Forced To Take Care Of The Protagonist, She Can't Leave [Transmigration Novel] - Chapter 7

Gu Qingshi did not go directly home; instead, he made another trip to the police station to file a second statement. During the process, the police informed him that the million-plus funds had likely been transferred to an overseas account, making it difficult to recover in the short term.

“If we recover the funds, we will notify you immediately,” the officer said politely.

Gu Qingshi nodded. As he prepared to leave, he asked, “Where were the children from the welfare home transferred to?”

“Oh, they were temporarily moved to the welfare home near the municipal government. The conditions there are quite good. I believe it is called Chenxi Welfare Home.”

“Understood.”

In truth, the adoption process was complex; simply taking Huo Chen away was not enough. To raise him effectively, he would eventually need to obtain legal guardianship, or else things like schooling would become troublesome.

Gu Qingshi sat in the back seat, scratching the skin on the inner side of his ring finger with his thumb. The pain was still quite sharp.

【996, tell me the plot again.】

996: 【World information extracted: “Easy as Pie: The Rise of the Fallen Young Master.”】

【Stage One: The protagonist, Huo Chen, suffers a kidnapping in childhood and drifts through the streets. He is cared for by a bitter old man, but their time together is short-lived. The old man is beaten to death by hoodlums, and Huo Chen is sold to a black-hearted welfare home, where he struggles for survival.】

Gu Qingshi frowned and said bluntly, 【Just tell me the part I am responsible for.】

996: 【Oh, that is Stage Two: During his school years, the protagonist, Huo Chen, encounters various provocations but turns danger into safety. He meets a confidante, receives help from his future father-in-law, enters the political arena, learns the secret of his birth, and discovers the conspiracy behind his past.】

Gu Qingshi’s brows never smoothed out. He just said, 【Stop. What do I need to do? Be specific.】

996 was stumped again, but after genuine thought, it replied: 【The Host is a support character. The Host cannot appear at plot nodes and cannot interfere with the protagonist’s main narrative. The Host’s task is to raise the young protagonist without participating in any main story arcs.】

Gu Qingshi wondered if this meant he was just raising a child. That should not be difficult.

【Is adoption mandatory?】

996 replied: 【Theoretically, yes. However, after the protagonist turns 17, guardianship must be transferred to his biological parents, and the Host will detach from the main plot and the protagonist. At that time, the Host will be rewarded with a new life and one wish.】

Gu Qingshi did not answer, just lowered his eyes in thought, while 996 chirped in his mind.

【Host, Host, you can think about your wish in advance! Your success rate has already risen to 50 percent; it is the most promising task yet!】

Gu Qingshi was puzzled: 【Fifty percent? That is so low.】

【It is not low! Quickly think about what your wish is. If it is simple, the main system will grant me the authorization directly!】 996 was very excited.

Gu Qingshi felt weary and found it noisy. Outside, the sky had already darkened. The hustle and bustle of traffic and the sounds of car horns were vivid and clear.

【Send me back to my own world.】 That was the only reality in his heart.

【Alright then.】

Huo Chen could not sit still; he wondered if that man named Gu had forgotten him here. Why was he not coming back for dinner? Was he not hungry?

Anxiety showed on Huo Chen’s small face. He unconsciously began scratching his wrist again, staring at the front door. Should I go out and look for him?

Just then, the sound of a car parking came from outside. Huo Chen hurriedly went to pull the doorknob, but halfway through, the child turned and ran back, returning to the dining room at maximum speed. He sat obediently in his chair.

“Creak.” The door opened.

The auntie hurried over, took the man’s coat, and said with concern, “Little Gu, you are back! Dinner is ready and waiting right there.”

Huo Chen sat perfectly still, his head slightly lowered, but his ears were perked up.

“Mmm, has he eaten?” A low voice sounded.

The auntie smiled: “Not yet, he said he was waiting for you to eat together.”

Huo Chen buried his head even lower.

“Do not wait next time. Let him eat first.”

Footsteps drew closer.

Huo Chen felt displeased at those words. He tilted his head to the side, staring blankly at a vase. It was only when half of a white shirt appeared in his vision that he shifted his head in the other direction, startled.

Gu Qingshi watched for a while, finding it amusing, before turning to the auntie: “You can head home now. It is getting late, and thank you for taking the time to look after him today. The money has already been transferred.”

It was already 8:00 PM; it was late.

“Oh, it is fine! The child is very well-behaved! Little Gu, I will be heading off then!” The auntie left happily.

Huo Chen lifted his eyes slightly, but immediately shrank back after seeing the man.

“Why did she leave? What about the dishes?” the child could not help but ask, questioning whether the auntie had left before finishing her work.

“I will wash them.”

Huo Chen shifted his gaze to the man’s hands—long, slender, and smooth. Could those hands touch oil and grime? He knit his brows.

Gu Qingshi never had much of an appetite at night; he only drank a bowl of porridge and ate a few vegetables. Afterward, he watched as Huo Chen finished a bowl of shredded chicken porridge, a tea egg, a plate of stir-fried zucchini and eggs, and two custard buns. And he still showed no signs of stopping.

Only when nothing remained on the table did Gu Qingshi raise an eyebrow.

“Are you full?” he asked.

The child across from him looked a bit embarrassed, but quickly adjusted: “Yes! I will wash the dishes!” He stood up from his chair, his eyes filled with determination and a desire to please.

Gu Qingshi remained lazy and languid, leaning slightly against the chair, his breathing becoming steady. He just glanced over and said:

“Fine, go ahead.”

Huo Chen’s expression cracked slightly. Really? He thought the man would offer a polite refusal first. But the dish rack was a bit high.

996 protested his host’s behavior: 【Reminder: The protagonist’s favorability rating is very important and will be of great use later.】

【What use?】

【Err… anyway, it will be of great use!】

Gu Qingshi: 【Don’t bother me.】

【…】

Huo Chen began dutifully clearing the plates and shuffled slowly to the kitchen, looking troubled. He had intended to turn back and ask for help, but unexpectedly found the man already leaning his head to the side, asleep.

Is he that tired?

Huo Chen thought for a moment, placed the dishes on the counter, and then fetched the children’s chair that had been delivered that day. He stepped onto it. Then, he turned on the faucet and started washing the plates in earnest.

About fifteen minutes passed.

Huo Chen stepped down, moved the chair, and prepared to place the plates on the rack. He saw the white towel nearby and figured he should wipe off the water droplets, so he wiped them one by one. Then, he tried hard to put the plates away.

However, since the kitchen counter was large and the rack was placed at the back, Huo Chen worried about falling. He stepped down to move the chair closer, thinking it would be safer.

He safely fell over.

At this critical moment, Gu Qingshi caught him by the waist and took the plate from his hand. His expression remained calm.

Huo Chen had no idea when the man had arrived or how long he had been watching; he only felt extreme shame.

“I finished washing them.”

“Mmm.” The tone was very flat.

Huo Chen felt wronged. Why did he not praise him?

Gu Qingshi placed the boy at his side, tidied up the counter, and chatted boredly with 996.

【Host, isn’t this a bit mean?】

After Gu Qingshi finished tidying up, he turned on the faucet to wash his hands, and Huo Chen squeezed in beside him.

“Do you want to wash your hands too?”

“Mmm, mmm.”

【It is quite good; he did a good job.】 Gu Qingshi said.

996: 【…】

Huo Chen originally wanted to step on the chair, but Gu Qingshi simply reached out, picked him up, and said, “Hurry up.”

“…”

He did not wash his hands very gracefully like that. The image of the man washing his hands remained in Huo Chen’s mind, and he felt a bit discouraged.

Gu Qingshi put him down after a hasty rinse and walked out. Huo Chen followed him blankly. His gaze swept around casually until he suddenly discovered something strange, so he tugged on the man’s clothes and asked:

“What is that?”

Gu Qingshi reached out, took the boy’s hand, looked back, and explained:

“Oh, a dishwasher.”

Huo Chen stood there like a wooden chicken, his young heart suffering huge damage.

Gu Qingshi did not give this little episode another thought; he simply took the boy upstairs and asked about the room.

“You do not like the new room?” he asked, lowering his eyes.

Huo Chen nodded, looking like he had his own opinions.

“Then which one do you like?”

Huo Chen led him to the room he had first entered and said this one would do, his expression very serious.

“No, this is my room.” Gu Qingshi said peacefully.

Huo Chen looked up. His face alternated between green and white, but surprisingly, he still pulled on Gu Qingshi’s sleeve quite appropriately.

“Then I can…”

“No.”

996 commented: 【Host, you are so cruel…】

【He cannot sleep with me.】 Gu Qingshi was puzzled.

Huo Chen was finally settled in the guest room next door. The decor was similar to the master bedroom, except it lacked the children’s style. It had a standard layout.

“I will have someone arrange a desk for you tomorrow. It has an en-suite bathroom for better privacy; you can just live here.” Gu Qingshi brought the boy to the bedside and gave instructions in a businesslike manner.

Huo Chen had no mood to listen. He felt this man was a bit strange and very hard to please. Shouldn’t it be the other way around? Shouldn’t he be the one trying to please him?

His muddled brain could not figure it out.

“Did you hear me?” The question came from above.

Huo Chen shuddered and hurriedly said, “Mmm, mmm.”

Inside, he felt another wave of grievances.

Gu Qingshi looked at the child by his legs, eyes lowered, completely bewildered.

He seemed quite obedient.

【What is the favorability rating?】

【Returning to the Host: Currently… still 1.】

Huo Chen looked up at Gu Qingshi, appearing very well-behaved, and blinked.

“Are you going to adopt me?”

“Then what should I call you?” His tone even softened, and his small hand grabbed Gu Qingshi’s cuff.

996: 【Yikes.】

【Don’t sigh and moan in my mind.】 Gu Qingshi said.

“Is that what you want to say?” Gu Qingshi pointed to the bed and gestured with his chin. “Get up there first.”

Huo Chen was stunned for a moment but still climbed onto the side of the bed obediently.

“I have that intention.”

Huo Chen’s pupils contracted slightly, but it was not visible on his face; he was a bit flustered. What did that mean? This person could not go back on his word, could he?

Gu Qingshi looked at Huo Chen and felt he looked much cleaner after washing. He said gently:

“But the procedures are quite troublesome. I estimate it will take several months.”

Gu Qingshi had originally been skeptical about the identity of an adopter and confused by the age randomly assigned by the world, because in his own world, one had to reach the age of thirty-five to become an adopter. But here, the restriction had unexpectedly been changed to twenty-one.

It fit his age perfectly.

It was likely the result of the world’s rule adjustments.

“Ah, then I will call you…” Huo Chen stammered, but there was a hint of uncontrollable irritation in his eyes.

“Call me by my name.”

Huo Chen froze instantly.

“I told you, I am just giving you a choice.” Gu Qingshi reached out to smooth the messy hair on the child’s head, saying flatly, “You have your own grandmother, do you not?”

Huo Chen’s heart was suddenly pinched, and his eyes flickered.

“I have no intention of replacing your relatives, so do not test me.” The steady voice fell beside Huo Chen’s ear, as if tapping on his heart. How could he see through him?

Then why did he—

“Bring you to my side.” Gu Qingshi thought about it seriously and used what he considered a very cliché phrase.

“Perhaps it is fate.” Wasn’t the system the so-called fate?

As soon as he finished speaking, there was the sound of drizzling rain outside the window, accompanied by a rumbling clap of thunder.

Huo Chen lowered his head, his body shrinking back. His mind went blank, and his fingers curled up unconsciously.

“It is raining again,” the young man said in a very languid tone.