Taking Care of the Little Brother

Kaden found himself innocently caught in the crossfire, staring speechlessly at the fierce little boy in front of him.

Zuri chuckled and patted the boy's head. "No one can bully me."

Fu Siyuan looked up and noticed the cut on her cheek. "Who did this?"

"I accidentally scraped myself."

"Really?" Fu Siyuan was unconvinced, casting suspicious glances at Kaden, as if he were a prime suspect.

Kaden felt the veins on his forehead throbbing. If it weren't for the boy's close relationship with Zuri, he would have been tempted to teach him a lesson and show him why roses are red.

"Really," Zuri affirmed with a nod.

Fu Siyuan knew she was hiding something from him, but since she didn't want to talk about it, he decided to play along. "Zuri jie, if anyone ever bullies you, you have to tell me. I'll stand up for you."

"Okay."

She wouldn't let herself be bullied in this lifetime.

"Let me treat your wound."

Before Zuri could refuse, the boy had already run inside and returned with a worn-out first aid kit, deftly disinfecting the wound and applying a bandage.

"All done." Little Fu Siyuan looked satisfied with his handiwork and warned her like a little adult, "Don't get it wet, or it will scar. You need to stay beautiful, Zuri jie."

"Okay."

In her previous life, she kept a terrifying scar on her face to constantly remind herself that she owed him a life, and the Lin family owed him a life.

She had only planned to see him, to make sure he was doing well. Until the Lin family was dealt with, she didn't want or dare to contact him. She feared bringing disaster upon him again.

But the wound on her face felt like Pandora's box had been opened, flooding her mind with memories of him lying in a pool of blood, unsettling her deeply.

There was a moment when she felt that if she didn't see him, she might never get another chance.

Seeing him alive and well, Zuri felt relieved.

Just as she was about to leave, the little guy's keen senses caught on.

Zuri turned to Kaden. "Do you have money?"

Kaden was taken aback and pulled out his wallet. "How much do you need?"

Before she could answer, Kaden handed her the entire wallet. "Take what you need."

Zuri opened the wallet, finding a thick wad of hundred-yuan bills, totaling at least two or three thousand. She pulled out the money and handed it to Fu Siyuan, advising him, "Keep this money safe, don't let your father see it. If anything happens, you can call me."

Fu Siyuan's father was a gambler and a womanizer. His mother had passed away three years ago. Without her care and with an irresponsible father, he had learned to be independent early on.

Shaking his head, he proudly said, "I don't need it. I have money. Yesterday, I made over a hundred yuan selling bottles."

He pulled out a crumpled wad of small bills from his tattered pocket.

"Look, jie."

Little Fu Siyuan proudly showed her.

"That's great," Zuri praised, ruffling his hair. But she still pushed the money into his pocket. "This is from your jie. If you don't take it, are we not close anymore?"

Caught by her words, Fu Siyuan reluctantly accepted the money.

"I have to go."

Fu Siyuan was reluctant but nodded. "Okay."

He walked them to the corner of the street. Suddenly, he stepped close to Kaden, lowered his voice, and warned, "Don't bully my Zuri jie, or I'll beat you up. Even if I can't beat you now, I'll do it when I'm older."

Kaden looked at the little kid, both amused and exasperated.

The two left the shantytown.

"Kaden, give me your account number. I'll transfer the money back to you."

"No need."

That amount was nothing to him.

"Please," Zuri insisted.

Reluctantly, Kaden gave her his account number and soon received a notification of the transfer.

"Kaden, could I ask you for a favor?"

"What is it?"

"I know you have a lot of people under you. You must have someone in this area, right?" Zuri looked at him.

Kaden got the gist of her request. "You want me to keep an eye on that kid?"

"Yes."

"Okay, I'll have someone make sure no one bothers him in this area."

"That's not necessary."

If people thought Fu Siyuan was associated with Kaden or the local gang leader, someone might target him, causing more trouble.

"I just need someone to check on him occasionally, to make sure he's okay. If there's any trouble, they should let me know first."

Until she dealt with the Lin family, Zuri wasn't planning on contacting him again. She feared dragging him into her mess again.

She still owed him a life.

Though he didn't understand why she couldn't do it herself, Kaden agreed readily. "Sure."

"Thank you."

Kaden smiled. "If you really want to thank me, buy me a meal."

"Okay. You pick the time and place."

Kaden thought for a moment. "I can't think of anything now. I'll let you know tomorrow."

"Alright."

At the crossroads, they parted ways.

At a certain entertainment venue, the door was pushed open, revealing a room filled with smoke. A group of burly, tattooed men stood up respectfully as Kaden entered, calling out, "Boss."

Kaden waved them off, in a good mood. He sat on a separate sofa, occasionally frowning and then smiling at his phone. His unpredictable expressions left his subordinates baffled.

One whispered, "What's up with the boss?"

"Is he possessed? Something seems off."

"Yeah, this isn't normal."

A slightly refined young man with yellow hair ventured, "I think the boss might be in love."

This comment drew everyone's attention, followed by a rain of fists, making the young man cry out.

After the beating, someone warned, "Kid, you can't say stuff like that. If you value your life, never suggest the boss is in love. Our boss isn't the type to get lovesick."

"Yeah, yeah. The boss is unbeatable, a man who can have any girl he wants. Lovesick? More like nightmare!"