Chapter 1

In the height of summer, the cicadas chirped incessantly, and the streets were bustling with noise.

Xia Qing, as usual, was working at the well-known fast-food restaurant, McDonald's.

Nowadays, McDonald's mostly relies on QR code ordering, so their tasks are mainly focused on meal preparation and calling out orders. This has significantly improved work efficiency, but the intensity of the job hasn't decreased much.

Today was the second day after the college entrance exams.

Compared to usual, the store had many more young graduates, who laughed and chatted, exuding youthful energy.

In three years, our Wuyu will be just like them...

Xia Qing felt a moment of joy and anticipation, but then she fell into worry about her sister's studies—

That is, if she can finish these three years smoothly...

At that moment, a disheveled young boy walked into the store.

He looked to be about fifteen or sixteen years old, with several obvious large holes in his white T-shirt and pants. His hair was drenched in sweat and stuck together, and his face was dirty.

After entering the store, he scanned the surroundings and then sat down in a corner. The parents sitting next to him quickly moved their children to a more distant seat.

At this point, the employees began to chatter. As the most experienced among them, most of the employees would listen to Xia Qing's advice.

"Qing, that homeless person doesn't seem to be leaving! The manager isn't here, should we call the police?"

"He's not bothering anyone yet. As long as he doesn't affect business, we'll leave him alone."

Xia Qing said softly, "If there's any trouble, we can call the security guards from the mall for help."

"Okay, got it!"

"Customers are coming, let's get ready to prepare their meals."

As a fast-food restaurant catering to a lower-income clientele, McDonald's and KFC occasionally have homeless people come in.

Most of the time, they just come to enjoy the air conditioning or pick up leftovers from customers. Some even try to stay overnight.

In short, as long as they don't affect business, the employees have no reason to ask them to leave.

In fact, with the gradual advancement of socialist modernization, the occurrence of homelessness has become increasingly rare.

He should be about Wuyu's age, an age when he should be enjoying the care and attention of his parents...

The boy sat in the corner of the McDonald's, occasionally looking at the food on the distant tables, and sometimes observing, but whenever someone looked at him, he would lower his head in fear.

Evening came, and the boy still had no intention of leaving.

...

While preparing meals, Xia Qing couldn't help but glance at the boy. She noticed that he was looking up, gazing blankly at the vibrant city lights behind the glass wall.

The city lights were just beginning to twinkle, and the night was colorful.

Among these countless lights, is there one that is lit for him...

After work, she bought a hamburger with her own money, then poured a free cup of ice water and some napkins, and brought the tray to the boy, trying to greet him:

"You've been sitting here for so long, you must be hungry, right?"

The boy still had his head down, but his eyes were drawn to the food on the tray.

"Have something to eat, I'll treat you."

Xia Qing handed the tray to the boy, "After you finish, go home early."

I hope you at least have a place to stay...

After satisfying her urge to take care of him, Xia Qing was about to leave when she turned back and saw the boy picking up the hamburger in the paper bag, seemingly ready to swallow it whole!

"Wait, wait, wait!"

Xia Qing called out to stop the boy, and under his puzzled gaze, she continued:

"Is this your first time eating this? This is called a hamburger. First, you need to tear this open..."

She carefully took the hamburger out of the wrapper and placed it on the tray, "Here, now you can eat it. Go ahead, eat."

Under Xia Qing's guidance, the boy picked up the hamburger, hesitated for a moment, and then, tempted by the aroma, stuffed the whole hamburger into his mouth.

The McChicken hamburger Xia Qing bought for him was the smallest at McDonald's, but even so, swallowing it whole was quite exaggerated...

"Take it slow! Don't choke! Here... have some water first."

This wasn't the first time Xia Qing had done something like this, but the boy's ravenous eating was the most exaggerated she had ever seen.

However, upon closer inspection, Xia Qing noticed that this child seemed...

Quite delicate?

At least his features were very refined, with a high nose and smooth, fair skin despite the dirt on his face. He had a kind of puppy-like cuteness, looking innocent and adorable.

"Is one hamburger enough? Do you want another...?"

Xia Qing stopped mid-sentence, sensing something amiss. The boy looked up slightly, and Xia Qing gave him a gentle smile, then stood up and stepped back, not wanting to disturb his meal.

When she turned around, she couldn't help but sigh softly.

I can't even take care of my own sisters, why do I have the heart to be so kind to others...

But, this child doesn't even know how to eat a hamburger, this isn't just a lack of common sense...

Considering his behavior during their conversation, he might really have some... mental issues?

If I just leave him, will he end up sleeping on the street, getting hit by a car, bitten by stray dogs, or...

Ah!! I'm overreaching! I can't take care of everyone...

Xia Qing patted her cheeks, determined not to think about the boy anymore.

After changing out of her work uniform and saying goodbye to her colleagues, Xia Qing picked up her bag and prepared to leave through the front door of the restaurant.

But the boy was no longer in his original seat.

Xia Qing felt a bit relieved, but there was also a vague sense of melancholy.

However, her melancholy disappeared the moment she stepped out of the restaurant.

Because the boy was leaning against the wall outside, and as soon as Xia Qing came out, he immediately approached and followed her.

"Um, that...," Xia Qing, noticing that he was following her, turned around and asked, "Do you need something else?"

The boy didn't answer, just stared at her with wide, curious eyes.

However, compared to his previous blank expression, his gaze toward Xia Qing was more warm and joyful, almost gleaming with star-like brightness. Xia Qing immediately thought of the stray dogs and cats she often encountered—

Xia Qing had a near-obsessive fondness for small animals and couldn't resist feeding them if she had food.

Most cats just focused on eating and left after finishing, completely ignoring her, as if eating her food was a favor to her;

But stray dogs were different. They would start wagging their tails wildly and rubbing against her even before they finished eating.

To Xia Qing, the boy in front of her was like a little puppy, and if he had a tail, it would be wagging more enthusiastically than anyone else.

Of course, stray dogs could be considered for adoption, after all, it's just a matter of vaccinations and neutering;

But for a homeless person...

Forget it.

Xia Qing decided not to pay attention to the boy anymore and quickly walked to the bus stop. The boy followed her; when she stopped, he stopped too.

Although he was following her, he kept his distance, which made it hard for Xia Qing to criticize him.

Soon, the bus arrived. Xia Qing hurriedly scanned the QR code on her phone and quickly found a seat.

The boy didn't get on the bus with Xia Qing. Instead, he stood at the bus stop, watching her through the window.

When their eyes met, Xia Qing immediately looked away, feeling guilty.

Tsk...

Don't look at me like that... I can't take care of you...

The bus doors closed, and the bus started slowly. In her peripheral vision, Xia Qing saw the boy chasing after the bus for a moment.

Although the boy was no longer in sight, his warm and expectant gaze lingered in her mind, refusing to fade away.

At that moment, Xia Qing's phone vibrated—she received a message from her sister, Wuyu.

[Are you still at work? Is everything okay on the way?]

[On the bus, I'll be back soon... Did you pick up Wanshan from kindergarten?]

[Yes, she played with mud with the other kids today, and the teacher didn't stop them.]

Xia Qing sent a [Hahaha] emoji to Wuyu.

[You're still laughing... You'll have to give her a bath tonight! I'm not doing it.]

[OKOK! Leave it to me!]

Xia Qing sent a muscle emoji to Wuyu, then closed her phone and slowly closed her eyes.

After her mother passed away, Xia Qing dropped out of college and, along with her grandfather, took on the responsibility of raising her two younger sisters. It has been three years since then.

To pay for her mother's medical bills, the family had accumulated a significant debt. They barely managed to get by with the income from her grandfather's ramen shop and Xia Qing's salary.

With our own lives in such a mess, I'm actually thinking about a little homeless boy...

I should use this time to look for a part-time tutoring job that pays well and is close to home during the summer...

The exhausted Xia Qing was overwhelmed by drowsiness and dozed off on the bus. When she woke up, the bus had just arrived at her stop.

Xia Qing rubbed her sleepy eyes and got off the bus. This was a suburban area far from the city center, and there weren't many people on the street.

But the figure standing ahead was familiar to Xia Qing.

Isn't that...

Xia Qing rubbed her eyes and confirmed a few times.

Isn't that the homeless boy?

He actually followed me here?