Chapter 40: The Little Ghost Boldly Takes Over Someone’s Home

Song Huaichuan smiled apologetically, realizing he had been too hasty and abrupt. “Sorry about that.”

He lifted his teacup to his lips and took a light sip, lowered his eyes, then raised them again, his expression restored to calm.

When he heard they were about to discuss business, Song Yaoyao delivered the tea and prepared to leave with the tray in his arms. “President Xie, I’ll head out.”

Xie Ningwan looked at his deliberately proper posture and tone, unable to hold back a soft chuckle. He wanted to ask him to stay in the office and not go out again, but with an outsider present, it wasn’t convenient to speak up.

Xie Ningwan: “Okay.”

“President Song, I’ll head out.” Song Yaoyao gave a slight bow to both of them and greeted Song Huaichuan once more.

“Okay.” Song Huaichuan nodded warmly at him.

Song Yaoyao walked out with the tray in his arms. The two behind him began talking again. As he reached the door and pulled it open, he heard the voice from behind:

“…We mainly focus on providing aid to adolescents and children with unknown origins and no guardians…”

Song Yaoyao’s heart stirred. He turned his head to look at the speaker.

Song Huaichuan happened to have his peripheral gaze on Song Yaoyao and noticed him turning back. He lifted his eyes to look over.

The two men exchanged a glance. Song Yaoyao flashed him a brilliant smile and gently closed the door.

He was a good person.

Song Yaoyao thought to himself as he walked toward Assistant Lei’s office to return the tray.

In his original world, Song Yaoyao had been an orphan who had received aid from charitable organizations. Although he had drifted between various relatives and sponsors, it hadn’t been too bad because of that.

And Song Huaichuan did exactly that kind of work.

Song Yaoyao developed a favorable impression of him.

Not long after, Song Yaoyao sat in Assistant Lei’s office playing on a tablet. The door to the president’s office opened, and Xie Ningwan and Song Huaichuan walked out.

Assistant Lei stepped forward to see them off. Song Yaoyao was still watching cartoons and didn’t think to stand, but he quickly remembered he was supposed to be the little assistant on the surface, so he stood up with Assistant Lei and walked to the door.

“Thank you, President Xie.” Song Huaichuan stepped out the door and turned to thank Xie Ningwan.

“It is President Song and your organization’s efforts that truly deserve thanks.” Xie Ningwan shook hands with him.

Once the two had said their farewells, Assistant Lei spoke politely. “President Song, please allow me to see you downstairs.”

“Thank you.” Song Huaichuan straightened his collar, his gaze falling on Song Yaoyao, who stood to his side and rear holding the tablet.

“Could you see me out?” he asked gently, his gaze mild.

Song Yaoyao had come over and locked eyes with Xie Ningwan. They exchanged silent messages through their gazes, making little gestures:

Song Yaoyao: ‘I was just waiting in Assistant Lei’s office for you to finish talking.’

Xie Ningwan: ‘We’re done. Go back to the office and watch cartoons. Don’t run around outside.’

Song Yaoyao: ‘Okay.’

When Song Huaichuan suddenly called out to him, Song Yaoyao didn’t react right away. “Huh?”

Song Huaichuan didn’t mind and repeated himself in a warm voice.

“…Okay.” Song Yaoyao nodded in a daze. He glanced at Xie Ningwan. Unable to refuse such a gentle request, he agreed.

Song Huaichuan smiled faintly. “Thank you.”

Song Yaoyao stepped forward and handed his tablet, which Xie Ningwan took, then accompanied Song Huaichuan to the elevator.

Xie Ningwan took the tablet, where SpongeBob SquarePants was paused on the screen. He stood in place, watching Song Huaichuan tilt his head to speak to Song Yaoyao. He frowned slightly.

In the elevator, Song Yaoyao reached up to press the floor button for Song Huaichuan and stood quietly by his side.

“What’s your name?” Song Huaichuan tilted his head to look at him and asked.

“My name is Song Yaoyao,” Song Yaoyao said.

“Very cute.” Song Huaichuan smiled and introduced himself. “I’m Song Huaichuan.”

“Hello, President Song.” Song Yaoyao greeted him properly.

Song Huaichuan smiled again and asked once more, “How old are you?”

“Eighteen,” Song Yaoyao answered.

Song Huaichuan parted his lips and looked at Song Yaoyao’s face.

“What’s wrong?” Song Yaoyao had answered several questions in a row and started to feel something was off. He tilted his head to look at Song Huaichuan.

“To be working as an assistant for President Xie at such a young age—you’re impressive.”

Song Huaichuan paused for a moment and praised him before continuing, “…I have a younger brother, the same age as you.”

“Oh.” Song Yaoyao came to a realization. “Then your brother—”

“He’s gone.” Song Huaichuan’s tone was calm as he stated it plainly.

“Did he get lost?” Song Yaoyao didn’t immediately understand what “gone” meant. His eyes widened round as he carefully observed Song Huaichuan’s expression and asked.

“Yeah, you could say he got lost.” Song Huaichuan’s eyelashes lowered slightly as he enunciated, “We never found him.”

“You’ll definitely find him.” Song Yaoyao wasn’t good at comforting people. He racked his brains and came up with that sentence.

Song Huaichuan’s lips curved slightly, and he smiled again, though this time it was more desolate.

“…Sorry.” Song Yaoyao belatedly realized he had touched on someone else’s sore spot.

“It’s fine,” Song Huaichuan said.

Following the topic, Song Huaichuan asked, “Do you have any brothers or sisters at home?”

“No.” Song Yaoyao shook his head. “It’s just me.”

“Just you?” Song Huaichuan’s speech quickened slightly as he caught the implication in his words. “What about your parents?”

“I don’t have parents.” Song Yaoyao kept shaking his head and stated frankly.

“You—” Song Huaichuan had already turned to face Song Yaoyao fully, emotions flickering across his face.

—Ding-dong. The elevator arrived at the first floor, and the doors slowly slid open to both sides.

“President Song.” Song Yaoyao acted very much like an assistant, extending his arm to invite Song Huaichuan out of the elevator.

“Thank you.” Song Huaichuan stepped out, but his gaze remained fixed on Song Yaoyao. “You don’t have parents? …Sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“Yeah, I’m an orphan.” Song Yaoyao had no qualms about it, and since his impression of Song Huaichuan was good and he felt a closeness to him, he admitted it openly. “It’s fine.”

“Have you tried looking for your parents or relatives?” Song Huaichuan’s gaze grew intent, his words measured and slow.

“I’ve looked. Lots of official organizations and agencies helped me search and even registered me.” Song Yaoyao nodded, then shook his head, his tone growing low. “But they didn’t find anyone.”

When he heard that official organizations had helped register and search for him, the hopeful light in Song Huaichuan’s eyes gradually dimmed.

“Can I add your contact info?” Song Huaichuan hesitated for a moment before asking Song Yaoyao mildly. “The Charity Association has projects specifically for helping kids like you. If you need anything, I can assist.”

“Sure, thank you, President Song.” Song Yaoyao pulled out the phone Xie Ningwan had given him from his pocket and added Song Huaichuan as a friend.

As they talked, they reached the company lobby. Song Huaichuan’s driver waited at the entrance ahead of time. Song Yaoyao waved to him. “Goodbye, President Song.”

“Yaoyao, goodbye.” Song Huaichuan looked at Song Yaoyao’s face, his expression gentle, and waved back.

After Song Huaichuan left, Song Yaoyao took the elevator back up to the president’s office alone. He looked at the new third contact in his list, swiped his finger, and glanced at Xie Ningwan, who was pinned at the top.

What he had said earlier seemed a bit off. He wasn’t alone anymore.

He was now with Xie Ningwan, living in Xie Ningwan’s home, eating Xie Ningwan’s food, sleeping in Xie Ningwan’s bed. Xie Ningwan showed no sign of chasing him away, had gotten him an ID, and even brought him to work.

Xie Ningwan… could probably count as his family now?

Ding-dong. The elevator doors opened. Song Yaoyao hurried out and ran back to the president’s office. His footsteps pattered down the hallway.

The office door stood open, as if waiting for him on purpose.

Song Yaoyao spotted Xie Ningwan at the desk right away. When Xie Ningwan heard the noise and looked up, Song Yaoyao darted around the desk and threw himself into his arms.

Xie Ningwan was pushed back against the chair back and instinctively lifted a hand to hold him.

“What’s wrong?” Song Yaoyao’s head was buried in his shoulder and neck, his emotions seeming off. Xie Ningwan lowered his head and asked quietly by his ear.

“Nothing.” Song Yaoyao’s face was buried in his clothes, his voice muffled. He hugged Xie Ningwan’s neck and nuzzled against him.

A clingy little ghost. Xie Ningwan held the person in his arms and thought calmly.

“What did Song Huaichuan say to you?” After they stayed like that quietly for a while, Xie Ningwan recalled the main point. He had noticed Song Huaichuan’s special attitude toward Song Yaoyao.

“President Song said he’d help me find my family,” Song Yaoyao said, sitting up a bit straighter on his lap.

“Your family?” Xie Ningwan’s expression also tightened.

“Yeah.” Song Yaoyao nodded and flopped back onto his shoulder, pressing close.

“You’re a little ghost. Where would family come from?” Xie Ningwan asked.

“I—” Song Yaoyao wanted to say the System had told him he’d have family, but he couldn’t mention that. “…Maybe I have family still alive, but I don’t know. I forgot.” Song Yaoyao said.

“I’ve turned back into a human now, so I need to go find them.”

Xie Ningwan lowered his gaze, the emotions in his eyes hard to discern. He noticed a small fluff ball caught in Song Yaoyao’s soft hair from somewhere and reached out to pluck it off.

“Then what happens to me if you find your family?” In the end, he asked in a casual tone.

Song Yaoyao paused and lifted his head from Xie Ningwan’s shoulder hollow to meet his eyes.

·

On the way back from Xie Company, Song Huaichuan leaned against the seat with one arm draped over his eyes, resting with them closed for a few seconds.

A moment later, he lowered his arm, opened his phone, and fixed his gaze on the new little bear profile picture in his contacts.

The little bear doll in the profile picture looked familiar—it was the one in the corner of the sofa in Xie Ningwan’s office where he had sat.

What kind of relationship allowed a little assistant to leave his “toy” in the president’s office?

The thought flashed through his mind, but Song Huaichuan didn’t dwell on it. He simply kept looking at the little bear, swiped to the internal network, and arranged for someone to check the matching information on the boy named Song Yaoyao.