This was a rather agonizing matter. People have feelings. When Ye Tiancheng first contacted the welfare home about adopting Little Fox, he didn't think it would be a difficult decision. After all, Little Fox needed a home.
He was still young. As a boy, he definitely needed to strive to become accomplished, rather than just hiding away in his small world or messing around with two grown men. That wouldn't lead anywhere.
However, when the people from the welfare home actually arrived, Ye Tiancheng felt a pang in his heart. Especially when he saw Little Fox run to Fatty, hiding behind the brother he considered closest, refusing to come out, and unwilling to accept this reality.
"Let's complete the paperwork."
Ye Tiancheng glanced at Little Fox, who was hiding behind Fatty, and then went with the staff to handle the procedures. Regarding Little Fox's background, since it was difficult to explain clearly, there were many things that needed to be clarified. For Ye Tiancheng, it was quite a lot to deal with.
"Can I not go? I don't remember a lot of things from the past, and I don't want to meet new people. I just want to stay by Brother Ye's and Brother Fatty's side. I don't want to go anywhere else."
As Little Fox spoke, tears welled up in his eyes, and his eyes were extremely red, as if he was trying hard to control himself, lest he burst into tears at any moment.
While speaking, Little Fox kept tugging at Fatty's clothes with his hand. His pitiful appearance was like a wounded little fox, needing to lean on familiar people to find a sense of security.
Ye Tiancheng secretly glanced over and felt a bit reluctant. However, he hadn't made a decision yet. For a moment, he was completely bewildered. Perhaps he hadn't encountered such a situation before, so he wasn't adept at resolving such matters and was still hesitating.
"Brother Ye, let's just forget it. Let these staff members leave. I'll reimburse their travel expenses, as well as a series of other costs, and give them some compensation. We won't send this child to the welfare home; he'll stay with us."
Fatty wasn't a decisive person. In the past, no matter what happened, he liked to listen to Ye Tiancheng. He was practically obedient to his Brother Ye, rarely having his own ideas, and even less likely to deliberately go against Ye Tiancheng. Such things were impossible.
However, today was different. Today was a complete change. Because of this child, Fatty's heart suddenly filled with a sense of responsibility, which is why he erupted immediately. Even Ye Tiancheng was a bit surprised.
"Fatty, what's wrong with you? Didn't we agree on this before? You're suddenly going back on your word, making things awkward for everyone."
Ye Tiancheng had noticed earlier that Fatty was a bit reluctant, but Fatty hadn't said much, only that his expression wasn't very good. But for him today, it was a bit too much, almost incomprehensible.
"Anyway, I don't care. I don't want Little Fox to leave us. I have no other thoughts except the single one: I hope Little Fox can stay with us. I want to grow up with him and not be influenced by anyone else."
Fatty had already made up his mind. He wanted to see this child grow from a child to a teenager, and then from a teenager to an adult. He had to be involved in this entire process, otherwise, he would truly feel guilty.
"Alright then, my apologies, everyone. I'll see you out."
Ye Tiancheng wouldn't simply apologize. After all, he was a boss, and he would naturally offer some compensation. He wouldn't let these staff members make this trip in vain. Not only would they have no regrets, but they would also leave satisfied, feeling that the trip was truly worthwhile.
After Ye Tiancheng saw everyone off and returned, he saw Fatty looking at him with a determined expression. Ye Tiancheng finally understood that he had indeed thought too rationally, or perhaps, too heartlessly.
People have feelings. Ye Tiancheng couldn't disregard his brother's opinion and act solely on his own thoughts. That wouldn't be realistic.
"Alright, since you don't want Little Fox to leave, I actually have a similar feeling. I was just hesitating and couldn't make a decision. Let's go with your idea then. Thank you for making the decision for me."
Ye Tiancheng also realized that it wasn't necessarily a bad thing for the child to have latched onto them. Recently, with Little Fox around, Fatty's smile seemed to have increased.
Whether Little Fox was considered a pet or a source of joy, they would keep him around. It was actually quite good, better than being muddled. Everyone needs a goal in life; they can't just be like walking dead.
"Thank you, Brother Ye. I knew you would understand me."
Fatty had been worried that Ye Tiancheng would blame him. He didn't expect Ye Tiancheng to understand him and agree to let Little Fox stay. Fatty immediately became happy, his face lighting up with a wide, somewhat simple smile.
"Little Fox, I'm sorry for scaring you today. It's not that we don't want you, but we want you to have a better future, so you won't be worse off than other children. However, Brother Ye isn't heartless. He's also realized that although you're quite young, you have the right to make decisions. Everyone has the right to choose their own life. Since you don't want to live a life like others, we respect your choice. You can stay with us, but it might be dangerous, so you need to be mentally prepared in advance."
Fatty had to say all the necessary things beforehand. If Little Fox ever regretted his decision and wished he had gone with the welfare home staff for a stable life, at least it would be his own decision, not one made for him by Fatty.
"No, Brother Fatty. I was never meant to have a normal life, and I don't expect one. Even if I adventure with you, even if I encounter danger during the adventure, I'm not afraid at all. Because I've always felt that life should have quality. I care about its breadth, not its length."
At this point, Ye Tiancheng finally understood that Little Fox was not an ordinary child. Although he had forgotten many of his memories, his demeanor and insights seemed like those of a highly educated person.
There seemed to be many secrets surrounding Little Fox, but Ye Tiancheng couldn't investigate them for the time being.
However, none of that mattered. For Ye Tiancheng, the most important thing was to live a stable life. If there were secrets, they should be protected. If they weren't uncovered, it would be good to remain in peace.
After the welfare home staff left, Fatty, to celebrate Little Fox not leaving him, made a clay pot chicken. The chicken was marinated with New Orleans seasoning, making it exceptionally delicious. The potatoes added were fragrant and sweet. They all ate until they were full.
After eating, they watched television in the hotel suite. Fatty and Little Fox were discussing the movie plot on TV, but Ye Tiancheng's mind was elsewhere. Although Ye Tiancheng didn't say it out loud, he was constantly thinking about where the Fuxi Qin had gone, whether he still had a chance to find the divine artifact, and whether he could still save Liu Lanying.
These profound questions gave him a headache, so Ye Tiancheng felt it was best not to think about them.
Just as the movie on TV ended, Ye Tiancheng casually picked up the remote and changed the channel. It turned out to be a local channel broadcasting the latest news.
"This morning, a bizarre incident occurred at an art exhibition. Artist Mr. Thomson suddenly died. Although the news has been suppressed, according to an insider, the deceased's body turned black and looked like a mummy. He has now been sent to the People's Hospital."
The news also included photos, which made Ye Tiancheng, Fatty, and Little Fox's eyes widen. Wasn't this the artist they met in the park? How could they see his death notice the next time they saw him? Everything seemed to have happened too suddenly.
"Didn't that person give us tickets to the art exhibition before? It should be today, but none of us went. I didn't expect something to happen."
Ye Tiancheng suddenly remembered that this Thomson had not only given Little Fox some cash but also art exhibition tickets. Although Ye Tiancheng knew that these tickets were hard to come by even with money, he had no interest in art exhibitions. Fatty and Little Fox were both lazy, so none of them went, and all three tickets were wasted.
But now, the art exhibition tickets were no longer the most important thing. The most important thing was that Thomson had died, and in such a bizarre way. If the insider's report was true, then it was clear that Thomson had died suddenly due to the influence of dark energy.
"It seems we need to investigate thoroughly. Fatty, perhaps this matter is related to the dark energy, and maybe even to the missing divine artifact. We must uncover all the clues."
The incident at the art exhibition suddenly made Ye Tiancheng realize a problem: perhaps it was because of their influence that the artist met such a tragic fate.
"Fatty, you investigate first and see where this artist Thomson is now. More precisely, where his body is. As soon as I see his body, I'll know if it's the effect of dark energy."
For Ye Tiancheng to investigate meticulously, he had to see Thomson's body first. This was an essential step.
"Okay, Brother Ye. Although this place isn't very big, the media is quite fast. They've already monitored the entire process, so it won't be difficult to find out with a little money. We can prepare to set off."
Fatty could handle this small matter easily, so he directly prepared the car. Fatty didn't find any of this difficult.
Before Fatty drove, it was confirmed that the media's mention of the People's Hospital was just a diversion. The person was not at the People's Hospital at all. The body had been transferred to a funeral home affiliated with a psychiatric hospital.
It seemed the body was truly too bizarre to be seen by anyone, otherwise, they wouldn't have lied about the news. They probably feared that reporters would flock to the real body like flies, so they released a smokescreen, saying it was the People's Hospital. As expected, Fatty had already received the latest news that the People's Hospital was already swarming with people.
Only Fatty could get the real news. Now they were heading to the funeral home affiliated with the psychiatric hospital. It was a very desolate place. It would take nearly an hour to drive there. In any case, the situation was quite complicated and definitely not easy to find.
The navigation was useless now. Ye Tiancheng, Fatty, and Little Fox, two adults and one child, hadn't even seen Thomson's body yet, and they were already lost in the car.