It seems that the villain is targeting me.

She held her hands tightly, and she had no intention of letting go of Chen Xiaoya.

Xiao Niao could feel the other person trembling in her palm, and she looked into those eyes filled with fear.

Finally, she loosened her grip

Strength, sighing silently in the heart.

"...Are you hungry?"

Xiao Niao asked.

Chapter 17 The cat shivers in the night wind

It was not until he sat down in the late-night snack shop in a daze that Chen Xiaoya realized that something was not right with the development of the situation.

If you think about it carefully, one of them had just beaten someone's father, and the other had witnessed her own father's head being split open. They were freshly-minted criminals and the victim's family members who had just been exposed for less than a day.

Generally speaking, this is not a relationship that allows one to peacefully coexist and eat at the same table.

But Xiao Niao really sat down calmly - and then he tore off a piece of tissue and wiped the dirty little table in front of the two of them.

Chen Xiaoya felt a little nervous and annoyed, wondering why she followed the other person out.

The reason why she didn't get up and run away immediately was mainly because this small restaurant was very close to the police station. She could see the duty room at the entrance of the police station as long as she raised her head slightly.

This made her feel a little more at ease.

In fact, at the beginning, Chen Xiaoya didn’t think Xiaoniao was that scary - even after she knocked down more than a dozen gangsters, Chen Xiaoya was more shocked than afraid.

If the person had not been taken to the police station for questioning, she would have even suspected that she was hallucinating.

This is actually due to the fact that Xiao Niao has an intimidating face and wears clean clothes. He looks like a person with a decent life and it is difficult to associate him with bloody and violent things.

It's truly pitiful to see such a thing - if those noble lords in the capital in the previous life knew that the butcher bird had such a "harmless" reputation, I guess they would have scratched ten grief-stricken scratches on the coffin even if the person was buried in the ground.

The small restaurant didn't have a menu. Everything you could order was posted on the wall. Xiao Niao looked up at the wall and casually asked her, "What do you want to eat?"

Chen Xiaoya didn't expect that Xiaoniao really wanted to take her out for dinner, and for a moment she couldn't figure out what this was all about.

But then again, she was indeed hungry, and very hungry.

Chen Xiaoya hasn't eaten anything since she went to school to check her grades at noon. She couldn't bear to spend the money on the bus fare, so she just walked here.

After he found the mahjong parlor and reported the results to his father, he almost got beaten up by him. Then the little bird made a brilliant appearance and turned the whole place upside down... and then he was taken to the police station for questioning.

After finishing the statement, Chen Xiaoya sat at the door of the police station's reception hall and waited until late at night.

A few tempting aromas wafted over from the kitchen of the small restaurant, making my already empty stomach rumble again.

Chen Xiaoya's will suddenly became weak, but because she was shy as a child, she was too embarrassed to speak.

Seeing that she didn't respond for a long time, Xiao Niao stopped asking and casually ordered two baskets of steamed dumplings, a bowl of mixed noodles and a small wonton - all very common homely foods that could suit the appetite of most people.

Chen Xiaoya really wanted to appear more successful, but when the steaming hot steamer was brought to the table by the restaurant owner, all her success was gone as she packed up her bedding and ran away from home.

Anyway, there is nothing wrong with steamed dumplings.

She ate half the basket in one go without even dipping it in water.

Then the mixed noodles and wontons were served. Chen Xiaoya took one of the bowls without much hesitation and started eating with his head down.

Perhaps because the person she biologically called 'father' was not at the same table, she always felt that her appetite was particularly good today.

The steam rising from the wonton soup hit her face, reminding the child of some distant and hazy memories of warmth.

But that memory was too fragile and too unreal. Chen Xiaoya's eyes only moistened for a moment, and then he quickly blinked back to normal.

Xiao Niao sat on the chair opposite her, eating noodles relatively quietly.

Because children of this age have big appetites, she gave both baskets of steamed dumplings to Chen Xiaoya and told her not to eat too fast and be careful not to get burned.

Xiao Niao spoke in a natural tone, as if this was the most normal thing.

Chen Xiaoya thought, this is really a very strange scene. I think I will never encounter such a strange thing again in the future.

Out of her earshot, there was another person who was also very confused about the current situation.

"Bird, what are you going to do next?" the system said worriedly, "I recognized the wrong person earlier. This person in front of me should be the 'doctor' we are looking for."

Among this combination of one person and one cat, the only one who has the authority to access the information of the plot characters is cat number four.

Tongzi, like Xiaoniao, can only listen to Number Four's retelling.

So it made the same mistake as the bird, thinking that the "underground doctor in the black clinic" was a scary and dangerous person.

It never expected that the person who would destroy the entire small world in the future would be a skinny little girl who even looked a little malnourished.

At this moment, Tongzi was a little unsure of what to do.

Xiao Niao was multitasking, and even while talking he did not stop stirring the noodles.

She said to Tongzi, "Eat first. Let everyone eat their fill first. We can talk about anything else later."

Don't talk while eating, don't talk while sleeping. This seems to make sense.

, but the system always feels that something doesn’t sound right.

It felt that what the bird said was similar to the last meal before execution, that is, before sending a person to the execution ground and chopping off her head, she must be given a good meal first.

While Xiaoniao was talking to Tongzi, Chen Xiaoya on the opposite side had almost eaten up all the food on the table.

This child usually never eats out and rarely eats such a rich meal - it's not that he can't afford it, but the pressure of life makes Chen Xiaoya dare not indulge in any degree of luxury in his daily consumption.

Although she is young, she has already developed a simple concept of saving: no one is reliable, and only money can protect her from risks.

Xiao Niao was basically full at this time. She didn't pick up her chopsticks again, but just sat quietly by the side, waiting for Chen Xiaoya to finish eating, and then took out money to pay the bill.

The boss came over and took away the leftover dishes on the table.

Xiao Niao gently rubbed the knuckles of her index finger, and she noticed that the child opposite was looking at her with his black eyes.

The bird then lowered its shoulders a little so that the two people talking could look at each other at eye level as much as possible.

"Your name is Chen Xiaoya, right?" she asked cautiously.

But unexpectedly, the child opposite shook his head.

"Xiaoya is my nickname," Chen Xiaoya said, "my full name is Chen Jiansheng."

When Xiao Niao first heard the name, he instinctively found it funny, but when he thought about it carefully, he felt very sad.

This is a local custom in He County. People will give their children a nickname for many years, and only give them a full name when they are registered as adults.

It’s just that ordinary families just give their children nicknames like cats or dogs. Their intention is that "cheeky names are easier to raise" and they hope that their children will grow up healthy. The names that are written in the household registration book are chosen carefully.

And for a girl like Xiaoya... no good family would give such a big name to a girl.

Xiao Niao couldn't help but frown.

Finally, she silently skipped the question about the name: "...The man who wanted to beat you up in the mahjong parlor before, was he your father?"

Chen Xiaoya said: "Not necessarily."

Xiao Niao: “…”

The little bird's head ached terribly.

She didn't dare delve into the child's complicated family relationships and simply asked, "Can you get the other parents to come pick you up?"

Chen Xiaoya lowered his head, his eyes wandering downwards, "No."

Xiao Niao couldn't count how many times she sighed that day. She stood up helplessly and said to Chen Xiaoya, "Let's go. I'll take you home."

The child sat in the chair without moving.

Obviously, she had not completely let down her guard against Xiao Niao.

Although Xiao Niao had always been quite friendly to her and had not used any coercive behavior, Chen Xiaoya's vigilance did not decrease much.

This child is actually very thoughtful and not the type who can be easily approached or flattered.

In simple terms, it is a wolf. It cannot be tamed and will just leave after eating.

There is no way. This child has lived in a city slum with extremely poor security conditions since she was a child. She has a father who likes to drink and beat people. If she didn't grow up more careful, she would not be alive today.

So she naturally began to think: This person is so nice to me, could he have some ulterior motive?

Chen Xiaoya felt that she had nothing to gain. She was poor, had no mother, and had an unlucky father. She was a little cabbage that was not loved by her grandmother and uncle. Even she herself felt that her life was worthless and worthless.

With Chen Xiaoya's life experience, it is difficult for her to understand that there is kindness in this world for no reason.

She also didn't think that anyone would go out of their way to care about her...or would decide to send her home purely out of concern that she would be in danger.

Xiao Niao had already rearranged her coat. She looked down at Chen Xiaoya and said in a tone that brooked no argument, "Get up. I'll take you home."

"It's too dangerous for you to walk alone at night," Xiao Niao said. "If you're really worried, I'll go over there and ask the police to take you back."

Chen Xiaoya looked at the bird with some surprise.

She carefully observed Xiao Niao's expression, and then she realized that he didn't seem to be in a good mood. He looked depressed and impatient, and seemed to have a faint hostility towards her - as if he was angered by what she had said before.

But this actually made Chen Xiaoya vaguely feel a little bit of goodwill towards him.

She was like a hedgehog, trembling and raising all the thorns on her body, and anyone who tried to reach out would be pricked.

But at this moment, the hedgehog stopped hesitantly, and the spines on its back drooped unconsciously.

She thought: This older sister might really be a good person.

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Chen Xiaoya's home is in an old tube-shaped building on the south street of He County. It is a very typical urban shantytown. There is a garbage disposal center downstairs. The environment is dirty, messy and poor. It is cold in winter and hot in summer. It is rare to find such a bad place.

Xiao Niao only took a quick glance at the place where Chen Xiaoya lived, and he roughly figured out what kind of family background this child came from.

She sent Chen Xiaoya to the bottom of the tube-shaped building, and then watched him trot into the building without saying a word for a long time.

[…In the end, you still let him get away, huh?] The system popped up at the perfect moment, [and you even personally sent him home.]

Xiao Niao said: "I will step on

point. "

The system didn't say anything. It thought, I don't know you, but you are the most stubborn one.

The two of them stood in the night wind for a while.

Xiao Niao suddenly said, "I just came out of the inquiry room and grabbed Chen Xiaoya's hand."

[…What did you find?] The system asked in a coordinated manner.

"She had bruises on her wrists, some that were new and some that had healed a long time ago."

Xiao Niao closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "This child is often beaten... She also reacted strongly when I accidentally raised my hand before."

This is undoubtedly a conditioned reflex that only people who are often abused will have.

The system remained silent for a moment, then analyzed: [It was most likely her father who did it. That's Chen Zhengkang, the one you punched in the head.]

There is no need to analyze Chen Xiaoya's name, her resistance to her father, and what she said, "No relatives can come to pick me up."

It was obvious who had hurt her.

The system also added: [By the way, the task progress bar moved up a bit when you beat up her father.]

Xiao Niao smiled faintly when he heard this.

As if to ease the gloomy atmosphere, Xiao Niao spoke in a relaxed tone: "It seems that we can complete the task by beating up her father."

This was of course just a joke. Beating up Chen Zhengkang could only be of some help to the mission, but it could not truly guarantee that Chen Xiaoya would not become a "doctor" in the future.

There was actually only one way to ensure that she would never become a 'doctor'.

The system knows the bird's personality. It is very clear that the bird's moral bottom line is actually quite high and it cannot be the kind of cold-faced and ruthless bad guy.

It is actually quite normal if Xiao Niao can't bring himself to harm a child who has not done anything wrong.

Tongzi sighed: [Bird, I know you might be too soft-hearted to do it... This kid is really quite pitiful.]

[Hmm, let me think...]

The system code spun around twice before coming up with a bad idea: [How about just having Number Four go over and scratch her? What if she gets rabies or something? Then we don't have to do it ourselves...]

"You are the King of Hell!" Xiao Niao couldn't help but complain.

"I might as well just stab someone with a knife—and if Number Four is carrying rabies, wouldn't it easily turn into a mad cat?"