But Xiao Ye spoke up with complete earnestness, "If you want to know who our boss is, it’s not that you can’t."

Song Qiao’s eyes lit up and she stared fixedly at him.

However, the next second Xiao Ye just smiled and then said, "But I’ve got to go ask our boss first, see if he can tell you who he actually is."

Song Qiao, "..." What’s the difference between saying that and not saying anything? As if your boss would let you tell me.

She finally understood now—this kid was just too simple, so simple that she couldn’t even bring herself to deceive him.

And that simplicity was also a bit... dumb.

Even Xu Qian, who was already a little drowsy, couldn’t help the smile in her eyes when she heard their conversation. Her gaze fell on Xiao Ye and she asked gently, "Kid, how old are you?"

Xiao Ye froze and blinked. "Are you talking to me?"

Xu Qian nodded. "Mm, I’m asking you—how old are you?"

Looking at Xu Qian, Xiao Ye felt she seemed pretty easy to talk to, and her voice was very gentle, just like his mom’s.

And according to the boss, this auntie’s background wasn’t simple at all. She supposedly had a brother who was some kind of commander or general or something; since he’d never gone to school, Xiao Ye didn’t really understand those things, so he had no idea how big of an official the man actually was.

But hearing how nice and gentle Xu Qian’s voice was, Xiao Ye thought about it and decided to answer honestly, "Auntie, I’m seventeen this year, almost eighteen... hehe..."

Looking at Xiao Ye in front of her, the corner of Song Qiao’s mouth twitched.

The kid looked pretty good, so why did he give off such a silly vibe?

"Seventeen, eighteen..." Xu Qian looked Xiao Ye up and down, not having expected he really was just a kid.

Maybe it was her maternal instincts overflowing, but seeing Xiao Ye suddenly reminded Xu Qian of the kids she used to meet in kindergarten. Her tone grew even softer as she continued to ask, "What’s your name?"

Xiao Ye glanced at Song Qiao, then at Xu Qian, and answered honestly, "I’m called Xiao Ye. Everyone calls me Xiao Ye. I only have that name..."

"You don’t know what your surname is?"

"I forgot." Xiao Ye shook his head. There wasn’t a trace of sadness on his face; instead, he showed an honest, thick‑skinned smile and went on, "I’ve been an orphan since I was little. My mom died when I was really young, before she had time to give me a name..."

Looking at the boy in front of her, Song Qiao suddenly felt a little sour inside and couldn’t help asking, "Then why do you stick with these people? What they’re doing is all against the law..."

Xiao Ye tilted his head slightly, then smiled. "Because my life was saved by the boss. If it weren’t for him, I’d be dead already. So wherever the boss goes, I go. Whatever the boss tells me to do, I do."

As long as the boss didn’t cast him off, that was enough.

Back then the boss had actually sent him to an orphanage, but in the end he ran away from there and waited outside the boss’s place all night. It just so happened the weather wasn’t cooperating and it rained, so he caught a cold and came down with a fever the next day. When the boss went out and saw him, he saved his life again.

Usually the boss always wore a cold face, but he treated them very well.

He liked being with the boss, because following the boss meant not only meat to eat but also clothes to wear.

Although there were often dangerous situations when he was with the boss, he felt he’d already gotten used to it. Anyway, sticking with the boss was the right thing to do.

Hearing what he said, Song Qiao was quietly moved. She could tell their boss wasn’t completely a bad person. At least that man seemed to treat his subordinates pretty well, because Song Qiao could see that the clothes this kid was wearing were from a fairly well‑known brand.

Xu Qian was just about to keep asking questions when someone walked in from outside and said to Xiao Ye, "What are you doing here, Xiao Ye? The boss is looking for you, he wants you to come eat."

Xiao Ye froze, then quickly turned to the newcomer and said, "Got it, I’m coming. You guys go eat first, I’ll be right there."

As he spoke, he set the two takeout bags he was holding down on the table next to them—the table had been brought in that morning—then said to Xu Qian and Song Qiao, "I just went out and bought this food. I didn’t know what you liked, so I just grabbed a bit of everything. There’s also some congee. Auntie, you hurt your forehead, so it’s better for you to have some congee..."

He paused, then continued, "Oh right, are you feeling cold? I’ll get someone to bring you a blanket later. This room really is pretty chilly."

As he said that, he even shivered.

Because it was a basement and the place was so closed off, the temperature was even lower than outside.

Just as Xiao Ye was about to leave, Song Qiao spoke. "Um, wait a second..."

Xiao Ye stopped in his tracks and blinked at her. "Is there something else?"

Song Qiao gritted her teeth and asked, "Aren’t you guys after my life? Why are you treating me so well?"

Xiao Ye looked at Song Qiao, then subconsciously glanced at Xu Qian. He scratched out a chuckle and said, "Actually, I don’t want the boss to keep doing illegal stuff. If you two get out later, I hope you won’t call the police on us..."

After saying that, he didn’t say anything more. He went straight out and pulled the door shut behind him.

Staring at the closed door, Xu Qian was stunned for a moment, then turned to Song Qiao and asked, "What he meant was, the two of us are safe for now, and we’ll be able to get out later?"

Song Qiao was also thrown for a loop by what the boy had said. Hearing Xu Qian, she thought for a moment, then nodded. "Probably." 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

As she spoke, she dragged the table over to the bed, then opened the bags. Inside were two dishes, one meat and one vegetable, plus two soups and two portions of rice in disposable boxes; the other bag held a serving of congee.

Song Qiao set out the food and put the congee in front of Xu Qian. "Mom, you drink some congee first. After you’ve eaten your fill, you can rest for a bit."

Xu Qian nodded. Because of what that kid had said, she indeed felt much safer about herself and Song Qiao; there probably wouldn’t be any danger to their lives.

They’d last eaten lunch yesterday, and hadn’t had a drop of water since, let alone any food. Now she was so hungry her stomach felt stuck to her back.

Xu Qian took Song Qiao’s hand and pulled her down to sit beside her. "Qiaoqiao, you sit and eat too. Since we’re apparently not in any danger, we might as well eat and drink our fill first."