“Really?” Auntie Wang asked.
Li Ran said, “…Really.”
Finally, he added, “Auntie Wang, these past few years—thank you so much.”
Auntie Wang’s eyes reddened instantly.
That evening, Chi Mo returned to help Li Ran move.
The stuff was so little, one trip sufficed.
Chi Mo carried a suitcase in each hand; Li Ran just held his backpack and a bulging leather wallet.
Li Ran gripped it tightly, afraid it would slip. Such a money-grubber.
“How much is in there?” Chi Mo teased, probing his finances.
Li Ran opened the black leather wallet and showed Chi Mo. “Twenty thousand.”
To a rich guy like Mr. Chi, it was pocket change.
“You’re pretty good at saving.” Back home, just inside the door, Chi Mo set one suitcase against the wall, revealing the single-strand Bodhi beads on his left wrist. He extended his hand. “Give it to me.”
Li Ran snapped the wallet shut.
His eyes wary, he clutched it to his chest. He regretted showing Chi Mo now.
As the saying went, don’t flaunt your wealth.
Chi Mo held back a laugh. “Not giving?”
Li Ran clutched tighter. “No.”
This money was hard-earned, bit by bit.
Li Ang’s two thousand monthly left leftovers after rent, groceries, and expenses—all Li Ran’s blood and sweat.
“Why not keep it on your phone or in the bank?” Chi Mo said. “No interest at home.”
“No need for interest…” Li Ran clutched his precious stash. “Not safe.”
“Oh, you don’t trust phones or banks.”
Li Ran stayed silent.
Chi Mo asked, “Do you trust me?”
“Huh?”
“Trust me or not?”
Chi Mo had swooped in when Li Ran was homeless, saving him. If he couldn’t trust Chi Mo, who could he trust?
“I do.” Li Ran nodded.
“Then trust me forever.” Chi Mo chuckled lightly this time, palm still up. “Give me the money. I’ll invest it for you. Losses on me, gains yours. Principal twenty thousand guaranteed.”
“…You can do that?” Li Ran, hit with this pie from the sky, mumbled dazedly.
Chi Mo: “Yeah.”
Li Ran handed over the money. All of it.
“Then… what if I need cash? I still gotta buy groceries and eggs.” He grumbled, suddenly penniless. “I only have that hundred on my phone—not enough.”
“Ask me when you need money.” Chi Mo tugged the wallet free with a slight pull. “I’ll give you cash.”
With the twenty thousand already Chi Mo’s, asking him felt fine—no mental burden.
Li Ran didn’t think deeper: once money tangled two people, they’d either fall out forever or bind eternally.
Twenty thousand was nothing to Chi Mo; no way he’d fall out.
So only the latter remained.
“Give me ten yuan.” Li Ran suddenly held out his hand.
Chi Mo hadn’t expected the ask so soon. “For what?”
“Gotta buy veggies tomorrow.”
Chi Mo paused, as if he hadn’t heard. “How much?”
Li Ran thought, better safe—changed to “Twenty.”
Chi Mo had none.
He rarely handled cash denominations anymore—mostly checks.
Purchases were always card swipes.
“Buy the day after. Fridge is stocked with veggies; eggs for the cats.” Chi Mo said calmly.
Li Ran couldn’t tell he truly lacked twenty yuan. “Oh. Okay.”
Cheng Ai Mei and Ye Ze were out walking, not back yet. They’d head to a nearby city for tourism tomorrow or the next day—didn’t want to stay home, annoyed by that cold-faced dog king’s mug.
Li Ran snuck multiple glances at Chi Mo’s face.
So handsome.
Not dog-like at all.
That night, he unpacked his suitcase item by item, familiarizing himself with the room where he’d live for a while.
Spacious, great lighting, private bathroom.
Everything he needed.
Li Ran arranged his toiletries on the bathroom shelf, clothes in the closet.
Done quickly.
The white pebble he’d brought home was moved too, still beside his toothbrush cup.
Gazing at its round stone body, Li Ran pulled a jet-black ballpoint from his backpack and drew a smiley face on it.
On his first night in the new home, Li Ran thought he’d be sleepless. But after dinner with the grandparents and Chi Mo as usual, he washed up, dove into the soft bedding, and quickly fell into a deep, sweet sleep.
He felt safe here.
The next day, Chi Mo’s assistant got a baffling task: exchange cash for the boss.
Three full wan.
From ones to hundreds, all denominations.
She didn’t dare ask why.
During a meeting break, Chi Mo got Li Ran’s green bubble message.
[Mr. Chi, too much homework.]
Meaning: didn’t want to do it. Rebelling.
Chi Mo: [Do it.]
Li Ran: [Okay.]
Rebellion crushed. Obedient instantly.
Chi Mo never checked his phone in meetings before; this anomaly terrified the presenter.
The room fell deathly silent.
Alone at home, Li Ran flopped despairingly on the sofa, summer homework strewn on the coffee table.
Before work, Chi Mo had assigned a few pages from Li Ran’s summer books, to finish today.
No finishing, no going out.
Li Ran had planned to ask the supermarket boss about cashier jobs, but this homework crushed his shoulders.
Not much assigned, but Li Ran barely knew how. The problems looked like alien script, staring blankly at each other.
Chi Mo had torn out the answers.
On day one, Li Ran regretted a bit. Why was Mr. Chi stricter than teachers?
By afternoon, his books had more blanks than filled—half-done. Mr. Chi would scold him on return.
Brain foggy.
So when Qi Zhi appeared at home, Li Ran thought he hallucinated.
Qi Zhi was more dramatic, rubbing his eyes at the door, mouth agape: “Holy shit?!”
“No way, how are you here? Li Ran? A’Dai?! Let me see if you’re real!” Qi Zhi incredulously charged, tackling Li Ran onto the sofa before he could react, madly pinching his cheeks.
Li Ran’s hackles rose.
He remembered Chi Mo’s words.
“Qi Zhi…” Li Ran, pinned down, voice trembling.
“No way, you are real! A’Dai, how are you at my cousin’s house? You know my cousin?! Since when? Why didn’t I know?! Why not tell me? Am I not worth it?!”
“Qi Zhi, you’re heavy—stop pinching my face, it hurts. Get up first…”
Click.
At that moment, the sound of the door opening came from the entrance.
Chi Mo had returned.
The two on the sofa had been making too much noise—mainly because Li Ran was pinned down and struggling—and neither had heard Chi Mo come back.
When he appeared silently by the sofa, one hand grabbed Qi Zhi’s shoulder while the other reached toward Li Ran, like a ghost.
“Ah—! Aaaahhhhh!” Qi Zhi screamed in fright.
In contrast, Li Ran stayed much calmer. A hand stretched down from above, and the familiar Bodhi Beads on the wrist were unmistakable. Even though Qi Zhi blocked his view of Chi Mo’s face, Li Ran immediately stretched out his arm to grab Chi Mo without a second thought.
“Mr. Chi, Mr. Chi!” Li Ran grabbed Chi Mo’s hand and flipped himself up from the sofa, scrambling around behind Chi Mo to hide.
“Qi Zhi, what are you making a fuss about?” Chi Mo said to Qi Zhi, who had tumbled into the corner of the sofa and was still shaken. His tone was cold, without any of the warmth he’d show to a younger cousin.
Once Qi Zhi saw it was Chi Mo, he pulled himself together. He knew his cousin’s usual schedule—Chi Mo almost never left work early; he was a workaholic who pushed himself to the limit. So why was he back so soon? “It’s not… Bro, why do you open doors and walk without making a sound? You just popped up next to me with zero expression on your face, like a male ghost. Can you not always be so… Bro, why are you holding my classmate’s hand? Are you two that close?”
The criticism shifted abruptly to something heavier. Qi Zhi stood up, brushing off a throw pillow that his leg had knocked to the floor without picking it up. His eyes locked onto the hands that Li Ran and Chi Mo were gripping tightly.
If he remembered right, Chi Mo’s hand had reached out first, but Li Ran had grabbed it willingly. Not only were they holding hands—Li Ran had also firmly hidden behind Chi Mo, treating him like a reliable harbor.
Li Ran was 175 cm tall—not too short, not too tall.
It was unknown if he’d grow more.
Tossed into a crowd of boys across China, he wouldn’t stand out as unique.
But with Chi Mo shielding him from the front, Li Ran’s perfectly proportioned figure almost merged with Chi Mo’s tall, broad frame. He was completely hidden, with only a few strands of chestnut-colored hair sticking up, the curls trembling slightly, offering a glimpse of him.
“Still holding on? A’Dai?” Qi Zhi was unhappy now.
Reminded, Li Ran glanced down. Their tightly clasped hands were indeed eye-catching, but it was as if he only just realized it. He abruptly let go of Chi Mo’s hand and said, “It’s not hand-holding… You, why did you suddenly charge over and tackle me?”
Li Ran shot a quick glance at Chi Mo, worried his actions might have offended him, and counterattacked Qi Zhi instead.
“I come in and find you at my cousin’s place— of course I’m shocked. So why are you at my cousin’s house? When did you move in? How come I had no idea? Li Ran, I kept asking where you lived before, and you never told me. Now you’re living here?”
