Chapter 165
Chapter 165
The trucks drove through the gate, and the orphanage’s resident children followed them intently with their eyes.
Their delight and longing were impossible to hide.
A luxury car followed. A tall, thin man emerged. His eye sockets were deeply sunken, and he looked sickly, as though afflicted by a grave illness. Even his footsteps seemed unsteady.
“Mr. Hua, welcome. Thank you very much for your generous donation to the orphanage.”
Director Qiao Shihui stepped forward and shook the man’s hand.
Mr. Hua returned the handshake with a smile, then announced loudly, “I have also brought a three-million-yuan charitable fund to support the children’s future living expenses and education.”
The streamers’ hearts jolted. Looking at the children around them, who had somehow returned to “normal,” they could not shake the feeling that something was wrong.
Director Qiao Shihui had already led the man into her office.
As storage bins were unloaded from the trucks, the children surged forward and began fighting over them.
Brand-new clothes and toys were snatched without restraint. The children who usually behaved like loving siblings abandoned all harmony and attacked each other over a single shirt or a palm-sized toy.
The streamers had never experienced anything like it. As children, they would not even have glanced at such crude toys or the cheap clothes sold at street stalls.
The outdated styles and rough workmanship made it obvious that these were discounted, out-of-season goods bought off the street.
Yet the things they would ordinarily disdain were fought over like priceless treasures. The children even became red-eyed with rage.
Most importantly, none of the adults at the orphanage stepped forward to intervene. They watched the fighting coldly, as if they were raising venomous creatures in a jar and waiting for the strongest to emerge.
Elsewhere, Shang Yan crouched down with laughter in his eyes and gazed intently up at Qiao Yu’s childish profile. “The people making charitable donations are bad, aren’t they?”
Qiao Yu nodded.
Shang Yan smiled and tickled his palm. “As expected of the person I chose. You were smart even as a child. Is this why you were never adopted?”
Qiao Yu rolled his eyes and tossed aside the little stick. “Not necessarily. Some people come for the children. Others come for the orphanage’s return gift. Most come for the latter.”
“A return gift? What kind?”
Qiao Yu fell silent for a moment, then pointed toward the wall with a cold laugh. “The hill behind that wall is the return gift.”
He was about to pull Shang Yan over to climb the wall when sudden footsteps approached. Aunt Deng appeared in the doorway and snorted at Qiao Yu. “You little brat! The instant visitors arrive, you disappear without a trace, and now you’re corrupting one of the new children too. Do you have a death wish?”
She hurled her broom at them. Qiao Yu grabbed Shang Yan and took a quick step back, dodging with practiced ease.
“You dare dodge? Both of you are going into the dark room!”
Aunt Deng extended two hands as broad as palm-leaf fans, picked up one child in each, and carried them away with heavy grunts.
She stopped before a small concrete building, pulled open its Iron Door, and threw them inside. After locking it, she stood outside and cursed fiercely. “You won’t come out until you’ve reflected on your behavior! And don’t even think about getting food in the meantime!”
Her footsteps faded…
In the darkness, a warm little hand suddenly seized Qiao Yu’s wrist.
Qiao Yu’s tightly pressed lips slowly curved upward.
At that moment, even the once-cold dark room seemed to be warmed by that hand…
The storage bins were loaded back onto the trucks one by one. The tall, thin man left the orphanage looking thoroughly satisfied.
After seeing the visitors off, Aunt Deng walked back with a stern face. Distracted, she nearly tripped over Lucia, who was skulking behind her.
Aunt Deng’s face drew long. She instinctively raised a hand, but when her gaze landed on Lucia’s pretty face, the blow changed direction. She struck Lucia’s back instead and cursed, “You wretched child! Are you trying to get yourself killed? What were you hiding behind me to spy on?”
Lucia bared her teeth and sucked in a breath from the pain.
“Have you gone mute? Do you want to be locked in the dark room?”
Lucia was cautious by nature. There was no chance she would let Aunt Deng drag her into some “dark room” for a deadly trial. She hurriedly waved her hands and explained, “I wasn’t spying. I was only curious. Mr. Hua looked very ill, didn’t he? He still came to donate even though he’s that sick. He’s truly kind.”
Aunt Deng gave a meaningful scoff. “Kind?”
Hearing something unusual in her tone, Lucia nodded along and probed without revealing her intent. “Is there a problem?”
Aunt Deng narrowed her eyes and said suggestively, “You should be grateful he’s in poor health. Otherwise, who knows which one of you would be the sick one?”
“Why?”
But Aunt Deng refused to explain. She shoved Lucia. “Annoying brat, stop blocking my way and asking endless questions. If that little face of yours weren’t so pretty, I’d slap you twice today to teach you a lesson.”
Lucia was about to ask more when a cold little hand suddenly tugged at the hem of her clothes. “Big Sister Lucia, play with me…”
Her spine stiffened.
*Qiao Xiaowen!*
The instant the voice sounded, Lucia even forgot Aunt Deng was urging her to move. She stood frozen in place, not daring to respond.
“Why are you still blocking the way? Do you really want to be locked in the dark room?” Aunt Deng demanded sharply.
Malice flashed through Qiao Xiaowen’s eyes. She abruptly took two steps forward and whispered beside Lucia’s ear, “There’s a monster in the dark room. It especially loves naughty children. Whenever a naughty child gets locked inside, its Hairy Hand grabs their ankle and… drags… them… underground!”
Lucia shuddered. Slowly, she looked up at Qiao Xiaowen, lingering terror filling her eyes.
Qiao Xiaowen’s lips curled. Their unnatural arc began stretching toward her ears, and for some reason, the world in Lucia’s eyes twisted into a bizarre, kaleidoscopic landscape.
“Big Sister Lucia, play with me…”
Qiao Xiaowen’s voice seemed to echo. Even Aunt Deng beside her appeared to tear apart. Cracking noises came from her body, like bones being smashed one after another with a hammer, and her figure rapidly shriveled.
“Play with me…”
Qiao Xiaowen extended a hand toward Lucia.
Lucia’s back was rigid. She stared at the gradually rotting arm, her pupils dilating wider and wider.
Just before the corners of Qiao Xiaowen’s mouth reached her ears, it felt as though someone slapped the back of Lucia’s head. An icy voice suddenly echoed through her mind.
“Don’t indulge them too much… Don’t indulge them too much…”
Lucia squeezed her eyes shut. Finding strength from nowhere, she slapped aside the hand with exposed bone and rotting flesh. “Go away! I won’t play with you!”
The moment she spoke, the gradually distorting world returned to normal in the blink of an eye.
[System Message: Lucia lost 10 points. Current score: 63.]
Qiao Xiaowen narrowed her eyes, refusing to give up. She threatened, “Are you sure you won’t play with me?”
The sudden loss of points plunged Lucia into hesitation, but Qiao Yu’s unfathomable methods the previous night had also inspired an inexplicable confidence in her.
She drew a deep breath and nodded. “Yes. I’m sure I won’t play with you.”
The next second, Aunt Deng rolled her eyes, shoved past Lucia, and quickly left the entrance.
Qiao Xiaowen remained motionless and stared at her for a long time. Regret flashed through her bright, watery eyes. Hugging the doll in her arms, she pattered away.
The courage Lucia had forced herself to maintain immediately burst like a breached dam. Her legs weakened, and she nearly collapsed to the ground.
She… She had made the right bet!