She was the only companion she met on her way fleeing the orphanage. He was a silent, withdrawn boy who had gotten lost in the mountains, trapped alone in the forest. Though Qiqi was much younger than him, she had lived in the mountains for years and possessed rich wilderness survival experience. The two met and traveled together—though, of course, it was mainly Qiqi who kept clinging to that boy, because his backpack was full of delicious food...
They walked through the mountains together for an entire night. Later, she led him out of the mountains and brought him to Uncle Hu's house. She stayed at Uncle Hu's, while the boy left at dawn the next day...
She never knew his name, and he never spoke a single word to her. As far as she could recall, he hadn't even exchanged a word with Uncle Hu or his family. For a long time, Qiqi even thought that boy was mute. Later, when she grew up, studied medicine, and learned a bit of psychology, she realized that the boy back then was only about ten years old. His extreme withdrawal might not have been true muteness but rather autism. Time flew by; Qiqi built a new life and lost touch with Uncle Hu. The image of that boy who had accompanied her for one night gradually faded.
When Uncle Hu brought him up, she could no longer even remember his face clearly.
Qiqi nodded. "I remember. That mute brother who didn't like to talk, right?"
Uncle Hu nodded. "Yeah! But he's not actually mute. I saw him not long ago—he's my boss's son!"
"What?" Qiqi's eyes widened. "Your boss's son? You're in touch with him?"
"Yeah, he's the future owner of this building, the son of the Imperial Financial Tower's boss." As Uncle Hu spoke, a proud expression appeared on his face, as if he shared in the glory.
"No way—"
Qiqi's mouth formed an "O" shape. One surprising revelation after another—she could barely keep up!
She still remembered that the boy had only stayed at Uncle Hu's for one night and slipped away quietly the next morning. Uncle Hu had seen him off, and he hadn't even said goodbye to her. She had been upset about that for quite a while afterward!
But hadn't Uncle Hu moved away later? How did he find Uncle Hu again? And how did he end up as his boss's son?
"Uncle Hu, how did you two meet?"
Uncle Hu replied, "After my eldest son got into college, I followed him to the city. I couldn't find a job and was at my wit's end when I ran into the young master by chance. He arranged for me to work as a security guard at his father's company. I've been here for over a decade now. I could have retired by now, but the boss asked me to stay on and keep running the security department, so I couldn't really refuse..."
As Uncle Hu spoke of his achievements, he rubbed his hands together, looking both proud and a bit embarrassed.
Qiqi was both surprised and excited. "Is that mute brother doing well now? He's not here right now, is he?!"
Uncle Hu shook his head. "He's not here today. Next time, I'll take you to hang out with him! He mentioned you before and even tried to find you, but there was no trace of you..."
"Mm!" Qiqi was overjoyed, but just then, the jade pendant in her bag vibrated slightly, reminding her of the purpose of her visit today—Rong Yi was waiting at home, and she needed to hurry!