Following the boy’s furious declaration, He Juan concealed his shock and gave the boy another once-over, this time more seriously. He was really fourteen? He was not lying to He Juan, was he??

The rage and humiliation in the boy’s eyes burned bright. It did not seem like he was lying, He Juan mused.

He Juan regretted that he had only skimmed through the files earlier. He should have taken the time to peruse each of them carefully so he would not wound the boy’s self-esteem like he did. Alas, it was already too late now.

He tried to make amends, "Mn, I believe you. Don’t get angry. But..." he let out a low chuckle. If his men were here right now, they would have recognized it as telltale signs that he was getting angry – a real, genuine anger that often resulted in someone’s death. Alas, the person he wanted to kill had already become a cold corpse whereas this boy in front of him was an innocent party who should not bear the brunt of his ire. He finished his sentence with a helpless sigh, "I think you should work some flesh into your body. You’re too thin. It’s late, do you..." he hesitated for a while, but in the end, he still decided to bite the bullet and ask, "Do you have any relatives that can take you in after this?"

He almost smiled when the boy wrinkled his nose. "I told you, I am fourteen. I am perfectly fine with living alone." Then he added in a quiet voice, "It’s not like there’s any difference whether that man is still alive or not..."

Hmm... so that’s a no, then. He swept a glance over the boy’s bruises and found himself getting more worried with each passing second. The boy did not show any signs of hurting, but He Juan was not sure whether the bruises had damaged the internal organ or fractured any bones. Moreover, with his thin and short stature, he must have been starved a lot. He also had a whole lot of pride that meant that he would not reach out for help even if he needed one. Once again, He Juan mentally beat up the boy’s dead father whom he had never seen before.

He heaved out a sigh. It seemed like he had to push back his plans for a hot shower and sleep again. He took off his suit jacket and wrapped it around the boy’s shoulders, earning him a stunned expression. He Juan let out a brief chuckle, and before the boy could offer a protest, he said, "Wear it. I’m getting goosebumps just by looking at you. Why are you running around wearing such thin clothes when the temperature is dropping lately?"

"But—" The boy started, only to be cut off by He Juan.

"What do you think about dinner?" He Juan beamed brightly. "My treat."

The boy stared at him as if he had grown two heads. He Juan could practically hear the gears running inside his head, judging the credibility of He Juan’s words and whether he was a kidnapper who was waiting to whisk him away...

Granted, he should be suspicious of strangers after the mishap he had just gone through. But He Juan couldn’t help but think that the boy was quite adorable this way. The suit jacket hung over his calves and totally dwarfed him, making him look even more tiny. He Juan resisted the itch to ruffle the boy’s head again. When he received no answer, he asked with an arch on his brow. "Aren’t you hungry?"

The boy averted his gaze but at least he did not try to discard He Juan’s jacket away. He must have been cold, He Juan thought with a twinge on his heart. "No, I’m not," the boy replied curtly.

Alas, as if the whole universe conspired to go against him at that moment, a loud gurgle echoed from the boy’s stomach, causing him to freeze on the spot.

The corner of He Juan’s lips twitched and he desperately willed himself not to laugh. ’Don’t be so mean, He Juan!’ he chided himself. ’Think about the boy’s self-esteem. He must be drowning in mortification right now.’ And sure enough, when he secretly snuck a glance, he saw the boy scowling at his own stomach as if it had done him great injustice, his ears burning bright red.

He Juan looked around and spotted the sign for a family restaurant a few hundred meters away. "You may not be hungry, but I am," he stated lightly. He turned back to find the boy staring at him with a scrutinizing gaze, but He Juan’s eyelids did not even twitch as he lied straight through his teeth. "Actually, I am famished. It’s not fun to eat alone, so why don’t you come along with me?"

When he saw the obvious hesitation in the boy’s features, He Juan continued to appeal with a melancholic tone, "I have painstakingly bailed you out from that place and you are not even willing to have dinner with me?"

It was fortunate that He Juan had a thick skin, otherwise he would have blushed when the boy gawked at him, speechless. Okay, in his defense, he seldom dealt with teenagers and it was his first attempt to coax one! Surely, he did not do such a bad job on it, right?

"...Fine!" the boy finally gritted out, looking as if he would rather be anywhere else than here.

"Great!" He Juan started to walk toward the restaurant only to recall something. He turned around to address the boy again, "Oh, that’s right. I forgot to ask, what’s your name again?"

The boy stood against the setting sun, the golden glow blurring his silhouettes and rendering He Juan unable to see him clearly. But he swore that the boy was rolling his eyes at him. This sheer audacity... He Juan really wanted to laugh out loud. He had forgotten the last time someone dared to act so frank and straightforward in front of him and it was really a breath of fresh air, especially when he knew that the boy held no malicious intent at all. Despite being prickly and prideful, the boy sure was adorable.

"What?" He Juan asked, cupping his ear – simply because he was a mean adult who teased helpless teenagers in his free time. "I can’t hear you clearly."

"I say..." the boy walked up to him and stopped a few steps away, just the right distance where he did not have to tilt his head to look at He Juan. "It’s Mu Yuze!"

"Mu Yuze..." He Juan chewed the words in his tongue. His teasing smile faded only to be replaced with a warm and genuine one. "It’s a very good name. Gentle like the rain... Mu Yuze."

Mu Yuze stared at him for one long moment before looking away, his fair earlobes staining with a crimson hue. He looked like he wanted to say something only to hold himself back in the end.

This time, He Juan failed to notice it because he had just come up with a brilliant nickname. "Xiao Ze!" He called out, earning him a surprised flinch and a ferocious glare from the other. He Juan grinned, his silver eyes curving into smiles. "It’s set. From now on, I will call you Xiao Ze, okay?"

He Juan was very flexible and could quickly adapt to the changes in his surroundings. In a blink of an eye, he addressed the boy as if they were long-lost brothers, only short of slinging his arm over the other’s shoulders. "Okay, Xiao Ze. Let’s go eat. I will treat you!"