Quick Transmigration: What to Do When the Male Supporting Character You Saved Becomes Obsessed with

Chapter 307 Obedient and Clingy Younger Brother (18)

The wind was warm and slightly hot. I braced my hands against the concrete steps behind me, and I could feel the fine sand particles rubbing against my fingertips.

Because I want to remember every moment and keep everything in my heart, I don't miss any small details.

"Hahaha, I didn't expect him to be so capable. We owe it all to this kid today!" Lu Liruan praised him casually and affectionately, naturally raising her hand to pat Jin Shuhe's hair with a hint of pride.

“Boys need to have some guts! Being a coward is no good!” After listening to Lu Liruan’s account of what happened that morning, Sister Wang nodded to Jin Shuhe: “But you can’t be impulsive! You have to think about protecting your sister…”

"Mmm," Jin Shuhe responded softly.

This amused Lu Liruan, who patted him even harder, saying, "Our Xiaohe is still young, so it's enough for your older sister to protect her."

The warm breeze, so comforting it made your bones tingle, seemed to blow straight into your heart.

Jin Shuhe couldn't help but turn to look at Lu Liruan, then quickly lowered his head again.

After her mother left, no one ever told her to protect herself. Jin Shuhe felt a pang of sadness and inexplicably recalled how her mother used to teach her to pay attention to traffic lights and be careful when crossing the street on her way home from school when she was a child: "Xiaohe, you must take good care of yourself!"

"Yes! I also need to protect Mom!"

Suddenly, that fragment of memory surfaced in Jin Shuhe's mind.

The mother, wearing a light blue dress and with her hair up, looked down at her short frame and said, "Really? Xiao He is so amazing! Mom is waiting for Xiao He to grow up and protect Mom!"

How did you feel when you were just a child?

Jin Shuhe couldn't remember, but he felt it was probably similar to the present.

My chest felt full, as if it were filled with pride and responsibility...

When people talked about it, Jin Shuhe felt, unusually, that he was of some use to Sister Li Ruan.

He wanted to protect Sister Li Ruan, and he also wanted to be protected...

Lu Liruan had no idea what he was thinking with his head down. With Sister Wang's help, she reconnected with the workers.

"Xiao He, go buy a few more bottles of water! We're about to start work!" Lu Liruan stood up, dusted off the dust behind her, and called out to him.

The afternoon's work went smoothly. The workers introduced by Sister Wang were very nice and followed Lu Liruan's instructions. However, because of the time lost in the morning, the work ended later than expected.

By the time Lu Liruan locked the shop door and prepared to leave, it was already eight o'clock in the evening.

“I should have let you go back earlier, but I was worried about you walking alone after dark…” Lu Liruan put the keys back in her bag: “Let’s go, let’s take a taxi back.”

"Won't your family say anything to you?"

"No, I'm fine... Sister Li Ruan, you don't need to..."

"Don't worry, I didn't take a taxi because of you. I'm so tired today, I'm about to fall apart. I'll just be swaying around on the subway for a bit. You'll have to find a plastic bag to carry my odds and ends back!"

I walked along the main campus road, where the streetlights hadn't been turned on yet, using my phone's flashlight as a guide.

The new campus is located in such a remote place, occupying a huge area. Walking towards the dormitory buildings, there is an unfinished artificial lake that has simply been dug out.

The library was built on a hillside. Lu Liruan heard from Sister Wang that the land was originally uneven and was blasted out piece by piece by the construction team. But some terrains could only be like this, so the library was built on the slope.

It takes about twenty minutes to walk from the dormitory building to the school gate. Lu Liruan usually takes the back gate, which requires turning two streets before she can see traffic on the road.

"This campus is really beautiful. I heard they're going to build an artificial waterfall in front of the Economics and Law Building." Lu Liruan was a little out of breath from walking.

"You'll be going to university in a year, right? Once you're in university, you'll find that it's probably the happiest time you'll experience while caught between the pressure of the college entrance exam and the pressure of finding a job..." Lu Liruan sighed.

When this was mentioned, Lu Liruan also wanted to tell Jin Shuhe that once they went to university, they would find that their previous life was very narrow. The further they went into another stage of life, the more they would find that what had trapped them before might not have been such a big deal.

But Lu Liruan hesitated for a moment and still didn't speak.

Because it felt too light and airy.

These words might have some effect on children who are generally confused by the pressure of entering higher education, but the burden in Jin Shuhe's life is something that cannot be alleviated by moving forward or looking back.

Lu Liruan felt that if she tried to persuade him in that way, she would be underestimating his pain.

Do not underestimate anyone's suffering, whether it be the elderly or the young, because no one can truly empathize with another's pain.

His pain is ultimately something only he can feel; for others to judge him so arbitrarily is simply too presumptuous...

"I... I probably won't go to university."

In the darkness, beside him, the boy suddenly said this.

"what?"

Lu Liruan subconsciously tried to turn her head to look, but her foot slipped. Fortunately, Jin Shuhe reacted quickly and caught her elbow.

"Why do you say that?" Lu Liruan's heart skipped a beat the moment she heard him, a beat that combined with the fear of her foot slipping and falling. She blurted out the question.

In the original storyline, didn't this kid go to police academy?

Could it be that my involvement in this world has changed this child's thinking? That shouldn't be the case... I didn't do anything!

Lu Liruan's heart was still pounding, and she began to reflect on her actions over the past few days.

Normally, Jin Shuhe probably wouldn't say anything.

But now it's so dark you can't see anything, only the faint light of a flashlight illuminating the way forward. His expression is completely hidden in the darkness, and he can't see Sister Li Ruan's expression either. This makes him feel inexplicably that it wouldn't matter if he said something.

"I'm not very good at studying..."

"They probably... don't have the money to go to school either, right?"

His voice was soft, revealing no sadness or resentment, as if he were simply stating a fact, a fact he had already recognized and accepted.

Yes, that's a very realistic answer.

Lu Liruan is still unsure about Jin Shuhe's academic performance.

But she knew that the reason behind it was absolutely real.

In the original storyline, the child eventually went to police academy.

Due to health reasons, Lu Liruan had never considered these majors, nor had she inquired about admission requirements and student subsidies.

Could it be that he was able to attend university because of a tuition reduction?

When Lu Liruan watched the original plot, she naturally assumed that this was the result of Jin Shuhe's own choice. Because of his childhood experiences, he was determined to become a policeman and hoped to prevent tragedies like his mother's from happening again in his future work.

I also want to... personally find the serial killer who murdered my mother.

Is not it?

Or perhaps this is only part of the reason; if given other options, he might have taken a different path.

Lu Liruan had a lot of thoughts rushing into her mind at once, and she couldn't sort them out properly.

After Jin Shuhe finished speaking, he didn't say anything more.

Lu Liruan didn't know how to persuade him. Should she tell him that there's always a way out? Or should she promise to help him in the future and take responsibility for him?

Lu Liruan asked herself honestly. Given their current relationship, it seemed strange for her to say such a thing, and besides... because the timeline was so far back, and she was dealing with a minor, Lu Liruan felt she couldn't just casually say that she would take responsibility for him...

Jin Shuhe didn't actually expect Li Ruan to say anything; he just wanted to admit it to her so that she could understand him better.

I might not forget him in the future.

When the two brought up the topic, they had already stepped out of the small door. During the brief silence, they looked up and saw the car lights on the road.

The light was so bright it hurt my eyes.

I hailed a taxi, and the driver headed into the city. More and more cars appeared along the way, and the houses on both sides became increasingly brightly lit. The atmosphere from before gradually faded away, as if I had stepped back into real life.

"Is anyone home? If you're really not in a hurry to go back, let's find a place downstairs and grab a bite to eat," Lu Liruan asked, turning her head.

"I don't know," Jin Shuhe said honestly.

Today is the weekend. Aunt Chun may or may not be home on weekdays, but Jin Shuhe is certain that she never cares what time he comes home.

It was almost nine o'clock when I got off the bus, and there weren't many shops open downstairs.

Lu Liruan found a beef noodle shop, and the steaming hot soup filled her taste buds.

"We agreed to eat at my house, but I've been so busy until now..." Lu Liruan said apologetically.

"It's okay, I'm very... happy to help Sister Liruan." Jin Shuhe suppressed his shyness and said earnestly, afraid that Lu Liruan would think he had a problem with it.

"Do you want some? I don't eat braised eggs." When the noodles arrived, Lu Liruan used the tip of her chopsticks to pick up half a braised egg from her bowl and asked Jin Shuhe.

Seeing that he nodded, she put it in his bowl.

Both of them were indeed hungry, and even Lu Liruan ate more than half a bowl of noodles.

After they finished eating, the owner started cleaning up the kitchen. The two walked into the yard, and Lu Liruan walked slowly because she was too full.

There were five floors in total. Lu Liruan took two breaks, and seeing that the boy next to her wasn't even out of breath, she weakly praised, "At your age, you still have good cardiopulmonary function..."

Jin Shuhe thought to himself that when he was working part-time, he had to climb hundreds of floors a day. At first, he couldn't climb them, but he gradually got the hang of it.

I was going to add: "The more you play, the better."

But then I thought, why does Sister Li Ruan have to climb so many stairs?

After reaching the fifth floor, Lu Liruan stomped her feet, and several motion-activated lights in the corridor lit up one by one. When she walked forward to Jin Shuhe's door,

With a "click," the door opened.

The people who came out of there made eye contact with them.

Lu Liruan was stunned for a moment, and Jin Shuhe didn't react either. It was the woman with a slender cigarette in her mouth who was tidying her handbag who reacted first, looked up and looked her up and down.

She looked at Lu Liruan with a half-smile, her eyes meticulously made up. Lu Liruan pursed her lips awkwardly, unsure how to greet her.

Fortunately, she had already spoken to Jin Shuhe: "You've been away from home all day. I'm wondering where you've been having fun!"

Jin Shuhe didn't answer her, and she didn't press the matter further. She walked out in her high heels.

Coming to his senses, he nodded to Lu Liruan and headed towards the stairwell.

Lu Liruan felt a little uneasy for a moment. Why did she feel like she was abducting a minor? And being caught red-handed?

"Go back and get some rest. You have to get up early for school tomorrow!"

Lu Liruan watched Jin Shuhe go inside and close the door before she breathed a sigh of relief and went home.

Jin Shuhe stood inside the door until he heard the door next door close, confirming that Lu Liruan had returned home safely, before turning on the light and heading to the bedroom.

This past week has been spent in a daze. Ever since he told Lu Liruan that he wasn't doing well in his studies, Jin Shuhe realized that... in some subjects, he wasn't even that bad.

Wen Bei next to him still copied his math and physics homework extensively, but he completely ignored his Chinese and English homework.

By the weekend, Lu Liruan had gotten used to having his help.

When they had dinner at Lu Liruan's house that evening, Jin Shuhe blushed and hurriedly refused the money that Lu Liruan offered him.

Lu Liruan had originally planned to give it to him last week, but then she thought that since the child always used cash, it would be more convenient for her to withdraw cash and give it to him herself.

But she came back too late on Sunday, and Lu Liruan had already picked it up this week.

"Why not?"

"I...I didn't work for Sister Li Ruan for the money," Jin Shuhe tried to explain.

"You can't possibly be helping me with chores just because of the food I cooked, can you?" Lu Liruan joked with him with a smile. "My cooking isn't worth that much money!"

"no……"

Jin Shuhe never considered helping Lu Liruan with her work as a job, so he never thought about taking Lu Liruan's money. He himself couldn't understand what he really wanted.

Was it so that she could have dinner with Sister Li Ruan and spend more time with her... or was it simply so that Sister Li Ruan would remember her in the future?

Perhaps when Sister Li Ruan goes into that shop in the future, she will occasionally think of me and the help I gave her... Jin Shuhe couldn't explain it either. It seemed that if he accepted Sister Li Ruan's money, it would be an equal exchange, rather than the lingering memories he had in mind.

Lu Liruan had no idea what Jin Shuhe was thinking.

He assumed the child was just shy and honest, having eaten two meals from him and then helping him with chores without expecting anything in return, for several weeks straight.

"How could I let my child work for me for free? My conscience really wouldn't allow it!" Lu Liruan blinked and said softly.

"You've seen how much my workers are paid a day, and they're not cheap. If I really let you help me for free, wouldn't that be bullying an adult? If you don't accept the money, I won't dare to bother you again in the future..."

Only after being told to bring it here did Jin Shuhe agree to accept it.

He also wanted... to continue having the opportunity to spend time with Sister Li Ruan.

He longed to leave a mark on other people's lives, to be seen, to be needed; this feeling was like nourishment for his long-parched body and soul.

Jin Shuhe, who is still a child, cannot properly describe his inner feelings.

He silently clutched the cash Lu Liruan had given him in his pocket.

Indeed, it was just the right amount, not too much and not too little, and he could naturally understand that Sister Li Ruan was trying to care about him without hurting his self-esteem, letting him earn his reward through his own labor.