Chapter Forty-One: A

“Come here, let Uncle hold you.” Gong Hou smiled gently, picking up the running Angel and lifting her high above his head with his strong arms. Angel laughed delightedly, showing not the slightest trace of fear, waving her little hands so that her lollipop nearly struck Gong Hou’s face.

“All right, all right, don’t frighten her,” Ye Ling said, casting Gong Hou a reproachful look and signaling him to put Angel down. But Gong Hou ignored her, bringing his face close to Angel’s, “Our little Angel is the cutest and most obedient, isn’t she? She’s not afraid of her uncle, is she?”

“Mhm! Chubby Uncle is my favorite!” Angel wrapped her arms around his neck, smearing her candy all over Gong Hou’s shirt. Ye Ling laughed, pushing Gong Hou aside and pulling Angel to her, gently scolding as she wiped the sticky candy from her hands, “Don’t get too close to these messy guys. Their grossness is contagious.”

“I object,” Lin Yang protested, raising his hand. Ye Ling shot him a glance and quickly looked away, appearing a bit flustered. “You can object all you want, it doesn’t matter. Lin Yang, when you start acting like a man, then you can talk.” Lin Yang, exasperated, turned his head away. Ye Ling picked up Angel, who giggled and patted Lin Yang’s head, “Pretty sister, don’t be mad.”

“I’m not a sister,” Lin Yang muttered, on the verge of tears. Angel turned her head and called out to Li Shizhu and Xu Xiong nearby, “Otaku brother! Techie brother…”

“Who taught her that?” Ye Ling raised her eyebrows at once, Gong Hou’s gaze following. The two in the distance ignored Angel’s shouts; only Li Shizhu’s eyes could be seen peering over his comic book in Angel’s direction. Xu Xiong, distracted by Angel’s cries, made a mistake in his game and promptly lost his first life.

“Heh, such a bunch of tsundere fools,” Xie Liu mocked inwardly. Seeing that Ye Ling had set Angel down, he stepped forward, only for Angel to quickly dart behind Ye Ling, peeking out timidly at him. Xie Liu nearly wept, “Why, why is she only afraid of me?”

He could not let his inner turmoil show, so Xie Liu forced a smile and pulled out a long-treasured toy from behind his back—a little bear that changed colors. “Look, this can change colors. Do you like it?” Xie Liu poked the palm-sized bear, which shimmered into a rainbow of hues. “Come out, and Uncle will give it to you.”

Ye Ling sneered coldly. She had seen this bear before; she still didn’t know how it changed colors, though she’d tried to borrow it for research. But Xie Liu had never compromised on that subject. She remembered once trying to take it by force, and Xie Liu had uncharacteristically lost his temper.

There was no way he’d be willing to part with this bear for Angel, Ye Ling thought. Yet the naive Angel seemed truly fooled, slowly poking her head out from behind Ye Ling, her amethyst eyes fixed on the little bear in Xie Liu’s hand.

The rainbow bear turned black, then red, shifting through colors. Angel’s eyes grew wide; she stared fixedly at the toy, then glanced nervously at Xie Liu. Xie Liu rejoiced inwardly, “It’s working!” The others looked at him with open disdain, their expressions plainly saying, “Shameless!”

The bear changed colors again, and Angel’s large eyes sparkled with stars, as if she’d forgotten her fear. She stepped out from behind Ye Ling. Ye Ling glared at Xie Liu, “Is it really all right to trick a child like this…”

Before she could finish, Angel snatched the bear from Xie Liu’s hand at lightning speed and darted back behind Ye Ling!

“Huh?” Xie Liu stared at his now empty hand.

“Aaaahhhh—” Xie Liu’s wail pierced the sky as he clutched his head. “My Precious!” (an homage to The Lord of the Rings) he cried, rolling on the floor in despair.

“Uh…” Ye Ling was taken aback, watching Xie Liu, sniffling and tearful, throw himself at Angel. “I was wrong, I was wrong! My little ancestor, my little angel, please give it back to me, won’t you? Please?”

Angel was so startled by Xie Liu that she shrank behind Ye Ling. Xie Liu, like a starving convict eyeing a feast, circled Ye Ling endlessly, as if he might pounce at any moment. Ye Ling kept Angel behind her, moving in circles as well. “Hey, Xie Liu, stop acting! Seriously, it’s just a color-changing toy bear! What’s the big deal about giving it to Angel?” She kicked the circling Xie Liu away with a look of disgust.

Xie Liu crouched before Ye Ling like a wronged bride, wiping his tear-streaked, snotty face, blowing bubbles, gazing forlornly at Angel hiding behind Ye Ling. After a while, he crawled out on all fours, spiritless and muttering, “My Precious… My Precious… My Precious…”

“What’s wrong with him?” Ye Ling seemed a little alarmed by Xie Liu’s state; he was clearly not pretending.

Lin Yang gave Xie Liu a sorrowful look, then glanced at the bear in Angel’s hand and sighed, “That bear is Xie Liu’s soul. As long as he has it, he lives; now, what you see is a ‘dead’ Xie Liu—dead to the core.” He walked over to Angel, bent down, and gently said, “Angel, I know you like the bear, but it’s your Uncle Xie Liu’s lifeblood. Could you return it to him? Although it was wrong of him to try to trick you.”

Angel looked at Lin Yang in confusion, then at the “dead” Xie Liu, curled up on the floor. She looked at the ever-changing bear in her hands, her gemlike eyes full of reluctance, but finally, she slowly walked to Xie Liu’s side and placed the bear in his hands.

Fear flickered in Angel’s eyes, and as Xie Liu’s body shuddered, she darted away like a startled rabbit to hide behind Ye Ling, peeking out to check on the devastated Xie Liu.

Xie Liu stared blankly at the bear, lost and found, in his hands. Suddenly he let out three loud sobs, then three bursts of laughter, cradling the toy tenderly against his chest. Then he sat on the floor, falling silent.

“Best not to disturb him,” Lin Yang sighed. “Maybe when he wakes up, he’ll forget everything.” Yes, Xie Liu had fallen asleep, sitting quietly where he was, his eyes closed, a hint of melancholy in his brow, a trace of tears at the corners of his eyes. His sleeping face was enough to make anyone’s heart ache.

“Dying and coming back to life—no one takes that lightly,” Gong Hou remarked, for once not disdainful toward Xie Liu. “That little bear was given to him by a girl,” he added, pausing as if unsure whether to continue. “At the last moment of her life.” Then, scooping up Angel as she ran by, he said, “Come, come, our little angel, where do you want to go play?”

…

When Xie Liu awoke, it was already dusk. He opened his eyes to find himself lying on his bed. Raising his hand, he spread his fingers, and the setting sun streamed between them, bathing the world in gold.

“It hurts, old friend,” he sighed. “Why do I keep dreaming of this?” He blinked against the ache in his eyes, rubbing away the lingering dampness.

Laughter and chatter drifted in from outside. Xie Liu sat up and looked toward the door. Ye Ling and the others were just coming in, all smiles. Xie Liu got up, stood in the doorway, and greeted them, “Where did you all go for fun? You seem so happy.”

“You’re awake!” Ye Ling was clearly in high spirits. “We took Angel to the mall to buy her some things.” She patted the little girl sleeping on her back. “She was so happy.”

“That’s good,” Xie Liu replied, forcing a smile. Gong Hou stretched and yawned. “Ah, I’m exhausted. I’m going to shower.”

“Wait up, I’m coming too,” Lin Yang called, hurrying after him. Gong Hou let out a sudden shriek, “Get lost, get lost! Girls keep out!” The two left, bickering. Li Shizhu turned left with his comics, Xu Xiong right with his laptop, both soon out of sight.

Ye Ling looked at them helplessly. “Those guys… We bought so many groceries, and none of them are going to cook?”

Xie Liu shrugged. “Don’t count on them—they can’t cook.” Ye Ling glared at him, “As if you can. I really don’t understand—I’m the heiress of a wealthy family, so why am I the only one who can cook?” Xie Liu gave an awkward chuckle, “Isn’t this your moment to shine?”

“Fine, then. Angel is yours to look after; I’ll make dinner.” Ye Ling handed the sleeping girl to Xie Liu, who took her gently, a look of tenderness in his eyes. Ye Ling, observing Xie Liu’s gentle expression, said softly, “I’m going to cook now. By the way, when will you tell me about that little bear?”

Xie Liu, cradling Angel, paused slightly, then, standing in the golden sunlight, gave Ye Ling a helpless, faintly sorrowful smile. “Perhaps… one day.”

…

Xie Liu laid the sleeping Angel on the bed. The cool breeze blew in, and Angel, apparently cold, clung tightly to her quilt. Smiling, Xie Liu removed her new little shoes and tried to tuck the blanket around her. Then he froze.

What he’d expected to be a pair of delicate, translucent feet turned out to be small feet mottled with bruises. For a moment, Xie Liu felt his heart skip a beat. He looked at Angel’s bruised feet and realized for the first time how light she was—unnaturally so for a child.

This was not a healthy child’s weight.

Xie Liu rose, gazing in the dusk at the face that seemed to have stepped out of a painting—exquisite, but bloodless, as pale as paper, as endless snow, a whiteness that pained the heart.

He bit his lip. He was not Ye Ling, not a saint, nor as oblivious as Li Shizhu and the others. Xie Liu always had a natural wariness, a distrust of the world, even of this little girl before him. He placed his hand on Angel’s small arm and gently rolled up her sleeve.

His brow creased at what he saw. Angel’s arm was so thin that the bone showed—a kind of unhealthy emaciation, obvious even to Xie Liu, who knew little of medicine. He bit his lip—anyone who knew him would recognize that he was now filled with rage.

“This little girl’s background is anything but ordinary.”

…

When Ye Ling finally filled the table with a variety of dishes, Angel had already been woken by Gong Hou. Rubbing her sleepy eyes, she looked at the food before her, then gazed, pitiful and helpless, at Ye Ling, who smiled and picked her up. “It’s all yours—eat up.”

Angel was still groggy, staring at the feast, wanting to eat, but as she saw that everyone was watching her without moving their chopsticks, she restrained herself, quietly gazing at the food, saying nothing. It seemed she was determined—not a bite until the others started. She watched the food intently, even swallowing secretly.

This girl was so well-behaved, it made one’s heart ache. Thinking this, Ye Ling picked up a meatball with her fork and held it to Angel’s mouth. “Try this.”

No matter how mature, Angel could not resist the lure of food at that moment. With an “ahh,” she took a small bite of the meatball. After chewing, her eyes seemed to light up with little stars. She no longer held back, picking up her fork and quickly dispatching the meatballs in front of her.

“Don’t rush, there’s plenty more,” Ye Ling said, piling food into Angel’s bowl. Xie Liu and the others set down their chopsticks, content just to watch Angel eat.

The scene was so peculiar—a large table, several grown men sitting quietly, while the only woman fed a little girl. No one spoke or disturbed the peace, for this tranquility was so warm that no one wished to break it.

Xie Liu wanted to say something, but seeing this, he held his tongue. He knew this was not the moment to interrupt; everyone cherished this gentle interlude and wished to savor it a little longer.

Angel ate with gusto, whether because Ye Ling’s cooking was especially delicious, or for some other reason.

Ye Ling enthusiastically kept adding tasty morsels to Angel’s bowl, explaining what each dish was, how it was made, and why it was delicious, until Xie Liu nudged her arm with his elbow. Ye Ling finally realized and stopped her actions and chatter. Everyone fell silent, watching the scene before them.

At some point, Angel had stopped eating. She sat quietly, staring at her overflowing little bowl, saying nothing, showing no expression—just two streams of tears running down her cheeks. She didn’t seem to notice, simply gazing ahead, silently weeping.

Ye Ling was stunned. “What’s wrong?” she wondered. Looking around, she saw from the others’ faces that Xie Liu and the rest were just as confused. Angel seemed fine but had suddenly begun to cry.

Five young men and Ye Ling were all at a loss. The little girl, at first silently weeping, gradually began to sob aloud. Realizing something was wrong, she tried to wipe her tears away and forced a smile, but the tears kept flowing, and her smile was quickly washed away.

Ye Ling shook her head, stepped forward, and pulled Angel into her embrace. “If you want to cry, just cry. We won’t ask.”

That sentence seemed to break the wall around Angel’s heart. The once quiet little girl burst out crying, burying herself in Ye Ling’s arms. The five young men watched silently; Xie Liu bit his lip, lost in thought.

…

Ye Ling closed the bedroom door and walked into the living room, where Xie Liu and the others were gathered. “How is she?” Lin Yang asked anxiously. Gong Hou watched her too, even Li Shizhu with his comics and Xu Xiong with his games turned their attention her way. Only Xie Liu kept his head down. Ye Ling sat and said, “She’s asleep. I don’t know what happened. She didn’t say a word.”

“I’ll explain,” Xie Liu said, raising his head. Everyone looked at him. After a moment’s thought, he sighed. “I suspect… Angel is from the Special Alliance…”