was so concerned about this. He usually only cared about his report card.

“Oh,” he dragged out the syllable.

Gu Qingshi frowned. He did not know how to explain. Shouldn’t children easily become friends with each other? Why is his progress on the making friends plot so slow?

“Do you hear me?” he asked again.

Huo Chen perked up and said aggrievedly, “I heard you.”

“Your classmates have good family backgrounds, but do not hate them for that, and certainly do not avoid socializing because of it.”

Huo Chen’s body stiffened; his gaze fixed on a spot on the floor.

“Auntie says you are at home all day. What if you get nearsighted? Do not keep circling the house; go out and play.” His tone sounded quite heavy.

This was bizarre. Did guardians not usually tell children to study hard? Why was Gu Qingshi encouraging him to go out and play?

Huo Chen thought about it, swung his legs again, and said in a muffled voice, “I am not circling the house.” I am just circling you.

“A classmate invited me to her birthday party,” Huo Chen whispered to Gu.

“Mm, I did not tell you not to go,” Gu said, checking his watch.

“But how am I supposed to get there?” Huo Chen asked.

Gu Qingshi closed his eyes and said, “Did I not give you a phone? Call Li Xu, call him Brother, and he will pick you up.”

“Oh, okay.”

“When are you coming back?” In the end, Huo Chen could not help but ask.

“I am a bit busy these few days, so go out and play more, okay?” Gu did his best to build a gentle tone. He even started adding the “okay” particle to soften his refusal to come home, so the child would not be unhappy. Gu Qingshi was really trying his best to learn how to raise a child. He had never done it before; he had not even raised a cat or a dog.

“Alright.” He still sounded dejected.

They finished the call. After hanging up, Gu Qingshi felt exhausted. He picked up the glasses he had taken the time to have fitted and put them on.

Meanwhile, Huo Chen hung up the phone with deep reluctance. He opened his recordings and listened to the one he had just saved, replaying it several times. This one was longer, a little over two minutes. He felt restless. Why does Gu Qingshi have endless work? Why make so much money?

As soon as the thought occurred to him, he froze and checked his tuition fees. Silence.

I need to become rich. Otherwise, Gu Qingshi will have to keep working forever.

Huo Chen reopened the chat with Chu Xian and replied earnestly:

No need to change the date. I am free that day after all. I will be there. Happy birthday.

As soon as he sent it, she replied:

Great! See you next Monday!

At that same moment, Gu Qingshi transferred a sum of money with the note “pocket money.”

Huo Chen was distracted and felt irritable. Why am I just a child? Can time please pass faster?