Chapter 173: My Childhood Sweetheart Can’t Possibly Be an Idiot! (9)

The seemingly abandoned house drew an increasing crowd outside its door, with people in work uniforms coming and going inside. Bai Yao stood by the balcony railing, unaware of what was happening within. Qi Ye had run over earlier but hadn’t been seen since. Others were gathering there as well, perhaps something major had occurred.

After a long wait, Bai Yu and his wife finally returned home from work. Bai Yao immediately grabbed their hands, urging them to take her to see the commotion. The couple, curious about the crowd, led her toward the house.

Just then, someone emerged carrying a body wrapped in a bag. The onlookers instinctively stepped back. Without needing to ask, the chattering women nearby had already pieced together the story.

“That poor child was truly unfortunate, abandoned by his wealthy father here. They hired a nanny to look after him, but she had been dead for quite some time, and his father didn’t even know. No wonder the boy lives like a wild animal every day.”

“Doesn’t his father visit him often?” someone asked.

“Not just visiting—he probably hasn’t even called. How else could the nanny have been dead for so long before anyone noticed?” one woman sighed. “That man looks respectable, but he’s truly a scoundrel. I bet he remarried in the city and just doesn’t care about this child at all.”

Another woman couldn’t help but regret, “Such a cruel fate. If I had known the boy suffered so much, I wouldn’t have scolded him when he climbed my tree to steal chestnuts.”

Bai Yu and Wen Wan’s social circle was simple; their friends who were parents all doted on their children. This was the first time they’d heard of a child being abandoned to fend for himself in a small town.

Bai Yu whispered to Bai Yao, “Yao Yao, is the boy they’re talking about your classmate?”

Bai Yao nodded. “Yes, it’s Qi Ye. He’s always hungry and can barely take care of himself.”

Wen Wan, brimming with maternal instinct, added, “A tiger won’t eat its cub. How could his father be so heartless?”

Qi Ye didn’t even know how long he had lived with a dead person. This child’s ignorance only deepened the pity he inspired.

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Nan Hua Town was small, and news of the death spread quickly. Soon, everyone in town had heard. The local police came to investigate and confirmed it was an accident. The body was taken away by the funeral home, and the crowd gradually dispersed.

This incident would likely remain a topic of conversation among the residents for some time.

Bai Yu and Wen Wan prepared to leave with Bai Yao.

Suddenly, the boy darted out from the house. Behind him, a man grabbed the back of his shirt and hoisted him up.

Qi Ye turned and bit the man’s arm. Though missing two front teeth, his canine teeth still sank into the flesh painfully.

Feeling the bite, the man instinctively threw Qi Ye away. He landed on the dry grass with a thud, curling up in pain.

The man glanced at the bite wound on his arm with cold indifference. “You’re becoming more and more like a dog.”

Bai Yao had seen Qi Ye being thrown. She released her parents’ hands and ran toward him. “Qi Ye!”

Hearing her voice, Qi Ye looked up, scrambled to his feet, and limped quickly toward her before lunging into her arms.

Bai Yao nearly fell backward from his momentum but was steadied by Bai Yu, who caught both children from behind.

Bai Yao brushed the dry grass off Qi Ye and looked at his obviously twisted right foot. Holding him close, she said to Bai Yu, “Dad, he’s hurt.”

Qi Ye obediently let Bai Yao hold him, no longer wild and fierce but gentle and clueless, as though unaware of what his injury meant.

Bai Yu frowned deeply, crouching down to gently touch Qi Ye’s foot. “It’s probably broken.”

Wen Wan suddenly spoke, “Qi Yuan, long time no see.”

A sharply dressed young man stood nearby. His features were exquisite and handsome, with a refined, aloof air. Only the faint resemblance in his eyes betrayed his connection to Qi Ye.

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Qi Yuan glanced at Bai Yu and Wen Wan. “I heard you two transferred jobs. So you came to this small town—what a coincidence.”

Qi Yuan had been Bai Yu and Wen Wan’s high school classmate. Their circles never overlapped much, but after Bai Yu and Wen Wan graduated and started research, Qi Yuan’s company had approached them to work on a project.

They declined, feeling the research conflicted with their principles.

Qi Yuan looked at Bai Yao and asked, “Is this your daughter? You’d better teach her to stay away from Qi Ye. He’ll only get her dirty.”

Bai Yu stood, sarcasm lacing his words. “After all these years, you haven’t changed a bit.”

Qi Yuan glanced at his watch. “I’m in a hurry. If you want to catch up, another time. Qi Ye, come with me.”

He stepped forward, reaching to pull Qi Ye away from Bai Yao. Qi Ye bared his teeth threateningly, tensing to lunge and bite.

Bai Yao clung to Qi Ye, retreating behind her parents, who stood firm to block Qi Yuan.

Qi Yuan and Qi Ye were father and son, but now it seemed Qi Ye had become a child of the Bai family. Qi Yuan’s heart held no stirrings; coldly, he said, “I’m taking him back.”

Bai Yu politely asked, “Are you planning to find another nanny to leave him here again?”

Qi Yuan replied, “I’m busy and have no time to care for him. As you’ve seen, he’s not normal and doesn’t belong in the city.”

If it weren’t for his subordinate reporting that the nanny caring for Qi Ye had been unreachable, Qi Yuan wouldn’t have taken the time to come here. The nanny suffered from heart disease, needed daily medication, and perhaps due to age or forgetfulness, died alone in the living room.

Qi Ye, being mentally impaired, couldn’t communicate normally or perhaps even grasp the concept of death. The body in the living room had slowly turned into a mummy.

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The story would linger in the town’s whispers for a long time to come.