Forced To Take Care Of The Protagonist, She Can't Leave [Transmigration Novel] - Chapter 20

“Host, Host, it was not me! It was not me!” After issuing the command, 996 hurriedly tried to explain.

However, Gu Qingshi was already delirious and could not hear a word. His heart felt as if it were being torn apart, and cold sweat mixed with the falling snow, making the path ahead impossible to see.

“Do you still remember the way?”

His voice was too faint for Huo Chen to discern his true state. Huo Chen simply buried his face in Gu’s neck and replied, “I know the way.”

“Point the direction.” Gu’s voice sounded ethereal, disappearing into the wind and snow.

Gu Qingshi did not know whether he was afraid of pain; in his past life, he rarely experienced moments free from it. If he could endure it, that was enough. The blizzard raged on, becoming a full-blown storm, and there was no one on the streets.

He knocked on the door. The nanny was burning with anxiety. When she opened the door, she let out an exclamation of relief and immediately reached out to help Huo Chen. It was only then that Huo Chen saw the man’s face. He wanted to jump down regardless of anything else. “Gu Qingshi!”

The nanny felt a jolt of alarm. She thought, He has finally been found, yet he is still causing a scene? How can he address him so directly by his full name? Having taken care of the boy for so long, she felt a natural partiality toward him. Like Cui Kewen, she worried that Gu Qingshi might mistreat the child, as he was not his biological son.

Her motion to cover the boy’s mouth was too obvious, and Gu Qingshi saw it. Perhaps because the pain was too overwhelming and his vision was too blurred, he felt a strange sense of isolation from the world. Gu bypassed Huo Chen and walked toward the sofa, following his internal map. He needed to sit down for a moment.

996 shouted in his mind, “Host, Host! Are you alright? That command was automatically detected by the main system; I could not interfere. But it was only a level-one penalty. Do you feel any better?”

996 jabbered on, but Gu Qingshi could not hear it clearly. He sat on the sofa in a disheveled state, the snow on his shoulders already melting. Actually, dying would not be so bad. Gu Qingshi pressed his hand against his heart, first letting it rest, then pressing firmly until his nails dug into his flesh.

“Cough, cough, cough.”

Blood seeped from his lips. He felt confused. Was his lung damaged, or was it his throat? Was there something wrong with his eyes, or was it his ears? His heart throbbed rhythmically, as if someone were teasingly squeezing and releasing it, granting him a flicker of life only to snatch it back, purely to watch him suffer. How long could this body hold out? Was 996 lying to him? It would eventually break, would it not? Gu Qingshi’s vision grew increasingly dim until he finally lost consciousness. He could hear nothing at all.

Was that the sound of rain hitting the car window?

Gu Qingshi realized he was dreaming again. He saw himself sitting in a car, looking outside with a calm expression. Had he been working that day? It seemed not. An employer there had been dissatisfied with him and kept making him reshoot scenes of physical abuse, which was tedious. He could not remember who that person was.

Gu Qingshi saw himself driving onto an overpass. The young man frowned, deep in thought. Perhaps I was unhappy? Gu Qingshi found himself having a temper, which felt amusing. I am about to be killed in a car accident in a moment.

The rain was torrential. A pair of high beams shone directly at him, and Gu Qingshi could not see the road. He was always unable to see clearly. The third-person perspective suddenly shifted to the first person, and his heart began to pound, as if the organ had come back to life.

Bang.

A massive roar, the sound of the airbag deploying, and the car flipping over. Gu Qingshi felt his head crack, and warm liquid streamed down his cheeks. The rainy world was filtered through a red lens. It hurt. It hurt so much. His body felt shattered, and his consciousness slowly faded. Gu Qingshi did not know where the pain originated, and his vision was entirely obscured. He felt neither hatred nor confusion, only one thought: Endure it. Just endure it, and it will be over.

The dream was far too detailed. Gu Qingshi did not want to continue it. However, at that moment, the world seemed to hit a pause button, and the sound of the rain was cut off in another dimension. There were footsteps. Blood blurred his eyes; he could not see who was approaching.

Is it the police? Gu Qingshi thought groggily.

His chin was lifted, and someone laughed, as if they had seen something delightful. Time became distorted, and he could no longer tell day from night.

“Doctor? What is wrong with him?” A cold, youthful voice rang out. His vision shifted from blurred to clear. Gu Qingshi felt as if his bones were sore and heavy; he could not lift them. He instinctively wanted to see who was standing there, but a warmth on his elbow and the sound of sobbing like a puppy caught his attention.

His gaze shifted forcibly. Huo Chen was holding a hot water bottle and carefully tucking a blanket around him. Seeing the man awake, Huo Chen’s eyes widened, and tears streamed down his face. Gu Qingshi closed his eyes again.

Fu Lian looked down at him, pressed his lips together, and contemplated something. “Talk to me now that you are awake.”

Gu Qingshi looked up at him. His vision had improved, but he remained puzzled. Why was he here?

“You have a fever. You are nearly ready to go see the King of Hell.” Fu Lian’s words were not sarcastic; they were a direct mockery.

Gu Qingshi surveyed his surroundings and found he was still on the sofa, though he had an IV line in the back of his hand, and a doctor was standing nearby.

“Sorry to trouble you.” Gu Qingshi thought about it and felt he should apologize.

Fu Lian glanced at him, uncharacteristically remaining silent. He looked him over before turning and walking away. The doctor stayed behind.

“The fever has mostly subsided. Remember to get a thorough check-up at the hospital when it is light out. The snow is too heavy, but traffic should improve by day. Mr. Gu, please remember to go.” The doctor offered some polite words, then removed the needle and left.

Gu Qingshi frowned, watching Fu Lian’s retreating figure in a daze. Huo Chen blocked his view.

“Gu Qingshi…”

The nanny could no longer help herself. This had happened several times, yet he still could not call him by a proper title. She pulled Huo Chen’s arm and whispered, “Call him Dad.”

Gu Qingshi: “…”

The air went silent.

Gu Qingshi felt it would be better to faint again. He braced himself up on his elbows, and Huo Chen leaned over to act as a support. He sat up steadily.

“Just call me by my name. Do not tell him to say that again,” Gu Qingshi said.

The nanny was surprised but wisely left, saying she would go brew some nourishing soup. Only Huo Chen and Gu Qingshi remained in the living room.

“How did he come?” Gu Qingshi asked, looking down.

Huo Chen moved the hot water bottle to Gu’s lap and said without looking up, “I called him.”

Gu Qingshi frowned, about to ask something, but the boy explained in a muffled voice, “Your phone has no password. There was only the nanny at home. I did not know when the ambulance would arrive with this much snow.” Huo Chen seemed unable to bear the thought; he had not realized things would be so serious, and his fingers trembled uncontrollably. “I was afraid you would die.”

Afraid everything would have to start over.

Gu Qingshi thought that if Huo Chen did not die, then perhaps he would not die either. He still did not understand. “Then why find Fu Lian? Do you know him?”

Huo Chen saw that the man looked better and was not rejecting him, so he leaned forward, resting his head on Gu’s knees. “I do not know him. But I have seen him, and he has money.”

At such a young age, the boy already knew how to distinguish useful people. Gu Qingshi was left speechless. After all, the identity assigned to him in this world continued his past life’s experience: orphaned, with no one to look after him. Huo Chen hugged his knees, and realizing the man did not push him away, he rubbed his cheek very lightly against him. His eyes were red, and he said nothing. It was him, it absolutely must be him. Otherwise, why would it be so serious? Gu Qingshi is not from this world. He absolutely is not. I must hold on tight. I must hold on tight. Huo Chen scratched his wrists nervously, constantly giving himself suggestions. I must become strong, I must become strong. Otherwise, there will be no way to save him when he is sick.

Gu Qingshi had just finished asking 996 about the situation when he discovered the heavy head on his lap. Today was the 24th—his birthday. Gu thought for a moment, then pulled the boy away. Huo Chen sat on the floor, looking lost and pitiful.

“Explain yourself.” His tone was cold.

Huo Chen looked terrible, but he squeezed forward, leaning against Gu’s leg, trying to hold his hand. Gu moved his leg away. “Get up. Why are you kneeling?”

The child was like a persistent plaster, sticking to him regardless of the situation. Huo Chen’s eyes were red, and he climbed back up, aggrieved, tears about to fall. He rested his head on Gu again. Gu had wanted to say something, but the boy finally spoke.

“I am sorry. I should not have run away.” The tears began to pour down. “You are sick. I will never make you angry again. You…” He hiccuped.

Gu Qingshi had never seen such a scene. Huo Chen’s crying was always so intense, leaving him at a loss. He looked around and found a tissue box on the coffee table. He reached out, pulled out a few tissues, and tried to hand them over. Huo Chen, however, seemed like a faucet, insisting on pressing into his hands, which Gu found off-putting. He had to wipe the boy’s face himself.

“I am sorry. I am sorry. Sob.”

As expected of the protagonist, he does not even look ugly when crying like a ghost.

Gu Qingshi’s heart was still uncomfortable. He did not know whether to scold the child, but could he please get up first? His leg felt trapped.

“That is not the main issue.” Gu Qingshi closed his eyes, gave up on pushing him away, leaned back against the pillow, and caught his breath.

Huo Chen’s crying quieted, but he reached out to hook Gu’s fingers. “That website was built by Zhao Kuo. It has nothing to do with me.”

Gu Qingshi looked up, struggling to pull his hand away, but the boy began to shed tears violently again. He gave up. Can you not sit properly? Why must you kneel? Gu had wanted to lecture him, but his body was weak; he had no strength to speak.

“Host, last night you likely felt pity, which is why the main system detected it. As long as you treat the protagonist as a mission, there will be no problem,” 996 continued. “You only need to invest money to cultivate the protagonist. The protagonist of this world actually does not need love to be transformed.”

But its host interrupted, “He is a child, and a person. I cannot treat him as a mission.”

996 had nothing left to say. It felt its host was too soft-hearted. In truth, this protagonist was only small. It was deceptive. 996 decided to keep its mouth shut.

“He does not know how to build a website, so he begged me for help. I only taught him a little.” Huo Chen glanced at Gu Qingshi and lowered his head sharply. The man remained silent. “He said it was not my business. I only helped him design the website. What team… that was Zhao Kuo’s business. Zhao Kuo said it was fine.”

Huo Chen felt nervous, itching to scratch Gu’s palm, but Gu pulled his hand away again.

“If you helped him, did he not pay you?” Gu asked slowly.

Huo Chen lowered his head. “He did.”

“How much?”

“One million.”

Gu Qingshi took a deep breath and stood up, intending to leave, but the boy grabbed his knees. “Do not go. Do not go. I do not lack money. I saved what you gave me. I did not spend it recklessly.”

“Then why did you still want more?” Gu Qingshi asked angrily.

“I wanted… I wanted to buy one day of your time.” Huo Chen felt less confident as he spoke, finally turning his head aside as tears fell.

Gu Qingshi frowned, not understanding at first.

“Just to keep me company.”

Gu Qingshi fell silent for a long time. He had never expected such an awkward situation to occur; it was exactly like a public service announcement. He could not think of anything else to say, so he pulled out a few more tissues and handed them over. The head leaned in again.

“Wipe it yourself.”

Huo Chen took them reluctantly.

“I will get to the bottom of your affairs.” Gu Qingshi rubbed his brow, exhausted. “You are quite grown up; do not cry so often. I will not abandon you.”

Huo Chen’s heart skipped a beat, even though he had said nothing.

“It is illegal to run such things in this country. I see you have not learned your lesson.” Gu Qingshi bit his lip, stood up, and looked down at Huo Chen on the sofa. “I just told you to get up, and you refused to budge.”

Gu Qingshi’s expression was complex. Where did he learn such pestering methods?

“Stay kneeling if you want.”

Gu Qingshi walked away and added, “You are not allowed to come find me before 7:00 AM.”

After Huo Chen saw the man go upstairs, he scrambled off the floor at lightning speed, his tears vanishing instantly. He climbed up the stairs quietly and quickly. There was not a trace of repentance on his face.