Symbiosis - Chapter 11

I knew him.

Near the harbor, there was a small part of Jinque Bay with much better security and sanitation than the rest. Some of the relatively well-off residents lived there.

I’d lived there too, when I was still with Shen Lin.

This boy used to live in that area. Sometimes I saw him when I went out.

But something had happened to his family recently. I’d heard there was an accident aboard a merchant ship, and he was the only survivor in his family.

Jinque Bay didn’t even have a proper hospital, let alone any welfare institution to take in orphans.

So Shen Lin had adopted him.

He was now one of his many adopted sons.

I wasn’t fond of meddling. Bullying and robbery were hardly unusual in Jinque Bay.

I should have looked away at once, ignored the commotion, and gone straight home.

But the boy… his face was so beautiful. I couldn’t help worrying. What if they ruined that lovely, fair face?

As though bewitched, I moved before I’d finished hesitating.

The old alleys were full of empty buildings. Plenty had been abandoned halfway through construction.

Chunks of concrete and broken bricks often lay scattered in the road.

I picked up half a brick, weighed it in my hand, and hurled it without blinking, aiming straight at the back of the yellow-haired thug’s neck.

He seemed to be threatening the boy before him. His hand was about to touch him.

The brick caught him by surprise. He screamed, clutched his neck, and looked behind him in fury.

I sized up the situation. These men looked as hungry and poorly clothed as I was, but in a fight against several of them, I’d probably only get beaten.

So, under cover of darkness, I threw a second brick while they were still cursing and looking around.

My aim was a little off that time. I didn’t think it hit anyone.

But there was no time for a third.

I darted over, caught the boy’s hand, and turned to run.

A stranger had appeared from a dark corner in the middle of the night, yet he was almost too quiet and compliant. He didn’t struggle once. He simply let me lead him all the way home.

Only after closing the door and switching on the light did I come to my senses and abruptly let go.

He wiped blood from his cheek and looked at me. His lips parted as though he wanted to speak but couldn’t find the words. After a long while, he said very softly, “…Hello.”

Hello, indeed.

There was nothing good about this.

What was I doing? I’d picked up a person and brought him home.

“Your name’s Xie Zhao, isn’t it?” I cleared my throat and looked away. “I’ve seen you at Shen Lin’s.”

“It’s not safe outside at night. Stay here tonight. I won’t hurt you. You can go back tomorrow.” Something suddenly occurred to me, and I looked at him again. “You do have somewhere to live?”

He probably did.

As far as I remembered, Shen Lin generally put his adopted children together in one courtyard. It wasn’t a good place, but it counted as shelter.

“…All right.” First he accepted my offer, then answered my question. “I have somewhere to live.”