Chapter 10: Pascal Lee

　　Jasper Lee is gone.

He just left his little brother at home.

It's so unexpected that Cherry Adams doesn't know how to react. She presses her palms to her forehead, annoyed, wanting to laugh, wanting to curse.

　　Did this guy do it on purpose? Or was it an accident? Or was it a deliberate accident? Jasper Lee! That cunning thing! He didn't plan all that last night, did he? Damn it, she fell for his tricks and was fooled by his innocent appearance!

　　Come to think of it, it was probably even earlier. Cherry Adams finally realized that she had been tricked. She had already admitted to being the guardian of the two children? Would the police keep a record of that? Damn it, she won't really be stuck with those two pests?

But Jasper Lee had slipped away.

And Pascal Lee was indeed abandoned by his brother.

That angelic sleeping face could also be hated.

　　"Fuck!" Cherry Adams was so angry that her chest felt like it would explode. She kicked him hard, of course, with a fierce expression on her face, but she was still careful not to overdo it with the kick so as not to kill him.

"Get up, Pascal Lee, get up!"

Pascal Lee was suddenly awakened and sat up.

Cherry Adams looked at him blankly through her nostrils, "Where is your brother? Where did your brother go?"

　　"My brother..." Pascal Lee rubbed his sandy eyes and was also stunned, "Huh? Where's my brother?"

"Still fucking pretending! Cherry Adams gritted her teeth, grabbed him by the collar and lifted him up, "Tell me! Where the hell is your brother hiding?"

She shook Pascal Lee so hard his eyes filled with stars.

Pascal Lee said with a pout, "I don't know, didn't my brother sleep in the living room last night?

　　"Go look in the living room, go!" Cherry Adams pushed him into the living room. Open your eyes wide and look carefully! Your brother has flown away with wings!"

Pascal Lee looked, and his whole face, which had a slight flush of blood, turned pale again. He slowed his breathing and took a step, then another, until he was standing rigidly beside the sofa.

His eyes were filled with tears, "Where is my brother?"

　　"Don't you dare cry! After you lied to me once, I fell for it again!" Cherry Adams would never believe another tear in Pascal Lee's eyes. If she had known that she would be trapped like a python by these two brothers, she would never... never have helped them!

Pascal Lee wept, he really did. From Cherry Adams' perspective, even if the tears were fake, they were still very realistic. How could such a young child act so well?

　　And from Pascal Lee's perspective, he really wasn't acting: Didn't his brother tell him that he was leaving? Why did he leave all of a sudden? And where would he go?

"I really don't know where my brother went..." Pascal Lee sobbed, big tears rolling down his cheeks and landing on his reddened cheeks. "My brother just told me what to do last night, he didn't tell me he was leaving... Did he leave me here..."

　　Cherry Adams glared at him angrily.

Until she realized that he really had no idea.

In fact, Jasper Lee had not said a word to Pascal Lee.

To ensure that his younger brother would show the most genuine reaction.

　　"Stop it! Stop crying!" Cherry Adams shoved the 2,000 yuan on the table at him, "Take your money and go find your brother yourself! I said I'll let you go at dawn and I won't take in any more of you!"

"I... I don't want money... Pascal Lee gasped, crying even more pitifully, "I just want my brother... I want my brother..."

　　"You want a hammer! You want a spoon! You want three with one, six with two, king and queen fried!" Cherry Adams snapped, "I don't care who you want, I want you out!"

"I'm calling the police... Pascal Lee ran out.

Cherry Adams stood up: "Come back!"

Pascal Lee was brought back like a lamb.

　　"Listen, I don't care how you find your brother, but the one thing you can't do is call the police!" Cherry Adams said sternly. "What if the police ask for your guardian? I'm still tied to you! Don't get me into trouble!"

"But... my brother..."

"Your brother doesn't want you anymore!"

Pascal Lee sobbed and covered his face with his hands.

"Okay! That's enough! No crying!"

　　Pascal Lee sniffed and held back his tears.

"Are you going to squeak like a mouse again?"

Pascal Lee stopped as Cherry Adams raised her hand.

"You're asking for it," Cherry Adams said, dropping her hand.

Cherry Adams just stood there in the living room for a few minutes.

"In that case, I'll leave you to it. I'm going to work."

　　Pascal Lee immediately panicked and unconsciously hugged her arm, "No! Sister, don't leave me alone at home! You, don't go!"

"What, do you think the whole world will abandon you like your brother?" Cherry Adams was moved by a certain word, slowed down her impatience, kicked him twice with her foot, "Get out, get out, you go wash your face first, your mouth is full of snot and tears, it's disgusting!"

　　Pascal Lee quickly ran to wash his face, and Cherry Adams also freshened up and got dressed to go out. When she returned to the living room, she saw that Jasper Lee had even left the clothes he had bought for his brother the night before, and had only taken his own clothes with him. This was obviously a clear sign of his intentions!

"Change into the clean clothes. Take the rest of the clothes with you," Cherry Adams said, sitting on the sofa and looking at him.

"Then go out with me."

"Go out to find my brother?" His eyes lit up.

　　Cherry Adams shook her head, "No. We're going to find a new family."

Pascal Lee's eyes reddened again, "I don't want to!"

"Don't cry! Cherry Adams pinched his face.

"It's ugly!"

Pascal Lee's soft, creamy face was deformed by her hands, and his mouth was pouting high, talking like a duckling, "I don't want a new family... I don't want a new mommy and daddy... I want my brother... I want my brother..."

　　Cherry Adams enjoyed the feel of it in her hands: "What about me?"

"I want my sister..." Pascal Lee only knew how to be a spoiled brat.

Jasper Lee, Cherry Adams thought angrily, has put your shy little brother in the home of a woman like me, an eagle, and gone off to who knows where.

What on earth is he up to? He didn't take much money, and he left his younger brother behind because he wasn't afraid that she would sell Pascal Lee.

　　To be honest, at that time, Cherry Adams still had the naive idea of waiting, thinking that Jasper Lee was just a child. Even if he went to the library mentioned yesterday or did some part-time work, how long could he go out for? He might be back before nightfall.

She took Pascal Lee out for breakfast, hot dry noodles. Pascal Lee ate heartily and drank a big glass of soy milk. After he had eaten and drunk his fill, Cherry Adams sent him home.

　　She told him, "Just stay home and behave yourself. Maybe your brother will come back soon.

Pascal Lee didn't like the idea of being left alone, even though this wasn't his home. "When will you be back?"

"In the evening, in the evening," Cherry Adams said, pulling away from his small hands. "Do whatever you want, just stay home and don't go anywhere."

　　"No way." Pascal Lee tugged at her other hand, which was soft and slimy, "Give me a specific time. I need to know when you're coming back. I'll wait and wait and wait..."

Wait your ass off!

This kid has separation anxiety!

　　"Eeee! So annoying! Let go!"

The shoddy coat was wrinkled, and Cherry Adams pretended to slap it, and Pascal Lee reluctantly let go.

"I'll be back after I finish the last order," she said.

"When are you going to finish the last order?"

"It's at night! Who knows what time it will be!" Cherry Adams picked up the car keys and left.

　　It was a long day at work, and Cherry Adams didn't start her first pickup until 10 o'clock. She skipped lunch and went straight from evening to evening. There was another pickup at the county library, but instead of picking up the next order right away, she parked on the street and walked in for a while.

In the end, she couldn't find the boy, Jasper Lee.

Cherry Adams thought to herself that she was really looking for trouble.

　　There was a milk tea stand nearby, so Cherry Adams bought a cup of hot milk tea to drink. The last order was a big one, over 80 kilometers from Xiaoying to the provincial library, for just over 200 yuan, which netted her 120 yuan after gas and toll fees. After completing one order, she paid for the next, and the money arrived in seconds.

Cherry clicked to check the balance on her account.

220,316 yuan.

She put the phone down and pinched the bridge of her nose.

　　What if Jasper Lee really didn't want a brother?

How could that be?

She wasn't sure about human nature.

Should she keep him? Should she keep him?

Would keeping him be more trouble than not keeping him?

Just give him away, Cherry Adams thought, to someone who could afford to keep him. But could she really afford to? It didn't seem like it, but it was just a matter of extra chopsticks and bowls.

　　Stop it! You're obsessed, Cherry Adams! What does this have to do with you? Stop worrying about things that don't concern you!

Cherry Adams took a deep breath to calm herself.

Three days. She would only give Jasper Lee three days.

If he didn't pick up his brother after three days,

she would go to Social Services to find an adoptive family for Pascal Lee.

At 10:30 p.m., Cherry Adams finished her last delivery.

　　Exhausted, she retrieved the key and opened the door.

As she walked upstairs, she wondered for a moment if Pascal Lee was still home. Had his brother picked him up? Or was Jasper Lee home, too, and the brothers were waiting for her to come back and say they wouldn't leave without her? Cherry Adams pushed the door open as she guessed.

There was a thud.

Pascal Lee appeared at the door.

　　"Sis, you're finally back! I missed you so much!"

Cherry Adams stepped in and took off her shoes. "Did your brother come looking for you?"

"No..." Pascal Lee's face fell. This was the scenario Cherry Adams had been expecting.

Human nature, heh, who can guarantee that? Jasper Lee, who had just acted like a brother to her, would abandon his defenseless younger brother in the next second.

　　She pressed her tongue against her cheek and asked again, "You haven't eaten yet?"

"Not yet," Pascal Lee paused, his little face flushed as he covered his stomach, "My stomach's growling?"

Cherry Adams pointed to the coffee table, "There's money on it, why didn't you buy something to eat?"

"You told me not to go out," Pascal Lee replied in a straightforward manner, "Oh, I took a nap."

　　Took a nap, he said, and indeed he is a child.

She handed him the steaming shrimp ravioli.

"Eat," she said.

"Did you buy this for me?"

"No, it's for the toilet," he said.

Pascal Lee got the joke and quickly sat down to eat. Cherry Adams brought him a bottle of mineral water and sat at the table watching him gulp it down.

　　The boy eats so messy. This was not the case when he was with the Lee family. He was always chased around by servants trying to get him to eat. Look at him now, so thin. I wonder how much it hurts Lee's mother to see him like this from heaven.

"Eat slowly, no one will take him away from you," she says.

　　Pascal Lee put down his chopsticks and spoon and belched contentedly, "My stomach is so warm." The little guy looked fine, so Cherry Adams reached out and felt his forehead.

It wasn't burning either. She pulled her hand back and asked again,

"Did you cover yourself with a blanket during your nap?"

"Yes, I did. I covered up when I got a little cold."

Nonsense, it's almost the start of winter.

　　"Good for you," she said. If you get cold, turn on the heat in my room."

"Turning on the heater wastes electricity! Pascal Lee shook his head. It's okay, I'll just use more when I sleep."

"I told you to turn it on! What's with all the nonsense?"

Cherry Adams snapped, slapping the table.

Pascal Lee jumped and asked a moment later, "Have you... have you eaten yet?"

　　"What?" Cherry Adams was confused.

A paper bowl was pushed toward her. Pascal Lee smiled sweetly:

"I've saved half a bowl of food for you."

Cherry Adams froze for a moment, then couldn't contain her embarrassment, "I'm not eating," and turned to go to the bedroom.

"Clear the table and go to bed."

　　Pascal Lee sat quietly, stunned for a moment before finishing the rest of his meal in a daze.

The warm light and heat from the bedroom poured in, like colors from another world, like an artificially created home. He pushed the door open carefully and stepped inside.

There were still two days to go.