Xing Yu walked nearby the construction site with a deep frown. It was late at night, and the gates were closed. There was a small light coming from the direction of the housing for the construction workers. From a distance, he could hear their loud chatter and laughs. He froze as soon as he reached the closed gates.
"Sir?" the guard ran up to him. "I'm so sorry, I didn't know you would be visiting us." The man hurriedly opened the gates for him.
Xing Yu walked in, albeit very hesitantly. He did not know why, but he did not want to leave things like this. Every time he closed his eyes, he could remember the young man who stood in the middle of the road with a desolate expression on his face. It was bugging him. So he thought he could visit the young man one last time just to assure himself that he was safe and sound and leave. "Yes, that is what I'm going to do."
He walked up to the canteen where the noise was the loudest. As soon as he walked closer, he sniffed a subtle stench of blood. It made him frown. The guard followed behind him, sweating profusely. "Sorry, sir, they are loud. They are all good people." )
"Where is the kid who came yesterday?" Xing Yu asked.
The guard fumbled to answer. His shift only started today in the evening, so he was not sure who the young master was talking about. "I... I don't know, sir. There are no kids here..."
Xing Yu's frown deepened. "He asked me for a place to stay... why didn't he come here? Is he okay..." he mumbled under his breath.
As he was thinking of going back to the kid's home, he spotted a young figure among the burly men out of his sight. The young man had his back to him but was seen talking to a taller man who had a happy grin on his face. Suddenly, the taller man reached out and touched the kid's head. He watched the young man being fawned upon by the construction workers. All of them shared their share of meat with the young boy, making his plate overflow with braised pork. "He seems to be doing good here... guess I was overthinking things," his heavy heart finally settled down.
"Sir..." the guard mumbled softly.
"Don't let anyone know I was here. Just keep an eye on that kid. ..." as he gazed back at the boy, he froze. The young boy's face was covered in bruises. Even his pale arms were black and blue at spots. "As I had thought.... ..." he did not know what to feel at that moment. It was partially his fault that the young man was hurt like this. Even though he had a nagging intuition that something was wrong, he still dropped the boy at that house. "Why did I do that? I should have asked why he didn't want to go home... he seems to be bullied badly. Should I call the human guards... should I do that?"
He gazed at the guard who was sweating profusely. "What will you do if a person you know is bullied? Do you call the human guard... no, do you call the cops?"
"It depends on the situation," the guard finally regained a bit of confidence. Even his eyes were focused on the young man. "In his case, it's better not to. He is too young. They will take him away to an orphanage or a foster home. Who knows how he will fare there..."
"But isn't it better than that abusing home?!" Xing Yu was completely baffled by the human's answer.
"Not necessarily. Look at that kid. He is too pretty. It's not safe for pretty kids out here. Besides, didn't you say that he moved here, sir? I think this place is much safer for him than in an orphanage or foster home," the guard smirked softly. "Those men might look like ruffians, but they all are good people. They genuinely admire the kid."
Xing Yu peered at the young man intently. The human seemed to be right. Even though the young boy sported a few bruises, he seemed to be in a much better mental state. He was beaming as he talked to others. "I'm glad he is safe," he nodded to himself. "Please keep an eye on him. Let him stay here as long as he wants."
Everything was good. The kid was safe. His duty was over. Xing Yu walked up to the gate but hesitated to step out. "But what if his family finds him and abuses him again... he is just a young boy..." he frownedly gazed back. The guard's keys jingled softly. His eyes focused on it. It was a small cat doll attached with a small droplet-like glass vial with floating glitter.
"Can I have that?" Xing Yu asked.
The guard handed it to him readily. "My child brought it for herself, but she grew out of it."
Xing Yu turned away slightly and subtly emptied the small glass vial. He instead filled it up with a few drops of his blood and sealed it up with a bit of heat. "Give this to him. He would like it," he whispered, handing the keychain back.
The guard happily took it back but slightly frowned upon seeing the golden liquid in the glass vial. "Give it to him without fail."
"Yes, sir!" the guard put it away carefully. Without another word, Xing Yu walked away.